DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) is a computer used for music production purposes. Just about any time you hook up a computer to your Montage - your computer is acting as a DAW. Of course, a computer runs software - so there are a variety of operating systems and software packages to install on those operating systems to further customize your DAW.

If you're not using a computer for music purposes - why would you be worried about using USB and MIDI in the context that Roberto is asking?

The only thought I can think of to use Montage hooked up to a computer - and not using your computer as music production - would be to use Montage as a soundcard to listen to the beeps, youtube video sound, and other soundcard outputs out of your speakers connected to Montage. And this doesn't require any special software or MIDI.

Help enlighten me, but right now I'm hearing that you want to either want drive a car but don't want to bother with tires - OR - you want to always walk everywhere (never drive) and are complaining that your car has a steering wheel. What steering wheels have to do with walking, I'm not sure of at the moment.

Speaking of wheels - when you are using a computer as a DAW - MIDI routing is right smack in the center of the wheelhouse for a DAW to easily perform. So, to me, it makes perfect sense why there is this flexibility. When you have a USB cable connected to your computer - using your computer as part of the audio solution (a DAW) - then you have the option to control Montage with a 5-pin MIDI connected keyboard (connected directly to Montage) or just use Montage as a gateway to reach the 5-pin DIN MIDI connected keyboard, so your Montage is acting as a swiss army knife - a built-in 5-pin MIDI to USB converter for separate control of the DAW parameters/VSTi/etc.

The flexibility is all there - and that other keyboards make you scroll through menus on the keyboard may be harder to deal with than using a computer to dive through menus - because computers have the benefit of a big monitor to display documentation - and a common way to bring up docs (in Windows press F1) - or you can use the internet to search for an answer.

To me, it's really a better system - if you want to use the computer as part of your audio solution - the way it is currently. And there's no loss of functionality.

If you don't want to use your computer as a DAW - you do not have to. But then there is little use for the USB cable connection that would involve anything MIDI related.

Jason wrote:
If you don't want to use your computer as a DAW - you do not have to. But then there is little use for the USB cable connection that would involve anything MIDI related.

Montage Connect?

Hence I suggested that Montage Connect be updated to include the MIDI routing capabilities that Rod needs.

Hello Jason - the only reason my Montage is connected to my computer is to enable the 'Connect' facility - and for that I must be in USB mode - which destroys my MIDI set-up. As to DAWs, I have absolutely no interest in composing music or even making music - the odd little session on the keys when I find a sound that inspires a particular tune - that's it. If I want to record something, Montage is quite capable for my modest needs, or the Tyros more so - but that's quite rare. It's not a huge chore to switch from USB mode to MIDI mode - it's just that it shouldn't be necessary. I find Montage full of quirky little annoyances like that, and it speaks volumes that it has still become my synth of choice! Think of a DAW as a supercharger - cars run perfectly well without them, but can go faster with them if you want to ...

I write this here but i'm thinking to create another topic :

I use PC not Mac,

in Mac I know there is possibility to "aggregate" 2 or more audiocards

so in my case I have one soundcard (TC Konnekt 24/D) and use it in my DAW and in this way the only possibility to send 16 part of montage in my daw is
to use the montage as soundcard (loosing the use of my best soundcard of 4.000 euro -it' not my case...) or use of a trick with asio4all drivers (that for me it's not very stable)

so

why don't create a Montage Connect plugin (like Virus TI) that bring the audio of the montage inside the daw ? so I/we can use our best soundcard and the montage togheter ?

https://www.yamahasynth.com/forum/usb-audio-interface-pc-with-cubase

I see - the feature of saving or loading an X7B file and also maybe the ability to move .mid files off Montage through Montage Connect are what you want to keep while having the external keyboard target Montage itself.

That helps clarify.

You could probably ditch the computer altogether if X7B files were able to be saved and loaded on Montage itself.

Probably easier to program firmware to save an X7B file, but maybe firmware can add a MIDI mode

1) MIDI=5-pin DIN - Like today's MIDI mode (USB=off)
2) MIDI=USB (Port 1 = output:Montage MIDI in, input:Montage out, Port 3 = output:5-pin DIN MIDI output, input:5-pin DIN MIDI input) - like today's USB mode
3) MIDI=USB (Port 1 = output:Montage MIDI in, output:5-pin DIN MIDI output, input:Montage MIDI out+5-pin DIN MIDI in merged) - new mode. MIDI from external 5-pin connected devices (MIDI in) merges with Montage - so montage "sees" the messages sent through it. Any messages sent from an external controller will invoke the Montage tone generator so it seems like you have mode = MIDI. Yet, these messages are also sent through to the computer (USB) merging Montage output and your external controller (connected to Montage 5-pin MIDI input) together. Likewise, port 1 would send MIDI messages to both the Montage and the 5-pin MIDI out with data flowing the other way. Port 3 can continue to output (to Montage) messages that only target the 5-pin DIN (and not Montage) and can also capture a non-merged set of MIDI messages from only the 5-pin DIN MIDI in (although not necessary if there are bandwidth issues that would arise).

Given there is a free solution that ships with Montage - and is fairly user friendly for this task - I'm not sure how much traction there is unless there is already momentum behind this.

Jason wrote:
Given there is a free solution that ships with Montage - and is fairly user friendly for this task - I'm not sure how much traction there is unless there is already momentum behind this.

Yes a fair call.

Joe wrote:

Jason wrote:
Given there is a free solution that ships with Montage - and is fairly user friendly for this task - I'm not sure how much traction there is unless there is already momentum behind this.

Yes a fair call.

I didn't realise that montage came with software btw. I got mine second hand and with no software.

Rod, while I agree that surely it can't have been that hard to have both MIDI port and USB working in the way you want, using any MIDI routing software (be it a DAW or something else) really isn't very difficult to set up. I could even make you a little Max Msp patch that you just have to open and have running in the background that fulfils your MIDI routing needs.