The subject says it all. I hope the XF doesn’t have a noisy fan.

Of course it doesn’t, it’s not a computer :)

Great. I’m interested in both the XF and the Korg Kronos. The Kronos seems to have a loud cooling fan. A Sound on Sound reviewer basically wrote he would have to somehow turn it off during recording sessions. A friend recently bought a Kronos 61 and told me that the fan is loud. Yamaha will soon sell an additional XF :-)

Yeah the Kronos is more a computer than a synthesizer, since it has loads of different sound engines inside, like VST instruments. Motif has only one sound engine, AWM2. And needs no fan. Kronos also has a startup time of around 2 minutes, due to all the stuff it has to load up when booting. My XF is ready to play in 30 seconds.

I wouldn’t want a synth with a loud fan I have to turn off and on.

I’ve only been a Motif XF owner for 3 weeks, but have loads of experience with other synths. And this is by far the best in the digital domain for me. The usability, sampling, super-supportive forum (this one), motifator with all its articles about the synth engine..

I have a couple of real analog synths, and even the analog sounds the Motif makes matches the real deal.

Motif uses samples as tone generators, but there are loads of hi-quality sampled analog sawtooth, pulse, sine, triangle waves etc to use as basis for “analog” type sounds. You select a saw sample, send it through filters and envelopes and LFOs, all the usual subtractive synthesis components. You can even implement a slight pitch change each time you repress a key, emulating the instability of analog oscillators.
Each part of a voice is a complete little synthesizer (element) with filter (18 types), filter and amp envelopes and LFOs, and full pitch control by fine tuning or in semitones.

And you can use 8 elements per voice, and 4 layered voices in a performance, which basically lets you mix up to 32 different tone generators in a single sound. And not run out of polyphony :-)

Also, the Motif is famous for its arpeggiators, there are like 7000 patterns you can use to play drum beats or bass lines or guitar riffs, anything you like.

bytexion - 17 June 2011 08:42 AM

…
And you can use 8 elements per voice, and 4 layered voices in a performance, which basically lets you mix up to 32 different tone generators in a single sound. And not run out of polyphony :-)…

AFAIK, the polyphony is consumed for every element that is sounding. If each of your 4 Voices in a Performance uses 8 elements for every key pressed, you may not be able to use more than 4 notes simultaneously.

To add to my earlier comment, this situation is very rare (and frankly, I’ve never come across such a situation) because most Voices don’t use all 8 elements (esp. for every key). Also, rarely would you get into a situation where all the 4 Voices in your Performance use all 8 elements for every key.

Yeah, this is in the extreme case of spending all 32 elements to make the biggest, most detuned analog sound in human history :)

Still, 4 notes poly is enough for chords. And you would probably blow out all your windows playing a 4-note chord with 32 sawtooth waves on each key :P

Quite possibly trigger the earthquake warning system in your country aswell. Better not do that.

bytexion - 17 June 2011 05:41 AM

Of course it doesn’t, it’s not a computer :)

Thumbs up for the smiley, because of course at the XF’s core is a computer, running MontaVista Linux.

The XS (XF?) has a Toshiba TX4939 processor. Among other things that keep heat down (and therefore eliminate the need for a fan) is that the TX4939 typical power consumption is less than 2 watts. The processor in the Kronos, an Intel Atom dual core, draws somewhat more.

The total power consumption of the Kronos versus the XS/XF is more telling. The XF/XS specification is 30 watts, but the Kronos is double that, 60 watts.

Save the planet, buy a Motif. :-)

5pinDIN - 17 June 2011 11:03 AM

Save the planet, buy a Motif. :-)

I love this!

bytexion - 17 June 2011 09:32 AM

Quite possibly trigger the earthquake warning system in your country as well.

The Motif XF is without doubt an Earth-shattering monster!

The Motif XF does not have any fan noise.

VikasSharma - 17 June 2011 11:49 AM

5pinDIN - 17 June 2011 11:03 AM

Save the planet, buy a Motif. :-)

I love this!

That’s awesome!