1 - How much better is the screen redraw on the XF compared to the XS?

2 - Would the sampler be fully functional, with all standard functions? Again, compare with Xs. (can you also import other formats as well?)

3 - How about the processor? Will it be better, or the same as XS?

4 - Will the sequencer be improved? If so would some of it’s new functions make it to XS in a future OS update?

Thanks Yamaha.

The ‘Customize & Make It Your Own’ picture at the bottom of the leaked photo gives the impression that it will be possible to tailor the XF in different ways using plug-in cards.

These were the questions I immediately found myself asking when I heard about the new board…

Does it have a step sequencer?

Does it support, either directly or via expansion cards, alternative synthesis engines (FM, Analog Modelling, Virtual Modelling etc.)?

How many tracks are there in the sequencer?

How much sequencer memory is there?

Does it support both DIMM memory and the optional flash boards?

If so, what is the maximum capacity of the DIMM memory?

Does it support external Firewire drives?

Can you use the ‘legacy’ MIDI ports simultaneously with mLAN?

How many tracks in the sequencer can you have insert FX on?

In voice mode, can you change between voices without interrupting the sound?

Is the board powerful enough to have channel aftertouch enabled in sequencer mode without causing timing problems?

The sequencer job functions in the XS are basic, but very useful. Does the XF add any new editing functions to those in the XS?

Can it handle 24bit wave files?

With regards to the voices/performances/masters, are there extra banks in the XF, or the same number of banks as the XS?

Can you have performances with more than 4 layers?

Can you apply a noise gate insert FX to the A/D input?

Df.

Will you be able to sample from other formats besides WAV ?

Will you be able to save songs / patterns etc to any other format besides WAV ? ( like MP3 perhaps ? )

Will there be plugin cards like the PLG cards of the ES era ??

my question:

when yamaha will merge with roland?

“when yamaha will merge with roland” and KURZWEIL??
robbie

My questions:

1) Will be Motif XF able to load comercial libraries originally designed for Motif XS (i.e. Steinway and kawai pianos from K-Sounds, AXXE,...)

2) When will Motif XF be on sale? September? October? Next year?

Thank you Yamaha TEAM,
Alex.

It just seems like it’s gotta be exciting times for Yamaha and Motif fans. Well at least the ones who could afford what the price will be.

I think the keyboard may hold 2 cards maybe one for memory and other for sounds/synth engine?

I would assume to capitalize on this concept they would make the rackmount version in 2 years with two additional card slots like Roland does, to expedite sales of the memory and sound cards which brings in a nice profit for the company.

What changed as far as ease of use in the sampling process and the process to create multisamples?

Or is it the exact same procedures as on the XS and ES synths, where we need to read & study a recommended 48 page user report every time we wish to do simple sampling?

Interesting. Let me speculate a bit on some requested features.

You don’t really need 20 or 24 bit resolution for A/D and sampling engine, I’d rather expect Yamaha to improve their interpolators in the tone generator chip so that they have even less aliasing than ever before.

Fully flexible insert FX routing sounds interesting, but I’d rather expect Yamaha to increase the number of insert FX blocks to 12 or 16.

Synth action or graded hammer action keboards: I’d expect no change here.

I’d expect the sound ROM to be just under 1 Gbyte. I’d expect RAM and flash memory expansion to use their own dedicated slots and occupy up to 2 GBytes fully expanded (maybe 3 Gbytes). I’d expect flash memory cards to come preloaded with factory sounds which can be erased.

I’d like to see more User banks or editable preset banks, however I doubt it will happen.

I’d expect more Expanded Articulation voices, the addition of new Spectral Component Modelling voices, and of course new and improved Voices, Perfromances, arpeggios etc.

Motif XF will be able to load Motif XS files; it will probably be able to load Motif ES files as well.

Motif XF won’t have a touch screen or a joystick instead of pitch/mod wheels.

Motif XF won’t feature alternative synthesis engines.

Motif XF will have a faster CPU and thus faster operation.

I’d like the display to be updated to 640x480, given the CPU is able to handle it.

The polyphony will most likely remain the same, although 192 or 256 would be nice.

I’d expect a vocal harmony mode in addition to vocoder.

I’d think the OS will be a “bug fix” release with usability improvements, something like XS OS v2.0; it would be nice if these fixes could be back-ported to Motif XS (ES is out of question, it’s too old now). Yes the OS will be built on top of MontaVista Linux; hopefully they’ve redone the inferface to make it display-resolution independent using something like Qt library.

I don’t think sequencer will get any major improvement, much short of being a Cubase from 1990. Permanent sequencer memory will stay the same.

The number of tracks in a Mix will remain at 16; the number of Voices in the performance would probably stay at 4, although 8 would be nice.

I don’t think there will be a dedicated tap tempo button, rather a soft button assignment.

I’m not sure about mLAN, FireWire has been abandoned even by Apple and there are very few FireWire slots in the new hardware. ADAT is long dead, so it unlikely as well. What about CobraNet, an Ethernet audio solution similar to Roland REAC? No FireWire storage or “USB 2.1” which doesn’t exist.

There could be a balanced mic input, balanced main outs are unlikely however.

Yamaha won’t merge with Korg, Roland or Kurzweil; Roland and Korg will enjoy their 2nd and 3rd place in synth workstation sales, and Kurzweil will fire Ray Kurzweil and close down after the imminent fiasco of PC361K which basically rehashes 20 years old technology and sample library. (Just kidding.)

- Will it still have the ability to use motif Xs voice libraries like Organimation?

Wow.

Athan:

Will we finally get Tyros Brass/Trumpet shakes/falls… You know what I mean :)

nickmccullum808 - 01 August 2010 12:57 PM

- Will it still have the ability to use motif Xs voice libraries like Organimation?

Thanks! :-)

I notice that “Yamaha_US” changed his avatar, maybe to reflect the new GUI of the XF?..

avatar

Yamaha Audio/Video Apparatus Certified for Canada