Notice how few things animate on the Montage/MODX screens.

Notice how the few things that do animate are visibly laggy in their motions and reveals/removes.

It doesn't appear there's much GPU horsepower, if any. Visual processing power is what's most needed for the visual cues of a linear sequencer. It doesn't feel like the Montage/MODX have nearly enough of it to scroll time in a note/event linear sequencer.

If we're very lucky, we might get a polyrhythmic step sequencer for notes and controls that's able to present and edit Patterns and Arpeggios.

But I'm guessing not.

I would be happy with some visual for a step sequencer edit mode instead of having to play in everything in real time, Especially for drums. Maybe we play it in but then there is a screen where we can go in and move notes around with our finger etc. Like the Akai MPC note edit screens

As far as keeping the modx and Montage in sync as far as updates are concerned, I paid a lot more for the Montage therefore it should naturally have more features. Modx would be a tradeoff in features for portability.

The Akai MPC probably has an order of magnitude more graphics processing power than the Montage. And a programming team that's another order of magnitude more happy, dedicated, devoted and better than that at Yamaha.

The average smart phone's screen is much better...Also, lag, and bounce or multi-trigger problems are far too numerous despite so-called screen calibration, as well the many, many poorly designed navigation implementation. I love the SOUND of the MONTAGE, but I do not like the design, programming, navigation, and lastly...the awful file system. Pretty much, the whole design is poor BUT THE AUDIO IS VERY GOOD!!.

sounds like the solution is to get an MPC one and place it over the top of the Montage screen and connect it up to control Montage parts.

sounds like the solution is to get an MPC one and place it over the top of the Montage screen and connect it up to control Montage parts.

That would be one option, but we're at a time in history when the options for hardware sequencing are very broad, if one insists to go that route.
The MPC seems so very DAW like in its current state that I'd wonder why would you do that instead of just using a DAW, but there are so many options out there to cater to any style and which are so much more interesting than anything that could be crammed into a keyboard (Cirklon, Squarp Pyramid, Roland TR-8S, the Elektron Digi* range, Tempest, Polyend Tracker etc etc)

The attraction of the MPC is:

Nearly all the benefits of a DAW (and almost a full replacement of), without most of the downsides, and many of the pluses of something like an iPad (purpose built hardware and software for low latency response).

Missing are things like the system admin role that one must take with a DAW and their host operating system, plugins, drivers, varying updates, part failures, the internet, user accounts, space for a mouse/trackpad and keyboard, configuring a controller (built into the MPC) etc.

Some of the other benefits that are somewhat in laptops, but better realised in the MPC are a degree of portability, connectivity (audio interface, MIDI plugs etc all built in) and a touchscreen vs a Windows laptop wherein touch is always an afterthought, at best, and not nearly intrinsic to the way the DAWs targeting desktops operate. This last point is worth looking at twice, I think, as the knobs for controls are right next to the touchscreen, too, and this is a best-of-both-worlds feature of the MPC way.

Further, and I think this is pretty big having just spent some time fighting with FL Studio - the MPC range are specifically designed to drive a lot of hardware, so they have no trouble being configured to control 16 "tracks/parts" of the Montage/MODX, and working with anything and everything else you have to compliment it.

I'm with you on the Elektron way, and Tempest, Polyend etc... I like them all. But none of them have near the full song making facilities of the MPC, they're more like very good hardware alternatives to Reason, whereas MPC is a complete solution, all in one box, all the way to production of an album of songs, complete with much ability to do post processing, too. Perhaps the post processing still vastly better done by specialists at a workstation, though. Granted.

I think the MC-707, Maschine, KeyStepPro (amazing little thing) and a few others need consideration when not thinking in terms of full DAW replacement.

And there's a couple of things on the iPad that show promise, but haven't quite got there.

Some of the other benefits that are somewhat in laptops, but better realised in the MPC are a degree of portability, connectivity (audio interface, MIDI plugs etc all built in) and a touchscreen vs a Windows laptop wherein touch is always an afterthought, at best, and not nearly intrinsic to the way the DAWs targeting desktops operate. This last point is worth looking at twice, I think, as the knobs for controls are right next to the touchscreen, too, and this is a best-of-both-worlds feature of the MPC way.

That's true. But personally I'm quite skeptical of touch-screen devices for this purpose. Doing MIDI editing on a small-ish touchscreen (be it MPC or a keyboard workstation) is quite frustrating (but certainly works for some, as illustrated by MPC's success).

I'm with you on the Elektron way, and Tempest, Polyend etc... I like them all. But none of them have near the full song making facilities of the MPC, they're more like very good hardware alternatives to Reason, whereas MPC is a complete solution, all in one box

Agree, if you're looking for a DAW replacement.
Some are. But for those that aren't (like me), a powerful sequencer that's compact and doesn't require fiddling with a touch screen might feel way more interesting.
All I (might) want is a nice, fast way of sequencing the 16 parts of my MODX. For now, Loomer Architect and Nuendo on a Microsoft Surface are perfect solutions for this. If I'd feel I really want hardware, then probably a Pyramid would do. Or just a BeatStepPro, since you mentioned that line. But it'd be a question of want, not need, and will still end in Architect and Nuendo for finishing. (I even thought of just getting an Akai MPD 232 which has a very basic sequencer but also sliders and buttons to be used as a control surface).

Anyway, TLDR version: there are tons of options, from creative sequencing-only devices to groove boxes to full DAW replacements. We're spoiled.

I have been BEGGING for a linier sequencer for the Montage for over a year and a half! I bought mine thinking it would be a major upgrade to my MOX6. It sounds great, but the sequencer is horrible even though Sweetwater advertised it as a workstation. I do have the latest update with the Pattern sequencer, but trying to write anything other than dance music using just the Montage is so difficult and time consuming trying to figure out how to use the looping scenes to make as many changes in the song as possible. Still, no ability to have time signature or tempo changes. No ability to edit one measure or even one note at a time. All this is available on the MOX for less than 1/3 the price. That's crazy. Also, the MOX has 16 patterns to work with verses 8 scenes on the Montage. I am a quadriplegic who writes my music one note at a time using a typing stick. I need everything in one package as i cannot fumble with additional equipment in order to compose songs. Sadly, my Montage has been nothing but a decoration in my room for over a year, because composing music on it is so difficult, and the thought of replacing it makes me ill knowing that i paid $3000 for it. Please, Yamaha. Give me (us) a linier sequencer at least somewhat comparable to the one on the MOX! Thank you!
~Jon Weems