1+2+3+4+5+6+7= MONTAGE (lol)

Bad Mister wrote:

1+2+3+4+5+6+7= MONTAGE (lol)

lol, yes 🙂

But the Montage 8 is Yamaha's flagship synthesizer and costs $4,000.

The Montage is much more synthesizer than most of us here (MOXF thread) will ever need.

Yamaha could up the price of the new MOXF by $300 to $1,999 - and include all of the above.

That way there would be 3 very well delineated Yamaha Synthesizers - the entry level MX88 ($1,000); the mid-tier new MOXF ($2,000); and then the flagship Montage ($4,000).

If Kawai (a smaller company than Yamaha) can make their MP7 ($1,799) with an aluminum and steel chassis, real wood arms, quality buttons and control knobs, ivory-like key surfaces, "real" power supply and power cord, etc. - Yamaha surely can as well...?

But what do I know... lol

Mr. Kawai used to work for Mr. Yamaha as a teenager, apprenticed at Yamaha and learned to build pianos...

all the rest you speak of is just unknown to me, and not based on any reality that I know, sorry.
Are you saying that it has a Song/ Pattern Sequencer, Motif XF sound set, 741MB of Wave ROM, up to 1GB of Flash expansion and weighs less than 33 pounds? I thought it was a stage piano (but what do I know? lol)

The customer for the MOXF wants lighter weight and no compromise sound and the ability to create your sounds (synthesizer). The MOXF8 is the best selling synthesizer of its type and has been for as long as it has been out. So it must meet the demands of a certain large segment of the market, no?

The MOXF is perfect, i want in new MOXF only 128 Yamaha made DX patches + more 80's synth performances.
Realy i want:
1. new AN1x
2. new 6 op. (16 voice polyphony) FM synth
(I don't like reface DX, Roland's D-05 looks great 16 v. polyphony full compatible with old D50,
more new patches...)

Bad Mister wrote:

Mr. Kawai used to work for Mr. Yamaha as a teenager, apprenticed at Yamaha and learned to build pianos...

all the rest you speak of is just unknown to me, and not based on any reality that I know, sorry.
Are you saying that it has a Song/ Pattern Sequencer, Motif XF sound set, 741MB of Wave ROM, up to 1GB of Flash expansion and weighs less than 33 pounds? I thought it was a stage piano (but what do I know? lol)

The customer for the MOXF wants lighter weight and no compromise sound and the ability to create your sounds (synthesizer). The MOXF8 is the best selling synthesizer of its type and has been for as long as it has been out. So it must meet the demands of a certain large segment of the market, no?

Touche'

No doubt the MOXF is a great piece of gear!

I am just telling you what I would like to see in the new MOXF - and what I am hearing when visiting retail outlets (like Guitar Center, etc.) from sales people.

Kawai even tout's its build quality (while taking a swipe at the other manufacturers) stating:

The goal is to give the cabinet a character and identity, so that it can be appreciated as a musical instrument, rather than simply disregarded as a square box that holds a collection of parts.

There is no flimsy plastic to creak under pressure, or warp and skew when lifted – this is a professional’s tool, not a child’s toy.

In any event, if will be very interesting to see what Yamaha comes up with for the new MOXF! 🙂

Here's my whishlist:

-Audio recorder (Instrument and A/D Input) and rudimentary editor (truncate, set loop points, root note) for wav files on the usb stick.
-Onboard keybank editor to make multisamples from wave files or edit (and rename) keybanks on the flash module.
-A free waveform editor for PC/Mac from Yamaha.
As the Motif XF is out of sale and the Montage doesn't have user sampling either there is no device left to create multisamples for the MOXF.

-Long filename support for usb sticks

-The new reverbs and insert effects from the Motif XF update. They use the same soundchips and have the same DSP power so this should be possible. Even with the current MOXF.

-Higher scanrates for the rotary knobs. 8 times per second is just too less for smooth parameter changes and ridicously low for filter sweeps.

-Longer ribbon cables and more stable connectors between the PCBs so that the connections don't get loose after a few months causing weird velocity issues and requiring yamaha soupport to fix it 😉

-Play wav/mp3 direct playback or synced to song start from usb
-Maybe samplepads and a little separate sequencer-triggerable 4 voice phrase-sampler like in the Korg Kross2 or the Roland FA6/8
-optional non-red plastic sides 😉

Oh, and some Rackmodule with flash support would be nice too 😉

Reiner wrote:

Here's my whishlist:

-Audio recorder (Instrument and A/D Input) and rudimentary editor (truncate, set loop points, root note) for wav files on the usb stick.
-Onboard keybank editor to make multisamples from wave files or edit (and rename) keybanks on the flash module.
-A free waveform editor for PC/Mac from Yamaha.
As the Motif XF is out of sale and the Montage doesn't have user sampling either there is no device left to create multisamples for the MOXF.

-Long filename support for usb sticks

-The new reverbs and insert effects from the Motif XF update. They use the same soundchips and have the same DSP power so this should be possible. Even with the current MOXF.

-Higher scanrates for the rotary knobs. 8 times per second is just too less for smooth parameter changes and ridicously low for filter sweeps.

-Longer ribbon cables and more stable connectors between the PCBs so that the connections don't get loose after a few months causing weird velocity issues and requiring yamaha soupport to fix it 😉

-Play wav/mp3 direct playback or synced to song start from usb
-Maybe samplepads and a little separate sequencer-triggerable 4 voice phrase-sampler like in the Korg Kross2 or the Roland FA6/8
-optional non-red plastic sides 😉

Oh, and some Rackmodule with flash support would be nice too 😉

LOL - you want it to be gold-plated too 😀

Yamaha has stated, with its launch of the Montage - that they are going back to the synthesizer-workstation differentiation...

Especially with the proliferation and popularity of workstation software, etc.

So I am fairly certain that the MOXF replacement won't have all of the workstation features that several have become accustom to having...

Which is more than fine with me.

A real powercord.

That it Still has the pattern seq, No montage for me cause they Tool it away.

A second FC input.

A separate out for click etc.

Play midi triggade backtracks from usb so you not need to put Them on flash.

may be no need MOXF replacement, but AN/DX hybrid will be great...

Bad Mister wrote:

1+2+3+4+5+6+7= MONTAGE (lol)

Exactly! thats exactly what I want! You get me!

Just as Yamaha scaled the excellent Motif XF down to lighter/cheaper MOXF, I want the next MOXF to be the same exact scaled transformation of Montage -> I bring you ... "MOXTAGE"!!!

(crowd erupts ... raaaaaahhhhh! Retail stores hire additional customer care reps to handle the surge in customer volume, Yamaha builds a new factory to meet demand, Bad Mister is appointed CTO/Guru Emeritus for championing the project and is given a corporate jet to fulfill his new global synth-bassador tech role)

a satisfied owner of both XF7 and MOXF6, I love them both. but my MOXF gets 90% of my "action" nowadays as it flies for free and is much lighter and easier to gig with while delivering all of the critical functionality I used in XF7. All of these machines are so vast, none of us use all of its capabilities. I don't even try to come anywhere close. There were some things more convenient in XF, but the only hard loss I've had to compensate for is one less octave of keys. MOXF does everything else that I use.

David wrote:
..I want the next MOXF to be the same exact scaled transformation of Montage -> I bring you ... "MOXTAGE"!!!

That sounds great... as long as it keeps the Sequencer, VSTi and the Advanced Integration 😉

But since that may be a tall order, my wish list would go like this:

[list=l]
Ability to cross-fade between parts using a continuous controller. I had this wish before Montage was released, I would simply love to roam between say Quick Bows and a Large section in a live performance, using a pedal or aftertouch controller.
Increased sequencer memory, or ability to save unique songs, performances, etc. per file, with long filename support.
Interface improvements:
- Larger screen. Touch screen not a priority for me, if the next wish below is more feasible;
- A responsive (re-sizable) VST Editor, or ability to use IPAD apps while connected to a DAW;
- Channel activity monitoring - if not on the screen, maybe something as simple as a slight LED brightness drop/jump on the [1]-[16] buttons;
- And since we are talking about these buttons, an LED color change for each mode [voice / pattern section / track, etc.] would be useful;
Pushing AI development even further. I imagine integration similar to MCU, where the Category button could be used to browse available Cubase VST instruments and insert effects. So much potential here given the circumstances.

Of course the list could be much more aggressive / unrealistic at this price range - more parts, after touch, etc. - but any of the items above is worth an upgrade in my book, even a price jump. I am too very happy with the instrument as it is, but I would be ecstatic to find any of these implemented.

I'd like to see a complete overhaul for better useability. Fat chance.