VA is synthesized in Montage M by a DSP. This is an inference based off of all earlier Yamaha implementations.

I've got to spend the bulk of my time trying to figure out this new instrument. I tried a few SysEx things to see if I could get a performance dump but never got ANY response from the M8 - not even an error message. Tried using F0 43 20 7F 1C 02 0E 25 00 F7 with a device ID of 02. Also
tried everything from 00 up to 12. I have no plans to try all 127.

You might be able to turn a knob that sends SYSEX and take a look at the MIDI output with a MIDI monitor (on your computer).

[quotePost id=123763]
In most cases, WaveTables are creating streams of algorithmically created waves, too.[/quotePost]
That sounds more like FM-X than VA..!?

"Algorithm" is a very generic description of microprocessor code and could describe any means of synthesis. That FM has a more specific meaning for "algorithm" doesn't make a description of VA or Wavetable or even AWM2 as an "algorithm" incorrect. However, here I think the distinctions made are between playing about an audio sample vs. synthesizing the audio using purely mathematical computation.

As with anything, context is important.

[quotePost id=123659]Selected a performance preset and added a part 13. There was no icon available to enable keyboard control.

The performance I selected had 4 parts and I was able to enable extended elements and specify 128 elements for all 4 of the parts.

I was also able to select part numbers that didn't exist and noticed that some of them already had extended elements
enabled and element numbers specified. One of the unused parts specified 20 elements and another specified 128.

It appears that the element value in an unused part is data left over from a previous performance.

We need to be aware of possible ghost settings that could affect us when we actually populate that slot.

1. Edit an existing part
2. on the element tab switch to an unused part and set the element count to 100
3. change to a different performance
4. edit an existing part
5. examining the unused part number used in step #2 shows an element count of 100

For clarity I haven't confirmed that you can actually simultaneously USE more than 128 elements in the performance but you can certainly
specified 128 for each one of the 16 parts.

[/quotePost]

I posted on Yamaha Musician a way to play all 16 parts or actually only 15 using part 8 to control parts 9 thru 16.

Not sure if what you posted there matches what was already posted here:

https://www.yamahasynth.com/forum/confirmed-parts-9-16-do-not-have-keyboard-control-available-confirmed-the-128-element-limit-is-not-for-the-performance-but-for-each-part?start=20#reply-123727

Back to keyboard control and the limitations (no keyboard control on Parts 9-16 which is the same limitation in the previous generation)...

Last generation the workaround for this would be to take all Parts 1-8 and turn on zone control so that each of these Parts will transmit to a different channel in the 9-16 range and then take a MIDI cable and connect MIDI in to MIDI out (aka MIDI loopback cable) so that the internal Parts 1-8 would control the Parts 9-16. This had some limitations but it's what you could do if you really wanted to. Also, this was not a recommended configuration although I never had an issues with it.

This generation, you could again go off the grid and use a MIDI loopback cable. The difference today is that Parts 9-16 can all be set to the same MIDI channel. Therefore, you only need to to assign one Part under keyboard control (Parts 1-8) to transmit to this shared channel. I wish there was a way to internally route MIDI from Part to Part - but there isn't so this is where the loopback cable comes in.. There's less compromise involved with the new options available to MIDI configuration. Still compromise - just less of it.

[quotePost id=123920]
I posted on Yamaha Musician a way to play all 16 parts or actually only 15 using part 8 to control parts 9 thru 16. [/quotePost]

For the ones not active in this other forum: Could you please copy this post here? Thanks!