If dedicated Transpose buttons is what you really feel will solve your issue, then you can probably solve it yourself with a single Performance. Or with a single Live Set. You literally will be able to press a dedicated button that will shift your sound as you require.

Place the sound you want to play in multiple Parts of a Performance, tune/Note Shift each Part as you require. When you need to transpose select that Part via its dedicated [PART CONTROL] > [PART SELECT] button 1-16. You can name the Parts by their transpose value.

If the sound you are playing is a multiple Part sound, then setup multiple slots of a Live Set so each contains a pre-transposed version of your program.

Ok thanks for your response, BM

Bad Mister wrote:

If dedicated Transpose buttons is what you really feel will solve your issue, then you can probably solve it yourself with a single Performance. Or with a single Live Set. You literally will be able to press a dedicated button that will shift your sound as you require.

Place the sound you want to play in multiple Parts of a Performance, tune/Note Shift each Part as you require. When you need to transpose select that Part via its dedicated [PART CONTROL] > [PART SELECT] button 1-16. You can name the Parts by their transpose value.

If the sound you are playing is a multiple Part sound, then setup multiple slots of a Live Set so each contains a pre-transposed version of your program.

Bit of a long winded way to transpose when there are dedicated buttons there. Don't understand why Yamaha don't give us the option to have these as octave or transpose, depending on choice. I have the Montage 8 and the octave button will never get used but I do transpose. Would have been perfect if they were transpose first and then octave with shift.

Sometimes on the fly it's great to be able to just hit the button without having too many button presses and now having to take both hands off the keys on the Montage. I also own the MOXF and it's perfect on that.

Would also have been perfect if the transpose was permanently highlighted on the screen.

You may also be able to use the destination "pitch" and use an assignable knob to control this for each PART - all tied to superknob - then have scenes control superknob according to every transposition you want to cover. This is slightly inexact (I'd prefer "note shift" as a destination) but it's an option.

"Problem" would be sorted if in the next update it was changed so the shift key permanently stayed on until "depressed"..........or in the settings we could determine if the button changed transpose without shift.

It may seem a minor thing but it is my only issue with a stunning keyboard (which I have just bought!!).

Oh and it would be nice if the button stayed lit while transposed.

Surely something as relatively minor as this can be resolved in the next update? I just want to be able to press the transpose buttons to transpose (no shift) and have the light stay lit.

https://www.yamahasynth.com/forum/button-dont-light-up-when-transpose
https://www.yamahasynth.com/forum/bit-by-transpose-at-gig
https://www.yamahasynth.com/forum/request-for-fix-transpose-information-into-top-bar

Regardless of what could fix the issue - you're still stuck with how the keyboard works today until it's "fixed" (if ever). Advice is to pick an alternate route which gets the job done for your next gigs (and possibly lifetime of Montage in your setup).

Sorry Chris, but I don't like the solutions presented here. If I had to make multiple performances for different volumes then I wouldn't need a volume-control pedal. If I would have to use both hands for activating the rotary speaker, I wouldn't be able to play a decent organ sound.

When performing live I want to change basic settings on the fly. The Genos has solved this issue. The Montage has not. For two years now this (software) complaint does exist. A semi-tone transpose should have priority over octave transpose. (Except for those small keyboards with only five octaves or less.) Both in ease of use and the warning light. The lack by the management of Yamaha-engineers of listening to their customers is worrisome. And I experience it even as offending. When I buy a Montage 8 or a Bosendorfer piano I want to be able to use it MY way, not in the way some desk-clerk (without any live experience) designs it.

One difference is that you have a volume pedal that works how you want it - so use the volume pedal even though you could, technically, program different performances with different volume levels.

You'll either have to use an alternative until something better (if ever) comes along or drop the requirement. Your choice.

Hi Jason, Thanks for all of your valuable support.

However, on this topic I beg to differ. The requirement of TWO hands to transpose (or check the status) a single semi-tone is unacceptable on a state-of-the-art machine like Montage. It is like providing just one modulation-wheel and suggesting that you should press shift (with your right hand) and turning the mod-wheel (with your left) for a pitch bend. Any serious keyboard player can not accept this.

There has been several suggestions for improvement.
1) give the keyboard owner the choice of priority: Octave or semi-tone.
2) provide a change of the light-off status whenever there is an out-of-tune setting.
3) provide an external CC, so the player can switch with a foot in stead of a hand.

These features require very little adaptation. It just a management decision and some programming. A good manager should provide optimum customer satisfaction.

Let me give you some examples for the need of this feature:
I am playing in several groups, varying from bands to musicals. Sometimes there is an overlap of repertoire. So you study a performance in a specific key. But the other band's vocalist can't reach the upper tone. You have to shift one or two semi-tones down or up. That requires different chord-conversions and setting of the fingers. Imagine playing in E-minor with you thumb on the E and then transposing to F-sharp, with your thumb on the F#. Ofcourse it can be done, but it requires additional studying and/or programming (with note-shift).
Lots of songs have a modulation at the end, going up one or two semi-tones. Once again, it can be done, but it requires different finger-settings, additional attention to the keys in stead of the band or the audience. Listen to Beyonce - Love on top where she keeps on going up. I would like to just slide up my barre like a guitar-player is doing in stead of re-positioning my fingers with the chance of mistakes.
And worst of all, after a change of the transpose-settings forgetting to reset this BEFORE the next song is starting, for there is no warning light.

Sure, as a professional player I am able to overcome these awkward situations, but my instrument should be there for me to help, in stead of requiring me to adapt to the machine.

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” - George Bernard Shaw

I'm not saying that the interface is rainbows and butterflies - I'm just saying that you have to live with it until your request gets implemented (if ever).

I've asked for similar updates to the interface but have to live with how it works today and find other routes just as I suggest you do in the here-and-now.

You can use a foot pedal to transpose to fixed values by muting/unmuting transposed parts. Or use a pedal to set values which can offset pitch. Or MIDI-in a keyboard with a "proper" transpose button. Or you can (if really motivated and not caring about warranty) pop open your Montage and wire up two momentary double-pole (DP) switches that independently short [SHIFT] + each of the octave (shift+transpose) keys so you end up with a foot pedal with two buttons to adjust pitch. Perhaps a 3rd DP switch which shorts both the octave buttons so you have a "reset" button as well.

My comments apply to firmware as it exists today. You can choose to agree or not about facts of how your reality is situated. I've never said the request is bogus - only that it's going to take time (maybe forever) and you may have gigs to play within that timeframe.

Hi Jan, while I agree on your request to have this, it is also as Jason writes currently the fact that this is not possible with the current firmware. However I am facing the same situation quite frequently. What I do now is to have dedicated performances for the different transposes required for different singers. That's actually quite nice because there is nothing to remember in the live situation. Just select the correct performance and be done with it. Also nothing to reset afterwards. And I use the Live Set (or nowadays the Ipad with Songbook+) to have a set list which selects the right performance for the singer.

Considering that performances are really plenty with the Montage this is a pretty good solution. The only annoying fact is that you have to do the transpose for each part individually when programming the performance. It would be so nice if you had a per performance transpose. One of my feature requests. But that's only an annoyance, it does not limit you in the live situation.

.

Outside of a $ saving measure. That It seems all the Manufactures have taken.
2 buttons instead of 4 buttons. As it should be.
(I expect this on a $500-$1,000 Keyboard. Not a $3,000+ keyboard). And. They all got this idea.
From Cheap Controllers in the first place.
That is where I first saw this double use of 2 buttons. Then They all jumped on that Bandwagon.
(None of them being Players.)

The Big Boss at Yamaha. Approved the 'Aesthetics'. Of the Mock up. Prior to manufacturing.
And No one was brave enough to. Tell him about. The problems it would cause.

Aesthetically. On the Montage. Everything is sorta perfectly lined up and. Not only did this lead to.
Nowhere to put the 2 other buttons for Transpose.
It also lead to The Tightest Spacing of a Key-bed Ever. (BTW We finally got to measure a Motif XF keybed. 3/4 of an inch longer per 5 octaves. So it is not the same keybed. Maybe same action. But it was definitely Normal ish. Key Spacing wise.).
So let's Hope. The new Update. Lets us Set the Priority of the Buttons. To Transpose or Octave.
My M6 is only 61 keys. I still use Transpose. 20 times more than Octave Switching.

It's a very very important questions for two reason:
- It's impossible to change Transpose "on the fly" while you are playing, if montage needs 2 hands (1 x Shfit + 1 x Octave)
- It's very unconfortambly check every time transpose status.

Workstation like Montage could be make easier and faster some basic function.
MoX have Transpose Keys. Why Professional (Motif and Montage) not ?
Maybe you could think i am not a good player, but this is not the focus.
It's very hard to think a lot of programmation (customized performance / Mute parts ....) when that we need is only two buttons (Tr+/Tr-).