The number of slots on the HOME screen tells you how many Parts the instrument you've selected uses. If for example you select "CFX Concert" you will see that it occupies four Parts on the Home screen.

If you are in [CATEGORY SEARCH] you can search for programs based on Bank, technology, even whether they are Single or Multi Part, using the Bank and Attribute options. Further, green denotes a Single Part, blue denotes a Multi Part.

Skills you will need to work with the Montage and a professional DAW are, 1) knowing how to route, record, and echo Sysex to and from your DAW, 2) knowing how, if MIDI recording is in your plan - how to best record the program you've selected as MIDI. This includes does it have arpeggios which requires a special setup, does it require separate channels or can the data be recorded on a single channel, and finally 3) know how and when to render, freeze, bounce or generate audio files as a part of your work flow.

If you are new or weak at any of these, expect to go through a bit of a learning curve. At Yamaha we are guilty of building smart products for smart people. Yes, this is deep. But certainly not undo-able and for many at this price point have been using this type of workflow for years.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if your piano is five Parts and your strings are 7 parts, and your brass is four Parts, that's sixteen Parts and you're done! If you are thinking 16 Part multi timbral system. Those thinking ahead recognize immediately that rendering audio, freezing (process of taking your MIDI tracks transferring/rendering them to a temporary audio file, muting the original source MIDi tracks, use the audio rendering while you use another instance of your synth)... This necessarily is going to be apart of your workflow.

If it is new to you, frustration is understandable. If you've been working like this previously, you know it's no big deal. Many at this price point are used to rendering audio or freezing tracks to get more out of there hardware or plugins.

We highly recommend that you spend some time with the basics so that you know how to identify a single Part Performance from a Multi Part, (if that is stumping you, more time on the basics is necessary) especially before you attempt to do something like record. Perhaps a better workflow for you, at this point, is to route Parts out as Audio. Record simply using the DAW like a multi-track tape recorder? Record as audio, try it out, see how that works for you initially. You will not have to worry about anything but playing while you build up your tracks.

Take your time with getting into the MIDI routing, counting Parts, Local Control, echoing data, assigning Channels, etc. etc.... Start by doing a scratch Project using just audio tracks, to get the feel of it... let us know.

Thank You and sorry for my condescending tone.

Hi Bad Mister

I ordered the Montage but still have to wait a month for it. Thanks to this forum I already know a lot about it before it´s even arrived. But I don´t agree that people who spend that kind of money will most likely alrready be midi wizards. I had a DX7 for the last 30 years and now decided to get this new beast. So my midi experience is certainly limited and I don´t understand some of the things you explain here. I am used to freezing tracks with VSTIs, but how do you freeze a track with sound from a hardware Synth? No such thing would work with any of my current gear.
Also when you say set all the parts of a performance to the same midi channel unless you need arps and drums, I don´t understand how the same midi channel is going to trigger new parts, for example when I play a piano and later add a string while playing. I thought all those parts of a performance have to be on a separate track with a separate midi channel, otherwise I just don´t understand how even basic things like adding a part later in a song would work. Again, never could do this with any of my hardware synths nor VSTIs. One separate midi channel for each or all of them play the exact same thing from start to finish. Therefore I don´t quite understand how the montage works.

greetings

Gabi

I ordered the Montage but still have to wait a month for it. Thanks to this forum I already know a lot about it before it´s even arrived. But I don´t agree that people who spend that kind of money will most likely alrready be midi wizards. I had a DX7 for the last 30 years and now decided to get this new beast. So my midi experience is certainly limited and I don´t understand some of the things you explain here. I am used to freezing tracks with VSTIs, but how do you freeze a track with sound from a hardware Synth? No such thing would work with any of my current gear.

You'd have to have some hardware post that 1983 DX7 🙂 just kidding. It is perhaps a little known fact that most of your pro DAW software allows you to route signal to and from external hardware, such that you can use things like FREEZE, EXPORT AUDIO MIXDOWN, and even process external hardware with plugin Effects. It simply an advanced routing situation. Actually you could even do it with your old DX7, believe it or not.

In Cubase Pro 8 (or any top of the line DAW) you can setup both External Instruments, and/or External Effects, and utilize the advanced delay compensation so that you can work smoothly and without issue.

Also when you say set all the parts of a performance to the same midi channel unless you need arps and drums, I don´t understand how the same midi channel is going to trigger new parts, for example when I play a piano and later add a string while playing. I thought all those parts of a performance have to be on a separate track with a separate midi channel, otherwise I just don´t understand how even basic things like adding a part later in a song would work. Again, never could do this with any of my hardware synths nor VSTIs. One separate midi channel for each or all of them play the exact same thing from start to finish. Therefore I don´t quite understand how the montage works.

Not exactly what I was talking about.
Here's what's going on... There are several different types of Performances in Montage.

Single Part Performances where as many as 8 Elements or 8 Operators make up a sound. Naturally this is addressed on a single MIDI channel.

Multi Part Performances where as many as 8 Parts are under control of the Keyboard simultaneously... So one or more Parts could be triggered by one of Montages 8 Arpeggiators (drums, bass, guitar, Arps could be used, while you play others layered and/or split). Naturally, in this case each individual Part is on a separate MIDI channel

Multi Part single instrument Performances where multiple Parts are assembled to make one playable sound with great detail... It could be an 18 Element Piano, an acoustic Piano and electric Piano combination, a full string orchestra assembled section by section. Huge sounds designed to be played. Here you have multiple Parts but it only makes sense to record them on a single MIDI channel. This is new for a lot of users and is what the discussion is about. Multiple Parts but making a single mega-mega sound. One channel is all you need.

Those are the three basic concepts to deal with... Here so think of the Arpeggiators as requiring separate MIDI channels to record their data... At all other times use a single MIDI channel. Make sense?

Yep my gear is pretty old indeed, lol. Just habe been using VSTIs along with the old DX7 so far, so no new gear until now the Montage. I don´t know if my DAW can freeze audio from external hardware but I never even thought of doing that. Freezing for me is for VSTIs to transform the midi track into an audio track and free up the CPU. When I use the hardware synth I simply record the audio and the midi on separate tracks and that muted midi track does not take up any CPU power since there´s no VST, why would I even want to freeze a track in that case? It makes no sense to me personally, but I guess people are doing it that way for a reason.

Yes, I understand if you want one single performance sound made out of many parts playing one melody then you need only one midi channel for all the parts cos you´re playing them all at the same time. But in many montage videos on youtube people play a performance and press scene buttons and parts come in and out again during live playing. In that case don´t you need to have each part on a different midi chanel?

Yes, that would be the "MultiPart Performance" I described above. But that is obviously, not the only workflow available. Montage also features an unprecedented 32-bus audio output system via USB. So recording MIDI is really a preference rather than a must do.

Thanks, I think I understand now.

Hallo Bad Mister,
I do recording since MIDI exists and ist VERY handy for me to record only MIDI-events. So I can try out Voices, effects and Volumes etc. in a co,plate arrangement WITHOUT recording one track several times with different voicing!

And another problem is: in "part search/category"-mode you cannot see if the selected part is a complete voice or f.e. only the hammer-noise of a piano-performance.
If you are looking or sounds within a mixing it would be very helpful to get the category "single part instrument" or something like this. Now you have to rehear the complete performances and notice by hand (!) what sound would be useable within a mixing.

Greetings from germany!

- Heribert -

Just a word to Bad Mister : THANX A LOT.
Thank You Very much for the patience & the time to explain in depth things.
U Da Man. Haha..

Hallo Bad Mister,
I do recording since MIDI exists and ist VERY handy for me to record only MIDI-events. So I can try out Voices, effects and Volumes etc. in a co,plate arrangement WITHOUT recording one track several times with different voicing!

When you record only MIDI events you can work with just Single Part programs... When you finally complete your composition and are ready to start committing data to audio, you can substitute the Multi Part programs as you build your audio. Yes, it is a new workflow, try it! You can't just do MIDI only, MIDI is not finished data... Eventually, you need to commit to AUDIO.

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS: record MIDI, correct mistakes, keep data in a folder, render a temporary audio file. This way you free your hardware for more Parts.

And another problem is: in "part search/category"-mode you cannot see if the selected part is a complete voice or f.e. only the hammer-noise of a piano-performance.
If you are looking or sounds within a mixing it would be very helpful to get the category "single part instrument" or something like this. Now you have to rehear the complete performances and notice by hand (!) what sound would be useable within a mixing.

This is because the instrument is new and you are not sure about the best method to search and find sounds.

Just FYI:
If you are starting your Performance from an already made (Preset) Performance, if you touch a "+" to ADD a program, you will see the Performance Merge function, which lets you set MULTI (blue) or SINGLE (green) programs. This is how you can always know what you are adding.

If you are starting your Performance from the INIT program "Multi/GM" where all slots are occupied, then when you go to CATEGORY SEARCH you will see all programs as green, (and as you point out... You do not know which are complete sounds and which are just "hammer noise" or incomplete component... If you don't use the Search Bank and Search Attributes... You can define what gets listed by setting Bank = Preset; Attribute = Single, for example... This removes all the incomplete components from the listings, and shows you just what you request.

It is recommended that you treat MULTI programs as your "featured" sounds. If you are sequencing to DAW, learn to use the FREEZE function, or how to render audio from your MIDI tracks, this will give you more flexibility when building your tracks.

Mister, in "part-mode" you do NOT have the categorie "single" because ALL parts are single!
I really have to make me a list of all single-part-sounds that are complete instruments!
It would be helpfull if there would be such a list in the manual but it is not so I have to invest very much time just to "devide the good from the bad".
This has nothing to do with becoming commode with the instrument, the structure and sound editing is quite easy if you know yamaha-synthesizers from CS-40 over all the top-models until today so as I do. It is just boring to spend the time this way searching for a sound that would be found much better in a list and defined by a number.

Thanks for all discussion about this new instrument.
- Heribert -