
It sounds lush and the GUI is unusually accessible for YaMAha.:P I’m sure a fair number of people will put this at the center of some analog gear and have major fun. I don’t need any new hardware at the moment, but I’d call this a good choice for both newbies and more seasoned types. Otherwise, don’t sweat that in the face of so much else. There are fairly easy ways to get there if you’re keen on it.

I landed a pair of poly AT controllers for sounds that really benefit from it, like string sections. IMO, mono aftertouch is too blunt to be all that great and poly AT is rare. You can import your own samples, which is a major plus if you even halfway apply it. As contorted as Yamaha OSs have often been, this one is basically Just Right, even with its admitted level of menu diving in places. Great demo I like the synth even better now! What “people” always want is an instrument between (in this case) the flagship Montage and whatever the company actually released as a trickle-down, as with the MODX.
