I sold my XS8 (too large for my studio) and am going to pick up an XS Rack this week, but have questions first-

1) Will the VSTi editor be released for the XS Rack near the same time as the XS keyboard?

2) Are the same exact sounds (including arpeggio sounds like “Paris at Night") on the XS Rack?

3) Besides sampling, sequencing, and an advanced arpeggio, is everything else the same with the XS Rack?

4) I am hoping to not actually have to touch the XS Rack much and be able to control virtually everything within my PC and Cubase- Is that possible?

Thanks!

Sean

Re: Moving from the XS8 to XS Rack- Questions

1. Yes according to what I read at [url=http://www.yamahasynth.com]http://www.yamahasynth.com. [/url]
2. Yes, but 128 at a time. The Rack XS treats a Performance as a Multi. The Rack XS comes preloaded with 128, and the Yamaha Editor software contains the rest. You can load those you want, one at a time.
3. The Rack XS has no sampler, no sequencer, no vocoder and of course, no keys. Don’t know what you mean about an ‘advanced arpeggio’. The tone engines are the same.
4. Yes, using the Editor software.

You’re Welcome!

Bob

Re: Moving from the XS8 to XS Rack- Questions

Thanks Sponge!  /forums/images/icons/smile.gif alt=

I still am a bit confused on the 128 at a time thing.  Using the Editor will I at least be able to easily scroll through the entire 1000+ sounds?

Thanks!

Re: Moving from the XS8 to XS Rack- Questions

Well, you have Voices and Multis (Performances). Voices are contained in the 8 preset and 3 USER banks on the Rack just as they are on the XS8. Same deal, so yes, you can scroll, search by category, etc.

Now imagine that your XS8 would only hold 128 Performances loaded in the instrument at one time. One bank, in other words. If you wanted the other 256, you only have bank one to work with, so you’d have to load them one by one and over-write what was there in the instrument to begin with. Not to worry, as you cannot over-write the presets or Multis contained within the editor.

You’ll get it when you start to fool around with it. That said, you will probably go through ‘control surface withdrawal’ as you’ve been accustomed to using the buttons, sliders and screens on the XS8. You can accomplish the same things from software, but not as handily as the control surface you have on the instrument itself. It integrates very well with Cubase, so if your primary usage will be as a sound source, then you’ll be fine. I use mine live and had to get used to the way you need to control it.

Bob.

Re: Moving from the XS8 to XS Rack- Questions

Thanks again!  Luckily I will not go through control withdrawal, as I virtually never touched the Motif except for the keyboard, of course.  I wanted to try out the cubase control stuff, but never got around to it.  Maybe I will pick up one of those CC121’s.

Take care,