The Waveforms in the MONTAGE organize Samples into playable entities, these can be referenced by what are called Elements. Just FYI. Waveforms and Elements are not the same.

An Element is the set of parameters that apply envelopes (Pitch, Filter, Amplitude), Effects, EQ, detuning/retuning, etc. to the selected Waveform. Elements have scores and scores of parameters but only amount to a couple of kilobytes of data.

A Waveform, on the other hand, is how the AWM2 engine organizes audio samples (wav or aiff) into playable entities - Keybanks. A Keybank is a Note Range and a Velocity Range (plus play direction, one shot/loop, and general tuning) applied to the audio. Waveforms and their samples can be several megabytes of data.

Waveforms, all 6347 of them in Preset ROM are indeed organized and easily searchable onboard the MONTAGE.
For example, when searching Waveforms you can opt to view them by Category and SubCategory

If I’m looking for a Wurlitzer Electric Piano Waveform:
Start with the “Init Normal (AWM2)”
Press [PART SELECT 1]
Press [EDIT]
Select “Elem1” along the bottom of the screen or press the first button in row three on the right front panel to select Element 1 parameters

At the top of the screen touch box that contains the “Bank, Number, Category, Sub Category, and Name of the current default Waveform.

The pop-in menu appears... Select “Search” (not Number, unless you know the number)

Wurlitzer Waveforms will be found under the Category “KEYBOARD”, and SubCategory “WR”

If you are searching for a Guitar, Acoustic, Nylon String... you can find it quickly by defining what you are looking for...

...you can also type in a general type, say you want a Steel String Guitar... the word “Steel” will hit pay dirt!

Strings are sub divided into “Solo”, “Ensemble”, and “Pizzicato”

Hello BM - and thank you! As usual I learned more about Montage and how it works Still amazes me! I think I must work in a different way though - I don't start with an Init because I end up with a Pf to which I must then add all the effects and parameters - which affects the balance of it, and it gets complicated. Instead, I start with a prepared Pf - such as, for example, the Piano 1968, an honest well balanced piano except I delete Element 5 as irrelevant (and I like 4 Elements or Parts depending on what I'm attempting). And I like sounds to find me, rather than hunting for them, so I semi-automate the process.

So starting with my modified '1968' piano, I go to the 'Elements' page (1968 now has 4 elements, all #2) and leave element 1 at #2, then go to element 2 and look in group 2 of the 'Keys' section, which is 'Rd' (Rhodes) and select the second one (which #167), then to element 3 and the third group, which is Wr (Wurlitzer) and select #2 (which is #238), then to element 4 and the 4th: group (which is FM) and select #2 there (which is #265). This produces a new Pf already effected in the same basic way as 1968. Then I play about with it until happy with the result.

So you see I need to know the start and end numbers - preferably instantly - for each group within each Category, hence my work on categorising the Elements Bank to suit the way I work. It evidently doesn't suit anyone else as yet, but we all have differences in how we do things, so that's not a big surprise. There are many variations in the methods I use, usually mathematical in nature so that I stay organised (sort of!), and gives me a clear path to follow in each session. With quite a good sprinkling of happy 'accidents' along the way to encourage me!

Haven't gotten to building up from the elements yet, as the single voice performances seem so well built and flexible. But now you got me thinking...., just opened up a whole new level to play with.

I guess this analogous to the algorithms within a part, as I play with FM-X I only use one voice, and play with the algorithms, and envelopes, waveforms, and balances. A single FM part is all I need to learn, and really create something unique and playable. Then I blend into a performance with mostly single wave based voices... up to 6-8 members of the band, and I am getting better with gettting the assignments available to superknob, or other assignable knobs/sliders, button, etc. I work mostly on the performance level, and assignments, arps setup, scenes...never tweaked the individual single voices much other than getting the assignments, tweaking during the performance.

A single element itself is probably all I need to really get into the AEG, PEG, waveforms, and filters, etc ..... I've only done cursory tweaking to the single voices,

I kinda look at the voices like the arps. Im not really going to create new ones that compete or come close to what I can find already fully baked out of the box.

But this post and how the elements are searchable, got me thinking.

Is rolling your own voices from elements up, something that many users are doing successfully, or is the sweet spot rolling the voices up to the performance level and adjusting to taste?

I think Ill be focusing on the performances as I still am learning much every week. The voices and arps out of the box are just amazing to me... although I am finding I am creating Performances that I can really work with for my styles, and preferences.

Hello Mitchell - I too, am interested in how many other Montageers make up their own Pfs, and how they go about it. Like you, I attempted the FM-X route (with Bad Mister's patient guidance) but decided to switch as I found it too 'alien' for me. A later time, perhaps. I differ from you (and I suspect from most owners here) in that I am not interested in the music so much as the sounds themselves. Although a piece of music often suggests a type of sound - but Montage offers such a vast range of tweakables it's easy to get lost. So over the 16 months I've had my M7 I have developed a working system based on '4' - 4 Parts, or currently 4 Elements - mostly because they can be copied to the remaining 4 slots for further treatment if required. Sort of double-barrelled. As if there weren't enough choice ...

So I create sound for the sake of creating sound - no destination in sight! Thus my approach is coldly mathematical (as outlined in my Post above). But you have a musical purpose in mind, so how do you go about it? I'm just working on how to keep them, leaning towards dedicated Libraries kept on USB until needed so that things don't get all mixed up. On the Tyros the USBs are directly accessible by the keyboard - anything on them can be played, which would be a great feature on the Montage, but I guess there's all kinds of technical reasons why that can't be done, One works with what one has.

My method before (Montage) was to poke around voices that were in the ballpark then adjust primarily ADSR, EQ, reverb, and chorus until I got something that sort of matched what I was after.

Now I do much of the same thing but start with the performance. More times than not these days I stick with presets as they tend to come "out of the box" with something usable using AF1/AF2 (now called A.SW1, A.SW2) and/or superknob and/or A.Knobs and/or mod wheel and/or ribbon.

More often I'm taking stock presets and lining them up in PARTs then using scenes to setup my Song1-SectionA, (scene 8), Song1-SectionB (scene 7), Song 2-SectionA (scene 6) ... etc

Every tune is different. Sometimes I take stock sounds and fool with PEG to create slow rises - or make the notes "fall off" (drop in pitch) when I let go. Stuff like that. Presets I search with my ear and call up categories or names (performance or PART titles) that in the ballpark.

Effects tend to be a rabbit hole - so I try not to get too wrapped up in those. Although sometimes I spend "days" fooling with those. I just think it's not worth spending too much time on the gravy if the meat is choice and cooked properly. But sometimes it seems the "meat" for certain sounds is not choice so gravy it is.

Hello Jason - I see we both start with presets, basically - though in my 'system' they are currently all single Part - and then we diversify. I usually have no song or music in mind to suggest a type of sound, so use the mathematical approach. I don't use the assignable controls yet (AF1 / 2. Superknob and ribbon) as my expertise isn't yet expert enough. I do find many presets 'unfinished' so far as effects are concerned - I believe deliberately on Yamaha's part - so dabble a bit in that department - sometimes very puzzling when working with Elements rather than Parts! As you say, it's all too easy to get led astray with effects, so I try to keep it simple - enough to avoid the 'dead' characteristic as if it were in an anechoic chamber. My aim is that all my Pfs should be playable and scaleable - so slow starts are not wanted - but your 'fall-offs' are interesting, I'll have a look at that, thanks. I have a User Bank full of rescued Pfs from the 'Syn Lead' and 'Syn Comp' Categories particularly - 'Musical FX' too. That's an interesting thing to do! There's weird stuff in there ...

Hello Jason again - forgot to mention 'Scenes' - these are potentially very handy things indeed, but I find them a little confusing as to what they will and will not do. It's an area on my short-list of getting to grips with. I don't think I'll live long enough to tackle my long-list ...

The reference manual's "scene" section outlines all that is saved in a scene. I see no lack of clarity here. People "wish" scenes would save more -- but do not confuse wishes for features.