I have ambivalent emotions with Montage too, but I think, dont’t break a stick above. It’s early.
My conception is that an instrument not bad only because it neglects an editable multi-track seq. or other. The classic workstation notion (synth engine + FX + midi sequencer) originates from the early 90’s. It’s a dusty thing nowdays beside notebooks, tablets, DAWs and don’t need it everybody all times, mainly using more synths.
In my opinion, the Montage is Yamaha’s paradigm shift after the Motifs, which brings to the fore modern real-time performances and ideas. Of course, the architecture of Montage It’s too complicated at first sight and twice too :) but its main deficiency is the castrated sampler.
But until the voice is best (~5GB ROM!) there isn’t much reason for complaint, except the exorbitant price!

I had a MO8 and I tried a Motif XF8 not too long ago. I was surprised, that XF isn’t much different basicly in terms of sound, moreover the sound of my MO8 was more fat and dynamic in certain cases! The XF would be required more gain than was available in the output utility menu. It’s quite saddened me, but I experienced similar with my friend’s MOX6, when tested A-B them side by side at one time. :(
The Montage makes a Motif impression clearly in sound, and I rather awaiting the next derivated lite models therefrom.

Honestly, my favorit keyboard currently is the Roland Juno DS88! It’s a very competitive gear.

djuice - 30 January 2016 07:40 PM

[...]The XF would be required more gain than was available in the output utility menu. [...]

I don’t understand why this keeps coming up as an issue. Unless the amplifier being used has insufficient input sensitivity, turning up the amp’s gain is all that’s usually required.

If for some reason that isn’t practical, Master EQ on the XF can usually be set to provide much more output level than would ever be needed.

With regard to a number of requests both in this and other threads, obviously we are in a rather strange position, speaking as ‘motifator.com’ and not ‘montagiator.com’ or even ‘yamahakeyboard.com’.

Yamaha. as many if not most people know here, has their own technical/support site and really it’s Yamaha’s responsibility to offer as much or as little support for their own instruments as they want or see fit.

We’d be interested to hear what people think - at least in theory - motifator.com can provide in terms of support that Yamaha cannot. Motifator.com was and is unique in terms of a support entity (a lot of people other than users have benefitted from the efforts and skills applied by motifator.com and those who contribute to it on the forums), but motifator.com is not, sadly,’the norm.’

A short term solution would simply be to use The Lounge as a more appropriate venue for questions and opinions on instruments outside the immediate Motif family.

MM

MrMotif - 30 January 2016 09:54 PM

We’d be interested to hear what people think - at least in theory - motifator.com can provide in terms of support that Yamaha cannot.

I would like to see a separate forum for the Montage. True, it doesn’t share the “Motif” name, but it stated as being the successor to the Motif. Montage has as much or more in common with Motif as some of the other keyboards on Motifator, such as the S90.

A separate forum for Montage would be a welcome addition, in my opinion.

thank you for replying MM.
sounds like a fine idea.

moxrox - 30 January 2016 10:44 PM

MrMotif - 30 January 2016 09:54 PM

We’d be interested to hear what people think - at least in theory - motifator.com can provide in terms of support that Yamaha cannot.

I would like to see a separate forum for the Montage. True, it doesn’t share the “Motif” name, but it stated as being the successor to the Motif. Montage has as much or more in common with Motif as some of the other keyboards on Motifator, such as the S90.

A separate forum for Montage would be a welcome addition, in my opinion.

Motif+ator=motifator, hinges on motivator.
Mont+Ager=montager , hinges on making big sounds based on French. Will take a while to get used to whatever the name may be.

Thoughts?

There are already forums for MO/MOX/MOXF, MM, S90, Cubase, etc. - so why not a set up a Montage forum as well, since it’s an official succesor to the Motif?

Over the last 15 years, Motifator.com have attracted a diverse and vibrant user comminty (overly so at times). Assuming this community is a valuable asset for Keyfax, and not a significant burden (in terms of support costs), it only makes sense to help it grow further.

Yamahasynth.com on the other hand is designed more like an official Yamaha support forum, now that Yamaha staff have moved over there, and it’s not terribly populated with user posts either (and I’m totally not digging their tablet-oriented layout, almost sends my head spinning from a vertigo attack).

There is no need for separate “Montagiator.com”, “Montager.com” etc. to serve Montage users - there is backward compatibility with Motif ES/XS/XF and MO/MOX/MOXF voices and wave samples, so most existing content and merchandise items should work as is (except for installable hardware options, which the Montage lacks), and I’d assume Montage-specific content should evetually appear as well.

BTW Keyfax used to have multiple domains for separate Yamaha products, but only www.DTXperience.com and www.SNinety.com survived - most others like www.AWinspire.com, www.01xray.com, www.ArrangerWorkstation.com, www.SteinbergUsers.com, www.Tenori-onUSA.com, and www.Keyringtones.com didn’t seem to attract enough hits, so they all are defunct now, and their respective forums have been moved to the Arhive section on Motifator.com. So I can’t see the reasons to go this route again.

I would actually consolidate the respective online shops on Motifator.com and DTXperience.com, making them separate categories of the main online shop on www.Keyfax.com and leaving redirect links on the former. In the current layout, US customers coming to shop.motifator.com for voice libraries and hardware upgrade options, or to shop.dtxperience.com to shop for drum kits and modules, for would miss Motif keyboards and studio gear sold by http://www.Keyfax.com, and vice versa.

MrMotif - 30 January 2016 09:54 PM

We’d be interested to hear what people think - at least in theory - motifator.com can provide in terms of support that Yamaha cannot. Motifator.com was and is unique in terms of a support entity (a lot of people other than users have benefitted from the efforts and skills applied by motifator.com and those who contribute to it on the forums), but motifator.com is not, sadly,’the norm.’

A short term solution would simply be to use The Lounge as a more appropriate venue for questions and opinions on instruments outside the immediate Motif family.

MM

Thanks for being open to discussing the situation. Having been the original poster of the “Montage pre-NAMM spoiler” thread, I feel somewhat responsible, due to having placed it in the Motif XF forum. I did that because previous conjecture was that the Montage would be a direct successor to the Motif XF, although it hasn’t proven so in terms of funtionality.

I don’t think Motifator necessarily has any need to “support” the Montage. At this point there’s really nothing to support - no product has been released to end users, and details of features and operation are sketchy at best.

However, it appears that speculation about Montage isn’t going away anytime soon, but allowing it to overwhelm the Motif XF forum seems undesirable. If Motifator members would agree to post future Montage-related topics in Mo Lounge, that should at least minimize the impact. If the current threads could be moved to Mo Lounge, that might encourage members to begin future Montage threads there.

purcell - 30 January 2016 05:48 PM

ENDLESS! ENDLESS! ENDLESS!

“Eight endless encoders with LED rings are on hand for direct operation, flanked by eight faders with stepladder LEDs. The new control element “Super Knob” has a separate area to the left of the touch display.”

The Montage is too little too late, it will flop, trust me. Do you notice how there’s only about 10 lone voices in this Motifator wilderness ignorantly praising Montage? You’re all either dumb and ignorant, or rich, dumb and ignorant. Either way, you all need to get a life and stop worshiping this under-specced synth and start worshiping your creator, God, the one who gave you and everyone life, since life begets life and life bestows life, you idiot! The fundamental law of science/physics is that you can’t get something from nothing, capiche? That’s why evolution is a lie! You cannot get something from nothing!!

“He that loves the world, or the things in the world, makes himself an enemy of God” (1 John 2:15-17). It’s called “Idolatry”. You have no life, so you worship any piece of sh_t that hits the market just because you are desperate to belong somewhere. The human soul should be saying… “I love God my creator and His Son who paid the death penalty for my sins!” not “I love Montage!” or this or that!
At any rate, Montage has a blue glowing knob that makes unpredictable swirling sounds, whipdy do, very pathetic actually. Montage is just a boring rompler with sounds that are far too warm, unnaturally so, not normal, how many times do you have to be told? Synthetic artificial overbearing warmth, thin-as-sh_t synth sounds, and an overall clinical tone inside all the sounds, no soul, just typical Yamaha clinical synthetic unnatural tone, not human… When you get your overpriced Montage, challenge me with my Studio One DAW and see where you get lol.

5pinDIN - 31 January 2016 11:06 AM

If the current threads could be moved to Mo Lounge, that might encourage members to begin future Montage threads there.

I totally agree. To the Lounge!

Thank you guys for your posts. :)) It’s helpful to clear up some bad vibes!!! :) I think Montage will be a great Synth to play with. As youtube clips show, it has a lot of potential.. I can’t wait to get one. :)

I agree, i think it will be a great synth.

5pinDIN - 30 January 2016 09:02 PM

djuice - 30 January 2016 07:40 PM

[...]The XF would be required more gain than was available in the output utility menu. [...]

I don’t understand why this keeps coming up as an issue. Unless the amplifier being used has insufficient input sensitivity, turning up the amp’s gain is all that’s usually required.

If for some reason that isn’t practical, Master EQ on the XF can usually be set to provide much more output level than would ever be needed.

Sorry! I heard the XF with a Sony phones and sometimes switched off EQs & FXs for pure dry sound, but overall, not impressed me that I would need this.
Otherwise, many keyboardist say: the Yamaha synths don’t “punch” through the music on stage neither!

Motifator,

Thank you for this forum. I agree that pre-release Montage discussion is better suited for the Mo’ Lounge. Moving the current conversations there would encourage this. The shockwave has passed. Here in this forum, I would like to resume the focus on support of the Motif XF.

I find yamahasynth.com to bog down my old phone. The lack of high res photos and simplicity here allow for an effective forum experience. Also, while I deeply valued Yamaha tech support involvement here, I do also appreciate the independent nature of this support forum. And as such, I am very appreciative to KeyFax for running Motifator.com.

And when I buy sounds and support materials for my XF, I will continue to look here first.

Thank you,

dsetto