Hi All,

I’m tempted to buy the new Motif XF white edition by tomorrow, but wanted to ask whether if anyone knows whether Yamaha will be releasing a new synthesiser since the XF has been around for 5 years now? its a big investment of ~3000 euros so I want to feel exclusive for a while (1-2 years at least).

Thanks!

Most who post on Motifator don’t know, and those who do won’t say.

There have been several threads speculating about the release of a replacement for the XF. Here’s a recent one:
http://www.motifator.com/index.php/forum/index.php/viewthread/475165/

My own thought is that Yamaha will probably release a new model within the time period you mentioned, but I’m not willing to bet on that.  :-)

5pinDIN - 26 April 2015 05:20 PM

Most who post on Motifator don’t know, and those who do won’t say.

There have been several threads speculating about the release of a replacement for the XF. Here’s a recent one:
http://www.motifator.com/index.php/forum/index.php/viewthread/475165/

My own thought is that Yamaha will probably release a new model within the time period you mentioned, but I’m not willing to bet on that.  :-)

thanks for the quick reply, I should have searched the forum first :-)
I’m really 50/50 on what to do....
Will need to decide.

Best of luck with your decision - I can appreciate that it isn’t an easy one to make.

I think, the Yamaha is the big loser on synth market with the white painted XF. Nothing change, only a milky keyboard.
Has been a much-needed fresh blood, like the new Korg Kronos!

5pinDIN - 26 April 2015 05:48 PM

Best of luck with your decision - I can appreciate that it isn’t an easy one to make.

Big time. 

Personally, I am waiting for at least a year to upgrade from my MOX6 to a more robust 61 key workstation.  Still on the learning curve after almost 2 years: really appreciate how the MOX supports a workflow that integrates the voices, arpeggios and effects into a performance-oriented song structure, direct performance recording to song (improvisation capture), transformation from song to pattern sections, pattern drum & bass remix exploration, DAW integration…

I’m very interested in what the next generation Yamaha “flagship” will be:

- will the “Montage” be positioned against the Roland JD-XA and (or) the Korg Kronos2?
- Will the “Montage” integrate different synthesizer engines as Roland and Korg are doing? 
- Will the “Montage” have a Hammond tonewheel organ emulation to compete with the Korg Kronos and Nord Stage 2 (B3, C3, 9 CS/faders)? 
- What price point(s) will Yamaha target?
- And so on.

I just purchased a Motif XF8 WH last week, fully realizing that it will likely be replaced in a year. In the meantime I will learn the Yamaha ways, and have an excellent instrument to enjoy. I didn’t want to wait any longer. Been there, done that.

I waited 2 yrs. saw moxf then WH was released , pulled the trigger on xf7 fwh few months ago.
I love this machine. Even if there is a new one , I don’t see any reason to jump.
This was my first Yamaha and very happy with it.
Choice is actually easy than you think. Once you buy it, you will grow into it.
If you don’t buy it now, you will be shopping for a while , may be there will be a better one.
But you cannot enjoy the future beast now.  :)
Good luck ...

I bought my XF7 WH a few months ago. Realistically any new Motif wouldn’t be shipping for at least a year and I needed those sounds now. My advice is if you need the board now, just get it. If you just have GAS, you are better off waiting.

I think this has been said many times before but it’s still worth reiterating. No-one, aside from senior product managers at Yamaha in Japan really has any idea exactly when, or possibly even if, a new flagship synth is going to appear. Chances are strong one will appear at some stage and whenever and whatever that is it’ll come out in a blaze of glory etc etc and there will be a lot of talk and about this and that features that are present, or missing, or better or worse than other competitors’ models.

And none of this will make any difference whatsoever to the quality of music you make.

All instruments, Motif included, are just tools. Some are better, some are worse, some expensive, some cheap, some old, some new. Wonderful music has been made on very modest instruments and absolute garbage made on top of the line models. If you have the need and money to buy a Motif XF now buy it. It’s a very good instrument and even if Yamaha come out with a new instrument by next weekend it’ll still be a very good instrument for years to come.

Quote Mr Motif:

“If you have the need and money to buy a Motif XF now buy it. It’s a very good instrument and even if Yamaha come out with a new instrument by next weekend it’ll still be a very good instrument for years to come.”

Agreed! This is an excellent instrument and I just don’t see it becoming obsolete any time soon…
It can do so much and I still think it sounds better than the competition, to my ears.
I’ve been very happy with my purchase, no regrets whatsoever and I see it being useful for MANY years to come in my small, humble, home studio.

If I were you (OP) I’d buy it and have at it! It really is worth it, wether a new one arrives tomorrow or not!

Regards

Lots of terrific responses.

m-afshari, I will attempt to provide possibilities here for the sake of being helpful. My perspective stems from my XF7 as my 1st workstation, 1st polyphonic keyboard in a long while, & I’ve had it about 5 years. I have learned that the existing Motif line is truly a Motif family. The top-tiers have the most technical attributes of their generation & class, but the lower tier boards win on outlay, weight, & size. Sometimes a lower tier board is newer & has newer tech.

After getting past want/needs, roles filled, … If you feel like there’s a role- or roles- that a motif will serve very well, you may want to just get started on that path. Here are a couple of different ways of reconciling getting started on the Motif path with your want/needs, in light of the understandable “timing” concern.

1. new white XF
2. used XF
3. new or used MOXF. To get started on flash memory work.
4. used XS, ES
5. MX to get familiar with AWM2, Waveforms, and the Motif language in general (including file management, sequencer, ….)
6. Can a slight deal be had on a new, black XF? (no idea if that’s possible.)
7. Wait, and keep money for something that doesn’t exist yet.
8. Spend some money for a non-Motif something else that does exist right now that will either replace, or complement what a Motif does. (But note, in addition to our budget limits, we have attention, & ergonomic limits.)

If you end up with a Motif family board, after enjoying & making music with it, you can start learning with the high quality, available support.

Whenever the possibility & want/need exists to replace the purchased Motif, the money spent was applied towards use & education spent. For further complication, consider size, action, & weight in the purchase. When you reach a change point, you may want to “add”, rather than replace, if that’s possible & desirable.

There’s a cost of admission. The newest, most expensive item will give you the highest cost of admission. But, it’s my guess that this highest cost of admission is in the $800 zone. That’s just a reasonable but wild guess of the possible market depreciation of an XF7 if a successor is released. And that very well may be an over-estimate for a newer “previous model”.

It’s my sense there is not one board that does it all. There are lots of things we want in our instruments. And lots of makers making- and have made- instruments that do these things in different ways.

I like my XF. And I have liked getting to know it.

Good luck.

(& to the new WH owners. I thought my original XF looked great. From online photos & comments, the WH looks real nice.)

Please note my only experience is with an XF; as such I probably shouldn’t comment on any other Motif family member as I don’t truly know what those are like and what there capabilities are. It’s part of my notion that I have gleaned- online- in entering the Motif family, from my perspective.

Hi all, many thanks for your extensive responses :-)

I finally made my decision to go and buy the XF white edition, but when I went to the store website I noticed the expected arrival time is mid July :-(( I’m in the Netherlands BTW. This is just too late I wanted it so bad and now I have to wait 3 more months.

And I actually had a Motif ES for 3 years and then I sold it back in 2010, so kinda without a Synth for nearly 5 years and I want to get one.

Anyway, I noticed some folks already got them? are they in the US?

I know this reply might be late, but just my 2 cents worth for djuice, I am the proud owner of a Motif xs6 and a Korg Kronos x 61, when Yamaha brought out the XF i was looking to upgrade but the only difference in sounds was the extra bank of sounds and the flash board which did not make it worth while spending $3000 again, everybody wsa up in arm over the “little upgrade” Guess what, Korg now did exactly the same thing witht he new kronos, it is still the old Kronos with a nice new cover and the some extra sounds, it is still exactly the same as the first Kronos that was released.  m-afshari, the motif is awesome, with 6000 + arpeggios and more sounds that you will ever use, my questions is this, what will you be able to do with a new board that the XF cant do, its about making music, if your going to wait for a new sytnh to be released, you might end up waiting for a very very long time.

m-afshari - 27 April 2015 05:41 PM

I finally made my decision to go and buy the XF white edition, but when I went to the store website I noticed the expected arrival time is mid July :-((

Argh. That’s so disappointing for you. You finally decide to pull the trigger and have to wait. In the meantime you can download manuals and tutorial videos so you’ll be able to get up and running quickly once your unit finally arrives.

Lawrence