GEARREVIEW
Yamaha Montage 8 Synth
KEY FEATURES Super Knob Touch Screen “ Live Set ” Mode
2 Powerful Synth Engines AWM2 and FM-X
Game-Changer … Next-Level … Whole New World - These descriptions might sound cliché , but as soon as you get your hands on Yamaha ’ s new Montage , you ’ ll realize it is all that and much more ! Read on ...
You know you ’ re facing a Big-Time challenge when you try to outdo the best-selling keyboard in the world , the Motif ; but the Genius-Designer Guys at Yamaha proved they are up to the task . Here are the Headlines :
* SUPER KNOB By far the coolest feature of this new keyboard beast . Add an Expression Pedal to control it and this is da BOMB ! For me , it ’ s the perfect solution for so many challenges I face on stage while trying to blend , modulate , and change instruments . For example …
> CHECK OUT : ‘ CFX and Strings ’ - How many times a night do you start a song on grand piano and need to bring in a string section on the chorus ? At least half a dozen for me . With the Super Knob / Expression Pedal , now I ’ ll be able to do this without ever taking my fingers off the keyboard .
> CHECK OUT : Any of the ‘ Pipe Organ ’ sounds - Notice how with the Super Knob at minimum you hear only soft ‘ flute ’ pipes , and as you increase using the Expression Pedal you add ranks of pipes exactly as you would using the Crescendo Pedal on a Cathedral Organ ; until with the Super Knob at ‘ full ’ you have literally “ pulled out all the stops !”.
* SUPERB SONIC QUALITY Let ’ s put it this way … On stage with the Alan Parsons Project I ’ m playing tons of orchestral parts ; gorgeous string lines / brass figures and stabs / detailed woodwinds / every conceivable type of percussion , timpani , etc - I ’ ve been using the most expensive sample libraries on the market live , and about 5 minutes into auditioning the Montage , I ’ m thinking “… Why am I bothering with these Libraries ; I could just use the Montage for those orchestral sounds !” The sonic quality is THAT good .
> CHECK OUT : The ‘ CFX ’ Grand Piano - I have 4 state-of-the-art keyboards in my live setup , and I always turn to Yamaha for my grand piano ; it ’ s the heart of everything I do . I just turned on the Montage and played ‘ CFX Grand ’ for 5 minutes … No-Brainer / Game Over - This is my new grand piano sound live on stage .
TOUCH SCREEN ‘ Live Set ’ mode / Seamless Sound Selection / Easy layering - SO many features , SO little time in this article !
> CHECK OUT : The Touch Screen is very intuitive and very fast - I haven ’ t even seen the manual yet and everything about the interface screen is working exactly as I would expect . Even on the brand new features , my first guess with the Touch Screen is always getting me precisely where I want to go … no crazy-deep menu diving required … NICE .
> CHECK OUT : ‘ Live Set ’ mode - BANG-DONE . I ’ m already putting my sounds / performances in Set
46 Jan � Feb 2017 WorshipMusician . com