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Studio Visit: Moessieurs – MONTAGE Videos from France

Written by Blake Angelos on May 16, 2018. Posted in MONTAGE.

Yamahasynth (YS): What was your first Yamaha keyboard?
Moessieurs (M): My first synth was a Yamaha DX100 followed by a Yamaha PSR-730. I initially played music just as a hobby but started both playing and DJing for parties with family and friends.

YS: Tell us about your musical experience as a keyboardist.
M: I started playing in a cover band and quickly realized I needed something more in my keyboard set up, so I bought a Korg Triton LE. It was a good workstation, but I felt something was missing. In 2003, I saw my first video on the Motif ES featuring Bert Smorenburg – and it was love at first sight!

YS: The Motif ES really impressed you, I take it!
M: Yes! After that I discovered Motifator.com with all the great answers to end-user questions by Phil “Bad Mister” Clendeninn, Blake Angelos and Tony Escueta. I learned a lot from those forums. I started translating Bad Mister tips and posting them on the French forum “Audiokeys,” along with answering other end-user questions.

YS: Tell us how you came up with “Moessieurs”.
M: I wasn’t completely satisfied with the help I was providing on the Audiokeys forum and wanted to do something better. I have a job in an industry where I lead professional trainings and I know how to train properly. I wanted to use that experience to create a website in French, for French users, based on that experience – and in late 2004, the Moessieurs website was born.

YS: It looks like the French word “Monsieur”. Is “Moessieurs” a play on that word?
M: Yes. The name “Moessieurs” comes from a combination of “MOtif ES UsER”, but MOESUR didn’t sound very good in French.”Monsieurs” in French means “Mister” so the website name came from these two words “Moesur” and “Monsieurs”. “Moessieurs” was born and it sounds great in French!

YS: The production quality of your MONTAGE videos is really good. Can you tell us a bit how your process evolved?
M: I started with a computer webcam, a simple microphone and soundcard, but quickly realized I needed better quality. I upgraded my system and purchased better quality equipment and editing software. I have continually upgraded my system to keep up with the times since then.

YS: So it all began with the Motif ES, but over the years you have done videos on other Yamaha products as well.
M: Yes. I did videos first on the Motif ES and then discovered the PLG Series of Expansion cards and created both videos and articles on the DX, AN and VL cards. It was great to have them inside my Motif ES and listen to them through my Yamaha MSP5 studio monitors. Then the Motif XS came out and there were so many great improvements in WaveROM, arpeggios, effect processing – like VCM, faders, knobs and the color screen. After that, I acquired the N12 mixing console and used the XS and N12 with Cubase, all connected to my computer via FireWire. That was such a powerful system, and I began to offer training support for other musicians. This is when Moessieurs expanded beyond the Motif series and into other areas of music production.

YS: Then came the Motif XF…
M: Yes! In 2010 when the Motif XF came out, I was invited by my friend, Nicolas from Yamaha France, to attend a preview of the XF in Hamburg. It was there I met Peter Krischker from Easysounds for the first time – and had a wonderful time talking to him about this amazing new update to the Motif Series. After this, I worked on a series of videos on Karma Motif, the great software from Stephen Kay and articles about John Melas XF tools. It was around this time that I began both shooting in HD and adding English subtitles to my videos. After this I discovered the reface line – and was so impressed by the huge sound! I really love the reface DX because it brought me back to FM synthesis, so I produced a series of Moessieurs articles and videos on reface DX.

YS: Now here we are with MONTAGE. It’s really impressive how many videos you have completed so far. What are your impressions?
M: It is a beast! I first saw MONTAGE in April of 2016 at SuperBooth in Berlin and finally got one 2 months later in June. It is so new and represents a new way to work – and at the same time there are some definite points where it is similar to Motif XF. I really have to thank the great Yamaha consultant, Hans-Peter Henkel, for really helping me understand where MONTAGE is different. The two pianos, the CFX and the expansion Bösendorfer Imperial 290, are incredible and perfect for me. Of course, the FM-X engine is gorgeous, as are all the new AWM2 waveform content. I just love the string sections. And with MONTAGE Connect, I can share all my Moessieurs Performance content. I hope more users share theirs as well!

YS: What are you working on now?
M: I have a new synth and a new area to work in, but Moessieurs will stay the same because it is where I started on this great adventure and it has brought me to where I am now. I currently work in a duo with my friend Thierry on guitar vocals and me on keyboards playing different covers by Phil Collins, Police, Robbie Williams, U2 – and French singers like Jean-Jacques Goldman. Stay tuned: Moessieurs will continue to provide support for users of Yamaha synthesizers. Even though I feel like I’m just a practicing musician, I love to say “I Play Yamaha” because I love the sound and the usability.

Thank you, Joël!

Check out some of these fantastic videos from Moessieurs:
New Performances in Montage 1.50
New Organ Performances in 1.50
New Features in 1.50
Envelope Follower demo
Auto Beat Sync demo
Side Chain Modulation demo

And share your experiences by joining the conversation about Moessieurs on the Forum here.

Introducing MONTAGE OS v1.51

Written by Blake Angelos on May 16, 2018. Posted in MONTAGE, News.

MONTAGE OS v1.51 is a free download available here. Check out some of the specific enhancements:

Sound
If you’ve played a MONTAGE, you know it sounds amazing! The OS v1.51 version improves on the sound with new Performances, organ effects and dynamic processors.

New Performances – OS v1.51 features over 50 new Performances that focus on the unique MONTAGE Motion Control Synthesis Engine:

A few of the highlights include a further exploration of Motion Sequences, dynamic Super Knob control and new creative uses using the Envelope Follower and Vocoder. The new Performances underscore MONTAGE as a top-notch synthesizer with unrivaled expressiveness and dynamic control. Check out some of the new Performances below:

New Rotary Speaker Effect with New Organ Performances – If you’re an organ player, you’ve got to check out MONTAGE OS v1.51:

The new rotary speaker effect features authentic “rotor” simulation with assignable speed up/slow down. The new effect has improved overdrive behavior for a warm, full vintage sound. The new Performances feature the new rotary speaker along with drawbar control via the MONTAGE faders.

Check out some of the Organ Performances featuring the new Rotary Speaker effect below:

New Dynamic Processors and Presence – Dynamic Processors are useful for fine-tuning levels in a mix. The new OS v1.51 processors add even more high-quality options.

The “Uni Comp Down” effect makes louder Parts softer while “Uni Comp Up” makes softer Parts louder for even greater mix control. “Parallel Comp” provides simultaneous compressed and dry signals for greater detail and punch. “Presence” is an effect that enhances otherwise hidden nuances of a Part in a mix. These new processors add some serious mixing power to MONTAGE.

Below are two recordings of a two-Part Performance with a drum Part (New Oak Custom Kit) and electric bass Part (Vintage JB AF1&2). The musical content is identical. The first recording uses no dynamics processing. The second recording applies “Uni Comp Up” to the bass part and “Parallel Comp” to the drum part as insertion effects. Note the differences in level and clarity between the two:

Added MOXF Compatibility – MONTAGE can now directly load MOXF6/MOXF8 file formats (X6A, X6V, X6G and XGW).

Control
Control is how you express yourself as a musician. MONTAGE takes control to the next level with Motion Control. With OS v1.51, it expands Motion Control to give you even more creative options.

Super Knob Enable/Disable on Assignable Knobs – By default, the Super Knob controls all Assignable Knobs. OS v1.51 gives you the option to control some or one of the Assignable Knobs:

For example, you can release just one of the Assignable Knobs from Super Knob control, so you can adjust a single assigned parameter for finer adjustments. This new feature adds that level of control.

MIDI Scene Control – The MONTAGE “Scene” feature is a powerful way to add interactive dimension to a Performance. Scene changes can add Arpeggios, Motion Sequences, Mute Parts and more. OS v1.51 allows Scene change from an external MIDI control source like a DAW or second keyboard. This adds even more control when performing live or during production in a studio.

Improved Auto Beat Sync – Accuracy Auto Beat Sync is a very cool feature that derives tempo from audio. In other words, MONTAGE “listens” to the beat like a musician. This could be a live drum kit, drum loop, rhythm guitar or any source with solid, rhythmic time:

Once set up and plugged into MONTAGE, that source controls the playback tempo. Drummers may have an emotional moment when they realize that instead of them having to listen to a click track, MONTAGE is listening to and following THEM!

Workflow
There are many workflow and visualization improvements in MONTAGE OS v1.51. These let you focus on the most important part of MONTAGE: making music.

New Backup File – The Backup File lets you load and save your entire MONTAGE content to a single file. This includes all onboard flash memory content. This is great if you have to load all of your content from one MONTAGE to another. For example, touring musicians using a backline MONTAGE or church musicians who have a MONTAGE at home and one at church.

Ability to Tag Favorites – OS v1.51 lets you easily tag your favorite Performances. There’s also a new “Favorites” area in the powerful CATEGORY SEARCH feature making it easy to find your favorites.

Performance View – You can now get a detailed view of key range for Parts and see individual Part Element/Operator states from the main Performance/Home screen:

This gives you the ability to see this important information at a glance without having to drop into edit mode.

Live Set Improvements – Selected Performances are now highlighted in Orange and you can change the size of the font within the Live Set for much greater visibility.

Enhanced Note Shift Control – Hold down the [SHIFT] button and use the OCTAVE [-]/[+] buttons to change the transpose value in semitones. Once you change the value, you can release your finger from the [SHIFT] button and continue to make semitone changes for a short time by using only the OCTAVE [-]/[+] buttons.

Parameter with Part – When adding Parts to a Performance, you can choose to inherit settings from the Part. For example, when adding a string layer, you may want to bring in just the Arpeggio, Motion Sequence and Scene data but retain the mix settings of your currently selected Performance. This is great for auditioning different sounds while mixing or creating Performances.

Monitor Volume for USB Input – OS v1.51 adds USB audio monitor control. This is useful for quickly adjusting the incoming audio level from a DAW or iOS device. It’s also handy when listening to music on the computer from iTunes™, YouTube™ or other source.

Want to join the discussion about MONTAGE OS v1.51? Join us on the Forum here.