 The Yamaha Motif XS8 is a great all-purpose keyboard. Like the original Motif and the Motif ES, the XS has incredibly realistic sounds that give the keyboard a highly expressive feel. While the Motif XS8's interface is a bit difficult to use, there are a plethora of editing options for voices and performances that allow you to create just about any sound you wish. The Pattern and Song modes are great for recording compositions and the new 16-track color display makes it easier than ever to create music directly on the Motif.
Sounds
The sound of the Motif XS is definitely its strong suit. If there is one reason why you should consider this board, it is because of its rich and realistic sound. The string sounds are excellent, the organ sounds are phenomenal, and most of the brass and woodwinds sound surprisingly realistic. There are several leads and pads that are great for electronic music, and plenty of arpeggiated voices that can quickly inspire new creations. The new classical and nylon guitars are especially expressive and I appreciate the new selection of heavy guitars that actually sound close to the real thing. There are more bass sounds than anyone would ever need, with some that are perfect for the mix, and others that are great for solos.
There is once again a great selection of drum kits, including all the old classics and several new variations. The electronic kits are great for techno and hip-hop music, and the acoustic kits sound surprisingly realistic. The all-important piano sounds are top notch and there are several additional options compared to previous Motif models. The primary acoustic piano has a nice full sound and sits in the mix so well, I liken it to the cream in an Oreo cookie. However, for solo performances, I prefer the S90 sample that I loaded into the keyboard, which has a stronger percussive sound. The only sounds that I am not impressed with are the choir and vocal sounds, which are noticeably synthetic.
Interface
While the Motif XS8's sounds are excellent, the interface is a bit lacking. Similar to other Motif models, the interface is a bit convoluted and can be difficult to navigate. For example, some basic voice editing commands are hidden within multiple menus and it can be difficult to find the parameter you want to edit. The large color LCD screen makes navigation a little easier than previous models, though the quality of the screen is surprisingly poor. It has a very shallow viewing angle, which means the contrast changes significantly if you lean away from the keyboard. The backlight is also brighter around the edges and does not provide a consistent level of contrast across the screen. I guess Yamaha is known for quality audio equipment more than quality video products, and it is evident in the appearance of the Motif XS screen. At least the large screen makes tracking songs and patterns easier on the XS than with previous models. You can now see each track that has been recorded, rather than one at a time.
The buttons on the Motif XS are easy to use and have a nice quality feel to them. The knobs and faders are both sturdy and responsive, which gives you exact control when you need it. There are also eight faders and knobs on the XS, which allow you to control 8 parameters, 8 tracks, or 8 voice elements at once. While the Motif is loaded with buttons, a numeric keypad would be nice and a "Local Control" button for MIDI recording would be especially helpful. This is because whenever you record to a computer, you need to turn off local control to avoid doubling the sound output. If you play directly from the keyboard, local control must be turned on or there will be no sound at all. With the Motif XS interface, you need to press [Utility], then select Control [F2], then MIDI [SF2], then scroll over to the "Local Control" setting to turn it on or off. It is pretty tedious, especially if you do a lot of computer recording.
Recording
Besides the "Local Control" issue, the Motif XS is a great keyboard for recording. The internal sequencer has a robust pattern and song recording modes that can be used for creating just about any type of composition you can imagine. The sequencer also includes a mixer, which allows you to adjust the volume, chorus, reverb, EQ, and many other settings for each individual track. I just wish you could import settings from Voice mode so that the voices would sound the same in patterns and songs as they do in Voice mode. At least Yamaha included a great feature where you can directly import recordings from Performance mode to songs or patterns. This finally makes it possible to create compositions from performances.
The Motif XS is also the perfect choice for computer recording. It comes with Cubase AI, a basic audio production software program. Since Yamaha recently acquired Steinberg (the company that makes Cubase), the integration between the two programs is excellent. This is especially true if you use the Firewire mLAN connection, which is included with the Motif XS8. Yamaha's "Studio Connections" technology allows you edit all the tracks and settings of a pattern or song with a computer. You can also transmit entire mixes from the Motif to your computer or vice versa. What I especially like is the "remote control" option, which allows you to control your software sequencer directly from the Motif XS. You can use all the transport controls (play, pause, record, etc), as well as all the faders and knobs to control multiple tracks. If you use Cubase, you can even press a button on the Motif XS to undo recordings (which I use all to often).
Playing
The Motif XS8 has a solid 88-key hammer action weighted keyboard. "Hammer action" means the keys are designed to feel like they are hitting strings with a padded hammer, just like a real piano. The keys are lighter in the top range and heavier in the lower notes, which also mimics the feel of playing a real piano. These two features give the Motif XS8 a highly expressive and realistic feel. Unfortunately, playing the Motif XS8 with a lot of force causes the metal casing to rattle a little bit near the location of the faders. I actually had to send my first keyboard back because of this issue. The new model I received is much better, but still rattles a little bit, which I can only hear in a quiet room. However, the new keyboard also makes a clicking sound near the pitch wheel when I play two or more keys with a lot of force at the same time.
Summary
The Yamaha Motif XS8 is a great keyboard with amazing sounds. After playing several different keyboards in a similar price range to the Motif, I believe the Motif XS8 has the best overall sounds. While this can be a subjective discernment, I have yet to find another keyboard that produces more realistic sounds. Still, the Motif XS8 is not without its faults. The interface can be frustrating at times and the rattling of the case is a quality issue I am surprised to see in a Yamaha model. But overall, the keyboard is a excellent choice for music production. If you are looking for a synthesizer that does everything and does it all well, the Yamaha Motif XS8 should fit the bill. |
|
|
|
