FR1-X Help needed with the bellows

[knobby]

I've been trying to use the FR1-X I bought recently but can't get away with the bellows. I have the bellows curve set to "4. X-Light" which would seem OK if I could get the bellow resistance set up better. At the moment it's still very stiff, but if I move it one more "click" then I'm subjected to a loud "Whoosh" every time I move the bellows which gets on my nerves.
Am I missing something - maybe a setting I've overlooked or a method to silence the air intake/exhaust which, to make the bellow easier to operate, becomes ridiculously loud? I don't think I've played this thing more than an hour since I got it, primarily for this reason. I know I could put it on a fixed bellows setting (which may be the answer) but I shouldn't have to do that. I had an FR1 in the past and don't remember having this issue.
Any help would be appreciated before it gets stuck on eBay!

 

[Airy]

I would suggest a bellows sensitivity between 6-standard and 8-heavy. If you use light oder moreso extra-light the slightest pressure produces already high volume which you seem to not want.

 

[Ventura]

and the oft repeated but oft forgotton
"turn the volume up higher than you think you should"

 

[knobby]

It’s not the volume that’s the issue - it’s the resistance on the bellows. Either too stiff or “whooshing”!

 

[jozz]

my woosh is not so loud but something i try to get used to
so far the bellows 'feeling' of the FR1x put me off to using it live

but I know it's me, because there are top players that use it on stage effectively

 

[ChrisH]

When I acquired my FR1x I initially struggled with the bellows, but soon came to realise that it will never feel like an acoustic accordion.
It's not an accordion... it's a synthesiser whose volume is controlled by pressure on the bellows. There are no reeds, so it doesn't consume any air. The bellows valve introduces leakage and is only useful if you want to kid your audience that you're playing an accordion.
Keeping the bellows valve tightly closed allows you to perform whole lines of music without changing direction.
OK, it feels stiff and different at first, but think of it as a different instrument, and you'll soon get used to it.

 

[Jim S]

I had a similar issue - the bass strap came away and took the left side apart and used new acres and epoxy resin glue to repair, which worked fine. But afterwards the bellows weren’t the same - noisy and distinct ‘whoosh’ too despite every dialled setting. Eventually took it apart and found the bellows release button was slightly misplaced, not quite in the central location tube. And suddenly back to normal. Just to be sure I reset the bellows sensor electronically. If you’d problem persists, kne it both of these things might fix it?