Thanks for the question.

First you will need to prepare the AD Input in Utility mode

A/D Input (A/D Input Gain)
When using the A/D INPUT [L/MONO]/[R] jacks, this determines the input source, microphone (Mic) or Line.
Settings: Mic, Line
Mic: Intended for low output equipment, such as a microphone.
Line: Intended for high output equipment, such as a keyboard, synthesizer, or CD player.
NOTE: A guitar or bass having active pickups can be directly connected. However, when using passive pickups,
connect the instrument via an effect device.

On the upper left front panel of the Montage you will find the A/D Input ON/OFF, and GAIN control. Set it so you see the red peak light flash on/off when reach maximum levels. Do not let it light steady, flashing is good.

Now that you have your global settings you can setup specific settings with any Performance.
Recall a Performance you want to play with or interact with.
Press [EDIT]
Press [COMMON]
Touch "Audio In" in the left column in the screen
TOUCH "Mixing"
A/D In settings.
Set INPUT MODE to match the jack you plugged into, for example, L/MONO

Touch "Routing" to assign two Insertion Effects, route to the Reverb, Variation, Envelope Follower, and Output Select.
You additionally have a 2-band configurable EQ, and Output Level control.

Press [STORE] to store your settings yo User memory.

Bad Mister,

"NOTE: A guitar or bass having active pickups can be directly connected. However, when using passive pickups,
connect the instrument via an effect device."

Is this because the output of a passive pickup equipped guitar is not "line level" enough, or another reason?

I ask because I have run my Strat (passive pickups) through the Montage, and even though I had to set the guitar and Montage's gains near max, the volume matched most of the other parts OK.

I've found that the 'passive' in guitars and basses can vary greatly but in general they fall in between dynamic microphones which can be very weak -50, and Consumer Line level -10, Line Level is +4... Guitars and basses typically wind up around -35... Well within the Gain structure of the synth's A/D input.

Mic setting is the weakest so it is very very typical to have the Gain at maximum. In fact the definition of Mic level is Mic/Line = Mic and Gain = Maximum
The definition of pro LINE level is Mic/Line = Line and Gain = Minimum

Passive guitars and basses, for the most part fall in between... But on the off case your passive guitar is really weak and you cannot get enough gain off its own pickups, you can use any stomp box to just boosts its signal. The warning in the manual is just to cover those particular cases. I've found typically you can get enough level straight off most guitars... But mileage can vary...

Dynamic microphones and guitar/bass pickups have this one thing in common: how they generate electrical current.... They both work on magnets, coils of wire and breaking the lines of magnetic flux by moving something back and forth... Not very efficient, not a lot of energy produced - that's why it need so much boosting (GAIN).

Thanks, and good info.

Bad Mister wrote:

Thanks for the question.

First you will need to prepare the AD Input in Utility mode

A/D Input (A/D Input Gain)
When using the A/D INPUT [L/MONO]/[R] jacks, this determines the input source, microphone (Mic) or Line.
Settings: Mic, Line
Mic: Intended for low output equipment, such as a microphone.
Line: Intended for high output equipment, such as a keyboard, synthesizer, or CD player.

On the upper left front panel of the Montage you will find the A/D Input ON/OFF, and GAIN control. Set it so you see the red peak light flash on/off when reach maximum levels. Do not let it light steady, flashing is good.

Now that you have your global settings you can setup specific settings with any Performance.
Recall a Performance you want to play with or interact with.
Press [EDIT]
Press [COMMON]
Touch "Audio In" in the left column in the screen
TOUCH "Mixing"
A/D In settings.
Set INPUT MODE to match the jack you plugged into, for example, L/MONO

Touch "Routing" to assign two Insertion Effects, route to the Reverb, Variation, Envelope Follower, and Output Select.
You additionally have a 2-band configurable EQ, and Output Level control.

Press [STORE] to store your settings yo User memory.

I apologize if this question seems a little lame but I still haven't hit the switch on purchasing a montage so trying out the explanation above is not doable. If I were using montage and a microphone plugged into an audio interface I would be able to switch performances at free will while all the while being able to monitor my mic. I'm hoping that the above explanation of setting up the A.D. input for a mic does not have to be done on a per performance selection? You mention that you can then store your settings to user memory but does this mean you have to select it for each performance before hearing microphone input? Thanks.

If I were using montage and a microphone plugged into an audio interface I would be able to switch performances at free will while all the while being able to monitor my mic.

Absolutely, if you plug your microphone into a separate audio interface you can completely independently change things on your Montage without any impact on the microphones communication with your computer. This is certainly one way to configure your system and work with Montage, a microphone and recording to a computer. And since the Montage lacks a +48V phantom power Input, this is the recommended configuration when using a condenser microphone that requires external power.

Depending on what you need to accomplish, you can configure your setup, your way. You can opt to use the audio features, you are not required to use them.

I'm hoping that the above explanation of setting up the A.D. input for a mic does not have to be done on a per performance selection?

To the contrary, the fact that you can customize the A/D input and store that setup per Performance, is an essential feature. Here's how it works, the A/D input is setup for either Mic or Line input globally, in UTILITY; then in each Performance you decide what the microphone is doing. If you want to configure a setup for singing with a compressor and a tempo delay as your Insertion Effects for one song, and a Vocoder and Rotary Speaker on the next, you can create any setup for your A/D Mic input. In another Performance you may be routing the microphone/Vocoder into an FM-X Part as a modifier to the Modulator Operators, so that when you speak, the FM-X sound animates in brightness, while simultaneously creating an Envelope for the BassSynth drone to Follow. And in the next Performance you have it setup with a simple Reverb.

Of course, this is a feature. If you need a situation where you want the microphone to remain exactly the same separated from the Montage, it is a definite doable situation. But surely, you can see that having the A/D Input run through the synthesis engine is going to open some brand new possibilities for the creative and experimentally inclined; Particularly true for those who perform live with their Montage. But even if you just want to use different effects in different songs Reverbs, delays etc. - tempo can also be derived via the A/D Input.

You mention that you can then store your settings to user memory but does this mean you have to select it for each performance before hearing microphone input?

It's no where's near as restrictive as you seem to be thinking. A Performance contains 16 slots plus an A/D Input and a USB Input. When recalled you have recalled a massive amount of resources; each of the 16 synth Parts and the A/D Input Part has its own dual Insertion Effects. All Parts that are routed to the main (system) outputs have access via Sends to the Reverb, and Variation Effect. But significantly you can place the instruments you need to play into a Performance and then seamlessly move between any of them without any need to change to another Performance.

The "+" symbol you see on the HOME screen is an empty slot. Starting a new Performance can be done at anytime, but when you start to learn some Montage tricks and "best practices" to accomplish your goals, you find you can combine and merge programs into extremely efficient and useful groupings. Sure, you could use five separate Performances if you need five sounds in your opening number, or you could build a single Performance that contained those five instruments. Doing so would allow your single microphone configuration to exist unchanged while you "free will" your way through the Performance.

Moving between sounds can be done with the Super Knob, with front panel buttons, via Foot Control, any number of ways. That's what Montage brings to the table - many ways to work. The obvious advantage when using the Montage with a computer, and using it as the audio interface isn't the unprecedented flexibility in routing both the A/D Input and the Synth Parts through the Motion Control Engine

Thank you for explaining all of this with such detail. I must say what you do for the community (as well as some of the other moderators) is truly commendable. Your time and knowledge is very much appreciated. Thank you Phil!

> In another Performance you may be routing the microphone/Vocoder into an FM-X Part as a modifier to the Modulator Operators, so that when you speak, the FM-X sound animates in brightness, while simultaneously creating an Envelope for the BassSynth drone to Follow.

Can you hint where to find the A/D input as an FM operator modifier, please?

Hint: https://youtu.be/IRlgglsj7i0

Also here is an article that goes a bit more in depth into the Envelope Follower.
When assigning the Envelope Follower within an FM-X sound, you can pick whatever parameter you desire.... to animate the brightness of FM-X you would target the Modulator in an FM stack... This is done in the CONTROL ASSIGN matrix where you can tell a PART to follow the Envelope of another synth PART (or A/D Input PART).

In the video you can see the Drum Kit is acting as the Envelope generator, the keyboard players pad sound animates in response to Follow the activity of the drums.

Here's a video of running a guitar through the Montage to apply effects:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTNMmW_2sts