At Knobcon 2017, Yamaha introduced Montage OS v1.6, the latest update to their flagship keyboard synthesizer.
We talked with Yamaha Product specialist Blake Angelos, who gave us a quick overview and demo of the updates. Montage OS v1.6 features Sound, Control and Workflow improvements and is available now.
We’ve included Yamaha’s official intro video below, which feature high-quality audio examples of the new features.
Audio Demos:
Key features in Montage OS 1.6 include:
- Spiralizer Effect Types: The new Spiralizer effects added to OS v1.6 are based on the “Shepard Tone” scale. Named after cognitive scientist Roger Shepard, the Shepard Tone effect creates the auditory illusion of a tone that continually rises or falls in pitch but never seems to get any higher or lower. This effect provides interesting motion to pads, leads and arpeggios.
- 8 New Performances: MONTAGE OS v1.6 adds 8 new Performances utilizing the new Spiralizer effect types. These unique Performances take full advantage of AWM2, FM-X and Motion Control. Check out a demo:
- MONTAGE OS v1.6: Control Enhancements
- Super Knob Shortcuts: MONTAGE OS v1.6 makes it easier to edit Super Knob settings from the main Performance (Home) screen.
- “Edit Super Knob Motion Seq” calls up the Knob Auto display for editing the Super Knob’s dedicated Motion Sequencer.
- “Edit Super Knob” calls up the Control Assign display in Common/Audio Edit. This lets you set Super Knob controlled for the entire Performance
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- MONTAGE OS v1.6: Workflow Enhancements
- Super Knob Display Filter: A simple but important workflow enhancement is the addition of the Super Knob in the Display Filter.
- Display Filter, Common/Audio Edit: You can now set the Display Filter to “Super Knob” at the Common/Audio level. This allows you to see and edit parameters set to all Part Common Assignable Knobs
- Display Filter, Part Edit: You can now set the Display Filter to “Super Knob” at the Part level. This allows you to see and edit parameters set to single Part Assignable Knobs.
The update is free and available via the Yamaha Synth site.
The Montage sounds impressively ballsy. It occupies its own place in left field. Its hard to imagine having time for other synths, or maybe *any*thing else, while you soak your brain in the manual, because Yama-gear always has 4 mad layers under the surface. I suspect that you could do a major EDM show with just this, but you’ll get major studio tan while programming that magic knob for all of the changes. Its good to see Yamaha buffing the finish on the OS with useful updates. You don’t buy a beast like this with the same mental approach you’d take with a Volca! I’ll bet the tech’s manual for this thing would give you a hernia if you try to lift it alone.
How much does Yamaha pay for this publicity? Knob…
oh….thougth yamaha might have upped the o/s to make it a workstation
Its like the Roland Jupiter-80: everything about a workstation but the sequencer. I think it makes good sense to assume that power users will apply laptops & desktops to the job. A DAW is far better in practice than even very similar power crammed into a workstation frame. There’s also the fact that companies want to draw some of those digital piano & clonewheel dollars to themselves. Stay tuned for the Montage Lite at some point, with a more synthy keybed, 2/3 of the features and a sub-$2k price.
Yamaha still dreams in FM, and it’s awesome.