Yamaha Synth release event

[RKfan]

YAWN

[Jan1]

MONTAGE White and OS v3.0 update.

New Pattern Sequencer on MONTAGE.

Mini Filter, Mini Booster, Wave Folder

Extended Low Frequency Oscillator.

Nice updates for the Montage and MODX, but to stage an event and make a big fuss out of it for nothing but a paint job and content updates?
Especially after Roland's event, which was the most exciting event they had in years, this one is really an anticlimax, a waste of money, time and effort.

Is this really all Yamaha wants to show?
I read that Nick Batt went to Japan for the event, surely there must be something more?
If not, he might as well phone Roland and ask if it would be a convenient time for a visit.

[billysynth]

they're all bankrupt.

Korg got rid of all it's employees and manufacture musical toys.

Yamahahaha have done a Korg - paint the Kronos Red there's your new generation Kronos. Yamahaaha painted the Montage White...big deal.

Bankrupt I tell you ....all of them.

Don't expect to see a replacement Kronos at NAMM...go home go to sleep...stop stressing

Vas

[Poseidon]

they're all bankrupt.

Korg got rid of all it's employees and manufacture musical toys.
...

Shareholders feed on profits, and all goes to them, instead to development or employees. These days CEOs are pupets run by stocks. it's so sad !

[Bachus]

MONTAGE White and OS v3.0 update.

New Pattern Sequencer on MONTAGE.

Mini Filter, Mini Booster, Wave Folder

Extended Low Frequency Oscillator.

Nice updates for the Montage and MODX, but to stage an event and make a big fuss out of it for nothing but a paint job and content updates?
Especially after Roland's event, which was the most exciting event they had in years, this one is really an anticlimax, a waste of money, time and effort.

Is this really all Yamaha wants to show?
I read that Nick Batt went to Japan for the event, surely there must be something more?
If not, he might as well phone Roland and ask if it would be a convenient time for a visit.

The upgrade for montage and modx is huge..
Not just the pattern sequencer..
But new hd lfo
A new 24db filter
The midi input is taken care of, its now possible to play several sounds on a single midi channel..


The highlight, pattern sequencer however lavks eddit functionality, and i dont see an easy way to copy midi patterns from a daw... but as a backing tool its great..


What made a bigger impression is how the montage was surrounded by
- cs80
- dx1
- vp1 and vl1

Is this what to expect for the montage 2?

[Jan1]

The upgrade for montage and modx is huge..
Not just the pattern sequencer..
But new hd lfo
A new 24db filter
The midi input is taken care of, its now possible to play several sounds on a single midi channel..
The highlight, pattern sequencer however lavks eddit functionality, and i dont see an easy way to copy midi patterns from a daw... but as a backing tool its great..


What made a bigger impression is how the montage was surrounded by
- cs80
- dx1
- vp1 and vl1

Is this what to expect for the montage 2?

It is a really nice update, but a simple press release and some videos would have sufficed.
Anyway, with the release of a white montage I expect no successor next year.
I have my eyes set on the Fantom, and once Roland follows through with bug fixes and additional features and engines I will get one.

[D575]

The upgrade for montage and modx is huge..
Not just the pattern sequencer..
But new hd lfo
A new 24db filter
The midi input is taken care of, its now possible to play several sounds on a single midi channel..
The highlight, pattern sequencer however lavks eddit functionality, and i dont see an easy way to copy midi patterns from a daw... but as a backing tool its great..


What made a bigger impression is how the montage was surrounded by
- cs80
- dx1
- vp1 and vl1

Is this what to expect for the montage 2?

It is a really nice update, but a simple press release and some videos would have sufficed.
Anyway, with the release of a white montage I expect no successor next year.
I have my eyes set on the Fantom, and once Roland follows through with bug fixes and additional features and engines I will get one.

+1

[Bachus]

The upgrade for montage and modx is huge..
Not just the pattern sequencer..
But new hd lfo
A new 24db filter
The midi input is taken care of, its now possible to play several sounds on a single midi channel..
The highlight, pattern sequencer however lavks eddit functionality, and i dont see an easy way to copy midi patterns from a daw... but as a backing tool its great..


What made a bigger impression is how the montage was surrounded by
- cs80
- dx1
- vp1 and vl1

Is this what to expect for the montage 2?

It is a really nice update, but a simple press release and some videos would have sufficed.
Anyway, with the release of a white montage I expect no successor next year.
I have my eyes set on the Fantom, and once Roland follows through with bug fixes and additional features and engines I will get one.

I was at a live facebook demo by Edd Diaz of Rolamd today..
I asked him what features where expected to be added
He said, he was not allowed to answer it..

Personally i think in some regards the current fantom is a step back
Its only a synthysynth engine and the v-piano
No organ models, no other super natural acoustic instruments
No sampling to create new tones..
No live sets, nor the flexible way the jp80 handles splits.
No acb technollogy

Now Roland hints they will add stuff..

Yamaha never hinted, but their efforts really impressed me with all the montage updates..

What impresses me even more from yamaha
Is how they openly discuss things on yamaha synth website
I think the Yamaha representatives, Phil glendeinin, Blake Edwards and Dom Sigilas are an example of how a modern music company should openly discuss things and react accordingly... i think both Korg and Roland as well as the Yamaha arrnager and piano division in europe could learn a lot from this..


I agree that we will not see a new montage at Namm

I also think the current show was just a reaction on Rolands Fantom release, they are trying to pull some of those sales..

[D575]

You do wonder if there has been a touch of the "industrial espionage" which jerked Roland to come out of the stables a little early pending some news of a New Release coming from Korg perhaps??? Which could/might explain what many now think is (and reading between the lines from roland) the Premature Birth of the New Fantom... it certainly seems incomplete in many ways... I won't be too quick to write it off just yet... so time will tell i guess and this is a lot of guessing... or is it just some logical thinking from a damage limitation point of view if you thought the competition is about to take all the thunder at the next Namm show???............ P.s. my Montage (Jupiter 80) are staying even if I could be tempted by Fantom at a later date and we are still waiting for the Waldorf Kyra which could take my mind off Fantom altogether

[Devnor]

You do wonder if there has been a touch of the "industrial espionage" which jerked Roland to come out of the stables a little early pending some news of a New Release coming from Korg perhaps???

No. Fantom was ready to ship. How often does that happen? Normally ubersynth is announced and it ships 6 months later. I had mine in 3 days. Roland guys call it a Platform so they intend to develop the thing. In the meantime, there is plenty to explore. Synth engine has a few different cross mod structures using 4 partials. Any combination of VA or PCM. Step LFO makes it easy to create interesting complex modulations with little effort.

I still don't get the Montage comparisons pre Version 3.0. If you're referring to scene architecture, that stuff has been around. Fractal Axe FX, digital mixers. It all started with lighting controllers. Now it's made it's way to keyboards. Thank goodness. Any next gen Kronos must also use that architecture.

[leonh]

So with added pattern sequencer Montage is becoming a workstation slowly it wont affect Kronos so much but more like new Roland Fantom and by that I mean pricing 3000£ for Roland and 2000£ for Montage with sequencer no brainer for me but if Roland drop the price to 2500£ then I would be interested I will wait till Christmas to see what will happen.

[John Hendry]

The Yamaha CS 80V had Poly AT and if Yamaha is smart they will bring Poly AT back and that would be great. Still kick myself in the head for not ordering the VAX77 when it was available.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIkKMHwXcko

Have a look at the hydrasynth

Yes this looks like a step forward... would sure like to see it with a larger quality simi-weighted synth action keyboard since it has Poly AT!! Thanks for pointing this out. Virtual Analog Synthesizer, with 8-voice Polyphony, PolyTouch Polyphonic Aftertouch, WaveScan Oscillators, Waveshaping, Dual Filters, Arpeggiator, Ribbon Controller, and CV/Gate. Looks like a fun new synth to play with...

Price looks good too...

[Jan1]

I was at a live facebook demo by Edd Diaz of Rolamd today..
I asked him what features where expected to be added
He said, he was not allowed to answer it..

Personally i think in some regards the current fantom is a step back
Its only a synthysynth engine and the v-piano
No organ models, no other super natural acoustic instruments
No sampling to create new tones..
No live sets, nor the flexible way the jp80 handles splits.
No acb technollogy

Now Roland hints they will add stuff..

Yamaha never hinted, but their efforts really impressed me with all the montage updates..

What impresses me even more from yamaha
Is how they openly discuss things on yamaha synth website
I think the Yamaha representatives, Phil glendeinin, Blake Edwards and Dom Sigilas are an example of how a modern music company should openly discuss things and react accordingly... i think both Korg and Roland as well as the Yamaha arrnager and piano division in europe could learn a lot from this..

I agree that we will not see a new montage at Namm

I also think the current show was just a reaction on Rolands Fantom release, they are trying to pull some of those sales..

Strange that Roland suddenly keeps silent about future plans for the ZEN core platform, maybe Yamaha's event has something to do with it?
After Roland promoting the Fantom platform I could not help but noticing on this page how Yamaha suddenly speaks of the Montage platform:
"Unlike other synthesizers, MONTAGE is platform-focused and constantly evolves with OS updates."

Of course there are and have been other synthesizers based on a particular platform concept, Roland featuring the ZEN core platform and KORG creating the OASYS platform years ago before the others.
Maybe in the light of the competition Roland prefers not to reveal too much?

ATM the Fantom has revealed some serious software bugs, and in some cases the screen of the Fantom 8 is not secured tightly in the frame causing it to move, so it makes me all the more determined to wait and see how Roland addresses these issues and what Roland has to offer as far as additional engines is concerned and feature upgrades.
Roland representatives have given info right after the release of the Fantom about some future updates, such as the SN acoustic instruments, the engines of the upcoming Jupiter, various organ models, the possibility to load multisampled libraries.

Now that Yamaha also speaks of a Montage platform additional engines in the future become a distinct possibility.
I have to say that based on what I read thusfar about Yamaha's sequencer I find Yamaha's pattern sequencer more suited to the way I work than Roland's, but this could be fixed if Roland were to increase pattern length and number of patterns per track for instance.

[Devnor]

Platform is the new flagship! I wouldn't say Roland guys are silent on future plans anymore than anyone else. Some upgrades seem obvious to me and that's basically what Ed Diaz said. Montage update is nice but I don't see people interested in Fantom suddenly running back to Montage for the superknob and PCM/FM synth just because they added a filter & basic sequencer. Although I have to say I'm pleased by all the Yamaha love I'm seeing just because of the Fantom. Maybe that will help them.

The software bugs are interesting. I've tried to duplicate them. There is a language barrier between me and one user. I've stressed the machine - created complex sequence and let it run overnight. Jumped in with edits, saves, everything. I even tried screwing up sync settings between aggregate audio devices, Fantom & Fireface, sequence running, edits, saves. The mac crashed when it I tried to record but Fantom kept on playing.

I've produced a few demos using Fantom in various ways. Creating everything in the machine and recording all 1 pass in Logic. Did the same thing except added my external synths and recorded everything in 1 pass. I used my regular workflow with logic sequencer and used Fantom as 16 part synth. When it was time to mix, all 16 tracks flowed into Logic in 1 pass. All the while I'm editing, recording, saving, mixing. No issues.

[afr]

Just update my montage, my focus was on the new Pattern feature

One word: NIGHTMARE

talking about sequencer on board my old Kronos is far better and more complete

Dear Korg pls in case you are ready to release something new, don't change the philosophy of your sequencer, keep improving but not drastic change

Thx