I read somewhere a year or so ago that there are two different versions of the Montage, with different DACs in them due to a chip shortage of some sort. Is there any truth in that?

I do see people listing "Montage 2019" I have no idea what that means unless it's firmware but then all of those can be updated so that doesn't make any sense. Perhaps that means it's a Montage 2019 which implies what you are saying. Obviously Yamaha would never go backwards and install a lesser chip thus the later would obviously be a better component. Does it function any better or faster etc.? As we all know this disclaimer "specifications may change ay any time without notice" which includes internal components of any kind and even external that appear different visually and functionally. Sometimes components could be cheapened I suppose to keep costs down as prices and the economy raises. Cheaper I guess doesn't mean lesser but it could. So which Montage is better?

Not that this is the first example among all keyboards, but the Yamaha EX (EX5 EX7 EX5R) had a smart morph between two sets of parameters. They didn't call it by that name but it's similar. I think Korg's little joystick (that doesn't snap back to center) serves a similar function although I'm not sure if it covers more than 2 or 4 parameters not having used Korgs much (like Kronos).

Hi folks --

I only drop into the Forum, maybe once a day? Given the postings, I'm not even sure I know that the main question(s) are! 🙂

I have two main points. Point one, the synthesis and effects processing is performed in a deep hardware pipeline where intermediate results are simultaneously in-flight. The hardware is not as simple as a computer-like processor executing the same loop over and over again.

Point two, Yamaha figured out how to redistribute both the synthesis and effect computations across hardware units in space and time. For example, amplitude (VCA) or filtering (VCF) may be performed in parallel and in the same hardware unit as an effect.

Since it is a deep pipeline, if you interrupt the pipe and discard (flush) intermediate results, you will get a glitch. With SSS, an entire pipeline must be sustained until it empties.

Please consider U.S. Patent 5,498,835. This patent should disabuse anyone that AWM is simple, and this patent is only one of many.

Hope this helps, although I recommend taking a Zen approach 😉 and not try to second guess Yamaha's design or engineers. These instruments are what they are in the hands of a player.

All the best -- pj

I guess AWM2 is more complex and AWM3 isn't a reality yet. The SA2 makes such things exponentially more complex I assume, maybe that's just another layer. I like to third guess if that's a thing. That old glorious EX5 could do amazing things just not everything at once. DSP power is always the ultimate issue to conform to the project budget. You can spread the bread with butter but never spread the butter with bread. Anyway that makes me hungry. Hey that bring up a good thought. How about an EX1 that combine the Montage, AN1x, VL, FDSP, YC organ, DX and EX5 etc. Wasn't the EX5 4 or 5 engines? That was a fun one.