pjd

I'm by no means an expert on actions. That's why I endorse "Try before buy." It comes down to personal preference (choice), so any of my comments, "reminds me of ..." need to be taken with a grain of salt. YEP, AP/EP is a lot more satisfying on GEX than MODX6 or FSX. I forgot to mention -- As to playing non-piano voices with GEX, it's a no-go for me. Playing organ on GEX was painful. Again, YMMV. Thanks! I really appreciate reading everyone's impressions. I really don't mind divergent opinions. -- pj P.S. The M8x is an instrument to be tried and considered in any case.

Could be an option for me in the long run. My hot button issue -- sending a full Bank Select MSB, LSB and Program Change message sequence in a single button press. After digging through Korg's documentation, I can't determine if this is possible. The lack of front panel buttons for patch select gives me a bad feeling, Egg Shen. 🤢 So many manufacturers neglect the basics while chasing the one-finger monkeys with arpeggiators and chord scales. Arg. All the best -- pj

Hi Scott -- After playing a bunch of keyboards during my quest, I endorse "Try before buy." At least the FSX actions are known entities. Fortunately, I didn't have any trouble finding an M8x to try. Not so easy when brick and mortar stores don't want to provide demo units. Can't imagine paying any sort of return shipping fee for an M8x! 😃 All the best -- pj

I meant to add my own comments about the M8X action after playing one. I'm looking at instruments in this price range which will enable me to improve my acoustic piano chops and I hoped that the M8x would fit the bill. As to the action, unfortunately, no. The mechanical feel of the keyboard reminds me of the old GH3/GH3X, which I find fatiguing. Much prefer the NWX in that regard. I've got to put in some serious shed time and didn't want fatigue to be a factor. Sound-wise, no res-er-vations. In the AWM2 department, Yamaha boosted the APs, EPs, strings and orchestra percussion. The new APs and EPs are truly nice (detailed), although lacking VRM and a few other features of the Clavinova series. The "Cinema Strings" are the Montage version of Genos (Mk1) "Kino Strings", having a very different character than the "Seattle Strings." In the AN-X department, I felt at home, somehow grounded in the old AN tone. The new rotary speaker sim is a huge plus. However, the Ms are still too big and heavy for me to gig. Everything is herniated. Everything. I'll wait for the rotary sim to come to the MOM or MOMO or whatever they call the little brother. I can wait. (Or is that "I can't wait." 😀 ) As to the 88 for home, I ordered a close-out CSP-170. Dealer tells me it's at a California Yamaha depot right now... That's the quick take -- pj https://sandsoftwaresound.net/montage-m8x-review-yes-i-played-one/

Had an old S80 with the piano PLG -- donated all to my nephew who loves it. I still have an AN-200 with the PLG inside. Got a VL70m, too. Til death do us part. Gut feeling -- There are folks with old gear and nostalgia. I know it's crazy to judge current prices by ebay, but those PLG boards could get a pretty decent penny. I sometimes get the urge to collect Roland stuff and the PLGs are harder to find than SRX/JV boards. If it feels like "hold," then hold. Keep everything dry and cool. It ain't going anywhere. 😃 All the best -- pj

It's pretty hard on the vibe(s), too. 😃 Thanks for the Greg Phillinganes videos. Been thinking about a meditation piece like "Lush Layers" and will be studying that one! Love his work! -- pj

Hi Scott — I really do mean acoustic piano hammers specifically. M8x ain’t got ‘em. Hybrid and Silent Piano have real honest to goodness hammers. Maybe it’s semantics, but a so-called hammer action simulates the feel of hammers. GH3/GH3X do not sense the simulated “hammer.” They use the 3 contact rubbers strips which are oh so familiar. I’ve played them all recently. If I could pony up the jack, I would buy an AvantGrand N1X. It has a true grand piano action — ain’t no simulation and it’s sweet! 😀 Thanks for your feedback. You are one of the few voices of fact and reason. The FUD on other forums is driving me nuts. 😳 All the best — pj

Some background information behind the GEX key sensors: https://sandsoftwaresound.net/montage-m8x-key-notes/ All the best -- pj

Hi Fleer -- Our messages crossed! Thanks for reading the article. The flat Macbook Air probably lends itself to an industrial design that lets them use the outside case as a heatsink. Yet, they probably still had to go out of their way to get the integrated circuit pack into contact with the outside case. Oh, and then there are folks on Apple forums begging Apple to bring back the fan! 😀 Anyway, we all have to make our choices as consumers. (We all work hard for the money.) I'd hate to see you miss out on a spiffy new instrument! In my case, I'll be waiting for the "lite" version N years down the road. Virtually everything and anything that can be herniated is herniated. 😄 Wishing you the best -- pj

As Jerry and others who have worked on press releases will attest, any public statements were approved by Legal. And Legal are loath to approve anything that smacks of a future commitment. 😀 I wanted to test drive an M today, but my wife called dibs on the car. Bummer! -- pj https://sandsoftwaresound.net/montage-m-fan-on-fan-off/

Yep, that is what I read. "Coming early 2024" reads like me trying to tell my managers, "It'll be ready when it's done." Jeez, that is soooooo non-specific. Old curmudgeon, here -- pj 😃

Myself, I've been shopping for a higher end digital piano for practice. Montage M8x caught my eye, too. I'm comparing against other Yammie alternatives like P-525, CLP and CSP. Like you, that $4k+ price is hard to choke down. $4K+ is in Clavinova territory and I know which one my spouse would prefer to see in the dining room. 😃 I will definitely try an M8x even if it's just for giggles -- pj

I'm not getting too excited about E.S.P. for the moment. Yamaha's press release states "available in 2024" and the initial version will be edit only. As a retired software guy, that non-specific "2024" stands out like a sore thumb. January? December? Next off, edit only, at first. It's gonna be a while before the VST is gonna be a general software instrument. Even then, the polyphony spec will pale in comparison to the hardware. Software is not going to beat dedicated hardware pipelines for AWM2 or FM-X. I think E.S.P. started life as a prototyping/sound design tool for the development team. Somebody then got the bright idea to monetize it. (Not a bad or unwelcome idea.) Now Yamaha engineering need to "productize" it. [I've been retired over 10 years and I still hate that friggin' word. 😀 ] All said, I'm positive on the whole E.S.P. concept -- pj http://sandsoftwaresound.net/yamaha-montage-m8x-initial-take/

Hi Paul -- You're good. E.S.P. was the second announcement. Both Genos2 and SEQTRAK are somewhere in the queue. -- pj

Yeah, that puff point caught my attention. The video actually says "542" -- which is, number 1, wrong. Number 2, 480 of those attractive voices are the XG sound set from the 1990s/2000s. My biggest beef with 515/525 is the lack of quality secondary sounds. Has me looking at the CSP models since I don't need a portable slab, i.e., furniture is OK in my case (home practice piano). -- pj

Nicely done!

One of my favorite films. I watch it to see (hear) Bernie, Jerry, Chris and Tina. Byrne -- not so much given the band history. -- pj

Cute. 😃 I remember reading some stuff on the Japanese Hammond Suzuki site, but never thought to pass the info along. The Hammond Suzuki site separates slab organs into three categories: drawbar, stage and combo. The M-solo is the "drawbar" keyboard. In one sentence, "A compact collection of functions that make it easy to use a second keyboard along with an electronic piano." Period. I don't think this is going to grow into "stage" or "combo" territory functionally. The allusion to the old M series is intentional. Quoting, "The "M" in M-solo comes from the small B-3 "M series" with 44 keys and two stages manufactured in the 1950s and 1960s. The name was chosen because of the fact that it is held in place, and because it is intended to be played with one hand." [Google translate] Hope this clarifies -- pj

Good to hear. 😃 I still get crazy work dreams. I'm on a strange campus, I have to teach a class in 10 minutes, no PPT deck and I don't know where the classroom is...

Gonna replace my Reface YC with this. I've squeezed a lot of value out of the Reface, but its three octave keyboard and crap rotary fast setting have got to go. I use the Reface YC mainly for quick in, quick out rehearsals. Watching that price and availability date carefully -- pj

I'm taking all of this with a big grain of salt. Some of the numbers don't add up for me, among other observations. We'll know all the facts soon enough. The first thing I look at is the list of waveforms to see what is actually new on the AWM2 side. Silly me -- pj

Nope, I don't think you're wrong. It is weird. That means the -145 will work with the new FC35 portable three pedal unit and the -143 will not. Yamaha? Logic? 🤪

Thanks for posting those pictures comparing actions. I was just about to chase after that info! I missed one significant upgrade last night. Yamaha redesigned the speaker box and are now using a digital FIR crossover filter. I've been playing through a Stagepas 100BTR with an FIR filter -- good sound. (I need to review that little thing...) I updated my initial blog post (link above) after reading through the manual. BTW, I'm seriously shopping for a home DP and P-525 is on my short list. $2,000 street for slab, stand, bench and pedal unit is decent value. My interest is not academic. 😃 All the best -- pj Music technology blog: sandsoftwaresound.net

Yamaha announced a successor to the P-515 -- the new P-525: https://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical_instruments/pianos/p_series/p-525/index.html USA MAP is $1,600 and it is popping up on retailer sites for pre-order. A few initial thoughts, including the 515 vs. 525 differences that I could spot (before going to bed 😀): http://sandsoftwaresound.net/yamaha-p-525-digital-piano-announced/ The biggie is GrandTouch-S (wood) action instead of NWX. -- pj

I agree. My main point, however, is that the CK -- and even the Stage CP/YC "extra" voices -- are on-par with middling arranger series voices at best. I don't know how or even why Yamaha chooses to put less-than-premium voices on relatively expensive 'boards. With CK, at least, you get what you pay for it. This is one reason why I can't bring myself to buy a CLP-series Clavinova for home. The secondary ("extra") voices are crap and the CLP instruments are waaaay more expensive than the Stage YC/CP in comparison. [Edit: That's why the P-515 is a genuine bargain, IMHO. 😉] Sorry, the quality gap between the featured voices and secondary voices in Yamaha keyboards is one of my hot-button issues. The hardware platforms are ALL capable of better. -- pj