You may want to sanitize the MIDI file to make sure program changes are not coming from the MIDI file itself.

Under the Pattern menu:

"Song/Event" -> "Erase Event" tabs, select all tracks, change event type to "PC" and push the "Erase Event" button.

[quotePost id=116273]You may want to sanitize the MIDI file to make sure program changes are not coming from the MIDI file itself.

Under the Pattern menu:

"Song/Event" -> "Erase Event" tabs, select all tracks, change event type to "PC" and push the "Erase Event" button.
[/quotePost]

Jason,

You were right - thank you!

When I followed that option:

>> "Song/Event" -> "Erase Event" tabs, select all tracks, change event type to "PC" and push the "Erase Event" button. <<

I could change any instrument to that particular track and save it. It works. Next time when I loaded that way edited MIDI it sounds with the new assigned instrument to that part.

What are the other "Event" types - there are a few of them, is there any description in Yamaha Manuals about the meanings of those?

Best Regards to All.
Adam

The event types are standard MIDI. There are plenty of manuals that describe these. I'll just run them down.

Starting with the Supplementary Manual:

Source: https://usa.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/8/1219148/modx_en_sm_c0.pdf

Event Type
Determines the type of Event to be erased.
Settings: Note, Poly, CC, NRPN, RPN, PC, AfterTouch, PitchBend, SysEx, All

CC Number (Control Change Number)
Displayed when the Event type is set to CC. Determines the Control Change Number to be erased.
Range: Range: All, 1 – 127

System Exclusive
Displayed when the Event type is set to SysEx. Determines the System Exclusive to be erased.
Settings: All, Common Cutoff, Common Resonance, Common FEG Depth, Common Portamento, Common Attack Time, Common Decay Time, Common
Sustain Level, Common Release Time, Common EQ Low Gain, Common EQ Lo Mid Gain, Common EQ Mid Gain, Common EQ Mid Freq,
Common EQ Hi Mid Gain, Common EQ High Gain, Common Pan, Common Var Return, Common Rev Return, Common Swing, Common Unit
Multiply, Common Gate Time, Common Velocity, Common MS Amplitude, Common MS Shape, Common MS Smooth, Common MS Random,
Common Assign Knob 1, Common Assign Knob 2, Common Assign Knob 3, Common Assign Knob 4, Common Assign Knob 5, Common
Assign Knob 6, Common Assign Knob 7, Common Assign Knob 8, Common Super Knob, Part FEG Depth, Part Sustain Level, Part EQ Low
Gain, Part EQ Mid Freq, Part EQ Mid Gain, Part EQ Mid Q, Part EQ High Gain, Part Swing, Part Unit Multiply, Part Gate Time, Part Velocity, Part
MS Amplitude, Part MS Shape, Part MS Smooth, Part MS Random, Element 1 Level, Element 2 Level, Element 3 Level, Element 4 Level,
Element 5 Level, Element 6 Level, Element 7 Level, Element 8 Level, Operator 1 Level, Operator 2 Level, Operator 3 Level, Operator 4 Level,
Operator 5 Level, Operator 6 Level, Operator 7 Level, Operator 8 Level, Drum BD Level, Drum SD Level, Drum HH Close Level, Drum HH
Pedal Level, Drum HH Open Level, Drum Low Tom Level, Drum High Tom Level, Drum Crash Level
NOTE When Common parameters and Super Knob are specified, the System Exclusive is deleted irrespective of the Track settings.

... so this goes into some amount of detail about Sysex (system exclusive) with a long list of things that relate to it.

"Note" means note on and note off messages. These are created when you push a key without engaging channel aftertouch.

"Poly" means polyphonic aftertouch. These are special messages that cannot be created by Montage or MODX but other gear may have and an imported MIDI file may have these.

"CC" or control change can be lots of things. Some CC numbers are "standard" and have an impact on volume. Some are custom or open for definition. MODX/Montage has certain items standard at certain CC numbers (Superknob, Part Assignable Knobs, Assignable Switches, etc). And some CC numbers are for MSB/LSB that are used to switch the "bank" but needs a PC (program change) to make these bank switches go into effect.

"NRPN" and "RPN" are not widely supported in Montage/MODX. I wouldn't be too concerned about these. They are like system exclusive CCs with higher resolution. Even if these are in a MIDI stream I would doubt that they would interfere with Montage/MODX. Given how little of these are respected - you can erase them blindly without much harm.

Quick blurb:
https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/nrpn/

"PC" (program change) - you know what this is.

"AfterTouch" (Channel aftertouch) - this is the aftertouch that Montage can generate and I don't believe MODX can. Both can react to channel aftertouch in a MIDI file. The motion control matrix can take these messages and modulate destination parameters. However, much of the time aftertouch is not intended and these can fill up the MIDI buffer. Erasing aftertouch is wise if you do not use these messages. That is, if you know your MIDI data contains aftertouch messages. The difference between channel and polyphonic aftertouch, in a nutshell, is that polyphonic has different aftertouch values for each key and channel will have only one aftertouch value for all keys.

"PitchBend" is a special message that is created when you move the pitch bend wheel. The impact of these messages is to "bend" the pitch up or down and usually smoothly.

[quotePost id=116279]It's not clear to me what ALL of the steps are that you are taking.

Bill,

Thank you for reply.

When MIDI file is being loaded into Pattern Sequencer it brings 16 tracks. The settings of those tracks are loaded into 16 Pattern's Parts accordingly aren't they? Now if I store the Pattern&Performace settings I have all that data from MIDI stored into Performance's Parts (all instrument sounds, drums etc...). The trouble is when MIDI file I want to work with was not created on Yamaha Montage but on the other synthetiser or digital piano - e.g. Clavinova. Then some of the MIDI tracks after loading into Montage may sound very strange and just useless. Now if I change one of that way imported MIDI track (which the settings are visible in the relevant Pattern's Part), than store it into Performance it works, if I store it into a Songs it works either but only as long as work with it. When that way created song is reopened all my changes/edits are gone and all Parts sound as they were saved in the original MIDI file again.
That was my problem to solve.

Now - thanks to Jason again - after deleting the one or all Events from one or all MIDI tracks, my changes (instrument sound editing etc) are being saved into my MIDI file ( new file or overriding existing one).

So what I noticed a MIDI file (all data) at first is loaded into a Patterns where some of modification/edits/recording etc. are possible to do. Once it is done that job can be save back into the same or new MIDI file and can be store into a Performance ( a Performance's Parts will be created accordingly) as well.

The reverse way is possible to do either: having a Performance created at first I can go to PlayRec-->Patterns. Here I can do some of further modification/editing (e.g. drum part splitting) and record a new MIDI file combined with live keyboard playing or using scene's recording chain mode. Of course instead of Patters I can go directly to MIDI and record file as well - but Patterns option is much more convinient to work with.

That's my understanding of the difference among a Performance's Parts and a Pattern's Parts.
Am I correct?

As I am a early begginer please do any comments if I am wrong.

Thanks a lot in advance.
All the Best.
Adam

The problem you were seeing before is that the song/pattern/MIDI data (these terms are somewhat interchangeable) had commands embedded that overrode your Performance settings. The "PC" (program change) message is recognized by Montage as a command to change the sound to a different one. Sometimes this is desirable and sometimes not. If you want your Performance settings to take precedence and not have the song data switch sounds on you from your Performance settings - clear out the PC (Program Change) messages. Now the MIDI data will not "take over" and instruct Montage to change the sound used.

If you get your file from another device or online and it is not specifically meant for a Montage then you may also want to clear out Sysex. System Exclusive messages will be different for every device and some other device's Sysex wouldn't be appropriate for Montage. The only situation where you may want to leave these in is if the Sysex messages embedded are meant to be sent to an external device connected to Montage (and you actually have the matching device that understands those specific Sysex messages). However, assuming standalone use - you can generally clear out Sysex data from random MIDI files you obtain. This goes for NPRN, RPN too.

CC is a bit more tricky. There are semi-standardized CC messages that work the same in Montage as they work in most other MIDI devices. These CC messages you can keep in the MIDI file. However, there are some specific CC numbers that Montage uses in a very device-specific manner. Ones to change scene buttons, set Part Assignable knob values, etc. What I wold say about these is if your random MIDI file grabbed off the internet isn't wildly "messing up" things - don't worry about erasing CC events. However, given there are 128 different CC numbers and some would be appropriate and some wouldn't (and then some are no-care that wouldn't do anything) - this is an area of study or a more advanced topic for perhaps another day.

Aftertouch messages are unlikely to be in random data. If aftertouch is there and even if the Montage doesn't respond as intended - I don't think there's going to be a huge impact. If you start having memory full kind of issues - you can see if removing aftertouch messages helps. Otherwise, they should be generally benign to leave alone.

Thank you Jason for the answer - it helps me a lot understand the MIDI philosophy on Montage.

I swapped recently from Yamaha Clavinova which I was working over three years. Through that time I created a lot of my own MIDI files with music I had performed myself. Now I want to bring as many of them as possible into Montage but it seems, there are two brand different Worlds: Digital Piano/Keyboards and Synthesizers. I am discovering every day more and more possibilities of Montage but some times it is hard to understand how it works without the clue.

Best Regards
Adam

If you're trying to move MIDI from one instrument to another and the two instruments are not say just pure general MIDI - then you're going to have to sort this kind of thing out. Since MIDI, as a protocol, doesn't dictate the sounds or many of the parameters. It's a blank slate and all vendors and also products within those manufacturers define differently. Adjustments typically need to be made.

Montage (and MODX) have an initialized Performance called "Multi/GM" (under the Init category) that sets up the instrument best for GM (General MIDI) files. Montage is not GM or XG (Yamaha's extension of GM) compliant. Some things will work but not 100% of these specs are implemented as playing back general MIDI files or XG files is not a design goal of the instrument. However, the GM sound set has mostly been provided so GM-type PC changes will land on a representative sound assuming MSB and LSB are reset to 0 (the GM bank). I think Multi/GM takes care of this for you and also places a drum kit in Part 10 - which is in-line with GM. It also places something (a placeholder) in all other Parts 1-9, 11-16 so that PC changes can have a Part to start with. If the Part was empty then these MIDI messages would have been ignored.