Hi!  I just bought a motif es6 yesterday, and I’m trying to figure out if it has an auto accompaniment feature, where you can play chords in the left hand, and get rhythm, bass, or other types of accompaniment.  Im.used to yamaha psr and dgx keyboards that have easy auto accompaniment options, but when I go to the pattern button on the sequencer, I just get rhythm, but no voices accompanying me.  Next to the name of the pattern there is a “C”, so I’m thinking there must be a way to change chords and such, but my entire keyboard is only playing single notes from the voice I have selected.  Does anyone know if the es6 supports auto accompaniment, and if it doesn’t, might there be a newer motif keyboard that supports it?  Thanks much.

Hi,

I’m afraid none of the Motif series workstations have auto accompaniment; at least not the way you know it from the DGX-, PSR- or Tyros/Genos ranges of arranger keyboards.

The patterns you refer to are related to the built-in sequencer, which is the multi-track recording tool found on all Motif keyboards (not the rack versions). With the sequencer in Pattern mode, those phrases are literally used as building blocks, to quickly chain together longer tracks and songs in step time. It is of course possible to play along with the sequencer, but you’d have to prepare or load the song beforehand.

With the Motif series, the arpeggiator function is the closest you get to an auto accompaniment that can be controlled in real-time, with some degree of chord recognition depending on the arpeggio type. However, the arpeggiator only plays the selected voice, rather than an assortment of additional backing voices. In Performance mode, you can use it to control up to 4 voices, but there are no amenities like pre-defined intros, fills, endings, etc.

On the ES, up to 5 arpeggios (often referred to as Arp patterns) can be assigned to a Voice/Performance program, and you can switch between them using the [SF1]-[SF5] buttons while playing. Arpeggios can have different trigger modes, key ranges, tempo, etc., and can be manipulated using the assignable knobs. You can also create and store your own arpeggios from sequenced tracks and patterns using the “Put Track to Arpeggio” job in the sequencer.

The later XS and XF models made a couple of improvements to the arpeggiator, but they are still a far cry from the one-man-band auto accompaniments and styles you find in arranger keyboards. For a more detailed description of the arpeggiator function, please read here.

- H -