zephonic Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 It's a solid instrument, consistent action and (unlike some Rolands) the levels of the sounds are fairly well matched. Sound quality is generally good (don't care much for the bass guitar sounds, though) and ergonomy is excellent... so why don't I love it? Like a lot of Yamaha stuff, you can't really criticize it, they are always good value for money, everything is where you expect it to be, but I am just not feeling it.I find the velocity response for the piano and ep sounds unsatisfying and it actually made me exaggerate the dynamics of what I really wanted to play. Like many other Yammies I've played: it's rigid. Not a matter of getting used to, played it for an entire day. I really want to love this keyboard, because it ticks all the boxes and I am really fed up with Roland, but I guess I'll have to wait until Yamaha comes with an instrument that is as responsive and engaging as the best of Roland and Korg. Or until Roland produces a keyboard that is as good as the S90 ES. local: Korg Nautilus 61 AT | Yamaha MODX8 away: GigPerformer | 16" MBP M1 Max home: Kawai RX-2 | Korg D1 | Roland Fantom X7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdman Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 Try the Motif XS. That's the latest incantation. The S90 ES is based on the Motif ES and they have moved along since then. The pianos in the XS are a significant improvement over the S90ES - I have not compared the EPs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delirium Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 I really want to love this keyboard, because it ticks all the boxes and I am really fed up with Roland, but I guess I'll have to wait until Yamaha comes with an instrument that is as responsive and engaging as the best of Roland and Korg. Or until Roland produces a keyboard that is as good as the S90 ES. you contradict yourself. ♫♫♫ motif XS6, RD700GX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delirium Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 The pianos in the XS are a significant improvement over the S90ES - I have not compared the EPs. nonsense, S90ES piano is still still the best, much better then stock XS piano. S90ES piano is offered as a bonus for XS buyers btw . XS piano is improvement to motif ES though. ♫♫♫ motif XS6, RD700GX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill H. Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 The velocity switching on the EPs is pretty severe for my tastes, but that's what voice edit is for. I've never run across a factory preset yet that I couldn't improve on. Just kidding. But only half. They set things up generically and it's up to the individual player to customize according to his or her own playing style and amplification system. On all Yamaha EPs I usually have the highest velocity layer set to switch at numbers over 124. Sometimes all the way up to 127. Way higher than the presets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prague Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 Are Yamaha and Roland the only keyboard manufacturers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zephonic Posted January 9, 2008 Author Share Posted January 9, 2008 Are Yamaha and Roland the only keyboard manufacturers? Nah, there's still Korg and Kurz (Alesis not really up there and Nord not all-round enough). Both are good, but I can't get with Korg's piano (although the SP250 is not bad at all) and I haven't heard the PC3X yet. local: Korg Nautilus 61 AT | Yamaha MODX8 away: GigPerformer | 16" MBP M1 Max home: Kawai RX-2 | Korg D1 | Roland Fantom X7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zephonic Posted January 9, 2008 Author Share Posted January 9, 2008 I really want to love this keyboard, because it ticks all the boxes and I am really fed up with Roland, but I guess I'll have to wait until Yamaha comes with an instrument that is as responsive and engaging as the best of Roland and Korg. Or until Roland produces a keyboard that is as good as the S90 ES. you contradict yourself. Guess I should have said: spec-wise it ticks all the boxes, for those who didn't get it right away. And btw, is that a Yammie piano burning in your avatar? :-) local: Korg Nautilus 61 AT | Yamaha MODX8 away: GigPerformer | 16" MBP M1 Max home: Kawai RX-2 | Korg D1 | Roland Fantom X7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverDragonSoun Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 The pianos in the XS are a significant improvement over the S90ES - I have not compared the EPs. nonsense, S90ES piano is still still the best, much better then stock XS piano. S90ES piano is offered as a bonus for XS buyers btw . XS piano is improvement to motif ES though. Actually you may find a lot more people think the XS's pianos are better than the S90Es than you think. I was surprised myself at how many people prefer the XS over the S90ES. Begin the day with a friendly voice A companion, unobtrusive - Rush Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delirium Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 Actually you may find a lot more people think the XS's pianos are better than the S90Es than you think. I was surprised myself at how many people prefer the XS over the S90ES. I heard the opposite, mostly on motifator forum. I play everyday on both and I can tell you XS piano is not S90ES quality, although it's very good. ♫♫♫ motif XS6, RD700GX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jook Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 Are Yamaha and Roland the only keyboard manufacturers? Nah, there's still Korg and Kurz (Alesis not really up there and Nord not all-round enough). Both are good, but I can't get with Korg's piano (although the SP250 is not bad at all) and I haven't heard the PC3X yet. Tried a GEM Promega 3 yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverDragonSoun Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Actually you may find a lot more people think the XS's pianos are better than the S90Es than you think. I was surprised myself at how many people prefer the XS over the S90ES. I heard the opposite, mostly on motifator forum. I play everyday on both and I can tell you XS piano is not S90ES quality, although it's very good. I'm going by what people are saying in studio and what I'm hearing almost every day at the local Guitar Center. Most of the time I give people the option of both and they are choosing the XS sound about 90% of the time. In the end it doesn't really matter as you said both are very good and it isn't a very noticeable difference in terms of quality. I just think the subtle nuisances of what people expect to hear in a piano sound come into play. My personal opinion is that both are suited better in different situations and mixes. Alot depends upon what type of project I am doing. One of my favorite games to play at GC ( my good friend is a manager so I can pull this stuff when it isn't busy) I play the guess the piano sound game. I ask people which piano sound they like the best I pick one and then play about 4 or 5 different piano sounds without people looking. I am amazed at how often people pick the wrong one. Begin the day with a friendly voice A companion, unobtrusive - Rush Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdman Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Actually you may find a lot more people think the XS's pianos are better than the S90Es than you think. I was surprised myself at how many people prefer the XS over the S90ES. I heard the opposite, mostly on motifator forum. I play everyday on both and I can tell you XS piano is not S90ES quality, although it's very good. It may depend on what you are looking for. I am mainly judging on the basis of level of artifacts - I hear fewer digital artifacts on the XS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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