Here is a video of the issue, Reso and Attack work.
None of the EQ knobs change any value.

"The four EQ knobs work for the 90s harp preset performance on my MODX."

🙁 So, i suspect a setting somewhere.
Is this something in a global setting? or a global assign that is disabled?
(I bought the moDX from someone this week, so still exploring).
If all else fails, i'll probably have to try a factory reset then.

I tried reproducing the issue by changing a few different settings and haven't been able to reproduce yet.

A second look - I think you have under your [UTILITY] MIDI I/O setup Local Control set to OFF. This means that an attached device like a computer or tablet is responsible to "echo back" controls back to your MODX in order to complete the "loop". Your controls (knobs, etc) do not directly send movements internally but instead send external and expect the external device to send these back to MODX.

EQ/FX sends Sysex. Tone (at least the 1st 2 knobs) send CC.

If your computer/tablet (DAW, software, etc) is filtering Sysex, as is a common default, then any knob that sends Sysex will not appear to work due to lack of completing the loop.

In order to demonstrate everything is working fine - you would go to the [UTILITY] MIDI I/O setup and turn Local Control ON. Check out the knobs working. If you really need to have Local Control OFF and are using a DAW - then make sure you setup the DAW to echo back Sysex (do not filter Sysex).

BTW: You could also go to the quick template menu also under [UTILITY] and press the "Standalone" button which will change the system settings including Local Control which will be switched ON.

Thank you. Yes, under quick-setup i selected standalone. but under midi-io the "local control" was indeed still off,
i now have EQ control.

so, EQ cannot be controlled by CC, (and cannot, seems, be assigned to custom assign-knobs 1-8 ?)
i think (instead of sysex streams to/from DAW) i'll have to setup EQ for parts in the performance then.

Thank you for your help, it is quite a keyboard to get to know.

Note that when you navigate to the quick setup menu - you may see "standalone" highlighted. What's hilighted has no meaning. Physically pressing the button is the only thing that will change the settings.

There may be effects that give you some amount of EQ capabilities. These are assignable as destinations for assignable knobs.

I don't know what DAW you're using but turning off the Sysex filter will allow for the manual EQ knobs to work even with Local Control off (if that's what you want). I'm not sure if local control as OFF was intentional or not.

Resonance/Cutoff is not exactly EQ - but when dynamic control of "EQ" is desired - typically these two parameters are used. These are destinations assignable to knobs.

None of the knobs would work when Local Control is OFF unless you have an external MIDI device or program echoing back the MIDI that MODX transmits. That some knobs work and other knobs do not work was a clue a snapped to on my second look. The knobs that work were probably all CC and knobs that didn't were probably all Sysex. This told me that something was at the other end echoing back MIDI -- but only CC and not Sysex. Which is a common issue I've seen since Sysex filtering is often a default.

The problem here was mainly the DAW or other device that was assigned to echoing back the MIDI stream. It wasn't setup to echo back Sysex data -- which is a requirement to have all of the features work since MODX (with very little exception) cannot re-assign knobs that send Sysex to send CC.

Some other references:

https://www.yamahasynth.com/forum/local-control-off-super-knob-lock-up-no-movement
https://www.yamahasynth.com/forum/slider-and-knob-midi-output
Note: above link has a chart for Montage's 8 knobs (EQ/FX, etc). MODX is slightly different - but you can see the general theme that some knobs send CC and some Sysex.

And there are problem a dozen or more threads that touch on this.

... problem = probably.

Thanks for the references, that helped a lot in learning about approaches for single (midi tracks) vs multi (arp/performance, where arp can be more than a simple pattern, more like a complete ensemble over several parts, including drums etc.).

Using a synth/workstation like montage and modx for daw-work, next to creative/musician, requires you to also be able to wear a more engineer/technician hat 🙂 i understand why some might prefer a single instrument, or like a monosynth, with all the knobs and parameters direct at hand.

The stand-alone button being lit but needing a press to activate, was, ehm, 'surprising'. Although i had noticed before that selecting another performance would light up standalone again under utility, but hadn't looked any further into it then.

Thanks again bill/jason.

Yes, the quick template button user interface has received many complaints from me prior to ideascale becoming available. Perhaps someone else has requested this feature be tweaked. The way it operates is confusing and misleading.

Just ignore any indication that any given "button" is currently pressed. The instrument doesn't try to figure out if the settings align with any of these buttons. The only way to know that your setting are aligned with any of the buttons is to go through the list manually (several different pages worth of parameters) -OR- press the button you want. Right after pressing the button you know the settings are aligned.

The buttons change both system-level parameters and also Performance level parameters. Therefore - even recalling a new Performance can undo the settings invoked by pressing a button.

Working with any multi-timbral synth and a DAW is challenging. Never mind one that can play on eight MIDI channels via the Keyboard and transmit multiple channels of arpeggiated data.

You need a MIDI merit badge to setup any hardware synth with a DAW, you need a Jedi Knight MIDI Merit Badge with the MONTAGE/MODX. With great complexity and flexibility comes great responsibility… and a learning curve.

Most hardware synths don’t transmit on 8 channels simultaneously from the keyboard.
Most hardware synths don’t link Parts from different channels and have them interact with each other.

We highly recommend mastering single Part recording before moving to multi Part recording, and master multi Part recording before moving to Arp recording, etc., etc.

Given some of the differences, you might find that giving a different workflow to get data into your favorite DAW is worth a try. Eventually, you may run into some things you can’t record as you would expect.

The built-in Performance Recorder is designed to record ‘you’ performing on the MODX/MONTAGE. You do not have to worry about synchronizing clocks, you do not have to worry about is Local on or off, or why aren’t my Knobs changing value, did I remember to bypass the Arp once recorded, etc., etc.

I, personally, have to work every way there is (nature of the job as “answer man”) — just to get an understanding of what end users may run into with different approaches. Everyone is going to have their own preferences and that’s fine.

I’ve discovered that I enjoy playing with the synth engine, designing programs, more than I do using a mouse and editing. What I mean is, I find I prefer morphing one sound into another as an act of real-time performing over an act of mixing. I would rather spend time programming a sound that morphed between two situations than do that after-the-fact in the DAW or when mixing down.

There are certainly times I want to use the DAW for some of the features it provides. So to enjoy the best of both worlds, I find myself recording initially in the synth’s own Performance Recorder (it is not a graphic event edit sequencer—but it is a brilliant ‘do-over’ sequencer) I’m the kind of player from the “Do-over generation”… back in the day that was your only option. I always feel I could do a better take. No big deal… I’ll play it again. I prefer that to reaching for the mouse. It’s a personal preference.

The internal Performance Recorder allows me to have the one instrument assemble a basic musical structure (all but the linear tracks, like lead or melody, which I usually do once everything is assembled in the DAW)… I use the MONTAGE/MODX to assemble the rest of the tracks.

Then I drag and drop the whole thing into Cubase, where I start overdubbing acoustic items, vocals, more linear synth parts etc. the first few times you do it, you are uncertain… work with it a while you’ll discover it’s quite easy and takes all the difficult setup and configuring out of the picture.

If you enjoy working with Arps, Recording to the Pattern Sequencer automatically converts the Arps to MIDI events. You can build musical sections in the Scenes; Scenes can be appended onto each other and can be 256 measure in Length. You can Chain the Scenes into a linear MIDI Song. You can overdub additional tracks, you can record or re-record MIDI Controller ‘automation’ without overwriting the Note data. Once a linear Song you can move it as a .mid to the DAW

Finally, there are some things that are extremely interesting musically, that involve the Arpeggiators/Motion Sequences, and the Side Chaining possibilities that can only be recorded as Audio. And because never previously having access to these kinds of tools on a hardware synth, I find exploring them like walking on new territory. I find myself using each tool for what it does best.

Example: Having an external player as a Modulation source opens some uncharted areas — (the result must be documented as Audio).

Integrating the Envelope Follower so Percussive hits can modulate FM-X Modulators is particularly stunning. When using the Arpeggiators you can ensure repeatability (the Arpeggiators are immediately accessible), but when you use an external source like vocals, drums, guitar, etc, then you must capture that “live” (as audio).

Fortunately, the number of USB Outputs allows you to capture, as audio, *what* you need to, *when* you need to… take your time, explore the possibilities. Find new ones.

Thanx, for the explanation and ideas for workflows. I'm not a 'good' performer, so was thinking more about building up separate tracks (Drums, Bas, Chords, etc.). With my new MoDX, i'm diving into music and DAW anew. Coming from a more midi-tracks based workflow, i guess i might have to try out more with more audio-tracks.