Hi people,

I have a Motif Rack ES, with which I’m satisfied. I,m also happy with the fact that it has 4 outputs.

But these days I find myself that I need another keyboard, on with knobs for real-time editing.

So I have been thinking of selling the rack and get the MOFX6...O,d very much like to get the Motif XF but I can’t afford to spend over $2500 CDN + tax.

Is passing from the ES to the MOFX a wise move?

Thanks for your feedback,

Juan from Montreal.

jabrile,

We need more info about your needs.

For example, if you need (4) outs, you’re not going to get (4) outs on the MOXF.

Jerry

Hi Jerry,

Thanks fro your answer.

I think I’m willing to sacrifice the outputs...for live performance,I only use the stereo outputs...’cause I also have a Fantom XR, an AKAI MPC 1000 and will probably be integrating Ableton.

So it comes to the interface on the keyboard and the quality of sounds, when compared to those of the ES.

TKS!

Juan

Hi Juan!

Trust me on this one.

As other Forum Members can verify, I was torn between buying either an ES, a XS or the XF

AND I ended up buying all three!

Once I had them side by side, I quickly thought that the XS and XF sounded better than the ES.

At that point I thought the XF sounded SLIGHTLY better than the XS, but because the XF had more sounds and ARPS, I went with a XF7 and sold the ES and XS.

Enter the MOXF8.

I always liked the action on theYamaha 88’s but the XF8 weighed too much for me to carry to gigs.

The MOXF8 weighs less than my XF7 and is only a few inches longer as well.

“But Jerry”, you might ask, “How does it sound compared to the XF?”.

My answer is that purely from a sonic viewpoint, they sound close enough to me, plus the MOXF has (6) ARPs vs the XF’s (5), and the MOXF has more ARPs than the XF.

Interface wise, the MOXF is a current Yamaha product as is optimized to interface with modern day computers and software.

So to answer your question, moving to a MOXF6 would be a wise move :-)

Jerry

Thought so, Jerry.

Many thanks four your input and time.

Juan

From Montreal

jerrydpi - 16 December 2013 06:53 PM

...I always liked the action on the Yamaha 88’s but the XF8 weighed too much for me to carry to gigs....

jerrydpi, I agree that the XF8 weighs ‘too much for me to carry to gigs’.

But then I go ahead and do it anyway...over and over...and I am always glad I did!

Of course I do often have some help...but I would absolutely do it by myself (and have many times) even if I didn’t!

Hi cmayhle!

Long time no talk to, how ya’ been?

If I gave you a MOXF8 (and you could keep your XF8), would you still carry the XF8 to the gigs?

Good to hear from you again!

Jerry

jerrydpi - 16 December 2013 08:20 PM

Hi cmayhle!

Long time no talk to, how ya’ been?

If I gave you a MOXF8 (and you could keep your XF8), would you still carry the XF8 to the gigs?

Good to hear from you again!

Jerry

Interesting question!

Cannot answer it, as I have never played the MOXF .

However, I can tell you that I am not fond...generally speaking… of lighter - weight keyboards and the bounce factor.  I really love the heavyweight feel of the XF when I am pounding on it.

cmayhle - 16 December 2013 08:49 PM

jerrydpi - 16 December 2013 08:20 PM

Hi cmayhle!

Long time no talk to, how ya’ been?

If I gave you a MOXF8 (and you could keep your XF8), would you still carry the XF8 to the gigs?

Good to hear from you again!

Jerry

Interesting question!

Cannot answer it, as I have never played the MOXF .

Try it, you’ll LIKE it!

jerrydpi - 16 December 2013 09:04 PM

Try it, you’ll LIKE it!

Well, I can tell you one thing for sure, the (8) sliders I have on my XF are really indispensable for the way that I use it.

I cannot imagine having to give those up!

But don’t misunderstand me, I have nothing disparaging to say about the MOXF.  Everyone has their own needs and requirements!

jabrile, overall I would say the move from the Rack ES to the MOXF6 is a huge step up, but you do lose some things… including the separate outs, and the ability to use PLG cards. Also there are some nice sounds in the ES series that do not appear to be in the newer models and may not be able to be duplicated, you’d have to see if any of them are sounds that you have relied on. I’m not sure if all the waves of the ES are in the newer models (and I know the effects options are different). Whether all differences are improvements is always a question. If, for example, they replaced a particular instrument sample with a much higher quality one, but you liked the character of the old “inferior” one and made use of it, you may be disappointed by its absence.

Along the same lines, there are also some people who say they just prefer the overall “sound” of the older model, though I think more who seem to either see no significant difference in sound quality or prefer the newer. The newer architecture is certainly capable of a lot more (8 elements, etc.), but within the range of sounds they are both capable of, there may be a subjective quality difference that could go either way.

Of course, you could also keep the Rack ES and drive it from the MOXF6.

cmayhle - 16 December 2013 09:39 PM

jerrydpi - 16 December 2013 09:04 PM

Try it, you’ll LIKE it!

Well, I can tell you one thing for sure, the (8) sliders I have on my XF are really indispensable for the way that I use it.

I cannot imagine having to give those up!

But don’t misunderstand me, I have nothing disparaging to say about the MOXF.  Everyone has their own needs and requirements!

I totally understand, but I’m just trying to help jabrile feel comfortable in his decision to buy a MOXF since he said he couldn’t afford a XF.

As far as the sliders, the only advantage I’ve found (for me) is that if one were using them as drawbars for an Organ, then yes, they would be better.

But for me, I already have a way to do that, as I have 9 sliders/drawbars at my disposal.

As far as controlling the volume of the (4) Voices in a Performance, I’ve adapted pretty quick to just turning a knob in lieu of moving a slider.

Also, the Sliders did not change the volume immediately on the XF, as I had to push them past a certain point before they would “kick in”.

Not so on the MOXF, as the knobs react instantly.

jerrydpi - 17 December 2013 08:56 AM

Also, the Sliders did not change the volume immediately on the XF, as I had to push them past a certain point before they would “kick in”.

Not so on the MOXF, as the knobs react instantly.

Yes… endless rotaries have that big advantage over sliders.

Also, though, for people who might miss some of what you can do with XF sliders, a lot of it can be done on the MOX/MOXF with Yamaha’s iPad apps.

Scott,

I forgot about those XS/XF apps working with the MOXF as well.

Good man!!

Jerry

PS
I haven’t tried it yet, but do you think the wireless USB adapter I have for my XF will work on the MOXF as well?