10 thoughts on “Yamaha Montage Social Patch Sharing With Soundmondo”

  4. @Zegora, you probably meant to use a plus sign in there, as in: Montage + Cubase = Workstation

    And, yes, any multi-timbral synth, plus a decent computer based or iOS based sequencer would give you workstation capabilities.

    @J. Berkas’s point, which I think is valid, is that Yamaha DID include a half-a$$ed sequencer in the Montage. And with some bit of extra investment of resources, could have put a decent one in there.

    I don’t often use built-in sequencers, but I do sometimes and it is very good to have. Some of the sequences I’d made on my K2000 sequencer were later developed and ended up on released recordings. It’s a matter of convenience, immediacy, and enough flexibility to try new things.

    There is no harm in being demanding of the major manufacturers. But realistically, it probably has zero affect on their decisions.

    1. While there are hundreds of canned arpeggios in the Montage, there tends to be huge numbers of them in specific limited genres (clearly the product of market research) and in some genres, such as world, where there are relatively few (mostly near-east and south Asian). Using African music as an example – and equatorial African, specifically – there are some amazingly complex rhythm patterns that would really open western eyes, but they are missing in Montage. Also, around 99% of the arpeggios are 4/4, with maybe a dozen in 6/8 and a few dozen in 3/4 (mainly country music), African 3/4 patterns can be amazing, but they’re not there either.

      But this is not a Yamaha issue per se. The dearth of African samples and MIDI patterns is pretty much universal. For those that bear the name “African”, this usually mean African-American. Most African music is not in minor keys and with a hip-hop beat. (Think about the score for Black Panther. Perhaps 5% is African, with the rest being highly westernized.)

      Fortunately (with the exception of African) there are tons of MIDI files out there in all sorts of genres that can be turned into arpeggios – which is why a DAW is necessary. As for on-board arpeggiators, to me they can be a pain in the neck, literally. My first synth with onboard arpeggio editing was an Ensoniq SQ-80. I created tons of them, but doing so when hunched over a keyboard is less than ideal. Except for basic stuff, I ended up using C-Lab Notator (which evolved into Logic) and then moving on through a bunch of other DAWs over the years. Today, with the ease and portability of laptops and iPads, I have what I need for live situations.

      Do I wish Yamaha had included a serious arpeggiator? Yes. Would I have used it as much as a DAW? No. It’s just a nice thing to have. Could Yamaha build one into the Montage in the future. Certainly, but I doubt they will. They allocate their development resources based on market research.

  5. Critical of Montage of being ‘faulty’ and asking Yamaha to getting their ‘act together’ is blatantly wrong. Yamaha bought Steinberg , Montage seems designed for use with such like products. Its been a long time since Yamaha produced such a great synth. How many new synths come with a built in sequencer these days…

  6. Kurzweil’s and Korg’s flagships have pretty full-featured built-in sequencers. Not sure about Roland.

    Does Yamaha officially refer to the Montage as a “workstation”? The Gtr Ctr flyer I just got in the mail yesterday lists it as such. A true workstation has a true sequencer. Period.

    What is special about the design of the Montaoge that makes it any more suited for use with Steinberg or any “such like” products? What did Yamaha do to make it more suited for external sequencing? Did they add a remote GUI via VST/AU?

    It’s been a while since I’ve used a Korg workstation sequencer, but the Kurzweil’s built-in sequencer adds a few integrated features that would be tricky to set up externally.

    Obviously an external is going to be more feature packed, but I love the convenience of a built-in sequencer. In a rehearsal, I can set up everything from a quick click track, or reference loop, to importing a full MIDI file of the arrangement for rehearsal work. If there’s a new or changed part I need to remember for later, I can just quickly record it– and layer it against a bass part, or drum loop or whatever. And if it is in an odd meter, no problem. If I’m bored between sound-check & gig, I can put on some cans and work on a sequence. For the gig, I can even trigger a sequence from a key for a more complex arrangement (K2xxx).

    It’s fine if you are satisfied that the Montage only produces sounds. You can celebrate the fact that Yamaha has “focused” their development resources on sound making, and only put in a rudimentary “sketch pad”. And you can get angry when some other people challenge Yamaha to do better. That’s fine. You’re probably right that it doesn’t really matter or have any affect.

    But Yamaha should never refer to this as a workstation–

    IMHO a workstation:

    is multitimbral
    has a full-fledged sequencer
    plays samples.
    can export standard MIDI files.

    1. Actually, Yamaha makes a point of not calling the Montage a workstation and in their official materials they specifically say it is not.

      Somewhere down the line at the very bottom of the marketing chain, some yahoo who had no idea what he was talking about figured that it if is a “flagship” this means “workstation.” As a result, if you go to sites like Amazon or B and H you’ll see the Montage listed as a workstation.

  7. The video below is a great accompaniment to this article. Check it out:

    The MONTAGE will communicate both MIDI and audio bi-directionally via a single USB connection. You will need to download and install the most recent “Yamaha Steinberg USB driver” for your computer operating system.

    (Currently, that is 1.9.9 on Windows, and 1.9.10 on Macintosh). You should also make sure you have the latest firmware update for your MONTAGE (Currently, that is 1.60.x). These downloads come zipped with instructions. Please take a moment to read through the documentation, as it will take you through each step of the process.

    These can be obtained from the official Yamaha download site:
    http://www.yamaha.com/countries

    This GUIDE will give you the basic setup and will apply, in general, to both Cubase Pro or Cubase AI. And while there are minor differences in the screenshots between Mac and PC, again the function is the same in both.
    The MONTAGE via USB becomes both a MIDI and AUDIO interface for itself and one external device. This assumes that your Montage is connected to a pair of high quality monitor speakers. This system setup does not use the computer’s own sound system. You must connect the main L&R analog audio outputs of your Montage to the speaker system you are going to use (or monitor through headphones).

    MONTAGE SETUP
    On the MONTAGE, navigate to the MIDI I/O screen
    Press [UTILITY] > “Settings” > “MIDI I/O”
    Select “USB” (green) for your MIDI I/O

    MIDIIO USB

    Touch the “Audio I/O” option and let’s take a look at the audio record setup screen (the Signal Flow diagram updates with the selections you make):

    16Stereo441kHz

    Making a change to the AUDIO I/O Mode requires a restart of the MONTAGE. Above we are set to 16 Stereo bus outputs at 44.1kHz (24-bit). If you opt to switch configurations, the change only occurs after you reboot. Also found on this screen is the A/D (or Analog-to-Digital) Input setting. The default is LINE level input. Set this according the item plugged into the A/D INPUT jacks. If nothing is plugged in, please leave this set to LINE level. Importantly, you have audio OUTPUT level settings for the Main L&R (analog), Assign L&R (analog), the USB Main, and the assignable USB 1-30.

    DIRECT MONITOR – The MONTAGE acts as an audio interface for your computer. When you are playing and recording the Montage or you are singing or playing a guitar into a microphone, you will typically opt to monitor (listen) to yourself DIRECT (zero latency). You normally opt to avoid being ‘downwind’ of the signal that must travel through the computer. Latency is the delay introduced in any digital system that must process the signal; Direct Monitoring is routing scheme that allows you to listen to the signal that is routed directly to the speakers, avoiding entirely the signal sent through the DAW to be recorded. You can verify the recording during playback. The key is to not have to worry about latency at all.

    While here in [UTILITY] > “Settings” area touch the “Quick Setups” option… Here you can create the type of routing scenario you need. This can vary from project to project and even within the project. These templates can make the required settings for you in one operation (including MONTAGE Clocking options). We’ll explain each as we go.

    Basically, there is the normal setup, appropriately named “Standalone” for use when using the Montage without a computer.
    Quick Setup #1: MIDI REC on DAW – used when you are doing normal recording on an external DAW, like Cubase.
    Quick Setup #2: ARP REC on DAW – used when arpeggiators are active and you wish to capture the MIDI data generated by the arpeggios.
    Quick Setup #3: AUDIO REC on DAW – used when you wish to record audio data via Montage’s 32-bus audio output system.
    Each of the three will have a separate article with example, briefly:

    QUICK SETUP: (Default) STANDALONE:

    Standalone

    STANDALONE – Use this for when playing the MONTAGE without a computer. The graphic shows both the AUDIO SIGNAL FLOW and the MIDI SIGNAL FLOW through the system. When Standalone is selected the MONTAGE is “back to normal” for use without a computer. Direct Monitor is ON, Local Control is ON, MIDI SYNC options are set to the INTERNAL clock… In general, the MONTAGE is set to play, standalone.

    QUICK SETUP: MIDI REC on DAW:

    MIDIRecDAW

    MIDI RECORD ON DAW – Use this when you are recording standard MIDI data to the DAW. You will notice the following differences in the SIGNAL FLOW Local Control (that is the Keyboard going to MIDI OUT does not include the ARPEGGIATOR (more on that later). Use this when you recording and no arpeggio data need to be documented. This Quick Setup template also take care of making setting so that the MONTAGE will slave to MIDI clock – we will need to setup Cubase to send MIDI Clock to the Montage MIDI Port 1 – in general, the DAW will be the master MIDI clock source. By setting up and using MIDI clock you expand your opportunities to add data at a latter time easily. When your music references Measures and Beats, you can ensure synchronization of the Motion Control engine (arpeggios, Motion Sequences, Tempo driven Effects and LFOs, etc.) even if adding this days or weeks later!
    Important concept to understand here: Local Control is Off (connection between the Keyboard and Tone Generator is interrupted), key presses travel OUT via MIDI to an active MIDI Track in the DAW, where it can be documented and echoed back to the MONTAGE Arpeggiator and Tone Generator via MIDI IN.

    QUICK SETUP: Arp REC on DAW:

    ArpRecDAW

    Arp RECORD on DAW – Use this setup when an arpeggio is involved. On the MIDI Signal Flow diagram notice that the Keyboard is sent to the Arpeggiator and then data goes to the MIDI OUT, Local Control is OFF. This allows the data generated by the Arpeggiators to be documented in the DAW, it is the MIDI data echoed back from the DAW that triggers the Tone Generator. This is a specific use case that makes recording data generated by the arpeggiators to be documented as events in the DAW. Again, MIDI Clock issues are automatically set wtih this template. The Montage will take tempo cues from the DAW. It will slave to MIDI clock. You must make sure your DAW (Cubase) is set to Output MIDI clock to the Montage.

    QUICK SETUP: Audio Rec on DAW:

    AudioRecDAW

    Audio Rec on DAW – Use this setup when you are going to not record MIDI data (LOCAL CONTROL is ON). Notice the changes in the AUDIO SIGNAL FLOW pathways. Montage PARTS can be routed either to the MAIN L&R or assigned to the USB 1-30.

    There is not going to be just one setup, get comfortable using the appropriate template for what you need to do. We will try to cover the basic operations with some variety of examples to give you an idea of the workflow. Just *when* you should opt to record a specific way is really going to be a decision you make based on what you are trying to accomplish. The examples given will only be given to show how each might be used in reality.

    MIDI I/O MODE: MULTI vs. SINGLE
    Also touch the “Advanced” option; here you can set the “MIDI I/O mode”. We’ll see that depending on how and what you record, you may opt to split things to separate MIDI Channels (Multi) or to just one Channel (Single). If you select SINGLE, you get to choose one MIDI channel on which the Montage will transmit/receive MIDI data. This is useful when you are playing specifically a “MULTI PART single instrument PERFORMANCE”.

    MIDImulti

    This is where Montage is a bit different from the previous series (Motif, MOXF, S-series) where a program occupied one Part. One Part was communicated to on one channel, via one track. 16 Parts, 16 channels, 16 tracks … It used to be straight ahead. Now, a single program can occupy as many as 8 Parts. This means in many cases two, three, four or more Part slots are used to make a single instrument sound in very great detail. The four Part “CFX Concert” piano, and the seven Part “Seattle Sections” string orchestra Performances are examples of “Multi Part-single instrument” Performances. If your intention is record your performing as MIDI, you will want to opt for the MIDI I/O mode = Single and select a particular MIDI channel. This will let MONTAGE create MIDI data via a single MIDI channel, instead of dividing each Part to a separate MIDI channel, as in a normal “Multi Part-multiple instrument” Performance, where you typically want each Part output on a separate MIDI channel, especially when drums and arpeggiated Parts are involved.

    Because some MONTAGE sounds are bigger than the one Part, the rules and workflow are forced to change. If the goal is record these as Midi (to edit and/or fix notes or to notate), no one wants edit the same mistake four or seven times. A single channel Midi stream makes sense. And if you are going to use more than one “Multi Part-single instrument” program, rendering MIDI to Audio will be a very important part of your workflow. Assigning MONTAGE Parts to audio outputs is straightforward and we’ll cover it in a future article.

    MIDI I/O mode = Multi – use this when you want to record each Part to its own MIDI channel. This is a requirement when wishing to document the MIDI events into the DAW. Quite naturally, where arpeggiated data is involved sending the data out on multiple channels is required when attempting to document the events.
    MIDI I/O mode = Single – use this when performing on a multiple Part Performance where the Parts are used to create a single playable sound, like the “CFX Concert” or “Seattle Sections”, and for viewing and editing a single stream of events makes the most sense.

    CUBASE MIDI SETUP
    In Cubase, let’s make some fundamental Preference changes to prepare the program for the type of data that MONTAGE transmits. Cubase Preferences are settings you make within the program to tailor it to how you most often work. These are personal preferences and will be memorized so they only really need to be made once (not each time you use the program). They can be changed if you develop a new workflow. You maybe a long time user of Cubase, but lets see what changes, if any, might need to be made to your current workflow.

    If you are on a Windows computer you find your Preference by going to FILE > Preferences
    If you are on a Macintosh computer you find your Preferences by going to CUBASE > Preferences

    In your Cubase “Preferences” > MIDI > MIDI FILTER
    MIDI FilterMake sure you remove the Filter check mark from SysEx for both Record and Thru.
    Click APPLY
    Click OK

    It is the normal default for Cubase to filter System Exclusive data from being recorded, with MONTAGE, in particular, you will want to activate this feature because the Super Knob and several other control knobs stream Parameter Change messages (Sysex) – very exclusive to the Montage system! You will want to record their messages to capture every nuances of your performing with Montage. In many instances it is these PARAMETER CHANGE functions that make MONTAGE different from your other synths. If you’ve been used to using cc74 for example to change the CUTOFF FREQUENCY of the attached synthesizer’s filter, you quickly start to realize that Filter movement can be so very specific that you can (via Parameter Change) be addressing just the FILTER assigned to ELEMENT 4 of PART 7 which could be opening, while the same controller gesture is closing the FILTER assigned to ELEMENT 2 of PART 3… just as an example. Parameter Change messages are System Exclusive.

    This is part of how MONTAGE does its magic. If your Super Knob moves are not being recorded this Filtering of the messages could be the cause.

    You can opt to filter, or not, Aftertouch. This will depend on whether or not the Performance includes this control category. If your Performance does not use this control message you may want to avoid it filling up your event list unnecessarily.

    “Preferences” > MIDI > MIDI FILE
    While in the Preferences area I recommend you setup the Import Option for importing MIDI Files. There are going to be times when it is prudent to record the MONTAGE to its own Performance Recorder, then export that recording as a .mid file to Cubase… which you can drag and drop into a Cubase Project window using the “MONTAGE CONNECT” application.

    MIDI MIDIfileUnder “MIDI File” set the options to import the data to a single track. This will make the assignment easy.
    Click APPLY
    Click OK

    You’ll assign the MIDI OUT of this single track to “MONTAGE 1” (port 1), set the Channel = “Any”, and then you DISSOLVE PARTS (break it down) – so each Channel is on a separate MIDI Track if required.

    One potential workflow is to record quick ideas in the MONTAGE onboard Performance Recorder as MIDI (.mid) then import the data to Cubase. Basically, you can literally drop the file in the Cubase Project window and it will automatically assign itself to your MONTAGE – ready to playback. Set this Preference so that you can use this feature when necessary.

    When you launch Cubase the MONTAGE should be connected and powered On. During the launch splash screen Cubase will search the connected hardware and find the MONTAGE. It will ask you if want to use this as your ASIO (Audio Streaming Input/Output) device. Yes, you do!

    DEVICES > DEVICE SETUP > MIDI
    Go to DEVICES > DEVICE SETUP > MIDI > MIDI PORT SETUP
    In the column labeled “In All Midi Inputs” mark “MONTAGE 1”
    Click APPLY
    Click OK

    You can, if you have a second controller you wish to use as an input device, connect it to the MIDI In and Out jacks on the MONTAGE back panel. The computer (Cubase) will recognize this as “MONTAGE 3” (port 3). You can select “All MIDI Inputs” as the INPUT on the Track Inspector, when you want to use both devices. This column defines your MIDI sources. Only legitimate sources should be marked in the “In ‘All MIDI Inputs'” column.

    MIDI Port SetupWhat you see here is the INPUT Ports in yellow and the OUTPUT Ports in blue. A Port consists of an In and an Out, each contain 16 Channels. MONTAGE Port 1 is the MIDI Port on which data coming from the MONTAGE is routed to reach a MIDI Track in Cubase. Port 2 is not used. And Port 3 is reserved for a second MIDI device connected to the 5-pin MIDI jacks on the back of Montage. It can be routed as a controller through the system as well. You can, if you wish, use two different keyboards (even simultaneously). The STATE (or STATUS) column will detect if anything is conneccted. If nothing is connected the port is “Inactive”.

    Cubase AUDIO SETUP
    DEVICES > DEVICE SETUP… > VST AUDIO SYSTEM

    VST Audio SysHere you select the ASIO DRIVER for the system. Shown at left is the selection “MONTAGE” on a Macintosh computer… if you are using a Windows computer your option will be “Yamaha Steinberg USB” for the ASIO Driver – this accomplishes the same thing. The Montage is now your computer’s audio soundcard.

    If you move the cursor down to the selection “MONTAGE” you will see the AUDIO INPUTS (yellow) and the OUTPUTS (blue).

  8. Thanks for posting all that info.

    Sounds like the Montage is pretty well-equipped to work with a computer-based DAW, and has features to configure its Audio Interface and MIDI interface capabilities.

    At least it means that you don’t need an interface, in addition to lugging your computer around.

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