Very quiet. Any chip-based device can crash... so I will not say that it’s impossible. There is usually a cause.

If it happens again, or happens often... then worry. Document exactly the circumstances as best you can and please, Let us know!
Very unusual, not impossible, but unusual.

I've seen a lockup before with my Montage but it hasn't happened since. It happened during programming usage and not during performance.

Since then, I've been through several firmware versions - so it's possible firmware "fixed" this. You may find the same with your MODX - but stay alert as has been suggested. You may not have the same experience.

Very quiet. Any chip-based device can crash... so I will not say that it’s impossible. There is usually a cause.

If it happens again, or happens often... then worry. Document exactly the circumstances as best you can and please, Let us know!
Very unusual, not impossible, but unusual.

It’s happened again and this time on a factory performance. I think it was one of the musical effects types. I noticed these happen when I play aggressively with a lot of velocity involved. On this one, the screen didn’t blank out but rather just hung a note as it did on the second time with the Universal Comp/SynCP combination. I do feel it’s got something to do with some kind of processing/cpu overloading where there’s just too much going on. Combined with the way I’m playing the performance might just be the thing that tips it over the edge. All other voices are fine even after a lot of playing time.

I've seen a lockup before with my Montage but it hasn't happened since. It happened during programming usage and not during performance.

Since then, I've been through several firmware versions - so it's possible firmware "fixed" this. You may find the same with your MODX - but stay alert as has been suggested. You may not have the same experience.

I’m hopeful that the fix is one that can be addressed via updates to the firmware. There’s only been one so far and I realize that with a technically complex synthesizer like the Montage/MODX, there will be unforeseen anomalies that arise from the practically infinite interactions that will happen during the normal course of playing.

If you played all of this same stuff using a MIDI connected keyboard - and MODX was in single-channel mode (or the MIDI keyboard could output channels 1-8 with the same notes simultaneously) - then the CPU would be just as loaded by the notes you play. You say you're playing aggressively so maybe it's a "shock and vibe" issue where something is marginal on a PCB and the forces are causing an electrical failure. Again, hooking up a MIDI keyboard and pounding on that thing as fast and aggressive as you can would present MODX with the same workload - but would remove the movement/forces if the two keyboards were not placed on the same surface. Something easy to experiment with if you have another keyboard with a MIDI OUT connector. Or you could use USB and a DAW and load the thing up with crazy 32nd note triplets (or whatever type of notes you want) at blazing tempos with all 16 channels flying with notes. Something more severe than your playing can do. And see if this does anything.

If you played all of this same stuff using a MIDI connected keyboard - and MODX was in single-channel mode (or the MIDI keyboard could output channels 1-8 with the same notes simultaneously) - then the CPU would be just as loaded by the notes you play. You say you're playing aggressively so maybe it's a "shock and vibe" issue where something is marginal on a PCB and the forces are causing an electrical failure. Again, hooking up a MIDI keyboard and pounding on that thing as fast and aggressive as you can would present MODX with the same workload - but would remove the movement/forces if the two keyboards were not placed on the same surface. Something easy to experiment with if you have another keyboard with a MIDI OUT connector. Or you could use USB and a DAW and load the thing up with crazy 32nd note triplets (or whatever type of notes you want) at blazing tempos with all 16 channels flying with notes. Something more severe than your playing can do. And see if this does anything.

Interesting. I’ll give that a try. I was playing from the MODX keyboard itself and not from a remotely MIDI’d controller although I was connected to one (an MX) via the legacy MIDI ports and to a DAW (not on at the time) via USB. I’ll try using the MX first and see if I get the same thing. I’m just praying that it’s not some sort of factory hardware defect.

I just tried it with a MIDI’d keyboard (MX49) for about 15 minutes and didn’t get the lock up. Usually, the problem would come up within a minute of two of playing. I was using the MIDI port selection rather than the USB that it was set on earlier when I had the problem. I don’t know if this has anything to do with the problem but that’s pretty much all I remember that was different as far as settings went.

The other thing to try is to backup your MODX if you have any user content on it (save a backup file - ends in "A" for all) and then do a complete initialization of MODX to restore the instrument back to "factory" settings. If you've updated the firmware - it doesn't revert your firmware back. Just wipes everything out of different memory areas (Library, User, curve tables, songs, microtuning, system settings, etc). Then go back to playing aggressively direct on the keyboard. Any user content or settings will change your instrument vs. what you can test in the store. Initializing is a way to clean the slate so you know you're testing exactly the same thing. I'm assuming that a random keyboard in the store that has been initialized will be the same as your keyboard at home and you could play for hours as aggressively as you want.

I mean ... look at the MODX demos (the live uncut ones). Some of these guys and gals are going bonkers on the instrument for longer than 15 minutes. The keyboards do not appear to lock up. This is not to say anything about what you individually are experiencing except perhaps inform or place some weight to the notion that lockups like this should be rare. And, if they are not, you likely have something different going on. Different could be that one-in-a-billion unlucky problem with the hardware from birth, or a slightly more likely difference in the software setup (parameters, settings, etc..) that expose some issue, or maybe some kind of surge issue from the power line or ESD event that affected the instrument post-purchase.

I have a fairly low threshold for this kind of thing when I make a new instrument purchase. When I received my keyboard - straight off the shipping truck - the box was wet on one end from sitting in water which compromised the shipping box. I powered on the unit and everything seemed OK - but I shipped it back to the dealer and got a replacement. I had not even identified a problem but didn't need one to surface later.

These things have warranties and a "frequently" reproducible lockup seems to be as good of a reason as any to make a warranty claim.

Some of these tests I suggest are to try to narrow down the possibilities. You said you thought it was a CPU overload thing -- which I didn't necessarily think would be a real root cause. So the test devised was to help prove/disprove that.

If you think USB vs MIDI has anything to do with it (I don't, but who knows -- speculation both ways) - then you can have your DAW go crazy on MODX as suggested. It'll be even more aggressive as far as note density than your playing.

Thanks for the advice, Jason. All the things you mentioned sound plausible and I’ll do the reset and take it from there. I assume there are quite a few of these out there by now and if I’m the only one having this problem, it does seem kind of odd - but then again, you never know. If there was some kind of corruption due to power/ESD causes, I would think that there would’ve been other strange problems that would have manifested themselves in other areas by now.
Anyhow, for the time being it’s a synth type sound that I’m ok with playing on a MIDI’d synth keyboard (Motif ES6) and doesn’t really need weighted keys (I have the MODX8). I know it’s not a real solution but at least it’ll do for now.

Edit:
I should clarify that when I said I played the thing through MIDI for 15 minutes, I didn’t mean that it locked up after that. I simply didn’t continue playing and could have gone on indefinitely. I also alternated between the two keyboards - at times playing on both simultaneously and one at a time.

When connecting the MODX via 5-pin MIDI to anything, you should be utilizing the ZONE MASTER function to intelligently control what you are transmitting Out via MIDI.

What the MODX sends Out via MIDI are messages that ensure if you were to record them that on playback, every nuance and move you make is properly documented and recounted. This means, at times your MODX is sending data actively on as many as eight MIDI channels simultaneously!!

You can see immediately this can be overwhelming if you’re just loading this upon an unsuspecting external MIDI device!

The MODX “Zone Master” function allows you to harness all of that MIDI transmit power and direct only what you want to transmit Out to go to your target item. Do not send data to a device like the MX without using the Zone Master feature. It is the only way to intelligently control what you are sending Out via MIDI to your external connected device.

Press [UTILITY]
Touch “Settings” > “Advanced” > Set “Zone Master” = On
Once activated you will be able to customize each Performance as necessary to control what gets transmitted by each active Part.
Now each Part will have two screens of settings “Zone Settings”, “Zone Transmit”.
Select the Part
[EDIT] > “Part Settings” > “Zone Settings”

Extra Credit:
When you select a Multi Part Performance on your MODX, each Part generates its own MIDI data that goes to the MIDI Out. You can understand if you are controlling a synth pad, a bass and a drum groove via an Arpeggio, you’d want the data transmitted Out on separate MIDI Channels. The Zone Master helps you determine what, if anything, is transmitted Out via MIDI, on a Part-by-Part basis.

When controlling an external tone engine via 5-pin MIDI, there is great benefit to routing the audio output of the controlled device to the A/D Inputs of the MODX. By doing so you can treat it as one of your eight KBD CTRL zones... meaning you can Effect and Control it in a similar fashion to how you Control MODX Parts. This includes morphing to it via the Super Knob, and more... The A/D Input can be customized for each Performance, you can assign MODX Effects and automate control over settings, so that each Performance can be unique and repeatable!

Zone control makes most sense for MODX as a master. The discussion earlier of using MODX in a MIDI configuration was as a slave to an external keyboard - where zoned usage did not affect the goal. MIDI configuration was fully covered with single-channel MIDI mode.

The other suggestion to use a DAW could/should use multi-channel mode. Again, MODX is the slave so zoned control is not a necessary step.

When connecting the MODX via 5-pin MIDI to anything, you should be utilizing the ZONE MASTER function to intelligently control what you are transmitting Out via MIDI.

What the MODX sends Out via MIDI are messages that ensure if you were to record them that on playback, every nuance and move you make is properly documented and recounted. This means, at times your MODX is sending data actively on as many as eight MIDI channels simultaneously!!

You can see immediately this can be overwhelming if you’re just loading this upon an unsuspecting external MIDI device!

The MODX “Zone Master” function allows you to harness all of that MIDI transmit power and direct only what you want to transmit Out to go to your target item. Do not send data to a device like the MX without using the Zone Master feature. It is the only way to intelligently control what you are sending Out via MIDI to your external connected device.

Press [UTILITY]
Touch “Settings” > “Advanced” > Set “Zone Master” = On
Once activated you will be able to customize each Performance as necessary to control what gets transmitted by each active Part.
Now each Part will have two screens of settings “Zone Settings”, “Zone Transmit”.
Select the Part
[EDIT] > “Part Settings” > “Zone Settings”

Extra Credit:
When you select a Multi Part Performance on your MODX, each Part generates its own MIDI data that goes to the MIDI Out. You can understand if you are controlling a synth pad, a bass and a drum groove via an Arpeggio, you’d want the data transmitted Out on separate MIDI Channels. The Zone Master helps you determine what, if anything, is transmitted Out via MIDI, on a Part-by-Part basis.

When controlling an external tone engine via 5-pin MIDI, there is great benefit to routing the audio output of the controlled device to the A/D Inputs of the MODX. By doing so you can treat it as one of your eight KBD CTRL zones... meaning you can Effect and Control it in a similar fashion to how you Control MODX Parts. This includes morphing to it via the Super Knob, and more... The A/D Input can be customized for each Performance, you can assign MODX Effects and automate control over settings, so that each Performance can be unique and repeatable!

Thanks for the detailed info, Bad Mister! I had a feeling that this problem had something to do with the amount of activity the MODX was handling. I’ll try out the settings and post my results.

Handling? Were you routing the MIDI data back into the MODX? MIDI loops, when up to eight arpeggiators are involved, can be a scary thought. Take your time. When it comes to MIDI, it’s pretty easy to state you’ve probably not owned a keyboard that can generate as much data as the MODX. You want to route MIDI Out with a specific plan.

Handling? Were you routing the MIDI data back into the MODX? MIDI loops, when up to eight arpeggiators are involved, can be a scary thought. Take your time. When it comes to MIDI, it’s pretty easy to state you’ve probably not owned a keyboard that can generate as much data as the MODX. You want to route MIDI Out with a specific plan.

I don’t believe so. Also, I didn’t mean to imply that the MODX itself was at fault - it was more likely something in my lack of familiarity with extra considerations needed when using a relatively more sophisticated synth than I’m used to. All I can say is, in the first case I simply tacked on the second part (SynCP) onto the existing single part performance (Universal Comp) and just started whacking away. Apparently, in my zoned out frenzy, I did *something* the MODX didn’t like 😮 . The instrument was in standard mode (not any active inputs or outputs) as far as I remember. So, I guess it all comes down just getting myself more familiarized with a more sophisticated synthesizer.