rodroddy Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 I will be gigging some but mostly home recording... so the way i see it, The P250 would be better on the gigs but for as little as i will be gigging i think i would utilize the ES8 more...but i am not sure what the motif feels like, there is not one in town to try and yes there are computers on the web!!! Rod Roddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT156 Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 I was faced with that same decision a few months ago. I decided to get the ES8 because it's a workstation class board, rather than a digital piano. If you're looking for a no compromise digital piano, the P250 fills that very well. Everything else the ES8 does more than justifies the additional cost. Actually, I only paid a little bit more for the ES8 than a P250, so that decided for me. The P250 has a 4th piano sample that gives you "sympathetic string resonance", similar to a real piano, the ES8 does not. You will get slightly more piano sustain out of the P250 than the ES8, but they are the same samples. The piano sustain on the ES8 is certainly long enough. The P250 DSP is specifically designed to be a GREAT piano first, everything else is a bonus. The P250 is good for live performance, but it's HEAVY. The Motif ES8 doesn't have speakers and an amp built in and is somewhat lighter. If you have a sound system or KB amp, the Motif ES might serve you better. Once you're use to operating the ES8, its fine for live performance. You can save your favorite patches to the "Favorite" section for quick patch changes between songs, although the P250 would allow you to hit one button and change your sound quicker during a song. You can also select from a bank of the same type instruments on the ES8 for a different patch during a song, but if you want to change from say piano to strings, it would require more than one button press to get there. For me the ES8 is a better value and can do EVERYTHING. Sampler, Sequencer, GREAT sounds, Smartmedia card slots for buying additional sound libraries, good drums.....the list goes on. Determine what's the most important thing you need and then decide. By the way, I bought my ES8 sight unseen. I listened to media clips on the Internet, read this forum and others as to the quality of the ES8, and ordered it. Great action, great sounds, expandable, and it's a Yamaha. Mike T. Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Horne Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 I own a P250 and while it would be great to say that the fourth sample (resonance) is a plus, in actual use, you _never_ hear it. It's an great advertising ploy and there will be those who say it brings an electric closer to the real thing, but if that feature did not exist on my P250 I would have been none the wiser. The one feature that _is_ nice (in the P250) is the sustain pedal which works as a real sustain pedal in that it is _not_ on or off but gradual in its function. No guitarists were harmed during the making of this message. In general, harmonic complexity is inversely proportional to the ratio between chording and non-chording instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz+ Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 The P250 is superior for an acoustic piano sound. The Motif ES is superior for everything else and especialy for Rhodes sounds. Find 660 of my jazz piano arrangements of standards for educational purposes and tutorials at www.Patreon.com/HarryLikas Harry was the Technical Editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88keys4me Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 If you're planning to create truly inspiring masterpieces in home recording, the ES8 could well be your best bet. But if your aspirations are not quite that lofty, you might wish to consider the S90. I bought mine chiefly as a performance instrument, and while it does lack an integral sequencer, it does so much else (and so well at that), it might be a good choice for you. All the S90's voices use the Motif engine. At 54 lbs. it's not exactly svelte, but it's still light enough to tote with ease (I was surprised how easy it is to take down and set up). And it's a Yamaha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 I can also recommend the S90. I was very close to getting an ES8, but I did not need sequencing or sampling and the size of the ES8 was a deal-breaker regardless (would not fit in my car too well). I am very happy with the S90 as a gigging keyboard. It has the Motif classic sound engine and a very nice triple strike piano. With the upcoming PLG acoustic piano card in an S90, you would be set! So you need to decide if those workstation features in the ES are needed. The S90 is a great solution for gigging. Compact and light for what it is and it sounds great! Regards, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hermanjoe Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 I'll second Eric's S-90 praise. I was close to buying one but bought a GEM promega 3 for its piano sound. Had Yamaha's Piano board been available at the time I would have most likely opted for the S-90 with the new board. "Learn the changes, then forget them." -Charlie Parker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opp Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 For mostly recording the ES is awesome.The extra palette of sounds you get with the ES far outweighs the little extra you get with the 250's piano.You can actually make a convincing, good sounding demo using just the ES soundset.Did I mention the great sequencer,arpeggios,sampling..... Stephen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.