I have been checking this forum for quiet few years. Everybody on this forum wanted to see XF replacement or Kronos killer since last year. In 2016 Yamaha came out with Montage which I think is great and powerful synth. It sounds really good and gives a lot of sound power. I was surprised after the announcement, because people who couldn’t wait for new yamaha synth and wanted to replace their XF changed their mind. Isn’t this funny?? Humans thing. (Always want what they don’t have, once they get it, they change their mind :) )I don’t understand how people can say that Kronos sounds 10 times better. I have played Kronos and I can tell one think: the sound is dry and there is no warm tunes. Very unpleasant instrument to play with. Even if kronos could have 1TB SSD of sound library it would never sound as good and warm as yamaha. Sorry Kronos! The touch screen interface is dull. You need to be an IT guy to work with the screen on this workstation not a musician. Nothing is organized and takes time to figure out where everything belongs. Is this the way synth suppose to be operated? I used to own XF. It was a great instrument. I believe Montage will bring new idea to music production and I will definitely get one.
(Please excuse my language, I have tried my best )

PLEASE STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT MONTAGE AND OPEN YOUR EYE !!!

misiek1981 - 29 January 2016 01:19 AM

PLEASE STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT MONTAGE AND OPEN YOUR EYE !!!

PLEASE STOP DEFENDING THE MONTAGE AND POST ABOUT THE MOTIF XF !!!

Click thumbnail to see full-size image

More Montage patches here which I’ve not heard.

http://pobieramy.yt/yt/Hm-aINYoDMY/in-the-studio-with-new-yamaha-montage-synth/

People aren’t complaining that Montage sounds bad. Actually, it sounds good. Sound isn’t the issue.

People are complaining that Yamaha has decided to stop making an integrated instrument for both performance and composition (Motif), and turn it in to an expensive toy for people that like to play block chords and strike poses while the machine automatically blasts out pre-programmed wub-wub.

Yamaha thinks there are enough people willing to pay $3,000 for an EDM Tyros, but it seems clear that most of these new customers Yamaha hopes to find aren’t the sort of people that post in these forums and have bought Motifs. We wanted a better Motif. Yamaha said no, and that we don’t matter. Many of us don’t like it, but our opinions don’t matter, so we’ll have to spend our money elsewhere when Motif no longer meets our needs.

Personally, I’ve been on-board for 3 generations of Motif, and they’ve been the best keyboards I’ve ever owned. All good things come to an end, though.

misiek1981 - 29 January 2016 01:19 AM

[...]I was surprised after the announcement, because people who couldn’t wait for new yamaha synth and wanted to replace their XF changed their mind. Isn’t this funny?? Humans thing. (Always want what they don’t have, once they get it, they change their mind :) )[...]

When you like apple pie, and hope/expect the next one you get will have brown sugar and cinnamon topping, but instead it’s a lemon meringue, you might not find that an acceptable replacement.

Someone who likes lemon meringue would probably think it’s fine, and might wonder what the person expecting the brown-sugar/cinnamon/apple one is unhappy about.

:-)

You crack me up 5Pin!!

richie1027 - 29 January 2016 01:55 AM

You crack me up 5Pin!!

I’m glad. In my opinion, the Montage topic needs to be addressed less intensely…

There are mainly two groups of people in the world - those who believe one thing, and those who believe the opposite. The rest just haven’t made up their minds yet.

After several decades, I’ve come to the realization that I might be able to help someone who’s straddling the fence make a decision, but trying to move those who’ve already taken a position to either side of it is mostly an exercise in futility.

--5pinDIN

Donald Trump is actually still in the running for the Presidency.

There are more half-hour infomercials than ever on TV for things like a spring-loaded pair of handles that you squeeze together in a variety of ways for exercise.

Herds of morbidly overweight couples and their waddling children are going through supermarket checkouts with trolleys loaded with gallons of industry lobbyist enhanced, corn syrup ensweetened soft drink, sweet biscuits, potato chips, frozen pizzas, and occasionally a spring-loaded pair of handles that you squeeze together in a variety of ways for exercise - found for $2 in a bargain bin - which will be placed on the seat of an armchair and used to assist getting back up from said chair.

People still drink Bud Light, which the last time I tried it, (some years ago now, to fair) wouldn’t froth if you poured it from the ceiling.

Jimmy Fallon has a TV show.

Gangnam Style has two and a half billion YouTube views in three years, while the top Bee Gees song has a mere 110 million in six years.

Despite easy access to more information than at any time in history, there’s a growing number of people who are anti-vaccines because they believe it causes Autism, and that you can cure cancer with organic honey and crystal beads.

What else is there possibly to do but go on the Internet and look for things to complain at, in order to enlighten all the stupid people about how crap a new flagship synth is, even though it isn’t even on sale yet?

If angst-driven, juvenile, uninformed blather had mass, we’d be on the brink of collapsing into a black hole.

And you have a super, awesome day too, Way_ne!!

The same story happens with just about each and every product release from any major manufacturer. Get used to it.

bsmart - 29 January 2016 01:42 AM

People aren’t complaining that Montage sounds bad. Actually, it sounds good. Sound isn’t the issue.

People are complaining that Yamaha has decided to stop making an integrated instrument for both performance and composition (Motif), and turn it in to an expensive toy for people that like to play block chords and strike poses while the machine automatically blasts out pre-programmed wub-wub.

Keep in mind that the Motif XF is still available and FULLY LOADED for free so the Yamaha workstation is alive and well at least until May 2016. Then you can purchase one on Ebay for the next 10 to 30 years to come. If it breaks then I can fix it. I’ve been repairing Yamaha gear for many years.

I really like the Montage voice, but when I found out that there is no sequencer edit and sampler, I will be very disappointe. I would like to produce songs in multitrack sequencer. I do not want to use a computer.
If my computer is used, there is a lot of VST. Maybe it’s a new software update the Yamaha and Montage add the Sequencer Edit. The Sampler is less interested, but the Sequencer is essential for me. Never mind that there is no Song Mod, Voice Mod , because it is a good decision to have a performance mode and all, but why should point to eliminate the full sequencer? Sorry for my bad english.

Kind-of the point behind the touch screen interactivity would have been to have an interactive sequencer. I do somewhat expect that as the Montage “evolves”, as it was stated in one demo, that it will eventually have the full feature sequencer. Probably in Montage ES or XS or XF if not in an update to the OS if that is possible. The building blocks are there anyway. Not sure about a sampler function though and if the flash can be implemented. The Montage ES will have 4GB of flash and back on par with the doubling everything with each new release.

Should we ask that Montage get a room?

...
I’m eager to go deeper with my XF; search for something, and ask a question. At this moment, I’ve got a handle on it, and it’s satisfying my wants. But, I’ll be back.

dsetto - 29 January 2016 07:00 PM

Should we ask that Montage get a room?[...]

I, for one, would like to see a separate forum for the Montage, since XF related threads are getting rapidly buried.

Before the NAMM show, it wasn’t a certainty that the Montage existed, or what it was. Now that we know more, it’s obvious that it isn’t a Motif, so the question is whether such a forum belongs on Motifator. If Keyfax does want to support the Montage here, then a dedicated place for it would seem the right thing to do.

I agree.  The Montage should have its own folder. 
I still think the XF is a different animal and the Montage would only be an accessory to it for live performances.  That’s it.