Awesome!

As you get into Montage, you realize that there are several methods to approach things. Scenes are "snapshot" memory, so "seamless transitioning" is not what it does (and it's not that it's broken, it's just its nature). For seamless transitioning you have the SSS function, you have the Part Select buttons, and inside the Motion Control engine you have morphing, and XA CONTROL functions... Each can be used to accomplish a goal of accessing multiple instrument sounds elegantly, smoothly, invisibly.

While Scenes are snapshots memory (where Mutes and/or Volumes settings can be instantly recalled), the XA Control is the antithesis, because it is designed to be audibly invisible (switching of the sounding Elements is to be sonically undetectable), so by merging the sounds you need into a single Performance you can program the seamless transition and customize it for your own specific use. For those that need the fastest response between already programmed Parts - use [Part Select] buttons within a single Perforrmance.

There is a different tool for each application.

The Cubase Arranger (Play Order) feature is one of those things that, again, experiencing using it just opens your eyes to so many possibilities. Flexible, instant arrange if you want, you can lock it in, if you like. And I love the way you can redo the boundaries as you desire. It's hard to explain to some one how good ice cream is going to taste ("it looks like mash potatoes", they say, but you say, "no, no, it's cold", they're thinking cold mash potatoes!) not til you taste it yourself does it all become clear what all the hubbub's about.

Finding what works better, is the "aha" moment. These discoveries are monumental and need to be experienced for one's self.

Thank you, Michael, for sharing.

Now that made my day!

I never could've climbed this high on the learning curve without your help, both here and previously on motifator.com.

I just spent a couple of hours setting up my song to use Live Sets. This involved making copies of the various lead instrument Performances and customizing them (e.g. octave shift) for the song. Now I have all of them on one Live Set page.

The song is Sitting Here In Limbo, so I named all of these customized performances "Lb ...". For instance, "Acoustic Bass" became "Lb Acoustic Bass". It was a bit of work to set it all up, but now it works just fine.

Is there some better way to do it than what I did? It seemed a bit awkward to me to have to customize the names of these Performances the way I did, but I couldn't figure out any other way to do it.

Which leads me to a possibly useful firmware suggestion: some sort of "folder structure" to keep Performances in, so I could organize the Performances for each song.

I suppose the naming of performances is done in a way that identifies to the player what they are. For instance I have just finished working on the new orchestration of Les Miserables. The show is 2 3/4 hours of music which resulted in 245 separate performances. These then get assigned to live set slots as the show has 2 acts of continuous music (no spoken dialogue) so everything needs to be instantly accessible. I name each performance as it relates to its position in the music - eg 01b1 song 1 bar 1, and name the live set slots sequentially - eg 1.1.1 User bank 1 page 1 slot 1 etc. Yes it's time consuming but it's a clear way of organising things and in rehearsal you can jump to anywhere with just 2 button presses.

Where it becomes cumbersome is if things need to be inserted after the live sets have been registered. For instance if the director decides to alter the music there is no way of inserting performances into a live set list without moving every slot that follows it to leave a free space. It is really time consuming to move 32 slots one at a time! If I had a firmware request it would be to have more functions and flexibility in live sets (copy and swap are just too limited) especially when you consider that live sets are the only FAST way to access performances from the front panel. Pressing Category Search, Main, Sub, scrolling to the page the performance is on, pressing its name then enter is not practical in a live situation.

I'd hate to think that there is only one way to work

Here are three ways to moves move through programs, each, I guess, comes with a different level of programming skills. Each one require a bit more programming skills.

_ Using the "LIVE SET" feature to recall Performances that serve one purpose each - these can be assembled easily by simply putting the selected Performances for the list in the order you need them.
_ Using a Performance to house multiple related instrument sounds for rapid selection via the [PART SELECT 1-16] buttons - can be assembled by merging Performances into a "favorites" program.
_ Using a single Part's ability to be multiple sounds (morphing, XA Control, etc.)

If you have a single song "Sitting in Limbo" you could place all of the sounds you use for that in a single Performance. It, of course, depends on the nature (composition) of the sounds you've selected. Example, I've come to terms with my second "live set" which I just call "Favorites" it consists of sixteen Single Parts merged into one Performance.

I use the [PART CONTROL] and sixteen Part Select buttons, [1]-[16], to seamless switch between the sixteen sounds. This Performance consists of my tweaks of "CFX PopStudioGrand" - the single Part CFX made to cut through a band, my favorite Rhodes, Clav, B3s, Strings, Brass, Synth Brass, Lead Synth etc., etc. all customized and labeled for live performing. I can go do an entire traditional gig and never leave this one Performance, seriously.

I find it particularly good for those who want to "sit in" - without having to babysit them on my new Montage, I just recall this one Performance and tell them here's your acoustic piano, here's your Rhodes, here are your B3s, etc., done. They never have to leave the one Performance - I've got a Performance full of "go-to" sounds tweaked to perfection.

When you find yourself with hundreds of Live Sets, recognize that you lose absolutely nothing by consolidating sounds, particularly if they are all in a single composition. My "whole gig" on one Performance might be extreme, but certainly for one song - I doubt you will need more than 16 sounds on one song in a live gig scenario. Consolidating the sounds you use on a song in a single Performance makes sense... The Performance become the Song's "folder" - because it contains all of the sounds you are going to use.

Another example of what I'm talking about:
You could select a String Performance and a separate Brass Performance, place them in slots 1 and 2 of your User Live Set. You use SSS
You could merge the Strings and Brass into a single Performance where you work out the seamless transition within the Performance using Motion Control.
You could create a PART that is both Strings and Brass and transitions using controllers.

Three methods to solve the same issue. In the first I've used 2 Live Set slots (no programming), in the latter two, I've programmed to make a custom transition, and I'll use just one slot - in a Live Set, and in the last one I've used just one Part of 16 Part Performance.

There is always more than one way to work. I would never say that a particular method is the only way to accomplish something. Usually it is the first method we find, and we stop looking. But as long as you are comfortable with your work method is all that matters.

Editing a Live Set list...
Yes, if you need to add a something to a pre made LIVE SET list with 245 slots you'll need another method of reassembling your Live Set, to be sure. Probably this is better handled through an external utility - use it to create a list that you load into Montage. (that type of "busy work" is best handled on an external device, then load it).

I use almost all the above methods to achieve what the orchestrators ask for - seriously if anyone is looking for a real programming challenge they should try working as a theatre keys player lol! SSS when there is a sustained chord to change on, scene buttons to mute/unmute groups of parts when there are sounds that have no decay tail that gets cut off in the mute or to add a sound, XA if there is a decay tail as turning a sound off doesn't affect it until the next key press. If there are enough free elements in a part I've copied elements within in it and note limited them so the same sound can be used in a variety of positions on the keyboard but only occupy the one part. I haven't really tried moving elements from a different part to combine different sounds into one "slot" as the insertion effects involved would need to be the same for the sonic combination to be effective. So I've pretty much got my head round these ways of working.

I do have a couple of questions though :

When motion control is used to change between sounds is this something that is done with a knob/fader/superknob which then gradually moves from one sound to another in for example Seattle Sections?

What is the external device that can be used to organise live sets?

I use almost all the above methods to achieve what the orchestrators ask for - seriously if anyone is looking for a real programming challenge they should try working as a theatre keys player lol! SSS when there is a sustained chord to change on, scene buttons to mute/unmute groups of parts when there are sounds that have no decay tail that gets cut off in the mute or to add a sound, XA if there is a decay tail as turning a sound off doesn't affect it until the next key press. If there are enough free elements in a part I've copied elements within in it and note limited them so the same sound can be used in a variety of positions on the keyboard but only occupy the one part. I haven't really tried moving elements from a different part to combine different sounds into one "slot" as the insertion effects involved would need to be the same for the sonic combination to be effective. So I've pretty much got my head round these ways of working.

Awesome!

When motion control is used to change between sounds is this something that is done with a knob/fader/superknob which then gradually moves from one sound to another in for example Seattle Sections?

Exactly, that's one way it can be done. Gradual is how it is done in the Seattle Sections, but you can design the transitions as you require. You can program them to coexist (in the middle) and be exclusive at the extremes. There are any number of possibilities.

What is the external device that can be used to organise live sets?

A computer program or an app on a tablet device would be perfect. I don't know of any, at this time. I would imagine if there is a demand some third party might see this as an opportunity. This is just the kind of, what I call, "busy work, that" computers are great for. Because, sure, you could/can do it on the synthesizer, but it's something that is so much better handled on a computer (juggling a list - is right up the computer's alley) then tag on the bulk data, export a file and you have a program. Is it worth something? Absolutely. Whether or not it happens... we'll have to wait and see.

Keyboards in theatre - whew! I don't envy that task. You're all over the place with all kinds of things... I wouldn't allow them to make any changes 🙂