Yamaha Motif 6

using version 1.0
Easy..easy...sooo easy to use. Four assignable knobs, four assignable faders, a six year old could figure this one out. Basic editing: no problemo, but ya've gotta read my friend to do some serious editing. You can use the provided software for computer editing too. Need to find a patch? Just use the category button.

It comes with pretty much the standard features you would expect from a synth in this price range- amazing sound set, sampler, 100,000 note sequencer; and a few extras- terrific feel on the keys, usb, breathe controller enable, realtime controllers, arpeggiator, awesome effects. Plus you can add new technologies, sounds, effects, and upgrade your polyphony simultaneously. The board comes with 62 not polyphony to start with which I find to be adequate for my playing style. However, I have considered getting an expansion board or three! Ha! Ha! Can't have enough!

Let's talk about sounds for a second. Most people expect a keyboard to sound like a "keyboard". Never do they expect real instruments' natural resonances to be duplicated in a digitally sampled instrument.
Okay, I spent three months evaluating every keyboard on the market for the best natural instrument sounds and the Motif, yes, a clear winner HANDS DOWN! Pianos- the best I've every heard. Guitars- chilling. Oh and don't mention the drums- you can hear the beater against the shells of the bass drums..sooo dynamic.And it comes fully loaded with an arsonal of analog, techno stuff that I rarely use. Using it live - you will love it. A truly full range sound. In the studio- won't record without it. Pristine sound- like Eventide, The TC Electronics Gold Channel, and Manley pre-amps baby. Now, about the effects. They are excellent in sound and variety, but you have to find them and edit them sometimes. If and when you do, you will discover how great they are.

Owned it for 3 months, have gigged with it and no problems

Never had to use them

If lost or stolen would replace immediately. Also own a Jx-305, Triton, JV2080, and many others

After using Korg products (trinity & D16 recorder) Yamaha's logic seems quite complex to me. I had to use users manual to make some sense out of the machine, which is not so logical also. In my opinion architechture of the machine is not good if you have to read manual to do basic programming.

Polyphony ok. Built in effects are quite good. I'm using An-expansion board which sounds good but changing programs is really quite slow. Especially when used with internal sequencer. Pain in the a**. Expansion boards add polyphony and effects which is great. Comparing to trinity or triton the amount of effects is not so good. Only two internal effects can be used at the same time + master effects (modulation + reverb). That's not enough when motif is used as a main sound source with sequencer.

Synth sounds are really good, piano's (both acoustic and electric) are great, some guitars are very usable if you're not trying to use them instead of the real one's. Electric basses are not so convincing. There's room for using motif's sampling part. But i bought motif for its sounds, so that's about it. Have to tell you that i tried emu's proteus 2000 also but it was SO BAD comparing to motif. Tried triton also but it sounded too much like trinity. Like an update.

Can't say yet. Had it for three weeks now.

motifator.com is a good place to see if it works.

Logic of it sucks, otherwise it sounds great. Good alternative to triton.

Like everything else in life, there is a leaning curve. Fine. But the sequencer on the Motif was made much more difficult then necessary. If you just want to delete a couple bars out of your song...sorry, you can't do it. You have to delete each note on each track individually. If you want to copy a section of your song and then change some stuff...sorry you can't do it without changing the original as well. I'll bet ten bucks Yamaha didn't finish a song on this thing before they started making them. It sounds really user friendly in theory but it poorly thought out and a big headache. I think to say that the sequencer has 16 different sections is very misleading. It is a linear sequencer, but you have 16 'access points" which makes it more convenient to start recording in a certain spot or to get easy access to a part of the song. But..if you change the tempo on one section it changes it for all. If you erase part of one section, the whole track for the song is gone. If you change an instrument in one section, every section changes. So, you see, there is only ONE section, really. There are other ways to work around this so that you can create sections and later piece them together, but it is frustrating and it is not the way they intended, so I think you should understand this first so that you aren't misled.

features are good, but I haven't utilized enough of them to comment, except I'd say watch out fot the sampler. You have to but extra equipment and memory to do a lot of stuff, so you might want to look into that.

I like the way it sounds very much. I actually want to make music that is the flavour of New Order or Swing Out sister. It has a wide array of sounds. Lots of electric pianos and organs and stuff like that. I like the electronic sounds but I wish there were more because they begin to sound alike and you can't put too many of a certain kind together because a lot of them have that "fuzzy bright" sound. If you select the right sounds though and do some layering, I think the Motif sounds excellent. You can download the "best of" the CS6X and S80 off the net, which I haven't done yet.
I like the pianos and strings very much. I like the drums too. At first I wasn't crazy about the electronic drums, but there are so many sounds that it just took me awhile to find the ones I liked. Synth basses are good but I wish there were more that you could play in a 16th note style. I really like the way the brass sounds too. The saxaphones are really cool. I'd kind of like some more vocal sounds, but I like the ones that are there. The pads sound good but I wouldn't describe the sounds on the Motif as generally "warm". This is OK, because it has its own sound and it sounds good, but it is a bit more on the bright side, I'd have to say.

Well...it has crashed on me many times but usually when I'm copying stuff from another synth, which perhaps isn't inexcusable. But today I was just saving a file and it crashed several times and the $40 disk seems to be ruined. I don't know if the bad disk caused the Motif to crash or the Motif ruined the disk or a third factor, but it happened.

Well..in a way I want to give them a ten and in a way, a two. They have the website but I don't know why I should have to find a computer and write to people for an answer that should be in my manual in the first place. The manual is really THAT bad. Most of the information you need, simply doesn't exist in the manual and the stuff that is in the manual is often ambiguous or hard to access due to the poor index. Plus sometimes on the website the answers don't get answered or you need clarification and you wonder if you're bugging them. The guys at the site though do answer a heck of a lot of questions and they are really good about it in general, I mean very helpful and diligent...but that still doesn't make up for a solid manual.

Overall it is very good but...if you are buying it hoping that the sequencer will be everything they claim it is, then you will be disappointed. It sounds bitchin' though and with the expandibility it is hard not to really like it. If I could buy it again or not...well...I'm not sure. I would still want a rack version, but I might look more seriously into computer sowtware to do my sequencing. I have been using the sequencer but it has definitely slowed me down and I'm still seeing if I can work around the potholes. I wish someone would just blantantly steal Ensoniq's style, instead of trying to be "innovative" and messing it all up. So I think the Motif is excellent for easily creating really cool parts for your song, but I'm not sure yet about putting them all together.
I don't think this would be the only keyboard I would want to use if I were making dance music. Too much of one flavour. But..we'll see what happens when I get the analog expansion board.

Software Version 1.05

Presets - These range from 'so so' to "pretty damm good!" The overall sound is fairly cold and brittle but I have noticed that most presets seem to sit well in the majority of mixes I have completed so far! Also, the basic sounds are pretty good without utilizing the efx systems which makes a pleasant change from the Tritons of this world, which only sound good when used in combo with the built in effects system.

Editing is a bit of a nightmare but then what's new!?! Easier with a computer and as the Motif has a built in USB port for connecting to the computer for the reception and transmission of midi data.. then this speeds things up quite nicely!
The manual is your typical 'Japlish' document.. Its a reference guide and not a "How do you do this.." though the www.motifator.com web site goes a long way to rectifying this problem.

Polyphony - 62 when using just one element per voice. In reality it's probably nearer to 24 to 32 when using more interesting sounds.
The built in effects section is excellent with a wide range of types and lots of parameters to change and control via midi.
Excellent expansion facilities... Upto 64MB to use for sampling/sequencer/pattern storage.. Smartmedia cards for storage and transfer to computer, 3 expansion sockets for Yamaha PLG boards (I have both the DX7 and Analog boards installed and they not only add more ground sounds but also add to the polyphony too!) and this beast also support an addon MLan board as well as an addon multiple out board too!! Not too bad in my opinion as far as expansion goes.
Nice sequencer.. easy to use though midi routing is a little tricky at first..Useful resample fuctions to sample the sound coming out of the synth so you can resample an entire multi sound setup for example and play it back just using one single voice! The sampler itself has most of the most useful and needed features including "slice and dice" etc..

Sounds... All a matter of personal taste. Some I love.. some I hate..but you cannot argue with the fact that Yamaha have provided the user with one of the biggest selections of waveforms available in just one keyboard and any one time. There is even a preset called "Everything including the kitchen sink" and that really sums it all up!!
The keyboard itself is the same one as used in the original DX7 and is light, responsive and feels pretty good overall. Better than the one built into the Korg Karma for example.
As I said earlier, the sounds themselves can be a bit brittle and cold but they do sit well in mixes and in combination with other keyboards such as the triton, Karma, Roland XP's etc.. they act as complimentary but different sounds giving a useful alternative sound palette to work with. No real complaints here... except maybe I wished that some of the waves were a little 'warmer" but then again.. that is what helps the sounds fit into mixes well I guess!

Unknown as only owned it for 3 weeks but I have had 2 * SY85's along with a DX7 for years now and never had a single prob that didn't amount to me just needing to give them a good clean inside and out.
Yamaha keyboards, for me at least, have been the most reliable over the years.

The website dedicated to the Motif range (www.motifator.com) is truly excellent with Yamaha personnel constantly answering questions and tending advice to all and sundry. If they can keep this level of intial support going longterm then they sound sell thousands of these keyboards simply based on such wonderful support! Also, the Motif community is getting going too with lots of helpful users out there filling up the Motifator Discussion boards and already new sounds etc are being distro'ed. All in all... Support is fantastic!

I would buy another is something happened to this one. At first I wasn't so sure but after spending a couple of weeks delving into it and using in mixes and remixes I have no doubts now as to its level of usefulness within my studio setup.
Keyboard setup includes;
Triton ProX, Karma, 2 SY85's, DX7, XP-30, Minimoog, Prophet 5 (still working.. just!) Korg Delta and an assortment of midi modules etc..
Overall opinion.. Good useful keyboard that adds a different dimension to the thicker, warmer sounds of my Korg gear. Good value for money too!!

The motif is a dream. It handles corners on rails. No, really, they say the shortest distnance between inspiration and creation. They were right. This board is perfect for sequencing, sound editing, groove control, mixing in raw samples, ram-tracks (kurz-speak) and much more.... Wish the menus were more intuitive.

62 note polyph - cuts out some times in thick layers. I have an S-80, Triton, Kurz2600 and XV3080, and they all do it except the XV... 128 note.

Action is excellent for playing, I got the 6 vs. 8 for the 8 is too heavy, and the S80 is the perfect controller. However, the best thing about this board is : Sampler, Akai, etc + Smart Media card = song in your pocket. Nuff said. This board is the ultimate.

Ohhh... mahhhh... Goddddd..... This board has sounds that snuff the Triton. Yamaha is so good at sounds, you'd think they were Kurzweil. Really, these two should get together and put Eric/Ilio/Roland and the Korg "Effect" Mongers out of business. Take the effects off of any sound (you can do that w/ one button) and see what I mean. Also.... please note: this board carries the original (souped-up) Yamaha P500 piano sound - oh yeah baby - not the measley P200/P80/S80 one, but the P500. All other sounds are awesome, not a bad one in the bunch - over 85Megs of Wave Rom--- it shows. Takes PLG expansion, but who needs them?

Don't konw yet.

Pretty good on my S-80.. Hopefully, more web-tools and stuff for auto-support, if you catch my drift.

I would always replace if stolen.... it is a music maker's dream. Don't gig with it, but could. GET THIS BOARD!!@@ Don't buy the Karma - it is bad karma .... get a real Triton, but GET THIS BOARD - MOTIF ROCKS!

Here's the story:

I got off work today and said...."I wonder if Guitare Center has the Motif in yet?" I really didn't think so...but I went anyway to play on the synths and soon as I walked in...........guess what I saw............Yep a demo Motif 6. I ripped one of the Yamaha foot pedals off an S80 and put hooked it to the Motif and plugged it in one of the foot switches.

Now let's begin my analysis: I'm a keys kind of guy and I must admit.....The Motif has the best Piano/Keys/Rhodes on the planet to date..........hands down. But the problem was........I was so excited that I was scrolling throug all of the patches so quickly...........But bad news: There was a Triton-loop-head-junky around and he was recording loops and beats and toons all day and it was so loud that I couldn't hear the Motif. So I went down the street to Sam Ashe where they were mad that Guitare Center had it first......Initially I must admit I probably would be more excited if I had not previously owned the EX5, because I heard a lot of EX5 voices in the Motif and some of which lacked the EX5 taste....Specifally FDSP and VL and AN.....I have to be honest fellas.....

So, I bought the Motif 6 with the DX and AN boards in it. By the way...Yamaha did not fix the legato/slide effect on samples....It still retriggers the note. In some aspects I feel my EX5 sounds better.....Honestly speaking, but the Rhodes and the strings are way, way better than the EX5.

So I got the Motif 6 for $1589.99 and the DX and AN boards. I went back to Guitare Center to a quiet room where I could hear the Motif.

In Performance mode there are tons of splits with loops that are phatt. It was kinda confusing navigating and I didn't quite understand the menus and stuff.....but no problem....just have to read up on it works.

So you ask: Why did I buy it.......Well to be honest, I bought it for the expandibility. No other synth on the market is as expandible as the Motif with a DX7 and a miniature AN1x and built in SCSI with the ability to load Akai samples. The EX5 lacks this ability and my fully blown XP-50 does too. So I bought the Motif 6 for expandibilty and sounds...........but to be honest.......The sounds are very very very good, but I couldn't get too impressed because my EX5 is still in the running and a lot of the Motif's character is in the EX5....So once again...I bought it for expandibility.

I'm cought in a delema though: The EX5 and Motif (to me) have overlapping sounds that I don't want to have both.....so I can't part with my EX5, but I want the option for the large sampling library of Akai and the ability to load Program data.........These two synths are all I ever will need for a very long time.

The good news is........I got approved for 15 months same as cash from Sam Ashe and I may be able to have all three synths.

I don't get caught up in marketing hype........I'm being as honest as I can.............You see I still bought it, but my reason was for expandibility as I would still be able to get by with my EX5.

My total sale price was $2193.49 for the Motif 6, DX, and and the AN board. Don't get the PLG PF board....The Motif is enough.....unless you want more Poly. If you don't have a 76-Note synth already I would go for the Motif 7, because you will definitely want to use the extra keys when playing the piano/rhodes/keys.

Bottom line..........To me........It sounds a lot like my EX5.........But now I have two of the best sounding synths ever made!