Old Motifator threads are available in the Archive.
Jive Talking Robot
Total Posts: 201
Joined 08-23-2010 status: Enthusiast |
I think the XF is one slick looking piece of kit. Shallow as this sounds, Yamaha’s decision to go back to black was a (very minor) selling point for me. Of course workflow and sound played in to 99% of my decision (see my many, many posts)… But if I am spending this much on something that is going to sit in my workspace where I am going to be interacting with it on a daily basis, I want it to look good too… and I am not above admitting it. I think guitar manufacturers know this better than almost anyone… |
gutterspunk
Total Posts: 19
Joined 12-20-2007 status: Regular |
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gutterspunk
Total Posts: 19
Joined 12-20-2007 status: Regular |
As an ES owner who is seriously considering the XF, I agree with Dave… THANK YOU Yamaha for going “Back In Black” (yes, the obligatory AC/DC reference). And, if I do pony up for one, my band will thank you as well (as they’ve heard me cuss the guy, more than once, who decided to paint the ES silver and then put light grey lettering on a barely darker grey background!.. suuuuucks under stage lights)… :) I do have a minor bone to pick w/ Dave though. On a different thread you threw Ensoniq under the bus a bit as a company that wasn’t so great because they aren’t around anymore. But if memory serves they got swallowed up by Creative because they were becoming major competition in the sound card market (you know what they say, if you can’t beat ‘em… buy ‘em!). I wish they were still around, but I believe in capitalism and can’t blame the founders for cashing out for a cool $77 mil (I would!). But I still play my trusty TS at every gig for the past 12 years (with the original battery still in it!!) along with my ES for the past 2 or 3 years. And the TS was fairly kick ass for its time (had 6 “elements” way back in ‘96). And Yamaha would do well and GUARANTEE a new purchase from me (and probably a BUNCH of other people) if they would adopt a couple of things, like the “Patch Select” buttons (assignable to foot switches) which allow you to turn off/on ANY combination of elements within a voice (giving you, essentially, four different sounds within a single voice)… way cool. The ability to select any voice then double click on any other voice and, voila, they’re layered… double click on a third, and it’s layered too! Like what you hear? Save it as a Performance… done! (split/volume/pan/etc adjustable of course). Anyway, don’t get me wrong… the Motif line rocks! Again, more than likely will be buying an XF in the next 4-6 months. But I think the Yamaha engineers could be well served to sit down with an Ensoniq TS and learn (steal?!) a thing or two. Just my two cents. Kent P.S. Dave, mostly kidding about the ‘bone to pick’… :) oh, and I purchased the Sound Advice DVD set awhile back. Great info, much appreciated! P.P.S. According to Wikipedia (so it HAS to be true! ha) Creative is supposed to revive the Ensoniq name/line in 2011… It won’t be the same I’m sure. But we’ll see.. :) |
dorremifasol
Total Posts: 1534
Joined 10-17-2005 status: Guru |
I would like to know about the responsiveness of the XF’s operating system. Is it better? is still slower than the ES? I really miss the immediacy of the ES when I use the XF. |
SpongeBob
Total Posts: 1588
Joined 11-19-2006 status: Guru |
From my in-store evaluation, slower (latency) than ES. Current XS owners may not experience any differences, I don’t know. |
Bif
Total Posts: 774
Joined 08-18-2003 status: Guru |
Ditto based upon my firsthand experience. |
motif8mine
Total Posts: 1743
Joined 10-22-2004 status: Guru |
Latency? Are you creating MIDI chains in store? Playing any keyboard stand alone is key press = trigger on… Then again, slower latency = more delay? I’m not following… |
Bif
Total Posts: 774
Joined 08-18-2003 status: Guru |
On the XS and XF there is a slight delay when you change programs. The ES does not do this. |
hammonddave
Total Posts: 242
Joined 02-17-2004 status: Enthusiast |
OK… I know I am in the minority here, but I really like the soft green/blue color of the XS. Maybe it just looks good among my vintage gear (turquoise G101, orange Continental, red Panther, white Mellotron)… Or maybe the color lends itself to a mellow creative environment. |
dorremifasol
Total Posts: 1534
Joined 10-17-2005 status: Guru |
You’re not alone, I also like the XS. Perhaps it’s because it looks cool next to my 01X :) |
Funkster
Total Posts: 449
Joined 07-20-2008 status: Enthusiast |
Re Ensoniq. My recollection is EMU bought Ensoniq. Creative bought Emu/Ensoniq to get the DSP chip that ran the emulator into their soundblaster line. They later refined that chip in the AWE32. Creative often tries to bring out their old names to their newer products (using the Emu/Proteus/Ensoniq) logos but musicians just don’t seem to gravitate to their newer products. Also since games no longer use midi sound tracks the way they used to, Creative doesnt really have much of a lock on the gamer sound card market.... The best days for that company may well be long gone.
Overall I like the silver better than black… I have two yamaha keyboards and they are both silver and integrate with for instance wood furniture better.
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Ruke
Total Posts: 226
Joined 07-22-2003 status: Enthusiast |
I like the silvery green as well. Although, had a chance to play the XF and I do like the “charcoal” black. The only thing I didn’t like was the “matte” finish. I prefer the smooth finish. The voices and performances did seem to switch a bit faster than the XS. The action was a bit different as well. The differences in the way the displays read is significant. I can’t decide which I like better. When I went back to the XS and stared at the screen it felt a little easier on the eyes. But I could get used to the new look real quick. Overall my impressions were good, but still not sure if I’m gonna upgrade. |