Control Your Whole Rig with One Button || Yamaha Montage / ModX Zone Master

In this video I show you how to use the Yamaha Montage or ModX to control all the keyboards, synthesizers, and other MIDI devices in your rig. I have things set up so that I just hit one button on my Yamaha and my whole rig switches to the right presets and tempo for that song. It's incredibly useful for when you have a lot of complicated settings and patches to manage in a live set.
00:00 Overview
01:00 HOW TO DO IT
03:35 MIDI channels
04:19 Plug in your MIDI cables correctly
04:37 Match up MIDI messages to the presets on receiving device
05:05 Set your keyboard to use the MIDI ports instead of USB
05:22 Tempo Sync
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[@studioonetutorials]

Awesome video! Excellent, practical and clearly explained.

[@brianpercussion]

What an incredibly well explained tutorial. Your video editing skills are also top notch! With the quality content you're putting out, I have no doubt your channel will grow quickly.

[@SamGutman]

thanks so much for the kind words!

[@TheSunlight74]

Not exaggerating when I say I’ve been grappling with the question of how to do this for years, but never got an answer or seen a video I could understand. Until now. Many thanks! Hopefully I can get my MODX to simultaneously change patches on my Nord Electro 6

[@NoamGonen]

Best instructional video I've seen to date - detailed but not too (i.e. u can be a noob and feel like a pro), and every important consequential potential impact of a step in the process was addressed and explained. THANK YOU SAM !

[@SamGutman]

Thanks so much Noam!

[@JoseVGavila]

Many thanks for sharing!. Besides being a really great player, you are a great educator 👍

[@SamGutman]

Thanks so much Jose!

[@faruzzy]

Thank you for sharing the knowledge brother !

[@johnloffredo]

This is exactly what i needed right now thank you for making such a good tutorial bro

[@corneliusmulhollandmusic3570]

Thank you so much for this video!! This is the best kept secret of the Montage/Modx keyboards. This helps a lot thank you!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤ 🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹

[@elfishpresleybarbiebreath1116]

This is gold! Thank you for this!

[@iosuagalev]

Thank you for the tutorial! So helpful!

[@SamGutman]

Glad it was helpful!

[@learnpianobyear]

What a freaking life saver. 😎👍

[@JustLookA7]

This is a great video. I started experimenting with my Montage recently in order to change presets on an older Korg X50. So far I has worked great. This video cleared out some doubts that I had, for example, the fact that channel 1 on the Montage triggers the notes on the other synth as well. I have to give that a try. Sometimes I want to combine sounds from the two synths (Pianos from Montage and strings from X50 for example), other times I just want to control the X50 on its own. My idea at first was to be able to switch between midi channels on the fly from a master keyboard. But seeing that it's so easy from the montage, I don't think I'll need to buy something like a Quadra or similar devices. Subscribed! :D

[@theaudioeng]

Used some of this MIDI functionality on my MODX, but not had my set-up fully controlled in this 'one button' trigger configuration, so super helpful, even if I'm not gigging now.... 😎👍🎹💥🍻

[@lylemuskat8625]

So nice of you to share! You’re a great keyboard player! Thanks man!

[@shemardavis8735]

Mannn thank you so much for making this video! It is well needed!

[@synthverkstad2093]

Thank you! Really well explained, will play with my MODX.

[@AudioAtmos]

Excellent tutorial, you have a great way of making this easily understandable. Thanks for sharing!👍

[@Cupa68]

Very cool. can use it in live setting,perfect !!

[@user-ls6ow4ze3g]

fantastic works great thank you

[@immersiveworlds]

Very helpful!!!

[@user-po6pk2qu4u]

Exellent, thank you!👌

[@timragland1858]

Good stuff !!!

[@djjas764]

Good 1.... MAKE MORE TUTORIALS. when you have time.. thankssssssssssss

[@SamGutman]

Of course! any particular topics?

[@furiobisotti8150]

Very well explained and shown. I do same trick (setting program changes and tempo) with a VST host inside MacBookPro. It is called GigPerformer. This way I drive automation, VSTs and hardware synthesizers from a single command point. Very powerful and flexible.

[@SamGutman]

nice! yeah my first attempt at doing all this was with Ableton, but I found that the Yamaha didn't respond well to receiving program changes. It's supposed to be able to, but in reality it functions better as the thing controlling then the thing being controlled.

[@kambata1]

In the band where I play there is Montage 6 and midi keyboard NI. How to send and have always piano on the midi keyboard? I will change the performances on the montage, but want to have piano always on the midi keyboard (88 keys)

[@JeffPalmer83]

This is also doable on the Kronos, Nautilus, Fantom, etc. Workstation keyboards FTW!

[@soundpropulsionlabs]

damn... didn't even know this was possible..

[@DazLane123]

This Video is a lifesaver It works brilliantly but can You help me figure out one more thing plrase - I have Mox6+ as Master and Yamaha YC as slave and indeed the Modx+ changes the patchs on the YC but I would also like to transpose the YC from The Mox+ if possible I know this may not be possible but you seem to know your stuff any help greatly appreciated Sam

[@DazLane123]

Do you have to turn local off in the recieving device ? thanks

[@CorreeHoey]

Great stuff!! Are you able to individually control montage parts with external midi controllers? So let’s say in a montage performance, I want part 5 to be a an-x synth thats not controlled locally, but only on a midi controller. Is that possible?

[@max5250]

Yes it is possible. And it works both way. a) You can assign external keyboard/sound module, to specific Part, and: - play this keyboard-module from Montage/MODX keyboard - send recorded sequencer pattern/song to this keyboard/module b) You can assign external MIDI keyboard or DAW (hardware or software) to specific Part, and: - play Montage/MODX Part from that MIDI keyboard - play sequence from external DAW on that Montage/MODX Part

[@MaFaKeys]

Awesome! How about the other way around, trying to play a sound from Montage M through a different midi keyboard (a Genos). The montage has performance has 8 parts on 8 different midi channels, would like to hear only 1 part from the montage when played through Genos, which transmits only through 1 midi channel (i.e., only 1 or 2 or x). However, I’m hearing all 8 parts when Montage when playing the Genos, instead of only 1 part.

[@max5250]

You have to turn off keyboard play on all parts (keyboard icon in each Part of Performance view), and send data from Genos only on MIDI channel of the Part you want to play. For example, if you want to play Part 4 of your Montage M Performance, turn off "keyboard play" for all the parts (or only Part 4 if you intend to play other Parts on Montage keyboard) and from Genos second note you want to play on MIDI channel 4 (each Montage Part is assigned to its respective MIDI channel, so Part1 to MIDI channel 1, Part2 to MIDI channel 2, etc). If you don't turn off "keyboard play" icon, that Part, no matter what number is, will be assigned to MIDII channel 1 and will be played by Montage keyboard.

[@ojotaylor]

Curious - when it comes to tempo settings in your rig, is the whole band using the same clock somehow? And if so, how is that getting to your stuff, and if not, how do you sync your tempo settings with the drummer and the rest of the band? Just found your channel today from the Roli site and really digging your videos.

[@SamGutman]

good question! all the band's gear is not receiving a clock signal. The band has click in our ears and plays along to an Ableton session, and my presets are just set to the same tempo as each song in the Ableton session. Theoretically my Yamaha could receive clock externally, and then pass that along to the other keyboards though.

[@ojotaylor]

@@SamGutman Thanks for the reply. Geez, hopefully the clocks in the various rigs all sync up with Ableton when they're started manually! That could be hairy otherwise. Again, really dug all your videos and watched a shit-ton of them. Thinking of the Roli Seaboard Block M just to have something small to travel with.

[@djjas764]

what macbook pro are you using here @4:44 . Specs pls. thank you

[@SamGutman]

That's a 2021 MacBook Pro 16 inch with the m1 Max chip and 32GB of RAM.

[@dejanciric323]

Hm... Let's say I want to use Montage (original) to change the programs only, not the styles, on the arranger module, which is splited so that programs play from the tone C3 (from C1 to B2 play the styles' chords). How to set Zone? If I set the Note Limit from C3, the module will not play chords. If I set the Note Limit from C1 or C-2, I'll have a module programs across the whole keyboard, which is not the point.

[@max5250]

What arranger module you are using? If module accepts both, style chords, and sound playing, on the same MIDI channel, it should work by creating two different Part-s on Montage (both emitting on the same MIDI channel) - first part for note range from C1 to B2, for playing style chords, with Bank Select and Program Change disabled - second part for note range from C3, for playing programs, with appropriate Bank Select and Program Change

[@alaclamelsalvador2446]

What about usb midi connect

[@SamGutman]

you wouldn't use that to daisy-chain multiple MIDI devices.

[@sawssman965]

So it might work with only 2?

[@SamGutman]

yes using USB out from one keyboard into another should work fine as long as MIDI I/O is set to USB@@sawssman965