Most of the empty business is just questionable tags. Meaning how the drum-related content is labeled and if it was done intuitively or not. This isn't corruption - it's just how things have been sorted.

Drum/Perc as the main category has the following empty sub-categories: Synth, R&B/Hip-Hop, and Jazz/World.

The reason for this is that most of the things that even have "Hip-Hop" in the name and are drums have the sub-category of "Drums". Same for the jazz drums. Synth drums - that's not my genre - so I don't know - but probably there's the same lumping under "Drums". Take this up with the folks with the label makers.

The "Electronic" sub-category under "Drum/Perc" has a handful of Performances. They aren't really kits by themselves. They are full performances that happen to have drum ARPs in the mix. All but one will play an ARP and hold the arp (keep playing) after I let go. One is more of a gated type sound so I have to keep pressing to hear the Performance continue. I guess I'm not getting the same result where you hear no sound.

There are different ways of seeing the "Drum/Perc" options - I was using the [CATEGORY] (category search) button. If you doing Performance Merge or some other way - your results may vary as not all search modes will turn on ARP, for example. So if you happen to be in such a search mode - be sure to turn ON [ARP ON/OFF] button so it is brightly lit. You can mute "Org" by turning that off so you only hear the new selected PART(s).

I'm not familiar with Yamaha synths at all, and the menu structure was not intuitive in any way to me from limited time I spent with them. I was just browsing sounds from the search/category browser. All the categories had sounds in them but Drums had this glitch or feature or whatever with empty sub-categories. It just made the synth look unfinished.

I thought maybe someone messed with one keyboard but I tried the other and they were exactly the same. The 4 kits in Electronic didn't make a sound unlike others from main menu.

It's not a glitch. It's really that those categories have no Drum/Perc Performances. I think it's strange too that a Jazz guitar is not listed under the "Guitar" main category and "Jazz" sub category. Instead, they chose to list guitars mostly as acoustic or electric - not as jazz or by genre.

Part of the "issue" is that only one sub-category can be assigned where some items would rightfully fit two categories. Actually - mostly, a 3-tier system would work better. Guitar then electric or acoustic then each of these having different genres of guitars. But that's not how it's organized.

What happens is your preference for where a sound should be organized doesn't match how the instrument has organized the sound. Therefore, generally it's a bad idea to rely on sub-categories since there are many cases where these are not really sorted intuitively (depending on your perspective).

Much better, generally, is to use the main category and then search by a string. Or you could use sub-categories - but be prepared to be OK with empty slots as more generic sub-categories such as "Drums" - which is a catch-all sub-category would be favored vs. genres.

Better would be to search for what you're looking for after picking the main category. Like "hop" to find hiphop. Or DNB for drum and bass. Etc. The entire list is in the data list so you can get a feel for some of the abbreviations.

I do think the feedback is valuable for the "coming in blind" experience where you have little experience with previous Yamaha synths. I do think there are things to learn which would help first impressions by experts and newbies alike.

With any new equipment you encounter (flip side) - there's an orientation period. There should be some space to appreciate having to re-orient yourself in order to get around a new instrument or platform.

Just came back from checking out MODX8 and 6.

All but first drum categories were empty on both 8 and 6. I don't remember the order of things, but drum kits that were playable were all in the "all" section and some in the next one on the right... but from what I remember electronic section had 4 kits but none actually made any sound (I checked the whole keyboard on both 6 and 8). The other categories (rock or jazz) were completely empty.

I found this to be extremely weird. Are they coming corrupted from the factory? I just don't see why factory (non-user) preset banks would be empty.

No, not corrupted. Here’s how it works.

When you are looking at a new MODX there are some 2,143 Performances in memory. The Category Search serves the many different type of Performances that can be created. A Performance can contain between one and sixteen Parts. It can be a single instrument, it can be a Multi-timbral Setup, it can be layered setup, a split, a complex split layer, it can be a combination of instruments that morph into solo instruments, etc., etc., etc.

Whether the original sound set includes items in all categories is not a necessary given. So your expectation is what causes the confusion. If a programmer assembled a Performance as Multi-Arpeggio Performance in a specific genre, they may opt to use the Categories that denote a style of music. They are also there for you as user to use.

A Drum KIT has a specific use case in the MODX. There are several types: those with 73 Keys (C0~C6) mapped one Waveform per Key, each Key an independent instrument; those that are “8Z” or eight zone, they use the eight Element architecture to construct a Kit; FM-X Drum sounds can be freely zoned. You will find these simply listed as “DRUM/PERC” in the Main Category and Drums, Percussion, in the Sub Category.

When you see, specifically four items under Electronic, you are not looking at “Kits” really. Did you play these? Ah, I see they didn’t make sound for you... because they are NOT “Kits” - the Category listing “Electronic” was to denote the genre of music the Performance as a whole represents.
Hint: when trying out sounds... use the [AUDITION] button... when you're puzzled or unfamiliar with what to do— it can some times be very enlightening. It gives you an idea of how the sound is intended to be used...

These Performances are musical constructs that can be described as in the Electronic music genre category, they are by no stretch of the imagination Kits. Your expectation was that under the Search for Drums, that you would only encounter Drum Kits. The search can show you Kits, they are defined under the “Drums” and the “Percussion” Sub Categories. The search in general, can show more than just individual items, instruments, the groupings listed do not always have something listed (remember there are potentially another 5790 user Performance listings waiting for you to create and list!!

A programmer might opt to customize a Kit for use within a Performance. There are far more Drum and Percussion *Kits* than just those you see listed in the Category Search.

The MODX is about a version click behind its slightly older/bigger brother... Montage started with 1920 Performances and has expanded via firmware updates to now some 2655 Performances... so while all categories may not feature sounds, you can only say, they do not yet contain data. It’s programmer’s choice to describe the Kits a certain way.... Including the user

Here’s an example, there are several unique Kits developed and assembled for use in specific Performances. Because you can copy any Part from any Performance for use in your current creation; if you come upon a Kit used in a Factory Performance you can just copy it into your current creation. These unique factory kits, while not listed in the Category Search, are accessible, same as any Part you create can be recalled and used any where you’d like.

These ‘custom’ kits have been documented and listed in the MODX DATA LIST Booklet (pdf).

When viewing Category Search, please remember, an instrument will be listed in a Main and a general Sub Category. Those Sub Categories that are genres/styles of music are not where you will find lone instruments, it’s where you will find those Performances that feature multiple Part and likely, multiple Arpeggios and play specifically in a genre of music.

Also when looking for a Drum Kit to build from (always think of Drum Kits as “starting points” because they are extremely customizable)... they often are titled to indicate their intended use. Example, Rock Kits, R&B Kits, Jazz Kits, etc... the hint is in the Kit name.
Those genre listings are for entire Performances that fit that bill. Say you are going to construct a Kit and you start with the “Dry Standard Kit”, you may swap snare drums, use a different Crash Cymbal, replace some of the percussion sounds etc. when you are finished this Kit will be fashioned specifically for the Performance you are using it in. It will no longer be the “Dry Standard Kit”... it will simply be the Kit you customized for this particular Song. While you instinct might have you thinking you’d need to STORE this Kit separately...

Actually you don’t have to... just store the entire Performance (which could include your customized Bass, Piano, Strings, Guitar, Horns, Pads, along with this customized Drum Kit) the way the MODX works is... you need not store separate individual versions of the Bass, Piano, Guitar , Horns, Pad, or Drum Kit... simply Name and store the entire Performance. The MODX keeps unique, accessible versions of every sound you used, and every edit you made. At a later date when you wish to use this custom kit, you simply COPY it from this Performance by copying the “Part”.

Example, there is a Performance called “Marine Life” - when you recall it... it has a very customized “Drum Kit”... created from some other Kit but an assembly of this programmer’s favorite sounds, stored as Part 3 of the Performance named “Marine Life”. If you look in the Data List Booklet you can discover the Waveform mapping for this ‘Kit’.

Thank you for the explanation. Now I just need to find a nice black friday coupon...

EDIT: never mind, ordered one