There is a lame teaser promo, but this could be awesome…
Yamaha fashionably late to the party.
Obvious CS/DX speculations, which would be amazing, but I’ll also hope for a RS/RMX and SU reimagining!
Hell yes, updated sound engines and sequencer features on those lines would be excellent! Their sequencers still stand the test of time! Not getting my hopes up though. 
Yeah, I have to admit I’m really excited to see Yamaha getting back in the mix.
The Reface will be the analog, or VA synth and the Montage may be the sampler remix unit…
Yamaha has a great synth and sequencer history, let’s hope they knock it out.
Montage video with bonus facial work-outs.
Wish it wasn’t a workstation and the SuperKnob seems to be 10 times less cool than A4 Performance but… 8-op FM!
i wish they’d release the FM magic in a synth all by its self. workstations are all well and good for some people but the rest of us just want a modern FM synth with a bunch of knobs.
May 1st on this i guess, is what the rep says. 
Not sure i can wait that long, might have to go vintage?
Or you could get a Volca FM 
. Granted, it’s only 3-voice poly.
Or a Prophet 12 w/ latest OS, which added linear FM to make it a real FM synth.
Or you could get a Volca FM . Granted, it’s only 3-voice poly.
Or a Prophet 12 w/ latest OS, which added linear FM to make it a real FM synth.
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Hey, thanks for the heads up. I’ll def look in to the P12.
The Volca FM looks cool too. I don’t really care for the price point stuff, rather just save instead.
I’ve been considering a DX7 II FD w/ grey matter upgrade for sometime, just wanted to wait for NAMM
Montage Super Knob reminds me of the assignable morph knobs on the Nord Modular G2.
Does someone here have or had a Yamaha Montage?
For those who don’t know this beauty, it’s the current flagship from Yamaha. It has two engines: A very deep FM engine called FM-X and a sample based engine called AWM2.
So it’s basically a synthesizer and a keyboard.
Obviously it’s complete digital. 128 Voices. 16 parts multi timbral. The FM engine has 8 operators and 88 different pre defined algorithms. 76 different effects.
I‘m really impressed from what i heard. The „traditional“ sounds from the AWM2 are brilliant. The FM engine is capable to create very complex timbres.
Right now i try to decide if I should buy the Digitone, the Montage or if should buy a eurorack case and build my own dream synth. I tend towards the Montage, and probably wait at least a year before buying Eurorack case and modules, since modular can do a lot of cool things that aren’t possible with other synths.
Until then i substitute my GAS for eurocrack with Reaktor and VCV Rack(its free and you can use some modules from mutable instruments, like element/model, clouds, texture etc. Basically the modules i would buy). Also building a modular synth that works like a full FM synth would be possible but extremely expensive, especially if it’s not a single voice synth!
So here is the actual question:
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- I have a Octatrack. If I would buy the Montage, would it be possible to manipulate the FM parameter via Midi, so that it is able to do similar stuff like the Digitone? I checked the manual from Montage and the midi part looks very complicated.
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- Can the filters be used on the FM engine, like the filters of the Digiton? Or are they only available in the AWM2 engine?
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- I read a lot of reviews. For those who own a Montage, what are the negative aspects? I read a few things but nothing that stopped my GAS for it. How are the knobs, faders and buttons ? Tight or wobbly?
Maybe it is relevant that i‘m not a real keyboard/piano player. I had a keyboard as kid, a took some lessons, but that was almost 20 years ago! But i really would like to start again and the Montage has some stunning sample based sounds. But my main focus is psy trance, ambient, house, minimal. I do it only as a hobby, portability is not important in this case.
I would really appreciate your experience, opinions and advice.
The FM engine in the Montage is the pinnacle of FM synthesis
The Digitone is a toy in comparison.
The question is how accessible is this FM engine?
I have my doubts as I had a Kronos a while back, Korgs equivalent with a fastastic FM engine onboard as well, but was an absolute pig to program via its interface.
Have been trying to snag a reasonably priced second hand Montage for years, but haven’t found one yet.
Maybe this is a good sign for the Montage?
Best scenario would be for Yamaha to make a stand alone extremely knobby synth with the FM-X engine alone imo.
The engine is there ready and waiting, and I think Yamaha have potential to change the game with such an instrument.
I think this instrument more than any other would be well worth auditioning before investing that much money.
Thanks a lot @psyclone001
I really don’t undrestand why Yamaha hasn’t made a model just with FMX, or a desktop version. They have the powerful engine, they could sell a lot of those, the request for a FMX modul is existing.
The interface is kind of nice, love knobs with the led circles, but i really need to check out the touchscreen interface. But what i saw, looked good and since last NAMM the had a major update. Apparently it should be faster to create patches and linking modulation source to destinations. There are a lot of people who say the Kronos is still better, i like the idea of the different engines in the Kronos, but never saw one in person.
Yeah on paper Kronos is an absolute beast, but synths can’t be judged by specs alone unfortunately. Sounded great but the interface was pretty hard work.
Would really like to try a Montage though. It has similar illuminated knobs to the Nord 3 / G2 which is an awesome thing and would help the interface I could imagine
Anyone here who tryed the new update? Montage and MoDX got a sequencer, additional LFO and a new filter…
Is there a step sequencer mode for people like me, who actually can’t play key’s but still got one because the FM engine is f…ing sweet?
Would save me a few MIDI track’s on the OT 
btw. i miss @Psyclone001
If the MODX gets a reasonable sequencer, it will also be interesting for me. After looking at various informations and videos about the update, I think the new pattern sequencer will only record in real time 
Which makes it less interesting for me. A simple step recording similar to the MOXF would be sufficient for me.
Nope, no step input that I could find - still gotta play them sequences by hand.
we had a montage sitting at modular8 for a long long time. i used it some and would dabble in the FM engine. it’s accessible in every detail but in this way you might as well use a plug in. i don’t enjoy the touch screen at all. it’d be different if it was an ipad and i could get comfortable with it… but, being attached to a big synth means i had to stand or sit and lean over it and after about 10 minutes my neck would hurt. i guess some of this could be alleviated by making several default type presets as starting places. but it has 8 operators and adjoining pitch, amplitude etc envelopes for each operator. there are 88 algorithms to choose from.
it’s certainly as capable as anything in terms of fm flexibility w/o getting into Max/Msp and make your own patch that does specifically what you want. personally i think just spending 3 or 4 months getting to know max and doing FM stuff would be more rewarding but that’s just my brain. some people really take to the touchscreen and now the montage is set up. i didn’t enjoy it.
if you love FM and aren’t put off by diving in to a menu based system even w/a touch screen then a montage or ModX might be for you. it helps, of course, to have your head around how FM synthesis works. if there’s a shop near you that has a montage or modX i’d recommend spending a few sessions w/it and some headphones to see if it’s for you. there are ways to speed up the editing w/the various sliders and knobs for data entry but you’ll still be pressing that touch screen a lot.
there’s a good yamaha podcast that features that guy Manny Fernandez ( i think that’s his name) and he’s been doing fm forever and made patches so good back in the day that yamaha got a hold of him and he designed tons of patches for them all the way back to the beginning of their DX/SY/TX FM journey. there’s a bunch of history type talk but then he starts getting intot he specifics of various yamaha FM synths. it’s interesting.