Yamaha Montage M X: End Game Level? Specs/Price Reaction & Overview

Подписаться 3,9 тыс.

Просмотров 2,3 тыс.

50% 1

Has Yamaha released an end game level keyboard in 2023?
Today Yamaha released specs for their new highly anticipated flagship workstation.
yamahamusicians.com/yamaha-mo...
In my opinion, the on paper specs are amazing. This is my overview of the article that was released and my reactions/opinions on what has been announced.

Видеоклипы

Опубликовано:

5 окт 2023

Ссылка:

Скачать:

Готовим ссылку...

Добавить в:

Мой плейлист

Посмотреть позже

Комментарии : 72

@ajotech 9 месяцев назад

Great video Julius, thank you so much

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

Thanks very much I'm glad you enjoyed it! Stay connected! More to come👀

@musikman337 9 месяцев назад

Wouldve been the ultimate move if yammy has some type of feature to where you could turn the volume fader into a 9th fader when youre playing organ on the new montage

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

Or just added a 9th fader and leave the main volume fader for volume. Lol 😆

@musikman337 9 месяцев назад

@@JuliusDeBerryJr 😂 nah thats too simple for them! It has to be complicated for them to put it into action

@johnpalmercreates 9 месяцев назад

That Kronos comment lol. Just couldn't resist

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

😂😂😂😂. I was wondering if anyone was going to comment about that. Kronos is King!!!

@DonLeino 9 месяцев назад

im selling my montage 7 for it for sure! the montage tones and FM synthesis fits my music so well. the AN-X engine , more waverom and user space is just taking one of my favorite boards and making it so much better. i just hope they make the FM synthesis a bit more knobby , the 6 encoders under the screen and the auxilary lcd makes me optimistic on that front! those RGB colors SHEEESH. sign me up

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

Thanks for your response. I'm curious. Are you a live musician or studio? And yes, the screen under the knobs was one of the most intriguing parts of the first set of pics that surfaced.

@DonLeino 9 месяцев назад

@@JuliusDeBerryJr i play out a little bit(used to alot playing guitar) , but mostly just playing for my own development doing a little youtube, wanna do production one of these days when im not busy just having a blast playing hah.

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

Nice. I was asking because I'm wondering what type of things people are planning on using that amount of sample RAM for. In studio it wouldn't be as big a deal because of just loading and unloading as needed. ( I don't think I'd want to do that either though. Lol) There's gonna be so many high quality sounds in there. Lol. I love the fact that they are giving sample data it's own polyphony. That's crazy.

@DonLeino 9 месяцев назад

@@JuliusDeBerryJr yeah the sample polyphony is wild. thats a new concept for sure. as far as the sample ram , i guess just to fill with upright pianos samples lol . im most concerned about banks honestly cause i use alot of lofi samples from old video games or other in the form of soundfont. my montage has most of the user banks filled with super nintendo sounds, sega genesis sysex files on the FM engine. its kinda crazy how much i crammed into that thing. between the montage and the fantom im pretty spoiled as a multitimbral composer often in the fantasy realm. heck i tried a nord stage 4 compact recently , promptly traded it to my friend for my fantom 7 back lol .... plus cash ( not crazy about the humming power supply or the stiff action nor the length of the sharps. i will say the 12 upright pianos i loaded on the board were lovely)

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

I was about to say... Fantom for a Nord Stage 4...👀. I would have loved to be in on that deal. Lol. A friend and I were talking earlier today concerning the need for them to have an upright piano included. (You know Nautilus does👀👀!!!)

@jsmacks11 9 месяцев назад

Not endgame but a good improvement. An1x sounds like the biggest improvement as things like PWM and Osc sync are difficult to emulate with FMX. FMX otherwise is a powerful synth otherwise. The increased memory is also welcome but I don't know how it will compete. It all comes down to the improvement of the samples themselves and the patch programmers. Many developers are able to put alot of details in a small size. Increased polyphony is welcome but to be honest I didn't run into any polyphony issues with current Montage. A few things they might have dropped the ball on. Organ mode. (That said it comes down to how well they implement with AWM, and FMX). In theory this should be possible. I'm guessing this wouldn't be practical with An1x due to polyphony but the other engines are probably pretty possible to do decent organ emulation. Sequencer improvements. I get that they are moving away from Workstations but many Live users want to be able to quickly come up with Drum patterns if a Drummer isnt available. Even a decent drum step sequencer would have been nice. With all of the controls on the Montage this probably could be in the works. I dont think people are wanting the best sequencer ever but just making it easier to do things like midi stems and what not on the fly. FMX improvements. They could have expanded this some. Mainly with some SY99 and/or FS1R features. Or even direct loading of syx files. Or even Dx7 glissando effects. im guessing there is still some room for improvements here. Stem audio tracks. With the small hard drive improvements this doesn't seem likely but this seems somewhat no Brainer when you have things like Ableton Push, MPCS and what not. Wifi. This would have been a game changer. being able to easily get samples into machine or even connecting to SoundMondo. Lack of sampling is not that big of an issue if you can easily get samples into machine.

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

Interesting perspective. Also interesting is that a lot of the things you mentioned may be available in other keyboards already well some things that you mention

@DanielNicuCretu-ys9vq 9 месяцев назад

Korg kronos is nbr 1

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾

@ZTAudio 9 месяцев назад

The answer is “no”. Frankly, it’s already outclassed by the Fantom and Kronos/Nautilus.

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

Aw shoot. These the type of conversations I like to have. 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾. Strong sentiments! 🫣

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

Can you support this statement though?

@furiobisotti8150 9 месяцев назад

I fully agree. I need a serious midi controller with 9 faders. My Hammond VST needs it. I need polyphonic aftertouch, too. For my CS80 VST. I sold my old Montage7. I play live "full software" and serious controllers are not on the market yet. Musical Workstations are like reflex cameras, dinosaurs in extinction phase.

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

I don't think workstations are going away, I just think the definition of a workstation is changing.

@Echochamber79 9 месяцев назад

I have got a Yamaha YC88 and been waiting for the new Montage to come out to upgrade. To me this is a no brainer and I will be buying the new Montage 88. It is hard to know exactly how we will feel about this new board until it comes out but I am expecting good things. The Montage was already a beast now with the upgrade!.. The only thing I am wondering is if Korg will bring out a Kronos replacement because the Nautilus cant be it?... surely?...

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

I guess like you said, only time will tell. The Nautilus is a formidable opponent. It's the Kronos without the control surface. Sonically it stands with everything else that's offered. What else would you want it to do? As far as your upgrade, yes it does seem like a no brainer if you need what it offers ...for sure! Are you a producer or live musician?

@herunderwear 9 месяцев назад

apparently, ppl talk about a possible Kronos 3..

@Echochamber79 9 месяцев назад

@@JuliusDeBerryJr I do few live gigs but have a small home studio and would like to try to get into the production side of music which isn't easy... Music isn't my main line of work so its a glorified hobby at the moment!

@yamahamotifxs 9 месяцев назад

Nagyon jól hangzik, amit a Montage M-ről írtak. Egy dolgot sajnálok, hogy az AN-X csak 16 polifóniát kapott. Régebben volt egy Yamaha AN1x-em, és ebbe a motorba be lesz építve az AN1x, ami egy nagyon sokoldalú, nagyszerű hangzású virtuális analóg szintetizátor volt 10 polifóniával. A későbbi AN200 szintén AN1x motorral rendelkezett, de ez egy Groove Box volt, de egy Multi Saw oszcillátort adtak hozzá. Olyan, mint a régi Roland JP8000 Super Saw oszcillátor. Ez nagyszerű dolog volt, mert a Unison mód sajnos elég sok polifóniát használ, de a Multi Saw öt Saw oszcillátort tesz össze, így a hang vastagabb lesz, és ez fokozható a Detune kiegészítéssel. Nagyszerű PAD hangok hozhatók létre, vastag hangok, valamint sárgaréz hangok. Ez a Multi Saw oszcillátor nem használ több polifóniát, mint az akkordban játszott billentyűk száma. Ez jelentős előny az Unison móddal szemben. Nagyon remélem, hogy az AN-X örökölte a Multi Saw oszcillátort, mert az eredeti AN1x-ben még nem volt, csak a későbbi AN200-ban és a későbbi Motif ES bővítőpanelben, amely szintén AN1x motor volt, de csak 5 polifónia. Ha nincs Multi Saw, akkor az AN-X 16 hangok csak 8 polifóniás Unison modra csökkennek, és sok hang nem használható az AN-X motorral. 128 polifóniára számítottam. Kronos és Nautilus még jobbak voltak ebben, mert ott az analóg modellezés elég sok polifóniát kapott. AL-1 80 Polyphony, Polysix 180 és MS-20 40, ha jól tudom. Ezekkel az analóg modellekkel képes vagyok egy 15 sávból álló dalt létrehozni, polifónia problémák nélkül. A 16 sáv marad a doboké. Ami javítja a Montage M helyzetét, az az, hogy jelentős memóriával rendelkezik, és sok nagyszerű hangminta használható fel ezeknek a hiányosságoknak a pótlására, mivel sok nagyszerű PAD hangszín használható a mintákban, amelyekhez nem feltétlenül van szükség AN-X motorra. A másik fájdalom, hogy még nincs orgonamotor, bár hallottam egy elég jó Hammond orgonát a DEMO-ban, ami nagyon közel áll az eredetihez.

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

I wish there was a way to translate this post. Probably plenty to discuss !!

@yamahamotifxs 9 месяцев назад

@@JuliusDeBerryJr In short, I just wanted to say that the Yamaha Montage M is good news. The only negative, at least for me, is that the 16 polyphony of the AN-X motor is not enough. I expected 128 like the FM-X. If you create a song using only this AN-X engine, you will quickly run out of polyphony, especially if Unison Mod is added. I had an AN1x synth and it sounded great and only had 10 polyphony, but that was just enough at the time. In this, the Korg Nautilus/Kronos is still ahead, because there I got a lot of polyphony in the analog modeling. The polyphony of the Roland Fantom is unknown, because all we know is that there are 256 polyphony for the entire Zen-Core system, but it turns out to be much less if we examine it more closely. The Jupiter 8, Juno 106, JX-8p, and SH-101 Model Expansion are also capable of different polyphony, but I understand that the Jupiter 8 has 26 polyphony. Regardless, I'm thinking of selling the Fantom if I like the Montage M. The Fatnom needs updates, but they haven't released an update in a long time, and the Fantom still seems unfinished in a lot of ways.

@DonLeino 9 месяцев назад

Don't sell your fantom ! I regretted it big-time , just have both!

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

How do you know I have a Fantom? Lol. 🫣👀 And I've never heard anyone mention 256 voices for zen core. I'd think that 16 voices for an analog synth would be plenty. If you are saying you used to use 10 and it was enough, is 6 more voices not like heaven? 128 voices for analog modeling would be crazy.

@yamahamotifxs 9 месяцев назад

@@JuliusDeBerryJr I made this song exclusively with the Nautilus AL-1 engine. Here, several voices could handle the polyphony. Roughly 8 notes in one song, with AL-1 engine only. At the beginning of the video, I first present the sounds, then the song together. I didn't use a DAW, just a Nautilus sequencer. Many voices even use Unison. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-X6Luz8be4dc.html AN-X 16 polyphony is not a problem either, because I will solve the other sounds, for example, with an AWM2 engine. Great PAD and Brass sounds can also be programmed there, because AWM2 also has a couple of basic Oscillator Wave types, such as Pulse and Saw the waveform list. Filters, LFOs, and ADSR can do wonders there as well. I just wanted to write that this song was not a problem with the AL-1 80 polyphony, and 6 voices were in Unison mode, with 4 voices playing chords, the rest were mono, because Bass and lead voice. These sounds were programmed by me, they are not factory-installed in the Nautilus, but they were all programmed with the AL-1 engine. I also shared this library of mine, from which this song was also made, on the Facebook Nautilus Group. I hope that the AN-X will include a Multi Saw Oscillator type, because the original AN1x did not have it, but later the AN200 already included the Multi Saw Oscillator. The AN200 received an improved AN1x engine. This would be a solution to not needing the Unison mode to make these types of sounds. The Multi Saw can layer 5 Wave oscillators, and if you tune them apart, you can create such pleasant PAD and BASS sounds. I used Unison for these, but Multisaw would make it possible to use several voices in one song with AN-X.

@benrillo494 9 месяцев назад

Lot's of $$$$ Leaving out aftertouch on the 6/7 makes it a no for me.

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

So if there had been no aftertouch on any of them, how would you have responded? Or is it just because it was included on the 8 and not the 6/7? And just for clarity the 6/7 has channel aftertouch, just no polyphonic.

@benrillo494 9 месяцев назад

Aftertouch has always been included in thier flagship models until now. The downgrade models it will be left out, I understand that. I use a 61 keyboard for gigs. I have all the Motif and XF 61 keys and they all have aftertouch on them. Their downgrade models do not.

@benrillo494 9 месяцев назад

If I'm paying for a flagship model I should have all the functions of the 88. Except for the weighted keys of course

@vanessajazp6341 9 месяцев назад

If they have a piano sample that's on par with their Clavinova's, this keyboard will rule the synth market for at least 3 to 5 more years. Excited about the AN-X engine! (who isn't, right?) Happy they doubled the User memory. Not sure about the polyphony. It should be 256 across the board, not 128-per-engine, in my opinion. With my previous Montage (sold it in August to get ready for the new Montage), I still ran out of notes. You could be using both the FMX and AWM2 engines, but if either one hit that 128-note limit... BAM! Note drop-off. And since most sounds are stereo-sampled, 128-note polyphony actually translates to only 64 notes of music. That adds up real fast with layered sounds, and it doesn't seem that will change unless you incorporate 2 or more engines into a Performance.

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

I love the fact that the polyphony is broken up. But I get what you are saying too. It is 256 across main rompler and the fm engine... But they give you an extra 128 for user samples. That's super dope!!! Anx is cool too. They had the expansion cards for motif that nobody really ever talked about.

@ablesam 9 месяцев назад

Regarding the dual polyphony method (for AWM2), this isn't the first time Yamaha has done it Julius. In their Genos flagship arranger keyboard (which is also going to get replaced soon), Yamaha has a dedicated chip for the internal factory sounds, and a second chip dedicated just towards the user waveforms. Each chip is 128 stereo voices, making the final polyphony of Genos 256 voices, which Yamaha advertises. Also in regards to storage space and available RAM, I believe the SWP70 can only access up-to 4GB of DRAM since it is 32-bit. The 9.97 GB is when the AWM2 waveforms are converted in-to 16-bit linear. But as they are on the flash memory in lossless compressed AWM2 format, the total waveform size is only around 3.75 - 3.8 GB. As for the organ comments, Yamaha knows if they include the VCM organ engine in this new Montage M, they will lose the popularity of the YC series. So as not to cannibalize that brand, they have purposely left it out. I think you will start seeing a combination of these specific Yamaha keyboards lineup. Montage M8x + YC61, Montage 6/7 + YC88 and MODX8+ + YC61. Lemme know your thoughts doc.

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

Thanks for the info about the dedicated chip for user samples. That Genos community is a whole separate thing. So I don't dig too much on that side. But I appreciate the info. As far as internal ROM, are you saying that the 9.97 is kinda misleading?... Not completely accurate? Concerning the organ engine, I've heard other people say that. I'm not sure if I agree though. Even putting the organ engine into a 4-5k board is still an entirely different price range than the YC series. I think they'd appeal to different groups of people for different reasons. Everyone isn't invested enough in the gear to spend 4-5k. 1.7-2.5k is a different group of people. I feel that they could have added it and not hurt the lower line. And if in fact it does cannibalize the YC it will still be in their favor because people would jump up to the montage range. Do you think there will be a wide range of people that would own both the YC AND the Montage M? I don't.

@vanessajazp6341 9 месяцев назад

I have a CP88 for lush Yamaha piano's and the GH keybed, and a YC61 for the modeled organ on a waterfall keybed. Just sold my Montage 7 to get ready for this new release. My set-up will be YC61/Montage M7/CP88. I also have a Hydrasynth deluxe, but that is beside the point.

@ablesam 9 месяцев назад

@@JuliusDeBerryJr In regards to your last point, I think most people will still end up owning a combination of MODX/+ with a YC rather than a Montage M. But with those Yamaha dedicated artists, you may see the Montage M and YC combo more. And you know too well how some churches are a sucker for Yamaha keyboards. Just a thought. About the organ engine, I do agree with your points, but just knowing Yamaha's personality when it comes to product lineup technologies and diversification, I don't think it will be happening. Plus, the hardware (control surface, DSP chips, memory and all that) for Montage M is finalized and in production, if there was any hope, we would've seen it with the earliest of leaks. I believe Yamaha just wants to make the Montage M focused on the gigging musician who are focused on live controllable synthesis and using a DAW onstage. Their control surface reflects this ideology, and they have not put any organ related focus in it at all. They'll just tell people to go get the YC61 with their drawbar faders and waterfall action and that Montage is a synthesis focused keyboard whenever somebody asks where the VCM organ is on it. As for the internal ROM part, 9.97GB is when the waveforms are converted to 16-bit WAV files. When using AWM2 compression, it compress the files by a factor of 1.7x-2.5x depending on the waveform. So in reality, the SWP70 chip used for the internal sounds is only just under 4GB. If any of that makes sense Julius. Put simply, if you converted the waveforms to 16-bit (remember bit-depth from audio-interfaces and DAW) and view it from your computer, it would be 9.97GB. But in its AWM2 file format, its only under 4GB (my guess 3.8GB). Yamaha doesn't state any of this publicly, but most people who are aware of the hardware know this.

@ablesam 9 месяцев назад

@@vanessajazp6341 That's a great setup you have there Vanessa. Bit too much for me to carry around for personally, hope it has served and continue to serve you well. May the new Montage not disappoint!

@hermandavid1757 9 месяцев назад

Yamaha came for blood bro 😂🤣

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

Yeah man. Seems like they did good. are you getting one?

@lilsprite05 9 месяцев назад

Hmmmm

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

Thinking about it?

@lilsprite05 9 месяцев назад

@@JuliusDeBerryJr it does spark my interest for real bro

@herunderwear 9 месяцев назад

Still not mentionning any improvement concerning their previous toyish sequencer ? Since 2 years, i keep telling them along with other guys that reported this major issue to upgrade their sequencer to a fully functional one. if this hasn't been done in the yamaha m series, tones of ppl won't give a toss about geting rid of their previous montage for another sound system. since prehistory, synthesizers arrived with a stupid rec button that evolved over years, with korg, roland, kurzeil & co. Some trolls have recently pretended that they could use software based sequencers, but what they don't understand is that the osmosis can be lost by moving from a stupid synth to a pc & that some controllers specific to some synths like the knob won't be found in stupid pc softwares. not even mentioning undo & redo to compare after event edition & the stupid transition again from the pc & synth. cuting back full sequencers functions on a synth with todays evolutions of the synthesizers market is immature, companies dont understand they're losing customers by doing this. no event edition ? no section based quantization (with a quantization+volume adaptation for a humanizing new function for piano, to even outpass logic pro's humanize function) ? no section based velocity change with differet curves (including fade in & out) ? no notes transposition with + or -(number of semitones) ? no track section insertion ? no track section copy ? no full track to track copy ? then yamaha can go keep playing with their soundbank without a serious sequencer & go sell it $5000 to the trolls who think there are more explicit sequencers than a korg's one for example in the world of softwares.. yamaha clearly regressed/downgraded their sequencer since the "Motif" experience. if this isn't fixed, i won't say sayonara to modx & the previous one but to yamaha m too. & wait for more serious keyboards to come, from korg for ex.

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

Wow...🫣👀. So you are praising Korg's sequencer? And I do believe that the vast majority of people are using a computer to record from their keyboards now. I think people should update their workflow. But with that said, I do see and understand the need for it great functionality from a keyboard sequencer. You have a lot of very specific things you are asking for though. I've not used the montage sequencer, but if the montage doesn't include these things, are you saying it will be an easy pass for you? I do believe the sound is the most important part these days. But I also think that maybe keyboard companies should reconsider their market and maybe reconsider the whole workstation concept and what it does or doesn't mean. (Or require in 2023)

@herunderwear 9 месяцев назад

Naturally, the sound is important but a brain can't remember everything & we're not in the era of score writing & correcting & rewriting.. cause we have instant instruments playing all in polyphony for an eventual correction. that's why event edit is there.. something that maybe a hundred of workstations had since the creation of synthesizers. Evolving in that domain is being able to reproduce pianistic style on a user based already recorded sequence. Cause the whole world of musicians don't have the pianistic feel & talent of renowned classic or jazz piano masters or jazz drumers.. & this is just a feature that could be developped in the future & has never been developped yet. nevertheless, all other functions are basic functions you can find not only in korgs synthesizers but also roland & kurzweil & i may be forgeting other brands too. A full sequencer is MASTERY of the keyboard & its sounds & how u view music & how u evolve with it to create ur final project. The way yamaha came up with their previous montage is like offering a cone based ice cream without the cone.. I have no interest in yamaha montage or new synthesizers without a proper sequencer, naturally, i'll be waiting for better than the pa5x, which has a proper sequencer, and an interesting arranger, plus what the yamaha montage has: Sounds. & better means, more arrangement styles & a freakin' knob (what yamaha has) & not korg yet. this tool in slow motion with the right & more decent sounds can be useful in pop or soundtracks. @@JuliusDeBerryJr

@briann5001 9 месяцев назад

Fail: no cs80 engine💁🏾‍♂️

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

Seriously? A fail though?

@jsmacks11 9 месяцев назад

I don't know. Because they haven't given alot of details to AN1X details. My guess is that it is more powerful than the An1 or Korgs Al1, and probably some of those improvements comes from looking at their legacy analogs like CS80. I'm guessing modeled filters, oscillators(from where), PWM, SYNC, possibly ring mod, and Unison, drift/envelope/filter slop. The low polyphony probably means that the modeling is pretty extensive with modern VA filter standards such as DIVA. Current Montage actually have some pretty good filters as effects but putting them directly into engine would have been no brainer. My guess is those modeled filters are probably what's in ANX (And probably more). It's probably might be something like mix and match osc/filter types and maybe even some modular abilities. No doubt they feel pretty good about it as they took time to trademark the name. It has to be fairly competitive with DAW technologies like Ableton drift or Diva especially with the super low polyphony count. If it was just a standard An1 engine, I'm guessing the polyphony would have been much higher like 64 or 128.

@lcceo22 9 месяцев назад

Same bullshit sequencer as the last one form what I’ve read If that’s true, then no

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

Way more to consider with a keyboard than the sequencer ...

@lcceo22 9 месяцев назад

@@JuliusDeBerryJr I didn't say there wasn't. But if you're labeling something "end game" level, you can't ignore a shortcoming like that. So no, if the sequencer is the same convoluted trash in the last board, it's not an "end game" keyboard. Ditto the unnecessarily gimmicky MIDI channel setup.

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

But I think the workstation label itself has changed altogether. Sequencers and their usage have shifted significantly. Fwiw, I said end keyboard, not workstation... What exactly do you mean by gimmicky MIDI channel setup?

@lcceo22 9 месяцев назад

@@JuliusDeBerryJr The issue here isn't the label "workstation" vs "keyboard". It's the fact that you chose a hyperbolic descriptor in "end game". My comments are specifically and directly addressing the board based on the "end game" descriptor you chose to use. At no point have I addressed the criteria differences between keyboard and workstation. If you think a keyboard like this with a sequencer so stripped down it's impractical to use is "end game", cool. It's not a particularly reasonable conclusion, but do you.

@JuliusDeBerryJr 9 месяцев назад

That's specifically why I brought up the difference in workstation vs just a keyboard. You wouldn't expect a "keyboard" to have a robust sequencer... "Workstations" yes. But even modern day workstations are seeming to get away from it. Nobody buys a Nord Stage and expects a sequencer...and cost more than this new Montage M. End game to me is just that...end game. Like the final level that see from keyboards. Cream of the crop, what else could you really need. (In this day- not based on needs from 15+ years ago.) I just looked up the term to see if it would provide any additional clarity. - late or final stages of any activity. - final stages of a game where few pieces or cards remain... Based on that, the question is even more valid. And the few pieces remaining that you need are the sequencer. Someone else may have another minor complaint... or something missing that is crucial to them. But we are definitely at a point where things are splitting hairs and the keyboards have about everything someone could ask for. I appreciate your comments though! It's great to hear perspective from other users!