I just noticed that Yamaha did it right on the new MOX - the 61-key has the pitch and mod wheels to the left of the keyboard (where synth players, who like semi-weighted keybeds and use the wheels all the time, want them), while the 88-key has them above the low end of the keyboard (where piano players, who like hammer-action keybeds and don’t use the wheels much, want them) to make a more easily-transportable 88-key instrument...well, they are “mobile” Motifs, so transportability is important...if only they moved the wheels up on the S70XS to make it smaller (sigh!)…

I was also surprised to see in the MOX reference manual under “File Mode” that the MOX “is not compatabile with the Motif XS6/7/8”, as far as files are concerned...since much has been made about how the MOX uses the XS sound engine and includes most XS features (although the official Yamaha MOX documentation hardly mentions the Motif XS) I would have thought that the MOX would be able to load at least individual XS voices and performances, in the way that the XS was able to load voices, etc., from earlier Motif files…

But as an old piano player, I’ll probably have to buy a MOX8 anyway - Motif sounds, 88 keys and 32 lbs. !!!

df