edited… :)

I haven’t been disappointed yet with the many sounds offered within the ‘Category Search’ area.
There are so many pianos, acoustic and electric to pick from with presets already sounding good, as well as many other instruments already ‘tweaked’.

(we use Yamaha 400’s plugged into the back of the XF to listen with, but also have a variety of other makers all within the $200 to $300 price range that all sound about the same but with different ‘feels’ while wearing, and abilities to isolate sound, which they all are closed back… Keep volume reasonable!)

The Category Search button beneath Program top and right can be used before and after a recording has been made and from the Mixing Area whether in Song or Pattern mode.
(We are arrangers and writers not performers and honestly have not investigated the 8 Elements of each voice that are adjustable as well that vary the sound of that individual voice.)
From the mixing area, the VCE EDIT (F6 then SF2,exit to return) can be changed for each voice for up to eight as long as the ‘Inx FX sw’ is checked within the Mix Play area.
And the over-all EFFECTS (F5) to the left of that can change the ‘room’ sound.
cmayhle and others here could certainly explain better the abilities to do things while on the fly during a stage performance as that’s what they do where I am just another writer that doesn’t play live (yet) :-)

....certainly missing too, “The Bad One”!  :)
(Bad_Mister)
And hoping all is well.

I second the motion. indubitably!! hahahahha
yes, cmayhle I also would super appreciate any info at all on specific things that you do to tweak/refine/change preset voices to make them sound awesome. (fully cognizant of the subjective nature of the deal.  :))

motidave - 07 August 2014 07:10 PM

cmayhle - 07 August 2013 09:36 PM

Seriously guys, if you don’t care for some aspect of the XF (XS) stock pianos, CHANGE THEM!  It is literally mind-blowing how you can customize these sounds!  You are not ‘stuck’ with the preset VOICES!

I am sure the S90ES is a wonderful keyboard.  I have no experience with it, but my post here is not about the S90ES.

The stock pianos on my XF8 didn’t thrill me either.  I really did not care much for the sounds the Factory Programmer(s) had come up with for the standard piano presets. 

What did I do?  I spent a half hour with the amazing tools the XF gives you to re-program the VOICES, and now I have excellent go-to Grand and Rock piano sounds that I have really made into MY pianos.  Believe me, I am no programmer or sound designer, just a lifelong piano player that really appreciates what I am able to do with this machine by being willing to spend some time and experimentation to get the sounds I like!

You bought an amazing workstation with amazing tools for customization!  Why not use them?

Curious, if you could describe some of the more significant tweaks you made that you thought created a better sound (for you)?  Yes, I accept its subjective, but you are a guru in these parts.

I’m a fumbling journeyman programmer, I know all the features and screens in my XF at last, but I’m not schooled in basic synthesis, much less synthetic creation of acoustic tones, so sometimes I hit, sometimes I miss.

First, I would highly recommend you begin with This Article from Bad_Mister.

It’s been a while since I set up my personal piano VOICES, and my machine is packed up right now, so some of the specific filter tweaks I can’t check on right now.

However, I can say the two most important things I do right off the bat:

Turn off the reverb.  Reverb at the VOICE level for me in live performance is an annoyance.

EQ to eliminate the “in a well”, or “in a tin can”, or “in a box” sound that piano PRESETS pretty much all come with (to my ears).

My piano EQ set-up pretty much take a “U” configuration; I boost the low and high ends, and I roll down the mids, especially in the 400hz to 1100hz range.  This takes the common boomy and muddy sound out, and provides crisp clean piano with a powerful bottom punch.  It is most common for me to find the tone color I do not like in the mid-range frequencies.

I am not a programmer or sound designer, but I know the sound I am looking for when I hear it, and the above steps are where I commonly start when searching for a solution.  Plus of course, filter settings at the element level, resonance and cutoff adjustments...these are the tweaks I would need to have access to my machine to discuss.

The take-away is that you have the ability within the machine to have a profound affect on the tone and color of the stock piano sounds.  Don’t play a stock piano and say “I don’t like it”, and walk away frustrated or disgruntled.  Change it into a VOICE you really like.  The tools are there.

I highly recommend the Bad_Mister article.

you are incredibly generous. thank you so much cmayhle.

I had a similar problem. Only the piano Kawai EX is good for the Motif XF - better than the S90 ES!

http://store.gospelmusicians.com/Kawai_EX/

Interesting topic. I own a S90es, XS8, and have owned a XF8.  The S700 piano is my favorite piano sample to date.  I have it loaded in my XS8, and it is abit different.  Keep in mind, they tell you the samples of the S700 for the XS/XF are “Looped”, and I hear the difference.. although it is slight, you can hear the loop.  I’ve compared them side by side thoroughly.

And as others have said, the synth engines are all different in each keyboard.  The ES/S90es lines are brighter sounding to my ear. 

If you love the S700 piano like I do.. the S90es is the board!  Many artists (David Foster, etc.) Still currently use the S90es for that very reason.  ; )

I just bought a used S90 ES and found an S90 XS to try side by side.  The S90 ES came first and so far love it but wanted more features like playing WAV files back and being able to hit record when you have some inspiration.

I was wondering how they sound side by side?  Is the DAC a better DAC in the XS than the ES?

I heard the MoXF has the DAC1 and people say it sounds better than the S90 XS.  If so, can one really tell or is it splitting hairs?

Thanks!

jamiesea - 27 July 2017 10:40 AM

I just bought a used S90 ES and found an S90 XS to try side by side.  The S90 ES came first and so far love it but wanted more features like playing WAV files back and being able to hit record when you have some inspiration.

I was wondering how they sound side by side?  Is the DAC a better DAC in the XS than the ES?

I heard the MoXF has the DAC1 and people say it sounds better than the S90 XS.  If so, can one really tell or is it splitting hairs?

Thanks!

Since this post is unrelated to the Motif XF, anyone replying please do so at the identical post in the S90 forum:
http://www.motifator.com/index.php/forum/viewthread/479091

5pinDIN - 27 July 2017 10:54 AM

jamiesea - 27 July 2017 10:40 AM

I just bought a used S90 ES and found an S90 XS to try side by side.  The S90 ES came first and so far love it but wanted more features like playing WAV files back and being able to hit record when you have some inspiration.

I was wondering how they sound side by side?  Is the DAC a better DAC in the XS than the ES?

I heard the MoXF has the DAC1 and people say it sounds better than the S90 XS.  If so, can one really tell or is it splitting hairs?

Thanks!

Since this post is unrelated to the Motif XF, anyone replying please do so at the identical post in the S90 forum:
http://www.motifator.com/index.php/forum/viewthread/479091

Thanks 5pinDIN!  I just realized after posting my question to search for an S90 forum and found it!  Appreciate the help!