Yamaha MODX-Series

[happyrat1]

Somehow, though, it comforts me to know that this is the kind of hardware they use to record The Empire Carpet Jingle and the theme to Spongebob Squarepants

Gary

 

[ChrisNabil]

I'd have to sell off every piece of gear I own, quadruple it at the casino, and MAYBE I could afford one

Gary

You said to me you have a large collection of cables you bought over the years in error... now might be the time for a big auction off. You can then afford one of these bad boys

 

[happyrat1]

If the Dow continues to plunge as it has today I may end up selling apples on a street corner

Gary

 

[HighlandStudio91]

PS - I also think your analogy that spending thousands of dollars on a keyboard is unjust on the basis that what happens when it dies is kind of silly. I mean you could apply that notion to everything in life lol.

When my keyboards die's in 7, 9, 12 years.... there will be even more impressive technology i would of eye'd up and i will be first in queue with my money... men have to have their toy's

Chris,

With regard to your previous post...thanks for the explanation. Though I have decades of experience with hardware workstations & such,I've made my fair share of mistakes...with some of the keyboards I've sold off.

My reasons for being reluctant to make large investments in hardware may be silly to you(& that's fine,I take no offense to that)...but given my meager financial situation,I must assess what the best possible investment is,in terms of longevity and non-obsolescence of a product.
Though I still love hardware,I have eliminated nearly all of my hardware keyboards,in favor of desktop PC's and midi controller's(simply because most of the best quality,for much less,can be obtained with computers.)
I am disabled and on a fixed income and I no longer work part time jobs to supplement my disability income,so even buying something like the Yamaha MODX,is a stretch for me.
If I was in your financial position(or if I was generating a profit from my music,for example)...then I would not hesitate to buy something like a Korg Kronos(& I would not be worried about the lifespan of said instrument.)

Perhaps the MODX will suit you just fine....good luck in whatever you choose.

-Thom

 

[ChrisNabil]

Chris,

With regard to your previous post...thanks for the explanation. Though I have decades of experience with hardware workstations & such,I've made my fair share of mistakes...with some of the keyboards I've sold off.

My reasons for being reluctant to make large investments in hardware may be silly to you(& that's fine,I take no offense to that)...but given my meager financial situation,I must assess what the best possible investment is,in terms of longevity and non-obsolescence of a product.
Though I still love hardware,I have eliminated nearly all of my hardware keyboards,in favor of desktop PC's and midi controller's(simply because most of the best quality,for much less,can be obtained with computers.)
I am disabled and on a fixed income and I no longer work part time jobs to supplement my disability income,so even buying something like the Yamaha MODX,is a stretch for me.
If I was in your financial position(or if I was generating a profit from my music,for example)...then I would not hesitate to buy something like a Korg Kronos(& I would not be worried about the lifespan of said instrument.)

Perhaps the MODX will suit you just fine....good luck in whatever you choose.

-Thom

Hi Thom,

I totally understand and i hope i didn't come across disrespectful as believe me i have had my fair share of financial difficulties. In actual fact only till very recently i did not have the luxury to spend on frivolous things like i do now.

I think we come from very different viewpoints as i only enjoy making music on a keyboard and if you took that away from me and said that i had to do it all on a PC i would pack it in right now as that has no interest to me.

 

[ChrisNabil]

If the Dow continues to plunge as it has today I may end up selling apples on a street corner

Gary

I love apples and you love keyboards maybe we can come up with a plan lol

 

[Mighty Motif Max]

It's hard to imagine the Kronos not being suitable for everyone(at least among those that can afford one.)I mean...it has 9 synth engines and 21GB of content(versus the 3.67GB of the Montage and MODX.)If the factory orchestral sounds did not suit your pallet,then why didn't you buy additional libraries for it?
While I agree that Yamaha generally has better acoustical articulations than Korg...well...I would imagine that with the Kronos's 62GB HD,there must be some better sound libraries available for it?
The Kronos is essentially a PC fitted into a keyboard and clearly,the sounds library choices are massive.That said,it's hard to believe that anyone would make such a large investment and then sell it...just because you are not entirely satisfied with the factory sound??
If you don't mind my asking...why?Just extremely curious,is all.As for myself,I never saved and bought a Kronos...as I did not like the thought of spending thousands of dollars and several hundred more on additional libraries,because when the Kronos burns out and dies,then what?I mean...once the keyboard is finished,all of those sounds are gone forever(whereas with my desktop PC,I can always re-download the content,if I need a new PC.

Why isn't it suitable for everyone? Sounds are subjective, keybed, implementation of various features, and user interface. All of these are reasons I and many others didn't buy one.

 

[HighlandStudio91]

Just received my MODX7 today and made a vid with me just toying around with it.

 

[SeaGtGruff]

I haven't watched the whole video yet, but thanks for sharing it! I have to wonder, though-- what does your cat think of it?

 

[HighlandStudio91]

I haven't watched the whole video yet, but thanks for sharing it! I have to wonder, though-- what does your cat think of it?

My cat isn't happy at all about my MODX7(since it averts my attention away from him.)

 

[Biggles]

Our cat does not bother with the lack of attention, he just jumps on my bench and plays duet, or does a slow run down the keyboard.

 

[anotherscott]

for example, one piano sound that takes up 8 parts.

I'm not sure, but I don't think any piano sound takes up more than 4 parts. (Each part can have 8 elements, though.)

The Montage is inferior to the Kronos so if the MODX is a cut down version it will only be considered by dyed in the wool Yamahaha users..

MODX is priced against the Krome, which 'd say it far out-classes except for sequencer/MIDI stuff.

The MODX is a huge 50% price increase on the PSR S 670
For general purposes it does not warrant the extra cost.

Correction; The PSR-S670 is $800,so the MODX6 would have to be $1600(for it to be a 50% increase.)The MODX6 is $1300.
To each his/her own...but for me,the extra $500 is v-e-r-y much warranted

$800 to $1300 is more than a 50% increase (actually about 62%). If it were $1600, it would be a 100% increase. But regardless, PSR-S670 is nothing like a MODX. The PSR is an arranger with speakers, which may be what someone is looking for, but overall, it is not in the same class as a MODX, sonically or in performance flexibility. Just some of the obvious differences... touchscreen, ability to split/layer 8 parts any way you want (as opposed to a single split with one sound below and two above), over 30 times more space for custom samples (about a gigabyte vs 32 mb), a full FM synthesizer, much more MIDI flexibility, seamless sound transitions, more real-time controls, way more effects, so much more sound editability, and just an enormously larger and very high quality basic sound set. But sure, some people may find that the PSR will do all they need. Or some other low cost keyboard, like a Juno DS or a Numa Compact 2/2X, which I think are great for the money. There are lots of good choices for people's different needs and budgets. But I think people who don't see the MODX as a great value have never played a MODX.

 

[Hodor]

The Montage is inferior to the Kronos. . .

That's your opinion, of course. For starters, I certainly prefer the action of the Montage over the Kronos.
Different strokes for different folks.

 

[CowboyNQ]

Just received my MODX7 today and made a vid with me just toying around with it.

I had a little play with a MODX7 the other day. Seems like it would be a fun and useful gigging machine, I was impressed with it overall.

Personally, I won't be replacing my Krome (I note there's an AUD200 price differential at 61-key level too) but it has some excellent features and I wish you many years of enjoyment with it.

 

[Lenster]

Hey all, I am really enjoying this thread. Lots of good opinion.
I have been a Korg person for so many decades. Have tried a few Rolands from time to time, only to sell them because for live gigging, they just were too confusing.
I had the chance to sit down and goof around with a Modx in my local Guitarcenter, and was impressed with the ease of menuing and the nice sounds. My current gig setup is Krome on top and Kronos on bottom. The Kronos is just way too much machine for what I use it for. I am thinking about replacing it with a Modx7.
All I need to learn is how it does what it does under the sheets. I am trying to cross reference the hierarchy of Korg's Prog / Combi and banks to Yamaha's, so that I can control it with Unrealbook.
If I can learn that, then I am sold.
Thanks, Lenster.

 

[anotherscott]

MODX is conceptually different from the Korg Program/Combi paradigm. Essentially, it only has Combis (or as they call them, Performances), no Programs. The equivalent of Programs are Performances that only have one Part in them (and you can copy Parts from one Performance to another). They are MIDI selectable, so using them in Unrealbook should be no problem.

 

[HighlandStudio91]

I had a little play with a MODX7 the other day. Seems like it would be a fun and useful gigging machine, I was impressed with it overall.

Personally, I won't be replacing my Krome (I note there's an AUD200 price differential at 61-key level too) but it has some excellent features and I wish you many years of enjoyment with it.

After what I experienced with the Krome,I cannot fathom the appeal of the Krome...at all.The Krome has been on the market since 2012 and Korg NEVER fixed the OS crashing issue that the subpar SD memory chip causes.Such memory cards(particularly the class 10 ones) are so incredibly inexpensive and yet,Korg is so maniacally greedy,they always use the cheapest garbage offered by the very lowest bidder,to construct their sh*t-boxes.Apart from the drum and piano programs,the Krome's soundset is terribly dated,tinny and thin.The Krome has no customer support,no expansion options and the only good & usable feature is the onboard song sequencer(but then,with the Krome being an utter failure as a synth(with Casio-like electronic sounds)...what's the point of utilizing the sequencer?Though the Kronos is still the leading hardware workstation...well...the OS(while functional & reliable)...is still slow,with no flash memory whatsoever,which is why I passed on ever buying one.Anyway....though I am puzzled as to why you like your Krome,I am glad it works for you and yes...I think I will have many years of enjoyment with my MODX7,thanks.

 

[anotherscott]

the Kronos is still the leading hardware workstation...well...the OS(while functional & reliable)...is still slow,with no flash memory whatsoever,which is why I passed on ever buying one.

The SSD is, essentially, flash memory. What is it you're looking for?

 

[HighlandStudio91]

The SSD is, essentially, flash memory. What is it you're looking for?

Faster bootup times.Keyboards like Kurzweil & Yamaha have very rapid boot up times.

 

[CowboyNQ]

I am puzzled as to why you like your Krome

If you're genuinely interested - the reasons are:

1. Sounds fantastic - I disagree with your characterisation of the sounds as "dated, tinny and thin".
2. I get along well with the UI
3. Reliable - I've never encountered any technical faults with my unit. It's been exposed to extreme heat, dust, water and a bass guitar falling on it!
4. Versatile - It's not as clever as the MODX but it's significantly older and if one applies a creative mind and problem solving attitude it can do pretty much anything one wants it to.