Yamaha where are thou?

[xtreme sounds]

Hi folks any idea why Yamaha is basically sound asleep with releasing products whereas other companies are quite busy? Is Yamaha done with making synthesizers? What do you think?

[roman.i]

Definitely, this company doesn't want to innovate and doesn't want to make money. They have a name in FM synthesis, and they don't use it anywhere on the market.

[foosnark]

I've wondered that for a while. The Reface stuff seemed like a sign of life, but they made some odd decisions with it, prices were weird, and it seems to have dead-ended. The MODX series doesn't seem like it's made much of an impression on anyone -- I tried one at Knobcon a few years ago and wasn't impressed, and you never see people talking about them, not even to disparage them.

[Constructed Identity]

Just think, Yamaha and Roland were so good in the 1980's they forced Sequential and Moog out of business!
They both made fantastic products that are used to this day, but in the 90's they both went down hill.
Dave Smith left and started his own company and Roland lost all of its expertise on analog synths.
I wanted a synth since I was little and Yamaha was everywhere. No surprise I bought a Yamaha workstation first but today I think they have abandoned every market except the digital piano market.

[kritikon]

Yamaha don't seem too interested in synths - I guess it's likely a really small part of their business and likely not much profit in it. Reface was mentioned - I thought they were odd too. Initially I was excited and almost instabought the FM one to replace my old DX100, but once I started looking into it, it became a lot less interesting. Too limited in the way it could be programmed, yet good in some other ways. Price didn't stack up considering Korg's Opsix - which I ended up buying, and it was way better value than Yamaha's, does heaps more and more depth. The other Refaces were good in what they did but all seemed too limited in the wrong places - not as cheap as they probably should have been either IMO.

Mind you, Roland just seem to mostly churn out the same old thing in differerent skins, but manage to sell a few. I dunno for sure, but it seems their few analogue offerings don't sell anywhere as near as many as their digital re-issues Juno1, 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10...ad infinitum. How many times have they released some kind of digital 303 that never seem to get any better?

Yamaha still make home keyboard things though don't they? PSR or whatever they're called nowadays.

[anotherscott]

They have a name in FM synthesis, and they don't use it anywhere on the market.

Reface DX is a 4-operator FM synth.

Montage and MODX+ include very capable 8-operator FM synth engines.

YC61/YC73/YC88 have a bunch of FM sounds in them, and they also use FM for the Vox/Farfisa organ engines, and they also have a kind of FM synth engine in it where the drawbars control FM carriers, modulation, and feedback.

[foosnark]

Reface was mentioned - I thought they were odd too. Initially I was excited and almost instabought the FM one to replace my old DX100, but once I started looking into it, it became a lot less interesting.

I tried the Refaces at Knobcon. I immediately hated the controls on the DX. Hated the effects on the CP, and a little unfairly, I had just played a Korg Vox Continental a few minutes earlier which felt a hundred times nicer.

The CS was actually pretty fun to play, if you could find one at a lower price (which I eventually did) but the sliders on it were tragically steppy, which spoiled some of the oscillator modes.

I think they could have gone somewhere with the series with just a little improvement and more competitive prices.

[zerocrossing]

Yamaha is doing fine. They just don’t care about us as a market. They’re busy making pianos, digital pianos and performance keyboards. Actually, I read people talking about how much they like their MODX on Gearspace fairly frequently.

[cryophonik]

I love my Reface CP. I’m actually playing it right while I’m watching football.

[vurt]

mores to the point, where are roland and moogs motorbikes??

[kritikon]

Weeell Roland did at least expand out to burgers, fries and apparently even wraps and artificial vegetable crap recently. I'm pretty sure I saw Roland McDoland at my local Maccas the other day.

[gcohara]

Agreed with what other people have said on the Reface DX vs the OpSix - the touch 'sliders' on the Reface DX are pretty annoying to use as well. But it does sound nice.
I'm a huge fan of my Reface CP though, and they seem to get some appreciation e.g Nahre Sol uses one a lot.

I found the Reface keybeds surprisingly good and springy too. Probably the best minikeys I've played

[trusampler]

It’d be nice if Yamaha would enter the Vst market, they’re missing out on a large number of customers. Some will never choose hardware due to space , and while i get that Yamaha has always believed in hardware over software, times have changed a lot. I think for them to stay relevant at some point they two , will have to make a shift.

[anotherscott]

It’d be nice if Yamaha would enter the Vst market, they’re missing out on a large number of customers. Some will never choose hardware due to space , and while i get that Yamaha has always believed in hardware over software, times have changed a lot. I think for them to stay relevant at some point they two , will have to make a shift.

This is what they own Steinberg for.

[trusampler]

Right on, but Yamaha hasn’t created anything from their catalog instrument wise. The Halion stuff isn’t close to what’s in their flagship workstations.