The Score Magazine - Archive January 2017 issue! | Page 29

MONTAGE
MUSIC IN MOTION
Welcome to the new era from the company that has
brought to you the DX and the Motif. Montage sets the next
milestone with sophisticated dynamic control, massive
sound creation and streamlined workflow
Yamaha has taken the wraps off the Montage, its new flagship synth, which is very much an all-rounder, and a serious studio/stage
instrument that comes in 61-, 76 and 88-note flavours.
At the heart of the Montage is the Motion Synthesis En-
gine, which combines Yamaha's AWM2 waveform-based
subtractive synthesis engine with a new "modern version
of synthesis" known as FM-X. This offers eight Operators,
32 algorithms and seven Spectral Forms.
Other features include Spectral Skirt and Spectral Reso-
nance - which are said to enable widening of the harmonic
curve and the shifting of harmonic peaks - plus filters, EQ,
an additional Common LFO and effects.
You'll probably be familiar with the AWM2 technology,
but in the Montage it delivers 128 notes of stereo polypho-
ny, with the synth having ten times the waveform capacity
of the existing Motif XF (in fact, it looks like Montage
is the direct successor to Motif). This can be used at the
same time as the FM-X engine - the engines can be played
in up to 16 keyboard zones and also layered.
Montage also promises a new method of manipulating
sounds known as Motion Control. The Super Knob can
control multiple parameters simultaneously, Motion
Sequences enable you to sync parameter tweaks to tempo,
and there's also an envelope follower.
As you'd expect, the Montage comes packed with presets,
including a high-quality grand piano and synth sounds
from Yamaha's DX and TX synths. It also offers direct
connection to a computer over USB - audio channels for
all 16 parts are sent to your DAW, as is MIDI data - and it
can even be hooked up to an iOS device.
All three Montage models feature a 7-inch touchscreen;
the smaller two keyboards have semi-weighted synth
action keyboards, while the 88-note model has a hammer
action. Availability will be in May, with pricing still to be
confirmed.
For more than 40 years now, Yamaha has created syn-
thesizer milestones - from the revolutionary DX7 in the
1980s to the legendary MOTIF series, Yamaha has set the
standard with its FM and AWM synthesis. Now it's time
for a meeting of generations: With MONTAGE Yamaha
presents a unique flagship synthesizer and re-defines the
criteria for stage and studio. Its Motion Control Synthesis
Engine, combining FM-X and AWM2 Tone Generators
with controllers, allow completely new interaction with
sounds and sound shaping, making MONTAGE one of
the most flexible synthesizers of all time. At the same time
the instrument is a dream machine for all songwriters and
keyboardists and comes with 61 or 76 keys with synth
action and with 88 keys with weighted hammer action.
The
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