Can anyone shed some light on this topic?

I also just acquired a couple of the Easy Sounds libraries (their analog and trance sounds are great additions to the Montage).

I originally loaded these as Libraries and not into the User Bank since I didn't want to wipe my User bank. But then I decided I didn't want all of the sounds and samples from the libraries so I backed up and saved my User bank. Then I went through the Easy Sounds patches and "imported to user bank" only the sounds I wanted. This loaded both the performances and the attached waveforms into the User on top of my existing User performances. Then I removed the libraries so only the Performances I saved and their waveforms remained in the User Bank and the original Easy Sounds libraries were removed.

I am by no means an expert on this, but here is what I've learned:

How many Easy Sounds products or similar can I load to the Library?

8

Is it a matter of Gigabytes available or a limit of Libraries?

8 Libraries max and 1.8GB total shared between the User Bank and 8 Libraries.

Can I save edited Preset or Library Performances to the Library?

No, you can save edited Library Performances to User, not the other way around. However, if you save a Library Performance to User and it has waveforms and you delete the original Library, the attached waveform for that User Performance is deleted too. UNLESS you use the "Import to User Bank" function.

If so how does each single performance impact the the Library? Do they each count as a library?

You cannot save a Performance to an existing Library. You can create a new Library of your own from your User Performances.

One feature I found missing through this process of importing Library Performances to User Bank, was a "Delete Unused Waveforms" function. Possibly it exists and I couldn't find it, but after I imported Performances I wanted, and then deleted the original Libraries I found duplicate waveforms since Easy Sounds used the same waveform for multiple performances. I had to edit through each Performance element to assign the waveforms to a single version then I had to manually delete all the unused duplicate waveforms. Time consuming but I saved 300MB of waveform memory through this cleaning.

Hi!

I wish I read this post sooner.

No, you can save edited Library Performances to User, not the other way around. However, if you save a Library Performance to User and it has waveforms and you delete the original Library, the attached waveform for that User Performance is deleted too. UNLESS you use the "Import to User Bank" function.

I bought the Organ Session from Easy Sounds, loaded into the library and then started tweaking the performances and storing them as new performances.
So, from what I read here, if I now delete the Organ Session library, my tweaked performances won't work anymore because the waveforms will be missing? Because I didn't use the "Library Import" function? Is there a way to still import the waveforms to my User file? It's not possible to import the original performances because I renamed them all and don't know which ones I used...:(

Thanks!

There are 1920 Preset Performances in the Montage. These are in permanent Read Only Memory. You will never lose these and they will be in your Montage always. It would take a major factory version update to rewrite the ROM area.

Any of the 1920 Preset Performances can be edited, but when you go to *store* the data, your edited Performance will be written to the User area of the Montage. It is very important that you rename your newly edited creation so that you can distinguish it from the original. Finding exactly where data "goes" in the Montage is all about Category Search. It will be your friend, if you give things unique names (even if you only add your initials)!

There are zero Performances in the User area when you first got your Montage. (This is quite different from previous Yamaha synths where the slots were occupied by a "placeholder"). You can at any time view and manage the Performances in your User area, by navigating to the User Performance folder:
Press [UTILITY] > "Contents" > "Data Utility" > you will see folders of your current situation, select the "Performance" folder.
You will be shown how many of the 640 potential locations you have actually filled. And each User Performance will be listed.

File Names
When you get a file, the three characters after the file name will tell you everything you need to know about that file.
For example, a file designated .X7U is a Montage User file. If you attempt to Load this file, you will receive a warning in the screen... Fail to read it carefully at your peril. It will warn you that loading this file will overwrite the data in current memory. This is neither unusual nor extraordinary. It is your responsibility to always create a backup file of your 'User' work before loading in new data.

So before you load any data to your USER area, you will want to create a backup file of your work. You have two options to back up your work, you can SAVE your data to a connected USB stick (for long term storage), as either a USER (.X7U) or a LIBRARY (.X7L).

There are several differences between the USER File and the LIBRARY File. And it is important to understand this difference. We'll cover this in a moment.

You can also load the following file types to the USER area of the Montage. These will also overwrite your current User area.
(.X3A) - a Motif XF "ALL" data file will load 512 normal and 32 Drum kits -filling 544/640 locations
(.X3V) - a Motif XF "ALL VOICE" file will load 512 normal and 32 Drum kits - filling 544/640 locations
(.X3E) - a Motif XF "EDITOR" file
(Note: The Montage can also load Motif XF All Arpeggio, and All Waveform file types but these do not impact your Performances.)

These will replace the data in your USER AREA.
These file types can also be loaded directly into a Library area... which will not overwrite your User area. (more on this in a moment).
A Library file can only be created by a Montage.
A Library file can be loaded without overwriting your USER AREA
A Library file can install data into one of eight LIBRARY locations in your Montage.

LIBRARY Area
And this is key: a LIBRARY location is a READ ONLY MEMORY area, just like the Preset data that is burned in by Yamaha at the factory in Hamamatsu Japan, the only difference is this is semi-permanent Read Only Memory that *you* get to decide upon and can customize for your individual Montage.

Instead of just storing the Waveforms and Samples in this semi-permanent memory, the Montage also stores each Performance (up to 640), the arpeggios, the microtuning, the custom control Curves, the custom Motion Sequences and the Live Sets you've created with that data. You are creating your own customized "presets". The Library will always be there, exactly like the factory Presets are always there. And because each Library is autonomous, it does not depend on what's currently in your USER AREA. (If you owned a Motif XF/XS or a MOXF, it was possible to have the Waveforms/Samples in place but not have the Voice data loaded in memory. This can't happen in Montage). When you place something in a Library location its there with everything it needs to be played (just like your Preset data always has everything it needs). But you can rewrite this, later, if you change your mind!

Only a Montage can create the .X7L file. So to create a LIBRARY you must assemble what you wish to place in that Library into your USER area. From the USER area you can SAVE AS a "Library File" - this creates a .X7L file on your USB stick.

Once you have that file... You can install it to one of 8 Library locations. Please note: first you create the .X7L file, then you must Load that file to accomplish the installation of the data. Read again if that's confusing.

Libraries can vary in size. The Bosendorfer Library comes as a .X7L file. You can install this in your Read Only Memory by loading Content Type = "Library File". This does not overwrite anything in your USER area... It goes straight to the special, lowest numbered empty Library location.

A Library does not 'have to' include Waveforms and Samples, it can just be XF voices which get converted to single Part Performances. It can be any number of Performances from 1 to 640. The Bosendorfer Library uses just 16/640 Performance slots. But if you have XF Voice libraries (no samples) they too can be installed in a Library. So you can have every sound that you have in your Montage.

The Library Shuffle
You can load the Motif XF data (.X3A, .X3V, .X3E) directly to a Montage Library slot by selecting "Contents Type" = Library File. Everything that is necessary to make it play will be installed. You can then audition the sounds, decide which ones you think are "keepers". The ones you want to keep you can IMPORT to USER. Why would you want to import them into USER? Because you assemble the data that you want to keep and then create your own custom library. You may only like half of the sounds in the Library you've purchased or downloaded, you can pick which ones you like, move them into your USER area, assemble them create and customize them, then ultimately WRITE (save) your own LIBRARY FILE. Use it to take the one you initially installed.

Montage will handle all the heavylifting, managing the data behind the scenes. The IMPORT LIBRARY function alerts the system to keep track of the Waveform/Sample data in addition to the Performance parameters.

So a good practice when purchasing a Library or simply trying out data, is to load it into the Library area, pick the data you like, using the "Import Library" function assemble data into your User area... Create your own custom Library file... Finally, install it. Clear the waste by deleting...

Useful tools/tips:
_ Always backup your work.
_ You can manage you current USER area in UTILITY > Contents > Data Utility > select the folder
_You can delete unwanted Performance by using the "Job" function in the Performance folder (this does not remove Waveforms/Samples)
If your data is installed in a Library you clear all User Performances and start with a clean slate: UTILITY > Settings > System > select "Initialize User Data"
_ You can delete unwanted Libraries by entering the Library folder, select an item, tap "Delete"
_ You can assemble data from a Library by using the "Import Library" function (version 1.10 and later): UTILITY > Contents > Library Import
_ Songs remain in memory in a separate folder (as many as 64h and are not moved to Libraries or saved or deleted with the User data. Always make .mid files out of your Song data so you have backups.

What I always say to myself when I finish a session:
There are only two kinds of technology users, those who back up their data and those who eventually have castrophes.

Fantastic explanation, Bad Mister! Thanks!

Thanks, we decided to make it a Blog entry:

User and Library Files

Thank you Phil, nice article 😉

Is there a way to combine user performances from multiple files on the usb to one new file and resave it?

Follow the suggestion in the article: you combine USER PERFORMANCES from multiple files by loading them into LIBRARY locations - there are currently eight Library slots, once a file is a Library you can select specific data from it;

Once you have the source files installed as Libraries, initialize the User memory location. Finally use LIBRARY IMPORT feature to import just the Performances you wish to include in your new file. When you have assembled this new User area, create a new File.