AN-X analog modeling in addition to FM-X and rompler
Still has the infamous big knob
Polyphonic aftertouch available only on the biggest, heaviest, and costliest model
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it should come with pain meds and a neck brace because your neck will ache after programming it for more than 10 minutes. even so⌠i didnât find it much fun to program. the âeverything and the kitchen sinkâ of it was a bit much for me. still wished they made an OpSix sized advanced FM synth stripped out of the montage. but they werenât having it. years ago when i mentioned this to the reps they said âyeah, everyone tells us that all the timeâ but apparently messages donât make it up the food chain from the reps. design by committee i guess.
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I remember when someone was pushing the original Montage as the ultimate FM synth, and arguing with anyone who disagreed. 
Too bad the CK61 is not a true âall Refaces in oneâ keyboard - which would have tempted me more. Instead of having the organ, FM, etc. engines of the Refaces, it just has samples of them - whereâs the fun in that?
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Pricing is outrageous in my bookâŚ4k for the smallest version, 5k for the biggest oneâŚwow.
yes! i recall reading more than one thread w/similar content on different forums. people get passionate about many things. when eurorack blew up some of the 5U crowd was really butt hurt and felt âbetrayedâ or something and one guy who came into the synth shop i was working at actually told me in person all about his butt hurt. â5U was the rightful format that shouldâve won outâŚâ and on and on. jfc. i think i made a joke about 5U being a thing people get into instead of model railroad trains⌠all you need is an engineer hat.
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Original Montage was also expensive AF - roughly in the neighborhood of Roland Fantom - so I didnât expect the new M line to be priced $75
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man, I love yamaha but would it kill them to make something that doesnât look like a digital piano for once?
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They gave up on making desktop synths years ago and donât seem to be listening no matter how loudly we cry and moan for them
The Kodamo Essence FM looks like bargain compared to any Montage if all you want is an FM desktop synth with more than 6 operators
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So with the analog sound engine in the AN-X engine â and the polyphonic aftertouch keybed with the M8x â how close is this to having a virtual CS-80 ?
I ask because over on SynthAnatomy they say :
So you get basically a virtual CS-80 in the Montage that can be played with polyAT.
While Yamaha only says :
The MONTAGE M8X action is elevated with the use of Polyphonic Aftertouch, which was a control feature that was offered in the legendary Yamaha CS-80 and DX-1 synthesizers. It allows players to individually modulate held notes with additional pressure.
My feeling is that the virtual CS-80 idea in SynthAnatomy is exaggeration.
I never thought the AN1x sounded in any way close to a CS.
The Reface CS from Yamaha uses what they call the AN sound engine.
Does that sound like a CS-80 ???
Maybe the AN-X engine sounds like a Reface CS ? 
At least they didnât just dump in some more memory as the only refresh feature.
Ball is in Rolandâs court for PolyAT as Korg and Yamaha have both brought out stuff.
It would be a mistake to dismiss Yamahaâs Motobot
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Iâm in awe at multiple levels.
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As a current Montage player the new features are nice, but there isnât really anything in there that would make me want to upgrade per se. This is good, cause I donât need more heavy-ass keyboards as of right now.
The extended user memory and new control layout are the biggest draw for me on these. PolyAT and AN-X are whatever.
They certainly make a lot of the refinements made to the analog circuitry and the improvements that that makes to the sound over the previous model.
Quoting :
⌠reduces noise and improves the dynamic range, crosstalk, low-frequency phase, and distortion rate, resulting in clearer sound at all volumes. The sound has more detailed low-mids and presence than the previous circuit.
Great, another Yamaha product that does not look like a digital piano
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So this is the closest to a modern EX5 then, minus the physical modelling and the underpowered CPU. Nice.
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I believe them when they say they changed the circuitry. Whether itâs an âimprovementâ for a given user might be subjective. Everyone likes what they like.
The core sound of the current Montage, especially in the FM sounds, is my favorite thing about it. Has this nice sparkle (without harshness) thatâs very different from an Opsix or the â80s Yamahas Iâve owned (TX-802, TX-81Z). I wouldnât want it changed.
tldr YMMV
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