Tilt screen like the Tyros, I'm fed up with straining to see the screen. Obviously designed by someone who stands up to play

... since you touched on hardware changes - I guess I'll add to make every knob have a push function. I'm a big fan of push-function knobs because you get a "free" control in the same amount of space. These can be lit at the top as a "free" indicator. On/Off for the A/D gain could be integrated into the knob - then the push-button that's now for A/D on/off could be optimized out or reassigned maybe to the audition button or something else. The Knobs 1-8 with pushbuttons could get rid of the scene buttons and use those - but I wouldn't prefer that (maybe for a rack system, but not the full keyboard) - I think those would be neat as general-purpose user assignable switches assignable to things that make sense (Master, System, Insertion FX On/OFF, etc). Super Knob would be even more super if I could push it and it would turn into a tempo knob. Goes with superknob's pulsing tempo feature. Even the DATA DIAL which I was originally thinking could be exempt from the push feature would be neat if a center push would press [ENTER]. I'm sure it could be done so normal jogging doesn't push the button due to lack of leverage - but a center push would.

More scene buttons was mentioned before - ones that go across the entire board if it could be done. Would be nice to have a few scene buttons in proximity to where the hands are left at every transition when scenes would make sense (which means just about anywhere).

Assignable switches 1&2 override PART switches when pressed (ALL PARTs). Maybe there's a better way. When you switch to a PART - they display the PART mode - but still act as global (changing all PARTs) switches. Maybe add another set for PART-only. I'm not a fan of the "long press" or "shift press" idea for these since you have to get to them fast for articulation type things and coordinate with the other hand already playing piano keys. When in COMMON mode - the PART-only ones should default to PART1 (the anchor) and global act on all PARTs (including selected). This is a so-so if needed.

I'd like to see a 9th slider that changes modes. Able to act as that 9th drawbar. Another assignable knob above (or not assignable - maybe just participating in the fixed function EQ/MS, ARP/MS, etc -- in which case there's another place the tempo knob can come back). The extra slider can assume lots of roles - and others have articulated wanting different slider type controls and actions. Guess if we get rid of the 8-PART keyboard control limitation, then it could be a slider for the 9th PART. In element volume control mode maybe PART+1 element 1 volume. This would generalize its use as an organ 9th drawbar or way to take a 2-PART (multi-PART) performance and control at least all 8 elements of the 1st PART and the 1st element of the 2nd PART all at once. Opens up just one more fader-control action for everything (unless 9th fader is mode switched to something else - which would keep ability to stay "compatible" with the old way).

Commenting on some of the previous suggestion in the thread:

Not sure we need a zillion USB ports given hubs work - but I do see if there's a dedicated touchscreen interface - it's going to need a dedicated USB port to connect to the touch interface. So at least an extra one for that. USB 3.0 would be great and type C would allow for more options given the power delivery capabilities (at the high end). Although I guess the sweet spot is still type A/B more conventional interconnect. I guess a note to some - USB 3.0 as a higher frequency bus has more to take care of in terms of being noisy / an aggressor to audio signals. So if you don't HAVE to have a higher speed bus - then that's a good argument for staying slower. I think library load times and maybe even the ability to do some real-time straight-to-USB work (like enable sample editing with an external stick) would be great. Kind of reaching, though since Yamaha typically like to squeeze the juice out of mature technology before moving on (which is perfectly valid).

... I'm sure you kept up with the news (think you were in the thread) - Montage can use an external touchscreen although the choices are limited. I don't own any Dell stock, BTW - so no benefit to me. Turning this into a more (meaning supported at all) supported feature (less finicky) would be great for the next refresh.

The integrated bluetooth (I'm assuming bluetooth MIDI and not just generic Bluetooth for anything) would be cool. It'd cannibalize sales of an already affordable product - so not sure if it makes huge business sense - but would be cool for enabling Android support to have the latest Bluetooth standard MIDI I/O built-in. I can kind of see some benefit for supporting bluetooth other things - but those other things tend to be problematic (headphones, speakers) due to the latency though Bluetooth. Where MIDI is not a huge data hog and seems to work well enough although I haven't used it myself.

Wifi for firmware updates and other File I/O would be nice. Yamaha at one point had ethernet and ditched it -- partly because of the problem they were trying to solve at the time and need to do something easier/better. Once you start adding things like this you bury the firmware team in lots of stuff though. Because then you can start to argue direct-connect type things like direct-to-soundmondo and all kinds of web/cloud/etc. things. Also once you have something like this, you start to beg (or it's natural to see a pairing) for PC-side software that interfaces. Like using wifi to change live set, etc. Things that could be done via USB. (Opinion) It's a little bit of a slippery slope to me to put some of these things on the plate - but it's not for me to decide.

Button colors - I don't know if RGB is necessary (this wasn't suggested in post previous, but just thinking about the implementation side) - but perhaps RGB in the buttons instead of amber would allow for Yamaha to customize the interface a little better (color mode when buttons do something other than their original function - like Number A/B/C [1]-[8/16] buttons. And this would also allow for users to change from amber to something else. It's been requested somewhere else. I'm OK with the colors. But RGB does give a lot of choices for things to do on Yamaha's side. Kind of a "doesn't really need to happen" request - but I'm walking around the interface.

Velocity sensitive pads would be kind of cool. I think I'm more inclined to go external for those (add some 49-key controller with pads, or one of those more dedicated just-buttons-and-pads thing) - but I wouldn't throw them out if they showed up on a Yamaha flagship. Even non-velocity-sensitive "make-the-Number-A-Through-C-buttons-into-triggers-with-programmable-velocity" would be neat (although kind of a small target). If the velocities could be offset as a destination, then maybe modwheel or something else could change the velocity (not perfect - true v.sens. pads would be better). I guess those buttons (as they are today) are the wrong kind to work great for this - but changing them to double as a "micro pad" may be doable.

I'm not sure M.2 is great as a replacement for the memory architecture. The memory as it is, I believe, is connected so the controller has direct access to it without a filesystem in the way. I could be wrong - or perhaps an optimized custom filesystem. The thing is I think they do compression/decompression "on the fly" straight out of memory requiring a small amount of hurdles to jump over to get the data out. So I think this is more like CPU cache (fast) and less like hard disk storage (slow, relatively speaking). If PCIe really does give the throughput needed to do on-the-fly compression, then that's fine. Use an industry standard stick and let me go to the store to buy a bigger one (off an approved list of the few that qualify due to performance characteristics) if I run out of room. The possible issue is that you break Yamaha's special sauce by sticking PCIe and some form of filesystem between the CPU and the waveform data. They could cache it up to some smaller limited area that can work as today - but then you incur some load time between performances - or banks of performances - or somewhere since the cache can't hold everything. But this is also saying you're not replacing memory - but adding to it. So not exactly "instead of". The other guys simply solve this problem a different way - but there may be a time when some non-memory-bus can offer the speed necessary to do Yamaha's special sauce. Maybe now. Or maybe change the sauce slightly. This is an area sometimes when users simplify the ease of implementation.

Sequencer would be OK I guess. I don't use these - except for arpeggio editing. And then I do as little as possible (like use the "change all notes" features to get the velocities all the same - or gate times). But for many - forcing the computer was something they were not ready for and there is some argument for allowing both using the computer and a dedicated hardware device - having options.

What a joke! Well as long as we're being funny, here's my contribution:
The last time I was in Japan with BadMister, Jason, and The Rock, Yamaha took us to see the Montage 2, and my favorite feature was the beverage dispenser mode for the buttons: sake on the Japanese model, and latte on the American one. You get a built in water filter on the -7es and -8es models, but only the -8es has the built in bean grinder.

Thanks guys for the replies 😉 😉 😉

Definitely needs a tilt screen.

But also, or instead, I would really like to be able to access the Montage's display via a DAW plugin or seperate App.

Editing or building parts and performances would be so much easier on a computer screen using a mouse and keyboard than working on the built in display.

I saw a link somewhere of a large touch screen working with the Montage. Might not be wireless but you can place it at any angle and touch it at any position.

Here it is. A remote touch screen.

https://www.yamahasynth.com/forum/interesting-video

I just bought me one from Amazon. I already have the hub and the converter. Life is too short to stare at tiny images at bad angles especially on a synthesizer.

Yeah I've read all the posts about using external monitors, but it seems like a messy workaround for something that could be provided (maybe) via the existing USB connection to the computer, and I would much prefer to edit with a mouse and keyboard on a computer.

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound snarky, but this thing is astronomically heavy, and quite expensive as is. I think a lot of compromises already went into making it as powerful and as simple as could be brought in at a given weight and price point. Want a tilting screen? Tilt the keyboard. I do like the idea of the knobs being pushable for an extra parameter though.

John Melas is coming out with a computer editor for the Montage soon. Perhaps that will also run on a tablet, and answer some of these concerns.

@Tommy. Can I please have the 9es module with Cappuccino and a coke dispenser with ice-cubes?

I really don't understand all this "I can't get no satisfaction" stuff. I have mine ever since June 2016 and it suits me perfectly, being a standing live player. It is a dream come true, and I bet most of the complaining users are of the Xbox-Nintendo generation. Montage isn't a game where all you have to do is press the pre-programmed sample or arp-buttona. It is an instrument, which loves to be touched by my dynamic fingers. It is a creation tool, so be creative.

Of course I have a wish-list, but in that case I should buy a custom made machine with prices into the 5 digits, like my former CVP-900.

However, one really easy to make (software) adjustment: Lit the transpose button when out-of tune. Also with a semi-tone, not only for the octave.

And indeed a wish for newer models: a 12 inch (split) display in the middle, with adjustable brightness, and options for adding user-pdf-files like score, chords, reminders, etc.