Mastering MONTAGE: Using MONTAGE Category Search

PERFORMANCE CATEGORY SEARCH: You can seek to view just the data you are interested in when searching for Parts during Performance creation. You may know that in Category Search MULTI PART Performances appear in BLUE and the SINGLE PART Performances appear in GREEN, but sometimes everything appears in GREEN. This search appears when you press [CATEGORY […]

By Bad Mister

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PERFORMANCE CATEGORY SEARCH:
You can seek to view just the data you are interested in when searching for Parts during Performance creation. You may know that in Category Search MULTI PART Performances appear in BLUE and the SINGLE PART Performances appear in GREEN, but sometimes everything appears in GREEN.

This search appears when you press [CATEGORY SEARCH] while the cursor highlights the Performance Name, what in MONTAGE-speak is considered (Home). This Category Search will show you other complete Performance Programs which will completely replace the currently selected one. The screen reads: “Performance Category Search”. Use the BANK option to view “All”, “Favorites”, “Preset”, “User” or one of your eight installed Library Banks. Use the ATTRIBUTE option to refine the search: “All”, “AWM2”, “FM-X”, “AWM2+FM-X”, “MC”, “SSS”, “Single”, “Multi”. You can type in any letters or portion of the Name in the box with the magnifying glass and/or use the Main and Sub Category listings. Along the bottom of the screen you can sort the list shown: Default (as listed in the Data List), Name (alphabetical or reverse) or Date (useful for User created data).

PerfCatSearch1

PERFORMANCE MERGE:
This is the type of Category Search initiated when you have added a new Part by touching the (“+”) icon on an empty Part slot. The top of the screen will identify the Search as a “Performance Merge”. This means you could select a second Single or Multi Part program and add it to the original Parts already in the Performance. They are then “merged” into a new Multi Part (KBD CTRL) program. The screenshot below appears when entered from the HOME screen of a two PART PERFORMANCE. This means, on the HOME screen a “+” was touched in Part 3. It is ready to MERGE “All” the PARTs of the “FM CS80 Brass” Performance to the existing data. The screen reads: “Part 3 – Performance Merge”

MergeMulti1

When a new Part or Parts are merged together with an existing Performance, they were two programs – they are now merged and become one. It is important to understand: There can be only one, Multi Part KBD CTRL Performance.

While the Merge screen is shown you can set the BANK, ATTRIBUTES, and SOURCE, to narrow your search. The “Source” can be “All”, meaning all of the Parts from a selected Multi Part program (listed in blue); or a selected Single Part program (listed in green) Part 1-16; you can designate a specific Part from any Performance. This means you can merge an entire Multi Part program or just any one of the Parts in this operation.

New with firmware version 1.20 you can Mute the original Parts (“Org“), and audition just the Part(s) you highlight in the Search view. You can also Mute the Search Part(s) (“Add“) while hearing just the originals. This makes balancing and trying out things while merging much more practical.

For example, maybe you only want the mechanical Rhodes piano noise from Part 5 from the Factory Performance “Rd 1 Gallery”. You could merge just that component building block that works as KEY-OFF noise. Maybe you want just the Solo Violin/Viola/Cello, Part #7 of the “Seattle Sections”, you can recall just that Part. Or perhaps you are interested in just the FM EP that you know is in the “CFX + FM EP” Performance at PART #5. Perhaps the drum kit you assemble for a multi-track session would be perfect in another composition, you can recall any single Part from any program.

PART CATEGORY SEARCH:
If you enter [CATEGORY SEARCH] by searching from an already occupied Part location, which would be the case if you start with the INIT > MULTI/GM template (shown below);

PerfMultiGMprt1

Starting from the MULTI/GM template would be the logical place to begin when using the Montage as a multi-timbral tone engine – for example, when starting a session with a computer-based DAW software. Select the Part> the Part name is highlighted, and it’s PART SELECT button is lit, There are two methods to arrive at the PART – Category Search.

Method 1) Touch the box with the PART Type/Name (moving the cursor there). A pop-in menu comes in from the left. Select “SEARCH”

Method 2) Press the [PART SELECT 1] button to highlight PART 1. Hold [SHIFT] + [CATEGORY SEARCH].

Under these conditions and you will see the “PartX Category Search” screen (as shown below). Again, you can refine your search using BANK, and ATTRIBUTE. And additionally you can set the SOURCE Part, but this time you are not able to select “All” as the SOURCE (we are not ‘merging’, we are ‘replacing’ an existing single Part). You can, however, search for any one Part from any Performance… Be it from within a MULTI PART or just a SINGLE PART. You might want to access just the first violin section from the “Seattle Sections” (PART 1), or just the Drum Kit from an existing Performance, “Marine Life”. (“CFX + FM EP”, for example, appears, but as separately accessible components). Remember: a Single PART is equivalent to a Motif XF VOICE. So if you only wanted to copy a single PART you could designate which one from any of your other PERFORMANCES.

MultiSearch1

There is an issue here, however,… Let’s say you import just PART 1 of the “CFX + FM EP” (shown above) – it is only a partial piano, with Velocities from 46-127… not necessarily what you want if you are looking for a whole piano sound. But how can you know whether you are importing a fully playable layer or just an incomplete component Part?

Wouldn’t it be useful to view just those Single programs that are fully playable Parts, separate from those that are not?

Here’s how…
Initially, MONTAGE shows you all of the potential ‘source’ programs, if you set the ATTRIBUTE to “Single”, however, the search results will eliminate the Multi Part PERFORMANCES and be limited to only those Single Part programs that are full, complete playable layers! This is necessary because some of the Multi Parts when selected alone do not play from all key ranges, and some do not respond to all velocities. Simply use the ATTRIBUTE to search “Single”. This is completely logical and very useful!

PARTcat search1

The PART – Category Search shown above, includes the “Parameter with Part” feature that allows the PART selected to join this PERFORMANCE with the same MIXING settings the same, ARPEGGIOs and MOTION SEQUENCEs assigned, and/or the same SCENE settings from its previous PERFORMANCE Home. This is very useful when attempting to duplicate the previous behavior of this PART in your new PERFORMANCE. If, however, you wish to bring the PART in without its previous programming; simply deactivate the option in question. For example, if you would prefer the sound you select INHERIT current PERFORMANCE settings (for example, you are substituting a BASS in a SPLIT PERFORMANCE) then you do not want to bring along the MIXING settings… if previously the PART was mapped across the entire key range. By deactivating ‘MIXING” your current SPLIT Note Limits will be respected!

The default is for “Parameter with part” to be active (green) – if you would rather assign new Mixing settings, new Arpeggios, create new Motion Sequences, and store new Scene snapshots concerning this instrument sound in its new Home, you can opt out by deselecting these options before making your selection.

If you have activated the Zone Master feature in UTILITY, a Part can, additionally, bring along the Zone Settings using the “Parameter with Part” option.

PARTcat searchZn

Have more questions or want to continue the conversation about MONTAGE’s Category Search? Join us on the Forum here.

Ready to learn more about your MONTAGE? Tune into Bad Mister’s in-depth series “Mastering MONTAGE”. Learn more about the series and access specific lessons here.