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Hello G - I am more sympathetic to the 'older' sounds, and an anti-fan of much 'modern' stuff the Montage is full of - but it is a real synthesizer, so I can change just about anything into something else. Calling up patches (OK - Performances) usually has me reaching to turn off the motion sequencer and the arpeggiator, and then twiddling the superknob to get at the real sounds used - though I'm often defeated by the sheer depth of the programming! I have downloaded several libraries too, with the ultimate objective of producing my own library with as little effort as possible! For me the pleasure is in the journey, not actually arriving!

It may help to know what synths were used - since Montage lists some sounds by the vintage synth.

Axel F: (source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axel_F)

Faltermeyer recorded the song using five instruments: a Roland Jupiter-8 provided the distinctive "supersaw" lead sound, a Moog modular synthesizer 15 provided the bass, a Roland JX-3P and Roland JX-8P provided brassy chord stabs, a Yamaha DX7 was used for tube bell or bell, bass 1/bass and marimba sounds and a LinnDrum was used for drum programming.

There are some jupiter-esque performances in Montage (search for "jp") but the supersaw isn't one. Searching for "saw" - there's a short list to go through. "Bright Saw" sounds close enough to me and some effects can get that echo to match the recording.

"Wide Synth Bass" or "Dry Synth Bass" or ""Simple Bass" or "Bobby Bass" - I'm sure there are more that would do fine for the bass.

Brass stabs - maybe "Simple Saw Brass" - there's others under "Brass" that may work also. The "Tacky Brass" with AF2 active and maybe changing the effect out to get a more matched echo.

The DX sounds are all in there if you can find/construct something similar. Searching, I find "DX Marimba", "FM Marimba", "Bell DX" - I'm not going to go through the song to pick these out - but you get the point. Leveraging someone else's information as a starting point and then searching using category search for things that match.

Jump:

You may want to look at http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2009/06/30/van-halen-jump-demo-oberheim-obx-a/

There's tons of info - this is just a random link picked out from a search.

Check out the preset "After 1984". Note other Oberheim presets start with "Ob" - but these are not the "jump" sound.

Cars:

http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2009/12/13/gary-numan-cars-hd/

For the Polymoog performances on Montage, you can look up "poly" and see if there's anything in there that fits. "mini" for Minimoog.

Also be aware that at a lower level (lower than performance) - the waveforms also follow a similar naming convention where the vintage synth sampled is "encoded" by some short abbreviation. So there may be more at the waveform ("sample") level for you to dig through and then construct your own PARTs using these elements as building blocks.

Jason, thanks a lot!

Very informative and very helpful.

I was just wondering if some Yamaha synth users might have already found a "match" for some of these sounds.

Or if there was somewhere that had these synth sounds that could be downloaded directly into the Montage's extra memory, etc...

Your post and suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Korg and Kurzweil often name their equivalents of performances to song/artist names - so this makes it relatively easier to "dial in" a cover sound for popular synth/piano/keyboard instruments. Yamaha takes a more obscured approach - but does provide similar content although maybe not as focused on having a collection of finely tuned performances to match a particular song. The "After 1984" is a pretty clear reference - so that one was easier to spot. There may be other performance titles there that can be decoded as representing something targeting a particular song. (Non-Yamaha) Synth presets are a little easier to find since the obscuring is not as thick.

It really depends on how satisfying you think the hunt (listening, breaking apart, etc) and customization (programming, even changing the sound slightly to your individual "voice" and not as an authentic reproduction of some recording) is. If you want to just use presets - there may be Motif XF content that has what you want already assembled - Montage is building the library - so eventually there may be a Montage version. Also consider what I said about the philosophy of how presets are put together by other keyboard companies and if that approach fits in better with your expectations/usage.

Others go the sampling route - so you can get into this and get the proper setup to do your own sampling and create the sounds you want either from the recordings or other source material. This would still work fine with the Montage as long as you supplement with the correct software to accomplish this.

You may notice I provided the least information in the last list. That's because my approach was to give you some tips on how to go about figuring some of this out on your own and follow the approach. I think you can take a weekend and get to reasonable sounds for these tunes out of what's already inside Montage.

I doubt your audience is going to recognize a super-imposed set of saws sampled from one vintage keyboard vs. another. You do get some artistic license even when covering a tune as long as you allow yourself that space.

Hi I edit / created on my good old Yamaha Motif many older populaire 70's-80's-90's Bands & Artist Cover instruments voice mode user bank sounds presets.
The huge advantage of the Yamaha Motif xs - xf series of course is the multi section pattern mode recording sequencer & pattern chain mix mode options
to can built up / record step by step also the complete top cover instrumental songs and can save as a all file [xoa-x3a] the voice mode edits / mix settings
and also the recording songs in pattern and song mode plus even convert directly to a audio wave file all without even need a computer & daw .!!.
Unfortunately a big shortcoming on the Montage. But, thankfully we can load also motif xs-xf [xoa-xov-x3a-x3v] sound set formats in the Montage that loads only the voices user banks but not the multi track recording sequencer songs, so to can give you a idea on these for in montage playable voice sounds presets,
i plug in de Motif audio L/R outs jack plugs in to the Montage audio in puts. setting some Montage effects and record on the Montage on board audio wave recorder a couple 80's cover sounds / and cover songs. so i still can use and play all my older cover sounds sets libraries with the many
70's-80's-90's cover sounds creations on the montage. to make a demo i selected just a couple 80's top cover sounds and recordings that do come close to the original.of -Van Halen - Peter Gabriel - Aha- Talk Talk - Scorpions - a compilation >> >> http://jmp.sh/v/4pzpAKYDQZHB7Xy2gNg4

Ron - nice job!

Your "Jump" sound sounds dang near right on!

How did you make it?! 🙂

Jason wrote:I doubt your audience is going to recognize a super-imposed set of saws sampled from one vintage keyboard vs. another. You do get some artistic license even when covering a tune as long as you allow yourself that space.

Thanks again Jason.

And yes, exactly, as long as the sound is quite close.

What I don't really like is when someone tries to do a cover and the notes are right - but because of sound equipment limitations it really doesn't sound like the same song. 🙁

Hi Jason thx for your reactions, to can near the original instruments sounds i spend on each single instruments lots of time to dive deep in the so many sound effects / mix options to come as close possible,after all that is wat a synthesizer is designed for, creating sounds . !! same story on the multi track cover version recordings Notice i do all without any vst - daw while that will never work. !! and of course yes it comes very close to the original, and lets not forget it is made on a single stand alone synth music workstation and not made and recorded in a multi million $$$$ professional recording studio mix table like the original songs are made. !!. and i´m just a amateur hobby synth player.who can not even read any music notes.and i must do all on ears so i must listening a lot to the originals . !! Btw these sound sets XOA are made on the Yamaha Motif xs that is all ready a amazing multi option synth music work station. So now that we have the Yamaha Montage with even mush more and stronger and multi AMD 2 and a FM sound engines and sound effects processor mix options we will even can come more closer to design - create bands - artist cover instruments sounds . !! here 2 more cover sounds and recording compilation demo´s - Coldplay -
http://jmp.sh/v/0TxMylF9Qmb63fWYfqXs

Santana: i spend some extra special attention on song 3 in this compilation music demo samba pa ti , to give the sounds and cover recording a sort of live festival open air windy sound atmosphere.!!.. http://jmp.sh/v/PCqUbHcDvXn799WY81Yw ..

Try some of the performances I recommended and see which category you think they fall into. My point about sound was more that you get the freedom to change the sound to your liking not because you are limited by choices - but because you are not limited and use your concept of sound rather than the original keyboardist's on a recording that is stuck in time. If an exact duplication of the recording ends up being your take on the best sound out of available choices - no problem.

I do understand there are different philosophies on cover tunes. Mirror image or interpretation. My perspective is usually to point to live recordings of the original artists themselves doing many variations of their tunes which even cracks the door open for those who stick to the "mirror image" approach to be open to interpretation.

By the way, there is a guide for Axel F that a MOXF user released with his sounds.

https://yamahasynth.com/forum/axel-moxf-1

Since: a) The MOXF has the same voices as the Motif XF, and b) The Montage is compatible with the Motif XF voices (has them), you can go through his list and do a category search on the sounds he's offered:

LD: Bright Saw
BS: Analog Perc Bass
SC: Percussive Chords
SC: GX1
CP: Marimba
LD: PWM Lead
PD: Dance Power Pad
SC: Big Comp
DR: Drum Machines Kit
DR: Rock Stereo Kit 2
SE: Noise FX
DR: Special SFX

Just leave off the "SC:" "CP:" "DR:" etc. part as these are categories.

And make sure your [CATEGORY SEARCH] is while in PART mode and NOT element mode - since the above list are VOICES in MOXF/Motif-XF and match up with PARTs.

... it's just one reference of how someone else configured the keyboard to reproduce the tune.

Ron - nice job!
Your "Jump" sound sounds dang near right on!
How did you make it?! 🙂

Reply ...>>
Hi well i always start when i like to create a single cover instrument sound i first record on motif xs the several song instruments tracks in the multi section pattern mode on the abcdefgh tracks recording sections with the standard factory voice mode presets , after recording i select one instrument like the jump synth brass, and go to the multi part mixer and effects mode options and draw with the asign knops & faders to reproduce that single instrument cover sound and set a pattern loop as long it needs to edit all single tracks cover instruments sounds one by one with all the effects & mix options , and when i think ?? it nears the original sounds atmosphere !! and when all pattern abcdeg tracks are full recorded and mixed . i copy the cover pattern mode tracks to song mode and there i -JUMP- again in the many mixing and effects options settings to mix the complete in pattern mode recorded song and mastering again the complete song in song mode when done i convert the complete cover song creation to a audio wave song file [ Notice ] still not hook up to Computer - Daw. !! while you do not need any cubase or other daw software to edit change - mix mastering a single recorded instrumental sound or a full song. In my opinion you can come to a better cover instruments sound end result , when use the built in power full sound effects. mix engine and not a computer daw software so it is all about to explore and discover the all ready built in sounds and mix options . After all that is wat a synthesizer is designed for making - creating changing - mix edit sounds !! wright ?? btw , sorry for my not perfect english writing im a old grand pa from belgium. !!. so ok yes it needs some time to reproduce all single cover instruments sounds , but i have lots of time for my hobby, and i like many styles music from the -70's-80's-90's-2000's- 98 % i created on the Yamaha Motif , and now i start all over to reproduce my favorite cover sounds & song version on the new Yamaha Montage and sure the sounds will come even more near the original bands & artist sounds atmosphere.and that is allways a great challenge.. btw i can not read any music chords & notes so when i reproduce a cover song i do listening part by part again & again to suck up the instrunents sounds in my ears to go play /record the cover sounds - songs projects -VS- the original versions >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo-CJVAyMV0&list=PL2SwSLjBVGA7JKcl3PIdElB73wJ-PFk8g&index=1

Wow, very nice Ron!

And nice YouTube channel!

All of that from ear.... VERY impressive...