Yamaha Montage synthesizer --- with FM engine!

[knolan]

8-operator algorithms (seriously!)

[meatballfulton]

Another leaked photo. Looks like the encoders have LED rings to show their settings.



And a video teaser from Yamaha:



What will be the first hit record using that preset?

Over at the Yamaha Forums Montage page the replies from the Yamaha people to info requests so far are "wait" (for NAMM I guess) but the scuttlebutt is there will be no sequencer and no user sampling suggesting this is being marketed as a synth not a workstation. It may however have DAW control features for Cubase (and perhaps others) as in previous Motif models. If there is an audio interface it will certainly be USB rather than FW as in the past. The question of whether the Motif XF and MOXF workstations will be discontinued is unanswered for now.

[Zamise]

Some nice and interesting pics over on the motifators.

http://www.motifator.com/index.php/foru ... 76570/P75/

[meatballfulton]

[alan partridge]

I'd be surprised if Yamaha didn't continue with its workstation line, too. There's definitely still a pretty wide market out there for them, as well.

[alan partridge]

Full sequencer confirmed after all over on GS. Looks pretty good .

[meatballfulton]

Full sequencer confirmed after all over on GS. Looks pretty good .

That's interesting. The controls must be on the touch screen since the buttons on the Motifs to switch into sequencer modes are gone.

[meatballfulton]

Spec chart.

Looks like the Pattern mode in the sequencer is gone which is a shame as I use it all the time on my XF and ES before that. I hope they brought step entry back (dropped in XS and XF, brought back in MOX and MOXF).

Only 1.75GB of flash with no expansion is bad news. I've got 2 GB in my XF and filled up most of it already. Unless the load time is a lot faster, swapping in different sample sets will be a total PITA. On the XF, loading 1 GB takes over an hour. Why it's not 2 GB is puzzling. Maybe they just expanded the flash that stores system and sequencer data and that's what takes up 250 MB.

No more SPDIF!

USB is now class compliant (finally) for both audio and MIDI. Bad news is that means 2 in, 2 out audio, not the 16/6 over FW of the Motif series. Still only 44.1/24.

Ethernet has been dropped. I use that all the time for file backups rather than using thumb drives. I can record the stereo output direct to the computer over Ethernet, no audio interface required (creates WAV file). Hopefully Wifi over USB is still there.

So a huge step forward in the synth engine, a few annoying steps back in other areas. Waiting on price, the XF starts at $2400 wonder if this has bumped closer to $3000.

[Zamise]

I only see song (linear), the part arps look pretty fancy so doubtful but maybe that will have taken over pattern (loop based) mode. There really shouldn't be anything holding this thing back on the sequencing side, if it isn't there already then they just would need to program it in to the software, piece of proprietary cake. Seems almost more like an improved CS6X with a DXplg. I asked for DX with more knobs and this thing is pretty for a yamaha... I can't wait to demo one. And if they come out with a desktop module of it I don't think I'd be able to pass it up.

[meatballfulton]

MSRP announced:
$3,499.00 for 61
$3999 for 76
$4499 for 88

Motif XF6 is $2999 list, but add 2GB flash and the FW audio interface you add about $900.
XF6 street is $2500, so probably about $3000 for Montage 6.

Too rich for my blood, guess my XF will be buried with me.

[meatballfulton]

OK< last post for a while. Here's a link to a Yamaha Europe magazine with article on the Montage.

[stikygum]

I'll be interested to see how accessible Yamaha has made it to edit the FM synth. They're finally getting back into what they revolutionized with the DX synths. That's a good sign.

[DoctorSynth]

rattling my brain to remember - what else besides oasys and the dx programmer has offered a fully exploitable FM interface? EX5 or SY77/99?

Oh yeah, no native FM on EX5. So probably the SY/TG (but I would not call that "fully exploitable").

Add also Nord Lead 3.

What about the Yamaha DX7 expansion board for Motif? Won't that also run in the EX5/EX7 series?

[colmon]

I spent 10 minutes with the Montage yesterday, very cold and digital sounding, plastic-y and fake like a soft synth. Doesn't have the 3D warmth and ballsiness and sheer rugged manliness of a Yahama CD-80. Now if they would just reissue that synth for $499 dollars with modern built in FX and USB capabilities they'd surely be a more successful company!

[Alex E]

I spent 10 minutes with the Montage yesterday, very cold and digital sounding, plastic-y and fake like a soft synth. Doesn't have the 3D warmth and ballsiness and sheer rugged manliness of a Yahama CD-80. Now if they would just reissue that synth for $499 dollars with modern built in FX and USB capabilities they'd surely be a more successful company!