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Yamaha MODX


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I found a article Phil wrote.

 

https://www.yamahasynth.com/modx-category/mastering-modx-performance-basics-2-and-the-live-set

 

There are eight banks. Each bank has 16 pages. Each page holds 16 performances. It's more limited and more awkward than my Korg but It could work. But it's 10 pounds lighter and half the cost of an LS.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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It has a Preset Live set of what Yamaha imagined are either most needed Perfs or to showcase some particular motion control programming.

 

Then you can have 8 User live sets, and each live set can have up to 9 pages. Each page has 16 slots. so each live set can hold 16x9 Performances, and you have 8 of them.

 

you wont use them all, even in your busy gigging life. I currently have 4 Live Sets for the 4 bands I play with on occasion. I havent gotten to page 4 on any of them,

The baiting I do is purely for entertainment value. Please feel free to ignore it.
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Question re MODX6/7 action - is it closer to something like the FA06 or the Jupiter 50? I know it says "semi-weighted" but I'm finding a lot of keyboards billed as "semi-weighted" just feel like a non-weighted MIDI controllers. Semi-weighted is also a vague term. Nord's semi-weighted is a far cry from Roland's.

 

My FA isn't semi weighted - it doesn't claim to be, and it's just a synth keyboard with a hinge type action. The Jupiter 50 on the other hand has a synth style keyboard, but you can very obviously feel a bit of weight underneath the keys. Which of these would you say the MODX is most like?

Hammond SKX

Mainstage 3

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My 2 cents, and since I have the FA07 and considered the FA06, lets quantify the FA06 action/feel etc to help your comparison.

 

The FA06 keybed is very much a budget [ cheap] keybed action.

 

On a scale of 10 for synth action with 10 being excellent, the FA06 is a 2. IOW, this synth action is a deterrent not a plus. I know some folks will say they love their FA06, I can understand that.

Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ?

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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My 2 cents, and since I have the FA07 and considered the FA06, lets quantify the FA06 action/feel etc to help your comparison.

 

The FA06 keybed is very much a budget [ cheap] keybed action.

 

On a scale of 10 for synth action with 10 being excellent, the FA06 is a 2. IOW, this synth action is a deterrent not a plus. I know some folks will say they love their FA06, I can understand that.

 

Hi Greg, I have the same keyboard and would agree with your assessment. My question is how the MODX compares to it.

Hammond SKX

Mainstage 3

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My 2 cents, and since I have the FA07 and considered the FA06, lets quantify the FA06 action/feel etc to help your comparison.

 

The FA06 keybed is very much a budget [ cheap] keybed action.

 

On a scale of 10 for synth action with 10 being excellent, the FA06 is a 2. IOW, this synth action is a deterrent not a plus. I know some folks will say they love their FA06, I can understand that.

 

Hi Greg, I have the same keyboard and would agree with your assessment. My question is how the MODX compares to it.

 

Same here, I am interested in how MODX 6/7 owners make a comparison assuming they have experience with the FA06 or even the Fa07

Why fit in, when you were born to stand out ?

My Soundcloud with many originals:

[70's Songwriter]

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FWIW, I briefly tried the MODX7, FA-07 and KROME EX 73 at NAMM and they felt pretty similar. All short throw, bottom out easily, but a little better than the old Krome or FA-06.

 

It was by no means a thorough examination, though. I played the EX for ~20 minutes as it was new, but I didnt spend more than 2-3 minutes with the other ones.

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Semi-weighted is also a vague term.

Yes, semi-weighted is essentially a non-hammer (synth-ish) action, with some kind of weight added. Which still leaves plenty of room for one to feel very different from another.

 

MODX6/7 does not push up against your fingers as much as the FA-06 does. It also feels more even in its response from front to back than either the FA-06 or FA-07 do, so it's at least more like the Jupiter 50 in that regard. But I would not say it feels as good as a Jupiter 50, which does have more of a sense of weightedness. So maybe it's halfway between an FA and a Jupiter 50?

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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FWIW, I briefly tried the MODX7, FA-07 and KROME EX 73 at NAMM and they felt pretty similar. All short throw, bottom out easily, but a little better than the old Krome

That's interesting, that the new Krome feels better than the old one.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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Semi-weighted is also a vague term.

Yes, semi-weighted is essentially a non-hammer (synth-ish) action, with some kind of weight added. Which still leaves plenty of room for one to feel very different from another.

 

MODX6/7 does not push up against your fingers as much as the FA-06 does. It also feels more even in its response from front to back than either the FA-06 or FA-07 do, so it's at least more like the Jupiter 50 in that regard. But I would not say it feels as good as a Jupiter 50, which does have more of a sense of weightedness. So maybe it's halfway between an FA and a Jupiter 50?

 

Thanks Scott, that sounds like it'll be plenty playable for me in the case. I somehow gigged with a Juno-Di and then FA-06 alone for almost a year...I'll be able to manage the MODX7.

 

Found a buyer for the FA06, just waiting for him to finalise things. Once that's gone I'm gonna order the MODX7. Between its FM engine and sampled sounds it scratches the itch I've had for a dedicated synth at home (as I go down the rabbit hole of FM synthesis :hitt: ) and provides a lightweight, powerful single board rig for pickup gigs, which is pretty much all I do these days. Only thing I'll miss about the FA is the ability to loop and hold samples.

Hammond SKX

Mainstage 3

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We all have our preferences/opinions but here's mine.

 

Was gigging with the MODX8 for over 2 months, and now I'm back to dragging my Montage 8 to gigs.

 

I'm so over the stiff non-expressive feel of that cheap keybed. IMO it does not feel like a professional instrument and there's very limited expressiveness. The sound itself was good, but it does not sound or feel even close to the Montage. My MODX8 is for sale.

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I recently sold an FA-06 and I agree that the MODX feels slightly more playable (spent 2 hours with a MODX7 this past weekend).

 

I haven't played a MODX8, but I have played a Montage 8 and that action is incredible.

Korg Kronos 61 (2); Kurzweil PC4, Roland Fantom-06, Casio PX-350M; 2015 Macbook Pro and 2012 Mac Mini (Logic Pro X and Mainstage), GigPerformer 4.

 

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I haven't played a MODX8, but I have played a Montage 8 and that action is incredible.

 

Just played the Montage again this morning - to my hands it is still the best feeling 88 keyboard in the entire store. I really no longer need all that a Montage can do, but I would love love love to get that action in a digital piano.

Yamaha P515 & CK88, Pianoteq, Mainstage, iOS, assorted other stuff.

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Just played the Montage again this morning - to my hands it is still the best feeling 88 keyboard in the entire store. I really no longer need all that a Montage can do, but I would love love love to get that action in a digital piano.

I believe the same action was in the S90XS/S70XS, S90ES, S90.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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The new CP73 uses the Montage action but without the aftertouch support, if I remember correctly, whereas the CP88 uses a graded action. Oh, and I quite agree about the action on the Montage. Lovely compromise between a true piano action and something more broadly useful for other sounds.

Acoustic: Shigeru Kawai SK-7 ~ Breedlove C2/R

MIDI: Kurzweil Forte ~ Sequential Prophet X ~ Yamaha CP88 ~ Expressive E Osmose

Electric: Schecter Solo Custom Exotic ~ Chapman MLB1 Signature Bass

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The new CP73 uses the Montage action but without the aftertouch support, if I remember correctly

From what I can tell, this has made the rounds like a game of telephone, where a rep said it was similar, to other people reading that and then saying it was the same. As far as I've seen, there is no confirmation about exactly how similar it is to a Montage action beyond both of them being balanced (i.e. non-graded) hammer actions.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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Just played the Montage again this morning - to my hands it is still the best feeling 88 keyboard in the entire store. I really no longer need all that a Montage can do, but I would love love love to get that action in a digital piano.

I believe the same action was in the S90XS/S70XS, S90ES, S90.

In other words, currently only in the Montage. I might as well be looking for whats in my KX88. ;-)

Yamaha P515 & CK88, Pianoteq, Mainstage, iOS, assorted other stuff.

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In other words, currently only in the Montage.

Yes, but some of those other boards aren't that old will probably pop up on ebay/reverb with some frequency. Side benefit, they don't weigh as much as a Montage 8!

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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The weight of an instrument is not a consideration to me. Ive put 3-4 gigs a week in my rear view, 50 years down the road from my first band. I couldnt be less interested in that life anymore.

 

That said, Im still interested in a decent action on an 88 board with speakers. On my way out of Guitar Center today I passed by a Yamaha DGX-660 that I was unfamiliar with. It played pretty nicely, the speakers were beefy, it seemed to have a lot going on. I see it described as somewhere between a digital piano and a workstation, which seems accurate. I need to go back (with headphones) and spend more time on it. You can get a full-blown home bundle for under $900. Anyone have an opinion on it?

Yamaha P515 & CK88, Pianoteq, Mainstage, iOS, assorted other stuff.

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DGX660 has same kind of action as MODX8 (GHS), though for some reason, in my brief comparison, the DGX660 action felt better. It's an arranger-style board, and lacks MIDI jacks or 1/4" outputs... which doesn't mean it can't be enjoyable to play.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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Im falling out of love with the MODX8. The layout of the controls and touch display just make it a cumbersome bottom-tier board, and Im getting tired of the GHS, too.

 

Maybe I should get a MODX7 or a Montage 7. Itd be nice to have aftertouch again after almost three years without.

 

Not sure what bottom board to get, though. Maybe a CP73 but thats a bit limited and I am aesthetically OCD, so having the bottom tier board be less wide than the top-tier board would bug me to no end. But a 5 octave top-tier board...I just cant...

 

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Im falling out of love with the MODX8. The layout of the controls and touch display just make it a cumbersome bottom-tier board, and Im getting tired of the GHS, too.

 

Maybe I should get a MODX7 or a Montage 7. Itd be nice to have aftertouch again after almost three years without.

 

Not sure what bottom board to get, though. Maybe a CP73 but thats a bit limited and I am aesthetically OCD, so having the bottom tier board be less wide than the top-tier board would bug me to no end. But a 5 octave top-tier board...I just cant...

Aesthetically and ergonomically, I prefer my bottom boards to be shallow in their control surfaces. I think the deep control panel is part of what makes the MODX8, as you put it, cumbersome on bottom, and I'm not sure a CP73 would be a whole lot better. I'd look at boards like Korg SV1/Grandstage, Casio PX5S/PX560 (PX5S better suited for controlling the Yamaha sounds, if you might want to do that), maybe Kurzweil SP6 (I haven't seen it in the flesh, and I'm not sure how much the angled panel might help). If you want piano on bottom but aren't tied to a hammer action, a Numa Compact 2/2X could be another possibility (and a way to get aftertouch if you go with the MODX7 instead of the Montage 7).

 

IMG-6755-MODX-SV1-invisible.jpg

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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I went down to HOB for a set Thurs night. HOB is a load-in/out PITA downtown (San Diego). But Im cruising - just my MODX7 in backpack case and AX-48 stand in one hand, mini backpack with stage clothes. (Couple pedals in pocket. Set up quick and easy once closing band cleared from their sound check. Lo and behold my old buddy from my first band ever was running the stage sound at HOB now. One of my oldest friends on earth - almost a reunion, ... and uh-oh he says hes not getting a signal.

 

I dunno ... beats me. Check its plugged in, plugged into DI ... nada. I look and see signal is generated internally for Parts. Could the DAC output stage have failed on the way to HOB? Naw, it didnt get so much as bumped. dude2 swaps the XLR cable, still nada. Swaps my 1/4 - nada, no siggy!

 

Then dude 2 looks closer at my board - i had plugged into the A/D INPUT JACKS! Duh. I laughed and said well, it is still kinda new. Anyway - i still love my MODX7 for the lil gigs i do. Now ill Be sure to plug it in correctly. All was well, we rocked our set. Happy crowd. Its not for everyone, obviously, but i migrated from XF and MOXF - im geeked on it.

The baiting I do is purely for entertainment value. Please feel free to ignore it.
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I have done exactly the same thing but thankfully just at practice. Spent 20 mins troubleshooting bbefore finally realising I'd plugged into A/D inputs ;)
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That has happened to me several times as well. There are a number of odd design choices on the MODX that werent on the MOXF.

 

Convention on most keyboards is that (as seen from the front) the jacks line up as follows: headphone, output L/R, (alt outputs), input L/R, sustain and control pedals.

The MODX switches the positions of the ins and outs, and I kept making that same mistake. NowI have reprogrammed myself, but it still is odd.

 

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I've done two sessions with the MODX in the shop. I'm liking it way more. A realistic option is I quit playing Pop music and get my ass backing into playing Country full time and gets this to lighten my rig. Retiring from this is still probably the smarter move. I just got an offer from a good country band but they want me to play a whole music store. (Keys pedal steel, guitar, banjo, mando ) 🙁 But that was my thing. Jack of all trades master of none.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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That has happened to me several times as well. There are a number of odd design choices on the MODX that werent on the MOXF.

 

Convention on most keyboards is that (as seen from the front) the jacks line up as follows: headphone, output L/R, (alt outputs), input L/R, sustain and control pedals.

The MODX switches the positions of the ins and outs, and I kept making that same mistake. NowI have reprogrammed myself, but it still is odd.

thanks guys. Not a big deal, i dont really get embarrassed as i dont imagine im that important or expert - saves me often. And Id greatfully accept the rationalizations for my otherwise massive brain cramp but the output jacks are the same sequence array as on my Motif XF and MOXF6. A/D IN L/Mono & R. Then Headphones, then L/mono an R Out.

 

Motif has more jacks once you get past those first 5 which seem standard on Yamahas

 

Not to mention they havent moved since the first 10 gigs I played with the MODX. Lol.

The baiting I do is purely for entertainment value. Please feel free to ignore it.
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I've done it more than once on my MOXF. Quite embarrassing but still better than a real malfunction. Both times I was able to ask the sound guy to mute the channel, quickly switch the cabling and announce, "That should do it!" as if something wasn't quite connected... (he didn't need to know it was my brain!)
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