FAO: musicman100 aka George (ITHRN)

Howdy Bugle,Yes I have had it for over a month now and I will try to surmise the Pros and Cons.

I use it Live, usually as the bottom board with a Nord Stage 2 73 on top.However if I go one board I usually use the Nord (ill tell you why in the points)

PROS:
1 lightweight, 23 pounds in an 88  key format.Even in the semihard gig bag very easy to transport.

2 88 weighted keys, NOT like the CP series, but still very playable. I think if you grew up as a pianist you might not like the action, but I vome from a keyboard backround so it feels wonderful.

3. the sounds, just 355 mb, but to ME, the acoustic piano works very well in a band/praise context. I actually prefer the MOX piano to my Kromes with its 3 Gig piano.Very good brasses, woodwinds, strings, AND drums. I have programmed a tenor sax that caused the audience to look for the horn player. Lots of "synth" sounds I dont care for or use, not that they are bad, just not in my arsenal.

4. Sequencer- EASY to use intergrates with Sonar. I have ported over projects from my DAW to the MOX and vice versa. Note you have to do it with a USB stick, the MOX will not be recognized as an external drive .

5 Controls 3 pedal inputs, assignable knobs, favorites memory locations, easy to mute a part in combi mode. Instant Split/Layer button.

CONS

1 Sounds-- the organs are, well, OK but the rotary sim is just blah. That is why I bring the Nord when I have one board gig. My focus is on organs and I will take the AC pianos and brass in the nord versus the MOX because the Stage is so much better with organ and the rotary sim.

2. Menu Driven- sometimes its not intuitive I purchased a John Melas software editor for the combis. Yamaha has a free program editor but you can overwrite your patches by one wrong move SO SAVE YOUR EDITS FIRST.

3 The soundset is supposed to be the same as the Motif SX Rack. I have the rack and yes they are the same, so you could score a rack if you have an 88 key controller already.

All in all I am very pleased with its performance size and sounds.I dont ever see them for less than 1699 , but I have seen Sweetwater doing a 12 or 18 month financing on it..

Let me know if you have other questions.

Meh!! No dulcimer..........

Mesh


Meh!! No dulcimer..........

Oh but there is, Patch F36

George! great review, thanks!

I'm trying to save up for one now, but it will likely take me a few months to do it.

interesting however, that you say it's the same thing as an XS rack.  I wonder if I could get away with that instead.  although the price is actually a little higher for an XS rack if you buy it new than the MOX8 is.

i'll have to think about that.

Beagle


George! great review, thanks!

I'm trying to save up for one now, but it will likely take me a few months to do it.

interesting however, that you say it's the same thing as an XS rack.  I wonder if I could get away with that instead.  although the price is actually a little higher for an XS rack if you buy it new than the MOX8 is.

i'll have to think about that.

WHERE are you Shopping????
 
 
MOX 8 $1699 EVERYWHERE
 
MOTIF XS RACK $1299 https://www.google.com/search?q=MOTIF+XS+RACK&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#q=MOTIF+XS+RACK&newwindow=1&client=firefox-a&hs=YLV&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ei=1LKnUeylL4KG9gTIn4D4Dw&ved=0CAwQ_AUoAw&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.47244034,d.eWU&fp=729caf472d17d796&biw=1280&bih=871

Beagle


I didn't have any real data on that.  I was just going on what I remembered last time I looked at racks.

but I'm thinking in a live situation the rack is going to be more difficult to navigate unless I add a separate MIDI controller and not try to control it from the existing keyboard.  that would make it too difficult for the other keyboard player to use (I already have to set up the patches and volume for him before he plays - and we swap back and forth depending on the genre of the song in the set - he plays hymns only and I play contemporary only).

I used my XS rack with a Privia PX3 that would send MSB/LSB to change combinations. I also could mute zones on the privias internal and external zone settings and send volume and so forth.
 
 But You are correct, you have to do a little housekeeping and programming beforehand, it is a little more deep to change things on the fly with the rack.
 
You know, if hes playing more traditional, how much pipe organ does he use? The Hammond SK1 might be the answer, pipe organ, B3, and passable pianos and orch stuff..BUT $1999.

Beagle


I've considered the SK1 as well.  I'm sure it has better organ sounds than the MOX.

by only,say, 1000 %......organs are not that bad in the MOX, the rotary sim stinks of monkey poo..

swat I've erd.

do you have an SK1?  how good are the pianos, strings & reed instruments?  and pads?