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Yamaha MODX


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Tonights my MODX8s maiden voyage and while the gig hasnt started yet, I can already say that the positioning of the volume knob is sub-optimal in a two-tier setup.

 

I like to have the top-tier board pretty close to the bottom-tier, but now I had to raise it by ~2 just to be able to get to the volume knob of the MODX. Even so, the knob is still outside my normal line of sight, and the other two knobs (AD in/USB in) get in the way, too.

 

Operating the touch display also requires the top board to be higher up. Well see how it goes tonight.

 

Another thing, like the MX88, the MODX8 seems to have lower output than the Krome. I dont remember that from my Nord or Fantom. Is that a Yamaha thing then?

 

 

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Well I finally received my Fedex tracking number and it should be here Wednesday.

 

I am also concerned about the location of the volume knob with my setup. I use a 3 tier Stay keyboard stand with the boards very close together. I may end up residing to using a volume pedal. I dont believe I can deal with reaching under the middle board. I already have to do that for the middle board for the same reason.

 

Not sure about the screen yet. Maybe I can pull the keyboard a bit forward to have visibility. We will see on Wednesday.

Montage 7, Mojo 61, PC-3, XK-3c Pro, Kronos 88, Hammond SK-1, Motif XF- 7, Hammond SK-2, Roland FR-1, FR-18, Hammond B3 - Blond, Hammond BV -Cherry
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Second test drive at GC tonight. The MODX8 was set up with a stereo set of near fields (Yamahas I believe).

 

One of the first things I did was disconnect one of the audio outs to one of the speakers so that I could audition it in mono, as I've decided a long time ago to play my live gigs in mono. WoW!!! The liveliness of the patches was sucked right out. In stereo, all the patches (I'm most interested in acoustic and electric pianos) have this wonderful depth about them. In mono, the sounds are one dimensional and no better sounding to me than the MOXF 8 I recently sold. Hmmmmm. Makes the board less interesting to me.

 

Still, it's a wonderful board with all the Yamaha bread and butter sounds and the DX stuff is just pristine sounding (if you're into that). Overall, it's a very nice board, and a fairly big sonic step up from the MOFX.

Gear: Yamaha MODX8, Mojo 61, NS2 73, C. Bechstein baby grand.

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Yes Commack store, they have a MODX 6 out when you walk into the keyboard dept, and the MODX 8 in the back room behind the Montage..all with powered monitors Bobby

Just tried a MODX 8 at GC...

Commack store?

 CP-50, YC 73,  FP-80, PX5-S, NE-5d61, Kurzweil SP6, XK-3, CX-3, Hammond XK-3, Yamaha YUX Upright, '66 B3/Leslie 145/122

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I really didn't rate the pianos/EPs in the FA-07 either, compared to Nord.
I agree, Nord's got the better pianos/EPs (and organ).

 

I thought the FA was just average at a lot of things and ultimately unsatisfying as a one-board solution.
Understandable. Apart from a handful of SuperNatural ones, all of its stock acoustic instrument sounds are quite old at this point, and mostly unexceptional... though there are some gems in the slightly newer SRX-based expansions. And I agree, even some of its SN instruments (EPs, organ) aren't so impressive. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the SN piano either, but a lot of people do like it. (Roland's piano dynamics generally seem exaggerated to me... i.e. forte gets too bright relative to the quieter playing.) Anyway, to me, the FA is more about the feature set than the sounds... a lot of capability and decent interface/ergonomics in a lightweight, well-priced 76. And it's still a good board for many things, though I think its share will be reduced by pressure from the MODX7 on one side, and their own DS76 on the other.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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I had more issues with mono from my Motif classic than any other board I've owned, which admittedly isn't all that many. All the others just needed a bit of tweaking (pc3 leslie for example I reduce the stereo spread as it sounded like tremolo in mono)...but a lot of patches, especially synth, just hollowed completely out on the Motif. That is usually mostly the fault of the effects in my experience.
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a lot of patches, especially synth, just hollowed completely out on the Motif. That is usually mostly the fault of the effects in my experience.

That makes sense... synth sounds are typically mono, any stereo-ness comes from the fx (or by panning multiple mono sounds to different locations).

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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Another thing, like the MX88, the MODX8 seems to have lower output than the Krome. I dont remember that from my Nord or Fantom. Is that a Yamaha thing then?

 

 

Yes! This has been my experience since the Motif XS. And it seems like its been getting weaker with every board after that. I used to get a kick out of hearing the explanation from Yamaha reps on why musically it was "correct", in an incorrect world! :cool:

 

They must be listening to the complaints tho, because I notice that there's now a +12db gain setting on the output. Its 0 by default, so you have to set it. Yay, no more "can you give me more signal?" from the sound guys!

 

 

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a lot of patches, especially synth, just hollowed completely out on the Motif. That is usually mostly the fault of the effects in my experience.

That makes sense... synth sounds are typically mono, any stereo-ness comes from the fx (or by panning multiple mono sounds to different locations).

 

On my MOXF I have edited a number of sounds to use mono elements, and mono fx (when avail), to remedy this a bit. It really helped the piano sounds, but they're never as good as you get with the stereo-in-the-headphones sounds...

 

 

 

 

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Looking at MODX prices in comparison to MOXF (at launch):

 

MOXF6 $1499 list $1199 street

MOXF8 $1999 list $1699 street

 

MODX6 $1649 list $1299 street

MODX8 $2399 list $1899 street

 

and i saw a new moxf8 selling for 1299$ at a GC in detroit area

-Greg

Motif XS8, MOXF8, Hammond XK1c, Vent

Rhodes Mark II 88 suitcase, Yamaha P255

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a lot of patches, especially synth, just hollowed completely out on the Motif. That is usually mostly the fault of the effects in my experience.

That makes sense... synth sounds are typically mono, any stereo-ness comes from the fx (or by panning multiple mono sounds to different locations).

 

I can confirm this, and it is definitely due to stereo fx, but also can be attributed to the Voice Elements for synths, strings, and some pianos being panned left or right to some degree.

 

When I'm editing User Voices on my MOXF or MOX, I always collapse everything to mono because that is how I use those boards. I leave everything in stereo for my XF8 as that is my home studio board.

 

It is really easy to edit Elements and FX with the Melas tools, but it is kind of a pain when you have to menu dive using the front screen. If you don't understand the Yamaha architecture, it can be extremely frustrating and time consuming.

 

Getting the Melas tools is huge IMO, as it makes everything more intuitive...

 

 

Studio: Motif XF8 / MacBook Pro / Apollo Twin X / M-Audio BX8a / Plug-ins

Live Rig A: Nord Stage 3 Compact 73 / Prophet Rev2 / Various FX pedals (Eventide, Strymon, Lounsberry, Neo Vent II)

Live Rig B: Yamaha MODX7 / Crumar D9-X / B3-X  (iPad)

Amp: MS KP-610s

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Anyone trying out molded hard cases for MODX7 yet? SW is recommending GTSA-KEY88SL. That seems like a ridiculously oversized recommendation to me so i asked if they actually tried it in cases. No - they so far dont have enough stock to test fit out on different cases.

 

(Need TSA case for air travel)

The baiting I do is purely for entertainment value. Please feel free to ignore it.
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a lot of patches, especially synth, just hollowed completely out on the Motif. That is usually mostly the fault of the effects in my experience.

That makes sense... synth sounds are typically mono, any stereo-ness comes from the fx (or by panning multiple mono sounds to different locations).

 

I can confirm this, and it is definitely due to stereo fx, but also can be attributed to the Voice Elements for synths, strings, and some pianos being panned left or right to some degree.

 

When I'm editing User Voices on my MOXF or MOX, I always collapse everything to mono because that is how I use those boards. I leave everything in stereo for my XF8 as that is my home studio board.

 

It is really easy to edit Elements and FX with the Melas tools, but it is kind of a pain when you have to menu dive using the front screen. If you don't understand the Yamaha architecture, it can be extremely frustrating and time consuming.

 

Getting the Melas tools is huge IMO, as it makes everything more intuitive...

 

 

Are you talking about this?

 

http://www.jmelas.gr/montage/products.php

 

I read about how you have to adjust 6 parameters per Element if you want to change the filter sound for the Element - sounds painful.

 

Is Melas' software suitable for FM-X patching too, or mainly edits/storage at the Performance level?

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Yeah, those tools are worth the money for the time they save you.

 

On the Motif series keyboards it depends on how you edit the filter cutoff and whether you want to adjust touch sensitivity, key tracking, etc. This is where it gets complicated as you can adjust the Voice's filter cutoff or each individual element's cutoff. However, if you import the edited Voice into Mix or Performance modes, some of the Voice edits don't carry over, so it gets confusing.

 

Once you get it though, the complexity pays off as it gives multiple ways to approach different musical/MIDI/production type issues.

 

The setup on the Montage and MODX is a lot easier to manage though, and John Melas has tools for both of those as well. Not sure about FM-X editing capability...

Studio: Motif XF8 / MacBook Pro / Apollo Twin X / M-Audio BX8a / Plug-ins

Live Rig A: Nord Stage 3 Compact 73 / Prophet Rev2 / Various FX pedals (Eventide, Strymon, Lounsberry, Neo Vent II)

Live Rig B: Yamaha MODX7 / Crumar D9-X / B3-X  (iPad)

Amp: MS KP-610s

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Thanks, was wondering if it's the same editor mentioned in Elektronauts:

 

There is an amazing software FMX Editor that the Yamaha engineers and sound designers use --not released to the public as it has features that will be later implemented in the hardware. Richard Devine programed his FMX presets with that editor .

 

Well, I guess the answer could be no, because of the phrase "not released to the public". Unless the other person doesn't know about Melas.

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"I read about how you have to adjust 6 parameters per Element if you want to change the filter sound for the Element - sounds painful."

 

Especially as each sound can have 8 elements!

 

The John Melas program packs cost 65, 85 or 125 euros for all programs. So if Kurzweil can give away a computer editor for free I would have thought Yamaha could afford to do the same - No?

 

 

 

 

 

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There is one, the Melas tools just blow everything else out of the water.

 

I don't know about Kurzweil, but the free Roland editor I used was about as good as the stock Yamaha one, but comparatively the entire suite of Melas tools (only for Yamaha) offer more in the way of managing workflow and also help to intuitively grasp the layout of the keyboard architecture.

Studio: Motif XF8 / MacBook Pro / Apollo Twin X / M-Audio BX8a / Plug-ins

Live Rig A: Nord Stage 3 Compact 73 / Prophet Rev2 / Various FX pedals (Eventide, Strymon, Lounsberry, Neo Vent II)

Live Rig B: Yamaha MODX7 / Crumar D9-X / B3-X  (iPad)

Amp: MS KP-610s

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Good to know its worth the asking price.

 

If I get a MODX I'm gonna fist rely on Bad Mister's wisdom to hip me to its architecture. That wizard been working for Yamaha since the original Motif came out.

 

...then I'll end up shelling out for the Melas tools. :/

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Good to know its worth the asking price.

 

If I get a MODX I'm gonna fist rely on Bad Mister's wisdom to hip me to its architecture. That wizard been working for Yamaha since the original Motif came out.

 

...then I'll end up shelling out for the Melas tools. :/

 

Havent seen any videos with him and the modx. Patiently waiting

-Greg

Motif XS8, MOXF8, Hammond XK1c, Vent

Rhodes Mark II 88 suitcase, Yamaha P255

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..............

Is Melas' software suitable for FM-X patching too, or mainly edits/storage at the Performance level?

 

Yep. You click on the number of the part and it opens the AWM Editor which allows direct editing of the eight AWM elements, and/or the FM editor (if it's an FM part) that allows direct editing of the eight FM-X operators.

 

http://i63.tinypic.com/260ap9s.jpg

 

http://i64.tinypic.com/2dbl06r.jpg

 

So you can do your sound and efx tweaks as well as common tweaks then back out of all of that them simply store it all to a new location (or over-write the existing).

 

The Melas tools are really a must-have imo.

There is no luck - luck is simply the confluence of circumstance and co-incidence...

 

Time is the final arbiter for all things

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I played the MODX8 today...They also had an MOXF8 and I like the newer action better.

I got a chance to play the MODX8 next to the DGX660 in a store (I mentioned earlier in the thread that I was surprised to think the DGX660 in the store felt better than my MOXF). They did not feel identical to me. I preferred the feel of the DGX, but of course, these things are subjective and someone might prefer the MODX. But to me the DGX felt a little lighter/quicker, a little "snappier" if you will. This was not due to different velocity curves or the presence of the vibrations of the built-in speakers, as I did this comparison with no sound. Though I would not say this necessarily means the actions are different... the MODX had just been on display for a matter of days, the DGX could have been there a year for all I know, and it could feel different after a lot of in-store playing. But while I didn't have the chance to compare them directly, the MODX8 did remind me of my MOXF8, more than the DGX did. If it's not the same, it at least seems pretty close to me. (But maybe some of us have experience with different feeling MOXF8s, who knows?)

 

IOne thing really annoys me: there's a huge amount of empty space (on the 88 key version) between the keys and the screen (and buttons / wheels). It's going to make the screen very difficult to see if I have a keyboard above it. Everything is pushed up and further away from the keys.

Yes, this bothered me too. There may well be a very good reason it had to be done this way, but regardless, I don't like how far away it will push a second tier board.

 

I had been trying to decide between a MODX8 and a MODX7 (with a small outside chance I might have considered getting both)... the combination of both of those things has put me firmly in the MODX7 camp. But I'll be really curious to see how piano plays from that semi-weighted action, to see whether I would ever consider using it as a "bottom" or solo board, or only as a top.

 

 

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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I picked the MODX8 because of the lighter GHS action, the ample space for a laptop (thanks again for that photo, Mogut) and the fact that the European price difference between the MODX7 and MODX8 is much less than in the US
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I picked the MODX8 because of the lighter GHS action, the ample space for a laptop (thanks again for that photo, Mogut) and the fact that the European price difference between the MODX7 and MODX8 is much less than in the US

 

wasnt me who posted any pic :idk

-Greg

Motif XS8, MOXF8, Hammond XK1c, Vent

Rhodes Mark II 88 suitcase, Yamaha P255

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I picked the MODX8 because of the lighter GHS action, the ample space for a laptop (thanks again for that photo, Mogut) and the fact that the European price difference between the MODX7 and MODX8 is much less than in the US

 

wasnt me who posted any pic :idk

True. I meant Sven Golly :cofee:

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I played the MODX8 today...They also had an MOXF8 and I like the newer action better.

I got a chance to play the MODX8 next to the DGX660 in a store (I mentioned earlier in the thread that I was surprised to think the DGX660 in the store felt better than my MOXF). They did not feel identical to me. I preferred the feel of the DGX, but of course, these things are subjective and someone might prefer the MODX. But to me the DGX felt a little lighter/quicker, a little "snappier" if you will. This was not due to different velocity curves or the presence of the vibrations of the built-in speakers, as I did this comparison with no sound. Though I would not say this necessarily means the actions are different... the MODX had just been on display for a matter of days, the DGX could have been there a year for all I know, and it could feel different after a lot of in-store playing. But while I didn't have the chance to compare them directly, the MODX8 did remind me of my MOXF8, more than the DGX did. If it's not the same, it at least seems pretty close to me. (But maybe some of us have experience with different feeling MOXF8s, who knows?)

 

IOne thing really annoys me: there's a huge amount of empty space (on the 88 key version) between the keys and the screen (and buttons / wheels). It's going to make the screen very difficult to see if I have a keyboard above it. Everything is pushed up and further away from the keys.

Yes, this bothered me too. There may well be a very good reason it had to be done this way, but regardless, I don't like how far away it will push a second tier board.

 

I had been trying to decide between a MODX8 and a MODX7 (with a small outside chance I might have considered getting both)... the combination of both of those things has put me firmly in the MODX7 camp. But I'll be really curious to see how piano plays from that semi-weighted action, to see whether I would ever consider using it as a "bottom" or solo board, or only as a top.

 

Scott.. I have been messing around with my MODX7 for a little over a week now. It took about 2 days before I had acclimitized to the action but now I'm good. I was unsatisfied with how the stock pianos played.. kinda bummed me out a bit. I contacted Wojtek Olszak and he sent me a link to his soundpack. The piano he created plays really well and to my liking. The velocity settings he used in different zones of the board made it much easier to play expressively on the synth action. I highly recomend getting his sound pack.. he did a great Mark V in there too.

Jay

www.soundcloud.com/high-diving-act

www.yournewneighbors.com

www.mclovinmusic.com

Nord Stage 3 Compact, Korg Krome EX, Novation Summit, Roland RD88 & Edge, Spectrasonic Keyscape

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My observations after the first weekend of gigs with MODX:

 

* The positioning of the volume knobs is an ergonomic fail. Whoever greenlighted that doesn't use a two-tier setup. To me, this is the instrument's largest flaw. Not only are they too far back, they are also too close together. Why on Earth they removed the excellent faders of the MOXF is beyond me.

 

* The low output has been remedied somewhat by the +6dB setting, but it's still not as hot as the Krome. Think I'll try the +12dB on the next gig. Makes you wonder if Yamaha uses -12dBFS as their nominal peak level? That makes sense, as it is practically gospel in engineering circles.

 

* The Bösendorfer sounded great in the studio, but got drowned out on the friday gig. Adjusting EQ (roll off LF) and reverb helped it shine on saturday. I really like this piano now, it is warm and bright at the same time. Normally, I need a natural and a bright piano patch in a band context, but the Bosie does both. Also, it has way more volume than the other AP's, somehow.

 

* When in doubt, there is all the old Motif stuff to get you through the gig! This is actually great if you need to hit the ground running.

 

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My observations after the first weekend of gigs with MODX:

 

* The positioning of the volume knobs is an ergonomic fail. Whoever greenlighted that doesn't use a two-tier setup. To me, this is the instrument's largest flaw. Not only are they too far back, they are also too close together. Why on Earth they removed the excellent faders of the MOXF is beyond me.

 

* The low output has been remedied somewhat by the +6dB setting, but it's still not as hot as the Krome. Think I'll try the +12dB on the next gig. Makes you wonder if Yamaha uses -12dBFS as their nominal peak level? That makes sense, as it is practically gospel in engineering circles.

 

* The Bösendorfer sounded great in the studio, but got drowned out on the friday gig. Adjusting EQ (roll off LF) and reverb helped it shine on saturday. I really like this piano now, it is warm and bright at the same time. Normally, I need a natural and a bright piano patch in a band context, but the Bosie does both. Also, it has way more volume than the other AP's, somehow.

 

* When in doubt, there is all the old Motif stuff to get you through the gig! This is actually great if you need to hit the ground running.

this is how Yammy locks me in ... lol. I'm a lazy part-ime gigger with an unrelated full time life. I'm about to pull the trigger ...

The baiting I do is purely for entertainment value. Please feel free to ignore it.
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