Felix_dup1 Posted December 29, 2001 Share Posted December 29, 2001 Forgive me if this question has already been beat to death in another thread - but I'm working towards making a decision between these two boards, and would appreciate opinions on these two boards. Any serious drawbacks, or serious advantages, to either? Please help me iron the bugs out of this decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbrock1san.rr.com Posted December 29, 2001 Share Posted December 29, 2001 The Motif is the best sample based synth I've ever played. I still think highly of the Triton but Yamaha raised the bar with their filters and multi-samples. You can buy the Motif and a Novation A-Station for the price of a Triton. [ 12-28-2001: Message edited by: SteveRB ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burningbusch Posted December 29, 2001 Share Posted December 29, 2001 NAMM is less than a month away. I'd wait till then to see if anything new/better is on the way. Busch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tenthplanet Posted December 29, 2001 Share Posted December 29, 2001 The Triton's and for that matter the Karma have a warmer sound then the Motif's. They sound less clinical. Yamaha nail acoustic instruments with a good sense of reality as in pianos. But I would rather have a Triton for ensemble sounds. If you can have only one I'd go with the Triton. Michael Q:What do you call a truck with nothing in the bed,nothing on the hitch, and room for more than three people in the cab? A:"A car".... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antonio7 Posted December 29, 2001 Share Posted December 29, 2001 Originally posted by tenthplanet: The Triton's and for that matter the Karma have a warmer sound then the Motif's. They sound less clinical. Yamaha nail acoustic instruments with a good sense of reality as in pianos. But I would rather have a Triton for ensemble sounds. If you can have only one I'd go with the Triton. Michael "If you can have only one I'd go with the Triton". So if Yamaha "Nail Acoustic Instruments", and Guitar, AND PIANO, why would one want to choose triton as there only keyboard? - since Piano is an essential part of a keyboard (goes without saying). even if the Triton is warmer etc, what happens when you want to do a Piano Ballad - on the Triton? Add A module thats what, A piano one of course. If I Wanted Warm Strings, i would buy a Motif then a JV1010 (for example), and these two combined wouldn't be much more than a Triton (£1699(ish) For Triton 61 key, £1399(ish) for Motif, £349 for JV1010 - all UK prices). Antonio [ 12-29-2001: Message edited by: Antonio7 ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tenthplanet Posted December 29, 2001 Share Posted December 29, 2001 Originally posted by Antonio7: "If you can have only one I'd go with the Triton". So if Yamaha "Nail Acoustic Instruments", and Guitar, AND PIANO, why would one want to choose triton as there only keyboard? - since Piano is an essential part of a keyboard (goes without saying). even if the Triton is warmer etc, what happens when you want to do a Piano Ballad - on the Triton? Add A module thats what, A piano one of course. If I Wanted Warm Strings, i would buy a Motif then a JV1010 (for example), and these two combined wouldn't be much more than a Triton (£1699(ish) For Triton 61 key, £1399(ish) for Motif, £349 for JV1010 - all UK prices). Antonio [ 12-29-2001: Message edited by: Antonio7 ] Reality can sound cold, coldness subtracts from emotion. It's a sound thing. One triton cover more bases in a sound sense than most synth's. I don't hate Yamahas, I actually like the s-30/80. But soundwise something is different in the Motif. But for one unit with no modules attached the Triton still sounds the best. And there is a new piano sample coming. Michael Q:What do you call a truck with nothing in the bed,nothing on the hitch, and room for more than three people in the cab? A:"A car".... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicaL Posted December 29, 2001 Share Posted December 29, 2001 It's a personal taste thing IMO. I like Yamaha sounds. They're clean, crisp, detailed and the ones I don't like are a few knob tweaks away from making them nice sounding to my ears. I have always struggled with the Korg patches. I am not a Triton expert, although I've played it at my local store on many occasions. My take on Korg sounds generally is that they are over processed with effects and if you take the effects out, the sounds are thin and flat. To me the Motif would be the way to go because if the sound palette is not there, nothing else will compesate for that. Albert Gear: Yamaha MODX8, Mojo 61, NS2 73, C. Bechstein baby grand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shiver Posted December 29, 2001 Share Posted December 29, 2001 Felix what kind of music are you doing? IMO, the Triton is better for pop, R&B,Techno,Ambient, anything that needs the "edges" smoothed off...if i was doing Hip Hop, Industrial, or looking for very realistic acoustic instruments, i would take the Motif. I find Korg's easier to get around in, but harder to squeeze out never-before-heard noises. The touch-screen with the Korg is great, the joystick thingy sucks. More real-time controls on the Motif, Recycle-like loop slicing is great for shifting tempos a bit....just my .50 cents worth. Shiver Rule #2: Don't sweat the petty stuff, and don't pet the sweaty stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felix_dup1 Posted December 31, 2001 Author Share Posted December 31, 2001 Thanks for the input! It's good to get some other opinions while I'm balancing my Brain and my Gut. Triton has in its favor - touch screen, fat sounds, MOSS option, ease of use, preferred keybed. MOTIF has in its favor - tons of waveform memory that result in TONS of great sounds. USB, SCSI standard. PLG-AN option, software patch editing, better integration of sampling, and a much more realistic price. I can't wait for NAMM announcements, as they are usually slow to ship and cost more than current product anyway. I'll be using this workstation for anything from straight-ahead piano ballads to electronica - and while I'm shying away from Yamaha's operating system (not historically user-friendly), I'm really impressed when I trust my ears. As a side note - does anyone else feel that sometimes the show-stopping sounds of a board such as the Triton, while show-stipping indeed, don't work as well in a mix as Yamaha-esque sounds? That Triton sounds are sometimes so fat that they fight each other in the mix? Not as evident when auditioning presets, but worth thinking about. Anyway, food for thought. I'm still welcoming more opinions - it's not every day that I get approval from the Boss (my wife) to make a purchase like this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted December 31, 2001 Share Posted December 31, 2001 Originally posted by Shiver: the joystick thingy sucks. The joystick controller is my favorite thing about the Korgs. I hate wheels. That is why I only have Korg and Roland keyboards. Originally posted by felix: As a side note - does anyone else feel that sometimes the show-stopping sounds of a board such as the Triton, while show-stipping indeed, don't work as well in a mix as Yamaha-esque sounds? That Triton sounds are sometimes so fat that they fight each other in the mix? Not as evident when auditioning presets, but worth thinking about. Yes. I don't do much with Yamaha but I use Roland. To me, Korg is great for the "one fat sound" that you can base a song on, but Roland sounds layer much better. If you have 20 parts going the Roland sounds seem to work better than Korg. This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colman75 Posted January 2, 2002 Share Posted January 2, 2002 Motif vs. Triton. hmmmmmmmm....the topic's been beaten to death, but no one seems to tire of it. I faced the same dilemna, and went with a Motif 7 about a month ago. It has exceeded all of my expectations! Both synths have great sounds, there's no denying, but IMO the Motif is at a higher level altogether. Here's why: 1. The Motif sampler features are more powerful. 2. The Motif arpeggiator is better, 3. IMO, the sounds are better, and sound way better in a mix. The acoustic pianos are the best I've ever heard, the guitars as well. Also, I find the more industial, edgy sounds much better on the Motif. 4.the Motif's realtime control features are better. 5.The Motif uses smartmedia cards rather than floppy. (Newer technology) My 64MB smartmedia card holds loads of .wav samples and midi data. Try that with a floppy. By using the file utility software that comes with the Motif, I can store, organize files, and edit samples as well. 6.The Motif's on line support is amazing, much better than either the Triton or Phantom. Check out the Motif's website, www.motifator.com. I have found the forums and support incredibly helpful. The Triton and Phantom, with their large displays, are definitely more user friendly and easier to get around, but the Motif's online support is far better. It really does come down to personal preference. People use these synths in many different contexts. Certain features are geared to certain tasks. If you can't decide, look at it this way. If you're wanting to take the keyboard home, plug in, and begin to use and understand the features immediately, don't have much patience, or don't like pouring through the manual, go with a Phantom or a Triton. However, if you don't mind putting in the time, and have the patience, the Motif will do handstands around the other two boards. That's my 2 cents worth.......Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colman75 Posted January 2, 2002 Share Posted January 2, 2002 Oh, I almost forgot. The Motif is hundreds of dollars cheaper. For the price of a Triton, you can go pick up a set of powered monitors and some cool sample CD's. Go for dinner as well and celebrate your new purchase!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted January 2, 2002 Share Posted January 2, 2002 I notice that some of the online stores are closing out the Motif. Is Yamaha already coming out with something new? This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tenthplanet Posted January 2, 2002 Share Posted January 2, 2002 Originally posted by Rabid: I notice that some of the online stores are closing out the Motif. Is Yamaha already coming out with something new? It might be the beginning of a shakeout. I'm finding on line dealers are not cheaper than stores and in some cases higher. The profit margin on the motif may not be that high and we do seem to be in a recession. Michael Q:What do you call a truck with nothing in the bed,nothing on the hitch, and room for more than three people in the cab? A:"A car".... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The T Dot Posted January 3, 2002 Share Posted January 3, 2002 I'm a Triton owner, and I played both boards extensively before I made my decision. You need to put in the time to learn as much as you can about both boards before you buy. I found Motif's pages harder to navigate and not very intuitive. It also took longer to find what I was looking for than it did on the Triton, but that doesn't mean that it has greater programming depth than the Triton. From what I've seen, Motif has really good support. But the end-user support for the Triton is incredible. Check out www.irishacts.com/support/triton.htm and just look at the software and user-contributed sounds available. There are software patch editing programs, as well as a program that lets you "audition" all of the Triton sounds stored on your computer without actually having to load them into the Triton. With the Triton you get the preset sounds, all these user-submitted banks, as well as the converted Karma and Triton LE programs and combinations. Korg also converted the Z1 banks into Triton MOSS format for us to download. There are online supplementary manuals, multisamples, templates, arp patterns etc.. it's endless. If you need any specific Triton questions answered, check out the forum at www.tapesh.com/triton I won't really comment on sound since it's too subjective, but IMO the Triton covers all bases very well. I think the Motif's major downfall is the effects section. 3 masters and only 2 insert fx is really limiting. For me the Triton was worth the extra money, but only YOU can decide. Go out and try both boards, but don't just play presets: dig into the features and edit some sounds, even lay down a sequence. You're making a major purchase, so take as much time as you need and don't let anyone rush you. hope this helps, Chris [ 01-02-2002: Message edited by: Chris100 ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan South Posted January 5, 2002 Share Posted January 5, 2002 Bottom line: choose the instrument whose SOUND is best for the music that you want to produce. Beware of picking a board because of features. The Triton's touchscreen is nice, and it doubles as an impressive display, but no one will EVER hear it on a record. The Triton's arpeggiator is f---ing brilliant, but if you don't need an arpeggiator, why bother? The Motif is reportedly very good for processing sampled loops. I never use loops - do you? I haven't played the Motif, so I'm unable to comment on the usefullness of its sound set. The Triton has a specific sound, very fat and punchy. I love it for drums, basses, synths, leads, pads, synth strings, and distorted guitars. The pianos and clean guitars are better for some applications than others. I don't care for the brass, woodwinds, or acoustic string instruments (violins) as much. I reach for a Roland when I need these sounds. The Triton tends to "sound" like a synthesizer, i.e., somewhat machine-like. That's neither good nor bad, I just mention it for reference. Tritons aren't as transparent as some other boards for acoustic emulations, but they're REALLY punchy when it counts. Triton pianos sound VERY nice when they're layered with another synth, especially a Roland (JV-1080 or XV-5080). I have Tritons, Rolands, and Kurzweils within easy reach. When I'm working out arrangements, 90% of the sounds that I select end up coming from the Tritons. They just sound better on my music (unless I'm working on orchestral arrangements - then it's Roland all the way). You may get very different results, because your musical needs are no doubt different than mine. Close your eyes and let your ears make the choice. [ 01-05-2002: Message edited by: Dan South ] The Black Knight always triumphs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.