Posted by: Stu

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After taking a close look at the newly released ESP 2.0, I'm not convinced that it will be very friendly to new performance creation. For starters I couldn't find the button to create Splits that was added to the Montage M. And there is no audio (or MIDI?) playback capability, you'll have to use your DAW to set those up separately.

Looks to be more useful for existing performance tweaks and playback. 

Anyone else have better luck? 

Stuart.

I think you need spend some more time and also take a look at the brief, but useful ESP user guide. There are edit functions that you can’t access any other way except through ESP. It will be considerably easier for new performance creation. Have you accessed the “detail edit sections” for all the edit functions? As far as playing audio or midi playback except through a DAW…how else would you expect to do it? There’s still functionality yet to be added like Smart Morph. I haven’t had a chance to dig into it very much yet, but I’m pretty impressed. I do need to get it off my laptop display and onto a lager display. Some of it is too small for my old failing eyesight.

I've read the ESP manual, all 20 pages of it. No mention how to access the Split function.

I would also expect to be able to create performances containing audio and midi links for uploading to your hardware M. Can't do that either.

Posted by: Stu

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I've read the ESP manual, all 20 pages of it. No mention how to access the Split function.

I would also expect to be able to create performances containing audio and midi links for uploading to your hardware M. Can't do that either.

Spent a few hours with the ESP in Alberton Live. It's a no-go. Lots of data hiccups even with lots of ASIO buffering. Get a lot of PORT IO messages from ESP trying to get to the Live Set page. Assuming this vst3 plug-in is too much for this DAW.

Switching to Cubase to see if it's any better. 

One little problem is that you can't dynamically resize the ESP plug-in window. It's either full screen or a fixed, smaller window. Doesn't work well on 16" monitor screen.

Not having the ability to play an audio file inside the ESP plug-in is really a pain. Having to manually add the WAV file to a DAW track and then getting it to play at the correct, original tempo instead of the default set in the DAW is a challenge.

Performance in Cubase 13 is much better. Still getting Port Open Error message boxes trying to get to Live Set edit page. 

Posted by: Stu

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Performance in Cubase 13 is much better. Still getting Port Open Error message boxes trying to get to Live Set edit page. 

Sorry you’re having so many problems. I haven’t any of these issues. The keyboard range is next to the parts section. You’re correct about the resizing. There are presently just small and large. However these are things that don’t bother me to such a degree to ruin my day. I am still looking at ESP as new software and far from perfected. There is one problem I’m going to put on Ideascale where in large view the bottom bit of the window is cut off and can make it hard to see the values on my laptop display using Windows 11.

Have you gone through the main Montage M manual detailing how to setup the keyboard as a DAW controller to computer? For transferring, in your DAW MIDI settings uncheck Port 4 and then set Port 4 for the input and output in ESP.

Finally are you using a quality USB cable that isn’t very long and not using a passive hub or really any hub?

Using Cubase Elements 13 on current generation Intel I7 Ultra, 32Gb laptop. DAW controls work fine and there aren't any noticeable pops or key latency just occasional Port Open Error messages (although the LiveSet page opens anyway as soon as the message box is ack'd). Using a good USB cable. 

Using it with a Korg KeyStage 61 MIDI board which is very nice. It's doing what I had hoped, being a portable practice rig away from my hardware M boards.

I'm sure these little issues will be fixed in an upcoming release.

Any time you select the Live Set window from the ESP navigation bar a Pop-up window appears that says "Port Open Error". There's also a message that appears in the lower, right-hand corner of the ESP window that indicates that the data isn't current and needs to be current before selecting Live Sets and that you need to perform a backup function.

This makes no sense to me. No data was changed inside the ESP except sending different Live Set performances.

The port errors have been reported as a conflict between using Port 4 in your DAW configuration and the VST's attempt to get to Port 4.

From another forum:

In Cubase, deactivate port 4 under Studio/Studio Setup/Midi Port Setup for both the input and output ports. NOTE: This didn't work the first time I tried it I had to go back in a second time, activate and then de-activate the ports again before it finally worked.

Posted by: Jason

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The port errors have been reported as a conflict between using Port 4 in your DAW configuration and the VST's attempt to get to Port 4.

 

From another forum:

In Cubase, deactivate port 4 under Studio/Studio Setup/Midi Port Setup for both the input and output ports. NOTE: This didn't work the first time I tried it I had to go back in a second time, activate and then de-activate the ports again before it finally worked.

Didn't fix my problem. Only MIDI Port 1 is in use as shown in Midi Port Setup.

If using Windows, I would probably try uninstalling the Yamaha Steinberg USB drivers and reinstalling.  Not sure if Yamaha ever fixed the Windows driver issues that occur when changing USB ports (as in physical connection of Montage M to computer's USB connector).  In the past this was an issue for WEBMIDI and not so much Cubase.  But it's a shot in the dark I'd try for grins.

Uninstall, reboot, install, reboot.

Can't really give any first hand advice.

Posted by: Jason

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If using Windows, I would probably try uninstalling the Yamaha Steinberg USB drivers and reinstalling.  Not sure if Yamaha ever fixed the Windows driver issues that occur when changing USB ports (as in physical connection of Montage M to computer's USB connector).  In the past this was an issue for WEBMIDI and not so much Cubase.  But it's a shot in the dark I'd try for grins.

 

Uninstall, reboot, install, reboot.

 

Can't really give any first hand advice.

I fixed the problem just by assigning the ESP input and output found in the plug-in to any of the options listed OTHER than the default UNASSIGNED value.