Hey guys, I’m looking at getting either the s90xs or motif xf8… However I’m not sure I can justify spending the extra £1,000 or so for the xf. Especially as I’m not really planning on using it to it’s full potential. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have the onboard sampling and patch editing right there! However, the xf8 is a monster in regards to size and weight and considering i’m gigging quite a lot I think the s90xs would be a better option in that respect.

If anyone has an insight onto my little predicament, I’d appreciate it very much!

Maybe you should describe here what exactly you want to do in order for us to try helping you decide.

The XF8 is a great instrument, but it is big and heavy.  If you plan on using it a lot for gigging, I would suggest going with the S90XS.

Ben....it would be helpful to understand what it is you want to do. I bought the S90XS with the intent of live performance and some use in recording.

Give us some idea as to what you have in mind to do.

ben_tucker92 - 01 July 2012 09:45 AM

Hey guys, I’m looking at getting either the s90xs or motif xf8… However I’m not sure I can justify spending the extra £1,000 or so for the xf. Especially as I’m not really planning on using it to it’s full potential. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have the onboard sampling and patch editing right there! However, the xf8 is a monster in regards to size and weight and considering i’m gigging quite a lot I think the s90xs would be a better option in that respect.

If anyone has an insight onto my little predicament, I’d appreciate it very much!

Hi Ben,
Welcome to the Motifator Forum. Nice to meet another British member… Canadian here.
As you having only two posts, I consider you a new comer…

It’s fun having to make such difficult choices in life… I’m looking forward to the next big Yamaha release, perhaps even this month or a wee bit later on, this year.

Whether it be a difference of $1,000.00 or £1,000.00 this is not chump change, and so I can see where your challenge of difficult choices, comes into play.
Ben, I own a Yamaha Motif XF8, yes she’s a heavy instrument at around 63 lbs., & yes she’s also big and bulky, making it practically theft proof, which I love about it. But is does involve some heavy lifting to move her about. But is this weight, of extra weighted keys and bigger body worth the extra expense and bother?
Ah, for me, yes it is, atleast for me personally.
No one here can make this ultimate decision for you. So YOU must decide, which board is better suited for your needs and future goals as well.
As for not needing or desiring the extras like sampling, that the Motif XF can offer you, those extras may be just what the Dr. ordered for your music pleasures in the near future. So if I were like you, in this amazing situation, I wouldn’t be discounting any valuable features which may hypnotise you later on.

good luck, have fun choosing…

take care

Chas

Wait for the S90XF!!! (maybe something like it this upcoming NAMM)?

bilgtis - 03 July 2012 08:13 PM

Wait for the S90XF!!! (maybe something like it this upcoming NAMM)?

Not going to happen.

OP - one thing to consider is if you load samples a lot.  The XF is priceless for the flash memory feature.

Other than that, for gigging I’d much rather have the S90 (I don’t gig).  I’ve had them both (sent the S90 back to get the XF, for totally unrelated reasons), but the S90XS is totally killer (with the exception of the S6 piano voice, which has a small flaw in it - that you won’t notice unless you are a solo player)

You might want to look at the MOX8 also. Pretty much all of the soundset from the Motif XS and MUCH lighter! And LESS expensive.

I need to replace my S90 which a use only for live playing and would like to upgrade to a S90XF version of sorts. Everything on the S90XS is fine except I would like some flash memory on what is used with the XF series. I also looked into the MOX8 with all the features looked great as mention before but with one weakness for my tastes: keyboard action. I still like the action of the S90 series and may wait to see if Yamaha wants to do another upgrade to this series.

Hey guys, cheers for that. I guess looking over things the motif range would be better for me. I’ve just gotten into playing a lot of Dream Theater material and the bonus of onboard sampling just seems logical.

I now face which one. I’d love an XF8 and I’m 90% sure about getting one, however I’ve seen an XS8 on eBay for £1,500 I’d be a fool not too. My friend has the ES8 which is what got me interested in the Yamaha boards in the first place and I also borrowed a friend’s S90xs which I loved. I’ve found a much prefer editing onboard so I’ve eliminated the s90xs completely.

As far as some people are saying; the s90xf won’t exist. Anything new that happens with the Yamaha keyboards will be first released on the Motif series, surely. I can’t really see what else they can do. I’d love to see seamless patch changing and maybe a slightly improved effects architecture but other than that I think Yamaha have maxed themselves out.

If I decide against the XS8, I think i’ll wait until Winter NAMM and see what they have to offer, failing that… I’m getting me an XF8!

Cheers.

bilgtis - 09 July 2012 06:01 PM

I need to replace my S90 which a use only for live playing and would like to upgrade to a S90XF version of sorts. Everything on the S90XS is fine except I would like some flash memory on what is used with the XF series. I also looked into the MOX8 with all the features looked great as mention before but with one weakness for my tastes: keyboard action. I still like the action of the S90 series and may wait to see if Yamaha wants to do another upgrade to this series.

I upgraded from the S80 to the S90XS about 7 months ago. If you liked the ‘action’ on the S90, you will love the action on the S90XS. Much better architecture and I believe based on a ‘real’ piano.

One of the issues that you will have with Flash Memory and XF series is platform structure. The ‘XF’ is a ‘higher’ platform from the ‘XS’. To my knowledge and experience, it doesn’t work ‘backwards’. With Motif XF you can take Voices ‘from’ the XS and adapt them to the XF, but not the other way around. I dealt with this going from The Classic to the ES.

If you were to score an S90XS, I doubt that you will be able to adapt XF functions into it. Bad_Mister could give you a more detailed explaination in reasoning but I digress.

When people post here, to get the best answers and options, you will be better served by being as specific as possible in your inquiry. That is, tell us what you want to accommplish as detailed as possible.

One of the beauties of this site is there are so many different people with so many different objectives, through so many possible processes, it would be difficult to NOT get ‘someone’ who is experiencing the same things you are or trying to do the same things you are trying to do. We are here to help and more than willing to. Help ‘us’ by being more specific.
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