I just bought XS6. No idea if it has RAM boards inside. Also the guy was a reseller and had no idea whether it had an OS update or not. Which software do I need to download on my MAC? I can see editor program, do I just install the current version? There are some other programs there, do I need to install them all?

Cheers!

To check the OS version…
Press and release the [UTILITY] button to get into Utility mode.
Then press [UTILITY], [^](Cursor Up) and [F1] buttons at the same time. Check the Firmware Version - the most recent for the XS is 1.60.

To determine if there are DIMMs (SDRAM) installed…
Press either the [VOICE] or [PERFORM] button.
Press the [INTEGRATED SAMPLING] button.
Press [SF6](INFO), and read the Used/Total line.

EDIT: See correction later in this thread.

kozlikha - 06 September 2013 10:44 AM

[...]Which software do I need to download on my MAC? I can see editor program, do I just install the current version? There are some other programs there, do I need to install them all?

Which software you should download somewhat depends on what you intend to do with your XS, and in some cases which OS your computer is running. So probably downloading and installing “all” of them won’t be required, or even a good idea. :-)

It shows 380 seconds available, so how do I determine how much ram I have on there? Prob below 500 megs?

5pinDIN - 06 September 2013 12:30 PM

To check the OS version…
Press and release the [UTILITY] button to get into Utility mode.
Then press [UTILITY], [^](Cursor Up) and [F1] buttons at the same time. Check the Firmware Version - the most recent for the XS is 1.60.

To determine if there are DIMMs (SDRAM) installed…
Press either the [VOICE] or [PERFORM] button.
Press the [INTEGRATED SAMPLING] button.
Press [SF6](INFO), and read the Used/Total line.

Got 1.6

5pinDIN - 06 September 2013 12:30 PM

To check the OS version…
Press and release the [UTILITY] button to get into Utility mode.
Then press [UTILITY], [^](Cursor Up) and [F1] buttons at the same time. Check the Firmware Version - the most recent for the XS is 1.60.

To determine if there are DIMMs (SDRAM) installed…
Press either the [VOICE] or [PERFORM] button.
Press the [INTEGRATED SAMPLING] button.
Press [SF6](INFO), and read the Used/Total line.

kozlikha - 06 September 2013 03:05 PM

It shows 380 seconds available, so how do I determine how much ram I have on there? Prob below 500 megs?

Sorry, I left a step out - let’s try again.

To determine if there are DIMMs (SDRAM) installed…
Press either the [VOICE] or [PERFORM] button.
Press the [INTEGRATED SAMPLING] button.
Press the [JOB] button.
Press the [SF6](INFO) button, and read the Used/Total line.

5pinDIN - 06 September 2013 04:11 PM

kozlikha - 06 September 2013 03:05 PM

It shows 380 seconds available, so how do I determine how much ram I have on there? Prob below 500 megs?

Sorry, I left a step out - let’s try again.

To determine if there are DIMMs (SDRAM) installed…
Press either the [VOICE] or [PERFORM] button.
Press the [INTEGRATED SAMPLING] button.
Press the [JOB] button.
Press the [SF6](INFO) button, and read the Used/Total line.

cool, thanks. got full house of ram

kozlikha - 06 September 2013 04:54 PM

cool, thanks. got full house of ram

You’re welcome. By “full house”, do you mean 1GB or 2GB? The manual indicates 1GB is maximum (and for most users, it’s certainly enough), but the XS can actually use a pair of 1GB DIMMs.

It seems that you have a good start on using the XS. If you haven’t already downloaded manuals, I’d suggest that you get the XS Owner’s Manual, Data List, and Data List 2 PDFs. In addition, the OS updates include functions that aren’t explained in the Owner’s Manual. You can download the following files for more information:

Covers version 1.60 changes:
http://download.yamaha.com/file/48526

Covers previous version changes (not included in above):
http://download.yamaha.com/file/8926

Thanks for the links. I have 1gig Ram inside. So how much total sampling time will that provide at 44.1khz? Also for live work will it be that audibly different if it’s recorded at lower khz? How low would you go?

5pinDIN - 06 September 2013 06:03 PM

kozlikha - 06 September 2013 04:54 PM

cool, thanks. got full house of ram

You’re welcome. By “full house”, do you mean 1GB or 2GB? The manual indicates 1GB is maximum (and for most users, it’s certainly enough), but the XS can actually use a pair of 1GB DIMMs.

It seems that you have a good start on using the XS. If you haven’t already downloaded manuals, I’d suggest that you get the XS Owner’s Manual, Data List, and Data List 2 PDFs. In addition, the OS updates include functions that aren’t explained in the Owner’s Manual. You can download the following files for more information:

Covers version 1.60 changes:
http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/emi/english/synth/motifxs_nf_v160_en.pdf
--- or ---
http://download.yamaha.com/api/asset/file/?language=en&site=ae.yamaha.com&asset_id=48526

Covers previous version changes (not included in above):
http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/emi/english/synth/motifxs_en_add_v150a0.pdf

kozlikha - 06 September 2013 06:45 PM

Thanks for the links. I have 1gig Ram inside. So how much total sampling time will that provide at 44.1khz?

A single sample at 44.1kHz can be up to 6 minutes 20 seconds (380 seconds). If it’s mono, that would use 32MB - for stereo, 64MB. Assuming stereo samples, 1GB of memory could theoretically hold a little over 100 minutes in total.

Each halving of the sampling frequency/rate can double the maximum time - at 22.05kHz it can be up to 12 minutes 40 seconds, etc. See the specs on page 297 of the Owner’s Manual for more details.
 

kozlikha -

Also for live work will it be that audibly different if it’s recorded at lower khz? How low would you go?

The fidelity will be diminished at lower sampling rates. To what degree will be dependent on the nature of what you’re recording - if the original material doesn’t have much high-frequency content, then a lower sampling rate might not be significant. I’d suggest experimenting a bit to determine what you find acceptable.