How To: Setting up a Yamaha Montage or MODX with Tracktion

[Watchful]

NOTE: with little modification, these directions should also work with the Yamaha MODX as well.

Setting up the Computer

1. Connect the Montage's USB B port to your computer
2. On your computer, download the Steinberg USB driver from the Yamaha website.
3. Install the driver for your operating system; on Windows 10/64, this was very fast and followed the usual process of Okaying and Accepting. Once done, the Montage and your computer are immediately aware of each other.

Setting up the Montage

1. Most of this is probably ready to go as is on your Montage, but double-check by hitting the |UTILITY| button next to Montage's Alpha dial.
2. Go to |Settings|
3. Select |MIDI I/O|
4. Ensure that "USB to HOST" is enabled.
5. Ensure USB is selected, and not the MIDI cables (this tutorial assumes you're using USB)
6. Select |Audio I/O|
7. Ensure "Direct Monitor" is on.

Setting up Waveform

1. Double check your Audio settings, as Waveform should now be able to recognize the Montage as a valid device.
2. Audio Device Type = your default sound output. You can use the Steinberg audio driver if you want 16 stereo channels of input from the Montage; however, if you do, the Montage will now become your control center for you audio. I’ll discuss this in another post, below this one in the thread.
3. Input = Line (Montage)
4. Ensure the Sample Rate is at 44.1kHz
5. Test your audio connection by pressing a note on the Montage. You may not hear anything yet, but check if the input bars light up green. If so, you're on your way!
6. In the Channels window to the right, click on "Input 1+2"
7. Click the radio button "Treat as Stereo Channel Pair"
8. Click the radio button "Live Input Monitoring"

In the next post, we’ll start making some music.

[Watchful]

Create the Audio Track

1. Create a blank track.
2. On the input, select |Input 1 + 2>
3. Arm the track by clicking on the red dot.
4. By pressing a key on the Montage, you should be able to hear the Montage through your computer speaker.

Using Montage Performances

A serious note about the Montage: unlike 99.9% of the multitimbral synths on the market since 1983, the Montage handles sounds rather differently. In fact, it handles things more like a DAW than a traditional keyboard.

On a traditional keyboard, you would press a button called "Multi" or something, and then in your DAW, whatever program you select on Channel 1 is what loads for that track (Ch 1, Prog 113), whatever you put on Channel 2 loads on that track (Ch 2, Prog 28), and so on. Pretty simple: whatever notes you put into track 1 plays on Channel 1, etc.

On the Montage, it's different. You load a "performance," which gives you 16 slots ("parts") to fill up as you choose. But you have to create and save the performance first! (The manuals don't seem to tell you this, at least that I found!).

Let's say you want to create a project with drums, bass, guitar, and piano sound. Find the drum sound you want using the Category button. Press the Performance/Home button, and you'll see your drum sound in Slot 1. You want "Round Sync" as your bass sound. So you press the "+" button in slot 2, and pick that sound. Press the "+" button in slot 3, and pick a guitar sound.

So far so good...but in slot 4, if you pick "CFX Concert" as your piano sound, you'll see it eats up slots 4, 5, 6, and 7! That's because the sound itself is composed of four separate, complementary parts. If you pick a bunch of complex sounds, you can fill up your 16 slots pretty quick.

Tip: sounds that are colored green use only 1 part; sounds that are colored blue use 2 or more parts, so be cautious when using blue sounds.

When done, save your selections as a new Performance. Now, each part of that performance inputs and outputs on channels 1-16. So your drums are on Channel 1, your bass is on Channel 2, your guitar on Channel 3, and your piano on channels 4, 5, 6, and 7.

This sounds weird, but picture the MIDI channels as sound tracks, and some sounds require more than one track. This also means complex sounds, with 4 or 5 parts, can be individually controlled or routed in your DAW. So that cool pad can be made cooler by putting on a touch of reverb for that filter sweep or whatever.

Anyway, that's a long intro, but it's under-documented elsewhere. The point is, with the Montage, you don't load a few sounds...you load up a single performance consisting of 1 to 16 parts.

Don't worry about having to create a new performance for every project you create: you have space for 8 libraries of 640 performances each, and the Montage Connect vst that you can download for free off Yamaha's site lets you load, offload, and reload them in seconds from your computer, so you're only limited by your storage on your computer.

You don't have to create a Performance every time you want to use the Montage...just the first time for that project. And you can reuse performances for multiple projects, and certainly you can load up any presets if you don't need to customize the parts.

Create the Program Control Clip

Update: see "Montage Connect" a couple posts down for a faster way!
With the audio track created on Waveform and your performance created on the Montage, you can now select that Performance on Waveform.

Unfortunately, Waveform does not support program changes at a track level (that I've been able to find), so this has to be done at the clip level. If your project intends to use the Montage on the very first note, you will need to create a dummy first bar for this. I'm calling this the Program Control Clip. If your project has the Montage come in later, you can put this clip in anywhere before the first note sounds on the Montage. Here's how.

1. Create a one-measure MIDI clip at the start of the track.
2. In the MIDI editor, insert a single note--maybe in the second beat--and change its velocity to 0. For some reason, and I think this is on the Montage, the program change won't execute unless it has a note following it.
3. In the MIDI editor, click the Controllers button.
   1. Add control 0 (Bank Select (Coarse), or the Most Significant Byte)
   2. Add control 32 (Bank Select (Fine), or the Least Significant Byte)
   3. Add Program Change
4. Using the pencil icon, click in each of the three controller windows to create the MIDI event.
5. Using the arrow icon, click on the "coarse bank select" line; in the MIDI Events window in the Properties pane, change its value to 64.
6. Change its start time to 000.
7. Then click on the "fine bank select" line; in the MIDI Events window in the Properties pane, change its value to 32.
8. Change this event's start time to 002.
9. Finally, click on the Program Change line; in the MIDI Events window in the Properties pane, change its value to the number of your performance (for example, 1). You can find this information on your Montage easily: on the Montage touch screen, tap the name of the Performance in the Performance/Home window. Look for the "Properties" button in the lower left. Touch it: look for "MSB 64 LSB 32, Program Change xxx." That's your MSB, LSB, and program change number.
10. Change the program change start time to 004.
11. Click on the clip itself. In the Properties pane, look for the "Insert Program Change" flyout menu.
12. De-select "Send bank-change message on program change." If you don't do this, Waveform will ignore your MSB and LSB information, and you'll wind up with General MIDI sounds loaded up on the Montage instead. Not what you want. Unless it is what you want, but I doubt it.

This seems complicated, but I've not been able to find an easier way in Waveform to handle entering MSB, LSB, and program changes on a track level. It causes me to offset my entire project by one measure, but here's hoping a future update simplifies this...because if you load another performance later into your project, you kind of have to repeat this step inside a later measure.

If anyone knows a way in Waveform to set this for an entire track without a dummy measure for control information, that'd be great news.

Creating Your First Track

If you press play on Waveform at this point, the Montage should load up your performance in its main window. You're ready to make music.

1. Create a new clip. You can do this on the same track as the Program Control Clip or on a new track--just be sure this clip is after the Program Control Clip on the timeline, or the Montage will try to play this track while it's still changing the program.
2. Select the clip, and set the MIDI channel to 1. This will play the first part in your Performance. In the hypothetical example I proposed above, this will be your drum track.
3. Select the track, and in the Properties pane, look for Track Destination. Change this to "Montage-1". This sends the MIDI data you create to the Montage's channel 1, in the event you have other hardware keyboards connected.
4. For the track input, select | MONTAGE-1>.
5. Click on the input.
6. In the Properties pane, change the "Channel:" to 1.
7. Just above there, change the "Action:" flyout (if needed) to "Overlay new clips, containing newly recorded MIDI."

Creating Music

A lot of steps to get here, but now you can edit tones directly into the MIDI editor or record, per usual, from the MONTAGE itself as if it were a typical MIDI controller. But because you're working in channel 1, you're only going to hear the first part loaded in the performance. If that's all you need, you're on your way!

But in our example, let's get that Bass part down.

1. In a new track, create a new clip.
2. Set the MIDI channel to 2 on the clip.
3. On the track, change the Track Destination to "MONTAGE-1"
4. Switch the input to |MONTAGE-1> for this track, deselecting the previous track. Change its channel to 2, and double-check the Action to ensure it's overlaying new clips.
5. There is NO NEED to recreate the Program Control clip: the one at track 1 will cover you here.

Working in this clip, you should only hear the bass sound. As you press play, though, you'll hear parts 1 and 2 play their respective notes correctly.

Single Part Performances

If you're only loading up a single part performance (a performance consisting of a single part, like "CFX Stage," which only has a single part in it, you can save some steps because that's probably just going to be a single track in your whole project.

1. You still need to create the audio track as described above.
2. Create the program control clip as described above and put in the zero velocity note. You don't need to create a new Performance for a single part preset: just call up its MSB, LSB, and Program Change number. In the case of "CFX Stage," that's 64, 0, 004. You still have to insert the control changes in the MIDI editor and use the Properties pane to set them and their start times, but you can skip all that stuff about creating a new performance. It's already a preset you're reusing.
3. On the clip, kill the "Send bank-change" option. You're handling that with the program control clip information, which allows you to access way more than 16 banks.
4. Set the MIDI channel to 1.
5. On the track, change the Track Destination to "MONTAGE-1" as before.
6. On the input, select |MONTAGE-1> as before, and click on it.
7. Confirm the MIDI channel is set to 1, and ensure the action flyout in the Properties pane is set to overlay new clips.
8. Record away, or start drawing in your MIDI notes in the editor window.

Multipart Performances

I've covered multipart performances earlier. You can have up to 16 parts loaded up in a single performance. If you assign consecutive tracks to consecutive channels, you can easily keep everything organized.

In my hypothetical example, anything you put in Channel 1's track will sound as a drum. Anything in Channel 2's track will be a bass, and anything in Channel 3's track will be a guitar.

But what about that multipart piano?

The Montage will spread those parts across different channels. But you have full control over each channel, as I mentioned, and writing MIDI for that is pretty easy (and will easily handle the toughest playing you can do!).

1. Create tracks for each of the multipart's channels, as described above. Remember to check the destination ("MONTAGE-1"), keep your channel numbers straight, and you're all set.
2. Assuming your next instrument uses four parts, like the "CFX Concert" piano, all you need to do is write for that first channel....
3. Then copy the clip(s) down to the other channels. Remember that the Montage treats multiparts as a group of sounds, each programmed to respond differently. Some sounds trigger by the specific note played, some by the velocity, and so forth. The Montage will respond to this data exactly as it was programmed to do.
4. Of course, you can break that rule. You could send different notes to the different parts and create some wild effects, based on what the multipart sound consists of!
5. Here's an important thing to remember: if your notes aren't playing on a given part, don't be quick to blame Waveform! It could be the way the sounds were programmed in the Montage. For example, some parts won't play unless the velocity hits a high enough level, or won't play unless the velocity is really low. Others won't sound unless you play above a certain range or below a certain range. If in doubt, check the Montage's performance window. It shows a ton of this information and goes a long way to explain why the notes you programmed into channel 4 are not sounding. "Ah, I need to bump them up an octave."

Generally, if you copy the clip across all the parts, the Montage will know what to do with them, just as if you were playing them on the actual keys.

Folders

You can create a folder for all these Montage tracks you've created. Waveform and Montage have no problems with folder tracks. Hit play, and everything works. And you can include the audio track.

Submixes

Same for submixes. Select all your Montage tracks and create a submix, if you like. Hit play, and everything works.

Presets

I can't stress the value of Waveform's ability to create presets, here. There can be a LOT of steps working with the Montage...or any hardware synth...especially when you've gone to the trouble to create a 16-part performance across all sixteen MIDI channels as well as an audio clip. Don't do this to yourself every time!

1. Create your program control clip.
2. Set up the sixteen tracks and the audio tracks as above.
3. Ensure all your channels are right and each part plays only on its own channel, watching input channels are right and the track destinations are "MONTAGE-1." Do it all. Everything.
4. Create a folder or submix for all this.
5. In Waveform, save this as a preset.

If you're not used to presets, you're doing a lot of unnecessary work. By saving this as a preset, all you have to do is use the Browser window to find it, drag it onto an open track, and you're done.

You can save your favorites for instant reuse.

Or, you can set up a single one, and just change the MSB, LSB, and Program change as desired to another one, deleting any unused tracks you don't need!

I can't recommend the use of presets enough, given all those steps above.

Other VSTs

Even though so much of the audio and MIDI is being managed by the Montage, you can still create, edit, and use your VSTs as before. Simply create a new track, insert your VST in the output as before, and go to town.

But most people may not be aware that the Montage also receives audio from your DAW. It's totally possible to send your favorite VST into the Montage's A/D system and route the audio output through the Montage's effects processor. And this includes live instruments and vocal parts, if you want a vocoder effect. This is pretty well documented on the web and in the manuals, so I won't get into details. But you can do some scary cool stuff with this ability.

The point is that, so far, I've had no issues with combining a slew of VSTs on numerous tracks with the Montage doing its thing simultaneously in its own tracks. So go ahead and put that OBXD pad along with, or that Moog emulator along with the Montage.

In the next post, I'll cover recording the arpeggios and some effects processing items.

[Watchful]

Recording Arpeggios

The Montage features over 10,000 arpeggio patterns, ranging from basic arp glissandos up to wickedly complex polyrhythm patterns. Some of them are quite good.

The best part is that they can be improved readily, because they can be exported in real time to Waveform as MIDI data, allowing you to adjust notes, change instruments, and more. So while that funky Turkish pop pattern sounds pretty good, you can make it better in Waveform by swapping out note assignments, changing the track to your preferred VST, adjusting the timing, and, well, anything you want to do with it. It basically can dump an entire rhythm database into Waveform for you to do whatever you want with it.

1. Set up an audio track as usual.
2. Set up a program control clip as usual; load the Performance with the arp in it you want.
3. On the Montage’s performance screen, determine how many tracks you might need to create in Waveform. Arp rhythm tracks usually use one drum track, which is indicated by the orange {DRUM} icon in one of the parts. Note which channel number this is on! You want to record on that track in Waveform. Other Arps can use all the parts that show up in the Performance, so take time to assess this before recording. You don’t want to miss a part.
4. Set up those tracks in Waveform as described in a previous post. Remember: one part equals one MIDI channel and one track in Waveform.
5. On the Montage, go to |UTILITY| |MIDI I/O| |SYNC| and set the sync to INTERNAL.
6. Still on the Montage, select |QUICK SETUP| |Arp Rec on DAW|
7. Set Waveform to the same BPM as the performance. You can change this back after recording to anything you want; for now, you want to be sure that Waveform and the Montage sync up the measures and beats.
8. Arm the track(s) you want to capture.
9. Record. Press the keys on the Montage that trigger the arp you want. If it’s a rhythm arp, you can just touch whatever key triggers that; if it’s a complex arp, be sure to press all the keys on the Montage to get the effect you want.
10. Stop recording after a few measures, assuming you have captured all the arp parts you want.
11. You will have recorded a MIDI clip with the various notes in it as well as an audio clip.
12. Delete the audio clip: you don’t need this confusing you right now.
13. If finished, remember to put the Montage back into its regular mode by selecting |UTILITY| |QUICK SETUP| |MIDI Rec on DAW|. Otherwise, delete the MIDI clips and re-record until you get everything you want. Remember: many Montage arps have multiple scenes, so you might want to capture those.

When done, you should have one or MIDI tracks the notes of the arp pattern perfectly copied for you to edit, transpose, reassign, or copy to a different instrument. The Montage has a data list manual that will assist you in identifying which individual notes play what actual sounds in a drum track, so download (for free) from Yamaha’s website if you haven’t got it.

Effects Processing

The Montage has a very good collection of effects built in, and Yamaha boldly asserts you can forego anything else. But let's be honest: it doesn't have a spectrum analyzer, and your compression VST is probably fully customized for your use. At some point, you're going to want to do additional processing on a live Montage track.

You have two options.

First, you can simply put your favorite VSTs after the Montage's audio track. That of course affects all of the sounds coming out of it equally. That's easy enough, and probably will work for most people.

Don't put any VST effects at the end of the respective MIDI track! Remember, that's just MIDI data, and the sound generation is handled by the Montage. Putting a VST in the MIDI track won't do anything, here, as it's external hardware generating the sound.

Second, you can treat each part separately! You can use your favorite VSTs for this, too, in as many instances as you have channels.

The Montage is able to output 16 stereo channels of audio through its USB connection. That means you can put compression on the drums, phasing on the bass, stereo panning on the guitar, and on and on...just as you would with any line input going to that track.

However--and this is a big deal--you must download and install the Steinberg driver (free) from Yamaha's website, which is an ASIO driver. This will allow you to break out the 32 audio lines into sixteen stereo pairs and route these to separate audio tracks in Waveform.

However, it totally takes over your system. I mean it: the Montage now thinks it's the epicenter of your audio world. If you want to route your other VSTs through other audio channels, you're somewhat out of luck, here.

Because of that, I've been using my default Windows driver. It allows Waveform to manage my audio routing, although it does mean I lose precision over the audio routing of the sixteen Montage parts. That's not world-ending for me, because (1) the built-in effects, EQ, and processing are really good on the Montage and (2) I can always export the audio dry and process it the old-fashioned way, after the fact.

So while it's amazing that I can channelize sixteen MIDI channels as separate line audio, I'm a little hopeful that Yamaha improves on this even further in future updates. Not everyone uses the Montage as their only sound generator, and certainly not everybody uses Cubase to do it (much of this ability is geared toward using Cubase as your primary DAW).

[Watchful]

Well, it's not terribly well documented by Yamaha, but there is indeed a much faster way to deal with your own performances than using your own control clip as I described a couple posts above.

Montage Connect

This is a free download from Yamaha, and it's a VST that you can use in Waveform to control your performances.

1. Download the appropriate version of Montage Connect from the link above and follow the directions.
2. Turn on your Montage
3. Launch Waveform
4. Scan for the Montage Connect plug in
5. Drag the VST to a Montage track - any one should do
6. Create your performance on the Montage as I discuss above; there's no need to save it as a custom performance any longer!
7. Back in Waveform, click on the Montage Connect vst to open its window
8. Click the "Receive" button (that's the lower button, that shows an arrow pointing from the Montage to a computer icon)
9. Your custom performance will load on the VST
10. Drag the VST to the properties pane, like you would any typical VST
11. Save your work!

Now, when you load your project, the Montage Connect VST will load up and immediately recall your performance for that project and send it to the Montage instantly. You're ready to go!

This means, of course, you (a) don't need to save performances on the Montage as custom ones, and (b) you don't need to deal with MSB and LSB and program changes on a control clip and (c) you don't need to have a blank measure at the start of the song to handle this stuff.

The Montage will now behave much like a software synth within Waveform.

[Axxxeman]

...
[*]Audio Device Type = your default sound output. You can use the Steinberg audio driver if you want 16 stereo channels of input from the Montage; however, if you do, the Montage will now become your control center for you audio. I’ll discuss this in another post, below this one in the thread.
[*]Input = Line (Montage)
[*]Ensure the Sample Rate is at 44.1kHz
[*]Test your audio connection by pressing a note on the Montage. You may not hear anything yet, but check if the input bars light up green. If so, you're on your way!
...

Hi! Sorry to bother you, but you seem to have loads of experience with connecting YAMAHA Keyboards to Waveform. I got the following problem:
Having bought a used YAMAHA MOX6 (one generation before yours, I think) I do not succeed to get it to working together with Waveforms 11 by "USB (to host)". I followed the instructions on Yamaha's user manual almost fully, apart from some of the MIDI options in the "utility" setting, which cannot be changed to the suggested values, so I had to skip those.
I installed the Yamaha / Steinberg USB driver and the VST3-Editor and tried the ASIO Yamaha audio type (did not work ... Asio test was successfull, but nothing played on keyboard arrived at waveform 11). So I found your instruction, changed Waveform to Windows Audio (Exclusive) mode and made the settings you suggested above. But there is still nothing green in the input bar lights, when I play something.

I am still trying to understand the MOX6 concept and obviously I missed something important, something, which may not be documented explicitely. Do you have any idea, what the cause may be that I get no working connection?

Or should I go the traditional way: keyboard output cables into mixer into DAW and MIDI/USB converter to use it as masterkeyboard??

[Watchful]

Unfortunately, I have no experience with the Motif lines of keyboards, which are quite different from the Montage/MODX lines in terms of MIDI. However, I believe your keyboard is quite conventional in its MIDI implementation.

Make sure you are using the latest Steinberg driver for the MOX6.

Do you see the MOX6 showing up in your list of inputs?

If so, do you see more than one? Choose the -1 input for USB and make sure it's enabled... if there's a -2 input, that's reserved for using actual MIDI cables.

[Axxxeman]

Thanks for your quick reply! Wow!

>>Do you see the MOX6 showing up in your list of inputs?<<
Yep, both in MIDI and as Audio-Input.

I now can use the MOX6 as MIDI-Masterkeyboard to record MIDI notes in Waveform, but I did not yet succeed to set up the VST3 plugin for the MOX6. When I click on "offline" right of the VST menu, it says "open port error".
And I can record no audio via USB ...

>>If so, do you see more than one? Choose the -1 input for USB and make sure it's enabled... if there's a -2 input, that's reserved for using actual MIDI cables.<<
I do not see such a thing anywhere. Audio connection is named "Yamaha MOX6/MOX8 (1 + 2) Wave Audio Eingang" (I use the German version). MIDI connection is called "Yamaha MOX6/MOX8-1" till "...-5" for both, in- and output.

[Watchful]

I'm not familiar with the Motif family, but is this your plugin for your MOX6? https://usa.yamaha.com/files/download/o ... _ig_c0.pdf

I'm not sure I can help you, but perhaps someone here has a similar-enough model.

For your audio, that's a similar process...
1. Go to Settings
2. Ensure the MOX6 or your audio interface appears as a valid audio input
3. On a new track, select the MOX6 or your audio interface as the input
4. Arm the track by clicking on the red dot on the input.
5. You should be able to hear notes played on your MOX6. Press a couple keys. Any activity on the input meter?
6. If not, make sure the track's output is set to "Default audio output."
7. If so, playing the MIDI track should play your MOX6 for you. You can record this audio at your convenience.

If you place a plugin on your MIDI track, it may be blocking your MIDI output. Disable any plug ins you have on your MIDI track if you want to hear your MOX6 playing!

[Axxxeman]

...
6. If not, make sure the track's output is set to "Default audio output."
7. If so, playing the MIDI track should play your MOX6 for you. You can record this audio at your convenience.
...

Why, thank you, there IS definetely some progression on my side, but I am still not there yet. I now can record (correct) and replay my MIDI track on the MOX6. But strangely: it is NOT Audio, but MIDI. And it would NOT work on "default audio output", but only, when I changed that to Standard MIDI output or Yamaha MOX6/MOX8 output.

This sadly means that I cannot record it (yet). I wanted to render the clip ... Waveform says, there is no audio data. I tried to render the whole song ... it is full of unhearable notes. No sound whatsoever. What I could do now, is, put two cables between the MOX-output and my mixer, which output goes into Waveform and record the track on a separate track again, this time as real audio. But this seems to be way too complicated.

And yes, this is the plugin, although I downloaded mine from the German website.

[Watchful]

Remember that with a hardware synth, you need to create two tracks:

1. MiDI, which you seem to have working
2. Audio, so you can hear the MOX6

The audio track needs to have your mixer's output as its input, its output set to default audio, and the track must be armed (red dot on the input is highlighted).

If you can hear the MOX6 through Waveform, you can record its audio. If you can't record audio, then I presume you can't hear the MOX6 through Waveform.

[Axxxeman]

Remember that with a hardware synth, you need to create two tracks

Okay. I did not know that. Especially that this is not an easy task with the Yamaha / Steinberg ASIO driver, because with this one I am not able to simultaneously use the MOX6 AND my mixer as an input. It's either / or. So doing a live recording, no way, at least if I have not missed anything. But it could work in two steps, first the recording, then a playback with another ASIO or Windows Audio and doing it as you said. I had hoped for a plug & play solution, but synths seem to be more complex than my guitar devices, where it is indeed plug & play.

At least now I seem to have a solution that coud work (have not yet tested it, first got to organize two fitting cables). Thank you so much for your help!!

[Watchful]

I hope I did help! If you're connected to a USB mixer you surely can do MIDI from the MOX6 and sudio from the mixer together.

Waveform supports multiple audio and MIDI inputs simultaneously.

If your MOX6 is connected by USB, you might be able to do its audio over USB as well. The Steinberg driver is a little difficult to work with compared to ASIO.

You might also try ASIO4ALL (free download) which can be much easier for multiple audio inputs. Don't give up! You're almost there!