New Yamaha Motif XS

no

GregC

What!Nothing for Roland?

hang around for a week or 2

GregC

this just means yamaha have finaly got something with a larger screen to compete with roland and a huge price drop for yamaha motif es yea???

yep, the word is ' finally ' for Yamaha

they have been quite far behind in screen technology plus their menu navigation is awkward

And yes, there is a lot of speculation that the 'older' ES motifs will start to decline, especially used. For example, there are 9 on ebay. If that quantity doubles over the next few months, you can expect a price decrease in used.

GregC

So GregC, are you certain that there will be no Fantom successor, or are you just saying that it won't be called Fantom?

The reason I ask this question is because it seems that Roland has done what they typically do: release a flagship workstation ( in this case two, FX6 and V-synth) and then create a whole line of products derived from the technologies introduced in the original machine(s). They have every area covered from the pro market ( fantom, etc.) all the way down to the newbies (sh-201), so that's why I get the feeling something new is on the horizon. Of course I could be wrong, but with NAMM only a few weeks away, there's no harm in speculation.

BTW, is it just me or have all the Roland reps that visit this community (Mike A., Tonee, and Jim Stout) gone completely silent? They're all probably practicing their chops and getting ready to blow us all away again with new tech!! I think it's pretty obvious that I'm hyped for NAMM this year.

I have no clue what Roland will do NAMM 2007, I am guessing like other folks

I think the Fantom X is an excellent workstation(w/s). It was introduced almost 3 years ago. But other than the Oasys (which is not a fair comparison), I think the X series has outperformed the competition

So its not an easy call, it could be 2007 or 2008- it would be cool to see a W/s that handles multi gig samples, another synthesis method and is downward compatible with the X series.

GregC

I see what you mean. I've owned a Fx6 since '04 and I agree that, in a way,it's only competition at the moment is the OASYS. I also think that you make a good point about the next workstation having a new form of synthesis( I wouldn't mind analog modeling).Even a few features from the VC-2 vocal designer wouldn't be bad. I think it may be time for a new sound generator chip to replace the XV. However, that may not be a good idea because that would defeat the purpose of making it back-compatible with the FX.

Back on topic: As far as The Motif XS goes, I'll have to hear it for myself before I pass judgment on it. Spec-wise it seems like a major improvement (in some ways) over the ES. If Yamaha managed to improve the sounds and work flow, then it may be worth a closer look.

The XS is worth looking at specially its great guitar arpeggios that is if they have carried them onto this model from the es. I don’t think that this board is a threat to the fantom x and I will probably purchase a motif es as soon as the price drops, as I don’t think it is far behind the new motif xs. I am also waiting to see what Kurzweil are going to show this namm.

I completely forgot about Kurzweil re-entering the market..I wonder what they will bring to the table. The VA synth prototype they showed off a few years back looked as if it would've wiped the floor with all the others. I have heard a few vague rumors of a new addition to the K Series though.

yammie's modules were always difficult to program, and their manuals indecipherable. roland has had some poorly-translated manuals in the past, but as the former owner of an xp30, xv88, f-s, and currently owning an x8 and VK8, I'd have to say that not only have roland made it easier to understand the instrument right off the bat without reading the manual, their manuals are easier to use.

had to chuckle on the "check out ebay to see how many motifs are for sale". same thing happened to the triton a couple of years ago, then BAM, no real shelf-clearing releases from Korg. the oasys, if price cut in half, would be pretty interesting.

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Roland is definately coming out with something new at NAMM, I saw a teaser trailer over at http://www.rolandus.com the other day.

regards, Hugo