“M” for multi-core? Multi-touch?

Posted on September 11, 2023 by pj

One phrase from the Sayonara Montage announcement sticks in my mind: “As much as we would have liked to, we cannot develop the current MONTAGE any further.”

So, how might the current Montage platform be improved?

SWP70 Standard Wave Processor

The current Montage platform has two SWP70 Standard Wave Processors arranged in a so-called — and somewhat offensively named — master/slave configuration. This tandem has been the mainstay of top-end Yamaha synth and arranger keyboards since the early days of Advanced Wave Memory (AWM). The pair are interconnected by a dedicated, addressable 16-bit data bus (ABUS).

The SWP70 is highly tailored for AWM2 and FM-X synthesis. The tone generation channels are dedicated hardware feeding an internal mixing/effects complex. Digital audio is conveyed on- and off-chip via I2S format serial audio streams. The SWP70 can support up to eight input and eight output I2S streams.

I doubt if this microarchitecture will change much. It seems to be entrenched in the Yamaha engineering DNA. There are two possibilities for improvement.

First, the current Master SWP70 uses only one of its two available WAVE SDRAM memory channels. The WAVE SDRAM is where the SWP70 caches samples fetched from ONFI 4.0 NAND flash waveform memory. The Master SWP70 handles AWM2 synthesis alone. (The second SWP70 handles FM-X synthesis and does not have any wave-related memory.) The unused WAVE SRAM channel is marked “Not Installed” and “For Future Model”. Most likely, the second channel would be used to increase the polyphony spec.

Next, Yamaha could re-spin the SWP70, perhaps producing an SWP71 variant. There is precedent for a re-spin. The Motif ES is based on the SWP50 and its successor, the Motif XS, is based on the SWP51. What Yamaha adds to silicon is anybody’s guess. 😉

ARM host processor

The current Montage host processor runs Linux and has many duties — none of which perform synthesis. The host processor is a Texas Instruments AM3352BZCZ80 processor operating at 800MHz.

The AM3352 Texas Instruments Sitara processor has a spec which is nearly quaint by today’s standards:

ARM Cortex-A8 32-bit RISC processor
- Single core
- NEON SIMD coprocessor
- 13-stage superscalar pipeline
PowerVR SGX Graphics Accelerator

The modest 800MHz clock lets Yamaha hit the desired power/heat operating point, thereby avoiding active cooling.

The key limitation that catches my eye is “single core”. This means that only one computational thread can run at any given time. Yamaha engineers must positively envy Korg’s use of Raspberry Pi 3 (Broadcom BCM2837):

Quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 (ARM V8 ISA)
2 wide issue, in-order pipelines
1.2GHz clock

With RPi3, one gives up superscalar for simpler in-order pipelines, but you do get to run four threads simultaneously.

I’m sure Yamaha engineers have studied newer, available embedded ARM processors for Montage M. Does the “M” stand for multi-core?

Guesses, anyone?

If Montage M goes multi-core, this opens the possibility of software instruments (and effects) running on one or more of the host processor cores. Current Yamaha synths allow expansion through sample libraries only, while competitors support the addition of new engines. Kind of ironic considering that its captive Steinberg developed VST plug-ins in 1996.

Even the lowly Korg NTS-1 supports the development and addition of new oscillator and effect models through the logue SDK (API) and librarian.

So, readers of Yamaha Musicians Forum, does the prospect of software plug-ins get Saul’s pulse racing, again? 🙂

The new choice for host processor and its embedded display controller may also give Montage M a new multi-touch display. Could “M” also stand for “multi-touch”. Using the Montage touch screen as an X-Y pad always seemed like a no-brainer… Then there are new possibilities for multi-touch articulation.

It’s worth noting that the new Montage M platform may leave MODX+ in the dust. I don’t expect much functional trickle-down from Montage M to MODX+. The MODX+ platform is riding the profit-pumping, low-cost technology curve and won’t be able to keep up with its jacked brother.

Random weekend thoughts

Posted on September 5, 2023 by pj

A bunch of crazy thoughts after the long holiday weekend…

Yamaha P-S500 price drop

The Yamaha P-S500 is a baby Clavinova Smart Piano (CSP) in the P-series portable digital piano line. The P-S500 has a greatly simplified front panel: ten touch-sensitive control buttons and a 2 line by 16-character display. [Hey, the 1990s called and want their display back!] This user interface parsimony simplifies the overall appearance of the instrument and makes space for the streaming (falling) light display above the keybed. The P-S500 has the CFX piano, of course, and the rather nice Bösendorfer — both enhanced by VRM

Like its CSP brethren, You need the Yamaha Smart Pianist app in order to dig deeper. Once you get below the surface, you’ll find auto-accompaniment and a slew of secondary voices taken from Yamaha’s mid-range arranger keyboards. The S500 voices are roughly equivalent to the PSR-SX600 arranger. Some people trash arrangers, but many of the arranger voices are taken from Motif XF! These voices are much better and cover a wider range of sounds than the recycled string, synth pad, choir, bass and vibraphone in much of the digital piano line. [My only beef with the P-515.]

Why mention any of this? September 1 and new price lists are out. Initially, the P-S500 was offered at $2,000 (MAP). Presto chango, and the new MAP price is $1,600 USD, same as the P-515.

At the new price, I think it’s worth considering as an alternative to the P-515. Unfortunately, the S500 has only the GHS action, losing the rather wonderful, P-515 NWX action. You also give up 5-pin MIDI. Worth a look if these things aren’t important to ya.

Hey, Yamaha!

Wanna sell more P-S500s? Put them in Music & Arts retail stores where people can find them. I have yet to see an P-S500 in the flesh…

While you’re at it, rename the “Smart Pianist Specifications” PDF to something meaningful to a customer. I installed Smart Pianist on my iPad to see see its tricks. Without Smart Pianist being connected to a compatible keyboard, I didn’t get clue one about what it can do. Open “Smart Pianist Specifications,” however, and I see the Smart Pianist features supported by each of the compatible keyboards — quite helpful to a prospective customer who wants to know what Smart Pianist can do.

Yamaha, do real people actually test your keybeds? I can’t imagine inflicting the GHC (P-225) keyboard on beginners. Stop being so secretive and get these things into the hands of real customers! The GHC needs to be fixed, now, before production ramps up. Try before buy, folks, as GHC is not merely an improved GHS.

Finger drum pads

The Yamaha FGDP Finger Drum Pads have dropped (finally). Thanks go to all of the sleuths who uncovered the FGDP trademark and so forth. The FGDP-30 and and FGDP-50 will advertise for $199 USD (USA MAP) and $299, respectively.

Yamaha FGDP-30 and FGDP-50: Recognize that trademark logo?

Yamaha, since the Montage M doesn’t have drum pads, did you test the FGDP-30 and FGDP-50 with Montage M? 🙂

Presence, absence.

I’m not the only person to notice the absence of Montage M leak stories on MusicRadar, Gearnews, and a few of the other big-name Web sites. Yet, there were the FGDPs big as life on MusicRadar this morning.

My guess? They all have Montage M review units and are under NDA. Expect Montage M reviews when the news embargo is lifted on announcement day.

Montage M preseason

Posted on August 30, 2023 by pj

Forum folks are picking over the Yamaha Montage M leak photos, so no need to duplicate that here! Wish we spent as much attention on world peace. 🙂

Many comments — my own included — are reading personal hopes and dreams into the new boxen. My own special hope is a decent keybed action for piano practice. I’m seriously looking for a practice digital piano in order to work out arrangements and get ready for Sundays when I need to sit down at the Petrof acoustic grand. That’s why my own guess of “X” for “escapement” is an act of wishful thinking. Dare I hope for Virtual Resonance Modeling?

The time period between leak and reality is much like football preseason. Right now, it’s the perfect season. Your team looks pretty good, no major injuries, and “Superbowl here we come!” Then, like a perennial Browns fan, your hope is slowly extinguished week by week. [Well, that was bleak.]

When I saw Yamaha’s parting gift — the character pianos — I thought, “We’ll be seeing these, again, shortly.” So, I won’t be surprised to find CFX, Bösendorfer, U1 Felt, U1 upright, Nashville C3 and friends in Montage M. Even if the pianos aren’t factory installed, there’s always expansion flash memory. Could I hope for the CK pipe organs? Same answer.

The most striking features in those horribly blurry, low-rez, leak pictures are the textured keys, six new knobs below the main touch screen and a new subdisplay above the bank of eight knobs and eight sliders. The subdisplay is a feature borrowed from Genos. On Genos, it’s called the “Live Control” subdisplay. Instead of fixing internal parameters to TONE, EQ/FX and ARP/Motion FX, the user can assign internal parameters to knob/slider groups and switch between groups in real-time. The subdisplay tracks current parameter values, updates and so forth.

Of course, the big question is “What are the internal engines?” AWM2 and FM-X are givens. Wishes include AN-X and the YC stage tonewheel organ. More engines means more parameters, so that Live Control subdisplay seems like a really good idea™.

The more I contemplate functional details, a larger question arises: “How will Yamaha keep the Montage M, Stage CP and Stage YC in their own lanes?” Yamaha need to make Montage M inviting while keeping the CP and YC specialists special. I think Montage M will follow the Montage line and remain a jack of all trades, integrating multiple engines into motion control, sequencing and studio audio/MIDI channels. Sound designers and players who need a generalist keyboard will still turn to Montage M.

Organists and pianists will turn to Stage YC and Stage CP. The simplified, focused user interfaces have proven successful — little or no menu-diving required. Yamaha have learned a lot after introducing the Stage CPs at January NAMM 2019. [The Stage CP tech is even older; check dates in the manuals.] The Stage YC interface is an improvement on the Stage CP. Hopefully, some of this experience has trickled over to the Montage M.

Which brings me to my concluding question. Even if we see AN-X in Montage M, will we eventually see an AN-X specialist keyboard, a Stage AN? Montage M would need to fit AN-X into its generalist usage model and I don’t think that will satisfy analog purists/players. [How ’bout alternate MPE control, too?] I think there is an open lane for a control-studded Stage AN specialist.

Yamaha P-525 on the way

Posted on August 28, 2023 by pj

Most eyes are on the Yamaha Montage M series leak. However, the list of new Yamaha products revealed on Yamaha Musicians Forum includes “P-525B” and “P-525WH”, indicating a successor to the P-515 digital piano. (The P-515 was released in 2018.)

Further evidence popped up on a Yamaha regional site. The digital piano accessories page shows the L-515 stand and refers to an “P-525” as well as “P-515”. This situation is not unlike the pre-announcement days of the CK88. “Hey, look, there’s a music rest for the unannounced CK88!”

Should we expect a Yamaha P-525? I think so!

The new P-225 and P-145 models each received matching stands: L-200 and L-100, respectively. The P-525 will use the same old stand as P-515. Therefore, I don’t anticipate any big change in the P-5×5 form factor.

Given the modest bump in model name, I wouldn’t expect much more than a functional spiff (i,e., a small refresh). Maybe a few more voices? Maybe a few more rhythm patterns? I wouldn’t mind “Grand Expression,” but I’m not holding my breath.

We’re coming up on the September/October triple-witching hour: new product roll-outs, new price lists, and “Back to School”. If you’ve worked in electronics retail, you know there are three selling seasons in North America: “Back to School”, holiday, and “Dads and Grads”. We’re about one month into the Back to School season.

I stopped into Guitar Center last weekend to try a P-225 (no luck). I saw the same deep stacks of P-45 and P-125 digital pianos. Big retail stores are over-stocked on some models and I expect to see price reductions or promotions for deprecated products in the near future. Maybe you can pick up a digital piano at a blow out price while the new models trickle in?

There are rumors that Roland will try to spoil the Montage M announcement with a major Fantom update. Yamaha never like to pre-announce, so the Montage announcement in July 2023 was a big deal. Was Yamaha trying to spoil Fantom sales? Watch these two daikaiju duke it out!

Update: Accessorize!

Don’t forget to accessorize!

Yamaha will be introducing a new triple pedal unit, the FC35 — a stand-alone unit which you can throw into a (large) gig bag. The FC35 will be compatible with models having the 6-pin DIN LP-1 connector: DGX-670, P-121, P-125, P-223, P-225, P-515, P-525 and P-S500.

New Yamaha digital piano accessories (Sept 2023)

Need a keyboard gig bag? The new SC-KB851 will handle P-35, P-45, P-115, P-125, P-142, P-145, P-223 and P-225. Availability may be limited by region.

Patience is a virtue

Posted on August 27, 2023 by pj

But, wait! There’s more!

mx49 posted this list of new product names extracted from a Yamaha warranty registration site:

    147641 - MODX6+ //E 
    147642 - MODX7+ //E 
    147643 - MODX8+ //E 
    147752 - P-125AB 
    147753 - P-125AWH 
    147970 - CK88 
    147971 - CK61 
    149017 - P-143B 
    149018 - P-145B 
    149019 - P-225B 
    149020 - P-225WH 
    149496 - GENOS2 //Y2 
    149720 - MONTAGE M6 //E 
    149721 - MONTAGE M7 //E 
    149722 - MONTAGE M8X //E 
    149729 - P-525B //Y2 
    149730 - P-525WH //Y2

Oh heck, might as well throw in the new STAGEPAS 100 BTR and STAGEPAS 200 BTR:

    STAGEPAS100 //B 
    STAGEPAS100BTR 
    STAGEPAS200 //B 
    STAGEPAS200BTR

Thank you, mx49, and the rest of the folks at Yamaha Musicians Forum.

The Montage M series leaked yesterday. Now we know that GENOS2 is on-the-way sometime in the near-term future, too. 🙂

Regular readers know that I’m trying out 88-key digital piano keyboards and developed a fondness for the Yamaha P-515. The P-515 was release in 2018 and it will be replaced by the P-525, again, sometime in the near-term future.

Wow, the new Montage MX8 and P-525 — both are worth waiting for and both potentially fill an actual need. Patience is a virtue. Keep repeating that. 🙂

I’ll have more thoughts about all of this tomorrow. Today is a typical Sunday — gig, God and football. Take a breather and start the new week fresh!

Yamaha Montage M6, M7, M8X

Posted on August 26, 2023 by pj

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

Pictures of the new Montage M8X have surfaced on the Facebook. I thank the folks at Yamaha Musicians Forum and the Musicplayer Keyboard Corner for the pictures and off-the-cuff comments. I suggest reading the ongoing discussions at these fine and well-informed Web sites.

The names “Montage M6”, “Montage M7” and “Montage M8X” are also confirmed.

Montage M8X — Does “X” stand for “escapement”?

Astute forum members at The Keyboard Corner noted the textured keys on the 88 model (Montage M8X). This raised my hope that Yamaha put the Natural Wood, Graded Hammer (NW-GH) keybed into the new Montage M8X. I’m hoping that the “X” stands for “escapement.” Will it have the triple sensors like the CP88? Will it have Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM)?

Montage M8X — 8 sliders and a simplified button matrix

Yamaha have my attention now and I will hold any decision on a piano for home until I see all of the details. At the premium price tier, I can be patient.

Let the kvetching commence! 🙂 I’m off to Saturday breakfast with the fam.

Yamaha VRM vs. VRM Lite

Posted on July 28, 2023 by pj

Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM) is one of one of Yamaha’s strongest differentiating technologies. Many of Yamaha’s home and portable digital pianos implement some form of VRM. Up to this point, the CP series stage pianos and other products in the synthesizer (music production) product families do not have VRM. Perhaps this will change in CP Gen 2. Yamaha arranger keyboards do not feature VRM, either. [Some synths and arrangers have a damper resonance insert effect. See “Synthetic fun” below.]

Yamaha Virtual Resonance Modeling [Source: Yamaha]

Sampled piano can sound lifeless even when the damper pedal is depressed. VRM adds a subtle dynamic quality to the overall sound. I tried turning VRM off via Piano Room while holding down notes with the damper pedal applied. There is a subtle difference in the sound. With VRM on, the overall tone (such as the P-515 or DGX-670) is fuller, more dynamic. Personally, I find the effect pleasing enough to regard it as a “must have” feature.

In slightly more technical terms, VRM adds sympathetic resonances such that the piano tone grows (blooms) over the duration of the notes. Acoustic piano makers and technicians go to great lengths to add and tune pleasing harmonics through resonance. Acoustic pianos are incredibly complex machines in the scientific sense!

You’ve probably read Yamaha’s description of VRM on its web site or in an owner’s manual. If you’re unsure of what it all means, then I recommend doing the same experiment yourself and hearing the difference. [Get thee to a dealer.] Whether you like the effect (or not) is personal. If it doesn’t immediately strike your fancy, please read on. Some models let you tweak VRM depth in Piano Room.

VRM technology has evolved since its introduction in 2014. The first models with VRM were the up-scale CLP 575 and 585. Per usual Yamaha practice, VRM trickled out to lower-end models in the 600 series and to the CSP and CVP series. Another thing happened, too. Yamaha began referring to “original VRM” and “enhanced VRM”. Yamaha describes original and enhanced VRM in the following way:

The original VRM (CSP-150/170) calculates the various states of the strings for each of the 88 notes on the keyboard, from one instant to the next, and timing and depth of damper pedals pressed.
Enhanced VRM (CLP-635 / 645 / 675 / 685 / 665GP / 695GP) now also calculates aliquot resonance in the upper octaves, and the full resonance of the soundboard, rim, and frame.

The calculations require some heavy mathematics and are computational intensive. I’ll say more about this in a future post. I will say, now, that VRM is a substantial, technological achievment!

Lately, Yamaha have dropped “original” and “enhanced” in favor of “VRM Lite” and “VRM”. I contacted Yamaha support asking about the specific modeling components supported by VRM and VRM Lite. They replied:

VRM has five components in it:
- Damper resonance
- String resonance
- Body resonance
- Duplex scale resonance
- Damper noise
VRM Lite has two components:
- Damper resonance
- String resonance

As you would expect, VRM Lite is a subset of VRM. I preseume “duplex scale resonance” means Aliquot resonance although technically the two are related, but not identical.

If your Yamaha digital piano has VRM or VRM Lite, you’ll have one or more VRM-related settings at your disposal in Piano Room and/or the Smart Pianist app. The DGX-670, for example, has three settings:

VRM effect ON/OFF
Damper resonance effect depth
String resonance effect depth

Thus, you can ditch VRM entirely, or individually control the amount of damper or string resonance. The latter two settings let you dial in the amount of each effect to suit your preference. P-515 (enhanced VRM) provides five settings:

VRM effect ON/OFF
Damper resonance effect depth
String resonance effect depth
Aliquot resonance effect depth
Body resonance effect depth

Special thanks to Dan (Yamaha Support) who chased down this information for me.

Synthetic fun

Yamaha Montage/MODX, Genos, and other Yamaha synths implement a Damper Resonance effect “that reproduces the rich harmonics and unique sound characteristics of an actual grand piano when using the damper pedal.” [Check the Data List PDF for your particular model.] The Damper Resonance effect depends upon the sustain pedal (Damper Control) — you must depress the sustain (damper) pedal to hear the effect.

For Montage/MODX cheap thrills, select the four-part “CFX Concert” Performance. All four parts assign Damper Resonance to insert effect A. The initial dry/wet balance is set to D21>W or thereabouts. Raise the dry/wet balance to D<W63 — full wet. Now when you strike a note and depress the damper pedal, you’ll hear only the sound of the damper resonance effect.

For further background information about the Damper Resonance effect, check out Half Damper Function, Damper Resonance Effect and Key Off Sample (Motif XF).

Here are my working definitions for Aliquot resonance and duplex scaling.

“Aliquot is a stringing method for pianos that uses extra, un-struck strings in the upper octaves to enhance the tone. These strings sympathetically vibrate with other strings in an acoustic piano, resonating with overtones, and adding richness, brilliance and complex color to the sound. Since they do not have a damper, they will continue sounding even after you release your hands from the keyboard.” [Source: Yamaha P-515 Owner’s Manual]

“Duplex scaling, built into some grand pianos, can be found on that portion of the string in the treble section between the back bridge pin and the hitch pin which is normally the non-speaking part of the string and dampened with a strip of cloth. Where there is duplex scaling this section is deliberately left open to resonate in sympathy with the speaking part of the string and add brightness to the upper partials.” [Source: Cambridge Piano Tuner]

These two Yamaha videos are still informative after 13 years: Stereo Sustain Samples and String Resonance.

MODX: Character Pianos

Posted on July 20, 2023 by pj

As part of the Yamaha MONTAGE bon voyage, Blake announced the availability of a free MONTAGE expansion pack: Character Pianos. The pack contains three pianos: U1 Upright, Nashville C3 and Felt Piano. There are fifteen Performances based on the new pianos.

I really dug the Felt Piano from the get-go, so I had to get this for myself. One of the beauties of MONTAGE and MODX is the ability to share content between the two platforms. Let’s see what happens on MODX.

Installing a library – quick and dirty

Here is my quick and dirty guide to install an MODX library (expansion pack). Further details are described in the MODX Reference Manual.

If you’re looking for content, including the new Character Pianos, , browse the Yamaha USA shop. You will need a free account in order to download. Add a library to your cart and check out. Once you get a transaction confirmation, download the library from the “My Libraries” section of your account.

If you’re deciding how to use your expansion memory, here are the installed sizes of a few popular libraries:

    Library name        Size 
    ----------------   ------ 
    Bosendorfer        409MB 
    Chick Mark V       401MB 
    Montage_expanded   175MB 
    CS80               471MB 
    Character Pianos   140MB

Copy the new library (file extension X7L) to a USB flash drive. Oh, yeah, make sure the library file is unzipped!

In order to load a new library you need 1. sufficient free waveform space and 2. a free library slot. MODX allows up to eight libraries (library slots).

To check free waveform space:

    Utility -> Contents -> Data utility -> Waveform

Display libraries and check number of slots

To display installed libraries and to check number of used library slots:

  Utility -> Contents -> Data utility -> Library

To install a new library (assuming free waveform space and library slots):

    Utility -> Contents -> Load
    Choose Content Type: Library File
    Tap the library file to load (X7L file extension)

To import a specific, new Performance from an installed library into
the User Bank:

    Utility -> Contents -> Library Import
    Touch Import to User Bank (moves Performances and Waveforms)

Don’t want to read? I recommend Yamaha Montage MODX FAQ 10 Install a Sound Library on Rudy’s Hobby Channel. It will show you the way.

So, what up?

The Felt Piano is truly nice and gentle. Of course, I’m now using it on everything whether it needs it or not. 🙂

MONTAGE/MODX Character Piano Performances

I like the Nashville C3 more than I care to admit. It should cut through a mix. The U1 Upright is OK, but I don’t have much need for it by itself.

Some of the Performances layer the C3 or U1 with the Felt. These combinations sound pretty darned useful as the Felt Piano adds depth and ambience while the C3 or U1 cuts through.

A word of caution, tho’. The “Felt Mono-SP Piano” Performance is possibly broken. It produces snap, crackle and pop as soon as it is selected before a single key is struck. Now, that ain’t right. I haven’t tried to troubleshoot the problem by deleting the library, re-installing and so forth. Hmmm. It is free and intended for MONTAGE, after all.

Update

Special thanks to Kevin at the YamahaSynth forum. He investigated the “Felt Mono-SP Piano” Performance and isolated the snap, crackle and pop to its vinyl record noise effect:

Edited: I played with the performance a bit and found the noise is there with the Superknob turned all the way to the left but goes away as the knob is turned to the right (clockwise). Going further into effects I found the noise is coming from the “digital turntable, old record” effect in the “B” slot. the noise goes away when that’s disabled. I guess that’s the way it was designed but I have to ask “why?”: sounds like a defect rather than “effect” in this case.

A few other punters thought it was a defect, too!

“Felt Mono-SP Piano” Digital turntable effect

Using the vinyl record effect is a cool notion by itself, but why does the effect persist into other performances when they are selected? That seems like inappropriate behavior, AKA a bug in handling the effect pipelines, maybe? I wonder if this is an unwanted side-effect of Seamless Sound Switching (SSS) where the synth engine keeps the previous Performance alive after a switch?

Montage: Thank you for playing!

Posted on July 18, 2023 by pj

Splashed all over the Interwebs — Yamaha Montage is discontinued after a seven year run.

A tribute

I quite liked Montage from the moment I played it. I opted not to buy it because I need a light-weight gigging instrument and the 61 was simply too much to schlep and set up every week (and/or rehearsal). Thus, I was positively elated when Yamaha announced the MODX as the younger sibling which had all of the Montage sounds I was craving.

As a MODX player, I had the benefit of Yamaha’s new “platform” approach to product development and lifetime management. Instead of forcing customers to buy a new instrument every few years in order to get new features, Yamaha provided periodic updates to Montage. Because Montage and MODX share large amounts of code and content, I got the new stuff as it trickled over to MODX.

I also got the benefit of all the Montage usage tips, explanations and other content posted by Phil Clendennin and Blake Angelos. Thank you, fellows!

The parsing

And, now, everyone is parsing Blake’s announcement. 🙂

“As much as we would have liked to, we cannot develop the current MONTAGE any further.”

Yep, the current hardware platform has run its course. (Even more about the internal design here.)

There is huge expressed demand for a virtual analog engine. The AN-X trademark drove the feeding frenzy throwing chum in the water. For quite some time, I’ve maintained the argument that SWP70 alone is not enough to implement VA synthesis with multiple channels (polyphony). Yamaha tried grafting AN/VL into an AWM synth — the wonderful EX5 — and know the limitations of that approach. Plus, would a punter really be happy controlling VA through the MONTAGE front panel?

“And one more thing… the next generation MONTAGE synthesizer is coming in October.”

October is the important fact, here. If you’ve been reading my recent posts, you know I’m looking for an 88 at home in the studio. If the new ax has wonderful pianos and a decent 88 action, count me in.

Will the new synth bear the mark “MONTAGE”? After a lifetime of choosing variable names, I don’t really care what it’s called. 🙂 How does it play? How does it sound? What’s inside?

Wither MODX+? I think we will see, again, a major split between the MODX product line and the future MONTAGE line. Yamaha is going to monetize those new features (AN-X) and I expect MODX+ to be left behind. That’s marketing for ya.

A gift

“As a thank you we are providing a final set of content free of charge for all MONTAGE owners.” The pack includes three of the character pianos that were released for the YC/CP product lines: Yamaha U1 upright piano, Yamaha C3 grand piano and Felt Yamaha U1 upright piano. I love that felt piano!

I expect to see all of these pianos on the other side along with CFX and Bösendorfer Imperial. Pretty please, Yamaha, with all that extra DSP, may we have VRM, too?

The waiting

So, there you go.

As to the Interwebs, it will be groundhog day all over again as people churn the same bloomin’ rumors, half-truths and nonsense.

As to me, I was getting set to spring for an 88 digital piano. Maybe this is the kick I need to be patient? Yamaha have been rolling out new product like Christmas morn. October isn’t that far away, is it, Santa?

MODX: Rotary speaker (part 5)

Posted on June 28, 2023 by pj

It should go without saying — the Leslie rotary speaker sound is critical to getting a good drawbar organ sound.

The Montage/MODX and Genos/PSR product lines have two rotary speaker effects in common:

     MODX effect name  Genos effect name 
     ----------------  ----------------- 
     Rotary Speaker 1  ROTARY SPEAKER 1 
     Rotary Speaker 2  REAL ROTARY

Yamaha’s naming scheme often makes it difficult to match up algorithms across product lines. Rest assured, however, the algorithms (and code) are the same. If you need to double check yourself, simply match up the effect parameters as listed in the Data List PDFs.

It’s like the engineers deliberately chose bad, meaningless variable names. Throw preset names on top of the algorithm (effect type) names and things get really confusing!

Rest assured, a lot of the information discussed in this post can be applied to Yamaha synthesizer and arranger products alike.

The real thing: mechanical

Ain’t nothin’ like the real thing, baby. A real Leslie speaker moves air and throws it around in a 3D space. A “2D” stereo simulation will never do. Further, rotary speaker simulators model a mic’ed up speaker putting strong energy surges into the left and right channels.

We all know that a Leslie speaker, like the 122, has a rotating horn and rotor. Yamaha sometimes refer to the rotor as a “woofer”, so keep that in mind when reading through effect parameters!

The horn and rotor each have a motor. The motors have two speeds when turning: slow and fast. A pulley and belt system transfers rotation from a motor to the horn or rotor. The horn motor has three different sized-pulleys: small, middle, and large. The belt is usually around the middle pulley, AKA the factory setting. If the belt is around the small pulley, the rotor turns slower. Put the belt around the large pulley and the rotor turns faster (relative to the factory setting, of course.)

The nominal, factory rotary speeds are:

    Slow / "Chorale" in Leslie terminology 
        Horn           50 RPM   0.83 Hz 
        Woofer/Rotor   40 RPM   0.67 Hz 
    Fast / "Tremolo" 
        Horn           400 RPM  6.67 Hz 
        Woofer/Rotor   340 RPM  5.67 Hz

You should keep these speeds in mind when tweaking parameters, if you want authenticity. Please note that the rotor turns more slowly than the horn.

I gave the nominal speeds in both rotations per minute (RPM) and cycles per second (Hertz). Some algorithms need RPM and other algorithms need Hertz. Here are conversion formulas:

    RPM = Hertz * 60 
    Hertz = RPM / 60

The pulley and belt system causes even more fun. The belt is flexible and slips around the pulley. Belt tension and wear determine slip. Tension (slip) has a greater effect on acceleration (change from slow to fast) than deacceleration (change from fast to slow). If you want authenticity, acceleration time should be shorter than deacceleration. In other words, the pick-up rate is higher than the slow-down rate.

The real thing: electronics

The Leslie 122 tweeter and woofer are driven by a three tube power amplifier through a cross-over network. The classic Leslie crossover frequency is 800 Hertz. The crossover filter is not super steep and there is definite frequency bleed beyond the crossover frequency.

The power amp consists of a 12AU7A tube driving dual 6550 power tubes. The 12AU7A belongs to a family of nine pin, twin triode tubes. The chief difference between family members is the gain factor. The 12AU7A has a gain factor of 20 while the more powerful 12AX7 — the most familiar member of the family — has a gain factor of 100.

The power amp has a gain knob. At about 70%, the power amp starts to distort. Oh, never, ever go past 70%. Ever. 🙂

The sims

With that background in mind, let’s take a look at the Yamaha MODX rotary speaker effect algorithms.

Historically, “Rotary Speaker 1” came first. The following table summarizes the Genos parameter values for the “Dual Rotary Speaker Bright” and “Dual Rotary Speaker Warm” presets:

     # Parameter             Bright    Warm 
    -- --------------------  --------  ---------------- 
     1 Woofer Speed Slow     40.2rpm   40.2rpm   0.67Hz 
     2 Horn Speed Slow       45.6rpm   45.6rpm   0.76Hz 
     3 Woofer Speed Fast     383.4rpm  363.6rpm  6.06Hz 
     4 Horn Speed Fast       403.8rpm  403.8rpm  6.73Hz 
     5 Slow-Fast Time Woofer 39        45 
     6 Slow-Fast Time Horn   7         7 
     7 Drive Low             35        31 
     8 Drive High            37        36 
     9 Low/High Balance      L<H4      L13>H 
    10 
    11 EQ Low Frequency      100Hz     100Hz 
    12 EQ Low Gain           +8dB      +8dB 
    13 EQ High Frequency     1.0kHz    1.0kHz 
    14 EQ High Gain          -3dB      -4dB 
    15 Mic L-R Angle         177deg    177deg 
    16 Speed Control         Slow      Slow

Feel free to borrow the Genos settings for MODX (and vice versa).

The horn and woofer speeds are ballpark with respect to the factory settings. If there is one major complaint with this algorithm, it’s the relatively weak drive effect. Increasing drive does not add distortion. On MODX, be prepared to couple “Rotary Speaker 1” with an amp simulator (e.g., STEREO SMALL or MULTI FX).

Obviously, there are a lot of parameters to tweak: microphone angle, equalization, rotor and horn balance (low/high balance). Imagine yourself as a studio engineer mic’ing up a real Leslie.

Just for grins, the following table summarizes rotary speaker parameters for four MODX presets:

     # Parameter             Basic     Horn Mic  Light     Heavy RTR 
    -- --------------------  --------  --------  --------  --------- 
     1 Rotor Speed Slow      0.88Hz    0.80Hz    0.88Hz    1.01Hz 
     2 Horn Speed Slow       1.30Hz    0.72Hz    1.30Hz    0.93Hz 
     3 Rotor Speed           6.06Hz    6.06Hz    6.06Hz    6.06Hz 
     4 Horn Speed Fast       7.07Hz    6.73Hz    7.07Hz    6.73Hz 
     5 Slow-Fast Time Rotor  40        40        40        64 
     6 Slow-Fast Time Horn   13        12        13        33 
     7 Drive Rotor           52        37        26        28 
     8 Drive Horn            31        29        21        22 
     9 Rotor/Horn Balance    RH 
    10 
    11 EQ Low Frequency     1.0KHz     1.0KHz    1.0KHz    1.0KHz 
    12 EQ Low Gain          0.0db      -1db      0.0db     0.0db 
    13 EQ High Frequency    2.0KHz     2.0KHz    1.0KHz    2.0KHz 
    14 EQ High Gain         0.0db      +1db      0.0db     1.0db 
    15 Mic L-R Angle        150deg     177deg    180deg    30deg 
    16 Speed Control        Slow       Slow      Slow      Slow

Enough starting points yet? Please don’t be afraid to tweak, listen and evaluate. It’s only bits and if you don’t like what you’re hearing, then throw the bits way away. Ever wonder why people spend so much time in the studio? That’s why!

The MODX “Rotary Speaker 2” algorithm is the newer algorithm. It first appeared in Montage and Genos, and it’s been trickling down to mid- and low-range Yamaha products. In Genos-land, it’s known as “REAL ROTARY”. This algorithm provides control over both acceleration and deacceleration times and drive level/tone.

Here are settings from Genos for three drawbar organ voices:

     # Parameter            Jazz      Gospel    Rock 
    -- -------------------  --------  --------  -------- 
     1 Speed Control        Slow      Fast      Fast 
     2 Drive                2.0       4.0       10.0 
     3 Tone                 8.2       10.0      10.0 
     4 Low/High Balance     L<H10     L<H9      L<H9 
     5 Output Level         100       100       100 
     6 Mic L-R Angle        180deg    120deg    120deg 
     7 Input Level          +6dB      +6dB      +6dB 
     8 Modulation Intensity 0         63        63 
     9 
    10 
    11 Slow-Fast Time Horn  1.19      1.13      1.13 
    12 Fast-Slow Time Horn  0.86      0.97      0.97 
    13 Woofer Speed Slow    43.5rpm   43.5rpm   43.5rpm 
    14 Horn Speed Slow      47.3rpm   47.3rpm   47.3rpm 
    15 Woofer Speed Fast    413.8rpm  403.7rpm  413.8rpm 
    16 Horn Speed Fast      474.4rpm  464.3rpm  464.3rpm 
    17 Slow-Fast Time Rotor    ?         ?         ? 
    18 Fast-Slow Time Rotor    ?         ?         ?

Unlike “Rotary Speaker 1”, REAL ROTARY brings overdrive. Turn up the drive to add distortion. Tone sweeps from darker to brighter.

No doubt, you noticed values missing in the last two rows. The Genos user interface supports only 16 effect parameters! [Genos engineers need to fix this limitation.] Your guess is as good as mine — maybe 1.22 and 1.86?

Other blog posts about Yamaha MODX drawbar organ sound design:

Sand, software and sound

Electronics and computing for the fun of it

Category Archives: Montage