Yeah, maybe I should have posted a link to a more current PSR version :) This is pretty good for around $600.00 (after you find a dealer and haggle)

ORIGINAL: cmorgan8

I have never had an issue with Yamaha MOTIF ES6 61-Key Music Synthesizer

Awesome Keyboard/workstation!!!!!

Shameless promotion ahead:

Speaking of the Motif ES6


http://cgi.ebay.com/Yamaha-Motif-ES6_W0QQitemZ150209884261QQihZ005QQcategoryZ64387QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Shameless promotion over.

P

errm, that may be a bit pricy based on his initial request? I like my Roland Juno D, and that may be more in his wheel house?

I have checked almost all presets on Motif XS and Fantom, they were connected to the same system. Words not enough to describe how MotifXS sounds.

If you like the Motif, check out the MO6/MO8. Same sounds, better keyboard and about a grand less money.

ORIGINAL: vicsant

When the Korg Oasys first came out last year, the 88-key model was priced at around USD8K. Now I know Jordan Rudess, and Herbie Hancock are using these instruments, but I'm sure they got some substantial discounts from Korg to use and "advertise" the Oasys. (Maybe these instruments were given to them). It would be interesting to know just how many of these beasts Korg was able to sell.

Based upon the number of people who have registered them at the Korg Karma Oasys site and figuring in the people who haven't, if you look at the serial numbers out there, its close to 5,000 units.

Hi Dave-

better keyboard

How so? Not that I'm thinking of switching from my Motif 6 Classic, I'm just curious. The MO models weren't out when I bought it, and one reason I went with the Motif was because I was so comfortable with the feel of the DX7. Are the MO keys weighted?

Thanks-

-Susan

its close to 5,000 units.

Wow!

.....And a lot of us complain about Sonar's $179 yearly update!

ORIGINAL: bitflipper

Are you sure you really need a workstation/arranger? That's a lot of money to spend if you're not a keyboard player. Why not just a good MIDI controller + soft synths + SONAR? You could do everything you want to do, and not have to deal with transferring files from the workstation to your computer.

A nice MIDI controller will cost you less than $500. A good soft synth or sampler will cost about the same. Now you're in it for about a grand, a fraction of the price of a Fantom or a Motif.

I got an incredible deal on a Kurzweil K2661 about two weeks ago that I simply could not pass up, so I bit the bullet and got one...never dreamed I'd have one of those, but there it is. It is a workstation, but the main reason I got it is for the sounds; an absolute beast in my opinion. No latency or stability issues to speak of, just turn it on and play. I've got it running into my ISA 428 that ADAT's to my interface and LOVE IT. The soft synths I've used sometimes seem to lack somehow compared to hardware synths. I've always found it refreshing to go from software back to hardware sounds.

What does the piano player use? Could he/she send you midi files to put into Sonar? I agree that a workstation would be a big investment, especially since you're not a keyboard player. I'm a piano player, but oddly some of my stuff I'm happiest with I worked out the sketch on guitar and could have just as easily worked out ideas with an acoustic and recorder. I've found that I rarely actually write on Sonar, just record things I've already pretty much worked out.

Donny

Susan:
I first went down to the music store to buy a Yamaha P90, a digital piano. I'd played one before and was really impressed by how piano-like the keyboard was. It felt more like a real piano than any other digital piano I'd tried.

But after thinking about it I decided I couldn't justify a piano, I needed a more general-purpose synthesizer. The S90 is basically the P90 with a synth tacked on, so I went looking for that instead. Couldn't find one in town, though, so I gravitated toward the Motif, which features the same piano samples as the P90/S90.

But I didn't like the keyboard on the Motif nearly as much. Too synth-y, too plastic feeling compared to the P90. The music store guy suggested I look at the MO8, a new model at the time, that featured the same samples as the Motif but with the keyboard used in the P90/S90/P120 digital pianos. So I got one, and have loved it ever since. Great weighted piano feel, very comfortable for someone accustomed to acoustic pianos. Sounds good, too -- just like your Motif.

I saved nearly a thousand dollars, too, over the Motif. I spent that grand on a Kurzweil rack module, so I have polyphony galore without resorting to soft synths and their, uh, challenges.

I'm still on the hunt for a good organ-style keyboard, though. The downside of a piano-style keyboard is it's painful (literally) to play organ parts on. Got my heart set on the new Hammond XK-3c, but at $2300 the contents of my penny jar won't quite cover it yet.

EDIT:
To clarify, at least three different keyboards are used for the MO and Motif product lines. The 61- and 76-key versions of the Motif ES use a standard synth-style keyboard. The 61-key MO6 uses a semi-weighted keyboard. The 88-note versions, both the MO8 and the ES8, have hammer-action keys, possibly the same exact keyboard in both.