All I can think of is MIDI sync (clock) - taking a look that those settings haven't changed on your Montage from when it worked. When you said "offline" did you mean "stand alone"? If not, you can try as stand alone just to isolate the DAW layer out of the picture.

Certainly if you make a backup of all - then initialize Montage to factory settings (clearing the whole plate) - then Montage should be properly configured to successfully communicate with Montage Connect (stand alone). This is the "sledge hammer" approach which you should not have to do if given a reasonable settings checklist. Since I do not use Montage Connect - I cannot provide this.

We did have a firmware update -- and Montage Connect did not rev. The inference is that everything should have stayed compatible with the latest version of Montage Connect - which I assume you have.

Chin wrote:

Hi, I keep getting a time out message on montage connect and the same is offline. Just can't seem to get it work. I managed to connect it before but now, no. What might be the cause?

A Time Out error is shown when there is a lack of communication between the instrument and your computer.

The checklist is short.

Press [UTILITY]
Touch "Setting" > "MIDI I/O"
Make sure MIDI I/O is set to USB (green)

Connect a USB cable from the MONTAGE directly to your computer. The USB icon on the top line will light up to indicate recognition.
If you do not see this ... then you probably don't have the Yamaha Steinberg USB Driver installed. You can download this from the Downloads link on your region's YAMAHA.com MONTAGE product page.

Click on the "Setup" tab on MONTAGE CONNECT
Select "MONTAGE"

Thanks Jason and Phil.

I just find it strange that this messages pops up every now and then.

will go through checklist again.

On a side note, just this Montage Connect a bit clumsy to transfer recorded data in Montage to DAW. Wish the process can be simplify with just one click of the button and everything shows up in DAW:)

When running it in a DAW you literally, do nothing. It works automatically. Not even one click, just SAVE your DAW Project, MONTAGE CONNECT can work completely in the background... so you couldn't be more wrong.

For an article on how it works when properly configured:
https://yamahasynth.com/resources/montage-and-cubase-pro-9-workflow

Thanks Phil. I'm using Logic Pro x. will read the article to see how it can be adapted to logic pro x.

I recall there was an article "Connecting Montage and Logic Pro x". Towards the end of the article, it said Part II will be released soon. But I can't seem to find it here. Has it been released? If yes, I would be grateful if you can share the link.

Here's the link to Part 1, I don't think that Part 2 has been posted just yet. But in Part 1 it covers how MONTAGE CONNECT will work, in the background. You simply have to have it active, with the AUTO SYNC option marked... when you SAVE your LOGIC PRO file, MONTAGE CONNECT will automatically capture your MONTAGE settings and bundle them with your Logic file.

https://yamahasynth.com/resources/connecting-montage-and-logic-pro-x-new

Dear Phil,

Thanks for your reply. Will wait eagerly for Part II.

On an another note, I have followed your videos on Montage and Cubase, Single Part overdubbing series of videos.

I encountered this problem which I believe I miss a step somewhere.

I followed your advice by going to init, multi, Part 1 - Drum, Part 2- bass and Part 3 - keyboard (all single part instruments).

Set to all midi in, out to Montage Port 1. Set up Midi track.

I went to Quick Setup, clicked midi rec on daw.

Now, I don't know why, it keeps going back to standalone mode.

When I am at the Performance page, if I turn off keyboard control on each part, then I can't trigger any sound.

When I record Part 1 - Drum, I have to switch on keyboard control on Part 1. The problem is when I go to Part 2 -Bass to record, I lose the drum sound of Part 1.

This i when I click Utility again to go to check on my Quick Set up and find that it goes back to Standalone mode.

In your videos, especially Part 3 to Part 4, I can see that you on your Performance page, all keyboard control is off, and you can easily cycle through Part 1 to 2 and so on without stopping and the sound of each part remains.

That is what I'm trying to do (even with Logic Pro X).

What am I doing wrong?

Appreciate your help. My thanks in advance

I wish to add the following information :

1. I did set it to "Any" in Cubase

2. Midi Signal Flow chart does set show in the diagram that Local control is off but the "Quick Setup" box below is at the "Standalone" box

3. When at the Performance page I turn off keyboard control to off for each part, there is no sound when I record and no midi data record as well.

Chris,

2. Midi Signal Flow chart does set show in the diagram that Local control is off but the "Quick Setup" box below is at the "Standalone" box

You've encountered here a poor GUI design choice. It's been covered before in another thread. The buttons at the bottom do not show the current state -- the picture does -- but the buttons at the bottom are not meant to show which option is set. They are only there for you to select. For the confusion this has caused and the extra support it has required - I wish they would have switched these over so that the currently selected profile button was colored the blue-green color. I think any time you navigate away from this screen and return - some default value (touchscreen button graphic) will be highlighted - but this does not indicate the mode.

Reference: https://www.yamahasynth.com/forum/quick-setup-menu

3. When at the Performance page I turn off keyboard control to off for each part, there is no sound when I record and no midi data record as well.

When keyboard control is off (all PARTs) - you didn't say - but are you mashing piano keys when you hit record and wanting sound + MIDI data? I'm assuming so - but there are lots of ways to "record" (like using an external keyboard, external sequencer, external DAW to "play" your keyboard vs. piano keys - etc) so it is not clear.

Assuming you're mashing piano keys - you need to have one PART selected in order to hear that PART and have MIDI respond to your piano key mashing. You can use the PART SELECT buttons (Number A [1]-[16]) assuming you have the keyboard in the correct mode. Or navigate to the (HOME) screen and use the touch screen to select the PART you want to play.

When Keyboard Control for a given PART is set to OFF - this disconnects the said PART from the piano keys (piano key mashings are ignored for that PART). There is an override to this behavior. The currently selected PART (you can only select one at a time) will temporarily set, internally, keyboard control=ON for the selected PART. Furthermore, if keyboard control is set to OFF for the currently selected PART - then any PARTs which have keyboard control set to ON will temporarily be set to OFF (so only the selected PART will sound assuming the currently selected PART has keyboard control set to OFF).

When keyboard control for the selected PART is set to ON - nothing particularly interesting happens. All PARTs follow the rule of responding to piano key mashings according to if keyboard control is set to on (will respond) or off (will not respond).

You've encountered here a poor GUI design choice. It's been covered before in another thread. The buttons at the bottom do not show the current state -- the picture does -- but the buttons at the bottom are not meant to show which option is set. They are only there for you to select. For the confusion this has caused and the extra support it has required - I wish they would have switched these over so that the currently selected profile button was colored the blue-green color. I think any time you navigate away from this screen and return - some default value (touchscreen button graphic) will be highlighted - but this does not indicate the mode.

Absolutely correct. And I say this as someone with professional expertise in user interface design.

The right choice is what Jason said. Not as good would be to just not have any hiliting at all, because at least then you would not be misleading the user. Worst of all is the actual behavior, hiliting the wrong thing.

When I record Part 1 - Drum, I have to switch on keyboard control on Part 1. The problem is when I go to Part 2 -Bass to record, I lose the drum sound of Part 1.

When recording multiple PARTS in traditional fashion to a DAW it is customary to work with Local Control Off. You do not what to use KBD CTRL when multi-tracking. That is where you went off track (pun intended). We'll explain why below.

Set to all midi in, out to Montage Port 1. Set up Midi track.

I went to Quick Setup, clicked midi rec on daw.

Understand this: when you click on "MIDI Rec on DAW" it sends the stored settings for that template. It does not "remain there" in the sense that you are thinking. It is more like a Trigger... whenever pressed it resends the stored settings. It is called "quick' because instead of manually having to go to the individual locations of each of the UTILITY mode and Performance PART parameters that the quick setup controls, what you have is a template that makes all the stored setting changes - and moves all the parameters to whatever you have stored in them.

Yes, you can customize and even rename Quick Setups #1, 2 and 3... they are YOUR preferences.

If you were to move to a new PERFORMANCE, some of the stored settings in the most recent Quick Setup setting will be changed by the new PERFORMANCE. And these new settings would take precedence... so you can see these are not permanent.

If ever you want to apply the "MIDI Rec on DAW" settings you must 'trigger' the QUICK SETUP #1 button. It momentary show green - indicating that the data was sent.. immediately the changes to routing are shown in the diagram above.

Now, I don't know why, it keeps going back to standalone mode.

Unless you actually touch the 'Standalone' option you will not trigger those settings. So nothing has actually changed. You are thinking the screen is showing you what is currently set (like showing the current status). No, NOT AT ALL, the Signal Flow diagram will tell you exactly what settings are currently happening.

Many people do not realize that it always shows the CURRENT routing status and will update when you make changes to the actual parameters. Once you can read that SIGNAL FLOW chart (there is one for MIDI and one for AUDIO) and really grok what it is showing, then you are on your way to clarity and it all becomes somewhat less confusing. (And it ceases to a be such a 'bad interface' when you know what it is telling you).

The QUICK SETUP options along the bottom of the screen are to TRIGGER the settings you need - because you stored the settings in that QUICK SETUP location... the factory templates are outlined in the Reference Manual, but know that you can customize, even rename these three numbered templates.

The QUICK SETUP options recall several settings concerning the MIDI, AUDIO (output configurations) and even Clock and Sync configurations currently happening, including whether the Arpeggiators are set to send data Out via MIDI.

Here's an example: The AUDIO REC ON DAW (Quick Setup #3) sets all 16 PARTS to separate OUTPUTS. The audio PART OUTPUT configuration that you use most often can be 'stored' in a Quick Setup. When you initially call up the "Multi/GM" Performance for sequencing... all PARTs are assigned to PART OUTPUT = "Main L&R"
If you want to quickly setup each of the 16 PARTS to their own stereo Output, you simply need to touch "Audio Rec On DAW" and trigger that store set of parameters to be sent.

If you were then to move away from the current Multi/GM setup to any other PERFORMANCE (say to CFX + FM EP"), quite naturally, the stored settings for PART OUTPUT that are stored in the newly recall PERFORMANCE will apply! the QUICK SETUP template has some settings that change with the PERFORMANCE.

The QUICK SETUP area of the screen is not a status report, it is used to trigger a set of stored settings for MIDI, Audio routing, Sync, Clock, Monitoring, transmit and receiving setting, etc. (it is quick because you do not have to go and set each one of the parameters individually, you can trigger a bulk event that makes all of your preferred settings in one quick gesture.

Your setting does not keep "going back to standalone mode" - actually nothing changed - it will only change if you actually touch one of the four QUICK SETUP Options. Make sense?

When I am at the Performance page, if I turn off keyboard control on each part, then I can't trigger any sound.

You need to solve your routing problem without activation KBD CTRL.... In most instances when recording MIDI to a DAW, you use the active MIDI track to "complete the circuit"

Remember turning LOCAL CONTROL = OFF means we sending OUT from the selected PART of the MONTAGE... The MIDI data arrives in Cubase. Cubase's MIDI Track will echo back (called also "Thru") the data to the MONTAGE Tone Generator.

If you are not hearing the PART you have selected it is because you have not "completed the circuit" of MIDI routing THRU the DAW!

When I record Part 1 - Drum, I have to switch on keyboard control on Part 1. The problem is when I go to Part 2 -Bass to record, I lose the drum sound of Part 1.

This i when I click Utility again to go to check on my Quick Set up and find that it goes back to Standalone mode.

This is what happens when you are not configured properly for what you want to accomplish

Best Practices
1) Avoid activating the KBD CTRL option when using the MULTI/GM setup to Record your track. It is not necessary and is confusing you.
Initially, PART 1 has the KBD CTRL icon ON. Turn it OFF.

What this will do is when you are on COMMON you will not hear the MONTAGE, you must select a PART in order to hear it.
And, as you know, you must be in communication with a MIDI Track in Cubase (DAW) that matches the MONTAGE (that completes the MIDI routing circuit).

So why is KBD CTRL On by default? ... when would you want it ON?
Answer: It is the PART you want to use to play over the rest of the PARTS. It would be reserved for your LEAD sound... be it one or more PARTS. Therefore you would activate it only after you've finished with your session and are preparing the Project for SAVING. You can turn ON the sound you want to be on the keys when next you OPEN this Cubase Project. MONTAGE CONNECT will automatically remember which PART that is.

But during the RECORDING phase it is best to just turn it OFF. Hope that makes sense.

2) When setup to record MIDI to a DAW (traditional "16 track/16 Part" setup), it is best practice to press the [PART CONTROL] button on the right front panel - this gives you access to 16 Transmit Channels using the first two rows of buttons. Notice on the front panel the [PART CONTROL] button is connected by a dotted line to PART SELECT 1-16 (indicating the first two rows of eight buttons now glow dimly, and the currently selected MIDI channel will be glowing brightly. When COMMON is selected you will hear nothing, only when you select a PART SELECT button 1-16.

Until you get this, it will seem like it is confusing, but no more so than most MIDI setups.

Sorry for this late reply. I live in a different part of the world from you.

Thanks Phil. I will give it another go.

My thanks to Jason and Michael too. Really appreciate your inputs.