Use a USB 2.0 cable. Best to use a shielded cable because this reduces the amount of emissions from the USB high-speed switching signals that the cable would otherwise act as an antenna to transmit the other devices. And in the studio reducing the noise from digital switching is important. Looking at it from the reverse direction where external aggressors are affecting the USB signals (carrying your midi and audio) the shielding is unlikely to make or break that signal path. In other words the shielding is more to protect radiated noise from affecting external devices rather than to prevent external noise from disrupting your USB data stream. Regardless I would always and I mean always use shielded USB cables.

Edit: had to clean this up (used voice recognition to dictate message originally).

Phil wrote:

I will be attempting to connect a USB cable from Montage to computer and try setting-up, as Bad Mister demos in his Montage/Cubase video series.
Please explain the following: OK, with montage-Yamaha USB driver-Cubase as a system but, most people including me already use a DAW with an audio interface and in my case a MOTU 828 mk3 Firewire which includes MIDI In/Out on the firewire connection. So, If Montage is showing -up as ASIO device and I have the MOTU also as ASIO, I was told this doesn't work. I have to use the MOTU, I have other input sources to bring into the DAW
Also, what type USB cable - what is the technical name of the USB cable, should it be shielded? Should it be 2.0 or 3.0?

You can use any DAW that you prefer. Naturally, we can provide setup information for Steinberg software (as Yamaha owns Steinberg) but plenty of people use other DAWs and other audio interfaces to their computer.

In your case connecting the MOTU 828mk3 via FW to your computer and since it includes standard 5-pin MIDI In/Out, this means you don't need to use the Montage via USB at all. Connect, at minimum, the main 1/4" L&R outputs to the MOTU (if you wish, additionally, you can connect the 1/4" Assignable L&R outputs if you have the inputs available on the MOTU); connect the MIDI OUT of the Montage to the MIDI IN of the MOTU, and the MIDI OUT of the MOTU to the MIDI IN of the Montage.

Connecting this way you would use the MOTU driver as it would act as both your MIDI and audio interface.
On the Montage set the UTILITY > "Settings" > "MIDI I/O" = MIDI.

No Yamaha Steinberg Driver is necessary in this setup. No USB connection between Montage and computer either.

No video is necessary from Yamaha on such a setup, look to MOTU for videos concerning how to proceed, at this point the Montage is just a MIDI source, and an audio source to the MOTU 828. All settings would be covered in their documentation.

Hope that helps

Additional info:
If you are using a Mac, you have the ability to setup both the Montage (via USB) and the MOTU (via FW) and use both the Yamaha Steinberg driver and the MOTU driver in what is called an Aggregate audio device configuration. You don't mention your computer type, but if you need information on this type of setup, let us know.

Thanks for the replies.
I'm using a purpose-built Audio/DAW PC running Win7.
Two ASIO devices are not normally supported in Win even though there is a work-around but, unless you can assure me that there is a well-implemented procedure for allowing such a scheme then, I assume it's either the MOTU or Yamaha's USB driver/Montage 32 bus setup or?...
I've tried for a few hours today setting-up Montage MIDI-out to MOTU MIDI-in with Montage Main outs 1+2 into MOTU. There are a few issues:
1. If Montage is used to play/trigger a VSTi in SONAR and Montage MIDI = Multi, then the instantiated VSTi plays several instances of itself and audible phasing occurs. When MIDI = single then, the VSTi responds normally.
2. When two or more VSTi are needed, I normally set each one on separate channels: VSTi #'s 1,2,3,4 etc on MIDI ch's 1,2,3,4 and so-on. How should the Montage be set-up to address this template?
3. Recording Montage's Main analog outs' 1+2 to SONAR as audio only works fine but, how to record the same analog plus the MIDI from Montage so that I can take advantage of the better equipped MIDI sequencer editing on SONAR. I love the sound of the Montage's analog outs so naturally I want to record them and have all the MIDI data coming in from the Montage to SONAR.
Thanks in advance for any help.
I have the option to return to using a Motif XF if I can't satisfy my workflow preferences with Montage so, the next week or so will be important.

1. If Montage is used to play/trigger a VSTi in SONAR and Montage MIDI = Multi, then the instantiated VSTi plays several instances of itself and audible phasing occurs. When MIDI = single then, the VSTi responds normally.

That sounds right. When the Montage is in MIDI I/O mode = Multi, it is set to transmit on multiple MIDI Channels simultaneously. And the poor receiving device is set to receive all incoming channels in all likelihood. If you are attempting to trigger just a single device, you should setup to transmit on just a single channel.

If you need to use the Montage in MIDI I/O mode = Multi, please use the Zone Master function to determine your (one) transmit Out channel.

2. When two or more VSTi are needed, I normally set each one on separate channels: VSTi #'s 1,2,3,4 etc on MIDI ch's 1,2,3,4 and so-on. How should the Montage be set-up to address this template?

Again the Montage can be setup as an 8 Zone Master Keyboard. You can setup a different Zone for each VSTi - you can transmit to them one at a time or to as many as eight Zones, simultaneously.

3. Recording Montage's Main analog outs' 1+2 to SONAR as audio only works fine but, how to record the same analog plus the MIDI from Montage so that I can take advantage of the better equipped MIDI sequencer editing on SONAR. I love the sound of the Montage's analog outs so naturally I want to record them and have all the MIDI data coming in from the Montage to SONAR.

Not sure what you are asking about here. Sorry.

Thank you everyone for the info, I'' try later when I have access to Montage.