Details on "favorites" in terms of what is saved in various formats (X7[L,A,U]) is missing from documentation. The data list does not appear to have information on "favorites" which would give some clues about where to expect the data to land. One would hope "favorites" are saved in an X7A - although there is no guide that says it is. As far as other save types - the information is equally missing to determine.

A previous thread receive little response except for a fellow programmer who thought knowing anything about this (such as Favorites) was too esoteric - only useful for programmers. But your question illustrates this is not entirely true - as it would be nice to know which formats save the type of data you are interested in.

Unfortunately, new features do not always receive the same treatment in documentation as launch-time information.

I have checked the "new features" manual.

I have a number of Performances that I have set as "Favorites." Are those Favorite settings saved in a User File? Or only in a Backup File?

Yes, the current items marked as "Favorite" will be documented in your User file (.X7U)
Yes, they are also backed up in the Backup file (.X7A)

Here's what is going on with Favorites:
Favorites are simply a marker that you place on a Performance so that you can group those PERFORMANCES you use most often into a separately displayed search category. The marker (a yellow star) will be attached to the HOME screen and appear in the Search List when searching for Performances, searching to “merge” Performances and searching using Part Category Search.

It might be confusing if you are thinking that by setting a PERFORMANCE as a Favorite, you are physically moving its location to a new Bank (you are not). You are only placing a *marker* next to its name for convenience when conducting certain types of “searches”. When "Favorite" is set as the BANK, only those items with the marker will appear; and then you can further define your search for just Favorite Pianos, Favorite Keyboards, Favorite Organs, Favorite Guitars, etc., etc. using the Main and Sub Categories.

It is probably best to think of the Favorites as a virtual bank, not a physical Bank.

Favorites can be Preset, User, or from within any of your eight installed Libraries.

Important to Note: While your current User Bank Favorites can be saved and restored in a USER File (.X7U), they are not installed into the Library, when you create the Library file (.X7L).

Loading a USER File can restore the Favorites associated with the status of your MONTAGE at the time the file was made.

It will restore all your marked Favorites as they were at the time you made the file (.X7U). Your Library marked Favorite items will be restored, if they were both marked at the time the file was made and they still exist in your Montage’s Library archives.

_ If you DELETE a Library or you DELETE a PERFORMANCE, naturally, the Favorites marking will also disappear.

You cannot just load your Favorites separately.

_ If you have data in your USER Bank and you Delete the PERFORMANCE, it is, quite naturally, removed from the Favorites list (same as it would be from the Category Search list).

_ If you load a USER file that contains a different Favorites list, all Favorites will be replaced with the file’s list. Yes, including those referencing Preset, and Library locations.

_If you load a USER file that contains no Favorites list at all, then your Library Favorite selections will remain but the Preset and User will be removed from the list. The act of loading a new User Bank, will cause the User Favorites to disappear because you overwrite them, and those marked Presets, well, those are etherized, as you really cannot permanently change Preset data.*

Of course, everything gets frozen in the Backup File (.X7A). That is, all your User and Library Bank settings, the current Utility settings, including the Favorites as they were at the time you made the Backup File.

Best Practices:
If you develop a Favorites list, you will want to install/include that list with every USER File you make. This will naturally happen as you make new USER Files… RULE: your Favorites, once marked, get documented, automatically, in each subsequent USER File you make.

* If you have Preset Favorites, it might be worth storing them to USER Bank if you want make them portable via a User File (.X7U)

If you have an older file that does not include your Favorites list, and you want to install your Favorites list into that USER File, you will need to load that file to the USER Bank, then update it to include any new Favorites you wish to add, and then resave that file.
If that older file has no Favorites list, you can simply load it and then immediately re-Save it, this will include your current Favorites into that file's data.

Hope that helps.

Wow, BadMister, you are truly Baaaaaaaaad~!~
Presumably the top dogs at Yamaha are working on (non-invasively) backing up your brain to the Yamaha Cloud. (as an .X7A^A).

Actually, the file format would be .X7BM