I can have the Montage drive the voice on the Montage but it seems its only the GM voices I have access to? MSB/LSB are both 000 and then I have access to the 128 GM voices. Can I get to the presets?

Yes, of course.

I have the Montage sustain, PB, and Mod Wheel activated in the zone... works perfect, I usually disable Ribbon as it drives assign 1 it seems on MO6. Can I get to other functions of the MO6 remotely from the Montage. For example if I wanted to control the Volume of the MO6 from an assignment/superknob/FootPedal?

Yes, of course.

Any time you wish to connect to another device via a 5-pin MIDI cable, you will want to use the MONTAGE’s "Zone Master" Function.

The Bank Select for GM is MSB 000, LSB 000, which is the default setting for the Bank Select function on the Zone Setting screen.

Because the MO6 has several Banks of data in order to recall a specific sound (program) you must input the correct MSB/LSB Numbers for the MO to respond.

For example, to recall the Voice (you must be in Voice Mode) at Preset 1(A01) "Full Grand", you want to set the Zone Settings as follows:
MSB = 63
LSB = 0
Program Change = 0

See page 2 of the MO6/MO8 Data List Booklet for info.

Listed are all the Preset and User locations... and their MSB/LSB Bank Numbers
The Program Numbers are listed 1-128 for each Bank

Please see the following for in depth details:
MONTAGE MIDI Zone Master and I/O Modes

😀 Perfect

Using the Montage as a master controller is where Montage's MIDI implementation shines. Although I also have a MO6 - I've retired it favoring using the Montage 7 exclusively vs. my previous exclusive use of the MO6. Since I still have the MO - I can also also duplicate setups.

The MO6, with a built-in sequencer, is complementary if button-pushing for creating ARPs (for example) is something you favor. Not a bad combination of features between the two.

This is so much fun, I never used CC b4, or MSB/LSB......, its nice to be able to dial in a quick sound from a 2nd board as I am experimenting, and then I can bake it into the Montage once I decide what instruments I want for the Performance.

On the midi CC, I changed Ribbon to CC 2 and that removed any conflicts, and then assign knob 8 = 7 for the volume of the zoned slave.

Its funny but the MO6 seems to sound better through the Montage with the Compression, effects, also the dynamics seem richer some how. Eventually Ill get another synth to drive from the Montage, as the Montage is almost like having 8 MO6s. I do find having the Patterns available very helpful sometimes, and I can play multiple voices via the zones, and have the patterns / and song modes when working without DAW.

In the right mode, sliders should send CC7 messages as well.

I was looking at CC16 on MO6. Looks like the conflict is Assign 1 (assignable rotary knobs). CC2, what you're using now, is the breath controller. MO6 doesn't show CC 2 as a default CC - but does make some reference to BC (breath controller). I guess it's not really used -- or, if ever, not used enough to cause any real conflicts.

According to documentation, the ES series RB (ribbon) CC is CC 22. Since some of the MO6 may respond to this ribbon CC - I would use CC 22 instead of CC 2. Incidentally, CC 22 was used for Motif ES, Motif XS, and Motif XF. Montage changed the default CC for RB to 16. When changing RB to 22 - you'd also want to change the assignable knobs since assignable knob #6 is CC 22. Assignable knobs 1-4 would make sense as CC 16, CC 17, CC 18, CC 19 in order to control the MO6's AS1, AS2, ASA, and ASB knobs.

As an aside, it seems like Montage using CC 16 (decimal) is a programmer's inside joke. I'm guessing they defined the assignable knobs as 17-24 (maybe because the hex lower nibbles as 0x1 - 0x8 match the knob number), which meant the ribbon had to move somewhere else. Decimal 16 is highly related to Decimal 22 - here's the "joke": Hex 0x16 (16h, sixteen in hex) is 22 in decimal. Maybe a coincidence -- but a "funny" one if it is. In order to have better backwards-compatibility when using a Motif ES, Motif XS, or Motif XF as a master controller (to Montage as a slave) - it may have been better, for this purpose, to leave the ribbon at 22 on Montage and place the assignable knobs at 23-30. As you are finding, it's not something that's difficult to program around -- just one more step.

NOTE: Source for CC values for MO6 (using Motif ES as the reference):

http://files.keyfax.com/ControlSet.pdf
Page 4. Default CCs in parenthesis. MW=1, FC1=11, FC2=4, FS=88, RB=22, BC=2, AS1=16, AS2=17, ASA=18 (pg 5), ASB=19

Conversely, rather than having Montage change its assignments, you can modify the MO6 side. Voice Global settings lets you reassign RB. So perhaps you can change RB on MO6 to CC#16, and change AS1 on MO6 to CC#17, and AS2 on MO6 to CC#18, change global CtrlAsgn on MO6 ASA to CC#19, MO6 ASB to CC#20

These assignments would let you use Montage's defaults and use the ribbon and also use Montage's assignable knobs 1-4 to control the General Purpose Control 1-4 on MO6.

I haven't fired up the MO6 to see if the utility menus match the ES menus shown in the PDF to allow these re-assignments of CC values.

Hopefully the information is here to allow you to get more items in-sync between the two devices.

Jason, and Bad Mister,

I really appreciate this personalized level of extremely valuable Yamaha support guidance. Ill be playing around with CCs assignment as Jason suggests, and report back. Boy does the MO6 sounds and feels great being driven from the Montage, and coming back through the A/D.

Thanks again,
Mitch

That's Yamaha support (Bad Mister) and fellow user support (me). I have no affiliation with Yamaha other than someone who buys their instruments.

Tag teaming, works well. I got the MO6 tweaked to line up with the Montage. Works Perfectly!!! :p