Hi Gary and welcome,
We moved your post here to the Montage forum (as the reface forum doesn't really apply).

I bought Chick's Mark V sample library (format X3A) and want to load it into my Montage 8. i don't want to lose any of my modified patches or Live Sets. How should I best load this library?

A Motif XF All data file .X3A can be loaded to the Montage directly to a LIBRARY location. This will not overwrite any of your current Montage data. You have 8 Library locations - each can contain 640 Performances maximum.

Alternatively, a Motif XF All data file .X3A can be loaded to the Montage USER Bank. This will overwrite data that you have currently in the User Bank.
Initially the Montage User Bank is empty (640 locations plus Live Sets, Arps, MS, etc). If you direct your file toward User you will receive a warning message informing you that proceeding will overwrite data currently in your User Bank. Obviously you should make a User file to save anything you've created thus far BEFORE overwriting the User Bank.

Should it be loaded to the user area or in a library?

A Motif XF All data file can be loaded to your User Bank or installed as a Library. This ensures that Montage converts all Motif XF Voices to Montage Parts, all Waveforms and Samples are written into Flash, all Arps, if any, are written into memory.

Advantages: if you load to the Library they remain always in memory and ready for recall
If you load to User, you can edit the data, add additional sounds (you have 640 Performance locations)... while in User you can customize the data, add to it, etc. when you get it exactly as you like it... then SAVE as a new Library File .X7L

Then you can install that File to a Library.

Basically, USER is your "work area" - finished data is installed to a Library.

If I do a full back up before loading should that be done as .X7U or .X7L.

To make a backup of what's in your USER Bank SAVE a USER FILE .X7U.

Anything that is installed as a Library - well, you will already have the file... simply keep it in a safe place.

The version 1.50 and later will add a new File Type called .X7A which backs up everything (all Libraries, the User Bank, all Songs, all User Arps, Motion Seq, etc., etc.)

Thanks BM, your explanations are always complete and very helpful.

Much appreciated.

Then you can install that File to a Library.

Basically, USER is your "work area" - finished data is installed to a Library.

Hello Bad Mister

If I have a Performance and I press Shift + Store to save that Performance so it will go to my User Location for me to edit or add more sounds to it correct?

Thanks
Tho