Hello - does anyone know if, when transmitting midi bulk data to the Total Librarian from a User Library on the Montage, it is necessary to 'Import to User' on the Montage before transmitting as 'User' data? Or can the User Library be transmitted as is? Changes made to User Library data is not permanent on the Montage, but is it on the Total Librarian/Performance Editor' set-up? I

I do not have/use the tools. My help can go only as far as the demo lets me replicate usage.

Hello Jason - I don't know about the demo versions - I'd think they'd allow transmission and at least basic editing. I'm surprised there's no mention of this in the Manual. It's essential for the very first step of loading the files. The only clue is that the Performance Library has 'Libraries' included in its choices, as well as 'User' and 'Presets', but it's a lot of very slow work so I want to be sure. I hope I can transmit the User Libraries as is and the Editor can make permanent changes, which Montage can't do. But I'm stuck now until I know - I've emailed John Melas as well ...

I’m not clear on what you are asking. Do you have just the “Total Librarian (Performance Editor)” or do you also have the “MONTAGE Waveform Editor”?

Hello Bad Mister - John Melas sent me an answer last night, which was good of him. My question was whether I have to convert my (User) Libraries into User files (Import to User) before transmitting them from the Montage to the Total Librarian for tweaking in Performance Editor. I wondered whether the changes would be lost when returned to the Montage (as they would be on the Montage itself). But it's OK, I can send my User Libraries as Libraries - tweaked Library files are converted to User files before they are sent back to the Montage. A lot less complicated. So I can proceed with transmitting my Libraries to Total Librarian - it's a lengthy process! It took an hour and three quarters to transmit all the Montage Presets (2700 including the Motif XF). Each Bulk Data Transmission takes an average of 2.4 seconds ... I do have the Waveform Editor as well (I bought the whole enchalada), but won't be looking at that until I'm happy with the Librarian/Pf Editor set-up ... keep well ...

It's faster to use USB than waiting on slow MIDI transfers.

The MIDI dump method has lots of latency vs. USB.

Hello Jason - that was via USB, so far as I know. You must connect in USB mode, and the only connection is via the 'USB to Host' cable, using the Performance Editor's 'Autoconnect' feature. Pretty sure that's 100% USB ... loading and saving between the Montage and the USB is always a slow business too, so I wasn't at all surprised. Just resigned ...

I mean using a USB stick is faster. MIDI dumps use the USB cable - but do not do USB data transfers in a traditional binary large-block binary file transfer sense. The USB connection turns into a serial cable for MIDI transfers (think modem speeds).

The "USB to device" port (not USB to host) and use of a flash stick was what I was attempting to convey.

Well yes, but that's not actually possible, is it? A 'wish list' thing that I've mentioned now and then - the ability to address the USB directly as in the Tyros, rather than this continual saving and loading business. We can but dream ...

I guess not (at least for Performance Editor) - I assumed that since the Motif XF had the ability to import (in the Motif Total Librarian) Motif XF native files (X?A files - all except for Montage which is X7A) - that the Montage version would allow for importing native formats as well. This is not true (I installed Total Librarian today to see).

Looks like the Montage tools are trailing features that were in the Motif tools. Perhaps more capabilities will be added later.

Although, unlike the Motif XF Total Librarian, the Montage Total Librarian cannot import files saved on a USB stick - the Montage Waveform Editor can.

I'm using the demo version (limitations on saving and editing). But using the demo version, I can load up a saved X7U I have on my hard disk. This could have been also the file I originally saved to the USB stick. At the bottom of the window labeled "MontageUser062018.X7U" (this was the filename I imported) are statistics. These statistics show:

"Waveforms: 12 40.48MB"

So I know that my user area on 06/2018 consumed 40.48MB of the total sample area of 1.75GB. If I would have opened an X7A file instead of an X7U - this would have told me how much total sample memory was consumed by both libraries and user area.

When I look at the "Waveforms" tab, I can see each waveform and instantly recognize these are mostly WAV files I imported and never associated with a Performance. Just experimental. I can see the size of each individual waveform.

When I click on the "Performances" tab, I can see which performances use these Waveforms. If I click on the header (Fav ... Number ... Name ... Category ... Arps/Curves ... Waveforms - these are the headers) - if I click on the "Waveforms" header - then this will show me which performances use waveforms. I can see that only waveform #10 ("test.wav" ) is used by any Performance. If I go back to the "Waveforms" tab (the tabs are "Waveforms ... Arpeggios ... Curves ... Performances ... Live Sets) - then I can see that waveform No 10 (test.wav) is 0.18MB. I know that out of the 40.48MB worth of sample memory that only 0.18MB is referenced by Performances. I can delete 40.3MB worth of samples and not affect Performances.

All of this by loading direct from a disk instead of using the MIDI dump (slower) method -- Waveform Editor Only.