Tag Archives: Yamaha Montage

MODX: Going to the library

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After resolving yesterday’s Sample Robot teething issues, I pulled together two new sampled pipe organ voices. Each voice is stored into its own MODX Library file as exported by Sample Robot for Montage (SRM).

At this point, I realized that libraries and voices are going to stack up quickly. So, I dipped into a few on-line resources:

Essentially, a MODX (or Montage) Library is a way to bundle up related Performances, waveforms, arpeggios and other data into a single package. Bundling makes it easy to save, distribute, and load Performance-related data.

Page 23 of the MODX Reference Manual contains a diagram depicting the contents of USER Memory and the relationship of USER Memory to USB flash drive file types like USER files and LIBRARY files. This diagram and its accompanying text is meaningful to engineers, but is somewhat confusing to a regular user who wants to get a job done! Diagram aside, it’s worth noting that there are two main file types that are important to our data management: USER files and LIBRARY files. Each file type has its own file name extension:

                  Montage  MODX
                  -------  ----
    USER file        .X7U  .X8U
    LIBRARY file     .X7L  .X8L

Yamaha have continued their practice of bumping the file format version number with each new generation of synth. Thus, the MODX USER file extension is “.X8U” versus Montage’s “.X7U”. I won’t distract you with compatibility details except to note that MODX can load Montage USER and LIBRARY files. Good thing since Sample Robot exports Montage USER and LIBRARY files (.X7U and .X7L).

There are two primary file operations:

    LOAD: [UTILITY] → [Contents] → [Load]
    STORE/SAVE: Press [STORE] button, or 
                [UTILITY] → [Contents] → [Store/Save]

I think of USER Memory as working storage that holds my most frequently used Performances (and other stuff). It’s important to stay backed up, especially when working with a new keyboard. I back up daily, writing USER memory to a USER file. It’s not that the data is so important — I can’t afford lost time. Lost data is lost time.

A USER file contains:

    User Performance (640 max)
    User Arpeggio (256 max)
    User Motion Sequence
    User Curve
    User Live Set
    User Micro Tuning
    User Waveform
    Utility Settings
    Quick Setup
    User Audition Phrase

That’s pretty much the whole ball of wax from USER Memory — a complete snapshot.

A LIBRARY file is similar to a USER file. A LIBRARY file contains:

    Performance (640 max)
    Arpeggio (256 max)
    Motion Sequence
    Curve
    Live Set
    Micro Tuning
    Waveform
    Audition Phrase

A Library doesn’t contain Utility Settings or Quick Setup data. You wouldn’t want a Library to disturb these settings when it’s loaded.

What’s a little confusing about the USER Memory diagram is that it shows (eight) Libraries as part of USER Memory. Maybe it’s better to think of USER Memory as “Internal Memory”. By the way, some writers refer to this memory as “read only,” kind of, sort of. The correct term is “non-volatile,” i.e., memory contents aren’t lost when power is turned off. This terminology gets around writer-ly semantic problems. Internal memory can be read and written. It just doesn’t lose its mind when power is removed.

A LIBRARY file, since it’s a file, can be loaded and saved. During a load operation, the contents of a library is written (stored) into one of the eight available library slots in USER Memory. The contents of the USER Performances, etc. in USER Memory are not over-written. From my point of view, this is great because I don’t want anything messing with my work! We can, however, save User data to a LIBRARY file.

The final piece of the puzzle is how to bring selected pieces of a memory-resident Library into USER Memory. That’s where Library import comes into play:

    [UTILITY] → [Contents] → [Library Import]

The Import to User Bank operation:

Copies the selected Performance in the User Bank. User Waveforms and User Arpeggio which are used in the selected Performance are copied to the User Bank as well. This button is displayed only when any of the Performances is selected.

Reading this last sentence from the MODX Reference Manual rang a bell in my head.

When I auditioned my first attempt at a pipe organ voice, I loaded the library generated by Sample Robot, but did not import the Performance. I even created a User Performance that referred to the new waveform and it played perfectly. However, was the new waveform really in USER Memory? No. I deleted the Library from USER Memory and the waveform disappeared, too. The User Performance which once referred to the waveform did not sound anymore. Edit revealed an empty space in the voice Element which once referred to the new waveform.

Actually, this is quite good behavior. In order to quickly audition new waveforms produced by Sample Robot, I just need to load the Library file with the new waveform. If I don’t like the sound, I can easily destroy the evidence by deleting the library from its slot in USER Memory. If I like the sound, then I can import the performance from the library to the USER Bank and build on top of the new waveform.

I’m glad that I undertook this experiment before going further. I want to keep the Principal 8′, 4′, 2′ waveform and Performance, and I want to audition any new waveforms without disturbing my earlier work. With load, save and import in mind, I think I see the way forward.

Copyright © 2018 Paul J. Drongowski

Here are a few helpful notes from the YamahaSynth.com site. Special thanks for to Phil Clendeninn and Jason!

A Library file can be loaded without overwriting your USER AREA. A Library file can install data into one of eight LIBRARY locations in your Montage/MODX.

When you place something in a Library location it’s there with everything it needs to be played (just like your Preset data always has everything it needs). But, you can rewrite this, later, if you change your mind or wish to add to it!

To create a LIBRARY you must assemble what you wish to place in that Library into your USER area. From the USER area you can SAVE as a “Library File” — this creates a .X7L file on your USB stick. Once you have that file, you can then install it to one of 8 Library locations.

You can then audition the sounds, decide which ones you think are “keepers”. The ones you want to keep you can IMPORT to USER. Why would you want to import them into USER? Because you assemble the data that you want to keep and then create your own custom library.

You can delete unwanted Libraries by entering the Library folder, select an item, tap “Delete”.

You can assemble data from a Library by using the “Import Library” function (Montage version 1.10 and later): UTILITY → Contents → Library Import

Each library can only be changed in its entirety. You cannot delete individual performances within a library – you can only delete the
entire library. You cannot add one Performance to an existing library. Libraries can only be installed, deleted, or created. Libraries cannot be edited on MODX.

The Library Banks contain the Performances you have added as Libraries. The Library Banks are initially empty. (A Library can be added by importing a library file.)

  1. Install library to a library slot (the one you want to add to)
  2. Backup then clear the user area so it is empty
  3. Create the one user Performance you want to add to the library (eventually) in the user area. The user area now has one Performance you want to add to the installed library.
  4. Import the entire Library you installed in step 1 to the user area. The act of “import” does not overwrite the user area. It will make sure all necessary content in the library, including custom waveforms, are copied (imported) into the user area.
  5. Create a new library from the user area. This new library will be the original one plus the one (in this example) user Performance you wanted to add.
  6. Delete the previous library
  7. Install the new library

Sample Robot: Quick feedback

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I’m deep into the next phase of my experiments with SKYLIFE Sample Robot — automatically sampling a pipe organ voice from Yamaha Genos™

Two mundane, yet important observations:

  • The license allows up to 3 simultaneous installs — quite generous.
  • Sample Robot is 64-bit only. (?)

I intended to install Sample Robot on my “upstairs” PC. The upstairs PC is equipped with a basic analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a Behringer UCA202. Yes, I know, it’s kind of low-brow, but I don’t do enough sampling, etc. to splash out for an expensive converter. The upstairs rig is always ready to go, including its E-MU MIDI2x2 interface. It all sits right next to Genos. A quick cable up and we should be ready.

Or not. The upstairs PC runs Windows 7 32-bit. The copy of Sample Robot which Yamaha Musicsoft dealt to me insists on 64-bit Windows 7. BTW, I couldn’t find this requirement (or any detailed platform requirements) on the Sample Robot web site or in the Sample Robot manual. I think it’s 64-bits or the highway…

“If the mountain will not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain.” Drag Genos, UCA202, and a handful of cables downstairs to Windows 7 64-bit and Sample Robot.

With everything moved and cabled, it’s finally time to fire up Sample Robot. Thank goodness for its start-up wizard because it definitely takes you through every essential setting which must be made. The wizard leads up to its final screen which has a button to start sampling. Great. except what about setting levels?

Here the road gets a bit rough. First, I noticed that Sample Robots meter is twitching as though it’s getting schmutz on the audio input or at least a dirty sample stream from the UCA202 ADC. I’ll be darned if I can find a way to monitor the incoming sample stream through the box, i.e., route the incoming stream to Sample Robot’s audio output in order to hear incoming audio on the monitors.

Worse, I didn’t even know that Genos was playing the wrong voice! Genos has two 5-pin MIDI ports: Port A IN/OUT and Port B IN/OUT. By default, Port A is associated with the SONG channels and Port B is associated with the keyboard (tone generator) itself. I needed port B, and of course, was plugged into Port A.

How did I work through these issues? First, I turned off Sample Robot’s Auto-gain feature. “Use the Force, Luke.” I feel much better hitting the ADC with a known sensible level for starters. I can always enable Auto-gain later on.

Next, I had to get some aural feedback. I reduced the amount of time each sample is taken to two seconds. With such a short time, I could quickly capture half-a-dozen samples, stop capture, and playback each individual sample for quality assurance. This is how I finally discovered the Port A/Port B wrong voice problem.

With Genos properly configured, I started to hear pipe organ instead of cheesy GM piano. This afternoon, I intend to capture a full set of short samples and QA them before acquiring full length (12 second) samples and looping them. Better to wait 60 seconds instead of six minutes; shorten that feedback loop!

Now, I think I can move ahead. But, please, oh please, where is the Monitor function in Sample Robot? To its credit, Sample Robot does what it says on the tin (modulo 64-bitness). More to come.

MODX: Get started with Sample Robot

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In my last post, I created a new Yamaha MODX Performance from a handful of WAV files. The new Performance had shortcomings, mainly due to short loops in the samples themselves. I tossed the first one away. What the heck — it’s only bits. 🙂

Last time, I did all of the work on the MODX itself through its user interface (UI). My experience was generally good, but I had to enter a lot of detail directly into the UI. Today, I’m moving on to Sample Robot for Montage with hopes of making the job easier.

Sample Robot by SKYLIFE is a spiffy tool for copping sounds from old keyboards or any other sound source. Yamaha formed a parnership with SKYLIFE resulting in Sample Robot for Montage, a version of Sample Robot that is tailor-made for Montage (and MODX).

Even though Sample Robot for Montage — which I will refer to as “SRM” — has the ability to capture multisamples automatically from MIDI keyboards, it has two other capabilities of immediate interest and purpose:

  1. SRM can import WAV/AIFF files into a multisample.
  2. SRM exports the finished result as a Montage User file (X7U) or a Montage Library file (X7L). MODX loads both of these file types.

Thus, SRM looks to be and is a promising path for creating new MODX Performances from existing WAV/AIFF files.

At this point, I must admit that I’m still getting my head around the Montage/MODX library concept. [This subject receives scant space in the documentation, unfortunately.] Thanks to Phil’s tutorials on YamahaSynth.com, I grok their basic purpose — to bundle related Performances, waveforms, arpeggios, etc. into an easily distributed and imported package. I have much to learn about this subject especially how to exploit Montage/MODX libraries for data management during sound development. More about this some day.

Sample Robot for Montage: Set-up

I downloaded SRM from the Yamaha Musicsoft site. SRM is free to Montage (and, apparently, MODX owners) until March 2019. I can’t argue with the price!

The download is a ZIP file containing both the Windows and Macintosh versions of SRM. The Musicsoft site provides a Yamaha code number and a serial number, both of which are required for activation. Rikki don’t lose that number. 🙂

Install is easy — just click through the installation wizard. The Windows installer is about 200MBytes, the bulk of which are example projects.

You will be asked to activate after launching SRM for the first time. Enter all of the magic numbers. SRM starts up with a preloaded example. I peeked and poked at the example for a little while and quickly discovered that an audio device wasn’t assigned. I eventually settled on “Microsoft Sound Mapper – Output”. Unfortunately, Windows 7 ran that damnable audiodg (Audio Device Graph Isolation) process, taking a long time to complete. Further, I had to restart SRM before getting audio through the monitors. I can’t fault SRM for this. Microsoft? Hello, it’s 2018?

Upon start-up, SRM displays a wizard leading you through the task of setting essential project characteristics like sample rate and such. In a moment of hubris, I cancelled the wizard the first time through and found the app to be somewhat inert. Me-thinks SRM needs to initialize its environment and clicking through the start-up wizard at least once does the trick.

SRM: The warm-up

I strongly recommend a quick read through the SRM manual for no other reason than to become familiar with its concepts and terminology. The terminology is fairly standard, but it differs a bit from Montage/MODX terminology. For example, it appears that your SRM “multisamples” will become Yamaha waveforms and inherit multisample names. This is where familiarity will breed expertise, I expect.

I also suggest taking a tour around the SRM user interface. The “Info and Settings” pane is a property inspector that shows important properties for the selected project, multisample or sample. Then, check out the virtual keyboard. With a two button mouse, left clicking/holding a key plays the sample associated with the note. (Notes with a blue box marker have a sample assigned.) Right clicking a key selects the sample associated with the key.

The Osc, Wav, MIDI and Panic radio buttons seem to choose what the virtual keyboard sends and does. Try Osc and you’ll hear a pure reference tone at the selected pitch — a good feature when working with pitched multisamples. I don’t know about you, but my sense of pitch goes all whack after 30 minutes or so of intense work.

Today’s protein on the plate

I dug another old chestnut out of my hoard of pipe organ samples. Apple’s Symphony Orchestra Jam Pack (a blast from the past, eh?) has several mighty fine church organ patches. Even though it’s Garageband, the church organ is an EXS24 virtual instrument. If you know where to look, you can find the samples and you can play/inspect the virtual instrument in Logic via EXS24.

Apple licensed pretty decent samples. I once tried to determine their original source and vaguely remember Sonic Reality. Others thought VSL lite (circa 2003). Association with Garageband unfairly cheapened their reputation.

The samples are taken from three principal ranks (8′, 4′ and 2′) in unison. Without deep diving organ registration, a voice consisting of principals is good for hymn accompaniment. [Principals, BTW, are the metal pipes that give a pipe organ its distinctive timbre.] Thanks to the even footages, there aren’t a lot of weird harmonics to clutter up the sound.

A Dave Stewart moment. Many synthesizer pipe organ patches are reedy. They want to impress the buyer with bombast (i.e., “Phantom of the Opera” AKA Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor). Reeds and strings are inappropriate for hymn accompaniment. Flutes, sometimes. Pure tones, pure tones.

Here is a table summarizing the sample files:

KB#  Low  High  Center  File
---  ---  ----  ------  -----------------------
 1   C-2   C#1      C1  Prin_842_kb1_c1.aif
 2    D1    E1     D#1  Prin_842_kb2_d#1.aif
 3    F1    G1     F#1  Prin_842_kb3_f#1.aif
 4   G#1   A#1      A1  Prin_842_kb4_a1.aif
 5    B1   C#2      C2  Prin_842_kb5_c2.aif
 6    D2    E2     D#2  Prin_842_kb6_d#2.aif
 7    F2    G2     F#2  Prin_842_kb7_f#2.aif
 8   G#2   A#2      A2  Prin_842_kb8_a2.aif
 9    B2   C#3      C3  Prin_842_kb9_c3.aif
10    D3    E3     D#3  Prin_842_kb10_d#3.aif
11    F3    G3     F#3  Prin_842_kb11_f#3.aif
12   G#3   A#3      A3  Prin_842_kb12_a3.aif
13    B3   C#4      C4  Prin_842_kb13_c4.aif
14    D4    E4     D#4  Prin_842_kb14_d#4.aif
15    F4    G4     F#4  Prin_842_kb15_f#4.aif
16   G#4   A#4      A4  Prin_842_kb16_a4.aif
17    B4   C#5      C5  Prin_842_kb17_c5.aif
18    D5    E5     D#5  Prin_842_kb18_d#5.aif
19    F5    G8     F#5  Prin_842_kb19_f#5.aif

The note names (numbers) follow the Yamaha convention. This information was taken from Logic EXS24.

I did a little bit of prep work. I renamed the AIF files, putting the center note into standard form. I checked the samples in Yamaha Tiny Wave Editor (TWE) to see if they were looped. (They were.) I normalized the samples using TWE. Turns out, SRM can normalize and I could have accomplished this task in SRM instead.

The Apple samples are decent:

  • Stereo, 44100Hz, 16-bit
  • Nice long samples (12 to 19 seconds each)
  • Long loops, no audible bumps

This one has the potential to be a keeper.

SRM: Doing the business

Time to get down to business. I created a new project named “Principal842”. Please see the screenshot below. [Click images to enlarge.] I like SRM’s “Battle Zone” visual theme; it’s one of the few games that I still relate to.

Drop into the “Import/Export” menu, select the AIF files, click the Import button, and what the?

Admittedly, what came next were my most frustrating moments. I either imported one individual sample file or just the last sample file in the selected list. Arg! Long story short, it came down to finding the right combination of import settings.

The default Copy setting is “Copy to filenames’s Root Key (if available), else to filename’s Root Key”. Grammar issue aside (“filenames'” is grammatically correct), I tried “Copy to filenames’s Root Key” with success.

The first screenshot shows the state of the project after a successful import. The samples are laid out correctly across the keyboard as derived from the sample file names. Further, SRM did a smashing job with the keybank ranges.

With everything in order, dive into import/export and select Montage Library (X7L) format for export. I went with X7L instead of X7U (User format) because I didn’t want to overwrite my User area. Yes, I’m thoroughly backed up, but why take a chance. I also wanted to get my feet wet with libraries.

I copied the X7L file to a USB flash drive, inserted the flash drive into MODX and loaded the library file. The X7L Library file is sizeable due to the waveform inside. The library file has the name “Principal842”, same as the SRM project. The Library appears in Category Search under that name. SRM generated a basic Performance, too.

I tried the basic Performance and was satisfied with the raw material. I then dove into the left-over husk of yesterday’s abandoned experiment. The husk (Performance) began life as the “Church Organ” preset voice. I changed its waveform to the new one and made a few tweaks here and there. Voila! A decent pipe organ voice suitable for hymn accompaniment.

Sometimes a new waveform requires polish. The sample levels may be uneven across the keyboard or a sample may be out of tune. The MODX UI is well up to the job allowing tweaks for level and fine pitch.

I wanted to post the finished project. However, given the commercial origin of the samples (Apple), I don’t want to violate intellectual property (IP) rights. Instead, here’s a quick MPEG-4 demo (m4a).

Copyright © 2018 Paul J. Drongowski

Yamaha MODX announcement

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I’m going to update this page as information rolls out.

The Yamaha MODX Owner’s Manual is now available in the Yamaha manual library. No Data List PDF (yet). Once we have the Data List, we’ll be able to do a better comparison of effect types versus the Montage. Yamaha added a number of effect algorithms through updates and, of course, we’re hoping that the MODX will have the same arsenal.

After taking a quick side-by-side pass through the MODX Owner’s Manual, it’s clear that the MODX has much of the on-screen Montage user interface. The MODX and Montage code base is now the same and this should help Yamaha to swat bugs on both platforms and to reduce internal software development costs.

New to the MODX user interface are Rhythm Patterns. Quoting the MODX Owner’s Manual:

The [Rhythm Pattern] button provides a simple way to add a rhythm part to the current Performance. By combining rhythm patterns and the Envelope Follower, you can modify the patterns even further.

Use this button to call up the Rhythm Pattern display. You select the Rhythm Pattern you want to use, and then press [PERFORMANCE (HOME)] button or [EXIT] button to set the selection.

Seems to be a way to get a beat going quickly and is an enhancement of the existing arpeggio mechanism. [Click image to enlarge.]

Rest assured. There is a performance recorder/sequencer which is the (nearly) the same as Montage (MODX: 128 songs, Montage: 64 songs). Lack of a full sequencer (a la Motif/MOX) will disappoint some. I intend to keep my MOX6 and trusty QY-70.

The on-screen Live Set operation is identical to Montage. As noted before, the MODX drops the extensive bank of front panel buttons on the Montage. The Montage’s physical buttons mirrored the operation of the Live Set on-screen buttons, etc. I’ll have to try switching patches on-the-fly using the touch screen alone to determine if this is an acceptable compromise for me. I rely on quick changes when I play and I don’t always know in advance what voice I’ll be using. I’m an improvisational orchestrator.

Also as noted earlier, there are four sliders instead of eight. Front panel buttons select between part group 1 to 4 and group 5 to 8 in order to control part volume via the sliders. Again, some operational compromises due to cost saving as there are fewer direct access controls on the MODX. The MODX also has fewer SHIFT functions due to the elimination of the Montage’s front panel button matrix.

On-line retailers are beginning to offer the MODX on pre-order. Yamaha is going to sell a lot of these!

USA pricing table:

MODX6 MODX7 MODX8
MSRP (list) $1,649 USD $1,899 USD $2,399 USD
MAP (street) $1,299 USD $1,499 USD $1,899 USD
Weight 14.6 pounds 16.3 pounds 30.4 pounds

Yamaha MODX vs. Montage table:

Feature MODX Montage
Display 7″ WVGA color TFT 7″ WVGA color TFT
AWM2 poly 128 128
FM-X poly 64 128
SSS 4 parts 8 parts
Faders 4 8
Encoders 4 8
Buttons 4 8
Ribbon No Yes
USB audio in 4 channels (2 stereo) 6 channels (3 stereo)
USB audio out 10 channels (5 stereo) 16 channels
Sampling frequency 44.1kHz Up to 192kHz
ADC inputs 2 2
Dual insert effects 12 parts+A/D 16 parts+A/D
Waveforms 6,347 6,347
Waveform ROM 5.67GB 5.67GB
Flash ROM 1.00GB 1.75GB
User Performances 640 640
Library Performances 5,120 5,120
Scenes 8 per Perf
Arpeggios 10,239 10,000+
Simultaneous Arps 8 8
Perf Rec Songs 128 64
MIDI IN,OUT IN,OUT,THRU
Output Unbalanced Balanced
Keyboard Synth FSX
Aftertouch No Yes
Weight 61-key 14.6 pounds 33.1 pounds

Copyright © 2018 Paul J. Drongowski

Yamaha MODX audio demos

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The folks at AudioFanzine.com have posted 40 audio snippets demonstrating the new Yamaha MODX synthesizer. Merci beaucoup, AudioFanzine.com!

Pretty much sounds like a Montage! Strings, horns, brass, organ — I can’t hear much difference from the Montage.

I love the woodwind demo. Nicely played with a contemporary cinematic flair. Très bon!

Having spent a lot of time with Genos™, I feel that the Montage — and now Yamaha MODX — electric pianos have more guts. I can’t wait to dive into the programming of these voices and hope to beef up the Genos EPs. Ditto the B3 organ and clavs.

Owning both a Yamaha synth and a Yamaha arranger has proven to be a good practical strategy for voice and style development. I can explore voice programming on the synth and then translate the same programming (modulo limitations in Yamaha Expansion Manager) to the Genos. It works in the reverse direction, too. Some of the arranger programming is inspirational and I can translate it back to the synth. Always steal from the best!

If you’re considering an upgrade from MOX or MOXF, you should check out my analysis of the new waveforms in Montage. The Yamaha MODX has the same factory waveforms as the Montage and this analysis should help you to decide. Whether it’s Yamaha, Roland, Korg, etc., the waveforms are the basis for current and future sounds.

Copyright © 2018 Paul J. Drongowski

Yamaha MODX vs. Montage

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I’m pretty well convinced that the Yamaha MODX leak is legitimate.

BTW, I think Yamaha will pronounce the name “MO D X” to reflect a continuation of the MO heritage and to emphasize the FM-X technology by recalling the DX synth line.

Here’s a quick table comparing MODX versus Montage. There are still a few blanks in the table which need to be filled out.

Feature MODX Montage
Display 7″ WVGA color TFT 7″ WVGA color TFT
AWM2 poly 128 128
FM-X poly 64 128
SSS 4 parts 8 parts
Faders 4 8
Encoders 4 8
Buttons 4 8
Ribbon No Yes
USB audio in 4 channels (2 stereo) 6 channels (3 stereo)
USB audio out 10 channels (5 stereo) 16 channels
Sampling frequency 44.1kHz Up to 192kHz
ADC inputs 2 2
Dual insert effects 12 parts+A/D 16 parts+A/D
Waveforms 6,347 6,347
Waveform ROM 5.67GB 5.67GB
Flash ROM 1.00GB 1.75GB
User Performances 640 640
Library Performances 5,120 5,120
Scenes 8 per Perf
Arpeggios 10,239 10,000+
Simult Arp 8
MIDI IN,OUT IN,OUT,THRU
Output Unbalanced Balanced
Keyboard Synth FSX
Aftertouch No Yes
Weight 61-key 14.6 pounds 33.1 pounds

Of course, the important question is, “How much of the Montage did Yamaha leave out?”

First, let me say, you do get a lot. The MODX has full fat waveforms, arpeggios and performances (including voices in the flat Yamaha user interface world). Having heard and played the Full Monty, I will definitely be looking at the MODX to replace my MOX6, especially if the MODX6 weighs in at roughly the same weight.

There have always been differences between the top-of-the-line (TOTL) synth and its mid-range brother. The Montage has a metal chassis, balanced outputs, internal power supply (AKA “AC power”) and an FSX keybed with aftertouch. Therefore, I expected a plastic chassis, unbalanced outputs, external power supply and a synth action (61-key model) without aftertouch. Given the history of the MO product line, one could also expect fewer sliders, knobs and buttons. I’m glad to see the return of sliders, by the way. The plastic case of the MOX6 has held up rather well and usually guitars walk away worse for wear when they collide with the MOX6!

At this price point, I wouldn’t expect Pure Analog Circuit (PAC) audio either. I’m still a little surprised that the Genos offers TOSlink in place of PAC, BTW.

Thankfully, Yamaha did not skimp on the display. It’s the same 7″ wide VGA color TFT. I suspect that the Montage and MOXD share the same software code base, which was not true of the Motif XS/XF and the MOX/MOXF. The MODX has the same number of user and library performances. All of this parity is great news for the end user.

The MODX audio spec is cut down from the Montage. I expected this, too, knowing about the internal architecture of the Montage. The Montage has a dedicated SSP2 integrated circuit (IC) for audio routing and USB interface. This is like having a Steinberg UR44+ in the guts of your studio synthesizer. Thus, the MODX (probably without the SSP2) has fewer USB audio input and output channels. Although the leak doesn’t reveal the sampling rate, I doubt if the MODX will do 192kHz. [I wouldn’t mind being wrong about this doubt.]

The leaked write-up suggests that the MODX has the same effect algorithms as the Montage. The number of dual insert effects is lower in the MODX: 12 parts plus A/D input versus the Montage’s 16 parts plus A/D input.

I suspect that the number of parts per performance has been reduced from sixteen to eight. The front panel buttons provide access to eight elements (as expected with AWM2) or eight parts. Seamless Sound Switching (SSS) is supported for performances with up to 4 parts (versus 8 Montage parts). Take this speculation with a grain of salt as it’s trying to read between the lines of the write-up.

It is true, however, that the four sliders, encoder knobs and buttons are shared across eight parts or elements. Each control type has a button to select between group 1 to 4 and group 5 to 8.

  • With four sliders, don’t expect to go all “Hammond” with drawbars.
  • With four immediately accessible scenes (i.e., without making two button presses under live fire), don’t expect to jump across more than four voices on the fly.

The second concern is a serious one because Yamaha ditched a whole raft of buttons from the right hand side of the front panel (cost saving!) I currently rely on the MOX buttons to select among sixteen voices on the fly. This is important to me because I’m holding down bass and melody lines with our trio. I must make fast patch changes or something gets dropped musically.

The only place where I feel like Yamaha gratuitously tiered the Montage over the MODX is expansion flash memory. The expansion flash memory is the left over flash ROM capacity beyond the factory sound set. Trust me, Yamaha is not saving money by cutting this spec — it is a marketing decision.

There is so much yet to learn about the MODX. I’m hoping that Yamaha retained the deep performance (voice) editing from the Montage. The leaked write-up does not mention a “performance recorder,” so this is a total blank spot, too. Pricing for all models is yet known. Yamaha may sell the MODX at a premium versus the MOXF until the old MOXF stock is sold.

At this stage, I’m quite pleased. My MOX is going strong and makes it to the gig every Sunday. However, I have tasted the future with Genos™ and look forward to trying the Yamaha MODX.

Copyright © 2018 Paul J. Drongowski

Do you question?

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The latest hot rumor. Do you question whether this is real or a hoax? An on-line retailer is running the text below with a price of 1,399 British pounds for the 76-key model. The Keyboard Magazine Forum has a picture of a 61-key model. Real or not?

I’ll post more thoughts later. I’ve gotta gig in an hour…

[Update: Please see my MODX vs. Montage comparison.]

[Previous update: Very likely real. Amazon accidentally posted a page for an 88-key model. The page is no longer active.]

AWM2 Synthesis Engine and FM-X Technology

The AWM2 acts as the heart of the synthesizer. The AWM2 (Advanced Wave Memory) synthesis engine is exclusive to Yamaha synthesizers, renowned for its versatility and sound design capabilities. The AWM2 provides processes both samples and synth sounds, providing ultra-realistic emulation of acoustic instruments, digital sounds and drums.

The FM-X (Frequency Modulation) section provides unique and expressive ways to create synth sounds. The highly-programmable technology provides the means for dynamic, electro-modern music creation. It can create everything from 80s synth sounds to cutting-edge EDM leads. The unique technology provides an 8-operator FM architecture with 64-note polyphony and a wide variety of filter types.

Semi-Weighted Keybed and Versatile Performance Controls

The MODX7 features a 76-note semi-weighted keybed, providing fluid playability. The semi-weighted keys provide added expression, emulating the feel of a traditional piano. The AWM2 engine delivers 128-note [?] polyphony and 64-notes of FM-X polyphony, opening up a new world of possibilities for creating sounds.

A wide range of performance controls are included, ideal for live sets and for use with music production. Empower your creativity with versatile controls for virtually every parameter.

The Super Knob is a highly unique control, acting as a virtual conductor for your music. It directs individual dynamic elements into a signal control. It provides simultaneous control of up to 128 parameters within a single performance. This gives you the ability to mix functions such as Volume, Pan, Effect and other parameters such as Filters, LFOs and more.

Four additional faders and encoders are included. These can be assigned to different functions and used for hands-on control of settings. Between each slider (fader) is a Scene button, It features eight Scenes which can be for different assignments such as Motion Sequence, Arpeggio Select number and even complete mixing. A range of transport controls are included, as well as a modulation and pitch wheel.

Integrated Premium-Grade Effects

A wide range of premium-grade effects are included for adding flare to your sounds. From high-definition Reverbs to Virtual Circuit Modelling effects, the powerful DSP engine delivers unparalleled audio fidelity and performance.

The effects range from standard delays and compressores to cutting-edge effects such as Beat Repeat, Vinyl Break or Bit Crusher. The specialised Spiralizer effect creating the sonic illusion of a tone rising or falling in pitch. There is even a Compression with a sidechain, allowing you to achieve the modern-day ducking effect.

Built-In USB Audio Interface

Aiding modern-day computer-based production, the MODX7 features an integrated 2-in/10-out multi-channel USB audio interface. The high-grade interface is coupled with two A/D inputs, making the MODX the perfect choice as a centrepiece in any studio or live setup. It provides single-cable connectivity, and even works with your favourite iOS device.

Envelope Follower and Motion Sequences

The Envelope Follower converts audio into a control source for virtually any synth parameter. For example you can use a drum loop to drive an effects parameter for a unique rhythm and/or vocal recording.

Motion Sequences give you the ability to create tempo-synchronised sequences which can be assigned to any parameter. This opens up new way to control rhythms and sound. It also features dedicated controls on the front-panel, allowing for real-time manipulation.

Ergonomic, Lightweight and Portable

The sleek and streamlined design is highly portable, making it ideal for live performances and studio sessions. The ergonomic layout is split into various sections allowing you to easily navigate between parameters, settings and sounds. The large LCD touch-screen provides a hands-on approach to accessing sounds and files. The Waveform-Rom of the synthesizer has been expanded from 741MB to 5.67GB. It also provides Seamless Sound Switching (SSS) for performances with up to four parts.

The compact and lightweight design makes it easy to transport. A dedicated transport case is available for the MODX, so you can transport your synth with maximum protection and comfort. The rear of the synth features a variety of connections. A foot switch/sustain output is available for incorporating expression pedals. There are also connections available for A/D input, as well as USB connectivity for USB to Device and USB to Host.

Features

  • AWM2 (Advanced Wave Memory 2) sample and synthesis engine
  • 76-note semi-weighted keybed for fluid playability
  • Unparalleled sonic versatility for creating sounds from iconic 80s sounds to modern-day EDM cutting-edge leads
  • Integrated performance controls include faders and encoders for in-depth control over parameters
  • Ideal for both studio and stage use
  • FM-X Synth Engine
  • LCD-Touchscreen 7″-Colour-Wide-VGA-TFT
  • Waveform-ROM expanded from 741 MB to 5.67 GB
  • 2,370 new Waveforms, 6,347 total in ROM
  • 1 GB Flash-ROM built-in
  • Ca. 2,000 preset performances
  • 640 user performances
  • 5,120 library performances
  • Seamless Sound Switching “SSS” for Performances with up to four Parts
  • 13 dual insert effects (12 Parts + A/D Input)
  • Over 256 preset live set slots, 2,048 User & 2,048 library live set slots
  • 10,239 arpeggios
  • Eight arpeggio Parts simultaneously
  • Eight Scenes per Performance
  • Master keyboard functions for each Performance
  • Multichannel USB Audio Interface, 2-in/10-out

Genos master compressor

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There is an on-going discussion at the PSR Tuturial Forum about the Yamaha Genos™ master compressor.

I did a little “effect sleuthing” and determined that the Genos master compressor is the same algorithm as the Yamaha Montage parallel compressor, PARALLEL COMP. This effect is part of the Montage v1.5 update. The same update added the universal compressor down (UNI COMP DOWN) and universal compressor up (UNI COMP UP) algorithms. All three algorithms can be used as a Montage master effect. On Genos, the parallel compressor is a master effect; the universal compressors can be used only as insertion or variation effects.

How did I run this down? I compared the parameter definitions for the Montage PARALLEL COMP effect algorithm against the parameters of the Genos master compressor. They match exactly. Yamaha often share effect algorithms across their top-of-the-line equipment.The Montage parameters are:

  • Type: Natural, Rich, Punchy, Electronic, Loud
  • Compression: 0 to 100
  • Texture: 0 to 100
  • Output level: -18dB to +18dB (0 to 120)
  • Input level: -18dB to +18dB (0 to 120)

The parameters for the universal compressor algorithms match up, too. However, the Genos user interface (UI) does not allow access to the 17th parameter, Side Chain Input Level. Yamaha need to remove the 16 effect parameter restriction imposed by Genos. (This restriction prevents access to the rotor ramp parameters in the new rotary speaker algorithm, too.)

If you’re a Montage person, you’re probably wondering, “What are ‘Natural,’ ‘Rich,’ etc.?” I’ll quote the Yamaha Genos Reference Manual here:

  • Natural: Natural Compressor settings in which the effect is moderately pronounced.
  • Rich: Rich Compressor settings in which the instrument’s characteristics are optimally brought out. This is good for enhancing acoustic instruments, jazz music, etc.
  • Punchy: Highly exaggerated Compressor settings. This is good for enhancing rock music.
  • Electronic: Compressor settings in which the electronic dance music’s characteristics are optimally brought out.
  • Loud: Powerful Compressor settings. This is good for enhancing energetic music such as rock or gospel music.

Frankly, I don’t know as much about audio compression as I should. Fortunately, Sound On Sound Magazine has an excellent article about parallel compression. The article has terrific background information about all forms of compression including DOWN and UP compression. DOWN compression is the conventional form that we are most familiar with.

Parallel compression puts a very high ratio (limiting) DOWN compression block in parallel with the original audio signal, i.e., it mixes the original signal and the compressed signal.

                ----------------------
               |                      |
     Input ----|                      + ----> Output
               |                      |
                ----> Compressor ---->

Massive gain reduction is applied to the loudest passages. According to SOS, “This means that at those points, its involvement in the mixed output signal is virtually insignificant; the output signal is completely dominated by the original input signal coming via the direct path. As a result, those loud but delicate transients are left completely intact and unchanged — which is the primary aim of this technique.”

No gain reduction is applied to quiet signals below the threshold. Thus, the parallel paths, direct and compressor, pass the same signal. When the two signals are summed (mixed), the quiet passage is +6dB louder. Again, quoting SOS, “this simple form of parallel compression leaves the loud bits unaffected and raises the quiet bits by 6dB, the total reduction in dynamic range is only 6dB.”

I hope this information helps. I recommend reading the SOS article; it has several graphs and goes deeper into this studio technique.

Copyright © 2018 Paul J. Drongowski

Suggestions and questions to Yamaha

The Genos manual should at least mention that the Genos master compressor performs parallel compression. A short explanation would help people apply and tweak the master compressor.

The Genos universal compressor algorithms support side-chain. How can we use side-chaining? How do we get a signal into the side-chain input?

Yamaha engineers are building effect algorithms with more than 16 effect parameters. The Genos user interface needs to provide access to more than 16 effect parameters and to store them.

Genos: First contact (snap review)

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Before I dive into Yamaha Genos™, I need to send a big shoutout to Frank Ventresca of Audioworks CT. I tested and bought my PSR-S950 from Audioworks CT. I’m ba-ack, having had a good experience the first time — largely due to Frank’s customer service. If you’re interested in trying and buying an arranger keyboard, I recommend visiting Audioworks CT and/or giving Frank a call.

For me, it’s about 140 miles one way from home to Audioworks CT. Preparations are similar to getting ready for a long day hike — only with sheet music instead of boots. The long car trip means that testing time is limited. I try to hit the driving sweet spot between morning rush on I-495/I-290 near Boston and the afternoon rush from New Haven and Hartford, leaving me about two hours to play.

After arriving at Audioworks CT, I found a three tiered stack: Yamaha Montage, Korg Pa4x and Yamaha Genos, from top to bottom. Thanks to a tip from Stephen on the PSR Tutorial Forum, I expected to see the Pa4x. With that foreknowledge, do I A/B the Genos and the Pa4x? I chose to focus solely on the Genos given the two hour window for testing. Frank, BTW, invited me to stay longer, but I knew that I needed to avoid traffic Hell later in the day.

I warmed up while Frank finished a business meeting. No music stand, so I used the Pa4x as a very expensive music rest. Once Frank was available, he quickly installed the Genos music stand.

I decided to listen through headphones rather than use Audioworks’ house system. It’s a good system, but I decided to go with my usual, lightweight headphones (Roland RH-7A). Headphones also freed up the LINE OUT which I connected to a Roland MicroBR digital recorder. This setup let me hit record, play and forget.

At the time of this writing, I pulled a few snippets among the noodling and posted them here. I’m trying to get my first impressions down fast and don’t want audio production to get in the way of my initial thoughts.

Before recording, I set the Genos EQ to flat and turned off the master compression. Audio is recorded direct to MP3 (192 kbit/sec). Not the best quality, but I was afraid of overrunning the rather small SD card in the MicroBR. After setting initial levels, I tried to forget that the MicroBR was there and that the red light was ON.

It’s humbling to listen to my noodling. Hats off to everyone’s main man Katsunori UJIIE, who seems to rip this stuff effortlessly!

Genos is an instrument

One shouldn’t have to say this, but the Genos is an instrument in the same league as Montage or Kronos. With the limited time available, I concentrated on Genos as a performance instrument first and as an arranger keyboard second. This approach is consistent with my musical priorities: church gig first, fun and possibly one man band (OMB) second.

As a liturgical musician, I play with a pianist on acoustic piano and a 12-string guitar. That’s a lot of rhythmic content right there. Much of what I play complements piano and 12-string guitar. Subconsciously, I fill in and hear these missing parts when practicing. Hopefully, you will fill in this context, too. If and when you hear the audio snippets, I’m playing fuller than I would with the group. There is always a tendency to “be the whole band” when playing alone. Apologies in advance.

The focus is on emulation of acoustic instruments, orchestra and pop. You won’t hear any synth and given the short trial time, you won’t hear many styles (unfortunately).

The FSX keyboard is a more robust keybed than the PSR-S950. The FSX action is heavier. You do get what you pay for. The FSX affords aftertouch; the S950 does not.

The Genos has three front panel articulation buttons to trigger voice articulations. The voice display shows the available articulations for each selected voice. (Nice.) The voice display also shows a drawbar icon for organ flute voices. Touching the drawbar icon brings up the drawbar display. (Extra nice.) I made extensive use of the voice DEMO touch button in order to play and sort through voices quickly.

The user interface is responsive. I didn’t get a sense of lag as reported by other players. I discovered that the MENU front panel button is your special friend. It brings up two pages filled with touch buttons leading to all internal settings. It’s kind of a “site map” for the Genos.

Strings

The Genos is like having a compact orchestral sample library in a portable, immediately playable keyboard. Think Garritan Personal Orchestra.

There are two major options for strings in addition to legacy voices: Kino strings and Seattle strings. The Seattle strings first appeared in the Tyros 5 before they were explicitly identified and advertised in the Montage. The Kino strings have a different character and the violin sections are panned separately left and right. Both options have multiple bowing and playing techniques (legato, spiccato, pizzicato) plus articulations. The options are also broken out into sections as well as the standard ensemble voices.

The Kino strings have more power and are more in your face than the Seattle strings. Dare I say, more bow? Where is Dave Stewart when you need him? (This review would be wittier if written by Dave Stewart, too.)

The voice DEMO feature is really handy when approaching a deep keyboard like Genos for the first time. I quickly settled on the “warm” variation of the Kino strings and Seattle strings. Either choice (Kino Seattle) would work as a bread and butter ensemble patch. I give the edge to Seattle because, well, they would sit better with piano and acoustic guitar, given our repertoire. Tyros 5 people, hold up your heads with pride.

With the loss of our group’s flutist, I’m play a lot of exposed solo lines using violin, oboe and flute. The Genos offers four Super Articulation 2 solo voices: Celtic Violin, Jazz Violin, Classical Cello and Pop Cello. The Celtic Violin is a good fit with our liturgical repertoire. The Genos cellos are quite good, definitely a big cut above the MOX6 that I currently play. I wish that I had more time to check out the cellos.

Meta-comment: Exploiting the Genos, especially its articulations and ensembles — will require practice, practice, practice.

Woodwinds

In the case of woodwinds, I need both ensemble voices (or layers) and solo voices (mainly oboe and flute). The Genos does not disappoint in either category.

I quite easily built and tried a few layers. It wasn’t difficult to create a workable reed plus horn layer — another bread and butter, every Sunday patch. Less is often more. It isn’t necessary to layer up a preset woodwind ensemble with French horn; sometimes a mellow oboe or clarinet will do.

The Genos has two SArt2 oboes (classical and pop) and an SArt “MOR Oboe.” The Classic Oboe is bright and thin, able to cut through strings. For exposed lines, I would prefer the Pop Oboe or MOR Oboe voices that have a warmer, fuller sound.

The SArt2 Classical Bassoon and Pop Bassoon are quite pleasant without moving into comedic territory. (Peter and the Wolf.)

Brass

The Genos has a mess’o’horns and classical brass. Symphony horns are quite useful in liturgy as pads and mid-range filler. Fanfare brass is too much except for the obvious holidays when all sorts of sonic mayhem can be let loose. The Genos has a wide range of horns from mellow to a brighter more open tone.

The brasher instruments (trumpet and trombone) are available solo and in sections. All quite good. Trombones are especially useful due to their wider range and deeper timbre.

The demo phrases for certain brass voices are way hotter level-wise than the strings or woodwinds. I had to adjust the audio record level way down to prevent clipping. Unfortunately, this affected the level for everything else that I recorded during the day. Sorry, I just spaced out and didn’t reset the level. (Argh!) So, you may need to adjust the audio volume at your end.

Drawbar organ

Huh? That’s not classical. Our church means gospel and a little Hispanic music, too.

I enjoyed getting into the Genos drawbar organ. There’s no undiscovered clone killer here, but Yamaha’s drawbar emulation will work in a lot of churches (and stages, too). I’m already quite familiar with Yamaha’s emulation having played both the MOX and PSR-S950.

The physical drawbars are a treat. The knobs are shaped like, er, classic drawbar knobs. The bars can be changed and played in real time, something that I miss on the MOX and to a large extent, the S950. If you select a preset, the physical position of the sliders does not directly relate to the sound, of course. The sliders are not motorized. When a slider is moved, it won’t change the sound until the slider “catches” the current internal bar value. That’s why Martin Harris “warms up” the sliders before playing the bars in his demo videos.

The new rotary speaker simulation is an improvement, but won’t knock the Neo Ventilator from its perch. Here, Yamaha have some work to do immediately:

  • The Drive parameter doesn’t seem to have any effect on the sound. (Thanks to Uli from the PSR Tutorial Forum for pointing this out.) Pushing the Drive to 10 doesn’t add any overdrive.
  • As mentioned in an earlier post, the rotor slow/fast and fast/slow times cannot be adjusted; only the horn (de)acceleration times can be adjusted.

Yamaha needs to fix these divots.

The rotary speaker sim is set too fast out of the box. This gave me a chance to dive into the DSP effect editing menus. I made the changes without too much difficulty and without a manual. Good job. I just wish that I could change the rotor (de)acceleration times, too.

This seems to be a good place to mention that sound programmers universally tend to set the times too fast, especially the ramp times. Players love it when it takes a while for those old, vintage belts and pulleys to spin the rotor/horn up and down. A lot of real B-players habitually hit the half-moon switch to keep the Leslie in its intermediate, changing state. Watching Gregg Allman do this in 1971 was a revelation that stuck with me for a lifetime!

Wot? No pipe organ? Genos carries over the quite excellent handful of pipe organ voices from Tyros 5. They’re good. Move along.

Pop instruments

Now that the main job is done, it’s time for the funk and blues.

You probably noticed by now that I haven’t said anything about the CFX and C7 acoustic pianos. You’re right and you won’t hear another word about them from me. They’re covered elsewhere, everywhere.

I did try the Suitcase Rhodes (oh, why this charade about names?), the Wurlitzer and the Clav. All will do the business. The Suitcase is still waaaay too polite for my taste in fusion. Think the fuzzed out bliss of “Mahavishnu.” That’s a 70’s Rhodes.

The SArt2 Funk Alto Sax and Funk Baritone Sax are welcome additions. I look forward to exploring those. The Jazz Flute sounds good to my ears and has interesting articulations. The Classical Flute can jam, too.

I took a listen to the new Active Bass (Music Man Stingray?) Sweet. Should provide new options when sequencing.

Then there’s the mess’o’guitars. I presume that 50’s is Telecaster and 60’s is Stratocaster? With all the DSP at hand, the electric guitars are instant “tone” with all of the right pedal-board effects dialed in. The jazz guitar sounds good. I often reach for jazz guitar when playing pop. (Need more technique, though. Practice, practice, practice.)

The sax and brass demos start out with the new funk saxes. The rhythm section demo includes Suitcase Rhodes, Wurli, Clav, CP80, Active Bass, electric guitars and jazz guitar.

Styles

At this point in the day, my ears and hands were getting trashed. I was hoping to try the styles that have been getting short shrift in on-line videos. Given the time that was left, all I could hit was “Mr. Soul” and “Soul Supreme” with the old chestnut “Acoustic Jazz” thrown in. All good for a fun-time jam.

Neither style was harmed by playing over them. I did jam quite a bit and got a decent Fishbelly Black organ tone out of the drawbar organ and rotary sim. Oh, happy day!

Workflow

You should be able to sense my time urgency at this point because my comments are getting shorter and shorter.

I played along with a few MIDI and WAV audio songs in order to assess the workflow for OMB. Even without playlists and registrations, the Genos has a much smoother workflow than the Montage in this regard. Montage designers should take note because many Montage players incorporate audio and MIDI tracks into their performances, too.

I botched a chance to try Revo drums with a MIDI file. I brought the USB drive that contains my WAV audio and MIDI backing tracks. I played along with “Just My Imagination,” a track that suffers from extreme “machine gun” drum rolls. Darn, with time pressing, I forgot to re-voice the file with a Revo drums kit! Bummer.

Summary

Genos is waaaaaay too much for two hours. Two weeks, two months, maybe.

There you have it. Genos? Yes, I played one. As you can tell from this quick review, I’m more enthusiastic than ever about Genos.

Need more information about Super Articulation voices? Please look here.

Copyright © 2017 Paul J. Drongowski

First look at new Genos effects

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New Genos effect algorithms

To my way of thinking, Genos/Tyros/PSR DSP effects consist of two parts: an effect algorithm and sets of preset parameters for the algorithm. That’s my mental model. Genos adds a number of new effect algorithms and effect presets versus Tyros 5. Here is a terse summary of the additions:

  • Reverb block
    • New presets with enhanced mid-range
  • Chorus block
    • Tempo delay, tempo echo and tempo cross delay added
  • Insertion/variation blocks
    • New distortion effects (not included in Montage)
      • Tweed Guy: Vintage bass amp simulator
      • Boutique DC: Boutique made overdrive amp simulator
      • Y-Amp: Preamp & amp simulator for Guitar
      • Distomp: Preamp & parametric EQ simulator for Guitar
      • 80s Small Box: 80s distortion pedal simulator
    • New EQ & compressor effects
      • Uni Comp: Compressor using “downward” algorithm for making loud sounds quieter
    • New modulation effects
      • Real Rotary (Same as Montage minus horn acceleration parameters)
    • New miscellaneous effects
      • Damper Resonance:Simulates a damper resonance effect for grand piano (same as Montage)
      • Presence: Brings out the hidden presence of the input signal
      • Tyros 5 Loop Fx and Lo-Fi Drum effects moved to “Misc” category

BTW, it’s not clear if the Genos does half-pedal like the Montage. I’m thinking, “No.” Yamaha have reserved Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM) for the Clavinova series. Genos and Montage get the DAMPER RESONANCE DSP algorithm instead.

I’ve been trying to decode the names of the guitar effect algorithms. Yamaha seem incredibly paranoid about stepping on someone’s trademark or copyright. Here’s my current guesses:

  • Tweed guy: Fender Bassman (’59 vintage)
  • Boutique DC: Cornell by DC Developments
  • Y-Amp: Yamaha Y-Amp
  • Distcomp: Yamaha stomp pedal
  • 80s Small Box: MXR fuzz pedal simulator

I wonder if we’ll see these algorithms ported to the Montage in an update? Just after the Tyros 5 was released, the T5’s “Real Distortion” effect algorithms were added to the Motif XF (version 1.5).

Yamaha needs to fix this divot

I did a quick compare of Montage effects vs. Genos effects. As mentioned above, Genos adds the new rotary speaker effect algorithm first released in Montage. Here is a correspondence table:

Montage           Genos             MSB LSB Genos preset name
----------------  ----------------  --- --- --------------------------
ROTARY SPEAKER 1  ROTARY SPEAKER 1  99  16  Dual Rotary Speaker Bright
                                    99  17  Dual Rotary Speaker Warm
ROTARY SPEAKER 2  REAL ROTARY       69  32

“ROTARY SPEAKER 1” is the former, go-to rotary speaker effect algorithm (WARM and BRIGHT).

At this level, all looks great. Except, the Genos Data List PDF shows 16 parameters for the REAL ROTARY algorithm while the Montage Data List shows 18 parameters. The Genos leaves out:

No. Parameter               Range                 Value      Tbl No.
--- ----------------------- --------------------- ---------- -------
17  Slow-Fast Time of Rotor x0.21 - x1.00 - x2.00 (14 - 127) 49
18  Fast-Slow Time of Rotor x0.21 - x1.00 - x2.00 (14 - 127) 49

Either the Genos cannot store more than 16 DSP parameters or it cannot display/edit more than 16 DSP parameters.

Whatever the reason, this stinks and Yamaha need to fix this divot. People need to set the (de)acceleration times for both the horn and rotor. They have sinned in the eyes of B-3 purists and must atone.

Genos Firmware V1.10

All is not bleak, however. Genos Firmware version 1.10 has been announced. Yamaha’s quick summary:

  • What’s new?
    • Audio Multi Recording function is available
    • Search function while adding the Playlist
    • Supports use with the Yamaha Expansion Manager (V2.5.0 or later)
    • Supports Expansion Audio Style
    • Wireless LAN status can be checked on the Time display
    • Improved the performance of the instrument
    • Fixed other minor problems
  • Registration Memory can additionally save following parameters
    • Arpeggio Velocity
    • Arpeggio Gate Time
    • Arpeggio Unit Multiply
    • Style Retrigger Rate
    • Style Retrigger On/Off
    • Style Retrigger On/Off & Rate

The update adds support for Yamaha Expansion Manager (YEM) voice editing and pack installation.

The update is scheduled for release on 1 November 2017. The Genos Reference Manual and Data List were pulled pending the release of the update. The fact that a quick update was in the works might explain why the V1.0 Reference Manual and Data List were delayed. Big corporations move with leviathan speed. [No real news, there.]

Copyright © 2017 Paul J. Drongowski