Prophet X Freezing

Re: Prophet X Freezing
« Reply #40 on: February 03, 2023, 02:35:21 PM »
I have had a similar issue, I have found that it only happens when i have the usb thumb drive plugged in (at least that has been solving it at the moment when I remove it... hopefully no bigger isssue for me :[ )
OOOOh I will do the same test.. as I have had my USB stick in all this time.. Fingers crossed.

Ok, i have done some extended all days test now.. first removed the USB thumb drive. this gave me about 6 hours of playing without crashing, but it ultimately did crash.

Then I decided to remove the USB C cable I had in connecting it to the computer.  These seem to have resolved the crashing for me as i cannot run the synth all day without any crashing. 

so in summary,  I have had the mobo replaced, the latest firmware applied, and I have removed the USB drive and cable to get it to stop crashing.

Hope this helps some other people.

Cheers,

Synth Club.




Re: Prophet X Freezing
« Reply #41 on: February 13, 2023, 02:31:43 PM »
I have had a similar issue, I have found that it only happens when i have the usb thumb drive plugged in (at least that has been solving it at the moment when I remove it... hopefully no bigger isssue for me :[ )
OOOOh I will do the same test.. as I have had my USB stick in all this time.. Fingers crossed.

Ok, i have done some extended all days test now.. first removed the USB thumb drive. this gave me about 6 hours of playing without crashing, but it ultimately did crash.

Then I decided to remove the USB C cable I had in connecting it to the computer.  These seem to have resolved the crashing for me as i cannot run the synth all day without any crashing. 

so in summary,  I have had the mobo replaced, the latest firmware applied, and I have removed the USB drive and cable to get it to stop crashing.

Hope this helps some other people.

Cheers,

Synth Club.


another update.. the synth still crashes, or should I say, the main sound stops playing. but the OS is still running.. so it is a little different than a full crash as before. Sometimes changing the loaded patch resolves it. sometimes a reboot is needed.    It's a pain in the butt as this cannot be used as a live instrument due to these ongoing issues. I may get the power supply replaced as that seems to of resolved the issue for someone in this thread. 

Re: Prophet X Freezing
« Reply #42 on: February 15, 2023, 02:18:40 AM »
Quote
.. the synth still crashes, or should I say, the main sound stops playing. but the OS is still running..
I have the same issue, following a period of stability. In my case I found if I was playing at the time of the crash then the audio could blast out at full volume some tone or noise.
Sequential support have requested a video of this to help diagnose, but it is not possible to reproduce reliably. I've tried to leave it on playing a sequence but found the next day it had crashed but was silent.
One thing I've noticed is when I have it usb connected to my pc along with my other gear, Ableton live can show it in red along with the Uno Synth Pro. If I unplug the Uno then it is normal and works ok. Not sure at this point what's up with the Uno conflicting with the PX.
Prophet X, Korg Modwave, Wavestate, Novation Summit, Microfreak, B2600, Akai Force, Skulpt, Uno Pro, Ableton Live and some modular

pebre

Re: Prophet X Freezing
« Reply #43 on: February 22, 2023, 07:44:26 AM »
I have had no real freezing issues but when a certain usb drive is plugged in, it wont booth. Or it boots without sound or it boots and makes a terrible noise. Removing the usb drive solves it. Will get a new usb drive to format and use to see if this is only with some usb drives.

Re: Prophet X Freezing
« Reply #44 on: February 23, 2023, 11:27:48 AM »
Mine wouldn't load again the other day (the dreaded 'cannot connect).

So I replaced the battery again and it's fine now (touch nice wood end cheeks of the Prophet 5).

Seems that the less I use it, the more often I need a battery change. I'm doing about 3 a year at the moment.

Stephen

Re: Prophet X Freezing
« Reply #45 on: February 27, 2023, 09:35:27 AM »



Seems that the less I use it, the more often I need a battery change. I'm doing about 3 a year at the moment.

Stephen

I read somewhere that if you have updated the BIOS, you could remove the battery. anyone could confirm?

Re: Prophet X Freezing
« Reply #46 on: March 20, 2023, 07:38:53 AM »
When I first purchased my Prophet XL in the fall of last year ("slightly used" from a large retail music chain) it froze up regularly. Because of this, I was unable to use the synth in a live situation. I was about to permanently move from the United States to Berlin, Germany. I had some important final gigs coming up in the U.S. before my departure. I contacted Sequential about the issue, and since there was not sufficient time to send it to the factory and wait for it's return, to their credit the Sequential service folks sent me a replacement motherboard AND power supply, and instructions on how to replace them and ship the old parts back. I am electronics-savvy, having worked on loads of hardware over the years, so this was an option for me.

After the replacement, I used the keyboard heavily in my studio for a couple of weeks until my gigs, and the system did not freeze, so i gigged with the keyboard a couple of times. It worked. I thought the problem was behind me.

Since then, I have relocated to Berlin, and I am just using the Prophet XL in the studio. It worked fine for a few weeks here, but then it resumed irregularly locking up. Sometimes it just froze, silent and no response from menu screens, buttons, or other signs of life, except the display was still showing whatever screen it was on. Sometimes it would freeze while playing a note and then it produces a shrieking loud noise until I power cycle it. Sometimes power cycling it works, and sometimes it freezes before completing a reboot. If I wait a little while with the power off, then try again, it usually boots.

I've got the 2.2.2 firmware installed, and I have completely reloaded all the loadable 8dio sample sets (I purchased all the kinds that were available from 8dio) several times. 

Considering what i paid for this keyboard, I am understandably very disappointed in its instability. I've been watching this forum since I encountered the issue, and the freezing issue seems pretty widespread, but also difficult to reliably reproduce. Now that I am in a Berlin, it seems like it would be more difficult than before to get the unit serviced (JustMusic here in Berlin could ship it back to the U.S. for repairs but I don't think they have the ability to fix it here). There appears to be no known reliable fix from what I have read on the forums.

I have noticed some weird "sluggishness" with sounds playing, just before the freeze. I can't put my finger on it, but it seems to me, or feels to me, like a MIDI/data buffer overflow or something.  This is regardless of whether the keyboard is hooked up via MIDI (DIN or USB), so it might be some kind of internal software handling of MIDI streams (or the raw data that eventually gets converted and sent to the MIDI ports). That's just a guess.

The sluggishness feels similar to what I have seen on some of my other keyboards that have polyphonic aftertouch, and other keyboards typically hang for a while but eventually start responding once the MIDI traffic jam of aftertouch events starts to clear. Those keyboards don't freeze permanently at least, and in their case ignoring or disabling polyphonic aftertouch stops the issue.

I'll contact Sequential about this issue, but based on the very recent threads about Prophet X or Prophet XL freezing, I am not hopeful about a permanent reliable fix. That's a shame. In general, I love Sequential products. I will probably buy other products of theirs. But I don't know what to do with this Prophet XL. It's even difficult to use in a studio environment. Destroys any musical flow that might have been going on when it locks up. And as a composer for film in addition to live performer, I have deadlines to meet. I cannot count on using the Prophet XL for much of anything.

I love it when it's working. But I am pretty tired of dealing with it now. I feel like I threw away a ton of money, and there's not much hope of recouping it. I'm willing to try other experiments or test ideas, but nothing I've read in the forums is a permanent fix for sure, from what I am reading.

Re: Prophet X Freezing
« Reply #47 on: March 31, 2023, 01:43:08 AM »
My symptoms are much like yours teslator. My unit is in for repair and they have reported needing to adjust the power supply voltage and installing a new bios (which is supposed to remove the dependency on the battery). When I get it back I'll update with stability info, but for now I am hopeful.
Prophet X, Korg Modwave, Wavestate, Novation Summit, Microfreak, B2600, Akai Force, Skulpt, Uno Pro, Ableton Live and some modular

Re: Prophet X Freezing
« Reply #48 on: April 26, 2023, 06:12:49 AM »
Pleased to report that after repair the PX is working fine and has had no crashes or failed starts.
The guys at Audio Related Technology did the fix and I would happily recommend them. http://www.audiorelated.com/
Prophet X, Korg Modwave, Wavestate, Novation Summit, Microfreak, B2600, Akai Force, Skulpt, Uno Pro, Ableton Live and some modular

Re: Prophet X Freezing
« Reply #49 on: April 26, 2023, 06:32:02 AM »
Pleased to report that after repair the PX is working fine and has had no crashes or failed starts.
The guys at Audio Related Technology did the fix and I would happily recommend them. http://www.audiorelated.com/

What was the fix? I’m sure there are others here that would like to know as well as me. :)
Prophet X, Prophet 6, Nord Electro 5D 73, Korg Wavestate, NDLR, Arturia Matrixbrute, Waldorf Iridium, BARP 2600, Eurorack and altogether too many guitars.

Re: Prophet X Freezing
« Reply #50 on: April 27, 2023, 09:02:54 AM »
Pleased to report that after repair the PX is working fine and has had no crashes or failed starts.
The guys at Audio Related Technology did the fix and I would happily recommend them. http://www.audiorelated.com/


Hello, I'm very happy for you. Please tell me what was the problem and how did you solve it?

Re: Prophet X Freezing
« Reply #51 on: May 05, 2023, 04:30:57 AM »
Sorry for delay in reply on what the fix was.

Context:
My PX is on f/w 2.2.2 and I had some strange USB related issues (showing up as 'red' in Ableton live - I'll try to post a picture of this). But the main problem was the PX would stop playing audio after a random period of time (more than 1 hour of power on).


I had got some support from Sequential who told me how to:

Quote
This is an issue we have been tracking, and we have determined a couple of solutions that should get your Prophet X back into good shape. The first and most important is to adjust the internal PSU for slightly higher voltage. If you're handy with a digital multimeter and have access to one, it's actually a relatively simple procedure. You need to take some care in the presence of high voltage, but the adjustment only requires the DMM and a small insulated screwdriver. I attached the instructions to this email so you can have a look.
 
The other solution involves updating the BIOS on the mother board. You need to make a bootable thumb drive to insert directly into the mother board, a USB keyboard, and an HDMI monitor. The process is pretty simple and essentially removes the need for battery backup on the mother board (this has less of an effect on booting, but still helps.)

I had done these actions, which seemed to help for a few months, but then the problem came back.
I solved the USB issue with a new hub and cables (yes, one of the USB portsin my computer was dodgy as was one cable!)

So, then after discussing my journey with ART, their approach was to repeat the steps I had done to ensure they were done correctly. They reported that the voltage was again low (not at the 5.2v I'd set). Since I've got it back, it has been solid.

Conclusion:
Main cause seems to be power supply voltage drifting and getting too low.
Aux causes are poor USB connections which the PX is sensitive to and
CMOS battery can drain fast so the BIOS update should resolve that.

« Last Edit: May 05, 2023, 04:36:46 AM by Wasted »
Prophet X, Korg Modwave, Wavestate, Novation Summit, Microfreak, B2600, Akai Force, Skulpt, Uno Pro, Ableton Live and some modular

Re: Prophet X Freezing
« Reply #52 on: May 19, 2023, 12:29:40 PM »
Mine just froze today for the first time (had it about 3 years or more) - Same issue with not being able to find the audio hardware. I followed the detailed instructions above (removed the battery, and moved the jumper to 1/2, waited only 2 hours, then replaced the battery then moved the jumper back to 2/3.) That didn't seem to fix it, so I hooked up a wired Mac keyboard, held the Function button and pressed F1 about a second after turning it on, kept holding them as the boot up was a little slower but, YAY! it revived the PX! Hallelujah I love this thing. Thanks for the instructions, Forum-mates.
T8, Tempest, OB6, Prophet X. 8DIO Prophet 5 add-on, Sample Packs from Lady Gaia (synth waveforms) and Modulatable.com (Moog One.)

Re: Prophet X Freezing
« Reply #53 on: May 29, 2023, 08:19:48 PM »
Mine just froze today for the first time (had it about 3 years or more) - Same issue with not being able to find the audio hardware. I followed the detailed instructions above (removed the battery, and moved the jumper to 1/2, waited only 2 hours, then replaced the battery then moved the jumper back to 2/3.) That didn't seem to fix it, so I hooked up a wired Mac keyboard, held the Function button and pressed F1 about a second after turning it on, kept holding them as the boot up was a little slower but, YAY! it revived the PX! Hallelujah I love this thing. Thanks for the instructions, Forum-mates.

I'll try this as my last ditch effort.  Mine has been physically shipped back to Sequential three times, after I did the main and power board replacement once myself and it failed to fix it.

Where Sequential has left it after the third trip back to them, another board replacement, a claim that the connector to the main board was not plugged all the way in, and replacing of the SSD, they claimed it works perfectly now on their test bench and shipped to back to me still unable to boot.

I've tried plugging it into other circuits in my home, different power cords, taking it to friends houses to try it there, and there simply is no booting the thing up.  If this keyboard and pressing F1 during boot up doesn't work, the trash is my only other option, because I cannot even sell the thing when it's nonfunctional.  *Fingers crossed*

Re: Prophet X Freezing
« Reply #54 on: June 04, 2023, 07:24:35 PM »
Ok, I've verified that changing the CMOS battery, clearing the CMOS, and resetting with an F1 on a USB keyboard does nothing to help mine, so I'm out of options and must part ways with Sequential. 

If anyone here wants a bricked Prophet X for parts, feel free to contact me.

Re: Prophet X Freezing
« Reply #55 on: June 12, 2023, 08:34:22 AM »
I am about to pull the trigger on an XL but the problems reported in this thread are holding me back. Its not clear to me whether these are isolated cases or whether it is necessary to update the bios and adjust the power supply on all prophet X's after purchase? Or if there is no solution to the stability problems? I can relate to the frustration of customers like HighDeaf1080p and would hate to find myself in a similar situation, more so living in Europe. I am now confused about the reliability of the PX and the image that the apparent non-responsiveness from Sequential gives to the credibility of the brand in general. I would like so much to decide in favor of the PX, please help!
Sincerely,
Greg

Re: Prophet X Freezing
« Reply #56 on: June 12, 2023, 08:41:33 AM »
I really do wish people from Sequential would comment on this thread. I know right now things are hectic with the Focusrite acquisition and Dave’s sudden passing but radio silence can be deafening to customers.

Re: Prophet X Freezing
« Reply #57 on: September 14, 2023, 07:36:05 PM »
Have had my prophet x for 2 or so years, and it finally started freezing on me out of nowhere. I was running firmware 2.2.0.0.0, and just froze on bootup at the full bar loading screen. No luck in sight. Read about the computer usb keyboard and I have got that to work a few times INCONSISTANTLY. After about 3-8 times of trying F1 or CTRL and F1, I get it to start up normal. To try my luck, I turned it off again and tried without the computer keyboard to no luck. NO FIX.

After a couple more tries, I get it to turn on successfully, I update the firmware to 2.2.2.0.0. Same problems, but NOW on the full bar loading i see the "cannot reach audio processors" message. So I try the keyboard method, and it takes about 3 on/off tries holding the F1 method to turn on sucessfully.

tldr; The F1 method works, but about 40% of the time, and you have to try it 3 times in a row to actually get it turned on.

Im heading out on tour to Germany from Canada TOMORROW so this is has F'd me. Need to get this fixed. Sent them a message with this info, and made a video of the whole process too.

Re: Prophet X Freezing
« Reply #58 on: September 25, 2023, 12:56:23 AM »
Have had my prophet x for 2 or so years, and it finally started freezing on me out of nowhere. I was running firmware 2.2.0.0.0, and just froze on bootup at the full bar loading screen. No luck in sight. Read about the computer usb keyboard and I have got that to work a few times INCONSISTANTLY. After about 3-8 times of trying F1 or CTRL and F1, I get it to start up normal. To try my luck, I turned it off again and tried without the computer keyboard to no luck. NO FIX.

After a couple more tries, I get it to turn on successfully, I update the firmware to 2.2.2.0.0. Same problems, but NOW on the full bar loading i see the "cannot reach audio processors" message. So I try the keyboard method, and it takes about 3 on/off tries holding the F1 method to turn on sucessfully.

tldr; The F1 method works, but about 40% of the time, and you have to try it 3 times in a row to actually get it turned on.

Im heading out on tour to Germany from Canada TOMORROW so this is has F'd me. Need to get this fixed. Sent them a message with this info, and made a video of the whole process too.

Check the PSU Voltage. You'll need to ask Sequential for instructions. It should be 5.2V and mine was at 4.5V, which seems to have cured the random crashing and not booting.

Good luck!

Stephen
 

Re: Prophet X Freezing
« Reply #59 on: November 06, 2023, 03:44:58 PM »
Fixed! Started another thread (https://forum.sequential.com/index.php/topic,7604.0.html), but long story short it ended up being a dead CR2032 battery. Thats it. couple of bucks at home and were good.