Hi Freddie,
Welcome to YamahaSynth.

When you open the DAW, you must set it to use the MONTAGE. It is the Driver that will make signals from the MONTAGE work in the DAW environment. “Yamaha Steinberg USB Driver version 2.0.3 for Mac”.
Important... make sure the MONTAGE is powered On and connected to the computer via USB when you launch the DAW. Resist the urge to turn Off the MONTAGE after making your USB connection.

During the DAW launch, you can see the software scanning what is currently available and what is currently connected. This is where the DAW can detect the synth, for both MIDI and audio. When you launch Cubase AI, it may even ask you if you want to use the MONTAGE as your ASIO device. If it does select it. If it does not, then that is what you want to confirm within the DAW. Here’s how:

In Cubase, go to STUDIO > STUDIO SETUP... > MIDI > MIDI PORT SETUP > here you will see the MONTAGE as three Ports... in the column marked “In ‘All MIDI Inputs’” mark just “Port 1” — this identifies MONTAGE Midi Port 1 as an active MIDI Controller for Track input.

Under the REMOTE DEVICES heading, set MONTAGE “Port 2” as both Input and Output. This will allow you to use the MONTAGE as a control surface for the DAW.

Under the VST AUDIO SYSTEM heading, set MONTAGE as the ASIO Device.
Click Apply
Clock OK

See this video for details:

How to Use MONTAGE and MODX in a DAW

Hi Bad Mister,

Thanks so much for your reply, really appreciate it. As a bit of background, I'm a long-time Logic user, and am familiar with how to get new hardware working with it in general, I have never seen this issue before, however.

The challenge is that, before launching Logic OSX sees the Montage in Audio MIDI setup and I can assign it as the computer-wide IO device under System Preferences. However, the moment I open a DAW, it drops off OSX as the IO device, and actually disappears from being recognised as an available device at the system level - it no longer appears as an audio device in Audio MIDI setup. I can watch this happen in real-time with the System Preferences window open and the Montage selected as the IO device - I then launch Logic, and as the loading window opens the Montage disappears. So when Logic is fully loaded, I have no option to choose the Montage as my audio device. It does, however, still transmit MIDI over USB, which is odd. To check this wasn't a Logic problem I also downloaded Cubase, and exactly the same things happens. The only way to get it back at a system level is to restart my Mac, but that doesn't really help as the moment I open a DAW it drops again.

I am worried that this is an OSX issue... Do you run 10.15.4 with the Montage with no problems? I rather foolishly updated before installing the drivers and setting Montage up. I'm hoping this isn't the case, as downgrading OSX isn't much fun.

Many thanks again,

Freddie

Updating your computer Operating System is a personal choice. If Music Production is an important part of what you do with your computer, you should always read through the consequences of being part of the “consumer test group” (the first wave of users to update)...Do you need all the changes in whatever is being touted as its BIG improvement.

These BIG improvements rarely, if ever, mean “for musicians” — rarely. I do no have any first hand knowledge with Catalina because nothing but trouble awaits, initially. Searching the Internet I ran into an article actually entitled: “Why Music Producers and Engineers Shouldn’t Upgrade to Mac OS 10.15 “Catalina” Immediately”.

If you’re a recording studio (which earns its keep with DAW software) you learned decades ago to not join the “first wave of users to update” the computer Operating System — strictly because it can effect some items or worse case every item, you attempt to run. I’m finding several recommendations for a utility that scans your system for potential plug-in programs that are not 64-bit (32-bit items are now a problem in Catalina).

They have basically made any 32-bit items non-compliant. If you don’t know that all of your necessary programs, plug-Ins, etc., are entirely 64-bit, why would you update to Catalina? These things eventually get sorted, but there is always seemingly a Transition Zone (very much places users in a kind of Twilight Zone for a while).

I would, in this instance contact Apple... they make Logic Pro X and they make that OS (Catalina) ...surely you are not the only musician in limbo and certainly 5 or 6 months into the Catalina era, there are bound to be solutions (or workarounds). They should be able to pin-point exactly what items in Logic Pro are being ‘pooched’ by their new OS. And they should have an official recommendation.

If/when you hunt them down... please share.
I will do some research on this end and let you know what I find out.

Thanks again Big Mister. I suspect this must be a Catalina issue - I've been doing some more research and cannot find much on Montage and 10.15.4 in particular. The double problem is that because Catalina sandboxes the OS, winding back to previous versions of OSX from a Time Machine backup won't work without deleting the data drive, as I have now found out too late. I also saw that article, but only after things went wrong. So hopefully this is a useful lesson to anyone thinking of installing Catalina. I'll have to take the plunge and try to rebuild things back to my previous OS.

Once I've had a go at this I'll let you know whether it solves the issue. Deep breath...

Thanks again for your help.

I would avoid the “deep breath” option, and go with the definite Apple tech support recommendation.

You have a basic problem selecting Audio... (there was one with Mojave’s as well, I believe you had to answer yes to the question about using the microphone in order for any external audio to happen) (?)... surely there must be something definable and not because basic Audio is a 32-bit application and therefore non-compliant. Contact Apple... again because you cannot be the only one in this particular boat.

Good luck, let us know.

MONTAGE shares the driver with multiple Yamaha and Steinberg hardware devices, so researching issues with the YSUSB ASIO Driver can be expanded to include Steinberg hardware interfaces... just FYI.

Steinberg on Catalina: Compatibility with Catalina

Setting Audio Interface macOS

So, really oddly, I uninstalled the Yamaha driver and OSX still recognised the Montage. I therefore thought I might see what happened if I booted Logic... and it now works! So no need for the deep breath as you said. Perhaps there was some clash with core audio and the driver in Catalina.

So now I have full MIDI and audio. I'm sure I will have plenty more questions shortly, but this synth rocks even more when hooked up to a DAW!

Thanks again for your help Bad Mister - many of your videos inspired me to push the button on getting the synth in the first place and it's really cool that you are so active on these forums.

Excellent. The one (and among the few bright spots) is we have time to sit and play with our gear! Enjoy!

I had this same problem when I upgraded to Catalina. It's been a while since I dealt with it but as I recall the solution was related to some security settings - the Yamaha driver needed to be given certain rights. I can't remember exactly what I had to change but if you go into your settings for Security and Privacy, I believe it will prompt you about Yamaha needing some extra rights.