Appmuse

First off, the app in its unlocked state is pretty interesting in its own right, particularly if you've owned a DX7 or similar synth. The supplied patches are 'meh', but will whet your appetite. The kink comes when you try what's described in the above review. The keyboard specialist at the retailer I visited knew all about the app, but pitched it as something that was slaved to a particular keyboard. Yours. You buy an MX## and you can use the supplied cable to interface with your iOS device and unlock the 250+ additional voices. When I asked him if he could unlock it with a display synth he said no, it wouldn't work apart from that keyboard. Not to say the app's not cool, just that it's a fail as described above. Likewise not to say I wouldn't get an MX88 later and use this - I own and enjoy lots of YamaStuff. Show more

FM GO Promo Want the the full version? Here's your chance. First, Download the free version of FM Essential to your iOS device, then visit an authorized Yamaha dealer and connect your iOS device to a Yamaha MX synthesizer to unlock the full version. There is no purchase required to download FM Essential. Once the full version is downloaded and unlocked, it stays fully enabled on your device – even when the MX is no longer connected! That's right, you can walk out of the store with the full version loaded on your iOS device. But you might want to stay and have some fun playing with the MX and FM Essential! Update: Take your Apple Camera kit adapter and ask the store to lend you a USB to connect and you will be set! Then have a blast playing the instrument using the phone/keyboard combo on the fly. The sales guy didn't know about the app or the offer, but we both were excited and surprised with the possibilities offered using the app/keyboard combo. I do not work for Yamaha. But, they should have someone go to stores... Show more

Why is Yamaha intent on promoting this as freeware? All this app is, is a sleazy ad for the MX synthesizers. In other words, "you can use this app if you poop out $500 for one our MX synthesizers. Yamaha used to be a respectable company, but man, have they slipped in recent years. Show more

The synth sounds great but only provides a handfull of sounds with the rest "locked". Can I get those with an In App purchase perhaps? Noooo - I need to by an expensive piece of hardware. All this tactic does is make me angry at Yamaha for teasing me with this great sounding synth engine but not allowing access to all the sounds. Show more

Very nice looking and sounding teaser app with 10 presets you can't alter or save.....unless you spend $600.00. I own a Motif XF (roughly the price of five MX's) and it turns out Yamaha won't even let me hook up my synth and unlock the app unless I go buy an additional synth as well. Maybe atleast give us the choice of purchasing the app directly. I love Yamaha but this is stupid. Show more

totally insulted...the fact that you can't just pay money (IAP) to unlock the app and its full potential is incredibly rude. I have a Motif XF and from what I understand, the app's features cannot be unlocked with that flagship workstation?!?! yeah Yamaha, take notes from Korg because you have PLENTY of catching up to do... Who knows, maybe my MOTIF will end up on ebay soon...and to think, I have been a Yamaha. loyalist for SO long. Show more

Yamaha releases an amazing FM synth. It's sound is stunning. It rivals the best iOS synths in sound and its interface is better then any Yamaha FM synth has ever been. Then they give it away for free! Of course these entitled jerks have to complain because it is meant to promote a keyboard these cheapskates will never buy. Serious what's wrong with you people? You can use it with audiobus and works perfectly with any iOS DAW that supports that. I tested it with Cubasis & Modstep. Yes I wish it had the AU version included or as an IAP but guess what out of my 60+ synths, samplers and drum machines only one of them has an AU version. Show more

Many people will not be happy about trying the app out thinking they have some sort of limited AU host preset recall when in fact they have none after having spent time creating a setup they expected to be able to save when the app is used as an AU. The app will go through the motions of letting you save the preset in the AU host app, but when you open the preset you discover nothing has been saved or recalled. Yamaha should be up front about the lock feature of the app in their App Store description rather than alienating people by suggesting there are functions in the locked app that aren't available such as full AU support. As others have said, this is a Yamaha ad in its current form unless they offer some other way to unlock the app other than buying specific Yamaha hardware synths. Show more

It would be nice if you don't need to buy a large and expensive piece of hardware to unlock this app. Most iOS users/musicians prefer to stay compact and mobile by definition. The app itself looks like a fun and very capable performance tool. I would love to be able to fully use this through an IAP if Yamaha would hopefully deicde to offer one at some point :) Until then I can only rate this app with one star for not being of much use for the large majority of iOS users. Show more

Would be a nice app, if it wasn't crippled. It gets worse,the piece of hardware you have to buy to "unlock" the software doesn't even have a release date. There's no good reason that this app needs to be linked in such a way to a hardware keyboard. Seems typical for Yamaha, they just don't seem to understand the world of music apps, unlike KORG. I'd happily pay a couple of bucks for this, but for now it going into the delete bin. Show more

This is a teaser. Yamaha should charge for the app instead of requiring users to buy their hardware to unlock features. Totally not okay.

Ok, I admit, I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. This is WAY too tasty a piece of software to be freeware. My hat is off to you, yamaha. I've been a Yamaha user for, well, just about freaking forever. I own and frequently use a tx81z, a dx21, an rx-7' just to name a few.....and for somebody who truly loves the cheesy goodness of fm synthesis, this is MAGNIFICENT, Thank you, from the bottom of my crusty old eighties influenced heart! Show more