I know you can adjust a live set performance volume, but am at a loss for how to do this in full context. That is— including my amplifier and the board main volume (in relation to each performance volume).

It is difficult to see what you are not seeing. If you know you can adjust the Volume of each Live Set slot, then you know this is exactly what this is for...

What about your “amplifier and the board main volume” do you need to tell us?
Is the volume of these two things being adjusted for every song?
If not, then why isn’t adjusting the Live Set Volume the solution to your issue?

The way Live Set Volume is supposed to work:
Set the Main Volume Out from the MONTAGE as required by the Front-Of-House system. In general, this is going to be the same every night. Some where between 3/4 and all the way up. Workout the relative Volume settings necessary between Performances in your Live Set using the Live Set Volume offset. If you reach 127 on a particular Performance and it is not loud enough, please realize you need to lower all the others. (It’s *relative* volume... if you’re too tall, you must duck the others).

This is is how you find the Performances that need the most boosting. A strategy might be to set the Live Set Volume for the first Performance to 100... make 100 the start point. Have the FOH get decent level overall on that Live Set = 100... raise the Main Volume setting as necessary to satisfy FOH. Once the Main Volume Setting satisfies FOH, leave it there.

Now recall your next Live Set Performance and adjust its Live Set offset volume louder/softer as necessary to make it match the previous Performances output... and continue from there.

Leave plenty of room to get louder... that’s why 100 is a good start point for *how loud*, you have room to move up and down from that point. And if the band goes crazy you have some extra umpf in reserve.

Let the FOH sound person know your normal volume, and let them hear what Live Set Volume 127 sounds like as your maximum.
Sound people want to know your normal level, and your *all out maximum*... they are hoping there is a difference; but all they really need to know is to be prepared for that range... so that even when you are at *all out maximum* they can handle that without clipping.

Thank you ...

It's too bad that all the Motif performances where imported at volume 127. There is no room anymore to boost them. So if I want to use a preset performance of the Motif series in a Live Set, I have to lower the volume on all my other performances or go to the preset performance 2-band EQ, boost the output level and save it as a user performance. Most Montage-presets sound louder then the Motif-presets and they are very often a lot lower than volume 127. It would have been great if Motif-Presets where imported at volume 100 and had a little more gain.

Thanks,

Stef

It's too bad that all the Motif performances where imported at volume 127. There is no room anymore to boost them. So if I want to use a preset performance of the Motif series in a Live Set, I have to lower the volume on all my other performances or go to the preset performance 2-band EQ, boost the output level and save it as a user performance. Most Montage-presets sound louder then the Motif-presets and they are very often a lot lower than volume 127. It would have been great if Motif-Presets where imported at volume 100 and had a little more gain.

Actually, we looked at this as an opportunity.

All of the Motif XF Series Voices appeared in the original 1920 MONTAGE Performances.
Each of the 1350+ XF Voices formed the backbone of the MONTAGE soundset. They appear as Single Part Performances.

The new features of the Motion Control Synthesis Engine took the team of international programmers in a different direction from the four Part “Performances” as seen in the XS/XF era. Right out of the gate you could have recreated any Motif XS/XF 4-Part Performance in the MONTAGE. Why this was not done initially is because the MONTAGE would have been not so very different from a Motif XF.

So out with the old concept, in with all the new Motion Control stuff.... but like the old joke about how many blue grass musicians it takes to change a lightbulb ... it’s really only one but then you’ll have others lamenting about the “ol’ bulb”.... you are going to have a bunch of folks that want their old keyboard in their new keyboard.

The MONTAGE is now up to 2655 Presets. In one of the firmware updates the 512 Motif XS/XF Performances were added. (You could have made these yourself since all the Arps and sounds were in MONTAGE). We put out a series of articles “MONTAGifying Motif XF” where each article takes you through the process of taking the old bulb (data) and customizing it yourself in the new instrument. For those familiar with the Motif XS/XF, it’s a great way to learn about the MONTAGE and what’s new about it, and a great way to take a peak at some of the possibilities. And as everyone claims: improve on what the factory programmers did. We encourage that.

When approaching a Factory Preset (whether a former Motif XS/XF Performance or not) I go over the Control Assignments and in customizing them to my playing style, I also begin to give “nicknames” to the Assign Knobs. This really should be done by the individual player... often when reviewing what the original programmer decided to assign, I decide it would work better for me a certain way. So much of “performing” on a sound is your own custom approach to control. The naming of the Assign Knobs reminds me always, what controls I have made available for real-time Control. Having access to the Assign Knob matrix is the key to what makes MONTAGE new and different. Thinking you need access to hundred parameters at all times — is not practical. What is practical is going over how you plan to use a particular sound, then customize the exact things you are going to manipulate during performing.

If you owned a Motif XF and want to parlay the knowledge you already have about that Synthesis Engine, and take it and apply it to what’s new about MONTAGE, the series of articles is for you if all you want is the finished results, just recognize you’ll have to settle for what has been done... (I understand, I do hear from people thatit’s time consuming... and they steal time to work with their synthesizers). But for those that are willing to roll up their sleeves, and spend the time tweaking their favorites, the rewards are many.

Particularly, if you had a favorite XF-type Performance... revisiting it in the MONTAGE is an awesome way to discover this instrument.

As to the VOLUME... The XF Performances were limited to a maximum of four Parts... you can anticipate that adding Parts might be a consideration when these are moved over to a MONTAGE. If you add or remove a Part, or change the relationship of levels, you should gain stage the Performance for your use. Each Part has its own Volume, that contributes to the Performance’s Volume. These individual Part Volumes are typically very conservatively set — allowing for adding (merging) new Parts. You usually have plenty of room to increase their output.

Adjust according to the tweaks you make... but I tell everyone, always, expect to make some tweaks! It’s a Synthesizer. The ability to *tweak* goes beyond your wildest imagination!