Yamaha MOTIF XS8 88-Key Workstation

The problem with most keyboard workstations? They feel like work stations! But making music shouldn't feel like a chore, and a keyboard workstation shouldn't feel like a cumbersome implement. Your keyboard should feel like an instrument of musical inspiration. The Yamaha Motif XS8 is such an instrument, sure to become the core of your studio or stage rig and the centerpiece of your creative process.

The successful keyboard workstation must excel as both an integral component in a professional studio and as an expressive digital instrument on stage. With impressive ease of use, intimate feel, and amazing sounds, the Motif XS8 is the right instrument for both environments.

Ease Of Use
Power is useless unless it's easily accessible; both in setup and in operation, the powerful Motif XS8 is a walk in the park. The eight layers of simultaneous playback are represented as eight physical sliders and knobs along the left side of the control panel. They offer instant mixing access, or reassign them to tweak effects, EQ, or any other aspect of your sound. As you change parameters, all adjustments are displayed graphically on the Motif's luxurious 5.7-inch backlit LCD screen. This 320 x 240 resolution, full-color display makes even the most complex and advanced functions on the Motif simple to access. It also makes composing in the workstation's 32-track sequencer a blast. Transport controls and other sequencer functions are clearly labeled and cleverly positioned, making the Motif XS8 an intuitive songwriting and sound designing tool. Dedicated buttons activate the effects modules and arpeggiator; two incredible functions that wouldn't be so fun if you had to wade through menu after menu to get to them. The Yamaha Motif is also easy to set up as the cornerstone of your studio. USB and dual FireWire ports allow the Motif to integrate seamlessly with your computer recording rig; use the keyboard like a plugin with your favorite DAW, as a MIDI controller to trigger software instruments, or even as a control surface, triggering record and playback functions remotely. Computer connectivity also means easy access to Motif voice-patch editing, via the free MOTIF XS Editor software.

Intimate Feel
Aside from its sequencing and arranging functions, the Yamaha Motif XS8 is a stunningly expressive instrument. Its 88 semi-weighted, "Balanced Hammer" keys give the feel of a real, mechanical piano without having to worry about keeping the tuner's business card on file. The keys are responsive to attack velocity, aftertouch and key-off actions, adding lifelike articulation to the uncanny acoustic piano voices. For added expression, the Motif features a set of Expanded Articulation voices, emulations of stringed instruments like acoustic guitar, and woodwinds like saxophone that add glissando, fret noise, reed bends, muted notes, and trills. These articulations are easily accessible using either the dedicated "XA" buttons or by assigning those functions to foot pedals. Four pedals--two sustain style and two footswitch style--can be connected to the Motif for hands-free control over stylized playing techniques. The Motif XS also makes for an unbeatable digital grand piano, supporting half-damper functions when you add a Yamaha FC3 sustain pedal. This brings an additional level of realism and expression to your acoustic piano patches. The pitch bend and mod wheels offer just enough resistance for musical operation, and a premium ribbon-controller provides yet another dimension of expressive instrument interaction. The Yamaha Motif feels like a real acoustic instrument, and it's sure to inspire authentic performances from you or anyone in your studio.

Amazing Sounds
The real test for any workstation, whether it's your main touring instrument or the core of your production studio, is how good it sounds. The Yamaha Motif XS8 sounds second-to-none. Thanks to the implementation of the AWM2 processor and a sound bank totaling 355MB, the Motif is capable of amazingly nuanced instrument voices. Some instruments have up to eight layers of samples for each note, delivering complex attack, sustain, and decay behavior. The eight sliders can be used to instantly drop out or highlight each element in real time; providing sophisticated expression and unparalleled on-the-fly sound sculpting for playability that's impossible with the real instruments it's modeling. The XS8 includes hundreds and hundreds of voices, from acoustic and electric pianos and organs, to guitars and basses, acoustic and electronic drum kits, single woodwinds and brass sections, string instruments, and full orchestras. Then of course there's the unreal synthesizer sounds: thick, cutting, warm, intense, and infinitely adjustable. There's literally no style or genre of music the Yamaha Motif can't tackle. There's even a vintage vocoder emulation, a must have for today's cutting-edge producers.

And let's talk about effects: the Motif XS8's effects engine doesn't just model the sound of classic stompbox and rack effects, it uses Virtual Circuitry Modeling to emulate the individual transistors and capacitors that make up those effects' character. Whatever source voice you use, it'll be like you're running it through a real, vintage flanger, wah-wah, reverb, envelope follower, or distortion. It isn't just the resultant sound that's mimicked, it's the intrinsic behavior of the circuit that's accurately recreated.

If pure sampling is your thing, the Motif XS can do that too. Using the workstation's built-in analog input, you can sample any sound, from an audio recording to your own guitar playing or voice. An automatic Slicer function splits your recorded loops into individual notes for rearranging and pitch-stable tempo adjustments. The Motif XS8 can support up to 1 GB of sampling memory, plenty of room for multiple sample sets for multiple songs or projects. Layer various sample elements in one instrument, and add effects into the patch like any other voice on the workstation. An advanced arpeggiator is also a single button-press away, and its over 6,000 arpeggio patterns are sure to inspire new grooves and new song ideas. When the arpeggiator is combined with one of the Motif's "Mega Voices," subtle playing nuances like guitar hammer-ons and pull-offs are triggered. It's like handing the world's greatest guitarist your sheet music and having them play the part perfectly, instantly. It's not hard to see where the XS8's arpeggiator will come in handy in every aspect of the creative process, from initial creative spark all the way to recording and performing. All sound is reproduced in high-definition thanks to the Motif's 24-bit, 128x oversampling digital-to-analog output converters. The benefits of the Motif's audio quality in performance and production are obvious, but it will also have an impact on your creative process; think how much richer and complete your compositions will be when you're able to write with an entire orchestra at your fingertips. It's like having a team of crack session players at your beck and call.

Every step of the way, from moment of inspiration, through production, to performance, the Yamaha Motif XS8 will make you, simply, better. Arrangement tools to make you a better songwriter, extraordinary instruments to make you a better producer, and expressive feel to make you a better performer. Once you experience the full power of the Motif XS8, you'll wonder how you got by without it.

SPECS

Sounds
Tone Generator: AWM2 with Expanded Articulation

Polyphony: 128 notes

Multi-timbral capacity: 16 Parts (internal)

Wave ROM: 355MB (when converted to 16-bit linear format)

Voices:
1,024 Preset (64 drumkits)
128 General MIDI (1 drumkit)
128 x 3 User

Performances: 128 x 3

Master Memories: 128 User (8 Zones available)

Effects:
Reverb (9 types)
Chorus (22 types)
Insertion (A, B, L) x 53 types x 8 blocks

Master Effect: x 9 types, Master EQ (5 bands), Part EQ (3 band stereo)

Sampling
Samples: Up to 1,024 waveforms (multi-samples)

Sources: Analog input L/R, stereo out (resampling)

A/D Conversion: 24-bit, 64x oversampling

D/A Conversion: 24-bit, 128x oversampling

Sample Data Bits: 16

Sampling Frequency: 44.1kHz, 22.05kHz, 11.025kHz, 5.5125kHz (Stereo/Mono)

Sampling Memory: (Optional) Up to 1GB (512MB DIMM x 2 slots) can be used.

Sample Length Mono: 32 MB

Sample Length Stereo: 64 MB

Sampling Time: 44.1kHz: 6 min. 20 sec. 22.05kHz: 12 min. 40 sec. 11.025kHz: 25 min. 20 sec. 5.0125kHz: 55 min. 40 sec.

Sample Format: Original format, WAV, AIFF

Sequencer
Pattern (looping): 64 Patterns (x 16 Sections)

Song (linear): 64

Phrases: 256 per Pattern

Note Capacity: Approx. 130,000 notes

Mixing Templates: 32 for all Songs and Patterns

Note Resolution: 480 ppqn

Recording: Real-time replace/overdub, punch-in

Tracks: 16 Phrase Tracks, 16 sequence tracks (in Song mode)

Formats Recognized: Original, SMF

Arpeggiator
Preset Arpeggios: 6000 (approx.)

User Arpeggios: 256

Controllers
Pitch Bend wheel

Mod wheel

Ribbon Controller

Assignable Control Sliders x 8