Montage 2.0 was released in February 2018, and Montage 3.0 was released in September 2019; that's a lead time of 19 months. That makes April 2021 a more likely time to mark on your calendar for Montage 4.0.

Montage 2.0 was released in February 2018, and Montage 3.0 was released in September 2019; that's a lead time of 19 months. That makes April 2021 a more likely time to mark on your calendar for Montage 4.0.

I do not exclude the announcement of an intermediate version of firmware with some minor changes, waiting for a hypothetical firmware with new synthesis engines. The fact remains that Roland Fantom will shortly announce the Model Banks of J-8-Juno106, SH-101, the other SRX Expansionis ... and there are rumors of an "Organ engine" and the ability to load user samples for Fantom.

I do not wish to be a prophet of doom... but as it happenend with the white version of the Motif XF, after less than one year it was substituted by Montage black.
Now we've just got Montage white, thus connect the dots... IMHO Yamaha is planning to release a new instrument, not immediately but within a year or so.

I do not wish to be a prophet of doom... but as it happenend with the white version of the Motif XF, after less than one year it was substituted by Montage black.
Now we've just got Montage white, thus connect the dots... IMHO Yamaha is planning to release a new instrument, not immediately but within a year or so.

Just because they release a new flagship doesn't mean they have to stop releasing updates for what would be their previous model (Montage in this case). Historically that has absolutely been the case with Yamaha, but it doesn't need to be that way and I don't think it should be that way. They've already demonstrated some improvement in the scope and longevity of the software development timeline with the Montage in comparison to Motif models, so I don't think it should be ruled out that they might continue to improve in this way.

Yamaha's history with the hardware of this heritage suggests that the next flagship would be a more incremental update rather than an overhaul (e.g. Motif XS -> Motif XF, rather than Motif XF -> Montage). In that case I would most especially hope to see them continue updating the Montage after the release of the "Montage 1.5". If it were to come within a year of now, the current Montage could have the benefit of riding on the MODX's momentum in order to even better have a shot at bucking the trend and continuing to receive software updates past the release of its successor.

It's fun to speculate. Not necessarily informative - but fun.

One fact is that components go EOL fairly regularly. One can contract somewhat around this - but it's sometimes difficult to cover 100% parts on a PCB "indefinitely" (... or as long as you'd otherwise wish). So sometimes the hand is forced to just refresh in order to get another lease on component life.

Milking the current product with a white version and that being some sort of signal does have some resonance for me.

Given Montage has already been a test platform for MIDI 2.0 - I'd like to see that come to market before the last firmware rolls out. It'd be fun to see Yamaha play lead-dog on MIDI 2.0 and right-size the MIDI receive limits at the same time.

But who knows - we could all be wrong and Montage lasts until 2025. Or the death-nail is scheduled for 2:30pm EST tomorrow.

It is fun to speculate!

I can guarantee the death-nail will not be 2:30pm EST or anytime in 2019! 😉
I can pretty much guarantee it won't be any time in 2020, and almost guarantee not in 2021...we know Yamaha are working on stuff, the pitch bend midi bug for starters. Ideascale is still going strong and we've yet to see the VA engine...some may think they are planning that for a new synth, but I think they could easily add it to the Montage/MODX & this is perfectly in line with their roadmap. I don't know how many more large updates with new fairly big features (i.e. Pattern Sequencer) that we will see, but unless Yamaha decide to veer from their Montage/MODX software based 'roadmap', I think we will see several big updates in the next 2 to 3 years (including a VA engine, which they are likely saving as a response to Korg's next big release), with a few new colours to add to the White...maybe even a new MODX colour as well!? Yamaha's out of the box thinking in providing basically a new synth every so often via software updates is going to pay off, and I think people are starting to see this, meaning people will hold more value to a synth that has longer life and continuing newly added features. Just like Toyota's & Honda's hold their book value better than any other car, so will the Montage/MODX!! Roland comes out with a brand new Synth and then Yamaha responds soon after with major features enhancements plus a new colour option. Korg will no doubt come out with something new sometime soon, and Yamaha will respond with a new VA engine, new effects, Performances and another colour. The cost for Roland and Korg to release new Hardware & Software synths is likely double or more what it costs Yamaha to do via software alone. If people know they can count on longer life and continual features/enhancements, they will put more stock in that product...

And with MIDI 2.0, I would be quite surprised if the Montage/MODX are not the first synths to introduce this!
I think the Montage & MODX will be around & continually upgraded at least until 2023, if not longer..!

If you're going to buy a new synth and there is a $2000 or less option (MODX) that is light as a feather, has a new VA engine, tonnes of the latest effects, other enhancements, and MIDI 2.0 functionality ... or you could pay more than twice that to get a few more features & better build quality, but no MIDI 2.0, which would you choose? That will be a question burning in many people's minds, and many if not most, will opt for the less expensive/lighter option, especially if it's for a second synth! 😀

One thing I think we can be certain of is that Yamaha are not going to use NAMM to release anything major...

And then there's that 1 or 2 major feature enhancements that Yamaha definitely have up their sleeves to add that no one saw coming, and are completely revolutionary & mind blowing!! I don't have a clue what they are yet, but it will be a shockingly awesome surprise when they are released...! :p

I suppose the white Montage is the death knell heralding an impending death-nail-in-the-coffin in this scenario? 😀
That's kind of a spooky thought. It's like "The Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come."

I don't think that providing software updates for a computer platform is thinking outside the box, especially when you're starting with a development-friendly toolchain (Linux) which Yamaha has had since 2007. I think it's rather more outside-the-box to "barricade the expansion ports", withdraw funding for internal software development of the current hardware, and insist upon customers buying a whole new hardware system in order to enjoy the fruits of further software development.

It's something like the situation with the fruition of the internet. When sound and video became practically infinitely duplicable and instantly transportable, something like Napster was the obvious and natural consequence. Enforcing artificial scarcity via DRM and horse manure like the Digital Millenium Copyright Act requires mental gymnastics.

Based on Yamaha's business decisions during the last decade or so, I get the feeling that their financial department must be rather uncomfortable with the actual power and capability of the hardware that the engineering department has created, just as the music and film industries are uncomfortable with the capabilities of the internet; the inherently-suggested form of the product doesn't fit into a tightly-wound hardware life-cycle for which Yamaha prefers to structure their long-term finances.

The modern computing platforms of the Motif XS and Montage workstations/performance-synthesizers (which itself is a distinction purely defined by software) naturally suggest that Yamaha should move to become a software company on the same scale as which they have been a hardware company for decades, if not opening the hardware to third-party software development. Instead, their existing momentum and lack-of-maneuverability (which is inherent in a megacorporation) has led to outside-the-box endeavors to minimize the long-term growth of any given product past the point where they release new hardware.

Put another way: when you've got an industry which is dressing up cats like dogs, I don't think a company deserves much credit for creative thinking when they start treating the things like the cats they always have been after all.

My gut tells me that Yamaha would save a VA synth engine as an exclusive for a new hardware platform rather than investing in a proper software solution to allow it to additionally run on the Montage and MODX in some capacity, just as they neglected to bring FM-X (or even multi-part AWM2 performances, for which zero software development was required) to the Motif XS/XF in any capacity despite the existent hardware support for such a thing. More than once they've demonstrated an affinity for using software as selling points for new hardware.

It is nice to speculate that they'd improve their behavior so radically, though. After 10+ years of disappointing moves, there are a few beacons of hope in their recent updates which help fuel that speculation. I agree that meaningful long-term development of past flagships would significantly increase the value proposition in selling next-generation flagships.

I am also waiting for a new hardware from Yamaha to buy.
After staring at Montage 8 since 2016 I have recently gone Roland Fantom 8, as it looked
much easier for me to start the synth path.
I am upgrading from a Yamaha CVP 96, a masterpiece from 1996 still working flawlessly, and after a week I am truly delighted...
And my next planned stop is the Yamaha 88 keys synth to come any sooner or later...At that time I think I will be ready, so to speak.
In the mean time I would like to thank all the help and knowledge you people show hereabouts and from both sides: those who ask and those who answer. How much fun.
For me, this place turns out to be an outstanding resort to keep improving my scarce knowledge of music and understanding of related software.

Merry Christmas.:D 😀 😀 😀

Maybe this was a fluke - but when I was excited to try out the Fantom in the store (local shop finally got one in) - I quickly locked up the keyboard by doing nothing exceptional. I was running through some of the features - just doing normal things. After about 10 minutes of working with the keyboard, a sound got "stuck" until eventually all controls were locked out. Not even the power switch was responsive from either a short press or a long press that would typically force power-down. The only way to recover was to unplug the power cable.

... so Fantom didn't score any high marks from that first impression.

Hopefully this is something sorted through firmware updates.

Yes, I think Roland released the Fantom too early, however the freezing issue was rectified in the latest OS V1.11. As it happens there are quite often teething issues with new products. I think Roland are on to a winner with the Fantom, lots of exciting things in the pipeline for the future. I'm currently gigging the Fantom and haven't really encountered any issues with it, any additions and upgrades will be a nice bonus.

Regarding the possible software development of the Montage firmware, we must not forget how the computing power of the Montage is strongly SUB-USED. MODX has a unique SWP70 tone generator that provides it with 128 AWM2 Voices and 64 FMX Voices. Montage has two SWP70 tone generators with the slightest difference of the FMX 128-voice polyphony vs 64 FMX of MODX . It means that one of the two SWP70 tones is in fact almost unused. Inside MODX ---- INSIDE MONTAGE

Regarding the possible software development of the Montage firmware, we must not forget how the computing power of the Montage is strongly SUB-USED. Montage has two SWP70 tone generators with the slightest difference of the FMX 128-voice polyphony vs 64 FMX of MODX . It means that one of the two SWP70 tones is in fact almost unused.

I try to use as much FM-X sounds as possible, so I am using the second SWP70 a fair bit; however I can see Yamaha in a not too distance OS release, providing us with a new VA engine that utilizes that second SWP70, sharing it with the FM-X engine. And not on new hardware, but the existing Montage/MODX! This is more in line with their Montage/MODX roadmaps, which is to have the current hardware longer than normal & release software updates...allowing them to easily respond quickly to Roland, Korg, etc., when they release new hardward synths, Yamaha can soon after provide essentially a new enhanced synth without changing the hardware!

Yamaha will exhibit more than 75 new products at 2020 NAMM show

75 new products at 2020 NAMM show. NO NEW SYNTH 😮

RIVAGE PM Series Digital Mixing System and NEXO STM Series line array speakers.
.....
Yamaha Keyboards will unveil a family-friendly portable keyboard with high-quality Voices and special learning tools, as well as an addition to one of its acoustic product lines that adds design enhancements and new technology to broaden its range of utility and expressiveness. Guitars will launch a revamped acoustic guitar series featuring the groundbreaking Atmosfeel pickup and preamp system, as well as fresh new finishes for several lines of electric guitars, while Percussion will roll out products ranging from enhanced software to a signature instrument to a compact gigging set. Yamaha Pro Audio will roll out new loudspeakers from Yamaha and NEXO. Winds & Strings will debut a wide assortment of band and orchestral instruments, including an addition to the line of SILENT™ products