Its been 3 years since the Motif XS has been the current Motif. I’m in the market for a keyboard and know the Motif is the answer. Motif has taken over 46% of the market share in keyboard sales. WOW..  Anybody have any comments on this please share them.
Cheers

FaBaR

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fbarbin - 30 June 2010 03:27 PM

Its been 3 years since the Motif XS has been the current Motif. I’m in the market for a keyboard and know the Motif is the answer. Motif has taken over 46% of the market share in keyboard sales. WOW..  Anybody have any comments on this please share them.
Cheers


FaBaR

If you fancy making “instant music”, have you thought about getting a Tyros2/3 “Arranger” Keyboard, or similar, instead of a Synthesizer/Workstation?

...just a thought!

Paul...MO6 + MM6...;)...!

http://music-tyros.com/index.html

...sorry Chaps....I’m killing the “Motif” market...LOL...!

If the XS is your answer, why not go for it...? New or used…

There are no current official reports (that I know) about some new gear replacing the XS.

/M

That’s a tough decision, given that the Motif XS has been around for over three years, and a refresh must be in the works at YAMAHA.

We are about to enter Q-3 of 2010, so it all depends on how urgent your need for a workstation is. If not too urgent, and you can wait until Jan. 2011 I would wait. Otherwise, I would go forward with getting a Motif XS.

I doubt YAMAHA, ROLAND, KORG, KURZWEIL, ..etc. will announce any new workstations until early 2011.

It’s been a un-eventful period for any new workstations for quite some time now, let’s hope that the next generation of workstations will offer something worth waiting for. I’m hoping we will see a huge step up from the currently available workstations in terms of overall quality, flexibility, expansion, DAW integration, ..etc.

Cheers.

I used to sell keyboards and know that each model gets changed for the better after a short time. I really like the 8 sliders. If i would have bought the ES with 4 sliders i would have been dissapointed b/c of the new XS having 8 slider.

To be honest… I think you are missing the point. It’s not just the ammount of physical sliders that makes it “XS”.

/M

Thanks. makes alot sence. I have old gear. Roland A70 , Korg Triton , JV 1080 , Korg Trinity that i use onstage and would like to get into better brass sounds using samples. Thinking of creating a Michael Jackson tribute band and will need big brass sounds and hits.

I have a midi AV timepiece USB that i haven’t used and looking into getting a macbook pro. I read the article about using Dig Performer for changing sounds using chunks and the numbering system. Sounds fast and east to manage.

i don’t know all of the differences between the ES and XS your right. But thats just 1 thing that jumps out in the sence of controller features being able to control modules and vol. for different sounds.

Never be the first one to buy a new product.
It may take years before all initial flaws are corrected,
as the equipment becomes more and more complicated.

;JOOP!

“is it safe to buy Summer 2010”.

That is a question that cannot be answered easily. Will there be a new model? Probably, but when and what is not public knowledge. However, let us assume that one is announced next month. Before you can purchase it, Yamaha will need to set up the assembly lines (new jigs, new parts, train the builders) before they can begin to start shipping to dealers accross the globe, and there are a lot of dealers to satisfy. You may be one of the lucky ones, but more probable you will need to wait until your local dealer gets a supply. This could take several months. We can also assume there will be a high demand for the new keyboard therefore the dealer will not sell at any discounts as he can get top dollars for the product.
One could argue that at this point in time there will be more second hand XS’s on the market as people trade up. However the second hand prices probably still be high because the new model prices are high and there is still a high demand for the older XS. As time progresses, the dealers will satisfy the initial demand and begin to hold stock. Once this happens the prices may begin to level out and fall with deals starting to appear. Second hand prices will also fall. However time wise many months, maybe even a year has passed.
So your question to yourself is. Do you want to play the XS today, Wait several months (assuming one is announced shortly) and pay top dollars for a new model or wait a looong time to pay discounted price for a new model or a cheaper second hand XS. I know my preference, life is too short :-)

Hope this helps

Steve V

These are all good points and you obviously have some knowledge and experience with keyboards. Also, Steve has made a very good point.

However, before buying a Motif, I strongly recommend going to a music store that has a demo and play the s*** out of it. Find those sounds you’re looking for, to feel how it plays, and how to navigate between modes as well as getting a price quote. If you decide to buy one, odds are you might do better purchasing the equipment from an online music business because they will usually have some nice packages with a stand, bench, hard cover, etc. for a much lower price.

Personally, I like the Motif XS8 I bought, along with the Cubase AI4 software that came with it. The latter should be installed on a fast computer system and I really like how I can manipulate MIDI and Audio to fine tune my recorded music.

The downside to the Motif and accessories was learning how to set it up, upgrading all software, and how to correct the small hiccups along the way.

The great news is that this Yamaha/Motif/Steinberg forum is an EXCELLENT support mechanism for novices and experts alike.

Good Luck,
KT

I bought the Motif XS6 while my Tyros 3 was back being repaired.
After the T3 came back I began to think my home studio was too small for both keyboards and I sold the Motif.

I started missing the Motif as soon as I had the packing tape on the shipping box.
So I have recently purchased another Motif XS6 - Yikes!!!

Get the Motif now, you’ll be glad you did. :)

Bill G

Thank all of you guys for the comments. It has been really helpful , i’ll probably make my purchase from Sweetwater, in the mean time if anybody knows where i can get some good brass sounds for my Michael Jackson tribute band please pass them on. I will buy a XS8 for sure. Its a great controller keyboard with a good piano sound. if anything comes up in the future , a module is always a cheaper way of getting new sounds as long as you have a good controller to controll patch changes , splits ,and volume etc.

I used to be a Kurzweil fan bc of the controller features of the K series and now the Pc series but i’m just afraid of the support. Kurzweil does not have a MOTIFATOR online and is not taking up 46% of the market now. I still have a K2500RS thats needs to be repaired and can’t seem to get it repaired along with installing KDFX. Maybe after purchasing a XS8 from sweetwater they can fix my K2500RS , i’ll sell it and get ready for my future purchase. .... I"m just glad theres a Keyboard workstation, sampler, controller, good piano sound that has matched the qualities of the Kurzweil.

The only thing is the feel of the keybed. I really like the Kurz keybed. I can adapt to the yamaha keybed.
The kurz keybed is just like butter for me.
Who knows i may get lucky and get a keybed from Yamaha thats a little easier to play.

Thanks for all your help
Cheers

FaBar

FaBar,

Be sure to check out Guitar Center before you contact Sweetwater because GC had a $300 rebate posted on their Motif a week ago.

Sweetwater has always matched or beat everyone else for me.

Bill G

Kraftmusic used to have MotifXS8 packages (that’s where I purchased mine). However, I just visited their website and found other keyboard packages, but not the MotifXS8. How sad. :(

KT