Hello. First of all thank you for a fantastic site, i am overwhelmed by the amount of info on here. Excellent work chaps.

I have recently bought a Motif XS6 and i have a couple of questions. (sorry this is a long first post)!

Do i need to update the Firmware?…

Current Firmware. 1.07.0
Kernel.  2.6.10_mvl410-111.kbw_k2x.51
Contents. 1.07.0

Will this update improve the XS a great deal?

Also when looking to buy a synth i watched many video’s on ‘Youtube’ and the XS seemed like a good choice and i am very happy with it, apart from i cant make it sound like some people have on ‘Youtube’..!

Namely this video posted by ‘Wendlinka’...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz59GPOU6oA

In this video im guessing he has made a 4 part track but the MAIN voice played seems to be USR1 041(C09) COSMIC TRANCE.

He says in the comments he is using ‘CHORDMASTER’ and ‘ VERTUOSO SEQUENTIA’?

Now i have loaded up (seperately) ‘Cosmic Trance’ ‘Chordmaster’ and ‘Vertuoso Sequentia’ and i have tweaked them for hours on end but i cannot get them to sound like they do in his video linked above..! It’s almost like he is using a different machine OR he has loaded modified samples?

I don’t have any powered monitors at the moment so im using the ‘Phones’ out of the XS to a ‘Line-In’ on a home cinema system with a stereo lead and it seems to sound okay.

I would be very grateful for any help/advice and i apologise for my first post being a little long winded.

Thanks again Chaps.

FinlayB - 15 July 2015 04:05 AM

Hello. First of all thank you for a fantastic site, i am overwhelmed by the amount of info on here. Excellent work chaps.

I have recently bought a Motif XS6 and i have a couple of questions. (sorry this is a long first post)!

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on getting a Motif XS.

 

FinlayB -

Do i need to update the Firmware?…

Current Firmware. 1.07.0
Kernel.  2.6.10_mvl410-111.kbw_k2x.51
Contents. 1.07.0

Will this update improve the XS a great deal?

There have been significant features added since OS version 1.07, and some bugs fixed. See these…

New Functions in MOTIF XS V1.50/V1.10:
http://download.yamaha.com/file/8926

New Functions in MOTIF XS V1.60:
http://download.yamaha.com/file/48526

 

FinlayB -

Also when looking to buy a synth i watched many video’s on ‘Youtube’ and the XS seemed like a good choice and i am very happy with it, apart from i cant make it sound like some people have on ‘Youtube’..!

[...]

I don’t have any powered monitors at the moment so im using the ‘Phones’ out of the XS to a ‘Line-In’ on a home cinema system with a stereo lead and it seems to sound okay.

There could be several reasons why your XS doesn’t sound like a recording made by someone else. You didn’t specify what sort of difference(s) you’re hearing, which makes it more difficult to determine the cause. Some thoughts…

1) Have you done a factory reset? If not, the previous owner might have made some settings affecting what you’re hearing.

2) Are you playing the video and your XS on the same sound system? If not, can you do that so the comparison is on a more equal basis? (By the way, it wouldn’t surprise me if someone attributes sound quality issues to your use of the PHONES output as opposed to the main line outputs. In my experience, that’s not a concern. Home audio systems can be perfectly adequate for use with the XS - or not - the “home cinema system” is an unknown factor.)

3) Sometimes insufficient key velocity can cause the XS to sound lacking in certain respects. You might try setting the Velocity Curve to “soft” - see page 260 of the XS Owner’s Manual for details.

Hi there 5pinDIN. Many thanks for your kind welcome and also thank you for your detailed reply.

I will update the firmware as you suggest but regarding the difference in sound to what i have seen and heard on ‘Youtube’.

Yes, i have successfully factory reset my XS and every thing works as it should and the voices and performances are all in the right place.

Yes, i have played the ‘Youtube’ video’s through the exact same set up, i have also borrowed the correct leads and tried the ‘Main’ outputs on my XS but im getting the same results as i was using the’phones’output.!

I have altered the key velocity but again, no significant difference.

It’s a difficult one, to describe the difference, in the video i posted above the XS sounds much more ‘Alive’ More ‘Synthy’ More vibrant and more emphasis when using the right mod wheel. As i say, it almost sounds like a different machine and i almost feel like there’s a hidden ‘Super Synth’ button on the XS and i cant find it..!!

I have spent hours and hours with countless settings but i cant re-create anywhere near the effect that the guy has in his video..!

The video i posted is 7 years old, so i doubt he will be able to recall the settings he used. I am hopeful this Forum will lead me to successfully achieve the same sounds.

Other than settings, there could be an issue with my XS, perhaps to do with the output circuits? But, as i say, everything seems to work okay apart from i cant achieve the desired results.

Can you suggest anything else please and did you listen to the video i posted ? ( In the video, the second the guy presses ‘play’...thats the sound im after, i hope that makes sense.)

Thanks again, your time is much appreciated.

Yes, I did listen to the video, but unfortunately I don’t have the time now to investigate. A recorded sequence could incorporate many things the XS is capable of, and the Vocoder further modifies that.

Hopefully another member will offer their thoughts. For those who want to delve into this, the Chordmaster Voice is PRE6 G13, Virtuoso Sequencia is PRE6 H13, and Cosmic Trance is factory Performance USER1 C09 (USER2 C09 on the XF).

FinlayB - 15 July 2015 11:00 AM

...I have spent hours and hours with countless settings but i cant re-create anywhere near the effect that the guy has in his video..!....

FinlayB, there are absolutely millions of variable combinations of parameter tweaks that can be applied to the sounds able to be produced by a machine as powerful as the XS.

You need to look no further than the third party non-sample libraries that are for sale in the Shop here at Motifator.  For example, DCP’s Bee’s Knees organs.  These organs use the exact same samples already contained in your machine, but it is the expertise of DavePolich that makes them come alive as programed organ VOICES you will recognize from pop classics.

“Now i have loaded up (seperately) ‘Cosmic Trance’ ‘Chordmaster’ and ‘Vertuoso Sequentia’ and i have tweaked them for hours on end but i cannot get them to sound like they do in his video linked above..! It’s almost like he is using a different machine OR he has loaded modified samples?”

The point is this:  It does not require loading “modified samples”.  It is more ”modifying already LOADED samples”.  This I am sure he has done!

“As i say, it almost sounds like a different machine and i almost feel like there’s a hidden ‘Super Synth’ button on the XS and i cant find it..!!”

NO, there is not a “hidden ‘Super Synth’ button!  It is an example of a knowledgeable and talented sound-craftsman/producer at work.  If it were simple to produce these musical creations, everyone would be successful at it!

The machine will not create for you, but you can certainly use it as a powerful tool to create with!

Thank you guys for your replies and information.

I agree the XS is a powerful machine and it is ME who needs to delve into it and create the sounds i desire.

As you say it’s not easy but i will persevere and to get a feel of what the machine can do i will look at buying some third party libraries from the shop here.

The mistake i made was to expect too much ‘Out the box’. I realise the XS is a complex instrument that i have to learn to use correctly and create with.

Thanks again chaps.

(Edit to add).. I have updated the firmware to 1.60.1.

I have also discovered that many of the preset voices/performances
were all set at mid volume..! Setting the Vol to 127 made a big difference..!

Is there a way to set ALL the voices and patterns to 127 Volume? or do i have to do them all individually and’Save’them?

Thanks chaps.

Hello! I own a Motiff XS6. Can somebody let me know, step by step, how to Save a File (new song I created) from Pattern Mode and also from Song Mode to a Flash Driver. I don’t know if my keyboard doesn’t work good or I just don’t get it but I follow the Manual instruction and all the Files are erased. Thank you very much!!

Hi there Aldo. It sounds like your USB device isn’t compatible with the XS OR, you haven’t formatted the USB Device with the XS.

Try formatting the USB Drive by plugging it into the XS USB to Device slot and then follow the instructions on page 85 of the manual.

When you have done that try saving your files again and see what happens.

FinlayB - 26 July 2015 02:52 AM

Hi there Aldo. It sounds like your USB device isn’t compatible with the XS OR, you haven’t formatted the USB Device with the XS.

Try formatting the USB Drive by plugging it into the XS USB to Device slot and then follow the instructions on page 85 of the manual.

When you have done that try saving your files again and see what happens.

Thank you very much FinlayB!!!!