Product code: MOTIFXF7 | ID: 15624
Soon after the original MOTIF was released in 2001, it was recognized as the best sounding, top selling and most requested music workstation on the market. Over time, it has continued to evolve and improve its expressiveness and functionality. At the same time, the online community of end users, sound programmers, software developers and product support specialists at www.MOTIFATOR.com has expanded into a vibrant online music production community. The MOTIF breathes new life into live performances with its expressive sounds and intuitive control. In music creation, the MOTIF not only offers its own music creation capabilities, it also offers a system for integrating those capabilities with a variety of software applications. And now, the next generation XF builds on the decade-long heritage of MOTIF, and provides groundbreaking expansion capabilities with flash memory that will set a new standard for keyboard workstations for years to come.
MOTIF XF Wireless function available with new iPad® applications
A new OS update for the MOTIF XF offers wireless MIDI connectivity with Yamaha’s new iPad applications. After connecting a compatible Wi-Fi USB adapter, you can send and receive MIDI messages between the XF and the iPad. There are new Yamaha iPad applications which expand the features of MOTIF XF including Keyboard Arp & Drum Pad, Faders & XY Pad, Multi Editor Essential and Voice Editor Essential which make it easy to play, tweak, mix and edit your MOTIF XF wirelessly from an Apple iPad. Check out new possibilities of MOTIF on the following page.
A high-quality collection of Voices, including powerful piano Voices provided from an enormous 741MB of waveforms
The
MOTIF XF boasts a rich collection of instrument Voices that includes
piano, EPs, strings, wind instruments, orchestral sounds, guitars,
basses, and drums, as well as a wide variety of vintage and modern synth
sounds. Of special note are the detailed digital re-creations of two
Yamaha grand pianos (a 9' CFIII and a 7' S6) that only an acoustic piano
manufacturer could achieve. The reproduction in minute detail of even
very subtle nuances results in exquisitely crafted piano Voices that
will satisfy even the most demanding players.
New waveforms have been added to the MOTIF XF, which now contains a huge total of 741 MB of waveforms.
Starting
with the S6 piano, the 136 newly-added Voices include keyboard sounds
such as those of clavinets and organs as well as a wide range of new
sounds from orchestral to hip-hop. This huge internal wave memory
ensures that the MOTIF XF is the best sounding and most versatile
keyboard workstation right out of the box.
Up to 2GB of additional content available through flash memory expansion modules
Two
flash board slots accommodate two proprietary Yamaha flash board
options -- a 512MB board and 1GB board. With two 1GB boards installed,
you have a total of 2GB of flash memory available to you. Because this
is re-writable flash memory, once you’ve loaded a sample, it’s always in
your MOTIF until you decide to replace it with something else.
The
samples could be some of the new MOTIF Voice libraries or they could be
your own samples -- the back ground vocals from your latest album that
you need to take on the road, your favorite VST sound that you’ve
converted to MOTIF format or even that coffee pot in your kitchen that
you know will make a great snare sound. Wherever you get the samples,
you can now “roll your own” customized 2GB sample library.
Imagine
the power of a fully customized MOTIF XS with 3 GB of sounds (internal,
RAM and Flash) instantly available at your fingertips.
The MOTIF
XF-specific third-party sample and Voice libraries can be purchased at
MOTIFATOR.com, and Yamaha has made the “Inspiration In a Flash” 400MB
sample Voice library available for download at
www.inspirationinaflash.com and easysounds.de
Sound engine that increases the expressiveness of instrument sounds
The
tone generator that the MOTIF XF has inherited from the MOTIFXS makes
an 8-element-per-voice structure possible. Combined with Yamaha’s XA
(Expanded Articulation), this 8-element structure allows you to achieve
stunningly accurate acoustic instruments including expressive
articulations that up until now have been difficult to re-create in
electronic instruments. For example, you can re-create the natural
legato of wind instruments, the key release noises of pianos and other
instruments, guitar slides and harmonics, and the many different
articulations for string instruments (spicato, tremolo and pizzicato,
etc.). The AF1 and AF2 buttons on the front panel make it easy to
control Voices with multiple articulations.
For synthesizer
sounds, the 18 different filter types, advanced 6-stage pitch, filter
and amplitude envelopes, unique Wave Cycle feature and assignable
modulation Control Sets make the MOTIF capable of reproducing any synth
sound from vintage to modern.
The tone generator also supports half
damper pedaling through the use of the separately sold FC3 foot pedal.
Using half damper pedaling with the damper resonance effect, you can
achieve an even more realistic and richer piano sound that simulates the
sound board of a grand piano and responds naturally to sophisticated
piano pedaling techniques.
VCM effects that reproduce the unique, natural, warm sounds of vintage instruments
Yamaha’s
proprietary VCM (Virtual Circuitry Modeling) technology simulates the
effects of vintage EQs, compressors, and phasers at the circuit level.
This has enabled Yamaha to increase the MOTIF’s instrument quality by
modeling the "texture" of vintage analog compressors, EQs and stomp
boxes right down to the component transistors and resistors. With the
MOTIF XF, the high-quality effects found in our industry standard
digital recording consoles are at your fingertips. Also, the MOTIF XF is
equipped with vocoder effects. By connecting a microphone to the
MOTIF’s A/D input terminal, you can apply effects to your voice or use
your own voice to create harmonies. The MOTIF XF also includes the
award-winning "REV-X" reverb, the same professionally renowned reverb
found in the SPX2000.
High-quality keyboards that enable high-level performance
The
MOTIF XF6 and XF7 use high-quality FSX keyboards with 61 and 76 keys,
respectively. The MOTIF XF8 uses a BH (balanced hammer) keyboard with 88
keys. The FSX keyboard uses a newly-developed mechanism to provide a
smooth touch that is both comfortable to play and responsive to your
touch. It’s easy to play fast passages, including glissandos and trills.
It is also worth mentioning that the keys are very quiet.
The
balanced hammer keyboard is filled with the know-how and technology that
Yamaha has developed producing full concert grand pianos and stage
pianos. To make a keyboard with a piano touch that can still work
comfortably with any voice, we took a graded hammer keyboard, which is a
popular keyboard for electronic pianos, and adjusted it for use with a
synthesizer: we balanced the keys to the same weight and made
adjustments so that the synthesizer can support after touch and other
features. While pursuing the real touch of a grand piano, we also
provide a touch that is exceptionally suited to the performance of a
multitude of synthesizer sounds.
Rich arpeggiator with over 7,000 patterns that expands the breadth of sound expression
You
can use the arpeggiator to perform unique instrument phrases. By
layering parts, you can give form to your composition ideas quickly.
The
MOTIF XF excels in both arpeggio quantity and quality. In addition to
typical arpeggio patterns, the MOTIF XF also features simulations of
acoustic instrument performances through the combination of arpeggios
and the keyboard MegaVoices (example: video) and arpeggios in which
synthesizer parameters, such as panning and filtering, are modulated in
time MIDI clock. The MOTIF XF adds to the MOTIF XS’s extensive library
of arps and has an additional 1,248 synthesizer, drum, percussion, and
ending arpeggios, for a total of 7,881 types of arpeggios.
Performance mode that makes the instant expression of your ideas possible
In
performance mode, you can layer up to four Voices, and you can split
the keyboard into 4 zones with different key ranges and velocity
windows. Also, you can create music quickly by using the arpeggiator on
the different Voices. The MOTIF XF interactive real time arpeggio engine
lets you run 4 different arps simultaneously and switch between 5
different variations of arpeggio patterns in real time. It’s incredibly
musically interactive and many arps include chordal intelligence so they
create different phrases depending on what chords are played on the
keyboard.
Thanks to the direct performance recording feature, which
enables you to record performances in real time to songs and patterns,
you can quickly capture your song ideas sparked by the MOTIF
Performances to a song or pattern for further editing and refining.
Category Search feature that provides instant access to the sound you want
You
can use the Category Search feature to quickly and easily select the
Voices or performances from the MOTIF XF’s massive arsenal of sounds.
All the Voices in the MOTIF are categorized by instruments and even have
sub categories. So it’s easy to select Category Search, choose the
category strings, the sub-category ensemble and then see all the
ensemble string Voices in your system. Even third party libraries are
categorized using this elegant database system. Category Search is
available wherever you want to select a Voice, so when you are looking
for just the right sound in a Song, access Category Search and easily
browse for that perfect fit for your mix.
In Performance Mode,
Performances are sorted by musical genre, so you can quickly select the
type of Performance that matches your moment of inspiration. The
Favorites feature even lets you tag your favorites Voices and
Performances so they are even easier to access.
Improved sampling with 128MB of internal SD-RAM
The
MOTIF XF has 128MB of internal SD-RAM. This means that you can sample
external audio without installing separately purchased memory. Using the
sampling feature, you can load sample Voice libraries, import WAV files
or add vocals, guitars and other acoustic instruments to your MOTIF
sequences.
You can connect a microphone to the A/D input and sample
vocals Also, if you select the slice feature during sampling, even if
you change the tempo of songs and patterns, recorded audio will follow
the beat with perfect synchronization. You can process your recorded
samples in minute detail to produce just the right sound using a
redesign sample editing UI.
Integrated Sampling Sequencer features that provide advanced integration of audio and MIDI
The
MOTIF XF features an Integrated Sampling Sequencer which allows you to
combine MIDI and audio samples (driven by MIDI events), so you can
create complete songs including vocals, guitars and acoustic instruments
all right inside the MOTIF XF. Because the XF now features 128MB of
onboard sampling RAM, you’re able to take advantage of these powerful
features right away without the need to purchase external memory. The XF
sequencer also lets you work the way you prefer because it features two
different sequence modes. There is a linear tape machine-style,
16-track Song sequencer for recording and punching in and out as you
would on a tape machine-style DAW interface. It also includes a 16-track
Pattern sequencer that lets you work in loops and build up sections of
your song (verse, chorus, bridge, etc.) and chain those sections
together into complete song structures. You can easily move your
production back and further between song and pattern modes depending on
your needs. With the bundled Cubase AI software, you can even import
completed Songs directly in Cubase including all the audio samples for
further editing and mastering.
• Integrated Sampling Sequencer
With
the Integrated Sampling Sequencer, you can integrate audio (sampled)
data and MIDI data seamlessly. WAV/AIFF loading is also supported. You
can use the time slice feature to slice the sampled sounds that you load
and control them in the same way that you would control MIDI data. For
example, you can synchronize audio data to the same BPM as MIDI sequence
data. Also, by presetting the tempo, time signature, necessary number
of measures, and number of beats, you can smoothly perform trimming and
easily create perfect audio loops. Also, you can use a variety of
editing commands to modify your samples. The MOTIF XF supports features
such as time stretching, in which the sample length is changed while the
pitch remains the same; pitch shifting, in which the pitch is changed
while the length of the sample remains the same; and loop remixing which
instantly creates new musical variations of looped grooves. In
addition, there is a resampling feature that you can use to record the
performance of the MOTIF XF as a single audio sample.
Remote control and editor that make DAW integration easy
Features
such as remote control (which you can use to remotely control the
parameters of a DAW application on a computer from the MOTIF), various
DAW templates, and simple setup features make the MOTIF XF easy to use.
In particular, the integration between the MOTIF XF and Steinberg’s
Cubase 5 series is truly seamless.
Using the Yamaha MOTIF XF Editor,
you can make subtle Voice edits from your computer while checking them
visually. Because the communication between the MOTIF and the editor is
bi-directional, whether you’re moving the knobs on the MOTIF or changing
parameters with the mouse in the editor, the parameters are perfectly
matched. There is even a VST3 editor for use in Cubase 5 (including AI)
which lets you use your MOTIF as a VST soft synth.
If you install
the optional FW16E FireWire expansion board, you can record 16 tracks
of audio data to the DAW software through the audio interface. After you
install the necessary drivers (AI driver, extensions for Steinberg
DAW), connect the MOTIF XF to a computer using an IEEE 1394 cable, and
start Cubase AI. It identifies the MOTIF XF’s audio I/O and multi-sound
source immediately, and all you have to do to start working is select a
MOTIF XF project template.
Cubase AI, a DAW software application from Steinberg
The
MOTIF XF comes with a special Yamaha version of Cubase, the
world-renowned DAW software. Cubase AI has the same engine as Cubase 5
but has been modified to integrate more efficiently with the MOTIF.
Improved User Interface
An
improved User Interface with many user requested features like Tap
Tempo, Drum Editing in Mix Mode, and Auto Mapping of samples* plus a new
customizable UI for selecting your choice of color and positioning of
key displays.
*Need to update MOTIF XF OS to V.1.10 to use this function.
Parameters and specifications
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