In this summer the almighty Montage would become a whopping SEVEN years old platform, and it’d be reasonable to assume that the next hardware iteration of Yamaha’s flagship synth workstation should be coming out in 2023 or 24. What features do you hope to see?
Rumors are that a new AN-X engine would be put together with an improved AWM-X and FM-X, but it is purely speculation at this point. Some technologies from CP and YC series might also make it into the new flagship, if Yamaha is feeling generous again.
Personally, I’d like to see an interface re-design. the screen of Montage always seemed a bit too crude and disorganized to me, and I find the interface of Genos to be much more organized and visually appealing. As for the Super knob… I don’t have a problem with it, but I’d sure love to see a more thoughtful/multi purpose implementation of a performance macro that is not a big, protruding, flashy knob. In the form of a ribbon controller above the keyboard, maybe?
Last but not least, a revamped visual design would be awesome. Montage and MODX’s more flashy design probably made sense back in 2015, but that was eight years ago now, wow. Would love to see a more “classy” design again, for lack of a better word. And if the new YC and CP designs are any indication, I think Yamaha is on the right track for their next big one.
FDSP and VL synthesis.
+1
+10000
+99999999
I don’t even think the hardware has to change…. just bring in UI designers from outside to put fresh eyes on the best way to use what’s already there.
It’s actually a very well made shell: big touchscreen, good keyboard, plenty of knobs, sliders controllers—but horribly carried out in how the system uses the controls. The way the menus are set up, and what item is on what menu, never feel quick or intuitive.
I can get around my Montage 6, and program basic FM stuff on it, but it’s not nearly as easy as it could be, given how big the screen is and how many physical controls there are.
EDIT: And yeah, VL physical modeling would be great, although I’d be pleasantly surprised if Yamaha bothered with adding it. I would be willing to pay something for VL as an option.
Unfortunately I don’t believe in Yamaha. When I look at what other Japanese music campaigns like Akai, Korg and Roland are doing, I am happy for the users of these synthesizers. And Yamaha slept and continues to sleep. Despite the fact that AN was registered as a trademark, in fact, this did not affect the course of events.
To me, everything related to Yamaha looks like there was an alien attack on the staff headquarters in the Yamaha office. As a result of this attack, the aliens took with them all the smart heads of the office and only stupid marketers remained at the Yamaha headquarters. This is exactly what the whole story with Yamaha has been like for many years. Therefore, I have already lost all hope that Yamaha will do something new.
2 years have passed since the last firmware update. Nothing has changed today. Judging by the latest official Yamaha commercials, I see Asian countries in them: Vietnam, China, and so on. This suggests that they are trying to get a new market for their products in new countries, as they feel the loss of interest in the EU and America.
On my YouTube channel, I have already posted several videos of criticism of Yamaha, including these videos I sent directly to their office and wrote “if Yamaha will sleep longer, there will be more such videos on the network” and no reaction. They don’t care what people write about, what they want to get from Yamaha. There are only zombies. 
Because Yamaha didn’t get the world right, I moved from the Yamaha fan club to the counteroffensive club.
Yamaha Firmware 4.0 facts about this event.
Yamaha lies about innovation and SuperKnob.
