No, the 8 layers are still there, you just cant access them in a sepperate voice mode, but should be able to eddit the layers of all 8 voices in the performance mode...

Big advantage this way, is that changes to the voices are part of the performance..

Also the sequencer is very basic, just replay, no more edditing
No more pattern mode
No more Daw controll
No more PC edditor/vst
Only 1,75 GB of user memmory, not further expandable,... ( some people have 4GB in their Motif XF)

In many ways, its indeed a step back...

Here's a good demo by Blake Angelos for Sweetwater:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo4jpJFMvqQ

And that's the final nail in the coffin . ......even the tyros probably has a better sequencer and I could not live with that despite the superior sounds . Like I said before , the motif XF are going to hold their value for a lot longer now . Anyone selling their Xs or XF would be in my view quite foolish given what we now know despite what wishful thinking we may have had .

You can see the way Yamaha is leaning..with "live control" in both the S970/Montage and for sure the next TOTL arranger be it a Tyros 6 or whatever they will call it..sit tight its coming soon.

Looks like the Montage is designed to try and get Yamaha back into the synth market where they dominated with the CS & DX range of synths, with the replacement for the Motif nowhere to be seen. (No indications of when this will happen either)

From the looks of it, the perceived idea that the Montage was a replacement for the Motif was just that, perceived, and not a reality. (Yamaha certainly had everyone fooled this time although I suppose they could add workstation features with an app)

Bill

I think so, too, it's not a successor. But they label it "flagship synth". Theoretically possible that the Motif name will be maintained in parallel...

Here's another demo from Blake Angelos, this time for Kraft Music. He doesn't talk in this one, he only plays. Orchestral sounds start at 7:00:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ronEbk462Yg

Here's one from Guitar Center:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXHMATih1wY



And don't forget this demo, with Orchestral starting at 2:49:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9wzev494_k

Sounds very good, as far as I could hear the demos (will have more time tomorrow). However difficult to judge without complete orchestral arrangements, spiccato, marcato etc...

Wow looks and sound great. What a machine.