My WaveStation is Stinky

1:11

Just got a Korg Wavestation SR off of eBay, pretty excited since the WS used to be my instrument of choice back in the day.

The only problem, is that it STINKS!!
it's foulin up my house. Smells like mildew and mothballs.

My bandmate says it smells "Vintage"....

Anyone know how to safely clean/deodorize electronics?

jksuperstar · Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 1:58 pm Post subject:

The same way I deodorize my stomach lining.

Alcohol.

Isopropyl, though. It evaporates, and leaves no residue. Don't be tempted by the mint-flavored stuff either, that does have residue. And lots of Q-tips.

You can use Glass cleaner/windex on the external parts afterward.

1:11 · Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 2:47 pm Post subject:

OK, thanks for the tips!

i'm almost wondering if i should use my DIY ozone generator on it, BUT scared to. Thinking it will be too harcore, dont want to Oxidize anything important.

So i'll dump some Tequila all over it and see if that helps. hehe
Rubbing alcohol, ok, yes that should kill the mold.

nobody · Joined: Mar 09, 2008 Posts: 1687 Location: Not here

When I saw the thread title I thought you were bitching about the sound. Laughing

Wavestation's cool, bro. I don't have one, but I have the soft-synth version from the Korg Legacy Collection.

jksuperstar · Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 10:17 pm Post subject:

Some of those "new vintage" synths rock! My band came into a Korg DSS-1, and with 8 voice, 8 analog VCF/VCA, and 12 or less bits of sampler oscillator, it can be gritty and lush and creamy...at the same time!

Keysandslots · Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 6:11 am Post subject:

As far as I know, the only way to clean mould is with chlorine bleach. What I would do is seal the synth in a plastic bag with a bunch of baking soda, or toss some silica gel inside it (the stuff you get in little bags when you buy electronic equipment). Silica gel (usually labeled "do not eat", duh) is also used for drying flowers so it's great for absorbing moisture.

If you decide to try alcohol, re-read the original recommendation. It's not rubbing alcohol, it's isopropyl alcohol you want, the 98% (or thereabouts) pure stuff.

I had the keyboard version of the Wavestation EX for many years (I gotta stop selling stuff), what an amazing synth. The only downside was the lack of a resonant filter. You could fake it by cycling through the waves but it would have been nice to have the filter.

Randy

1:11 · Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 11:18 am Post subject:

Keys:
Thanks for the suggestion and pointing out ISO instead of rubbing alcohol, that was a detail i missed!!
As far as using a desiccant, that would only be a temporary fix. Only the live fungi would be affected, and the spores would still be active. So a humid day could just bring it all back.
BUT using the 2 suggested methods together just might do the trick. Getting it under control with the desiccant, and then attempting to kill the spores with alcohol to prevent further problems.
Cool

So, AWESOME....those were great ideas!! Cool

jkss: Sweet!! i LOVE old samplers!! How do the keys feel on that one?

Glad to see there's Wavestation fans here!!
This is my 3rd physical one (2 EX's in the past, also Legacy), and used to be the foundation of all my past music. The software version is great, but idk, just not the same as a real one.

i'm really interested in the A/D rackmount version because it has Audio IN's where you can use WaveSequences as the carrier signal for Vocoding. That could get very interesting. Anyone use an A/D?

jksuperstar · Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 7:55 am Post subject:

The keys are solid, as well is the joystick. They have a good solid feel, and as old as it is, works great. I think the springs feel a bit stronger than most keys today, which helps play it more dynamically...and also to play drums.

And it has lots of real-estate for floppies and other MIDI sound sources.

CJ Miller · Joined: Jan 07, 2007 Posts: 368 Location: 127.0.0.1

I live on the east coast of the US, and have often needed to store gear in basements here it gets too musty. Some kinds of mold apparently *love* sebaceous oils. I had a pair of needlenose pliers in my basement over the winter with cobalt blue rubberized handle grips. When I saw them this week they were frosted white with mold. Also even if it does not seem too damp, rust can also be a problem. I am quite anal about not messing up my gear and it kills me to see it corrode despite my efforts. I can only imagine how tough it must be to have vintage synths in the tropics!

Anyway, I am very allergic to mold. There are varieties which if I am exposed to make me sneeze *several hundred to 1000+ times* per day.

My approach is to disassemble gear as much as is convenient and wipe it down with isopropyl alcohol. It is the same as rubbing alcohol, but what I have found works best is the strongest concentration, usually about 90% or so. Avoid anything less than 70% - which is sold to be milder on skin. Sometimes I even remove and clean the circuits if they are sticky with nicotine or other goop. Some PCBs have a protective coating which gets messy if you dissolve it in alcohol, I advise cleaning the electronics only of necessary.

CAUTIONS: The alcohol will dry out your skin - avoid contact with it and treat yourself to a nice lotion. Be careful getting alcohol on delicate parts, ie trimpots, polystyrene caps, etc. And make 100% certain that the whole thing is completely dry before you power it back on. This includes nooks like jacks and open pots. and especially IC sockets. Carefully remove socketed chips if you need to clean the board. All these cautions aside, 90% dries very quickly.