I should also mention that the early K2000 had a “sketch pad” type MIDI song mode, and then v3 came with a full-fledged sequencer. And they crushed it. It was really really good.

the only people excited about sound sharing online is the marketing company hoping to scavenge some private data when you visit them online.

I get your point. (very clearly put).

Another way of looking at any built-in sequencer is that you, Ty, wouldn’t have to use it or ever see it. I don’t understand why you say, essentially, IF the Montage had a good built-in sequencer, THEN it (the instrument) “would be of no interest to me”.

Why does the presence of a feature set you don’t want to use make you not want to enjoy the rest of the instrument. At various points I end up using the sequencer in my K2661. I’m glad to have it, and when I need it, it works GREAT. But most of the time I hang out in other modes. The presence of the sequencer doesn’t distract or take anything away from the synth itself. I imagine it is a fairly light bit of processing compared do all the DSP stuff.

Both questions “Why?” and “Why not?” are valid. The Montage is multi-timbral, it certainly has the display for it, plus tons of controls, perhaps some CPU headroom (not much needed), and it can be an out-of-the-way mode mode that doesn’t interfere with people who (for unexplained reasons) don’t want to even know one is there. The bare-bones MIDI “sketchpad” thing is understandable, but will always feel like a missed opportunity.

But again, it could be that the golden era of the workstation is passing. I truly hope not, but perhaps. I think Kurzweil and Korg are keeping it going, and for the most part, pretty impressively.

But Stub… I don’t disagree. Yamaha ARE capable of putting a lot more time and effort into developing a better sequencer (the K2000 call is a great one!)… and producing a great all singing, all dancing, all conquering workstation…or even stand alone sequencer….. If that’s what people demand, then they should.

But if they did, that instrument would be of no interest to me whatsoever. I bought an Oasys and have used the sequencer……. erm……. never.

The bottom line is simple…. the Montage is what it is. It isn’t a workstation. They said that from day one.. “this is a synth, NOT a workstation”… so i genuinely don’t understand why people are moaning about it’s sequencer capabilities….. it’s a sketch pad…. that’s all. We should see the inclusion of THAT as an added extra. Maybe what they SHOULD have done instead (just to avoid confusion) is given it NO sequencer capabilities….. AT ALL… then there would have been no confusion.

“You want a sequencer? Go elsewhere”

“You want a great sounding synth with quite special sound design capabilities? Welcome in”

BACK ON THE FIRST HAND…. I’ve seen this theme before, where Yamaha puts a half-baked (or worse) MIDI sequencer function set into a higher-end hardware product (e.g., DTX Multi 12).

I don’t doubt that the sound-making side of the Montage is wonderful. It seems to be quite feature packed.

I don’t really have a horse in this race. I understand that putting lots of development hours into built-in sequencers for workstations– when those same sequencers might statistically be ignored by some significant portion of users– would be a waste of resources. I suppose you could do that with any in-built feature– “Only 10% will use this. Axe it?”

But the overarching reason it frustrates me, is just the general feeling that workstations are just fizzling out. As a side example, Kurzweil’s baked-in sequencer for the K2000 series became the one-to-beat. Though it lacks some more modern features, it is very powerful and very flexible. But even Kurzweil made it “worse” with the subsequent PC3 series sequencer and beyond, stripping it of some important features that made it unique.

I believe Yamaha COULD put some serious work into creating a very capable, pro-level sequencer, and then kind of repurpose it for their other gear. The key would be to push the envelope in terms of flexibility, and features. That list that J Berkas showed is pretty sad. You almost want to say, “Hey Yamaha, if that’s all you’re willing to do, MIDI-wise, don’t bother.”

I love my FS1r. The Montage looks to be like that, with a keyboard and a huge sample playback engine and vastly improved UI. You can’t go wrong!

ON THE OTHER HAND…. those of us who see the Montage for what it really is (a great synth), and who read the spec (saying that with it’s deliberate lack of advanced sequencer features it was never TRYING to replace the Motif.. Yamaha said from day one that this is NOT a workstation!!)… for US it’s wonderful, and not a single one of these recommended improvements is of ANY interest whatsoever.

I don’t understand why you keep on with this Mr Berkas, The Motif and Montage are different instruments… I don’t know anyone that’s bought one expecting it to be the other. They’re both great instruments but with different focuses… it’s like buying a two seater sports car and then complaining that you can’t fit the kids in the back like you could with your SUV…

I’ve poked around soundmundo, looking for patches for my reface dx. The idea that sharing patches should be easy is great – the reality is that it’s a massive soup of bad patches with no way to find the few gems.

Implement CONSECUTIVE RECORD: It allows tracks to be recorded one after the other, instead of simultaneously.

Implement LOOP RECORD: Recording takes place repeatedly over a specified area, according to loop point settings.

Implement COPY: This function copies a specified area of recorder data. It is convenient for repeating the same phrase several times.

Implement DELETE: This function deletes a specified area of recorder data, and moves the subsequent data to fill the gap. As a result, the measure length will be shortened by the number of deleted measures.

Implement ERASE: This function erases all the recorder data inside a specified area. As the erased data is replaced by rests, the original measures will remain.

Implement INSERT: This function inserts blank measures into a specified song position.

Implement TRANSPOSE: This function transposes the pitch of notes within a specified area, over a +/- 127 semitone range.

Implement COPY ARP TO TRACK: It allows to place arpeggios in destination tracks. In a ‘Measure’ field, one would be able to specify the beginning bar of the copy-destination.

P.S.: Phil Clendeninn aka ‘Bad Mister’, senior technical sales specialist for Yamaha, has been informed.