Wanna trade?

I have a few Yamaha manuals and a MIDI cable you might want.

Thank you...

How nice of you...

MIDI cable...? I went wireless long ago...
https://www.cme-pro.com/widi-master/
No way back...:D 😀 😀 😀

Manuals...?
Got everything under the Sun converted to PDF.

I see you are keeping the sunglasses...:D 😀 😀 😀

Now, what about those 16x8...?

My understanding is that Fantom has 4 partials per Zone (Z-Core). Each partial with a single oscillator. So 4 oscillators per zone.

From a pure oscillator to key ratio - the two instruments are equivalent. Then the Montages offers twice as many oscillators - the second half available through external control. The loop back cable is a hack that's available - but the "front door" usage would be to have an external controller addressing these oscillators.

In order to setup the same tonal complexity - a single Part in Montage terms would take two Zones when going apples to apples of samples (Z Core PWM).

In this regard, there is no need for a loopback cable unless you want to achieve twice the oscillators available to Fantom under direct local keyboard control.

To me the value of Fantom is in its distinct character including modeled pianos. This loopback cable comment is not a ding on Montage given the wider context.

I believe in order for Fantom to do 16x8, you need to buy 2 Fantoms and connect a MIDI cable.

Actually, I think it's irrelevant how many oscillators each offers. There are a bundle of features each provides - solving common musical tasks in different ways. Each doesn't replace the other but you'll find some items on both sides that have no equivalent. In this respect, the Fantom seems to have more features due mainly (IMO) to the different sound engines. Sampling on the Fantom is something you won't find in Montage (and this is said to provide some limitations in Montage's simultaneous pattern/MIDI playback while recording). This is something that was a firmware upgrade to Fantom and I'm still hopeful Montage will enjoy a similar field upgrade. Still, I own both instruments mainly for the Fantom's virtual pianos and keybed. It replaced an RD-2000 as a "super-set".

I am running short of voices (16x4) at times.
Sure one can add scene after scene, but often four partials are not enough when pretending a phrase.

So if I can get 16x8 in Montage, it would be great.
But if the behaviour of the added parts is different for any reason, not exactly as the "internal", I would like to know...

"Now, what about those 16x8...?"

All you need is a MIDI cable and a DAW....

trade you that MIDI cable for the Roland.

@Jason: that's not quite the whole story. The Roland is also about being (checks notes) INFINITELY more intuitive.

It's also a full workstation.

And the "analogue" sounds are LUSH!

ZenCore is all that it says on the wrapper, and much, much more.

Roland has won this round. It'll take a new Kronos replacement from Korg to change the game. Which is a ways off, now that they have the Nautilus filling in and a global recession closing in

Our best hope is that ASM has learnt the benefits of partnering with great designers from their works with Glen Darcy, and does a similarly effective partnership with a workstation designer to make themselves a flagship product. This project might already be well and truly underway.

Tell you what, I'll throw in the last of the Intel MacBook Pro's, with the MIDI cable, to sweeten the deal.

A DAW, Andrew...?
Why should I..?

:Mmmm...I am not using any DAW, nor any MIDI cables and I love Android more than Windows.
I always wanted to keep control of my files and my software, so Apple is a no, no... Still remembering those times I couldn't send a picture or a song or a file to my iOs friends via Bluetooth....pffff.

My ten restaurants are at your disposal...:D 😀 😀 😀

You torment and torture.

Life without a DAW?

What is that sweet freedom like?

Reminds me of a time, less than two years ago, when the ideas of domestic passports and biosecurity were the stuff of mad conspiracies.

Mmmm...I am not using any DAW, nor any MIDI cables and I love Android more than Windows.
I always wanted to keep control of my files and my software, so Apple is a no, no... Still remembering those times I couldn't send a picture or a song or a file to my iOs friends via Bluetooth....pffff.

Jason, this is how you know he's joshing.

Nobody, not even Fernando, loves Android.

Which is why it must be compared to Windows in order to shine.

Kind of like comparing the Pattern Sequencer to sheet music.

The Montage Parts are roughly equivalent. Where you run into the difference - at least one of them - is in how the Parts are controlled. Only 8 Parts at a time can be controlled by the local keyboard. The 2nd set of 8 Parts can be controlled by an external controller.

Note that the 2nd set of 8 Parts without local keyboard control can be picked - one at a time - to be under local keyboard control. When this is done, the other Part(s) under keyboard control as a group no longer respond to the keyboard keys and now only the Keyboard Control=OFF single Part selected will respond to keys.

This 2nd set of Parts (Parts 9-16) cannot have keyboard control turned on and must be addressed only one Part at a time if accomplished by the local keys. They are all available to an external controller.

Given these "rules" you have options:

1) All 8 Parts can be playing an arpeggio (Parts 1-8) while you play any single Part 9-16 with the local keyboard. This works. That's 9 Parts at once - although only one Part is under direct keyboard control and the rest are played by the arppegiator.
2) All 16 Parts can be played simultaneously with one keyboard using an external MIDI controller with 16 zone capabilities (as the master controller)
3) All 16 Parts can be played using an external MIDI controller with less than 16 zone capabilities adding some hardware/software between (iPad w/Camelot Pro, MIDI hardware device such as MIDI Solutions Event Processor Plus, etc)
4) All 16 Parts can be played using the local keyboard and a "loop back" cable with zone control settings set appropriately
5) All 16 Parts can be played by an external DAW. If you use VSTs already then the DAW will be part of your setup and part of the DAW's function can be to provide the "loop back" to target Parts 9-16. Alternatively, the entire instrument can be addressed by the DAW only (piano roll and so forth).

Without some fiddling - there's not a straight-up-the-middle way to get the local keyboard keys to address all 16 Parts. There is always something to "add on" to achieve complete access to the available resources.

Easy...
You tell the partials what to do.
Avoid any strict center panning to expand the stage. Everything placed sideways...
Then ensure all knobs are turned fully left.
Grab all sliders and place them fully down.
Set the screen to brightness 1 out of 10.
Sell those sunglasses.
LCDs also to minimum, say 1 out of 5.
Now play the keys and don't touch anything but the keys.

There's another way: You can record what you want parts 9 to 16 doing into the Pattern Sequencer via tracks 1 to 8, then push them (using Job/Edit) out there, and make it play on key down, and then play live into 1 through 8.

Which is why my joking reference to the Pattern Sequencer.

"Nobody, not even Fernando, loves Android..."

I do, but for version 12, since volume of external software cannot be controlled without first awakening Android.

It is corrected in version 12L, so my love never faded away since I jumped from 11 to 12L.

I always jump longer than pretended...CVP-96 to Fantom.