George,,

What are the principal differences in sound as far as the Yamaha 9000 Pro and the Motif are concerned?. Is the Piano the *same* sample on both? - Or do they have characteristics of there own?. Are the Keys on the 9000/motif about the same on the 76 note versions (to feel that is)?. Also, since you say the actual ROM is 48 MB (no small number), why are there fewer sounds on the Motif? (better sounds with more memory allocated to them???) - And does the Motif have the excellent Sweet/ soloist sounds that the 9000 has? i know the Yamaha 9000 is an Arranger, but I feel they would be kind of similar somehow. Strings for example: better on Yamaha or motif?

I like Arranger keyboards, but not too bothered about flashy patterns that seem to do it all for you. I am willing to "work" to get my own sound, but would like some excellent sounds to start with anyway. Also, the Triton (76 key) would be on my shopping list if it weren't for the dreadful piano people talk about (Triton owners themselves admit that.). It is a "76 Key", Keyboard that I want, but the Piano ****must**** be very good. (And strings/Pads etc). When I say Strings/Pads etc - I mean that they should be very good (good enough not to want a sound module like a Roland XV3080 after a month of being bored with the internal sounds. Also, what speakers (less than $150) would you recommend? (Whichever keyboard i went for out of these two?) Would speakers that are just for home use do well for the Motif - and the Yamaha 9000 (all I would want is a kind of "Virtual" 76 note keyboard with Speakers, so the external speakers would have to be about as good as those on the PSR9000 - For example)

Sorry for many questions .


Andrew



[This message has been edited by Nimrod (edited 07-01-2001).]

Andrew,
The 76 Motif is probably perfect for you! The pianos (more than 1 actual piano) is superb! The keyboard is exactly the same as the 9000pro. It was made from the original DX7 keyboard and then used on the SY99 and the EX5. The reason the sounds are so good is because with 48 MB's you can really sample the sounds with the most amount of authenticity. Because you can multi sample and multi layer, you get the best possible sounds this way. The sweet and solo sounds from the 9000pro have been added as well as many new samples never heard on a Yamaha before. If you like great pianos, pads, strings, this machine will not dissapoint you. Even if you didn't use the 16 track pattern sequencer ( which allows you to loop record up to either 128 or 256 (I can't remember exactly) measures and then chain these patterns together into the 16 track linear sequencer with over 120,000 note memory, this machine is worth the price just for the sounds. If you don't need the sampler, you would also enjoy having this keyboard just for the sounds.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California

Thanks George for your swift reply.

I have now, in fact, downloaded the Manual for it (MOTIF) Acrobat format, and the 300 pages that it contains will be good reading!. It was the sampler that attracted me to it in the first place, as I "Could" make do without the dedicated samplers - if this one proved to be good - and it does seem good (re-sampling etc). But how does the Sampler compare to a "real one"? (Akai/Emu/Yamaha etc) -I wonder!. The SCSI on the back of the Motif gives me the idea that you can load sample CD's in. Right? - if you can do this, and map them out like a normal Akai/Yamaha/Emu sampler etc, then it is well worth its price, if the sounds are "very good" that is!

I suppose with today’s technology - and keyboards at that, we SHOULD expect Piano's to sound like Piano's, and Oboes like oboes etc. I know lots of memory are required for these individual sounds, but i would rather start off with Good (very good) sounds, and then add "very good" sounds to the already Very good sounds that are on this keyboard!. It is year 2001 now, and I remember the Yamaha SY85 when it came out, and that was superb in its day. Maybe we "can't" have a great Keyboard "all-in-one" But then again...why not? - The Motif seems to offer this, with the option to add harmonizer by cards etc. The Roland VA7 is good - but I gather it stops at 48 MB (IE: NON expandable), and in a year or two from now, 48 MB will seem low.

I don't always like the word "Multi layering" etc, when we have only 62 notes poly, in the case of the Motif (the Yamaha 9000 Pro has 126 notes remember George, and that is what leaned me to the Pro slightly) I think you can increase this with cards, but that adds to the price (not sure how much these cards are by the way).

I say this. An arranger keyboard need not be one that is full of auto accompaniments etc, and loads of backings. Nope. We can use a keyboard with a Sequencer in it, and use that to "ARRANGE" our songs with, and then store them for playback. Maybe it is not so easy to do on the Yamaha Motif - but if the end result is justified by the work put in - to get "That sound" then I am prepared to work for it. If this Motif can load in Sample CD's, then it may be the one for me. (How would external samples affect the Polyphony on this Motif I wonder? The fact that they are very low priced (compared), makes me wonder how they get (Almost, it seems) a "fully fledged" sampler in there as well!

Andrew



[This message has been edited by Nimrod (edited 07-01-2001).]