Yamaha’s professional synthesizers have reigned as industry leaders for decades. Now, the company again advances the state of the art with the Montage M8x — a flagship synth so powerful, it’s the only keyboard you’ll need to ace any studio session or stage performance. This next-gen synth powerhouse packs the latest technology with three beastly sound engines that can create jaw-dropping renditions of any instrument you could ever imagine, while new performance controls, workflow enhancements, and a 7-inch TFT color touchscreen allow you to access all this power effortlessly. For authentic grand piano feel that will satisfy even the most discerning pro pianists, the Montage M8x boasts Yamaha’s fully weighted GEX action with polyphonic aftertouch. It even has a 5-segment ribbon controller to add rich expressiveness to your playing. The Yamaha Montage M8x is an instrument that seamlessly bridges stage and studio while unlocking unlimited potential for sound, control, and workflow.

Three potent engines deliver a universe of sounds

Under the hood, Montage M8x packs three powerful sound engines. Yamaha’s all-new AN-X engine re-creates the warm, classic sounds and behavior of vintage analog synthesizers. With Preset and User wave memory doubled from the original Montage, the AWM2 sample-based engine with 128-element architecture delivers emulative high-definition instrument sounds with plentiful articulations and vibrant dynamics, realism, and expression. FM-X is an 8-operator FM synth engine that generates modern digital sounds and dynamic expressive behavior. Together, these three adroit engines cover the gamut of any sounds you’ll likely need for live performance and studio work. Moreover, they are elegantly integrated under the command of Montage M’s capable control set, making it easy to quickly craft any sound you can dream up.

The expressive power of polyphonic aftertouch

Like monaural (channel) aftertouch, polyphonic aftertouch is actuated by the pressure you add after you strike a key, allowing you to add varying amounts of, for example, vibrato — literally without lifting a finger. But what makes polyphonic aftertouch a more effective expressive tool is that it works on a per-key basis, allowing for individual key control over any parameter or effect you assign to it. With mono aftertouch, no matter which key you apply after-pressure to, all keys will respond the same way. By allowing for individual finger control, polyphonic aftertouch lets you selectively modulate held notes to bring them out in the mix. Instead of a single sensor strip underlying the entire key range, polyphonic aftertouch uses individual sensors under each key. This obviously makes it more expensive to manufacture, and thus, it is a feature usually found only on premium professional synths like Yamaha’s flagship Montage M8x.

New performance controls put you in command

The Montage M features new performance controls that put you in complete command of your instrument — which you’ll especially appreciate when playing live. It features a 5-segment ribbon controller with a dedicated hold button as well as a new Keyboard Hold button that lets you sustain chords while tweaking knobs to edit your patch parameters. There’s also a Portamento on/off button and a dedicated Portamento Time knob. Dedicated Keyboard, Part, and Scene control buttons give you intuitive control over 16 Parts per Performance. Keyboard artists at Music Experience find these controls particularly helpful in demanding onstage settings, enhancing overall usability while adding dimension to their performances.

Advanced technology for vivid and richly varied expression

The Montage M leverages proprietary audio technologies that advance the state of the art in synthesizer design. Yamaha’s Pure Analog Circuit 2, for instance, provides clean harmonic reproduction and level frequency response for clear, powerful sound. The updated Pure Analog Circuit attenuates noise and improves the dynamic range, crosstalk, low-frequency phase, and distortion rate, resulting in crystal-clear sound with richly detailed lower mids and assertive presence. Montage M’s sophisticated VCM Rotary Speaker effect and realistic drawbar behavior provide authentic organ sound and control. And to ensure that every minute detail of even your most complex performances will be heard, Montage M is spec’d with a formidable 400-note total polyphony.

Tap into immense sonic potential

Yamaha has built acoustic pianos since 1900, and has been on the cutting edge of digital technology for decades. All the advanced tech working synergistically under the hood of the Montage M makes it an intuitively accessible synthesizer with immense sonic potential. A suite of dedicated accessories is available separately to let you customize your Montage M for optimized operation and creativity, whether you’re composing, performing onstage, or laying down tracks in the studio. Equipped with comprehensive connectivity, including USB-MIDI and a multichannel 6-in/32-out audio interface, it streamlines MIDI recording, virtual instrument monitoring, and multitrack audio recording through a single USB cable. Amazingly, though, you may find you don’t need the instrument itself in the studio, thanks to the Extended Soft Synth plug-in. Offering an unparalleled degree of stage and studio integration, E.S.P. software replicates the Montage M in your favorite DAW, allowing you to create, edit, and mix Montage M performances without the hardware. Add it all up, and you have a truly world-class synthesizer eminently worthy of Yamaha flagship status. If you’re ready to take your music to the next level, your Montage M8x awaits!

What Yamaha Says...

For synthesists, keyboardists and pianists, MONTAGE M inspires new sound exploration with expressive control for making music. MONTAGE M8x, the next-generation flagship synthesizer from Yamaha. Realize amazing sound with its three engines that recreate warm vintage analog synths, cutting-edge FM synths, and ultra-realistic instruments. The Motion Control engine enhances these capabilities, adding a unique fourth dimension of control to your music making. Unlike traditional hardware synthesizers, MONTAGE M8x seamlessly bridges stage and studio workflows with computer connectivity and integration. For pianists wanting 88-key weighted action, and synth players wanting expressive polyphonic aftertouch, the MONTAGE M8x introduces a new era of sound, control and workflow in music creation.

NEW AN-X ENGINE

A revolution in authentic analog sound, control and behavior, the AN-X engine recreates the warm, classic sound of an analog synthesizer with a host of sophisticated modulation options.

• Three Oscillators with 5 waveforms (Saw 1, Saw2, Triangle, Square and Sine) and Noise Generator
• Two filters with 10 filter types
• Pulse width modulation
• Oscillator Self Sync
• Ring modulation, FM, and wave shaper
• Amp EG with drive
• LFO for both amplitude and filter
• Voltage drift and aging settings to simulate vintage synth behavior

Integrated into the Motion Control system, the AN-X Engine allows you to create expressive, unique analog sounds to your heart’s content.

IMPROVED AWM2

Experience realism and detail with MONTAGE M’s improved AWM2. Offering an incredible 128 Elements per part, AWM2 allows for smoother transitions, giving you an expansive canvas for ultra-high-definition sound creation, especially for “nameable” sounds such as piano and stringsa

400-NOTE TOTAL POLYPHONY

A significant upgrade from the original MONTAGE’s 256 notes, MONTAGE M offers up to 400 notes of polyphony across its three engines:

• 128 notes for AWM2 Preset Waveform Parts
• 128 notes for AWM2 User Waveform Parts
• 128 notes for FM-X Parts
• 16 notes for AN-X Parts

AND MORE

[PRESET WAVE AND FLASH MEMORY UPGRADE] MONTAGE M offers twice the memory over its predecessor with an increase from 5.67GB to 9.97GB of Preset Wave memory, and an increase from 1.75 to 3.8GB of User flash memory. Plus, you’ll find a host of new sounds and instruments, including pianos, orchestral instruments, drums, and more!

[FM-X] MONTAGE M rekindles the Yamaha legacy of expressive and dynamic FM Synthesis with its 8-operator FM-X engine, offering a wide variety of diverse tones: from crisp and bell-like, to edgy and aggressive, to mellow and evolving. This is an excellent complement to the AWM2 and AN-X engines.

[VCM ROTARY AND DRAWBAR BEHAVIOR] Using sophisticated modeling technology, the VCM Rotary Speaker effect simulates the rich and enveloping motion of a classic rotary speaker cabinet. Plus, the new organ drawbar fader setting simulates the vintage “pull out” drawbar organ behavior.

[16 LIBRARY LOCATIONS] With 16 Library slots at your disposal, you can house up to 10,240 additional Performances (that’s in addition to the over 2,700 performances in the presets), facilitating quick searches by Category, Name and Attributes.

[PURE ANALOG CIRCUIT 2] The upgraded Pure Analog Circuit included in MONTAGE M reduces noise and improves the dynamic range, crosstalk, low-frequency phase, and distortion rate, resulting in clearer sound at all volumes. You’ll also find the sound has more detailed low-mids and presence.

GEX ACTION WITH POLYPHONIC AFTERTOUCH (MONTAGE M8x ONLY)

Available exclusively on MONTAGE M8x, GEX Action elevates your performance and sound creation with Polyphonic Aftertouch – a revered synth control found in the legendary CS-80 and DX1. Polyphonic Aftertouch allows you to individual modulate held notes with pressure. GEX also provides key repetition behavior typically found in grand pianos.

NEW PERFORMANCE CONTROLS

MONTAGE M introduces new performance controls: a 5-segment ribbon controller with dedicated HOLD button, a new KEYBOARD HOLD button for sustaining chords while using knobs to edit, and a Portamento on/off button and dedicated Portamento time knobe

DEDICATED KEYBOARD, PART AND SCENE CONTROL

You’ll find dedicated Keyboard, Part and Scene Control buttons to control 16 Parts per Performance. This intuitive control, particularly beneficial for live performances, improves overall usability and adds dimension to each Performance.

AND MORE

[HIGH-RESOLUTION CONTROL] All the Performance Controls – from the Keyboard and Faders to the Super Knob and Sustain, as well as the Sound Engine, are now in High Resolution. Because of the fine resolution, you’ll find the MONTAGE M behaves in a smoother and more “analog” way.

[MOTION CONTROL SYNTHESIS ENGINE] This groundbreaking engine allows you to interact with sounds in a variety of ways, including Motion Sequences, which dynamically automate synth and effect parameters, and can even be synchronized to tempo; the Super Knob, which controls dozens of modulations in a single gesture; the Envelope Follower, which modulates sound from the A/D input or another Part; and many, many more ways!

[NEW AND IMPROVED LED LIGHTS AND COLORS] Enhanced LED lights and colors on MONTAGE M faders, Performance, Live Set and Category Search offer visible, instant feedback, vastly improving the user interface.

EXPANDED SOFTSYNTH PLUGIN (E.S.P.) (COMING EARLY 2024)

A game-changer for musicians, the Expanded Softsynth Plugin (E.S.P.) replicates the MONTAGE M in your favorite Digital Workstation (DAW). Free for all registered MONTAGE M owners, E.S.P. 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. We are planning on releasing E.S.P. in early 2024. The first version will have all the MONTAGE M sound while being limited to basic editing. The full version will be available in Summer 2024e

FASTER, MORE INTUITIVE NAVIGATION

Upgraded navigation enables quick, intuitive sound editing and operation. You’ll find features like a new 512 x 64 LCD screen, 6 touchscreen display knobs, and a PAGE JUMP button that moves what’s in the LCD screen over to the larger 7” TFT Color touchscreen for deeper editing. And the dedicated Navigation button shows an overview of a Performance. Just touch a graphical object in the screen to jump to that parameter for deeper editing. The dedicated Navigation button allows you go directly from the “surface” of a sound to the deepest parte

USB MIDI AND MULTICHANNEL AUDIO INTERFACE

Simplifying your studio setup, MONTAGE M offers a USB MIDI and multichannel 32 output/6 input audio interface. Streamline MIDI recording, virtual instrument monitoring, and multi-track audio recording through a single USB cable, so you can spend more time being creativee

AND MORE

[FASTER UI] MONTAGE M’s UI is significantly speedier than the previous generation. Plus, the overall look is cleaner and easier to see.

[CATEGORY SEARCH] Search for Performances by Category (Piano, Keyboard, etc.), Sub Category (Acoustic, Vintage, etc.),Name, and Attributes (AWM2, FM-X, AN-X, etc.).

[TWO USB-TO-DEVICE PORTS] Allows simultaneous connection of a flash drive (or drives!) and USB MIDI controllers

[DEDICATED DAW REMOTE BUTTON] Use your MONTAGE M as a hardware controller for DAWs such as Cubase, Logic, ProTools and Live. Control the mixer, transport, softsynth plugins and more.

[NEW SHIFT BUTTONS] Two new Shift buttons make it effortless to access secondary functions, increasing overall functionalitys.

[COLOR-CODED BUTTONS and SLIDER LAMPS] Backlit LIVE SET and CATEGORY buttons are colored differently and clearly show mode function. New slider lamps show red LED value increments, while active Parts are illuminated in blue.