To check out the first article in this series go here.

The big conceptual difference between MOTIF and MONTAGE is found right on the front panel: MOTIF said “Music Production Synthesizer.” MONTAGE now reads “Music Synthesizer.” What exactly does that mean? A big part of MOTIF was onboard Production tools. From the beginning, MOTIF was always a multi-mode music “workstation” featuring powerful integrated music-creation tools that were very important to people. When the Motif was released in 2001, you might recall the following realities:

• 55% of Americans used the Internet. As of 2015 that had increased to 84%.
• The most advanced mobile phone looks like an artifact compared to the smart phones of today.
• The iPad and other tablets were still in the imaginations of developers.
• There was no Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, etc. Social Media had yet to be introduced, so the ability to share and interact with many people was limited.
• Computers in 2001 were exponentially slower and not nearly as capable as they are today for music creation.
• Obsolete memory formats such as SmartMedia and Minidisc have faded away in favor of larger, faster and lower cost formats like USB media, flash memory and solid-state drives.
• The amount of available peripheral products for computer music systems — from audio interfaces to controllers — has grown exponentially.
• USB MIDI and Audio connectivity was not available then. The way we connect to the computer has been streamlined, works better and is much more affordable than it was in 2001. Today it is a robust, fast and reliable connection.

Clearly things have drastically changed. The MOTIF series had lots of onboard production tools like song and pattern-based sequencing, sampling and an optional FireWire multichannel interface. During its life cycle it was very relevant and as technology changed so did the MOTIF line. However, there came a point when it was no longer tenable to keep updating the same series given the fact that computers, DAW software and mobile devices became more ubiquitous, more powerful and less expensive. MONTAGE is a Music Synthesizer for today’s world that incorporates modern technological improvements and a streamlined workflow. “Some things change, some things remain the same.” This was the statement I made in the previous article about the history of MOTIF the evolution to MONTAGE. Before diving into what has changed from MOTIF to MONTAGE, I’d like to address some aspects that really do remain the same.

A world-class musical instrument has to SOUND great. That has been the focus of Yamaha since 1887 and is a perfect example of things that remain the same within our development team. MONTAGE takes sound quality, clarity and nuance to an entirely new level.

Another aspect that remains the same is FEEL. A world-class musical instrument has to FEEL great. MONTAGE still utilizes the same action that our artists and musicians love and have commented on from the MOTIF XS and XF: FSX on the MONTAGE6 and 7 and Balanced Hammer (BH) on the MONTAGE8. These remained the same because time and time again our artists and customers have commented on how much they love the FEEL of the MOTIF. MONTAGE feels great and responds with a stunning level of expressiveness and dynamic range.

Yamaha is committed to creating more than technology. Yamaha wants to create technology honoring the legacy of a company whose guiding principle is creating world-class musical instruments. This remains the same and will continue to remain the same. Technology changes; a commitment to the time-honored principles of excellence in the sound quality and feel of a musical instrument does not.

Check out the section on our website about the 40th Anniversary of Yamaha Synthesizers to see how this commitment was realized in our synthesizers over the years. For a person familiar with MOTIF, you will find that certain ways of interacting with MONTAGE are very similar, and you will quickly feel right at home. While some user interface concepts were kept, there is much that has changed for the better! I’ll dive in and take a deeper look at the specification changes between MOTIF and MONTAGE in the next article here. To discuss this article in the forums go here.

To check out the previous article in this series go here.

The MOTIF was defined as a Music Production Synthesizer; MONTAGE is a Music Synthesizer. I touched on this briefly in the last article and would like to expand on the concept. The difference is the word “Production.” MOTIF epitomized “Production” with the inclusion of a fully-realized sequencer, integrated sampling and multi-mode operation. It was definitely a compelling and powerful instrument, but, as I said before, times have changed, and the way people work has changed. MOTIF has a number of different modes:

1. Voice Mode: Generally single instrument sounds
2. Performance Mode: Up to 4 Voices
3. Song Mode: For linear sequencing
4. Pattern Mode: For pattern-based sequencing
5. Master Mode: Master keyboard settings and a “catch all” mode that allowed the user to access the other modes (Voice, Performance, Song and Pattern) from a single mode
6. Remote Mode: For DAW remote control
7. Integrated Sampling: Access to the sampling functions
8. File: For file management
9. Utility: For global settings

That’s a lot of different modes, and all served their purpose to create an effective all-in-one Music Production Synthesizer. Times definitely have changed over the life cycle of the MOTIF series. Computers became exponentially more powerful and cheaper, software has become more and more powerful and capable and mobile devices like smartphones and tablets are powerful music-making devices. All of these developments had profound effects on design and usability in virtually all industries, including Yamaha.
MONTAGE is the keyboard instrument of today with a design and user interface in line with our modern world and workflow. With the modern advances in usability, people expect products with streamlined workflows that allow tasks to be done within a single user interface. With these ideas in mind, the entire top-level design of MONTAGE – where you play the instrument, interact with Motion Control, connect to a DAW or iOS device, etc. – all happens from a single Performance Mode.

For people familiar with MOTIF:

• Where MOTIF had four different modes (Voice, Performance, Master and Mix) for playing back, editing and mixing parts, Montage has one: Performance. What was a Voice in MOTIF is now a Single Part Performance in MONTAGE, and each Performance now contains its own Mix. This reflects a move towards a more streamlined, all-inclusive workflow.
• Master Keyboard functionality has been improved and now exists within each Performance as a complete master setup instead of a separate mode, allowing for better integration of MONTAGE Performances with external gear.
• MOTIF featured a linear SONG and loop-based PATTERN sequencer for recording and playback. In contrast, MONTAGE has a quick and easy Performance recorder to instantly capture inspiration. For more detailed edits, MONTAGE features a powerful 32-channel out/6 in USB audio and MIDI interface capable of recording each Part of a Performance as both a MIDI track and multichannel stereo digital audio track on your DAW (Cubase AI included).
• Loading custom waveform content into the onboard flash memory of MONTAGE is possible. Better yet, user samples can be played back, assigned, processed and controlled with Motion Control.
• Overall MONTAGE settings and file loading and saving is done from a single Utility mode instead of two separate modes.

The end result of these changes is a completely streamlined MONTAGE user interface. Finding sounds, playing sounds and interacting with the instrument is much faster and smoother. On the main points – waveform size, synthesis type, polyphony, standard features – MONTAGE is truly a major step forward. But the entire design of MONTAGE has been dramatically changed and improved with completely new features that cannot be effectively compared with MOTIF. Below is a chart that highlights some of the important specification improvements in MONTAGE compared to the MOTIF XF:

To discuss this article in the forum go here.