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MONTAGE Series Synthesizers
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Topic starter
Hello! I've had my Montage 8 for a week and love it. I am still figuring out what it can do and have not been able to figure this problem out....
I would like to use a premade midi drum track for a song (I.e., The final countdown), load it to my montage and have a drum track. The midi tracks closely simulate all the fill-ins and timing changes of the original songs. I see the premade tracks as an easy shortcut to get a close to real as possible backing track for drums. Programming in each individual part of the drum tracks (verse, chorus, bridge and solo) would be tedious and, in my mind, the end result would be lacking of uniqueness. I understand the midi file would contain only one track and I'd export as a type0 midi file. Does anyone have any idea on how I'd accomplish this task?
I have exported type0 midi drum tracks from Reaper and loaded them to my Montage formatted USB flash drive. I've checked to make sure that midi bass, snare and cymbal triggers fall on the right keys for the drum kit I select. I am not sure if Reaper is exporting a readable file to the Montage but when I "play" the midi, It shows correct time and time signature but it doesn't seem to trigger midi (next to volume control) on the performance screen. After the file is loaded, I load a Montage drum kit into the performance. I am sure that after this point, I have no clue as to what to do because nothing I've done so far has worked.
Any tips (midi or wav solutions) on how to get full song drum tracks to play as part of the performance? The end result would be for me to use the scenes to change the performance parts sounds through out the song. Once again, an thoughts would be helpful. Perhaps I am trying to do something that isn't even possible.
Posted : 21/02/2018 4:13 pm
Hi,
You cannot change midi channel of a part, so you have to put the drum part on the channel of the midi file.
Look at reaper to see what channel is used. If e.g. channel 7, add the drum part in part 7 in Montage.
If there is no part in the Montage on the drum channel, there is no sound.
Posted : 21/02/2018 5:47 pm
When you are going to build a multi Part Performance you will probably want to start with the INIT "Multi/GM" Performance.
Once you've loaded your .mid file it will reside in your MONTAGE's SONG folder, you do not need to load it again. It will remain in memory until you delete it or initialize all data.
[UTILITY] > "Data Utility" > "Song"
To start with an INIT Performance:
Press [CATEGORY SEARCH]
Touch "Init" > select "Multi/GM"
Press [ENTER]
Touch "Play/Rec"
If the Song file is not recently loaded, you can load it from your Song folder, by touching the Song Name title box, a pop-in menu with the LOAD option appears. Find and load your Song in the folder...
Start play, one of the sixteen Parts will respond.
Press the [PART CONTROL] button... this turns the top two rows of buttons into Part Select 1-8 and 9-16.
Each Part represents a different MIDI channel.
Posted : 21/02/2018 8:10 pm
Topic starter
Thank you both, Tino and Bad Mister. Your help has given me a little more understanding of this awesome tool. I finally have sound for my drum track in the play/record screen.
I'd appreciate it if you'd help me take this one step further. I'd love to have the drum track playing in the background while performing. As I left it l last night, I can do that from the play/rec screen. The drums only play once it hit the play button and I have no access to the performance screen. I tried to save it as a user arp on track 10 and have it stop and start when I touch keys. Can I do this? when I go to save the user arp, it claims there is "no data". I am fairly sure I know the settings to on Montage that will keep it from "pitch shifting" by setting the CONVERT TYPE = FIXED. I would also assume I'd set the arpeggio screen as follows: Common > Hold = on and individual>Name= "my file". Is what I am looking to do even possible? Perhaps thinking of it as a user arp is going about it the wrong way.
If I might make a request from Yamaha, I've watched about every video I can find (thanks again Bad Mister for the your many videos), scoured the manual an I've read the Montage 101: Arpeggio articles here and I still have many questions. Is there the potential for some more in depth videos regarding arpeggios? Is there a source to learn more that I am missing?
Your help is greatly appreciated,
Posted : 22/02/2018 3:34 pm
Andrew,
You don't need a video. What you need is an understanding of the instrument. Take your time. Lets start with what an ARPEGGIO is. Try in your own head to figure out a definition that works:
arpeggio: This function lets you automatically trigger musical and rhythmic phrases and backing patterns
using the current Performance by simply pressing a key or keys on the keyboard.
The Arpeggio sequence changes in response to the actual notes or chords you play, giving you
a wide variety of inspiring musical phrases and ideas, both in composing and performing.
Okay that is the text book definition, you have correctly surmised that FIXED NOTE arpeggios work for Drums - drummers never transpose or adjust notes according to the chords played.... but take the time to read through all the parameters in the Synthesizer Parameter Manual and the Reference Manual. They refer you to the Data List Booklet where you can get an idea of the average LENGTH of an Arpeggio Phrase.The Data List booklet lists every ARP and its LENGTH.
If you have been 'studying' what the folks who programmed the MONTAGE for the Factory sounds you will conclude that ARPEGGIOS average between 1 and 8 measures in LENGTH. (there are some as long as 16 but they are rare)... If you are thinking about making an entire Drum Track from Arpeggios at least you'll have an idea that perhaps an arpeggio Phrase that is 200 measures in LENGTH might be unusual and might not be the best way to proceed.
Frankly, I don't know what would happen with a 200 measure ARPEGGIO... (I don't), I do know that the majority of Arpeggio Phrases are short phrases that LOOP. They are more useful as shorter segments - plus you can save memory by recognizing where the data repeats...
When you see the error message "No data" likely you specified the wrong TRACK for the PUT TRACK TO ARP function to read for conversion - it found NO DATA because you are asking it to convert a track with NO DATA in it (adjust the Track number of the Track being converted). You give us no details so we can only guess at your mistake. What track was your drum MIDI data on? What track did you tell the function to translate?
You should probably try to break the DRUM Track down into smaller musical SECTIONS of 4, 8, 12 or 16 measures...
Posted : 22/02/2018 4:43 pm
