While advances in technology have made much deeper FM synthesis practical, FM-X is just one of the Montage’s two synth engines. The Montage keyboards also offer the AWM2 engine, a 128-note polyphonic synth engine that’s an evolution of the one in Yamaha’s Motif synth line. Utilized with FM-X you can explore some very different and new possibilities. Sound can be modulated by other Parts or external audio signals using the Envelope Follower. The Montage has a stereo A/D input, so you can modulate parameters with an external source, or you can use one part to modulate another with the Envelope Follower.He highlights uses the ‘Super Knob’ (A large macro control knob with a ‘mind-numbing’ number of control destinations, that you can affect in different ways simultaneously.) Deep real-time sound sculpting – “The real time sound sculpting possibilities over the FM-X engine is super deep,” according to Angelos.Much more intuitive sound editing with sliders, buttons, and knobs.Motion Sequences (This allows for many options for rhythmic control over the deeper FM-X engine in Montage).Insert and System Effects (The Montage has a huge range of effect options the DX7 had none).Multiple FM Parts can be used in a Performance (Again, the entire architecture of Montage is completely different and a Performance can have many FM parts, not just one in the “mono” timbral DX7).3-Band and 2-Band EQ (at the Part level…No EQ on DX-7). Additional Common LFO (in addition to the Part LFO.Filter with multiple types (DX7 had no resonant filters).Random-controlled Panning (The DX7 was mono…and 12-bit).“Montage has a mind-blowing level of real time control, with Motion Control and the Super Knob alone, but then you also have the knobs, buttons, assignable switches, etc.” “Remember membrane switches and a single data slider on DX7? Zero real time control,” notes Angelos. Frequency Envelope Generator (DX7 did not have this).Spectral Resonance (Shifting the Harmonic Peaks).This is a powerful editing tool to change the harmonics present. Spectral Skirt (Broadening the Harmonic Curve).The All 1/2 are different types of sawtooth waveforms, Odd 1 and 2 are pulse or square type wave form and Res 1 and Res 2 give you a cool spectral resonance parameter to shift the harmonic peaks like a resonant filter (but at the operator level.there’s a filter as well!)” Angelos notes, “The Spectral Forms in Montage (Sine, All 1, All 2, Odd 1, Odd 2, Res 2) give you much more sonic possibilities as well. “This is a huge difference as the Algorithms, or the arrangement of the operators, offer way more sonic possibilities,” explains Angelos. 128 note polyphony (The DX7 has 16-note polyphony).Here is an outline of the main differences between FM-X synthesis, as implemented on the Yamaha Montage keyboards, and the FM capabilities of a keyboard many readers will be familiar with, a Yamaha DX-7: “Although it’s is based on the same type of synthesis as the DX-7,” said Angelos, “It is very different in terms of how it works, the flexibility of the FM-X engine and so on.”Īngelos shared details of the new FM-X synth engine with us. So, we talked with Yamaha product specialist Blake Angelos, right, to find out more. Our coverage of the Yamaha Montage synthesizer introduction generated a lot of questions from readers about FM-X – the company’s ‘modern, pure Frequency Modulation synthesis’ engine.
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