What’s being reported by Yamaha is 2 years worth of the best FM programmers working with the Montage-sounds were created that have never been heard before on the FMX side on the coin. On the AWM2 side, 10x the wave ROM of the XF, double the effects, real time multi-parameter morphing and pure sound quality HI FIDELITY processing. With that being said, if it doesn’t blow the doors off anything they got to date then yes, project Montage was a failure. I think I’ll be the first to order one if that tells you anything.

I’m looking to buy a decent laptop PC or Mac book to run the software as it appears that there’s no internal sequencer. Any suggestions on what will fit best with the Montage and included software? I’m also reading that Cubase AI requires windows 7/8 but most new laptops come with windows 10. Does that mean that it won’t work until a 10 version is available or greater will work?

davlippo7 - 20 January 2016 01:07 AM

I’m looking to buy a decent laptop PC or Mac book to run the software as it appears that there’s no internal sequencer. Any suggestions on what will fit best with the Montage and included software?

Are you sure that it doesn’t have it’s own sequencer?

davlippo7 - 20 January 2016 01:07 AM

I’m looking to buy a decent laptop PC or Mac book to run the software as it appears that there’s no internal sequencer.

If you look on page 6 of this thread, you’ll see a picture that shows sequencer buttons below the “super knob.”

The released specs never mentioned a note count of the sequencer but I’ll know for sure on Thursday. It does have some type of sequencer function though, just not sure what it entails. There was speculation as to whether that has been forsaken on the Montage. If it said “workstation” somewhere then I would have a better feeling about it.

Also, should we expect the specs. to show up at midnight Wednesday or sometime during normal business hours on Thursday because I will wait up for it?

Hard to say. Yamaha will probably hold off until the time of the official launch event at NAMM. That being said, it might start popping up in online store inventories.

I started looking back at some of what has been posted in this thread…

Jote - 15 January 2016 09:31 AM

- FM-X

An amazingly sophisticated pure synthesizer engine capable of producing classic ‘80s or cutting-edge EDM sound with incredible dynamic range, power and fidelity. MONTAGE features an 8-operator FM architecture and 128-note polyphony, allowing for a massive array of sound design options.

It would seem that Yamaha would take advantage of their previous experience with FM when incorporating it into the Montage. When it comes to 8-operator architecture, the FS1R comes to mind…
http://www.jarrelook.co.uk/KitFM/KitYamFM.html
...but I hope if something similar is implemented in the Montage, programming it is a bit more friendly.

 

Jote - 15 January 2016 09:31 AM

MONTAGE features professional balanced outputs with “Pure Analog Circuit” (PAC). PAC improves the quality of signal after being converted to analog from digital for clear harmonic reproduction and even frequency response. The result is an output capable of reproducing MONTAGE’s internal content expressively with power and clarity.”

OK, balanced outputs! For those who have had hum problems, this might put an end to needing DI boxes and hum busters just to deal with that.

I literally just bought the FS1r last week and then heard about the Montage and then sold the FS1r this week. I didn’t lose or make any money but I was afraid that the bottom might fall out of the FS1r market. I’d much rather have this new FMX with 2 years in voice programming development. I like the FS1r but the presets trying to reproduce acoustic, guitars and drums etc. might have been fun back in the day but we don’t need FM for reproduction of acoustic instruments when we have AWM2. FMX needs to be making sounds that have never been heard before as Yamaha is suggesting. I hope it’s true without banks and banks of FM strings and guitars and UFO noises. However, I will contradict myself now because I do like the FM EPs, organs, pianos, bells, pads and anything that can be layered with AWM2 to give it more depth, life and dare I say “motion”. Maybe it should have been called the “E-motion” engine because I’m getting all choked up waiting for this thing to happen.

5pindin,

Are the XF’s outs not balanced?

BTW is this “PAC” a Yamaha sales gimmick because shouldn’t all high end, top shelf electronics, especially electronic musical equipment have balanced, high end circuitry by default? Are they suggesting that this is something new and that none of their other product lines have this feature? Balanced outputs have been around forever so hopefully “PAC” is something better, cleaner and purer then what we’ve ever heard before.

I would think the XF outputs are balanced but that it doesn’t have this “PAC” circuitry. These are (2) different things it would seem. Yamaha has been known to exaggerate or take liberty in advertising from time to time. Taking an ordinary thing and making it seem extraordinary. They can repackage an old idea and make it seem revolutionary. It’s all in the presentation like “Motion Control” and “Super Knob” are really just old school morphing all polished up with new names.

The XF’s outputs are unbalanced (TS instead of TRS).

Regards, :)

Jo

Looking at the initially leaked picture my pattern recognition skills tell me that the bottom two buttons located on the right of the MW are related to “MOTION SEQ”.

The rear I/Os from what I can see all look like TRS and not XLR because the diameter of the XLR is much larger. I think you can have a stereo looking TRS for a mono channel like you said (not TS) that is still balance like on my speakers.