The Yamaha Montage M is an extremely powerful workstation that can be used for a wide variety of musical applications, from composition and recording to live performance, including the ability to control external devices. When using the Montage M to control Omnisphere, the eight ASSIGN knobs on the Montage M will be assigned to the following Omnisphere parameters:

  • Knob 1 (CC#17) – Global Controls Cutoff
  • Knob 2 (CC#18) – Global Controls Resonance
  • Knob 3 (CC#19) – Global Controls Filter Envelope Amount
  • Knob 4 (CC#20) – Global Controls Vibrato Depth
  • Knob 5 (CC#21) – Global Controls Ambience Amount
  • Knob 6 (CC#22) – Global Controls Ambience Length
  • Knob 7 (CC#23) – Global Controls Unison
  • Knob 8 (CC#24) – Global Controls Glide

Although Omnisphere relies on certain default factory settings of the Montage M, it is necessary to go through a short setup process to ensure the best experience. There are many ways for the Montage M to control external gear, but we recommend following the steps below to get you started controlling Omnisphere.

Setup

To control Omnisphere using the Montage M, you’ll need to do the following:

  1. Connect the Montage M to your computer via USB.
  2. Set up the Montage M to control Omnisphere.
  3. Download and install the Yamaha Steinberg USB Driver for your computer.
  4. Enable the Montage M as a MIDI input device in the host software you’re using (DAW, Standalone, etc.).
  5. Activate the Montage M Hardware Profile in Omnisphere 3 or later.

MONTAGE M SETUP

The Montage M is primarily designed to control its internal sounds, so we’ll guide you through the process to create a simple Performance on the Montage M with a Part dedicated to only triggering and controlling sounds from Omnisphere.

  1. In a performance of your choice, select the [PERFORMANCE] BUTTON.
  2. Select the Part that you’d like to use for Omnisphere.
  3. Select “EDIT” then go to “General/ Pitch” > “Zone Settings.”
  4. Set “Part Mode” to “External.”

Now let’s make sure the Assign Knobs on the Montage M are enabled and sending the correct MIDI CC messages used to control Omnisphere:

  1. Press the [PERFORMANCE] button.
  2. Select “EDIT” then “Control” > “Control Number.”
  3. Make sure each of the Assign knobs are set to the MIDI CC#s listed at the top of the page.

You can save this Performance to recall at a later time or import it into your Live Sets by pressing the [STORE button and giving this Performance a unique name.

In order to use the Montage M knobs to control Omnisphere, you’ll need to select the Part that you’re using for Omnisphere on the Montage M mixer page.

MIDI OUTPUT SETUP

Follow these steps to configure the Montage M to send MIDI through USB:

  1. Press the [UTILITY] button.
  2. Select the “Settings” tab.
  3. Select the “MIDI I/O” tab on the left side of the display.
  4. Set “MIDI IN/OUT” to “USB.”
  5. Select “Advanced” on the left side of the display.
  6. Switch “USB Driver” to “Generic.”

USB DRIVER

  • Check to see if the necessary Yamaha Steinberg USB driver has already been installed by opening up the Omnisphere Standalone (or your preferred DAW) and verifying the Montage M is on your list of MIDI inputs.
  • If the Montage M is not listed as a MIDI input, download and install the driver that is compatible with your computer’s operating system from the Montage M Downloads page. Restart the host and you should see the Montage M in the list of MIDI Inputs in your Host.

HOST CONNECTION

  • Open your host (DAW, Standalone, etc.) and make sure the Montage M Port 1 is enabled as a MIDI input device.

OMNISPHERE SETUP

  • Open Omnisphere and from the header, select the HW menu button.
  • From the drop-down menu, select “Yamaha > Yamaha Montage M”, and activate the Montage M hardware profile that matches your keyboard.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Not working? Here are some things to try:

  • Is your DAW receiving MIDI from the Montage M?
  • Make sure your DAW is configured to correctly route the MIDI output of the Montage M to the MIDI channel assigned to the desired part in Omnisphere.
  • If you are using the Omnisphere standalone host, make sure the MIDI output channel of the “Init” Part on the Montage M matches the MIDI channel of the Omnisphere Part you want to control.

SUPPORT

Still not working? More questions?

Feel free to contact us directly and we can work with you:

Tech Support
888-870-4223 toll free
818-955-8444
Monday – Friday 10AM – 5PM Pacific Time

email: info@spectrasonics.net