Never give up... It's only MIDI.

We will assume your DAW can playback a .mid file.
Follow this link to an article and a download that will automatically setup you reface CP to the channel you want.

refaceCP MIDI Primer

The zipped file at the bottom of the article contains the .mid file that will setup the reface CP to whichever channel you require, simply pick the one with the appropriate name.

If you send this MIDI file to the reface CP it will send back information out to your DAW which will include your current settings so as you play this quick message TO the reface, place the track in overdub record so you can capture your reface settings on the track.

Let us know.

Dear Yamaha,
I just purchased both the Reface CP and YC and am super bummed out about your midi implementation. 🙁 You seriously need to rewrite your firmware immediately so that once you send the necessary sysex file to disable midi omni mode and set the receive channel to your preference that it PERMANENTLY saves the setting. I bought these pieces of hardware specifically so that I wouldn't be using a computer to make music. I could have done what everyone in the modern era does and just illegally downloaded sofware to emulate these sounds if I wanted to use a computer in my creative process. Even the Yamaha synthesizers that I own from 80s remember their midi settings after you power them off. Seriously, why would you make the keyboard reset to omni everytime you turn it off? Before you tell me to add the sysex file to the beginning of every sequence I make, I'll explain that this is not an option for me because I use an Ensoniq SQ-80 to sequence all of my hardware and it simply doesn't have the capacity to do so. I also don't think I should have to purchase a different sequencer just to make the refaces respond to the proper midi channel. You folks made a series of keyboards with desirable sounds but undesirable keys, so of course everyone is going to play them from an external midi controller, so WHY WOULD YOU MAKE IT RESET TO MIDI OMNI EVERY TIME YOU TURN OFF THE REFACE? I really hope you address this issue with a firmware update that permanently saves midi settings otherwise I'll be forced to sell my refaces and discourage anyone I know from purchasing one due to your company's lack of foresight with regard to practical midi functionality.
Sincerely,
Cole Jon Roy Doig

These and other issues will be addressed in the next firmware update, make sure you stay tuned. Updates will be announced here and appear as always at the Official Yamaha Download site: http://download.yamaha.com

Anticipating the next question: soon, I don't have a date. Soon.

I use an Ensoniq SQ-80 to sequence all of my hardware and it simply doesn't have the capacity to do so.

Yay! That's great news! I really am quite happy with the design and sound of both CP and YC so I'm really glad to hear that you folks will be addressing the midi implementation issues I (and other users) have discussed here. Thanks again for listening and responding so quickly. I'll stay tuned to the yamaha website, eagerly awaiting your next firmware update. 🙂

Looking forward to the update. I recently bought a CS (my second one actually, I traded my first for the DX but the DX and I didn't get along together so I sold it) and was surprised to find that I could not allocate a midi receive channel at will. I was further surprised to see that OMNI is on by default. I am sequencing this from a Beatstep Pro. Fortunately the sending of the CC 124 message is easily mappable to the control section so it isn't a big deal. I kinda see where Yamaha was coming from with their decision to have this by default though. Those of us without a computer in our setup are few and far between these days, live or otherwise.

I am eagerly awaiting this update too. I use my CP in my hardware setup, sequenced from an MPC500...i've just bought the CS and want to be able to use them at the same time. Surely this is a simple thing to implement?!?!?!

just found the update on your support pages 😀 nice one yamaha!!!!!

Is there an insrtuction somewhere how to set the midi receive channel without a computer? Can't find it!

edit: Downloaded the updater-file and found instructions in the pdf. I'll try it when I'm home tonight.