I know I'm picky but although the Motif ES is a great synthesizer there are a few important shortcomings IMO. First is the LCD screen. Tooooooooo smmaaalllllllll! Notice Athan is wearing glasses. They look like pretty thick ones at that. I suppose he needs them for viewing that tiny lcd screen.
If he were to use eye 'contacts' he wouldn't be able to see as well, hence the glasses IMO. Then there is the Mega Voices. Although better than the Tyros Mega Voices in that you can actually play them, it seems you will need expertise to do so and it will most likely take hours and hours of practice to Master them. Hours better spent doing other things IMO. Then there is also the Phrase Factory thing. Yes, you can arpeggiate the Voices and the Motif ES recognizes Chord Changes but ONLY in Root position. NO inversions are recognized. Try telling your Band leader that you can't play an inverted arpeggiated Chord sound and see his reaction and response. Inversions are a MUST for realtime Live playing IMO if and when you Arp. The only consolation might be that Yamaha gives their customers an OS update so the Motif ES will recognize chord "inversions" as well. And the other major drawback is it's not an Arranger!
Although it is getting closer to it. The Motif ES will be a great tool for the Studio and for Live play in "Voice Mode" but the Performance Mode is lacking when you want to use the Arp phrasing doohickey with inverted chords all in realtime.
The sounds are breath taking. The guitars are absolutely marvelous. The Grand Piano is something to write home about, and more!
The Brass and Strings are fantastic. But there is that downside I was talking about. Will the pluses outweigh the negatives? I am sure there are people who say they will. Me? Well, like I said; I'm picky.
But I will definitely demo it and reserve my final judgement and decision until then.
Hurry up November, will ya!
Best regards,
Mike
[This message has been edited by Idatrod (edited 08-13-2003).]
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