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The Must-Have Montage/MODX Libraries


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Not everyone seems to know about the best aspect of the MODX, the libraries! So I thought I'd compile a list.

Which one's are y'all using on gigs? What have I missed?

And of course the real issue is fitting them all inside of 1GB - has anyone had any luck picking and choosing, using the John Melas tool? I've yet to figure that part out (sounds like a bit of a ballache, really)

 

(in order of essential-ness):

 

1. Pugatory Creek Vintage Keyboards - Must have, Nord-level Electric Pianos!

https://www.purgatorycreek.com/index.php/montage-modx/

 

2. Analog Xperience - samples of Moogs, Prophets, etc. Very useful

https://easysoundsshop.de/yamaha-synthesizer/yamaha-modx-premium-series/14/modx-analog-xperience-download

 

3. Organimation - fixes the biggest weak point, the Hammond:

https://ksounds.com/product/organimation-tonewheel-organ-sounds-yamaha-montage/

 

4. Epic Grand - a nice alternative to the factory piano sound

https://ksounds.com/product/epic-grand-piano-sample-library-yamaha-montage/

 

5. 'Red' Pianos - sampled Nord pianos for your MODX. Doesn't have the same magic as a Nord, but nice to have! Feels kind of illegal.

https://itb-music.online/

 

6. Montage Expanded - some really useful patches in here, including all the classic DX7 factory patches

https://yamahasynth.com/ask-a-question/montage-expanded

 

7. CS-80 - a mixed bag, some nice patches, some naff

https://shop.usa.yamaha.com/en/cs80-montage.html

 

8. OB6 - awesome

Aynsley Green Trio - Caravan

Upper: Sequential OB6 or Roland Fantom 06

Lower: Nord Stage 4 Compact or Yamaha YC88

Sometimes: Hammond SK2, Roland System 8, Roland SH2, Roland SE-02, Roland JX-08, Korg Prologue 16

 

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Thanks for posting! I'm not using any libraries, I'll take a look at these.

 

I bought a Novation Summit in a totally indulgent don't-need-it-for-gigs move, but I'll still look at that prophet/moog one. I think the analog sounds are the weakest in the MODX along with the organs.

 

Currently using an ipad with B-3x, so far so good, but if that proves finicky I'll probably get organimation.

 

Personally I really like the acoustic and electric pianos in the Modx, the acoustic ones seem to work better live than my Electro's did. Do you feel the electric pianos in that first library are much better than the MODX's?

 

Certainly I'll take a look at the OB6 one, Summit or not. Occasionally on short gigs I'll bring only one keyboard and it would be nice to have some cutting poly sounds for songs like Don't You Forget about me that sound good (though one of the factory patches in the MODX works very well for the softer verse analog synth.)

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Beware of some of the libraries from Synth Cloud. I bought one of the Pink Floyd libraries and the Super JX. They must have some corrupt code or something...they both made my whole synth slowly slip out of tune. It is so slow and and unperceived until it"s too late....in the middle of a gig. Boy, that SUCKED!

 

I thought my MODX7 had malfunctioned and was going to have to be returned, but after a factory reset and reloading libraries, one by one, only those two caused the tuning go all wonky. It"s a shame as the JX library in particular has some great emulations.

My MODX has been super stable for six months now after deleting those two libraries.

 

Montage Expanded has a ton of fantastic synth pads, leads, and arpeggios...it"s definitely a must-have for me.

 

Organimation is pretty good, but it was released before the firmware update so only uses the first rotary sim in the MODX"s effects. The second one implemented with the firmware update is much better for my tastes...dirtier and more pronounced. But with typical Yamaha fashion, editing navigation is quite a challenge.

 

Analog Experience makes me not miss the JX library as much. It also has gobs more layers, sequences, and just plain more raw single sounds that most others I"ve looked at. Just awesome.

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Not everyone seems to know about the best aspect of the MODX, the libraries! So I thought I'd compile a list.

....

1. Pugatory Creek Vintage Keyboards - Must have, Nord-level Electric Pianos!

https://www.purgatorycreek.com/index.php/montage-modx/

 

 

I have some Purgatory Creek samples and think they are great. But I have owned and loved three Nord keyboards (Electro 3, Staget 2, Stage 3) and IMO, the Nord electric pianos are pretty long in the tooth at this point and nothing to write home about. I have always preferred the Yamaha epianos on the Motif/MOX/Montage/MODX family and the modeled Kronos epiano. So I guess I'm saying that the Purgatory creek epianos are probably way above the Nord. YMMV.

Yamaha CK88, Arturia Keylab 61 MkII, Moog Sub 37, Yamaha U1 Upright, Casio CT-S500, Mac Logic/Mainstage, iPad Camelot, Spacestation V.3, QSC K10.2, JBL EON One Compact

www.stickmanor.com

There's a thin white line between fear and fury - Stickman

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I agree, I don't think Nord EPs are top tier. Even without Purgatory Creek, I'd still prefer some of the EPs I've played on boards from Korg (e.g. Vox Continental, SV1/SV2, Kronos), Kurzweil, Kawai, and even Casio. Probably Yamaha too, esp. after playing the CP88.

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 wonder if we're talking about the same Nords here. Nord overhauled all of their EPs a couple of years ago, but it's not immediately apparent if you're using the older or the newer samples. The new ones are vastly better, with Purgatory Creek being nearly as good - the Wurly being the only letdown. Whether they are better than the new Yamaha CP88, I can't say. Are they the same sounds as the Montage/MODX? The only factory piano sounds I use from the MODX are the CP80, and the CFX Piano only because 'Epic Grand' won't fit :laugh:

 

https://www.nordkeyboards.com/enhanced-ep-collection-and-dedicated-ep-filters

Aynsley Green Trio - Caravan

Upper: Sequential OB6 or Roland Fantom 06

Lower: Nord Stage 4 Compact or Yamaha YC88

Sometimes: Hammond SK2, Roland System 8, Roland SH2, Roland SE-02, Roland JX-08, Korg Prologue 16

 

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I agree, I don't think Nord EPs are top tier. Even without Purgatory Creek, I'd still prefer some of the EPs I've played on boards from Korg (e.g. Vox Continental, SV1/SV2, Kronos), Kurzweil, Kawai, and even Casio. Probably Yamaha too, esp. after playing the CP88.

 

 

There are at least a few Rhodes patches/libraries on the CP88 that one would have a tough time distinguishing in A/B comparison from the Crumar Seven (if that"s a measure at all) especially dry. Samples vs. Modeling. With FX? Ok, if one is particularly familiar with the sound of Yamaha VCM vs others, phaser, tremolo, etc. then maybe more evident. There are a LOT of very similar sounding Rhodes patches on lots of various brand keyboards and VSTs. Much has to do with the condition and setup of the source instrument and typically they opt for ones in good condition. I like the Purgatory Creek libraries a lot because the source instruments really sound cared for and the samples are direct line out captures. Sometimes developers/sound designers pick a model that has quirks - which I sort of like as well because the imperfections give it some character. Of course attention to detail in the programming to get the instrument to respond well with the included action or a controller - they can all spend countless hours creating something that feels like an instrument you enjoy to play. Hence, why so many KCers own too many keyboards and VSTs that all make Rhodes sounds. :)

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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Can`t understand how Yamaha got the Performance Editing so confusing (trying to figure out how to save an edited patch from Montage Expanded..). Instructions indicate I have to save as User and Library files, load again and then I should be able to save my edited parameters... boy....
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Can`t understand how Yamaha got the Performance Editing so confusing (trying to figure out how to save an edited patch from Montage Expanded..). Instructions indicate I have to save as User and Library files, load again and then I should be able to save my edited parameters... boy....

 

Make edits, hit Store, tap Store as New Patch, change the name.

Aynsley Green Trio - Caravan

Upper: Sequential OB6 or Roland Fantom 06

Lower: Nord Stage 4 Compact or Yamaha YC88

Sometimes: Hammond SK2, Roland System 8, Roland SH2, Roland SE-02, Roland JX-08, Korg Prologue 16

 

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Easysounds has just released 'Nostalgia,' which includes classic synth sounds and templates that treat Montage/Modx more like a knob editing synth.

Barry

 

Home: Steinway L, Montage 8

 

Gigs: Yamaha CP88, Crumar Mojo 61, A&H SQ5 mixer, ME1 IEM, MiPro 909 IEMs

 

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All in all, if you"ve got a Montage/MODX, you owe it to yourself to get the Purgatory Creek set.

 

Could not agree more - I thought the default EP sounds were ok until I got this set. Then with the OS update I forgot to back them up and lost them but didn't realise it: until I dialed up the patches I use and right away realised the sound quality had plummeted. I then reinstalled and all was good :)

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Yes, to have the Purgatory Creek samples in a hardware keyboard alone is worth it to purchase a Modx - they are great and, in my opinion in a different league than the Nord Rhodes samples. They are more detailed, they sound nicer and simply more authentic than those Nord ep's. And for me, the âenhanced' Nord samples are slightly better than the old versions, but it's really not a night and day-difference, and i play them extensively on my Stage and my Electro. Still the old small stuff - some of them are nearly 20 years old! I can't understand how Nord can bring out their new Nord Piano 5 now without a single new Piano or EP sample on it...??

Nord Stage 2 76, Nord Electro 5D 73, Rhodes Mk2 73, Sequential Prophet 10 Rev4, Akai Miniak Synth, Roland JC 120

 

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Yes, to have the Purgatory Creek samples in a hardware keyboard alone is worth it to purchase a Modx - they are great and, in my opinion in a different league than the Nord Rhodes samples. They are more detailed, they sound nicer and simply more authentic than those Nord ep's. And for me, the âenhanced' Nord samples are slightly better than the old versions, but it's really not a night and day-difference, and i play them extensively on my Stage and my Electro. Still the old small stuff - some of them are nearly 20 years old! I can't understand how Nord can bring out their new Nord Piano 5 now without a single new Piano or EP sample on it...??

 

Huh, I must be in the minority here. I haven't tried the two side by side, but I still don't find the Purgatory to be the winner over Nord, although it's very close.

I still had to tweak the Purgatory 'Mark I' a fair bit to get it where I like it (my go-to Rhodes on the Nord is the 'Nefertiti XL'). I also found the Wurly and CP70 not quite there no matter how much I tweaked it - I ended up using the factory MODX 'CP80 Bright' on gigs. The Purgatory Clav, however, is killer.

 

But yes, the Purgatory Creek really changes the value proposition of the MODX, along with the 'Red' Pianos, you've effectively got a Nord for cheap!

It should be noted that the Purgatory Creek and K-Sounds libraries are also available for Kronos (in a larger versions sometimes), but then that's also one of the most expensive, heavy, and user-unfriendly boards on the market.

Aynsley Green Trio - Caravan

Upper: Sequential OB6 or Roland Fantom 06

Lower: Nord Stage 4 Compact or Yamaha YC88

Sometimes: Hammond SK2, Roland System 8, Roland SH2, Roland SE-02, Roland JX-08, Korg Prologue 16

 

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Yes, to have the Purgatory Creek samples in a hardware keyboard alone is worth it to purchase a Modx - ...

 

 

MODX rack (or desktop unit) please,- twice the user sample RAM, double polyphony, good sample manager/ editor software,- and I´m in !

 

Purgatory Creek libraries are high on my list,- MODX or Kurz K2700 and possibly for NI Kontakt too.

 

OB-6 library above sounds nice too.

 

A.C.

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my go-to Rhodes on the Nord is the 'Nefertiti XL'

My problem with that one is that, to me, the upper half of the keyboard doesn't sound right when played softly. It's always something!

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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my go-to Rhodes on the Nord is the 'Nefertiti XL'

My problem with that one is that, to me, the upper half of the keyboard doesn't sound right when played softly. It's always something!

 

Totally agree. Actually, the Nefertiti is a great sample, but the upper octaves have too loud attack and too short decay. I have made a split now with the EP5 (Bright Tines) from C5 up. That does it for me at the moment. ð

Nord Stage 2 76, Nord Electro 5D 73, Rhodes Mk2 73, Sequential Prophet 10 Rev4, Akai Miniak Synth, Roland JC 120

 

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Hope the mods don't get mad at me for making my first post kind of a plug, but I recently partnered with AcousticSamples to bring their modeled VTines MK1 to the Yamaha Montage & MODX.

 

Besides the Quick and also In-Depth Overview Video by me, I got Kiko Cibrian's Keyboardist to try out the patches and a review from "The Sound Test Room" is incoming shortly as well.

 

Here is that quick overview if anyone is interested:

[video:youtube]

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i listened to the demoes for the Chick Corea rhodes and the purgatory creek EPs , really tough call . does the modx have the memory for both the chick corea rhodes and the

bosendorfer grand ?

They are both slightly below 500MB each and so can be installed together. BTW, the Chick"s one is only Rhodes samples, whereas Purgatory Creek contains Wurlitzer, Clavinet and Pianet samples. If they offered only the Rhodes samples (two types AFAIK) it would have been 200MB and cheaper. I personally don"t care about the other samples, I"m interested only in Rhodes sound, so it"s a bit of waste for me which is another reason to be hesitant. They both sound very pleasant to my ears. But I still have a slight preference towards Chick. Also because I loved the guy and have grown up listening to many of his records and his Rhodes piano.

 

P.S. Sorry I misread your question, I thought you were asking about installing both Chick and PC Rhodes. To your question, yes, it"s exactly what I have on my MODX: the Bosendorfer and Chick Cores Rhodes and there"s 80-90 MB free space left if I remember correctly.

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i installed the purgatory creek EPs last night , am a little underwhelmed . the rhodes are not not all that better than the stock sounds and there are some strange

artifacts accompanying certain notes on release throughout keyboard . some patches more so than others . the clavs are really plagued with this .maybe i got

a bad install ? the demoes on their website sounded great , but not so much in my modx7 , especially the wurlis and the clavs

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Anyone else have any problems loading the OB6 library into their MODX (or Montage)?

 

I've always loaded and swapped out various libraries - Bösendorfer, Chick's Rhodes, Montage Expanded - without a hitch.

 

But with the OB6 library, I've had all sorts of problems - I can find the individual patches via the search function, but they didn't load into a User bank en masse.

 

And they loaded into the machine out of numerical order - all patches are named similarly - OB6 1, OB6 2, etc.

 

Worst of all, VERY few of the patches make any sound when selected. My MODX is working fine, otherwise.

 

Could it be an OS issue? I've never updated, and I'm still running the original OS.

 

I know, I know - I'm missing out on lots of great stuff. But the aforementioned libraries all load in perfectly.

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated - HELP!

 

Thanks,

Dan

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  • 4 months later...

Same here. I have had Mmy montage for a whopping 5 days and successfully loaded the montage expanded and the Narf libraries- the OB6 seems to load but not the same way....and I missing something?

 

Sorry....noob. I know. I can program the hell out of a DX7 and SY77. Still getting to understand the architecture

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