Play your Montage or MODX+ like an arranger..., what will they think of next

[overover]

Take a look at his video that I found in a post at psrtutorial Forum:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8ASrJITXCA

Or here, when find more interesting stuff regardin use a synth as an arranger:
https://www.youtube.com/@synthfills2851

Hi Gunnar Jonny,

I have moved your post from the Genos2 board here to this thread, as this has nothing to do with Genos2, but the videos you linked deal with the topic of "Using a Montage/MODX similar to an arranger keyboard".


Best regards,
Chris

[Lee Batchelor]

Lee,
Agree. I have experience with MODX, not Motif, and it just cannot come close to the quality of an arranger and yes it's much more difficult to program as well. Trying to build from the MODX's preset arps & rhythm patterns for this purpose is a nightmare. For MODX users Yamaha does offer a free library of 512 Performances originating from the Motif, many of which are arranger-like with left hand accompaniment and right hand leads, and to some degree they are usable, but just not the same as an arranger. Choosing and processing RH lead instruments is not that quick either. Regarding the 12 arranger-like performances mentioned in the orignal post here, I think that kind of programming is skillful & innovative, however 12 of those "styles" is just not enough compared to the thousands of arranger styles available.

Rich

Completely agreed, Rich! There's two different operating systems for these keyboards.

[Lee Batchelor]

Hi Guys, after having synths and arrangers for over 30 years, I'm definitely sticking with the arranger.

They are two totally different worlds, and for different needs

When some friends ask me about the difference between an arranger keyboard and a synth workstation, I reply with a slightly joking comparison and it goes like this:

"In the synth workstation, you have the perfect ingredients to make a delicious soup, whereas in the arranger you already have the soup made"

This does not exempt the player from the knowledge of the tools and functions of the arranger, but it certainly makes it more practical when playing live.

just my thoughts

Hans

Excellent analogy, Hans. I like to think of using a Motif/Montage as working in your keyboard. Using an arranger is working on your keyboard.

[Graham UK]

I have no experience with Synths...Just been looking at the Yamaha synths Montage & ModX...Played as an arranger.
It appears they contain a lot of accompaniment pattern phases that one can select to make up individual styles in different categories.
Prices also seem reasonable compared to the high prices of arrangers.

Question: Has anyone made Yamaha Synth styles available to download to load into our arrangers ?.

[overover]

I have no experience with Synths...Just been looking at the Yamaha synths Montage & ModX...Played as an arranger.
It appears they contain a lot of accompaniment pattern phases that one can select to make up individual styles in different categories.
Prices also seem reasonable compared to the high prices of arrangers.

Question: Has anyone made Yamaha Synth styles available to download to load into our arrangers ?

Hi Graham,

I merged your post with this existing thread on the topic "Yamaha Synths - Played as an arranger".


On Yamaha synths this is achieved via arpeggios and performances. It might not be easy to turn them into SFF1/2 styles for use on our arranger keyboards.

Maybe PJ will have a say about this here.


Best regards,
Chris

[richkeys]

Question: Has anyone made Yamaha Synth styles available to download to load into our arrangers ?

This topic of using synths as arrangers is largely unexplored and my past research on it hasn't turned up much. I found the online MODX community focuses more on sounds and stage performing more so than how to utilize the accompaniment capabilities. I made a comment above from a while back that gave my opinion about the difficulty trying to create arranger-like accompaniment on MODX, which I had for about a year before switching to SX900. As Chris mentioned, arp and drum patterns within performance parts are the primary method for creating accompaniment, with the 8 Scene buttons acting as arranger variation buttons to capture different levels of "style" detail within one Performance. And yes, synth prices are certainly cheaper than TOTL arrangers.

Regarding your question if anyone has made synth "styles" that work with arrangers, I have never seen anyone offer this. The YTube video in the original post here is the ONLY example I have ever seen of someone actually programming MODX/Montage arranger-like performances. Well, Yamaha's Soundmondo resource has several posted there as well, by a guy name Peter Van Bruggen, they are quite nice, he did some rock, jazz, misc arranger-like "styles" that are complete with chord recognition in the left hand split and scene buttons. But even these don't approach the richness of what can be accomplished with arranger style parts. But MODX might be excellent for electronic music types of accompaniment, like JM Jarre etc,  if you know how to program it.

Rich

[mikf]

It's probably possible to buy a Ford Pinto, then change engine, suspension, brakes,tyres etc etc and get something that almost drives like a Corvette. Some people delight in doing this kind of thing, it becomes the end in itself.
Me - if I wanted something that performs like a Corvette I would buy a Corvette.....and spend the time driving it, not working on it.......so would most people. 
Mike

[pjd]

Maybe PJ will have a say about this here.
Chris

This is now a very long thread and --- it's deja vu all over, again! Please browse for my earlier comments.

Question: Has anyone made Yamaha Synth styles available to download to load into our arrangers ?.

Here are some R&B, funk, jazz styles converted from Motif XS/MOX:

https://sandsoftwaresound.net/motif-styles-for-your-arranger/

Created for PSR-S950, they work just fine on later arrangers (including Genos). I have no interest in biergarten music unless I'm at a biergarten and I'm drunk. 

The following posts describe the development process:

https://sandsoftwaresound.net/mox-perf-to-psr-style-part-1/
https://sandsoftwaresound.net/mox-perf-to-psr-style-part-2/
https://sandsoftwaresound.net/mox-perf-to-psr-style-part-3/

Most of the non-dance phrases in Motif XS (and later) came from Yamaha Tyros/PSR arrangers circa 2007. That's the real irony here -- those phrases come from ancient PSRs! The Motif sound designers took those phrases and cobbled them into some pretty groovy performances. (There isn't anything called a "style" in Motif-land and don't use that word unless you want to start a fight on a synth forum.)

The Yamaha synths do not have auto-fill. Never have and probably never will.

I have conversions from the MM series, but don't ever seem to have the time to roll them out...

All the best -- pj

P.S. Might as well throw in a link to my DJX II conversions:

https://sandsoftwaresound.net/free-djx-ii-styles-version-2/

MIDI is MIDI.

[richkeys]

pj, Thanks for posting these converted styles. Even though R&B, funk jazz is not my thing, I thought they sounded great in my SX900.

I recall some Motif owners expressing disappointment that the successor, the MODX, didn't have the same user friendliness and workflow for playing around with these phrases.

Rich

[pjd]

pj, Thanks for posting these converted styles. Even though R&B, funk jazz is not my thing, I thought they sounded great in my SX900.

I recall some Motif owners expressing disappointment that the successor, the MODX, didn't have the same user friendliness and workflow for playing around with these phrases.

Hi Rich --

Thanks!

WRT, MOX vs. MODX, it took some time to get used to the new workflow, plus the realization that the old way of organizing arpeggios into style-like sections needed to be mapped to Montage/MODX Scenes. The Scenes UI makes creation of style-like Performances easier once ya get your head around styles and its UI.

Overall, that's why I stick with an instrument for a long time and not turn over gear. It takes so much time to get productive.

All the best -- pj