Hello,
I am new to this forum and Yamaha synths.
Currently I own a MX49 but are just into upgrading, and have a dilemma now in choosing the right model.

I’m standing between a new MOXF6 and a fully refurbished (as new) Motif XS6…
Almost identical price (about USD800).
Have read a lot and looked at reviews of the two But what model should I choose?

I’m just a newbie still learning and are looking for a workstation that has good sounds, arps, easy to use sequencer etc.

What of these two models will give me most for the money (about USD 800)?

Any suggestions and hints is highly appreciated.

Thank you!

Best regards,
Lars

Welcome to the forum.

A bit more information might help us advise you.
How do you expect to use the synth? Will you…
- use it standalone or with a DAW?
- want to add a lot of new samples?
- gig with it (perhaps eventually)?

Tell us anything else that might relate to your anticipated usage.

Thank you @5pinDIN!

The synth will probably just be used at home for playing and composing.

I bought a MX49 by mistake as I thought of bringing this small light board to work with me (navigator on commercial ships) but too few keys and miss the possibility of sequencing (not gotten to much into DAWs yet...).

So…
- It will be used as a stand alone for quite a while until I find out that i will get more into the “DAW world” :D
- I believe these machines is pretty loaded with sounds, arps etc so I will not be into adding samples for a few years.
- It will only be used at home as i believe a 61 key board will be too large for me to bring to work anyway.

I’m not very experienced. Have some moderate piano skills (after a lot of sweat of converting from playing Yamaha organs in the youth - still have a hard time forgiving my parents! :D )

What I’m looking for is a workstation that is quite easy to understand and can handle sequencing in a good way and I am on a budget so would like to get most for the bucks.

Been reading a lot and looking at reviews and have narrowed it down do these two models (I might be totally wrong...).
Can get a new in the box MOXF6 for USD800 incl shipping/taxes and an “as new” fully refurbished XS6 with gig bag for USD1000 incl shipping/taxes.
Maybe a Motif6 or 7 would do it for me as well? A Motif6 goes for around USD230 here these days…

Thanks a lot for any suggestions :-)

Best regards,
Lars

OK, from your reply it seems that the lower weight of the MOXF wouldn’t be an advantage for you.

The XS has a higher quality keybed than the MOXF, and many people like the feel of it better than that of the MOXF. The XS also has aftertouch.

The XS has a larger display than the MOXF, and it’s color versus monochrome, which can make it easier to navigate than the MOXF one. That could be important if not using a DAW.

I wouldn’t necessarily consider the XS or MOXF (or any other of the Motif family) “easy to understand”. Basic operation isn’t difficult, but these synths are “deep”, and some of the more sophisticated features may not be immediately obvious. Of course, we can help with questions you may have.

Sequencing is fairly straightforward, and Direct Performance Record can get a Song/Pattern started with minimal effort.

The MOXF, being newer than the XS, has more Waveforms and Arps…
Arps - XS=6,633 MOXF=7,981
Waveforms - XS=2,670 MOXF=3,977

The MOXF has one more bank of Normal Voices than the XS (9 versus 8).

The XS has three banks of 128 Performances each, 384 in total. The MOXF has two Performance banks, 256 total.

As to adding samples (which you might later find useful)…
The XS has a sampler, and up to 1GB of optional volatile sample memory can be installed. The MOXF has no sampler, although up to 2GB of optional non-volatile memory can be installed for storing samples from external sources.

Those are some of the distinct differences between the two models. There are other, more subtle ones. I hope that helps. If you have more questions, just ask.

helminsen - 13 February 2019 03:19 AM

Hello,
I am new to this forum and Yamaha synths.
Currently I own a MX49 but are just into upgrading, and have a dilemma now in choosing the right model.

I’m standing between a new MOXF6 and a fully refurbished (as new) Motif XS6…
Almost identical price (about USD800).
Have read a lot and looked at reviews of the two But what model should I choose?

I’m just a newbie still learning and are looking for a workstation that has good sounds, arps, easy to use sequencer etc.

What of these two models will give me most for the money (about USD 800)?

Any suggestions and hints is highly appreciated.

Thank you!

Best regards,
Lars

If you have the money., Get them both! (while you still can) :)

5pinDIN - 13 February 2019 12:36 PM

OK, from your reply it seems that the lower weight of the MOXF wouldn’t be an advantage for you.

The XS has a higher quality keybed than the MOXF, and many people like the feel of it better than that of the MOXF. The XS also has aftertouch.

The XS has a larger display than the MOXF, and it’s color versus monochrome, which can make it easier to navigate than the MOXF one. That could be important if not using a DAW.

I wouldn’t necessarily consider the XS or MOXF (or any other of the Motif family) “easy to understand”. Basic operation isn’t difficult, but these synths are “deep”, and some of the more sophisticated features may not be immediately obvious. Of course, we can help with questions you may have.

Sequencing is fairly straightforward, and Direct Performance Record can get a Song/Pattern started with minimal effort.

The MOXF, being newer than the XS, has more Waveforms and Arps…
Arps - XS=6,633 MOXF=7,981
Waveforms - XS=2,670 MOXF=3,977

The MOXF has one more bank of Normal Voices than the XS (9 versus 8).

The XS has three banks of 128 Performances each, 384 in total. The MOXF has two Performance banks, 256 total.

As to adding samples (which you might later find useful)…
The XS has a sampler, and up to 1GB of optional volatile sample memory can be installed. The MOXF has no sampler, although up to 2GB of optional non-volatile memory can be installed for storing samples from external sources.

Those are some of the distinct differences between the two models. There are other, more subtle ones. I hope that helps. If you have more questions, just ask.

Thank you very much for this detailed info on the two models @5pinDIN!

I still think it is difficult to decide but I maybe lean towards the XS after this…

Thanks,
Lars