You are right. You cannot remove it. You can edit it. You can replace it with a different one by selecting it and pressing the category search button. You can swap it with a different part using the copy button. So I guess the idea of the UI designers was "Why would you want to delete it?"

Hello,
every Performance has (Single or Multi):
Category, SubCategory, MSB, LSB and Program Change.
First Part always hasProperty (Category, SubCategory, MSB, LSB and Program Change).
If a Multi Performance has 4 Parts (4 Singl) and you only need Part 3 then you can Copy/Exchange Part 3 to Part 1 and then delete Parts 2,3 and 4.

Why would you want to delete it? Stefan is right! ... it is the anchor which identifies what’s in the other 15 slots. By “anchor”, I mean it is Part 1 that gets cataloged, as M points out above,

If you do not want Part 1 to sound, you can use the Zone Master function to turn the INT SW (Internal Switch) = Off.
Zone Master is globally activated in [UTILITY] > “Settings” > “Advanced” > Set “Zone Master” = On

Go to your Performance Home
Press [EDIT]
Press [PART SELECT 1]
Touch “Part Settings” > “Zone Settings”
Set the “Zone” Switch = On
Set “Int Switch = Off
Press [STORE]
While there always must be an internal selection for any Part to be active, and while there always must be a Part 1, you can turn the Part Off using the Zone’s “Internal Switch”.

Hope that helps.

Ignoring use of 3rd party tools that are not included with purchase of the instrument ...

Because Montage does not abstract the engineering/math/complexity of the instrument away from the user - the concept of "anchor part" is something the user has to wrestle with. With some research, one can become aware of the facts/rules. These bumps in the road are not generally regarded as how one would deal with an elegant solution. The role of PART 1 is very much tied to how Montage internally works - and not something that necessarily makes sense to a musician organizing PARTs within a Performance.

If I had a great user PART with just about everything I needed for a new tune - but PART 1 and PART 3 needed to be different and leaving PARTS 2, 4-8 alone: it would be reasonable to approach this: ok, delete PART 1, delete PART 3, [+] add/cat search for a new PART 3, [+] add/cat search for a new PART 1. The system doesn't work this way. There's an exception. A difference in workflow for PART 1 vs. any of the rest 1-8. Somewhat of an extra burden on the user, documentation, support to deal with this "asterisk" rather than having a more uniform way of dealing with PARTs.

No doubt there are internals and reasons why the instrument added these exceptions. It does go against the grain of elegance. I'm sure it wasn't intentional to make the system harder to use than it otherwise could be. Ease of use, in this particular case, just happened to lose out over ease of implementation.

That said, the feature is not likely to change soon - some of these things are long-term evolutionary things to be internalized and perhaps polished up in follow-on generations. I do like where the long-term trend seems to be going. However - for now, it's important to become educated of how some of these internals work so that you can effectively use the instrument.

The work-around is to "shuffle" rather than delete - which is some extra work - but, in most cases, fairly simple to accomplish.

The general approach to most programming tasks is to bring the user close to the lower-levels of the hardware which does require more burden to learn the system. This can be perceived as good or bad depending on where you fall along the snorkeler/scuba diver spectrum.

Heelo everyone - thank you! The 'anchor' nature of Part 1 is as I understood it, which is why I thought I wouldn't be able to do it. But I really need to change Part 1, not necessarily delete it - BM spotted that - but I got stuck in the 'delete' track. I did try the 'Copy/Exchange' idea (Edit+Shift) but could not select or change Part 1, but in any case it wasn't what I wanted to do. Briefly, I'm experimenting with algorithmic multi-parts, but ran out of Piano single Parts at #47, so reverted to #1 for all successive multis. This doesn't work well enough, and as the piano was Part 1 the problem of changing it arose. Thanks to you - Stefan especially there - I can do that very simply! As is often the case - 'Why didn't I think of that?' - which is where the value of this Forum lies! Thanks again ...

Hello again - just a note - Stefan's solution missed a vital step. Having pressed 'PERFORMANCE HOME' the next step is to press 'PART CONTROL' (top right button on the board) or you simply end up in Montage's favourite place - Square One! Everything reverts to All Banks and All Attributes and nothing selected. With 'PART CONTROL' operational Montage keeps your User Pf intact while changing to the Bank and Attribute required, and then allows you to audition different Parts in 'CATEGORY SEARCH' mode. Once you find a suitable Pf then press 'PERFORMANCE HOME' and you'll find your new selection has replaced the old one, and the whole can then be re-edited. Don't forget to press 'STORE' once done - it will ask if you want to overwrite the old Pf, and then do so.

Hi Rod, not sure why you have to press the part control button to achieve the swap. To be honest, the part control button is the one button which I pretty much never used. Not 100% sure what exactly it is for. So I am reasonably sure that you would not need it - I don't. Can you describe exactly what your doing? I would like to understand where it comes in...

Hello Stefan - your query gave me pause. It so happened that I had tracked down another solution where I wanted to audit different Parts in a Multi-Part Pf, which worked perfectly on every Part, including Part 1, and I was using that - and it required the use of the 'PART CONTROL' button - and I had never queried it. So I assumed you were pointing me in the same direction ... sorry! You are right - I have just been trying your solution without using the 'PART CONTROL' button, and it works just as well. But I notice that when I press the 'PERFORMANCE HOME' button, the 'CATEGORY SEARCH' button goes out and the 'PERFORMANCE CONTROL' button illuminates automatically.

One other thing I notice - some of the Single Part Pianos in the Preset Piano Category are repeated when I follow either my 'Audit' solution or your 'Category Search' solution. Normally there is only one of each Single Part Piano in the 'Preset' Category. There are 39 of them. But when I call up 'Category Search' from the 'Performance Home' screen by tapping on the Part title I want to change - it changes first to the 'User' Bank and I select the 'Preset' Bank, then the 'Single' Attribute, then 'Name' and 'Piano' to arrive back at the Preset Single Part Piano screen correctly - but there are 43 of them, not 39. This is because 4 of them are repeated - Concert Grand Piano, CP2007, Honkytonk, and Rock Brite Piano - those 4 appear twice each. Do you get that? If the Preset Bank cannot be added to or taken from, I can't understand how that happens? When I return to normal operation, the repeats have disappeared again. Maybe Bad Mister can offer an answer?

Several things at work here. This should answer most of the issues raised here...

[PERFORMANCE CONTROL] is connected to the four rows of eight buttons by a dotted line that runs down the left side of the grid of buttons. This left side indicates that the first row of eight is Part Select 1-8... Reading the number on the left side of the slash.
The second row of eight are “Part Mute” or Solo according to the two button on the far right of that row
The third row of eight are Motion Sequence Select 1-8
The fourth row of eight are Arp Select 1-8

[PART CONTROL] is connected to the four rows of eight buttons by a dotted line that runs down the right side of the grid of buttons.
The right side indicates that the first two rows of eight are PartSelect 1-16... Reading the number on the right side of the slash.
The third row of eight is Motion Sequence On/Off 1-8
The fourth row of eight is Arp On/Off 1-8

If you are playing with KBD CTRL Performances (which always occupy 1-8), Performance Control is as advertised, it allows you to control, select Parts, and perform the current Performance. You have access to the eight possible Parts, you can Mute/Solo any of them, you can select a Motion Seq and select an Arp.

When Part Control is most used, typically, you are working with an external DAW, where you likely will be using the 16 Part multi-timbral capability of MONTAGE; being able to directly select from all 16 Parts, you are able to Mute any of the 16 Parts and are able to Solo any of the 16 Parts. - you can selectively turn On and Off MS or Arps.

Now, when Category Searching... there are three kinds of Search for programmed sounds from Performance Home.
1) to select an entirely new Performance: “Performance Category Search” — two ways to get to this Search: press the dedicated button or tap the name to view a pop-in menu.
2) to select a new (“+”) Performance to “merge” with current Performance: “Performance Merge” — Touch a “+” in a Part slot
3) to select a new Part to replace an existing Part - press a Part Select button, then use [SHIFT] + [CATEGORY SEARCH]: “Part x Category Search”

Pressing a Part Select button, then pressing [SHIFT] + [CATEGORY SEARCH] is exactly the same as touching the Part Name; Touching that Part Name box which *selects* a Part, and it opens the pop-in menu to “Category Search”.

Example, say you’re building a Multi-timbral setup for use with a DAW, you would start by using “Performance Category Search” > Touch “Init” > Touch “Multi/GM”. This places an instrument in each of the 16 Parts. You would replace the selected default Part with one you select. Part by Part substitute your selection.

When using this Part replacement type Search, the last selected item’s Main/Sub Category remain, and the Part you last selected is highlighted in search grid. Say you are looking for a bass sound... once you set Main = Bass, and Sub = Electric, when ever you return to this Part, it will assume you are going to search for new Electric Bass, so that when press [SHIFT] + [CATEGORY SEARCH] it returns to Electric Bass in the search grid.

I notice that when I press the 'PERFORMANCE HOME' button, the 'CATEGORY SEARCH' button goes out and the 'PERFORMANCE CONTROL' button illuminates automatically.

The normal default is for the [PERFORMANCE CONTROL] button to light, when you initially recall a Performance. This is because it is the most useful for most Performances, but this is programmer’s choice. For example, recall any of the Tone Wheel organ (B3) sounds where a flashing [PART CONTROL] is the default — it flashes to denote the Faders are now Element/Operator level instead of Part Volumes. This is a programming choice. It means the Faders can be used as pseudo-drawbars.

Press [SHIFT] + [PERFORMANCE (HOME)] to view the “Overview” screen. The top right side let’s you select whether “Performance Control”, “Part Control”, or “Element/Operator” is the active setting for the Performance. Why you set it a certain way can vary depending on what you use the Performance for...
If you are using a Performance as a 16 PART multi-timbral setup, you may opt to store the Performance with the [PART CONTROL] button lit, giving you access to all 16 Parts.
If you are using a Performance where you require individual Element Level control (as with B3 type sounds) you may opt for the "Element/Operator" option.

Normally there is only one of each Single Part Piano in the 'Preset' Category. There are 39 of them. But when I call up 'Category Search' from the 'Performance Home' screen by tapping on the Part title I want to change - it changes first to the 'User' Bank and I select the 'Preset' Bank, then the 'Single' Attribute, then 'Name' and 'Piano' to arrive back at the Preset Single Part Piano screen correctly - but there are 43 of them, not 39. This is because 4 of them are repeated - Concert Grand Piano, CP2007, Honkytonk, and Rock Brite Piano - those 4 appear twice each.

Next, repeat entries: You are using “Part x Category Search” - means you are replacing an existing Part. The discrepancy between the 39 Acoustic Pianos you see when searching “Performance Category Search” and the 43 you see when doing a “Part Category Search” comes down to the first time they are listed you are seeing just the Preset Single Performances. The second time it includes the “GM Bank” entries 001 “Concert Grand Piano”, 002 “Rock Brite Piano”, 003 “CP2007”, and 004 “Honkytonk”.... which are available as both.

GM (General MIDI) 128 Normal instruments — is 16 Categories with 8 sounds in each category: In the "Piano Category" the first four GM sounds are based on the Acoustic piano (one for classical/jazz, one for rock--the Brite piano is fashioned after a Yamaha C7 - arguably the most recorded piano in pop/rock music history due to its ubiquitous presence in top studios), one was clearly a Yamaha "CP" (so unique it made the GM set), and the Honkytonk, well, you have to have one, the next two are E.Pianos (one is a Rhodes, the other is a Yamaha DX EP), followed by the Harpsichord and the Clavinet.

These sounds are available as Single Part Performances and are included in the pseudo-GM Bank. You will see they are actually in the instrument twice... once as Single Part Performances with an MSB/LSB locator:
MSB 64/LSB 14/PC 023 _ Concert Grand Piano
MSB 64/LSB 14/PC 024 _ Rock Brite Piano
MSB 64/LSB 14/PC 025 _ CP2007
MSB 64/LSB 14/PC 026 _ Honkytonk

And the other listing is from the GM BANK:
MSB 0/LSB 0/PC 001 _ Concert Grand Piano
MSB 0/LSB 0/PC 002 _ Rock Brite Piano
MSB 0/LSB 0/PC 003 _ CP2007
MSB 0/LSB 0/PC 004 _ Honkytonk

That is what you’re seeing when you “Part Category Search”. This allows you to recall it as whole Performance (all Parts change together) or as a Part on any MIDI Channel (only the specified Part is changed).

Say you wanted to send a MSB/LSB/PC to switch from “Seattle Sections” to the “Concert Grand Piano” you’d want to use 64/14/023
If however, you wanted to change just the sound in Part 13 to switch to “Concert Grand Piano” you’d want to use 0/0/001.

The pseudo-GM set that Yamaha fashions for the synths is NOT a separate GM chip, like most manufacturers do (they pop in a GM sound set which can fit on the head of a pin — and sounds different from the rest of their Synthesizer). Yamaha fore goes the Official GM logo, we break the rules and just fashion it out of sounds that are made from the same engine as all other sounds... with all the frills... Dual Inserts, 3-band and 2-band EQs, pre/post the Inserts, etc.,etc., etc. so the MSB/LSB/PC line up to the normal list of 128.

Hope that helps clarify the mysteries.

Hello BM - that is the most illuminating piece of explanation ever! Thank you Sir! It shines a light into all sorts of dark corners and will transform my working methods. I know I grumble about some of Montage's quirks, but this shows the depth of thought that's gone into its structure. I thought Montage had a GM set somewhere - I've never found it - but it hadn't occurred to me that that was the reason for the apparent duplication of only a few of the Pfs. I'd lay a bet you've opened quite a few eyes with this!

When you see repeated stuff - it's worth investigating by loading the first one in the list, then select the PART you just loaded (click on the individual PART from the HOME screen) - this will display a menu on the left-hand side - pick (touch) "Property". This will show the bank (MSB/LSB) and Program No. (PC) of the PART. When you see "63" as the MSB - these are the "normal" Presets. When you see "0" as the MSB - these are the GM presets.

You do have to load each of the duplicates first before you can inspect what bank they came from.

Since duplicates can be of interest while navigating the "Category Search" feature - it's too bad either the cat search screen does not somehow show this information for the selected Performance or somehow allow pulling up properties. Even though the [SHIFT]+[CATEGORY SEARCH] feature is in the minority in showing the GM Parts - this mode does not have a "bank" filter for GM.

Above "Main" in the upper-left corner there's some room for maybe to show something useful. There's enough room to show "Pre", "GM", "Usr", and "Lib1" ... "Lib8". This would allow for "seeing" duplicates you have either between user and preset (like [STORE] without changing the name) or user and library (like remnants from an import) or library to library.

Hello BM - that is the most illuminating piece of explanation ever! Thank you Sir! It shines a light into all sorts of dark corners and will transform my working methods. I know I grumble about some of Montage's quirks, but this shows the depth of thought that's gone into its structure. I thought Montage had a GM set somewhere - I've never found it - but it hadn't occurred to me that that was the reason for the apparent duplication of only a few of the Pfs. I'd lay a bet you've opened quite a few eyes with this!

You’re quite welcome. We have placed all of this information in the various tutorial articles you’ll find in the “Learn” area of this website.

All the ‘GM’ sounds appear as both KBD CTRL Performances (where all the current Parts change to that program’s setup), and where only the specified Part on a specific channel changes... there is nothing to apologize about the selections in this ‘GM’ Set. These GM sounds can be used the same as any other sound in the instrument, so they additional have another MSB/LSB/PC (not relevant to your specific questions)... because the KBD CTRL version has 15 empty slots, nothing prevents you from building a multi-Part program starting with a KBD CTRL version of the “Concert Grand Piano”... 63/14/023 would be addressing the individual Part on the specified channel.

The MONTAGE is like a Multi-layered onion, that you have to peel back a little at a time.
There is actually no need to differentiate between them in the “Part x Category Search” — here’s why: when you have launched a “Part Category Search” you are doing a single replacement Search , you are able to select any one Part from any Performance... since they are but one Part, it matters not which one you pick. In one instance, you are picking the first Part of a KBD CTRL Performance for use in one Part of your current Performance, in the other you are picking the single Part to replace one Part in your current Performance. Any idea to differentiate them where they appear now, is superfluous. There is no gain, either way you are picking one sound for one Part “replacement”.

Extra Credit reading:
Mastering MONTAGE: Using Category Search

The MONTAGE Owner’s Manual “Quick Guide” sections— page 18-38... because most haven’t read it since the very first time they looked through it, after owning and managing to find your own workflow... now, is a great time to go back through those pages, you will find many things that were very curious the first time you read them —perhaps they didn’t register at all that first time, will become crystal clear reading them again now! Some things you didn’t get the first time will now be “how’d I miss that?” It’s a great way to ‘connect the dots’... I talk with many customers who claim “I’ve read the manual.” ... thinking they are finished, I usually just laugh and tell them “I’m still reading the manual” manuals are reference books — you never really finish.

And review each New Feature, described in typical engineer fashion, as found in the Supplementary Manual for v2.50 ...those sometimes are very succinct and often don’t really expound on the application of said ‘new feature’ — but that’s why we feel web support is critical if we want to continue to make fun stuff (Synthesizers)... Thanks for the questions!

Hi Jason - that's handy to know (about the 'Property' feature). So I gather there's no GM List available? No combination-press or anything that would bring up the GM Set? Not that it's necessary - I just wonder why they're there at all if you can't get to them specifically, and they're already in the Presets anyway ...

Hi BM - that's a very good idea - to re-read the Manual now I have some clue as to what does what and can grasp what the Manual's telling me. When you first read it you have no idea what they're on about. And after you've pushed a few buttons - 'you know all that' - which is something of an over-statement! That 'Shift' key is a nifty little device that can do all kinds of things - once you know what they are! There's a box on-screen (somewhere) called 'Other Information' (I think) which reveals all the things it can do ... a bit more delving into Pandora's Box is called for! When I'm on the Montage, I do grudge reading time unless I'm stuck and KNOW the answer's in there somewhere - but finding it is a real pain!

GM is most often used by playing back a GM-compatible MIDI File. All GM Files begin with a GM RESET command... this bit of Sysex alerts all connected device to change 16 Parts to the default MIDI condition which looks exactly like the last Factory Performance called appropriately enough “Multi/GM”

This places the “Concert Grand Piano” in all Parts 1-16, except Part 10 which goes to the “Stereo GM Kit”.
All volumes are reset to 100, all Pan to “C”, etc., etc.

From the HOME screen
Press [CATEGORY SEARCH]
Touch “Init” > Select “Multi/GM”
When you go to the HOME screen and then move the cursor down to highlight the Part1 Name box... you can now scroll through your GM Set in order from “Concert Grand Piano” through to the “Gunshot”

They also appear where appropriate... you noticed the four acoustic piano GM sounds appear as duplicate entries when searching Piano. If you notice the Categories kind of are based on the GM 16 category model... we separate acoustic pianos from the electrics (Keyboards) and include harpsichords and clavinets under that same heading... but they are musical instruments — in general, they are great Categories for listing instruments...you’ll find the other GM sounds duplicated under their particular search definitions.

GM at its heart, can be used by consumers (non-musicians) - I refer to them as “civilians” — they take a GM Compatible File, push play and everything happens automatically. If you were to load a GM File to the MONTAGE, the GM RESET would immediately recall “Multi/GM”, and the “setup bar” of the song File would send the appropriate Bank Select MSB/LSB (000/000) on each channel, and (127/000) on channel 10 for drums... and all the ‘appropriate’ instrument’s will be recalled.

Our market research says our customers would like to take this MIDI file and rework the data... select different instruments, borrow some parts, mute others, in short, they don’t just play it back, they edit it, change it, borrow from it, generally make it their own. That’s why the “pseudo-GM Bank... our Home keyboards (PSR, Arrangers, etc.,) get the official GM/XG Logo because they follow all the strict rules of GM (too many to mention here). The synths, do not... GM is respected but not at the center of the instrument. So our reasearvh says when you hear the sound the author selected for strings, you’re gonna say “I want to substitute this other string sound for the one the file recalls...”

If you are actually authoring GM data for distribution, then you know you don’t need to see the separate Bank listing because the required GM protocol means you must place the BANK SELECT and PROGRAM CHANGE 200-300ms after the GM RESET, followed by all your edits... so the SELECTION is done by messages placed in each TRACK... since GM does not require that the receiving device have any storable RAM, all edits to envelopes, filters, effects, EQ, etc., must entered as CC and System Exclusive Parameter. Change messages. All this data would be manually entered in your DAW.

The properly prepared Setup Bar (typically 1 measure) should contain all the parameter edits for all 16 Parts. If you want to tune the snare drum on the GM Kit, you would have a NRPN (Non-Registered Parameter Number) that can be used to tune that drum. (Yikes)... if you wanted to tune a snare drum on a synth like MONTAGE that *does* have storable RAM, you simply call up the drum kit and tune that snare drum... because you *store* your Performance, you don’t need to learn what NRPN values you must enter and manipulate.

Many people think GM is for beginners, well, yes, the intended customer being a civilian consumer doesn’t want to know how much work goes on behind the scene, they just want the flute track to select a flute sound and all instruments playback correctly (automatically). If you’ve ever authored any GM Files for distribution, you quickly learn that GM is very complex, full of details, and those who laugh at it thinking it is for non-pros (don’t know from what they speak) couldn’t be more wrong. You have to have at least two MIDI Jedi Knight Merit Badges to even get started!!! Every edit must be encoded into messages you insert in that Setup measure... to be simple at the “user” side, it is very detailed in the “creation” side.

Hope that helps...