miden Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 The difference is nothing short of amazing....if it wasn't for the performances having the same names you'd swear they were different. Perhaps this can be explained by this set of information... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfqUt4kLVaM very detailed and informative video on what's inside the Montage M (hardware wise). A pretty big upgrade from Montage. The keybed is a joy to play, after the MODX one (that I sorta forced myself to cope with)....MUCH bigger investment, but I think the 7, even without PAT (channel will do me) is a really nice sweet spot. Took a major hit on the trade price (the keys market here is very depressed at the mo due to cost of living), but worth it in the end I feel. It doesn't go below the E, however I figured for those tunes (left hand bass wise) where I need a range to the B, I can bump up the lower octave and get around right hand key range limitations. 6 Quote There is no luck - luck is simply the confluence of circumstance and co-incidence... Time is the final arbiter for all things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokely Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 I thought hard about doing the same and at one point Sam Ash (before they went under) had a pretty awesome 20% coupon that applied to it and I probably would have bought it if I'd been ready. My Modx has been very useful but I don't really enjoy playing it. I ended up going the Fantom 6 route just to change things up, but I'm looking forward to a nicer build quality and nicer keys (though I've heard the AT on the Fantom sucks, not the end of the world as I don't use it much live.) I have to admit I have some Roland nostalgia as my first real keyboard way back was a JX10, but I did a lot of video watching and playing of the Fantom 0 and I think it's hard to go wrong with either the Roland or Yamaha for my needs. If they'd had that super-cool white model out for the Montage M I would *really* have been tempted 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalpajazz Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 3 hours ago, miden said: The difference is nothing short of amazing....if it wasn't for the performances having the same names you'd swear they were different. You mean MODX vs. Montage or Montage vs. Montage M? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miden Posted July 5 Author Share Posted July 5 34 minutes ago, kalpajazz said: You mean MODX vs. Montage or Montage vs. Montage M? Between MODX Plus and Montage M...heard that in the studio....tbh, listening to online stuff, I think there is a substantial difference between Montage and Montage M too...look at that video, it will explain why. 1 Quote There is no luck - luck is simply the confluence of circumstance and co-incidence... Time is the final arbiter for all things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElmerJFudd Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 I played the M7 and 8 in the shop recently. Well built, great sounding keyboards with quality keyboard actions. Congratulations and enjoy! Quote Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursers Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 Absolutely enjoy and would have done the same but the weight is just prohibitive for me sadly. 1 Quote The Keyboard Chronicles Podcast Check out your fellow forumites in an Apple Music playlist Check out your fellow forumites in a Spotify playlist My Music: Stainless Fields Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaJockey Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 Yep, totally agree. I will have owned my Montage M8x for a year in a few months, and it continues to delight and surprise me. It sits as the centerpiece of my studio, and I've always maintained that it makes my old Montage performances sound better than they did in my old Montage8, and indeed the MODX I owned before that. I value the analog inputs for routing my external synths through, as anything input to these and run through the M's analog output circuits inevitably sound better.👍 4 Quote The companions I can't live without: Kawai Acoustic Grand, Yamaha MontageM8x, Studiologic Numa Piano X GT, Other important stuff: Novation Summit, NI Komplete Ultimate 14 CE, Omnisphere, EW Hollywood and Fantasy Orchestra, Spitfire Albion and Symphony, Pianoteq 8 Pro, Roland RD88. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoopicman Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 The Montage M is an elegant beast. I've got all the gear I need, but that doesn't keep me from looking. Great interface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miden Posted July 6 Author Share Posted July 6 17 hours ago, nursers said: Absolutely enjoy and would have done the same but the weight is just prohibitive for me sadly. Yeah, usually I'd agree, but it is surpisingly "carry-able" considering it nudges 18 kilos, one of those where the "carry" weight, belies the nominal weight....finding a case for it was very difficult as most quotes had a case weight at around 15-19 kilos. Found one that MIGHT do it - the Pelican Vault 800. It arrives Monday (hopefully) so I'll post a pic...it weighs just 9kgs....might need some judicious foam "reconstruction" hahaha! Quote There is no luck - luck is simply the confluence of circumstance and co-incidence... Time is the final arbiter for all things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Analogaddict Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 I started with a MODX7, upgraded to the (older) Montage and felt a big leap in both sound and feel. I got the M7 in October of last year and it sounds even better, more lively and better dynamics. I stil use the MODX a lot, it’s hard to beat the weight, but the M7 is amazing. I use a plastic Gator case and it’s quite manageable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursers Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 5 hours ago, miden said: Yeah, usually I'd agree, but it is surpisingly "carry-able" considering it nudges 18 kilos, one of those where the "carry" weight, belies the nominal weight....finding a case for it was very difficult as most quotes had a case weight at around 15-19 kilos. Found one that MIGHT do it - the Pelican Vault 800. It arrives Monday (hopefully) so I'll post a pic...it weighs just 9kgs....might need some judicious foam "reconstruction" hahaha! Cool and yes please love to hear how you go with the case! Quote The Keyboard Chronicles Podcast Check out your fellow forumites in an Apple Music playlist Check out your fellow forumites in a Spotify playlist My Music: Stainless Fields Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lsj Posted July 7 Share Posted July 7 presently i own a MODX6. purchased it after hearing the difference between it and the montage. and for the price went with the modx. I am guessing that Yamaha will come out with a cheaper build mx like the modx and the price will probably be almost one third the price and basically the same sounding. that is when I will upgrade. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miden Posted July 10 Author Share Posted July 10 On 7/7/2024 at 8:56 AM, nursers said: Cool and yes please love to hear how you go with the case! Here ya go... 2 1 Quote There is no luck - luck is simply the confluence of circumstance and co-incidence... Time is the final arbiter for all things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursers Posted July 10 Share Posted July 10 Oh wow! So it looks like a great fit did you have to do any adjustment? The Vault stuff keeps popping up in ads for me on FB, I like the look of their stuff. Quote The Keyboard Chronicles Podcast Check out your fellow forumites in an Apple Music playlist Check out your fellow forumites in a Spotify playlist My Music: Stainless Fields Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokely Posted July 10 Share Posted July 10 Just got my Fantom 6 and whoa nelly while I "knew" about the weight and larger size (for a 61), it's different once you get the thing In particular, the depth was more than I really expected--the thing is currently on the 2nd (top) tier of my stand so that I can easily see all the controls, but at a live gig it probably couldn't stay there....it blocks the mic stand attachment for one thing. The thing is huge, and the Montage M 6/7 is very slightly even larger. I'm not really sure what goes into these flagship models to require so much greater size. Fortunately it's really easy and feels secure to handle, no rounded edges (looking at you, Nautilus). A bit unfortunately, the filter cutoff and "main" mod wheel (not the Roland pitch thingie) are further up than I'd like....in any case I may map that to a foot controller. If it's the bottom keyboard, I may not be able to easily see these. I have to say that so far I still slightly prefer the Yamaha OS. There are things I like (and dislike) about both. A big thing to get used to is saving User tones on the Fantom...apparently when you save it, it falls under a user bank for that Type (vpiano, acb, model, supernatural etc). I edited a JX8 tone and saved it, then couldn't find the @$#! thing when I went to build a Scene because I forgot my tone was under "model". I'm naming all my Tones and Scenes with an asterisk on the end, hopefully I can search for that (the sql dev in me wonders if it'll be treated as a wildcard, need to test that! ) I'm not big on touch screens and a lot of stuff requires it on both of them (maybe there are ways to navigate with buttons for some/everything?). Some of the on-screen buttons are rather small and often my first try doesn't register on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miden Posted July 10 Author Share Posted July 10 9 hours ago, nursers said: Oh wow! So it looks like a great fit did you have to do any adjustment? The Vault stuff keeps popping up in ads for me on FB, I like the look of their stuff. Nope. They cleverly make it layers of foam that you can remove. It had three (two thicker and one thinner) in the bottom shell. All I do was remove two layers, and noen from the top shell and it's snug! Only thing is it's about 8cm too long, so I'll just insert a piece of foam I have at home to bridge the space, although it does not move inside once the lid is closed, I'll do it anyway. Half the price of ANY of the other bespoke cases, and no other pre-made case I could find was as close on the measurements. 1 Quote There is no luck - luck is simply the confluence of circumstance and co-incidence... Time is the final arbiter for all things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Emm Posted July 10 Share Posted July 10 Gator and SKB resin cases are where roaches will hold dinners after The Bomb, because they're likely to survive as well. I wish the wheeled models had been around to save me a lot of dolly wrangling, but the basic cases are astoundingly tough. People grin/wince with tales of something being bounced off the tarmac, but I saw it done to my Korg 01Wfd 😱 and it totally shrugged it off. Two shows later and a trip home, it took up its central rig position and continued to deliver. If I got a Korg tattoo , it'd need an SKB tat' under it. 2 Quote Do what makes you happy this week. So long as it’s not eating people. Eating people is bad. People have diseases. ~ Warren Ellis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stokely Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 Got my Gator TSA case from Thomann, it was way cheaper even with shipping charges. Not sure they still will ship them here, K&M unfortunately won't anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 I went with a Fantom 7 as my forever keyboard. Planned to use it some at church but wow, I'm getting too old to move that thing around. Got a MODX+6 for carrying around and told myself that if they ever release the PAT version of the Montage M6 I would upgrade. MODX+6 sounds great to me, but I hate the keyboard. Quote This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miden Posted July 12 Author Share Posted July 12 1 hour ago, RABid said: I went with a Fantom 7 as my forever keyboard. Planned to use it some at church but wow, I'm getting too old to move that thing around. Got a MODX+6 for carrying around and told myself that if they ever release the PAT version of the Montage M6 I would upgrade. MODX+6 sounds great to me, but I hate the keyboard. I hear ya on the weight! But I am not finding it too onerous. FWIW, I tried the Montage 6 a few back, and always seemed to run out of keys, requiring a second keybed, and ergo more to lug! For me the 7 is a sort of nice compromise. Quote There is no luck - luck is simply the confluence of circumstance and co-incidence... Time is the final arbiter for all things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunlight2 Posted July 13 Share Posted July 13 Have thought about the same upgrade but for live audiences I'd suspect the differences would be less noticeable. Hoping Yamaha will repeat the trickle-down product cycle of the the Montage and give us a MODX version of the M at some point next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miden Posted July 13 Author Share Posted July 13 3 hours ago, Sunlight2 said: Have thought about the same upgrade but for live audiences I'd suspect the differences would be less noticeable. Hoping Yamaha will repeat the trickle-down product cycle of the the Montage and give us a MODX version of the M at some point next year. Seriously doubt it, going by the info in the video (link in the OP)... Quote There is no luck - luck is simply the confluence of circumstance and co-incidence... Time is the final arbiter for all things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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