GregC wrote: ↑Mon Dec 02, 2019 4:44 pm
not to bicker, but IMO, Montage is not twice the keyboard as MODX.
I realize the key bed is significantly different. esp for the 88.
I seem to recall Yamaha called Montage a 'performance synth '.
As you can tell, I have not seen enough reason to buy a Montage.
we all know keyboard players have their preferences.
simply, Yamaha has done a sterling job making MODX attractive, across the board.
I agree that the Montage is not twice the synth of the MODX, which was kind of my point when it comes to comparing the MODX against the Fantom or Kronos, because just like the Montage, neither the Fantom nor the Kronos are twice the synth in terms of value, despite the more than double price tag they have...there is no contest when it comes to value per dollar, and the quality/variety of sounds/Performances on the MODX are right up there with the best synths on the planet IMO. I would say the MODX is likely somewhere between 75-95% the value of the Montage, despite being half the price, depending on who you ask ... and likely somewhere in that range against the Fantom or Kronos IMO
However, as you alluded to above, there is a wider gap between the MODX8 vs Montage8, than there is between the MODX6/7 vs Montage6/7, specifically for those who value pianos to sound/feel as authentic & as great as possible. Unlike the MODX6/7, the MODX8 doesn't trigger sample velocities evenly across the GHS keybed, whereas the Montage8 does on its BHE keybed. If you read my much earlier posts you would see how frustrated the MODX8 made me in trying to play pianos specifically, while trying to decide what new Synth/Workstation to buy. Otherwise I wouldn't have paid twice as much for a keyboard that is 3 times the weight, as those are definite selling points for the MODX over the Montage & other keyboards on the market!
The only reasons I can see for you to buy a Montage over the MODX would be (I wasn't sure how you value pianos specifically, so for simplicity I'll only compare the MODX6/7 vs Montage6/7):
- if you needed maximum Polyphony and used FM-X sounds nearly as much as AWM2, therefore the Montage gives you 128 + 128 (via 2 DSP processors) vs the MODX's 128 + 64 (off the same 1 DSP processor)
- if you wanted to have a lot of libraries & your own wave file samples loaded and ready to go in User memory, whereby they amount to more than 1GB in size, then the Montage would have more value. The MODX has 1GB of User memory, whereas the Montage has 1.75GB. (again for piano enthusiasts, that adds up really fast, making the Montage far more valuable)
- if organs were important and you wanted more physical draw bar controls available, the Montage would provide more value as it has 8 sliders vs MODX only has 4
- if having more controls for playing live (knobs/sliders), then the Montage again has 8 sliders & 8 knobs, vs MODX's 4 & 4
- if you value having Aftertouch functionality in a synth, then the Montage is going to more value
- there is also much internal functionality where the Montage's limit is 8 and the MODX's limit is 4
- if you valued changing Programs & Scenes within the programs and didn't want to change much via the touch screen, especially when playing live, then the Montage has an easier route to changing 8 Scenes & has Live Set buttons, that makes changing Performances, Patterns, Banks/Sets, etc. via the touch of physical buttons with no need to ever touch the Screen
- if you value DAW integration & other inter-connectivity with ease, as well as access to SampleRobot, etc., then the Montage would provide this functionality
- if you value having the latest functionality/new features via OS Updates as soon as they have been released without having to wait months for it, then the Montage would give you this ability
- if you needed the highest quality inputs/outputs with the maximum amount of headroom to avoid loss of quality running close to highest levels, then the Montage would provide this to you
- if you value the quality of the keybed, then the Montage has the better quality keys with less issues overall
For many people, these types of added value listed above don't hold as much value as they do to others, thereby making the MODX the clear winner due to its price and weight! I am guessing that these don't hold enough weight for your personal preference either to justify a Montage, and I totally respect that.
For me, the holy grail of synthesizers has always been the ability to emulate real acoustic instruments, as well as have the most awesome huge synth/voice-like sounds with maximum polyphony on a single keyboard. And for me, the last synth I had/programmed prior to moving towards VST instruments, is the DX7II ... so you can see the appeal that the second FM-X engine is for me, and I got really good at programming the DX7II to sound just like an analog synth! I only wished it had more polyphony like the Montage does... And I am one of the few that really utilizes Aftertouch to the Max ... I can't imagine how else I would play an electric guitar solo that has the ability to do picked notes, hammer on notes, muted notes, harmonics, whammy bar bends, vibrato of strings, all while being able to squeal into feedback at will & to varying degrees!
However probably in the past 10 or so years, the emulation of real acoustic pianos specifically has become the new holy grail for me, making the Montage the only option for me. It also became this way even more so in the past 3 or 4 years, because I can only write songs on a piano (I've never been able to write on a regular synth), and since my 120+ year old upright is no longer tunable, I therefore couldn't enjoy sitting & playing an acoustic piano, nor write songs anymore. I should add that I love variety, especially pianos, but the Yamaha C7 has been my favorite since forever. The CFX is the closest, next best piano to a C7! And in terms of all the pianos I've tried both on synths or VST virtual instruments, as well as all the ones I've heard demoed/compared on YouTube, etc., the CFX is by far the closest sounding/feeling piano to an actual acoustic grand that I've heard &/or experienced playing to date, which makes the Montage8 the best synth on the planet for me. Currently I'm using headphones, but I can finally enjoy/experience playing an acoustic piano and write songs again!!
I've only experienced this once to date, and since then I've been saving my money so that I soon should be able to experience it all the time ... but nothing has come so close to the experience of sounding & feeling exactly like playing an actual acoustic grand as when I tried the Montage8 (CFX Concert with the reverb off) at the music store through a pair of Adam Audio A7X's.
