Yamaha Montage strings vs. software strings

[David Polich]

I own a fair number of solo string VI's (Garritan Strad Violin and Gofriller Cello, Neocymatics, LSS solo strings, Fluffy Audio solo strings, Chris Hein Violin, Spitfire Solo Strings) and a handful of string ensemble VI's (Symphobia, Garritan Personal Orchestra, VSL, NI Session Strings) While I continue to prefer the Garritan solo strings and Chris Hein Violin, I'm still unhappy with all of my ensemble string libraries. They all sound like Mellotron strings, which isn't a bad thing if you want Mellotron string
parts in a song. But for ensemble strings, I've grown increasingly frustrated.

As luck would have it, I was assigned to do some new programming for an upcoming O.S. release for the Yamaha Montage (I am part of Yamaha's sound design team and contributed a number of
factory sounds for Montage). Just for grins, I tried recently reassigning some orchestral string parts from Symphobia to Montage, which has a large palette of different sized and style string ensembles.

And now...no more using software string libraries for me. Montage's strings seriously beat all my
string libraries. Not only for basic sound quality, but for expressiveness...because, we Yamaha programmers are required to program string sounds to react expressively to velocity (mostly) followed by expression pedal. No keyswitching, articulations switch with velocity or are activated by an assignable switch (there are 2), OR, you can use the Super Knob on Montage to sweep through multiple parameters at once, making an ensemble "grow" from a chamber string set to full orchestra, adding octaves, fifths, etc. The Super Knob can be controlled with a foot pedal connected to Montage's "Foot Controller 2" jack, so you don;t have to take your hands off the keyboard to use it.

Here's a Montage feature no other synth workstation has - an envelope follower coupled with a true FM synth. I did some Montage performances that are two-part - one is an FM string ensemble sound, the other is a sample-based string ensemble. The envelope of the FM part modulates the sampled string part via an envelope follower, so the sample string part "takes on" the envelope characteristics of the FM part. It makes the strings sound hyper-real and 3D in a way no sampled string VI can. I constructed three "hybrid" string sections this way - a violin section, a viola section, and a cello section. These all work awesome in a mix.

To anyone else who is frustrated with even their most expensive software strings VI's, I'd recommend taking a listen to the Montage. You might be very surprised and pleased by what you hear. And play.

[HCMarkus]

I recall a favorite string sound: DX7 solo violin layered with Proteus string ensemble. The DX was highly velocity-sensitive and gave that great, organic attack FM does so well. The Proteus' sampled strings provided a realistic body to the sound.

The Montage looks like a winner; I only wish Yamaha had not decided to ditch the BC jack on its keyboards. I play an S90ES and Motif ES6 live and use BC constantly.

[stubbsonic]

That's good to hear, and not surprising-- in a way. I have found some hardware samplers/romplers often have sounds that while not always as richly multisampled will be more playable because they hit a sweet spot with the attack and decay of the sound that work well in a general setting.

So many times I try to use the factory library from Kontakt and it just doesn't work.

Though I haven't gigged much with a BC, I'm also a big fan of that. But I guess if yamaha isn't going to make BC's, they aren't going to add ports either.

[HCMarkus]

Though I haven't gigged much with a BC, I'm also a big fan of that. But I guess if yamaha isn't going to make BC's, they aren't going to add ports either.

That's why I have three BC3's!

They are fragile; mine have earned their own foam-cushioned caddy. Two come to every show and one says home for use in the studio.

For anyone wishing to repair or "harden" their BC3, heat shrink tubing around the tube/nipple junction does a great job.

[buzzsmith]

Wow.

I haven't looked at hardware synths in a long time. Almost $4,000!

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ ... gQodWTYJZw


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