NAMM 2024: Briefs

Posted on January 25, 2024 by pj

Just “Meh”

So far, I’m feeling just “Meh” about NAMM 2024. Last year’s NAMM opened the floodgates of new, post-pandemic product. Among the daikaiju (大怪獣), KORG dominates with the most new releases.

We shouldn’t forget these new toys:

Nord Grand 2 ($4,500 USD MAP) stage instrument, action by KAWAI
New Casio Celviano pianos PX-S7000HM, AP-750 ($3,400 USD MAP), AP-550 ($3,000 USD MAP), AP-S450 ($2,000 USD MAP)
Studiologic Numa Compact SE and Numa Compact X SE (SE $600 USD MAP and X SE $900 USD MAP)
KORG Grand Stage X and KORG Poetry digital pianos, $3,000 and $2,000 USD MAP, respectively

Both Nord and Casio are collaborating with partners to up the action game — Nord with KAWAI and Casio with C. Bechstein (video).

Studiologic have revamped the Numa Compact product line (new acoustic pianos, tonewheel modeled engine, new rotary effect, chorus and vibrato, new “virtual oscillators” synth engine). These all-rounders look to play against the Yamaha CK series stage instruments. Looks for incentive, clear-out pricing on the older Numa Compact 2 series instruments.

If you’ve been waiting for a new beginner’s keyboard, Yamaha have announced the PSR-E283. Will this appear on the Yamaha NAMM 2024 page later today? 410 instrument voices, 150 auto-accompaniment styles, duo mode for duets and the usual built-in speakers. Yamaha PSR-E283 video tutorial

Akai MPC Key 37?

The day is still young.

Yamaha Montage E.S.P.

I expected to see the Yamaha Montage M Expanded Softsynth Plugin (E.S.P.) today and wasn’t disappointed. There is a new Blake’s take about E.S.P. on the YamahaSynth.com site. Lots of screengrabs.

As this point, E.S.P. is for Montage M owners. You’ll need your coupon code and the Steinberg Download Assistant. E.S.P. requires 10GBytes of free space. Yikes, but it probably needs room for all of the waveforms.

We should start getting field reports about real-world polyphony and so forth. No information on pricing for non-Montage M customers. Here’s the E.S.P. Manual on the Yamaha USA site.

NAMM 2024 Montage M E.S.P. demo video (Blake Angelos) by Sonicstate. E.S.P. is only available to Montage M hardware owners — no software-only retail version. Sorry if you expected a full Montage M on the cheap.

Little things

Although pitched at drummers and percussionists, the No Better Option (NBO) Oneboard provides a way to stash your phone, mini-mixer, tablet and other gizmos while performing. NBO is a boutique vendor who have sold out their original round of Onboards. Register for the next round of pre-orders.

You’ve probably never heard of ROBKOO. They are a Shanghai-based company specializing in electronic wind instruments: the R1 Synthesizer and the Clarii mini digital wind instrument and controller.

The Clarii mini (#300/$400 USD) is about the same size as a clarinet. It fingers like a sax, but fingering can be customized. Synthesis is built-in along with a speaker, screen and Bluetooth MIDI. The Clarii mini has an accelerometer, too, so you can shake it.

The ROBKOO R1 synthesizer is sleeker and has similar specs. The R1 adds RGB lights for pizzazz. Instead of an accelerometer, R1 has an XYZ gyroscope to control expression. The R1 connects with the JamKoo performance app which gives access to internal functions. The R1 is $600 USD — not an impulse purchase, that’s for sure.

Stylophone are going upscale with the CPM DS-2 analog drone synthesizer ($260 USD). The CPM DS-2 will have 2 3340 oscillators, 2 3320 filters, 2 sub-oscillators, 2 LFOs, vintage delay and reverb, and 12 modular patch points. It will be Eurorack compatible. Pre-order at Stylophone.com.

If you ever wanted to strut your stuff like David Bourne and company, check out Walkabout Carriers. “Battery powered, wireless carriers for electronic musical instruments.” Their Web site is under construction, but check back…

NAMM 2024: In sight

Posted on January 5, 2024 by pj

It’s that time of year again! NAMM 2024 starts January 25th.

Unlike 2023, the run-up to NAMM 2024 is much shorter. Fewer manufacturers have pre-announced new products.

The daikaiju (Yamaha, Korg, Roland) rolled out a number of major products during the pre-holiday period:

And that’s just a partial list! It’s like the post-pandemic floodgates opened.

Given the out-pouring of goodies over the last year, I don’t expect NAMM 2024 to be super exciting as far as keyboard announcements are concerned.

Yamaha — in particular — has upgraded nearly every major product line. It will be a year, two or three before we see follow-on products to the new flagships. However, I think Yamaha will have a few major announcements at NAMM 2024. Given Yamaha’s secrecy, I’m guessing. [All pundits should be so honest. 🙂 ]

Last year was Clavinova’s 40th anniversary and Yamaha rolled out the CSP 200 series and the CVP 900 series. The CVP 900s are an incremental spiff of the CVP 800 series. The CVP spiff reminds me of Yamaha’s final kiss to the PSR-S series when Yamaha said “good-bye” with the PSR-S975 spiff (“the ultimate S-series arranger”). Having hands-on experience with the CSP Smart Piano line, I’m going to make a bold prediction — CVP is end-of-life. Too expensive and too ugly for a living room. I see Yamaha expanding the P-S500 touch panel concept into a very clean and elegant parlor room auto-accompaniment instrument.

With CSP and CVP accounted for, whither CLP? NAMM 2024. I’d like to see CLP 800 series add the pianos included in Montage M and Genos2: cinematic piano, character piano, felt piano, U3 upright and so on. The upper end 700s have period piano instruments; it’s time to get modern. Will we see Yamaha’s new magnetic induction contactless sensing? It’s time for that tech to trickle down from the AvantGrands.

Moving on from keys, I expect to see the Yamaha SEQTRAK™ groove box or “Music Production Studio” — finally. “SEQTRAK” is the only remaining product name from last Fall’s accidental spill. No doubt, Yamaha have watched others cash-in on the beat production craze, notably Teenage Engineering printing money with the wide-margin OP-1.

The SEQTRAK is about the size of a QWERTY keyboard and cops some teenage attitude in form and color. I expect an on-board sequencer, two synth channels, a sampler, Cubase integration, and a ton of content. Yamaha have been working on this product for quite some time and it needs to begin earning back its development money.

KORG and Raspberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi Foundation have included KORG synthesizers in its collection of Raspberry Pi success stories.

KORG is a company that consistently punches above its weight in sales and size. They achieve this efficiency by exploiting off-the-shelf technology like the Raspberry Pi Compute Module. Raspberry Pi is committed to the kind of long-term roadmap that gives potential adopters confidence and stability.

The customer case study (PDF) focuses on KORG’s adoption and use of the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3. Enjoy the read!

Genos2: ¿Si o No?

Posted on November 28, 2023 by pj

A bit tardy with my first take on Genos2. I’ve spent waaay too much time on forums and need to get back to work. 🙂

Genos2 information and videos abound on the Web, so I’ll be skipping a lot of details here. I recommend getting your information from reputable sources, not the self-appointed experts on Internet forums. Given the misinformation that I’ve seen, I don’t think some of these people have ever touched an arranger keyboard, let alone Genos1 or Genos2.

It will be some time until I can actually get hands-on with Genos2. That’s a disadvantage of living in North America where guitar is king. When I do play Genos2, I will post comments. So, please take my initial opinions with a grain of salt.

Genos2 leaves me feeling a bit like Dr. Jekyll and a little bit Mr. Hyde, depending upon Genos2 being your first top-of-the-line (TOTL) arranger or an upgrade from Genos1.

Let’s hear from the kindly doctor first.

Your first TOTL

If Genos2 is your first TOTL arranger, you’re on good ground. Genos2 builds on the solid Genos1 foundation. Genos1 has been a reliable, great sounding instrument and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed in G2.

Genos2 adds many new voices and styles to Genos1. (Some of the Genos1 voices and styles are available with the Genos2 Complete Pack, free after registration.) I made a list of the new Genos2 voices.

Genos2 significantly improves on the G1 CFX piano. It has more strike (velocity) levels, now 7 levels up from 5. The sustain is longer (doubled). Check out this video which focuses on Genos2 pianos. The G2 piano sounds are lovely.

Like the Montage upgrade, G2 received “character pianos“:

Character piano: A rough and wooly sound (think “ragtime”)
Cinematic piano: An air of mystery about it (think “Halloween”)
Felt piano: A sound softened by felt woven in the strings (think “Titanic”)

Unlike Montage M, all of these pianos are enriched by the stunning, new REVelation reverb from Steinberg. Genos2 also adds a new multi-band compressor.

Genos2 adds Ambient Drums to the original Genos1 Revo drums. (Ignore the Internet misinformation about Revo being dropped.) Ambient Drums mix close-mic’ed samples with room ambience samples consistent with sampling techniques employed in modern percussion VST libraries. You (or the style) dial in the amount of ambience, thereby adjusting the sense of space in the sound.

One shouldn’t forget the new true FM voices. Yamaha enabled the FM-X hardware in the Genos2 tone generators. [BTW, the FM hardware is locked away in Genos1.] Now you get real dynamic FM sound. Genos2 does not support FM voice editing, but, really, how people are going to create FM voices from scratch? Not to mention how notoriously hard it is to get one’s mind around FM programming. A free DX7 expansion pack awaits those who register. With a little deep diving, I can safely say there is real FM-X in there.

No doubt, Yamaha have produced new styles and revamped old styles to use the new effects and voices. There are now 800 styles, which in itself, is a staggering big MIDI phrase library.

Ambient Drums illustrate the Genos ethos — producing a refined, “like the recording” sound. I’m sure this gives hobby players a lot of pride and pleasure. I like it because I can produce great sounding demos without a lot of effort!

Genos2 includes other enhancements worth mentioning. The style Dynamics Control improves on G1 dynamic control. The new Dynamics Control provides knob control over the volume and velocity of style parts, letting the backing band more realistically sit out or dig in. The front panel adds two more assignable buttons (3 total above the articulation buttons) and two buttons to control the ever-useful Chord Looper.

If you don’t own a Genos and want one, buy it. Given Yamaha’s long development cycles, it may be five or six years before the next major Genos release.

Upgrade to Genos2?

The decision to upgrade from the previous model is always a difficult one, whether its Montage M, MODX+, Genos2, Korg, Roland, whatever. There might be a few of us who are made of money, but most of us punters need to lay off old gear in order to afford the new. If it’s a trade-in or a re-sell, we’re going to lose value and we’re going to pony up cash for the shiny new object. In the case of a premium product like Genos2 or Montage M, the delta might be $1,800 or more. And then there’s the hassle of dealing with the villains on Craigslist or Ray’s Music Exchange.

This is when and where Mr. Hyde makes an entrance.

The decision to upgrade is a personal decision and choice. Objectively, does the delta enable us to meet our personal musical goals, that is, fulfill a genuine need? Otherwise, I cannot objectively account for enthusiasm, fan-dom, FOMO, or just plain desire (G.A.S.).

Which leads me to…

Generation skipping

When it comes to electronics, I’m a “generation skipper.” I rarely buy the next generation of anything. I don’t find the value proposition — increased utility per upgrade dollars — to be enough to justify a purchase.

So it is with Genos2. My Genos1 is still a rockin’ keyboard. It isn’t used up in the economic sense.

By the way, now is a terrific time to buy a new old stock (NOS) or re-sale Genos1. North American retailers have not sold through and are selling NOS Genos1 at a reduced price. [I took my own advice and have made a deal for an NOS Clavinova CSP-170.] European customers are switching to Genos2 in droves and they need to unload their Genos1 keyboards in order to fund a new G2. Buy a reduced price Genos1 now and upgrade to a Genos3 later. Many different ways to make a play.

Need over want

What would it have taken to make me decide otherwise and buy Genos2? Or, letting Mr. Hyde loose, what is Genos2 missing?

Right now, my most pressing need is an 88-key piano action keyboard for practice. I need to raise my piano skills and I need to transition to an acoustic grand when necessary. The FSX action is not up to snuff — I’ve tried with Genos1.

Compared to Clavinova (for example), Genos2 is missing:

Even Montage M8X left me up short.

What really disappointed me is the other biggee — no Virtual Circuit Modeling (VCM) rotary organ simulator. This is a big omission as far as upgrade is concerned. With two really fine synth-action instruments (Genos1 and MODX) in hand, I just can’t justify an upgrade to G2 based on what G2 is and isn’t today.

Yamaha product silos

Looking at Montage M and Genos2, Yamaha’s product silos get in the way of making all-rounder keyboards. Yamaha product groups protect their turf and abhor cannibalized sales. This attitude and market strategy drives a lot of customers crazy, including me.

Reading the forums, there is demand for an 88-key Genos. The P-S500 is not enough to scratch the arranger itch, DGX-670 is feature-light and CVP prices are way out of sight.

Yamaha need to pick up the pace and roll out new features faster. Will Genos2 people need to wait five years to get the VCM rotary sim, Bösendorfer piano, or VRM? At age 72, I’ve got about 11 years left (male, life expectancy, U.S.A.) Let’s get going, Yamaha! 🙂 My time is running out…

Yamaha Genos2: New voices

Posted on November 17, 2023 by pj

So, what are they? I did a quick scan through the Genos1 and Genos2 Data List files and compared. Because this is a manual scan, I don’t guarantee completeness. [Too lazy to write a script…] I ignore certain voice categories like synth pads and leads. When a new synth voice is named “Blippity Bloop”, what does that mean without auditioning the voice itself?

I’m also passing on the new FM voices in Yamaha Genos2. You can easily identify the new FM voices in the Data List and you don’t really need me to do that. Check. I will say, almost every voice category has FM voices.

New Genos2 MegaVoices

MegaVoices are a good place to begin analysis. In addition to being the sonic stuff in Styles, MegaVoice waveforms are also the building blocks in Super Articulation (SArt) and Super Articulation 2 (SArt2) voices.

On your own, take a look at the MegaVoice maps in the Data List. The maps give a good idea of the low-level waveforms behind the voices. Yamaha give MegaVoice, SArt and SArt2 voices a lot of love and attention. The new MegaVoices show me where Yamaha have gone to great lengths to sample new instruments and to design new patches from those samples.

Here are the new Genos2 MegaVoices:

    Basis                   Variants           Category
    ----------------------  -----------------  ----------
    SectionHorns            1, 2, Live, Dyn    Brass
    PopHorns                1, 2
    OberkrainerTrompete
    OberkrainerBaritonHorn
    OberkrainerKontraTuba
    OberkrainerBassTuba
    Whistle                                    Woodwind
    OberkrainerKlarinette
    ClassicNylon            Open, Neck         Guitar
    ClNylonTirando
    OberkrainerGuitar
    ElJazzFinger            OpenHmr, ...       Bass
    ElJazzPick              Open, ...
    VlBassPick              OpenHmr, ...
    AcJazzOpen              Extended1, ...
    RBillyBass              FingerOpen, ...
    MonoUprightBass

In order to keep the list short, I abstracted away variants like “1”, “2”, etc.

Bass instruments got a BIG lift. Decoding the names, Genos2 gets Electric Jazz bass, Violin bass, Acoustic Jazz, Rockabilly and Mono Upright. It’s all about the bass, baby. By “Jazz Bass,” I assume they really mean “Fender Jazz Bass.” By “Violin Bass,” I think they mean “Höfner Violin Bass.” Is that where Paul’s bass went?

“Oberkrainer” is another, possibly unfamiliar, term. Oberkrainer music started out with the Avsenik Ensemble lead by Slavko Avsenik. It is a form of popular music in Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland, northern Italy and Benelux. Pretty much Alpine music. Let’s see Diddy swing that. 🙂

When you see a whole group of MegaVoices and styles devoted to Oberkrainer, you know where Yamaha sell a lot of arranger keyboards.

New Genos voices of the playable kind

With that background in mind, let’s look at a summary of the playable voices (as opposed to style-oriented MegaVoices). Again, I have abstracted away variants in order to be concise.

    Basic voice          Category
    -------------------  ----------
    CFX                  Piano
    CharacterGrand
    RockGrand
    CinemaGrand
    FeltPiano
    U1 (upright)
    U3 (upright)
    Filmharmonic         Strings
    Cinematic
    SectionHorns         Brass
    ConcertTutti
    ConcertTrumpets
    ConcertTrombones
    ConcertFrenchHorns
    PopsConcertSection
    CrescendoHorns
    DynamicTrumpets
    LeadTrumpets
    ConcertMutes
    TrumpetTutti
    CrescendoTpts
    SoftHorns&Bones
    PopsConcertPad
    Piccolo            Woodwind
    PopPiccolo
    CelticFlute
    Whistle
    Shakuhachi
    Dudak
    ClassicalNylon     Guitar
    E.Bass             Bass
    ElecJazzFinger
    ElecJazzPick
    ViolinBass
    AcousticJazz
    Rockabilly
    Vibes              Percussion
    OrchTimpani
    TubularBells
    Handbells (FM)
    HolidayBells (FM)
    SoftBells (FM)
    etc.

Genos2 got a significant upgrade in the piano department. Martin Harris (Yamaha) mentioned that the Genos2 CFX has more velocity levels than Genos1. Unfortunately, the pianos are still rooted in the XG synthesis and effects architecture — no Grand Expression, no Virtual Resonance Modeling, no half-pedaling. Yamaha product silos reign supreme. Again.

Sampled electric pianos (EP) pretty much stayed the same. Genos2 got real FM EPs, of course. There are also a few new combi voices like “FeltRoads.” I use the Montage/MODX character pianos and dig them.

Sadly, the Genos2 organ category remains the same. Genos2 did not get the Stage YC rotary speaker sim. This omission would kill my desire to upgrade. [Dumb move, Yamaha.] Out of step with the Oberkrainer additions, no new accordions. Nothing new in the choir, either.

String-wise, Genos2 gets new “film” (cinematic) strings. The Kino strings had a lot of character and the new cinematic strings offer a different color with which to paint.

Jerry Bruckheimer would like the Genos2 — more brass, pop and orchestral. Genos2 is fat with brass.

Woodwinds got a few upgrades. Piccolo is finally promoted to SArt2. Pipes are the big news: Celtic flute, whistle, shakuhachi and dudak. Sadly, no SArt2 bagpipes. [It’s a long way to the top.]

I already mentioned the new nylon guitar and basses in the MegaVoice section above. You got the picture. Club punters will find new EDM basses galore.

I don’t usually spend too much time on percussion, leaving that for chimpanzees and bongos. However, there a few upgrades worth noting: vibes, timpani, tubular bells, handbells. There are so many bells, they ring louder than my tinitus. 🙂 Seriously, this stuff can be used in liturgical music without shame.

Pads are pads. Synths are synths.

Drum kits

Yamaha are featuring the Genos2 Ambient Drums and have the kits to prove it:

    RockKit               DirtyKit
    PopKit                IndustrialKit
    VintageOpenKit        TrapKit
    VintageMuteKit        ClubKit
    JazzStickKit          ChillKit
    JazzBrushExtended     PunchyEDMKit
    CinematicPercussion   TightEDMKit
    ProductionKit
    JazzBrushKit
    SymphonicPercussion

The ambient drums borrow mic’ing technique from sample library provides using two or more microphones to capture room ambience. The Genos2 user (or more likely, the style) decides the dry/ambient mix.

Summary

That’s my quick — possibly incomplete — comparison. I hope my analysis will help you with your decision to upgrade or buy. Genos2 builds on a very strong Genos1 foundation. New buyers should take the plunge if they have the dosh.

The new Montage M got the pianos, Kino strings and a few other new waveforms and voices. Genos2, however, got a lot of stuff that Montage didn’t get. Will Yamaha provide those waveforms and patches in a Montage M update? Who the heck knows. Always buy on the basis of what you see and get TODAY. Never bet on updates.

Genos2 pre-game

Posted on November 13, 2023 by pj

Gotta say upfront, I don’t have a horse in the race when it comes to Yamaha Genos2 (to be announced Wednesday). Montage M8x, on the other hand, really seized my attention because it potentially could fit a real need — an 88-key piano for home. All of the Montage M extras (AN-X, big sub display, and so forth) would be gravy on the biscuits. In the end, I placed an order for a Clavinova CSP-170. [Still waiting for delivery.]

I’m quite happy with Genos (generation 1) and will be keeping it. The FSX action is pleasant and, oh, the sounds! It’s set up to my taste and needs — no good reason to change horses.

Still, I’m a technologist and I’m anxious to see how Genos2 features point to the future.

Pianos and more pianos

The Genos (gen 1) acoustic piano voices have always left players wanting, especially when compared to Montage (gen 1) and MODX. Genos has been trapped by its XG synthesis and effects architecture. Voices are limited to 8 elements making 18 element CFX an unlikely creation.

Yamaha engineers found a way to break down the 8 element limit in Montage M. A single part now may have up to 128 elements. If Yamaha incorporates the same breakthrough in Genos2 (G2), deep, detailed acoustic piano voices are possible.

The first G2 teaser video features piano slathered in reverb. I don’t think that’s an accident. Given that the lowly Yamaha DGX-670 has a great sounding CFX, it’s time for G2 to get game.

Piano Room and Smart Pianist

What are new piano voices without Yamaha Piano Room? Piano Room is the place to tweeze and tweak piano sounds to your liking. Open the piano lid, adjust brightness, etc.

Along with Piano Room, we might see Smart Pianist support for Genos2. The tablet-based Smart Pianist app provides the capabilities of Piano Room — and more. You can select voices, change settings and save everything in registrations. On the CSP series, the player can select and control auto-accompaniment styles, too. Smart Pianist brings sophisticated audio-to-chord and audio-to-score capabilities, too. Audio-to-score goes beyond the free Chord Tracker app, converting chords into honest to goodness musical notation. The musician can play from a standard chart without needing to know chord theory.

If Yamaha adds Genos2 to Smart Pianist, Genos2 will be the first (true) arranger keyboard with Smart Pianist support. This is a big deal. First released in January 2018, Smart Pianist is now a central, strategic piece in Yamaha’s digital piano ecosystem. Adding Genos2 will cement Smart Pianists role for years to come.

Whither VRM? Virtual Resonance Modeling enhances relatively static digital piano tones with body and string resonance. VRM has been slowly trickling down from high-end Clavinovas to the portable digital piano line. Will Genos2 get VRM Lite or enhanced VRM? Stay tuned.

What’s this?

Enlarged and enhanced G2 pictures show a new connector (?) centered on the rear panel. Along with new acoustic piano voices, will we see the new FC35 triple foot pedal? The FC35 connects through a large multi-pin DIN connector. Perhaps G2’s new connector is for the triple strike pedal. We shall soon see…

Vegas at night

Rotary encoders are another big ask. The second teaser video reveals what are quite likely rotary encoders in place of standard potentiometers. The encoders are surrounded by LEDs denoting the current knob value.

Later video and pictures show LEDs alongside the G2 sliders. It would be neat if the LEDs would show the initial slider value to be manually “caught.” That capability would certainly make it easier to play the drawbars in so-called Organ Flutes mode.

Speaking of drawbars, did G2 get the VCM rotary speaker DSP algorithm?

Tilt, but not tilt-able

The main and sub displays appear to be the same size as Genos (gen 1). The G2 front panel has a few new controls. Since Yamaha needed to remold the top chassis panel, they decided to increase the tilt of the main and sub displays. This change should improve readability, especially when seated at the instrument.

Space is the place

I give Ton on the PSR Tutorial Forum credit for making a great catch.

The first video is titled “REVelation” and the third video is titled “Real ambience.” Coincidentally, there are Cubase plug-in effects with similar names. The Cubase REVerence plug-in lets you import an impulse response from disk.

These spatial reverbs and enhancements are popular creative tools. They are also memory-hungry. Did Yamaha provide bigger DSP RAM on the G2 SWP70s? Could these effect algorithms be ported to Montage M? Remember, the “Real Distortion” guitar effects appeared in Tyros 5 before that were added to Motif XF in update 1.5. Could history repeat?

A new keybed?

Comparing the G2 chassis form against my Genos (gen 1), it looks like Yamaha have remolded the chassis bottom, too. It looks deeper, possibly to accommodate the downward tilt of the displays. Or maybe a new keybed, replacing FSX.

This close-up picture of the G2 keybed has been nagging me. The front face of the white keys appears taller than the FSX in front of me in the studio. The height-to-width ratio of the pictured key is about 0.52; the height-to-width ratio of an actual FSX key is 0.24. Did Yamaha develop a new keybed for Genos2?

Oh, so much is still unknown!

We can see the keys, the box, and the displays. It’s the stuff inside that we can’t see which is unknown and tantalizing. Until Wednesday! Unless some horrible, awful leak happens. 🙂

Patents: GEX, InfiniQ, DX7

Posted on November 1, 2023 by pj

I apologize for not posting recently. I expended way too much energy on Yamaha Montage M. Don’t get me wrong, Montage M is a worthy subject and I gave it careful consideration as an 88-key piano solution for home. In the end, I decided to venture into Clavinova-land and have ordered a CSP-170. [That’s another story for another day.]

Gotta build energy for the GENOS2 launch in two weeks (November 15). 🙂

GEX keybed technology

I posted this short fresh take on the GEX keyboard technology at the Keyboard Corner forum. After learning more about the EM induction sensor approach, I felt the need to clarify.

The optical shutter sensing system is used in the older AvantGrand and SilentPiano instruments. The “Non-contact continuous detection electromagnetic induction sensor” is the latest Yamaha tech and will be delivered in the newer AvantGrand and SilentPiano models. GEX is derived from the EM induction sensor approach.

I’m still searching for information, but a recent Yamaha patent describes such a key articulation system. The key side has one or two coils of wire. The substrate (PCB) side has similar opposing coils. The circuitry senses flux direction, etc. on a key-by-key basis.

U.S. Patent 11,657,790 B2, Operation detection device for key operation of keyboard device, Kenichi NISHIDA, Harumichi HOTTA, Jun ISHII, May 23, 2023.

Yamaha’s latest patent is interesting because they want to measure “yaw” and “roll”, not just vertical “strike” distance. Couple this with their recent key/note articulation patents and you’ve got an “MPE” keyboard!

Quite possibly, they were not able to finish the keybed design and set up the manufacturing for these advanced designs. Thus, the m6 and m7 got FSX (for now). The Montage M team were probably ordered to “deliver or die in October 2023” by the suits. Concessions were made to meet schedule.

Sonuus InfiniQ position sensor

While investigating the GEX technology, I found the U.S. patent for the Sonuus InfiniQ position sensor. Sonuus deploy the InfiniQ sensor in their Voluum analogue effects pedal. The InfiniQ is based on electromagnetic induction, avoiding the usual potentiometer approach and its disadvantages.

U.S. Patent 8,933,314 B2, Musical effects devices, James Hastings Clark, Morag E. Clark, John M. McAuliffe, January 13, 2015.

I recommend reading the Sonuus patent because it is well-written — real English instead of the patent-ese written by American attorneys. The Sonuus patent provides useful background information about the applied science of electromagnetic induction.

Yamaha DX7 reverse engineered

I stumbled across a brilliant bit of DX7 reverse engineering by Ken Shirriff.

He created a composite die photograph of a decapsulated DX7 YM21280 OPS (operator) chip. Ken annotates and relates the die photo to U.S. Patent 4,554,857, explaining the operation of the DX7 OPS chip in detail. The YM21280 is driven by its brother, the YM21290 EGS (envelope) chip.

Quite frankly, this is fantastic work!

If you’re interested in how Yamaha implements FM (or FM-X) in hardware, you need to visit Ken’s pages and read the U.S. Patent on the DX7 internal design:

U.S. Patent 4,554,857, Electronic musical instrument capable of varying a tone synthesis operation algorithm, Tetsuo NISHIMOTO, November 26, 1985.

I also recommend the Yamaha DX7 Technical Analysis by ajxs.

Yamaha DX7 block diagram (U.S. Patent 4,554,857)

I will revisit Ken’s analysis when I have more energy. I fully expect, however, to see a modern day, scaled-up FM-X equivalent in the Yamaha SWP70. This — this! — is how Yamaha achieves 128 voice FM-X polyphony. Please keep this approach in mind when discussing what the SWP70 can do or what it can be extended to do. Montage/MODX FM-X ain’t code running on a RISC…

Montage M8x review: Yes, I played one!

Posted on October 20, 2023 by pj

Grabbed this week’s music binder and tried out a Yamaha Montage M8x for an hour. Overall, a good experience. The demo M8x was set up at Guitar Center with two Yamaha HS-8 monitors.

Here are my observations…

Pianos galore

I dove into the pianos first, because acoustic piano (AP) sounds and practice are my primary need at this time.

The CFX and Bösendorfer Imperial sounded good and clear. In fact, everything sounded good and clear. Might be due to the HS-8s being brighter than my studio monitors; might be due to Pure Audio Circuit 2 (PAC 2).

The Hamburg Grand — a Steinway, presumably — is brighter than I expected. It should cut through a band mix, no prob. Definitely a high-quality addition to the Montage range.

I briefly checked out the Nashville C3, the C7, and the Felt pianos just to verify that they are there. The audio definitely had more clarity than MODX or even Genos (gen 1).

I dove into the CFX grand programming. Yep, one part with 18 elements.

Yet, with all the acoustic pianos, something was missing. Don’t get me wrong, Montage M acoustic pianos will be great for the stage, especially if the pianist is competing with guitar, drum and/or other general cacophony. The APs don’t have the depth or dynamism that I hear in Clavinova, for example. Maybe it’s the missing VRM, Grand Expression Modeling, whatever. People still may choose to record exposed piano solos using virtual instruments or the real deal itself.

The user interface

If you’ve been using either Montage or MODX, be ready for change. It took a little while to come to grips with the new user interface (UI). I managed to navigate through AWM2 element programming and effects without too much trouble. However, old habits must change!

The main screen is clear and responsive enough. Much has been said about the touch screen response — didn’t bother me. I like the button matrix for voice selection. Very easy to use and I quickly depended upon it. Performance search is different and it required some trial, error and time before I became accustomed to it.

The sub display is beautifully clear and readible. Some people have been grumbling about pixel jaggies. Again, didn’t bother me. I’ll take that large display any day over the slim sub display on Genos. The large subdisplay allows BIG numbers and parameter names — good for stage work.

UI-wise, I’m on board with Montage M although one hour is not really enough to get the full sense of workflow.

Electric pianos

Montage M has new electric piano (EP) waveforms and performances. They beat everything I’ve played on MODX, Clavinova and Genos. I’m jealous and can’t wait to get my hands on these waveforms and voices on a ligher weight, more affordable gig instrument. My homework shows anywhere from 8 to 12 strike levels. Definitely top-notch.

Rotary speaker sim

I tried diving into the drawbar organs through the voice category buttons. Not the best idea as I kept running into old familier organ Performances. I dialed in a few Performance, heard swirlies and mentally shrieked, “No, no, this can’t be happening again!”

I suggest starting out in the “Best of Montage M” Live Set. Or, do a little menu diving to verify that you are hearing the new VCM rotary speaker sim. Familiar, old organ Performances continue to use the old ROTARY SPEAKER 1 and ROTARY SPEAKER 2 effect types.

Keep your eyes open and look for a big VCM rotary icon. The VCM icon pops up on the sub display as well as effect edit screens. For some reason, Montage M treats the VCM rotary sim as a separate effect block. You won’t necessarily find it in the Insert A or Insert B slots.

Once found though, you’ll be happy. Well, at least happier than Montage/MODX. I’d like it better if rotary speed could be switched by a pedal, right out of the box. It’s a long reach to the MOD wheel or ribbon controller on the 88.

GEX keyboard

AP and EP with GEX is satisfying. I would not call GEX “light.” The key weight felt similar to the GH3/GH3X — and left my hands somewhat tired, too. Crazy me, NWX or GrandTouch (wood, linear grading) remain at the top of my list.

Playing drawbar organ on GEX is a chore, but you probably guessed that already. Palm swipes are not fun. I could say the same for strings, woodwinds and the other non-piano voices which I auditioned. The lack of PAT on M6/M7 is a genuinely awkward subject for synthesists, organists, or people like me who spend a lot of gig time playing non-piano voices.

AN-X Performances

I didn’t invest a huge amount of time trying AN-X. I browsed the AN-X Performances in the “Best of Montage M” Live Set. The AN-X sound reminds me of the my old AN-200 groove box and why I love it. Maybe it’s just the patches that I tried, but the sound connected me to AN/VA back in the day — reminiscent of the Sequential Circuit Prophet upon which AN was modelled.

I would be very pleased to own a Montage M with AN-X. I’m more excited about AN-X, now, than FM-X. The AN-X Performances have a certain dynamism.

The F-word

At this point, I don’t give a fig. GC had classic rock on the PA and how are you going to listen for anything quiet and subtle during “Smoke on the Water”? So, all I can say is, “Make your choices.”

Where does this leave me?

This time around, I’m interested in getting the best digital piano experience that I can — for the money. I want good value and I’m not willing to spring for any old expensive 88.

The Yamaha Montage M series sound terrific. In person, they look terrific. Whatever 88 I buy will sit in our dining room. Therefore, visual aesthetics are important. As much as I like the look of Montage M8x and P-515 (P-525), a furniture digital piano is more appropriate for the dining room. All the dancing lights would entertain guests, but… Might as well rule out CP88, too, on aesthetic grounds.

The other issue is the GEX keyboard. It’s a good keybed, but I find the NWX to be more comfortable for extended play. I may be in a bit of trouble here as Yamaha seems to be phasing out NWX. The P-515 successor, P-525, for example, has a GrandTouch-S (wood) keybed.

As to sound, the Montage M series acoustic and electric pianos are damned good. I love the variety. (Same could be said of Stage CP since it’s roughly the same line-up.) The VCM rotary speaker sim is very welcome and long overdue. The acoustic piano sounds, however, are missing VRM and I don’t want to compromise. VRM definitely enriches the digital sound especially when you’re playing solo or practicing.

Not that it’s a GEX thing specifically, but I have real concerns about playing non-piano voices on a so-called piano action keybed. I play organ, strings, woodwinds, etc. daily on MODX (el-cheapo semi-weighted action) and Genos (FSX). FSX is still a decent compromise across a wide spectrum of voices. I think synth players will be happier with M6/M7. Even Yamaha pitch M8x as “M8x for the pianist.”

At this point, I will probably find a landing place in Clavinova-land. That doesn’t mean I dislike the Montage M series. On the contrary, I can’t wait for “MOM” or “MOMO”! My MODX6 is going to wear out eventually…

GENOS2 incoming, November

It’s official.

Still awaiting SEQTRAK™

Montage M8x: Key notes

Posted on October 13, 2023 by pj

Yamaha rarely invent a new technology and not reuse the same tech in a different product line. So it goes with the key sensor tech in Yamaha Montage M8x.

We all got an important clue from the most recent Music Production Guide:

The model MONTAGE M8x features a newly developed, special keyboard called “GEX”, which supports Polyphonic Aftertouch. Unlike other keyboards, the GEX keyboard does not use conventional key contacts, but electromagnetic induction. With this technology, each individual key position can be continuously scanned. In addition, the keyboard supports software updates, which enables the future development of further techniques and articulations beyond Polyphonic Aftertouch.

GEX has its origins in the latest Yamaha hybrid and Silent Piano product lines. This might explain why Yamaha brought out Polyphonic Aftertouch (PAT) in the 88-key version of the Montage M series and not M6/M7 Quite simply, Yamaha could use components and a keybed that were already sitting on its shelf.

This blog post is a bit of a clip-show. I’m collecting information about the sensor technology and want to share a few starting points for further reading and exploration.

Three types of key sensors

Yamaha have three major key sensor technologies in use today:

2- and 3-contact rubber key strips — the most-widely used type,
Non-contact 2-point optical fiber hammer/key sensors — employed in hybrid, Silent Piano™ and Transacoustic™ pianos, and
Non-contact continuous detection electromagnetic induction sensor — the latest tech.

I won’t be saying much about the rubber key strips because this technology is so well-known.

Electromagnetic induction key sensors

Yamaha announced its new line-up of TransAcoustic and Silent Piano models in August 2022. As part of the announcement, Yamaha briefly described a newly developed “Articulation Sensor System.”

We have newly developed an electronic “Articulation Sensor System”. Wireless communication from sensors installed under all 88 keys allows for natural playing without sacrificing the piano’s original touch. In addition, it is now possible to always accurately grasp the movement of keys being pressed and released, and to detect minute movements of the keyboard, such as when playing staccato, more accurately than before.

Specifications for the SH3 and SC3 Silent Pianos identify the key sensing system as “Non-contact continuous detection electromagnetic induction sensor.”

The new Yamaha Montage M8x employs the latest electromagnetic induction key sensing technology in its GEX keyboard.

Previously, Transacoustic and Silent Pianos employed contactless, optical hammer and key detection. As you can see from its description below, the optical key sensors require much labor and costly components. The gradient optical key shutters must be carefully aligned.

The new electromagnetic induction key sensors appear to be easier to build and install. Each key has small inductive loop on the bottom. Sensors on the printed circuit board below the keys detect loop (key) movements.

Because the electromagnetic induction sensors are so new, it will be some time before we learn the details about the new sensor technology.

NU1XA AvantGrand

When I heard “electromagnetic induction” and “hybrid” fall out of Blake’s mouth, I instantly remembered the Yamaha NU1XA hybrid piano. The NU1XA combines an upright’s key action with digital synthesis. The Yamaha Articulation Sensor System is described in the following way:

The NU1XA features our newly developed Articulation Sensor System, which accurately and continuously captures the pianist’s subtlest performance nuances, through non-contact electromagnetic sensors and Yamaha’s proprietary algorithm. This system utilizes two separate sensors on each key: one for the hammer — the most crucial part of the acoustic piano sound mechanism — and the other for the key itself, to precisely measure the movement of finger release and articulate exactly the special nuances when the sound stops. Together, they fully capture the most delicate expressions of the player. [Yamaha]

Obviously, the Montage M8x does not have hammers and Montage M8x has only under-key sensors. [Needs to be verified.]

Yamaha NU1XA key action and sensors [Yamaha]

Yamaha have been working to simulate the interplay between a pianists fingers (and pedals) in order to “craft changes in timbre according to the speed and depth with which the keys are pressed.” Yamaha calls these proprietary algorithms and software “Grand Expression Modeling.” Like Montage M PAT, the Yamaha secret sauce is in the software.

This technology goes well-beyond simple 2- and 3-switch discrete sensing into the realm of continuous sensing. You’ll find 2-switch sensing in most other Yamaha synths and arrangers. 3-switch switch sensing is found in so-called “triple sensor” keybeds like GH3, GH3X and NWX.

Optical shutter key sensors

Key sensor and greyscale shutter [Yamaha]

Under each of the 88 keys is a Yamaha-unique continuous-detection grey-scale shutter key sensor. These sensors detect the movement of the keys continually, allowing natural musical expression even when the piano is in SILENT Piano™ function. Since they do not come into contact with the keys, these sensors do not affect the feel of the keyboard in any way. [Yamaha]

I’m sure all of this Yamaha tech is patented. Happy hunting at the USPTO!

[Update: Thanks to Jason at the Yamaha Synth Forum who found these two Yamaha patents: U.S. Patent 5612502A and 6121535.]

Silent Piano optical sensors

The old Yamaha Silent Piano™ line use continuous key and damper pedal detection. Key sensing uses optical shutters.

Yamaha Optical Key Sensors [Yamaha]

Yamaha Silent Pianos go one step further than the hybrids — Silent Pianos are complete pianos with action, strings and soundboard. When a Silent Piano is switched to Quiet Mode, the hammers are stopped before hitting the strings. The articulation sensor system tracks key movement, sending data to Grand Expression Modeling and tone synthesis. [The Quiet and Acoustic Modes are selected with a silencing lever or pedal.]

If you use information from this article, please post a link to my site. Thanks!

Montage M: Fan on, fan off

Posted on October 13, 2023 by pj

When my nephew was four years old, he was positively obsessed with fans. Whenever the forced-air furnace would kick on at my sister’s house, he would immediately say, “Fan on!” When the furnace kicked off, we’d hear “Fan off!” We always knew the status of the heating system.

Later in life, he became obsessed with helicopters…

Please, give the Yamaha Montage M fan discussion a rest. I’m sorry that I ever said anything about it. 🙂

Having crawled through all things electronic from Raspberry Pi-sized devices to 1960s-sized mainframes — and maintained them — the small CPU fan in the Montage M series is not a matter for concern. As many people pointed out, Korg Kronos, Apple Macbook Air and other popular products have small fans. Usually, these fans are variable speed and throttle down (or off) depending upon CPU load.

I’m sure someone will mention fan-less tablets and phones. Apple, Samsung, etc. have carefully considered thermal design and are depending upon the metal body to carry away the heat into free space. (Or your hands.) Phone and tablet designers don’t get a free pass either.

The scientifically astute people correctly cite physics. You want to compute, you got to spend power. You want faster, you’re going to need more power. Think “Scotty and the dilithium crystals.” 🙂

You may not know it, but this site has all of the lecture material for my university-level courses on computer design and VLSI systems. Check it out!

I always did a section on cooling and power estimation because, in hardware, design has three major concerns: speed, space and power. Most software types think solely in terms of program speed and size. The fact that software consumes gobs of power when it runs, is not normally taken into consideration by programmers.

There is a simple formula to estimate CMOS dynamic power dissipation:

                                         2
    Power     = Capacitance     * Voltage   * frequency 
         dyn               Load          DD

The power supply voltage is normally fixed for the given fabrication technology, e.g., 3.3 Volts. Capacitance is the aggregated capacitance of all the transistor gates and wires which must be switched between 0 Volts (logic 0) and +3.3 Volts (logic 1). The frequency is the clock frequency.

If you go multi-core, you have more transistors and wires, and the aggregated capacitance is higher than single-core. If you increase the clock frequency, the transistors will switch on and off more often. So, if you want a multi-core processor with a high clock rate, you’re gonna pay in dynamic power dissipation. In plain terms, you’re going to generate more heat.

That heat needs to go somewhere. High-speed CMOS circuits get incredibly hot if the heat is not removed (dissipated). Get above 60 or 70 degrees Celsius and you’re flirting with disaster. Prolonged operation at high temperature is unreliable leading to circuit failure. Even modest overheating shortens circuit life in the long run.

Having seen the guts of Yamaha products, I have confidence in their engineers. I’m sure they have chosen the appropriate cooling solution. Some people are yakking about passive cooling with tubes and plumbing junk. Save that for your gaming machine. With manufacturing concerns and cost in mind, frankly, give me a friggin’ break.

To put things in better perspective, the picture below is the Raspberry Pi cooling system provided by Canakit. There are two heat sinks: one for the external memory IC and one for the CPU. The cooling fan is optional. Taken together, this cooling solution is sufficient for a Broadcom BCM2711 quad-core ARM Cortex-A72 at 1.5GHz. Montage M doesn’t need much more than that.

CanaKit Raspberry Pi cooler (and American quarter)

Please note the small size of the fan: about one inch (2.54cm) per side. This is not an x86-size cooler!

Yes, there are practical matters in the studio. You should be controlling the amount of dust (and smoke!) in your studio simply to keep your key contacts and connectors clean. Next, I can relate to noise concerns having used a Silver-door Mac for many years. [Hurricane force winds!] The dinky fan in the Montage M should be barely audible. I doubt if you will track it — unless you put a mic next to the fan and sample it. 🙂

“No spoiler.”

Montage M APs and EPs

Posted on October 12, 2023 by pj

I’m starting to compare Yamaha Montage M waveforms against Montage/MODX waveforms.

Montage M acoustic (AP) and electric pianos (EP) got a very big bump! The table below has my raw, working notes.

    Montage       Montage M      Strike levels
    -----------   -----------    ---------------
    CF3 Stretch   CF3 Stretch    3       Soft/Med/Hard
    CF3 Flat      CF3 Flat       3       Soft/Med/Hard
    S6 Stretch    S6 Stretch     4       pp/mp/mf/ff
    S6 Flat       S6 Flat        4       pp/mp/mf/ff
    CFX           CFX            9    
    S700          S700           3       pp/mf/ff
    Upright       Upright        3       mp/f/ff
                  C7             5       pp/mp/mf/f/ff
                  Nashville C3   5       p/mp/mf/f/ff
                  Imperial       8    
                  Hamburg Grand  10    
                  U1 Upright     5       p/mp/mf/f/ff
                  Felt Piano     4       p/mp/mf/f
    CP70          CP70           1 
    CP80          CP80           5       p/mp/mf/f/ff
                  CP80-2 Attack  4       mp/mf/f/ff
    
    EP1           EP1            3       Soft/Med/Hard
    EP2           EP2            2       Soft/Hard
    EP3           EP3            2       Soft/Hard
    EP4           EP4            5       p/mp/mf/f/ff

    Rd Soft       Rd Soft        5       p/mp/mf/f/ff
    Rd Hard       Rd Hard        4       mp/mf/f/ff
    Rd73          Rd73           5       p/mp/mf/f/ff
    Rd78          Rd78           5       p/mp/mf/f/ff
    Wr1           Wr1            3       Soft/Med/Hard
    Wr2           Wr2            4       p/mf/f/ff
    Wr3           Wr3            5       p/mp/mf/f/ff

                  67Rd           9    
                  73Rd Studio    8    
                  74Rd Stage     10    
                  78Rd Studio    10    
                  Wr Warm        12    
                  Wr Wide        10

The Hamburg Grand is nicely detailed with 10 velocity levels. Given the change in waveform name, the CFX might (emphasis, “might”) have been refreshed. We should ask Yamaha about that. Yamaha are making good use of the new 128 element per part capability.

I can verify that the U1 Upright, Nashville C3 and Felt pianos in the character piano give-away are full fat (i.e., same number of strike levels as Montage M).

The Yamaha talking points don’t mention it much, but there are new Rhodes and Wurlitzer waveforms. And, they are beautifully detailed. There’s a new CP80, too.

I didn’t spot any changes in sampled DX, Clav, drawbar, combo, and pipe organ waveforms. Why update sampled DX when Montage has FM-X? Duh.

This is all pretty spiffy for AP and EP players. I hope some of these waveforms trickle into Genos2 and the Clavinova digital pianos. I’d love to see that Hamburg Grand in the (much anticipated) CLP-800 series. Throw in a few of the new EPs along with the Hamburg and Yamaha will tempt a lot of upgrades.

Given the range of pianos in Montage M, one wonders about the future of Stage CP (mark 2). Perhaps Stage CP will adopt technology from the Clavinova line — Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM), in particular?