Although the article covers Montage - the information applies to MODX (almost) equally as well.

For general information, you can see:

https://yamahasynth.com/learn/montage/motif-to-montage-part-1

https://yamahasynth.com/learn/montage/motif-to-montage-part-2

https://yamahasynth.com/learn/montage/motif-to-montage-part-3

Although the article mentions the Motif-XF style VST has been replaced with Cubase integration - it doesn't outline what this is in the article.

Look into using MODX Connect in conjunction with Cubase.

Only way to do something like that is using a performance patch in MODX and load "single part" 16 instruments from there in the keyboard and assign those in Cubase (from 1 to 16).And I have been using those beautiful multi layered MODX performance patches in "Live set mode" one at a time but not simultaneously.

If you have single-Part instruments with one in every 16 of MODX's Parts then each Part (assuming multi-channel MIDI mode) will have its own MIDI channel. Part 1 on MIDI channel 1, Part 2 on MIDI channel 2, and so forth through Part 16 on MIDI channel 16. All of these Parts (instruments) can be played simultaneously within the context of a single Performance. Cubase does not have to play just one Part at a time. Maybe I'm missing what you're asking for.

"Live Set Mode" doesn't make much sense to me - but that's OK, you're learning. "Live Set" on MODX isn't a mode. It's just an alternative to using [CATEGORY SEARCH] as a way to recall Performances you are interested in. It lets you arrange Performances (presets, user, or library) in any order you want - apply some colors - some notes - and give the Performance a volume offset if you want.

Therefore, nothing special is happening when "Live Set" is selected except the screen gives you a grid of other Performances you can pick from and that grid can be arranged and populated however you want. On the bandstand I use Live Set instead of [CATEGORY SEARCH] to find my Performances because I can better organize them in a manner that makes sense to me than using [CATEGORY SEARCH]. Also, the screen stays up after recalling a different Performance so I can just leave it parked here. That said - "Live Set" has nothing to do with how many Parts can simultaneously play or MIDI response etc. If you press [PERFORMANCE] (HOME) nothing will change in terms of how Cubase interacts with MODX.

Using Live Set may very well help you (as it does for me) organize your Performances (instrument mixes in terms of Part assignments) for easy recall. And you may prefer this over other organizational (recall / list) techniques when used in conjunction with Cubase.

This doesn't have anything directly to do with Cubase - but if you want to learn more about creating your own Live Set entries, see this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8VwjLJoS5c

Although the article covers Montage - the information applies to MODX (almost) equally as well.

For general information, you can see:

https://yamahasynth.com/learn/montage/motif-to-montage-part-1

https://yamahasynth.com/learn/montage/motif-to-montage-part-2

https://yamahasynth.com/learn/montage/motif-to-montage-part-3

Although the article mentions the Motif-XF style VST has been replaced with Cubase integration - it doesn't outline what this is in the article.

Look into using MODX Connect in conjunction with Cubase.

Only way to do something like that is using a performance patch in MODX and load "single part" 16 instruments from there in the keyboard and assign those in Cubase (from 1 to 16).And I have been using those beautiful multi layered MODX performance patches in "Live set mode" one at a time but not simultaneously.

If you have single-Part instruments with one in every 16 of MODX's Parts then each Part (assuming multi-channel MIDI mode) will have its own MIDI channel. Part 1 on MIDI channel 1, Part 2 on MIDI channel 2, and so forth through Part 16 on MIDI channel 16. All of these Parts (instruments) can be played simultaneously within the context of a single Performance. Cubase does not have to play just one Part at a time. Maybe I'm missing what you're asking for.

"Live Set Mode" doesn't make much sense to me - but that's OK, you're learning. "Live Set" on MODX isn't a mode. It's just an alternative to using [CATEGORY SEARCH] as a way to recall Performances you are interested in. It lets you arrange Performances (presets, user, or library) in any order you want - apply some colors - some notes - and give the Performance a volume offset if you want.

Therefore, nothing special is happening when "Live Set" is selected except the screen gives you a grid of other Performances you can pick from and that grid can be arranged and populated however you want. On the bandstand I use Live Set instead of [CATEGORY SEARCH] to find my Performances because I can better organize them in a manner that makes sense to me than using [CATEGORY SEARCH]. Also, the screen stays up after recalling a different Performance so I can just leave it parked here. That said - "Live Set" has nothing to do with how many Parts can simultaneously play or MIDI response etc. If you press [PERFORMANCE] (HOME) nothing will change in terms of how Cubase interacts with MODX.

Using Live Set may very well help you (as it does for me) organize your Performances (instrument mixes in terms of Part assignments) for easy recall. And you may prefer this over other organizational (recall / list) techniques when used in conjunction with Cubase.

This doesn't have anything directly to do with Cubase - but if you want to learn more about creating your own Live Set entries, see this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8VwjLJoS5c

Thank you so much Jason. That was very informative. I have a much better understanding now.
Is there more info on MODX connect?

Also please explain me this

This is how i record midi.
I create a 16 midi channel project in Cubase. Then on Modx i create a 16 part performance(lets say drums, bass etc.) Then i record midi in Cubase one by one after that i record them as wave audio one by one( i dont use modx as an interface).This is how i have been recording with MODX so far
If i wanted to record those MODX factory performance patches i have to select them in category search and record them one by one
What i wanna do is use several MODX factory performance patches in cubase simultaneously(as we use VSTs like omnisphere or kontakt.) I dont wanna "record" all of them at once. Just need access to them.

Is this possible?

Even with the Motif XF there was a compromise when you combine together voices into a single performance (or when using master mode). Because what you have to compromise on is the effects - namely the system effects and how you cannot keep but one set of system effects - not the original system effects that would have been native to each "instrument" (or voice in Motif XF).

The same kind of thing applies here. But you can still take multiple single-Part Performances and merge them together. This is similar to the type of work before. Only there aren't multiple modes to decide from. Everything is in Performance mode and you can address all 16 Parts from your DAW.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPPJeU9Ayy4

The above video shows most every part of the process except for setting up the Performance on the MODX side. I think this missing step would help you.

One way to do this would be to recall "Multi/GM" and replace every Part with a different single-Part using [CATEGORY SEARCH]. The other is to start with maybe a drum Performance which will have many open slots for Parts 2-16 and press the [+] to merge in other single-Part sounds. You can merge in multi-Part sounds - but keep it simple for now.

https://yamahasynth.com/learn/montage/using-montage-category-search

The above is a relatively early article (for Montage - still applies to MODX) that covers Performance merge and Part replacement.

MODX Connect is a tool that can help automate some save/recall of your Performance when you save/load a Cubase project. Connect can be installed as a VST within Cubase and will do some of the lifting for you. I've never seen what I would consider to be "the best" end-to-end story for Connect. There are tutorials and explanations - but it seems part of "what it is" and "why" is not completely spelled out and left to the user to just try it and fill in the blanks for themselves.

I'm going to pull from a different source here than the official docs - you can look at those and read them. But hopefully this overview will help give the big picture.

Source: https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=509360
with slight revision to apply to Cubase. Take this as a broad overview and not a step-by-step.

Montage Connect

This is a free download from Yamaha, and it's a VST that you can use in Cubase to control your performances.
Download the appropriate version of Montage Connect from the link above and follow the directions.
Turn on your Montage
Launch Cubase
Scan for the Montage Connect plug in
Drag the VST to a Montage track - any one should do
Create your performance on the Montage as I discuss above; there's no need to save it as a custom performance any longer!
Back in Cubase, click on the Montage Connect vst to open its window
Click the "Receive" button (that's the lower button, that shows an arrow pointing from the Montage to a computer icon)
Your custom performance will load on the VST
Drag the VST to the properties pane, like you would any typical VST
Save your work!
Now, when you load your project, the Montage Connect VST will load up and immediately recall your performance for that project and send it to the Montage instantly. You're ready to go!

Here's a nuts-and-bolts MODX Connect tutorial:
https://www.yamahasynth.com/learn/modx/mastering-modx-using-modx-connect-to-import-performance-patterns

YES!

Is the answer to your question.

You can use the MODX/Montage as an 'external VST' with 16 tracks (parts).

And it works quite well. Until you lose the MIDI connection, then you'll have to rejigg lots of things.

Each track in Cubase (being each one part on the MODX) needs to have input and output set to its unique MIDI channel, 1 through 16.

Then it works...until MIDI notes get hung (this happens often) or the USB/MIDI connection drops (also happens many times per day).

It's slightly more stable on a Mac than on Windows, due to slightly better USB connection maintenance on Mac, by the OS. But the T2 chips in the more recent Macs create other, far worse problems, which can pop your speakers, or your ears.

Having some experience with USB hardware and software development - I can say that there are many tunable features in the chipset (Intel "southbridge" ) on the PC side -- and I would assume AMD is similar -- that have an impact on USB 2.0 reliability. This translates to different hardware having different/unique problems with respect to USB success or failure. Some of these problems I can adjust by making after-the-fact tweaks to the internal southbridge registers. As new chipsets are released I find some of my old tricks no longer work.

The overall point I'm trying to make is that YMMV in the PC world since each PC model is a snowflake. The BIOS team makes their own optimizations/changes which may be better or worse for the user with respects to certain end devices. The Mac world is more homogeneous since there's only one source for each platform. So if they're better - you can almost say they all fall in step. In the PC world - it depends on the manufacturer and even on the manufacturer's product team - be it outsource or not - and being from this or that group.

I've found, for instance, that my XYZ brand laptop workstation has a parameter set to an optimized value to workaround an issue I see with Intel's southbridge having reliability with certain USB chips. However, my LMNOP branded touch-PC device does not have this setting and would have problems with these same USB chips.

I'm painting this as more nuanced.

The customer is left with finding hardware (be it PC or Mac) and software that works - and stick with that for as long as possible. Updating (BIOS/OS/PC hardware) is not always your friend.

This is how i record midi.
I create a 16 midi channel project in Cubase. Then on Modx i create a 16 part performance(lets say drums, bass etc.) Then i record midi in Cubase one by one after that i record them as wave audio one by one( i dont use modx as an interface).This is how i have been recording with MODX so far
If i wanted to record those MODX factory performance patches i have to select them in category search and record them one by one
What i wanna do is use several MODX factory performance patches in cubase simultaneously(as we use VSTs like omnisphere or kontakt.) I dont wanna "record" all of them at once. Just need access to them.

Is this possible?

Yes, the workflow is necessarily going to be different from the 16-Part setup where there is one Part per Track each with its own MIDI Channel.

I have been using a Motif XF with cubase via motif VST.As an arranger I just love this setup. Cant say enough good things about it!

Because you know and love this setup, you have found how to do a similar thing with the MODX.

That is, begin with the “Init” > “Multi/GM” — This gives you a setup similar to an empty Song/Pattern Mixing setup in the Motif XF, a placeholder program in each Part slot. Each on a correspondingly numbered MIDI Channel and Track.

You can proceed by selecting a MODX sound using the “Part Category Search” to replace each “placeholder”, then recording that as MIDI to Cubase. “Part Category Search” let’s you review your programs: Single Part programs appear in green, and Multi Part programs appear in blue.

Limiting your search to green Single Part (using the “Attribute” field) mimics the workflow of the Motif XF.

To get a clear understanding of how to work with Multi Part programs requires we discuss a fundamental difference between the Motif XF and the MODX/MONTAGE. When working in the Motif XF, the Performance Mode allowed you to layer, split, or split/layer any four sounds by placing each Voice in one of 4 Parts. You could play them all directly or you could insert an Arpeggiator between the Keyboard and the Tone Generator. This Arpeggiator could block your direct key presses and analyze the data, then output a chord intelligent or fixed note phrase to the corresponding Part.

This allowed you to create a situation where you could fashion a rhythm section accompaniment to whatever keyboard sound you desired. For example, a drum, bass, and rhythm guitar backing (via Arpeggio phrases) while you played an electric piano sound across the keys.

When you control this Motif XF Performance - it is a fact that all 4 Parts are on the same MIDI Channel. If you wanted to use an external controller you could address this four Part Performance on a single MIDI Channel. However, if you wanted to record this 4 Part Performance to a sequencer - with the goal being to capture the MIDI Events ,you would need to separate the MIDI streams into four separate entities.

The Drums will need to be on one channel, separate from the bass on another channel, separate from the rhythm guitar on a third channel, and your actual direct notes triggering the electric piano on the fourth channel.

You did this on the Motif XF using the “recording macro” called Direct Performance Record. This allowed you to record from the Performance to either a Song or Pattern. This routine would assign a MIDI OUT CH to match the Part number, then after you completed recording... it would COPY your four Parts to four adjacent Parts of the target Sequencer Mode... reuniting your Midi event data with the Part it was generated for...

The MODX/MONTAGE are different in this fundamental way: when you wish to engage an external device with the (now) 8 Arpeggiators, you do not have separate and reunite the data. The MODX transmits MIDI OUT from each Keyboard Controlled Part. This means any Part, or Parts assigned an Arpeggiator will automatically Output the events on the correspondingly numbered Channel. And for any Part, or Parts, you are playing directly, the MODX will automatically Output the events you triggered on each of those channels.

Yes, unlike the Motif XF, which could only transmit on 8 Channels from the Master Mode (never ever in Voice, Performance, or even Song/Pattern Modes), the MODX/MONTAGE can transmit on up to eight Channels simultaneously, by simply activating the KBD CTRL icon on any of the first 8 Parts.

Extra Credit: Multiple types of Multi Part Programs

Let’s start with a 2-Part layered Multi Part (blue) Performance. Instead of being layered by placing both Part on the same MIDI channel of Mixing (ala Motif XF) the MODX/MONTAGE transmits Out on both Channels 1 and Channel 2. By transmitting the event data on each of the KBD CTRL controlled Parts, everything is already separated.

The multiple Channels are already separated, when an ARP is assigned it is already on its own MIDI Out Channel.
Take “CFX + FM EP 2” — a 2-Part Performance. Both MIDI Output streams are identical... what determines which Part is sounding or whether both are sounding is the position of the Super Knob.

The interactivity between Parts/Channels is a key fundamental difference from the Motif XF. The same MIDI data when played back to the Tone Generator can be interpreted entirely differently by each Part. For example, which one is sounding can be determined by a CC # (Super Knob CC) or via Sysex (Super Knob CC = Off). Movement of that single Control can have different results on each Part. In this case as the acoustic piano is turned down, the electric piano is turned up (a simple crossfade/morph). The Super Knob can be linked to 8 Common Assign Knobs — you get to determine how they respond — how far, and in what direction... etc.

These Common Assign Knobs and their movement can linked to control the individual Part Assign Knobs — each Part has 8 Part Assign Knobs of its own. The Part Assign Knobs can be assigned to multiple parameter destinations — each scaled as to how much and in which direction. So like setting up a complex arrangement of gears and pulleys turning the Super Knob can intimately adjust scores and scores of parameters each precisely as you design.

This fundamental, can be expanded in many different directions... as many as 8 KBD CTRL Parts can be individually addressed through this assignment matrix. In order to address both Part 1 and Part 2 simultaneously and to direct how exactly they respond, commands originate on the upper Common level of the Performance architecture. From this top level directions can be applied to each of the individual Parts through their own Knob assigned functions.

So instead on a standard cc74 addressing all (every) Filter, you can design a different movement for each individual Filter.
And as you are familiar - each AWM2 Element has its own Filter! Next level Control...

Using the power of separate MIDI channel streams, the MODX/MONTAGE are able to go where the Motif-series only hinted.

Long story shortened... when you are attempting to have several Multi Part programs going simultaneously, you must remember there is only one set of upper Common Assign functions. If in one Multi Part program the Super Knob is morphing the acoustic to the electric piano, and in the next Multi Part program the Super Knob is tasked with Filter manipulation on a synth pad... it becomes a possible a problem to manage the logistics if these two movements are to happen independent of each other.

(The Super Knob can be unlinked dynamically using Scene Memory, but as you can imagine, it can get very very complex). This suggests a workflow where you setup each Multi Part program you wish to record as a separate INSTRUMENT in Cubase. This involves expanding your workflow skills to include using the ability to render audio from your initial MIDI recording.

Rending Audio avoids the potential Control conflicts that might arise when trying to playback several unMerged Multi Part Performances.
In general, the MODX/MONTAGE engine is design to merge up to 8 Parts for simultaneous (interactive) Control and the rest are available as individual (single) Parts. The act of “merging” Parts into a playable Performance means you have sorted out the upper Common assignments so there are no conflicts... recalling them separately and recording them separately can be problematic because controller movement conflicts are not accounted for within one set of upper Common parameter.

To avoid this, transfer the data to audio. When you realize you record as MIDI simply as a stepping stone (it allows easy editing before committing the data to audio). If you require or want to record the Multi Part programs as MIDI because you want or need the ability edit the musical performance, by all means record MIDI... make your adjustments, then render it as audio.

Those using Cubase Pro can setup the MODX as an “External Instrument” (using VST routing), which allows you to utilize the Cubase FREEZE function — this renders temporary audio tracks, while it freezes (mutes) the MIDI data (this way, in case you change your mind and wish to redo or edit the original MIDI data, you can unFreeze the MIDI data, and make your changes).

If you don’t have Cubase Pro, you can render audio by creating an Audio Track to capture your MIDI performance after making your corrections/alterations.

A another method is to simply record the Multi Part Performances to the MODX internal MIDI Sequencer - it is designed to do quickly and easily. The data can be dragged n dropped into your Cubase Project via MODX CONNECT.

When considering to use a Multi Part program you must analyze what about it can be document via MIDI, what about it needs to be documented, and whether or not you should just add it as an Audio Overdub.

Finally, often a Multi Part program has the Motion Sequencer involved. The Motion Sequencer is a type of parameter automation. It is applied the resulting sound from the Tone Generator Part, and therefore is not recordable to Cubase as MIDI. Any MODX program that includes Motion Sequencer data must be documented by recording the resulting audio Output.

Motion Sequencing and Side Chain Modulation (where one Part is assigned to influence another) are both best documented by recording the result as Audio.

All that said, if all you wish to record is a couple of Parts layered (no Arpeggiator ot fancy morphing interaction or side chain modification) because you can’t manipulate the MIDI channel, instead you simply duplicate the MIDI data to a second MIDI track in Cubase.