is A Motif XS the right unit for me?

Hi Everyone,

A newbie here, looking for some advice.

I am currently playing a very well loved Technics KN-6000. I bough it in 2000. I originally bought an arranger because i was doing lots of solo cover gigs and it was pretty much the best you could get at the time.

Whilst the keyboard still performs that role well despite it's age (and no usb), my needs have changed and I'm looking for a new synth,

I have long wanted a tyros, but come to realise that maybe my dollars may be better spent elsewhere for my new requirements.

I am now playing in a band and the kn-6000 doesn't cut it anymore as a live keyboard in a band environment.

My needs are pretty simple, but quality is very important to me as i have learnt from my current keyboard that if you buy high end it will last!

1. Top quality Acoustic piano, Rhodes and organ sounds

2. ability to preset for up to 15 songs including onboard effects and transposing

3. scope to branch out into other high quality sounds so i don't feel like i need to take my technics with me to every gig (eg basic stage piano won't cut it)

4. easy to manage on stage

Any advice would be appreciated.

Damian.

I love my XS . It nails your top 3.

easy to manage on stage ? I think thats very doable depending on what mode you choose and how you guys do your sets. Best you get good advice on that from other folks

Certainly Korg's M3 is a super strong contender and I know it completely nails your top 4. I own the M3M

Master mode on the XS will take care of 2 & 4 for ya. And you get a lot more than 15 locations.

Still IMHO Korg trumps Yammie on organs.

I agree. I have the Extreme 76 w/Tube

The hammonds/leslie are top notch

Do you like the hammonds on the Extreme better than on the M3?

All rompler organs suck. Yammies just suck more.

I think it will fit your needs well. Be warned though, the learning curve on the XS is a touch steeper IMO. However I say that as someone weened on keyboards of the last 20+ years. If this is your first synth and you're learning from scratch anyway, it'll probably be no big deal. I have less patience now because I expect things to work a certain way and yamaha deviates a little bit.

Master mode will be a godsend for you, though I personally hate it because it cripples performance mode in a live situation and has unusual limitations for this day and age.

Regarding the Organ debate, I have an XS7 and an M50. While the organs on the Korg are good, they sound more fake to me and prefer the XS organs when possible. That's just me though. Generally speaking though, the XS is HANDS DOWN the best sounding "do-it-all" keyboard on the Market under $3k, and I've tried them ALL.

Also, all rompler organs put through a real Leslie are rather similar and they all kick ass. Some more, some less.

thats a tough one

Let me A /B them and get back to you.

Ditto, every word. And when talking about the quality of the organs on the XS, as an owner of the Hammond XK3c I can tell you that the XS organs are just a tiny bit inferior to the actual Hammond but not by much. I used my XS6 for some cut-through organ soloing over a band today and it sounded excellent. You have drawbars on the XS (via the eight faders) and the leslie sim isn't bad. Considering the number of great sounds you are getting along with a decent drawbar Hammond sim, the XS rocks.

And finally, great sounds and mammoth variety are just half of the XS package. The XS is also a fun songwriting and recording tool with all kinds of goodies likes sampling, a vocoder, 6000+ arpeggios. Master mode is indespensible for turning your XS into an easy-to-use rompler. And if you're used to arranger functionality then you'll be hooked on the XS right away.

You might not like the XS for the first week while you steer through the Yamaha owner's manual to learn your way around it but after a couple of weeks you'll wonder why you waited so long to buy one.

Thanks for all your fantastic advice everyone, it sounds like i'm on the right track I went to the local music shop who didn't have a motif in stock, so i played a fantom just for some comparison. i'll be trying to find a motif in coming weeks.

only problem these units are all so pricy here in Australia, fantom 8 is AU$6299Motif XS 7 is AU$5999.00

My next question is how much would i be missing out on if i bought a Rack Motif, and used my current keyboard as a controller. Would i find it much harder to manage?

Nope.

you should be asking us for advice on how to raise funds. Many here are successful at that

Are you a button pusher ? I would not have bought the XS without the improved UI. the newish screen, the large collection of buttons and knobs

I am not patient enough for the Motif sub menu diving, with a small screen.

What about the Kurzweil PC3?. I always recommend to check this machine out in an store before purshasing other workstation, specially when we talk about Rhodes, Organs, Pianos and more specially Orchestral sounds. In my opinion this synth sounds way better than the competitors in the market.

About the M3... no a good option to me, I prefer the Yamaha.

Just my opinion.

Brad.

If you don't mind used, another suggestion, a Fantom X6/7/8. Was Roland's top of the line Workstation until the "G" came out last year.

SRX boards are also available 2nd hand to expand your palette, it has a great sampler if you want to take sound from other gear (like your Technics) and has a performance mode for live. I think the pianos and organs are very good.

People will argue that the pianos are better on this and organs better on that, and I won't disagree that the Roland's aren't the best, but this isn't for isolation playing in a studio. When you're "in the mix" with a band going through a PA, it kind of becomes a moot point, this synth sounds more than good enough

But the main kicker is that these will cost you less than half, 2nd hand, than a 2nd hand equivalent XS or an M3 and a lot less than new. Buy an ABS case for touring and you'll still have hundreds left.

For what you're looking to do, I wouldn't advise the rack. It's just not the same experience and is much more limited. I also think it would be a LOT more work to accomplish the same thing with an external accompaniment generator.

You like it better than the Kurzweil PC3X?

I certainly do.

Just a thought...depending on when you absolutely need this, you may want to wait for the Yamaha S90xs. It has all the sounds and sound engine of the Motif XS, plus a new piano. It looks like it's better set up for stage...but the jury is still out on that as no one has really had a chance to play with it that much. It will be a little cheaper than the full Motif XS, but it's not a full workstation either.

Just a thought and good luck!

On the opposite hand, I dont believe the Motif XS is superior to the PC3.

My argument: talking about synthesis, the PC3 is superior. And talking about sounds, I don

The only thing I will say about the PC3x is tha it's the second-most overhyped keyboard on this forum, next to the Nord Stage 88. And it's sounds would be overrated at half it's price.

But I think the Motif XS is probably in every store where the PC3x is and it should be easy enough to compare them for yourself. That's the end of the topic really.

There is three possible ways in this scenario (talking about calling "overrated" to a product, artist, sound, etc):

Scenario/situation: "1000 persons say "this keyboard, artist, album, etc is good" and 100 say they are wrong".. There are three possibilities:

1-the 1000 persons group is all wrong, which could be possible (what most of the people say is not necessarily the truth, this is a logic scenario), and, on the other hand, the 100 persons (the minority) is right.

2- The 100 persons group is wrong and the fact that 1000 persons say at the same time that an "X" keyboard, artist, or any product is good is because it really is a good product, artist, etc.

3- Both are right and depends of the point of view.

As I said, I could be wrong for other people because it is subjective, specifically when we talk about the sounds of a keyboard, but in my opinion I am not a person enabled to affirm what is overrated and what is not overrated because my personal criteria not necessarily is higher or superior to the criteria of other person, it is only my personal opinion, nothing else.

On this particular scenario there are features that can be compared and confronted with our necessities (arppegiator, synthesis capabilities, number of presets, polyphony, etc.), but other are totally subjective like the sound quality.

There is people stating that, for example, the PC3 has outstanding orchestral sounds compared with the rest of competitors. I agree with that, but if you disagree, it is acceptable too, maybe I am wrong to your ears, but I am convinced that the PC3 is superior to the Motif and my opinion is not less or more valid than yours.

Said that and leaving this discussion, I believe and share your last comment:

"I think the Motif XS is probably in every store where the PC3x is and it should be easy enough to compare them yourself.

I was fortunate to try the PC3 and Motif XS side by side. I thought the PC3's sounds were exceptional. I would actually have a difficult decision between the two. Each instrument has its strengths and weaknesses for sure. But I definitely believe the PC3 is worth every penny from what I have heard.

+1 on the PC3x. It's Acoustic and Electric Pianos and hammonds sound much more "organic" to me than the Yamaha. While good, the Yamaha sounds more "digital' to these ears.

And While were at it , Roland is announcing a "pro stage instrument" in September. I suspect its their answer to the S90XS. Might be worth waiting to see what that's about.