Here's another Mo ES video demo:
http://www.sonicstate.com/mirror/snamm03_yamaha_motifes.ram

I will be very interested to try this board out for myself particularily the mega voices as we know they are pretty much impossible to play live. They do not appear to be that easy on the Mo either from the demo, but do look playable.

So my question would now be, what is it they did to the Mo to make them playable and is that also possible in a Tyros update?

Terry



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jam on,
Terry http://imjazzed.homestead.com/Index.html

Nice video. Although not an arranger it looks like the Motiff ES can do many things for the creative musician.

How one can play ram files without installing "real" software?

You can't....you have to install the real player, which I hate, but you can uninstall it afterwards.
Terry



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jam on,
Terry http://imjazzed.homestead.com/Index.html

I recall the Motif uses velocity cross switching to select different samples. Some selection (e.g., of hammer-ons) is done using keys reserved for that purpose. If you have played with Roland's 4-layer scat voice, you will have a sense of how difficult it can be to control velocity. OTOH, in an arpeggio, the Motif-ES can control overall velocity using a slider, which allows precise selection of guitar sounds.






[This message has been edited by Clif Anderson (edited 08-10-2003).]

Was that demo guys playing chords like the arrangers on the Mo ES? Is this possible on the mo Es?

Thanks
Johnny

Johnny,
Sort of he was using the arppegiators to create a sort of an auto accmp.
Terry



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jam on,
Terry http://imjazzed.homestead.com/Index.html

Oh Wow......I disagree! It's one of my very FAVORITE things to play with those Roland Scats ( the BEST in the biz, I think )
I got very used to the switching in just a few seconds. It's like playing a hand drum with different velocity. Just FEEL the rhythm, and don't think so much.

Remember, just like emulating ANY acoustic sound .... you have to THINK like you are playing the correct instrument. Take the "keyboard skills" out of your memory, and just feel the notes and nuances of the sound. Get INTO the new instrument, and forget that you are controlling it from a keyboard .... it's like acting in a way.

Try it again, and this time .....
to paraphrase Chevy Chase, in Caddyshack:
Be the voices. BE the voices.

Thanks Terry!

Johnny

Ok, let me back out of this gracefully. It doesn't surprise me at all that UD and others can play the Roland 4-way scat program (one of my favorites as well) masterfully. Those that can handle the scat program are good candidates for using the megavoices live.

For contrast, consider a triple-strike piano. If your velocity is on the wrong side of a velocity boundary (e.g., 65 instead of 64) you get a slight timbral variation. In the case of the scat, you get a wrong syllable--which is more disturbing. In the case of a megavoice, you might get a drastic change of timbre--e.g., a mute instead of an undamped string sound. So until you master a megavoice, expect to be a jarred by some errant timbres.

I know I'm picky but although the Motif ES is a great synthesizer there are a few important shortcomings IMO. First is the LCD screen. Tooooooooo smmaaalllllllll! Notice Athan is wearing glasses. They look like pretty thick ones at that. I suppose he needs them for viewing that tiny lcd screen. If he were to use eye 'contacts' he wouldn't be able to see as well, hence the glasses IMO. Then there is the Mega Voices. Although better than the Tyros Mega Voices in that you can actually play them, it seems you will need expertise to do so and it will most likely take hours and hours of practice to Master them. Hours better spent doing other things IMO. Then there is also the Phrase Factory thing. Yes, you can arpeggiate the Voices and the Motif ES recognizes Chord Changes but ONLY in Root position. NO inversions are recognized. Try telling your Band leader that you can't play an inverted arpeggiated Chord sound and see his reaction and response. Inversions are a MUST for realtime Live playing IMO if and when you Arp. The only consolation might be that Yamaha gives their customers an OS update so the Motif ES will recognize chord "inversions" as well. And the other major drawback is it's not an Arranger! Although it is getting closer to it. The Motif ES will be a great tool for the Studio and for Live play in "Voice Mode" but the Performance Mode is lacking when you want to use the Arp phrasing doohickey with inverted chords all in realtime.

The sounds are breath taking. The guitars are absolutely marvelous. The Grand Piano is something to write home about, and more!
The Brass and Strings are fantastic. But there is that downside I was talking about. Will the pluses outweigh the negatives? I am sure there are people who say they will. Me? Well, like I said; I'm picky. But I will definitely demo it and reserve my final judgement and decision until then.

Hurry up November, will ya!

Best regards,
Mike

[This message has been edited by Idatrod (edited 08-13-2003).]

Mike, I agree that the inability of the Motif-ES to recognize chords in inverted form is a serious limitation. However, it is not accurate to say you "can't play an inverted arpeggiated Chord." If you "finger" an inverted chord fully while the Motif-ES is in normal arpeggio mode, the inverted chord will be arpeggiated. Of course, chord recognition is not used in normal arpeggio mode.

Motif ES7 + Arranger + speakers = Excellent keyboard.

Why Yamaha have not thought of this before?