A game-changer for musicians, the Expanded Softsynth Plugin (ESP) replicates the MONTAGE M in your favorite Digital Workstation (DAW). Free for all registered MONTAGE M owners, ESP allows you to create, edit and mix MONTAGE M Performances anywhere you happen to be – without the hardware – offering an unprecedented level of stage and studio integration.

The first version has all the MONTAGE M sound while being limited to basic editing. The full version will be available in Summer 2024.

More info:
https://yamahasynth.com/learn/montage-m/blakes-take-expanded-softsynth-plugin-for-montage-m/

 

Most interesting thing for me is to try "Smart Morph" sort of machine-learning FM creation on Montage, hope ladies with witch hats think the same.

https://yamahasynth.com/learn/montage-series-synthesizers/mastering-montage-smart-morph/

 

In its present status it's quite the CPU hog I believed it would be, and doesn't even sound as good as my hardware Montage M. Let's hope they can fix at least the CPU usage in the next updates...

 

Interesting. Isnt it essentially the same software just scaled back on features? Is the sound different due to the DAC?

 

The DAC can't the case here since I have the hardware Montage M connected via USB only, so I get the digital multichannel signal in the DAW. To explain the difference in sound, I believe they can't port the codebase 1:1 of the AWM2 and FM engines, the effects etc. since the hardware uses custom DSP chips (and code) and not the x64/arm technology of the native plugin.

 

I don't believe Yamaha engineers can't port their own chip which is 10 years old and prototyping is done on a Linux machine anyway so they had an engineer software version long ago. Yamaha promised 1/1 sound in the software on the other hand it's rather difficult to replace hundred hardware tone generation channels and DSP with software which may lead to a less nuance sound so some drawbacks are quite understandable. What processor are you using?

 

Last edited: Jan 26, 2024

A bit annoying guy demoes software at home

Presentation at NAMM today, sounds the same as hardware to me

 

So, let me see if I understand this: when you own a Montage M, you get this software for free and then you can use the software without the hardware? If so, then anybody can use this software for free and own a Montage in software? I feel I am missing something.....

 

I believe there must be some kind of authorization (e.g. using a unique code that comes with every Montage keyboard). So the software is free, but only for hardware owners.

 

here how authorization looks https://yamahasynth.com/learn/montage-m/blakes-take-expanded-softsynth-plugin-for-montage-m/
Authorisation and download through Steinberg Download Assistant. https://usa.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/6/2231506/Install_Guide_ESP_MontageM_En.pdf

 

Montage M for $4k as giant usb iLok remember this is Steinberg they were kings of usb-locks

 

I may have been too quick to dismiss the audio quality of the plugin. After some proper balancing and gain staging with my hardware Montage M7, it seems to be on par with the hardware. I also found a "lite mode" in the settings that reduces a bit the CPU usage (that still is quite high, but this has to be expected due to all the stuff that runs under the hood). Scott's Synth Stuff has just posted a video where he installs and explores the plugin a bit.

 

not only an editor but full featured workstation on its own in you DAW

 

In the video from the NAMM I understood that you don't need the hardware but that you can control it with any other keyboard.

 

well I wouldn't be so sure, witches know their witchcraft, once activated the plugin seems to exist quite independently

 

I thought the same, but then I saw this warning from the Falcon port of SY99 (TGX99) (off topic):

And we're speaking of a 30+ years old device.
Here the thread where we discussed this:

FM synthesis experts, could you recommend books or video tutorials to learn it?

Edit:
Add this:

Yet we still don't know if Yamaha is able to do that, but I guess they'll never port it, so we'll never know.

 

those sample sellers are ridiculous in their marketing blah blah
Yamaha are able port anything they developed because they got all the code, but they hardly need it Montage and MODX are the successors to the 90s SY line of workstations with AFM+AWM engine