Hi , on step 2 are you sure you only merge a 3 part performance ?
If you have a 9th part and you doesn't delete it, when you press "+" on part 5 or 6 or 7 or 8, you don't have "performance merge", you have performance part category search.
Go on part 9 and check if there is a part on it, delete it. Check also others part from 9 to 16.

I'm sure you meant "on step 2, are you sure you only merge a 4 (or less) part performance?" Because CFX Piano uses 4 of the 8 local PARTS and pressing on the "+" for 5 would mean there are slots 5, 6, 7, and 8 (4 parts) open for local control before having to dive into PARTs 9-16 so see if there was any "spill over".

I don't have the feature yet - but you can try opening up CFX Piano and edit one parameter on any PART (1-4) then try the merge. I'm wondering if it just doesn't allow a merge because the edit flag is set and for some reason there's some limitation if the edit buffer has changes to the loaded performance. I doubt this is how it works.

Seems the only rule is that all parts are empty past where you want the merge. And it's good to note there's another screen worth of parts if you're just looking at 1-8.

It would cause less grey hairs if the merge system was more intelligent - allowing for you to "cram" a performance which fits in consecutive empty slots between occupied slots. Say you have slots (PARTs) 1-4 occupied, and 6-8 occupied by something else. If you want to merge a single-PART performance - it'd be "nice" if you could merge into the empty PART 5. Not all of the rules are completely intuitive - so they turn into "gotcha"s under some circumstances. Once you know - it's easy. That's the mantra. But it shouldn't always take a forum or manual to get from ignorance to bliss. Design should strive for elegance. I'm sure this (attempt at elegance) is considered - and user feedback is good to help guide this effort.

... in fact, even if you had the above (slots 1-4 occupied, slot 6-8 occupied) and wanted to "merge" in slot 5 a 4-part performance - it'd be "nice" to allow for you to do that with a warning "Are you sure? Parts 6-8 will be removed for this merge".

Michael wrote:

Hello. I just purchased a Montage 8. Here's something where I am stuck:

1) I go into a performance, such as the CFX Piano where four parts are used.

Hi Michael,
We are sure you mean "CFX Concert"

2) I want to add another performance that uses four parts, for example. So I go to Part 5 and hit the plus sign. At the top of the screen it says "Performance Merge". I then select the performance I want, and presto, that performance is now in parts 5-8 of the original performance.

3) Now I decide that I want a different performance in there. I go in and delete parts 5-8 individually, and now they're empty.

4) Next, I hit the plus sign in part 5 again. EXCEPT now, I don't get a "Performance Merge" option. When I select a four-part performance, for example, I just get the first part of that performance copied into part 5.

Please try that again, because we think you have not done this properly. If you don't get "Performance Merge" then something you've stated is not true. Try this again...

I have learned how to subsequently copy the individual parts of the performance into parts 6-8, but this is rather tedious, and I am not 100% sure that the performance itself is getting copied over exactly "as is", doing it one part at a time.

This is one way but totally not necessary, yes it accomplishes the goal but is unnecessary if you are, as you have written, trying to Merge two 4-Part Performances. Clearly, once you "delete" your first Merge, you can use "Performance Merge" again by pressing "+" on Part 5

5) So ultimately my question is this: If I merge two four-part performances (for example), and then delete the second one (if there's a way to do this without deleting the four parts individually that would be nice to know), how do I do a Performance Merge again, and put another performance into parts 5-8, without copying them over one part at a time?

Parts are deleted one at a time. Delete Part 5, then 6, then 7, then 8... next touch the "+" in Part 5... "Performance Merge" will appear.

6) I know that I can exit out of the performance and then go back to it, and then do another merge again. But if I've made other changes, such as adding a drum sound to part 10, I need to make sure I've saved the performance before exiting it.

If you've made other changes, then you fail to understand a basic fundamental about how Performances work. If you have added a Drum Kit to Part 10, then you are already creating a 16 Part Multi-timbral Performance and MERGE is not available. Merge is the act of building a KBD CTRL Performance by combining several pre-made Performances together. As many as eight Parts can be under Keyboard Control simultaneously. They can occupy Parts 1-8.

These KBD CTRL Performances are built up from Part 1. The Parts are numbered to indicate (hint) how they are constructed. You stated you started with "CFX Piano" (CFX Concert) which is 4-Parts, (no drum kit in 10)... if you wish to merge a Drum Kit in this KBD CTRL Performance, hit the "+" on Part 5 to merge the Drum Kit Performance, if you then touch the "+" in Part 6, you can again use "Performance Merge" a three Part Performance to Part 6, 7, and 8.

again: Because Performances are built up from Part 1.

7) It seems as though there SHOULD be a way to merge a performance, decide to try something else, "undo" the merge or delete the parts that were added, and then do another merge.

Exactly! And there is... try it again...
Hope that helps.

..

Bad Mister wrote:
Please try that again, because we think you have not done this properly. If you don't get "Performance Merge" then something you've stated is not true. Try this again...

I did - thanks - and it seems to work now. Must have been pilot error - perhaps I had indeed placed another sound in a higher-numbered part (such as drums on 10).

Many of us, as you know, are used to working with 16-part multi-timbral synths and sound modules, with the one-sound-per-part approach. (As a matter of fact, back in the 90's I composed a bunch of demo XG MIDI files for my old friends at Yamaha in Orange County. I even visited at once, and was given the nickel tour, and it's possible that we even met. 🙂 )

Michael Walthius

Many of us, as you know, are used to working with 16-part multi-timbral synths and sound modules, with the one-sound-per-part approach. (As a matter of fact, back in the 90's I composed a bunch of demo XG MIDI files for my old friends at Yamaha in Orange County. I even visited at once, and was given the nickel tour, and it's possible that we even met. 🙂

That is the "other" way to work with Montage. What's new (and perhaps different) about Montage is that it can be used as a performance synth (where you play and interact with multiple Parts in fantastic new ways) or it can be used as 16-Part multi-timbral engine, with the one-sound-per-Part approach.

To do this (16-Part Multi-timbal setup) here are your basic steps:

From the HOME screen
Press [CATEGORY SEARCH]
Select "INIT"
Select "Multi/GM"
Press [HOME]

You are now setup to approach the Montage as a 16-Part Multi tone engine.
Using "Part Category Search" from this template will let you select one-sound-per-Part just as you've become accustomed over many years of hardware multi-timbral synths.

When using what's new and different about Montage, which is those multiple Part sounds that combine as many as eight Parts, an entirely different approach will be required to document (record) yourself interacting with the Montage engine.

For example, attempting to document playing a multi-Part Montage acoustic Piano Performance, where you maybe playing across 3-5 Parts, simultaneousl, can require several changes to your typical/normal workflow. Recording multiple Parts, where some are played directly and others are triggered by one of the eight Assignable Arpeggiators, also requires some changes to your normal workflow. This is a surprise to many but once understood, is pretty manageable.

As usual, there is no one single method or workflow, but the rules of MIDI will apply. Each DAW may have slightly different setup configurations to accomplish dealing with multiple channels being thrown at it at once. If your DAW rechannelizes the data (receives the incoming MIDI event, but then echoes it back Out on a particular Channel) you will need to carefully manage the Out channel and the returning channel.

There is no advantage to recording a four Part Montage Performance on separate channel, if all four Parts are constructing a single Piano sound.

Montage gives you several ways to deal with this issue...
https://yamahasynth.com/forum/midi-recording-with-daw-digital-performer#reply-21885

Instead of anything special (exempting only a range), I think the arbitrary "cram" method makes more sense. If there's a hole and PARTs fit - then allow filling the hole wherever it may occur. 1-8 unassigned (8-part hole) and 9-16 filled (already assigned to a part) - or 2-5 unassigned (4-part hole) and 1,6-16 filled - or 10-15 unassigned (6 part hole) and 1-9, 16 filled. ... allowing a hole, wherever it (or they) exist(s), to be filled by the merge.

And I'd rather allow for merging even destructively. If the content merging would "run into" an assigned slot - place a warning that PARTs will be overwritten allowing the user to do this or abort.

I guess if you have something in 9-16 you like and are satisfied with it, you can save that off as a performance and merge it later after doing the part 1-8 merging. Clear 9-16, do the merge for 1-8, then do another merge the 9-16 saved performance to get 9-16 back.