Any other Yamaha Montage user?

EB5AGV

Hi all,

I have been (and keep being) busy trying to play keyboard with a band. On first tests, I have used my Casio CTX-5000, as it was easy to move, had a proper bag for it, and I was not sure if I would be suitable for the job. Well, I am not 😥 (yet) but they seem to be happy to help me getting into it 😅

So I decided to go with my better synth, which is a Montage 6. I have it for a couple years, but had barely used it (shame on me 🙃), because I was busy with other things, as piano VSTs. Now I need it as a tool, so I am becoming acquited to it. It is a beast synth, I love it 😍

I wonder if there is any other PC member with a similar synth (Montage / MODX), so we can share experiences and hints. I am absorbing info from the YamahaSynth site, which is excellent 👍

Thanks!

Jose

CyberGene

The closest I can go to Montage is my MODX6 that I sold a week ago. They are basically the same instrument, the same sound engine and samples, etc. but the Montage has twice more knobs (with LED rings whereas those on the MODX have none) and sliders, aftertouch, small ribbon, better keyboard and some other extras.

I absolutely loved its sounds and there were thousands of it! I purchased it to play in bands. However I couldn't for the life of me learn how to use it 😕 Its architecture and sound programming were non-intuitive and ultimately I gave up. Creating a split on the spot was PITA, etc., etc. But you may be better with that. I think Montage is probably the best workstation there is, compared to the offerings from Roland, Korg and Kurzweil but that's a subjective opinion. However I realized I'm getting old for this type of instruments and prefer something that is as easy as possible, without vast programming capabilities but easy to use in live situations, hence Nord-like. And since I'm a Yamaha fan, I purchased a YC61 which I just returned to replace with a YC73 because I just need more keys (and hammer-action ones, although the waterfall keys on the YC61 are great for pianos and Rhodes... a tough choice).

Let me know if you need any advice on the Montage but as I said, I couldn't quite grasp its inner logic very much, not sure if I will be able to help...

EB5AGV

CyberGene I have just modified my previous post to list the MODX as, yes, they are really very close. Well, I would not say the Montage is easy to deal with but, in just a couple sessions, I have been able to build performances for two songs I play on the band. By performances I don't mean arpeggiators and such (that will take lots more time for me to do), just keyboard splits with the needed instruments, needed pitches raising / lowering, and several scenes depending on the song section. Also, removing sustain from non-piano parts. The Montage / MODX is so powerful that it is inherently hard to get on, in my opinion. But, once you begin to explore its possibilities, everything looks really promissing.

BTW, I got my unit used (back then it was 3 years old) at 50% of its market price 🤩. I doubted on a new MODX7 or that used Montage 6 at very close prices. I decided for the later because of the superb FSX keybed (I liked it a lot from older synths and from the Genos), even if that meant having an smaller keybed. For piano, it is not the best thing, just 61 keys, but for synth solo parts and some chords, it works fine.

Jose