I just posted this over at my own site and since I said I would come back here and give my impressions on the MOX6 once it arrived I am posting here also.

Ok so my MOX6 finally arrived today, about half an hour ago to be precise so thought I would post my first impressions and then add some more detailed opinions later.

So first thing I noticed was it was not as light as I thought it would be. Yes it’s light compared to most 61 note keyboards but the Juno Gi is lighter by quite some margin.

Regards the casing it’s all plastic and I definitely would not take it gigging! To qualify that I don’t gig with my keyboards but were I too do that I would not use the MOX. It just doesn’t look or feel like it would stand up to any knocks well which given it’s relative lack of weight and the fact that it’s touted as excellent for the on the road musician is a bit of a contradiction in terms. Of course I could level the same criticism at the Roland Juno Gi which is the MOX’s direct competitor. I guess you can’t have light weight and robustness in the same package? No doubt plenty of people will gig with it though and I am sure if they are careful with their gear it will survive, for some time at least.

In terms of size it’s one of the smallest if not the smallest 61 note synths I have owned. Certainly it frees up a lot more desk space than my Fantom G and that’s definitely a good thing as far as I am concerned.

So what does it sound like? Well of course my ears are accustomed to the “Roland” sound so I think it will take a few days to become attuned to the “Yamaha” sound but it’s not bad. I have so far only auditioned the acoustic pianos and some of the strings and acoustic guitars. My initial thoughts are some of the piano’s just don’t sound right to me and some are great. The acoustic guitars are not so good, not as good as Roland’s anyway. The strings however are very impressive! Remember though I still need to attune to the thing so my impression of the acoustic pianos may improve with time although I am pretty sure my opinion on the acoustic guitars wont. Also keep in mind a very important aspect of my set up. I have the MOX plugged into a pair of Edirol MA15D powered monitors and I really don’t think they allow me to hear this keyboard or any other at it’s best so perhaps I am being a bit unfair on my criticism of certain sounds?

The display is small but big enough to see what you need to see. Have to say though, there are keyboards out there going back 20 years which had display’s of this size or even bigger so I think putting such a small display on a keyboard these days is a bit penny pinching on the part of the manufacturers? In it’s favor though, although it’s monochrome it is bright enough and the viewing angle is just about perfect whether your seated or standing up.

I know Purcell was extremely worried about the key noise but I can put his mind at rest on that one. It’s quieter than most keyboards I have played and I definitely don’t think key noise is an issue. I hardly noticed it and even with the keyboard turned off it was quieter than my Fantom G so, good job on that one Yamaha :)

Well that’s as far as I have gotten for the moment. Will come back and post more later and if anyone has any questions I’ll be happy to answer them if I can.

I would like to know, if i can record voice with microfone, like juno GI...can I?

nadjon.oliveira - 16 May 2011 12:42 PM

I would like to know, if i can record voice with microfone, like juno GI...can I?

I could be wrong but my understanding is the MOX only records midi. Can’t test it as I only have one mic here and that requires phantom power which the MOX doesn’t provide.

I’ll check though and get back to you unless someone else can answer that question first?

Thanks a lot!!!
I read manual that we can use microfone, i understant that i can record voice...but i need a confirmation...I have MO8 and i want change

nadjon.oliveira - 16 May 2011 01:10 PM

Thanks a lot!!!
I read manual that we can use microfone, i understant that i can record voice...but i need a confirmation...I have MO8 and i want change

Hello, nadjon.oliveira.  yamahaforums asked me on my MoX6 review video about this.  Sorry, I missed this thread.

My understanding is the audio inputs are only used for the audio interface.  Being there isn’t memory, I don’t see how it can record audio directly to the MoX.

I believe there were some discussions around whether you can record a wav file directly to a thumb drive and I believe Yamaha said you cannot.

Have not confirmed this yet but my understanding is that the mic/line input is so that you can mix your voice or another instrument with the sounds of the MOX and record “out” to a computer DAW. I am pretty sure the MOX has no audio recording function. With the Roland Juno Gi you can record your mic input however it’s a little misleading because in effect your doing the same thing as on the MOX. The Juno Gi needs to record to a memory card/stick so your not actually recording “TO” the keyboard itself.

I would like to know, if i can record voice with microfone

The MOX is both a MIDI and AUDIO interface for your computer. The A/D INPUT can handle either a mono input or a stereo input, with levels from microphone to line level. The A/D INPUT Part can be routed to its own discreet STEREO OUTPUT (USB 1/2), internal PARTS can be routed as necessary to USB 1/2 or USB 3/4.

The sequencer (like all MIDI sequencers) records only MIDI data. the MOX does not have a sampler (like the Motif-series).

The advanced integration built-in to the MOX means you only need to connect to a computer via the (provided) USB cable, and you are ready to record audio. You can connect devices like microphones directly to the A/D INPUT on the MOX or you can connect a small mixer (if you require phantom power or which to record the entire band).

Thanks for confirming that guys :)

And just to confirm also the Roland Juno Gi DOES NOT have a built in sampling function unlike it’s predecessor the Juno G. SO, you can record from the mic/guitar input BUT you are recording to an external memory card. The MOX in effect does the same thing only your record to a laptop/computer via the A/D interface. Perhaps a little less convenient but it is still the same thing.

An update on my first impressions :

Having played around with the MOX for a few hours now I can say it’s a pretty nice keyboard. Not had to look at the manual yet which is a very good sign but then I have been watching the vids etc previously so I do have some familiarity with the MOX already.

Liking the built in drum machine. One of my pet hates is having to set up the drums in the sequencer if you want to play along with them. With the one button drum machine you have an instant drum track to jam along with.

The Octave +/- and the Transpose +/- buttons right there on the front panel are a real welcome sight. I have had them on most of my Roland keyboards so very nice to see them on the MOX.

Been playing around with some of the arps and they are very impressive! I can already see a use for some of those in my music.

keyboard action is quite nice, not springy and has a feel of quality all be it not in the league of the Motif XF, not far off the XS though. All in all pretty good for a keyboard in this price range and definitely better than the Juno Gi’s rather plasticky affair.

Off for a break then I’ll come back and post more later :)

If i understood, i cannot record like juno GI..just using computer…
I will wait to arrive MOX from Brazil...to change mu MO8
Thanks so much