Hello. I’ve always wanted to get an old (budgets, woo) high-end workstation keyboard to use for both its sounds and as a proper MIDI controller since the Launchkey MK2 I have right now is awful. After a few weeks of research I’ve narrowed it down to the Motif XF and the Tyros 2. I know that the Tyros 2 is an arranger (and I would rarely use its arranger features) but I’ve always been in love with how it sounds. I also know that it might be a bit stupid to ask on a Motif forum but I doubt there’s better people I can ask. So, here’s the question: which one has the better acoustic sounds (predominantly orchestral sounds and guitars) and articulations? I’m already set in terms of synth sounds since I recently got a hold of a JV-1080 with the vintage synth card so acoustic sounds are all I’m interested in. I’ve been listening to various demos and whatnot but there’s no direct comparison and I’m genuinely struggling to pick one.

Thank you all in advance.

Hi there,

I’m an XF owner as well as a CVP-305 owner, which has sounds roughly similar to the Tyros 2. The Motif XF will win no matter what, even outside acoustic sounds. Since you aren’t going to use arranger features much, go for the XF. The Tyros 2 basically uses the Motif ES soundset with some Super Articulation 1 sounds (which have one or two articulations but not much for variety). The Motif XF has the XA Expanded Articulation system that uses the AF1 and AF2 buttons on some sounds. The XF strings will be much better than the Tyros 2.

The Motif XF will also simply be a newer board and have more midi controller features.

Long story short, between those two, go for the XF.

Hope that helps,

Max

Mighty Motif Max - 29 January 2021 03:10 AM

Hi there,

I’m an XF owner as well as a CVP-305 owner, which has sounds roughly similar to the Tyros 2. The Motif XF will win no matter what, even outside acoustic sounds. Since you aren’t going to use arranger features much, go for the XF. The Tyros 2 basically uses the Motif ES soundset with some Super Articulation 1 sounds (which have one or two articulations but not much for variety). The Motif XF has the XA Expanded Articulation system that uses the AF1 and AF2 buttons on some sounds. The XF strings will be much better than the Tyros 2.

The Motif XF will also simply be a newer board and have more midi controller features.

Long story short, between those two, go for the XF.


Hope that helps,

Max

Hi, thanks for the reply! I’ve been watching more and more demos and I kind of realized that while I love the Tyros 2 (if it ever comes down to 300€ in a few years I’m snagging one up for sure) I’d be kind of shooting myself in the foot if I were to buy one due to how limited the expandability is.

One thing’s been bugging me about the XF.. I’ve been reading that it can theoretically accept up to 4GB of RAM via third party RAM boards but that the OS itself still has limits on how many waveforms/samples it can load on one board so even if you load just two or three libraries it’ll still throw an error if the limit is exceeded (even if there’s still some free space on the board) The same thread also mentions that those very same limits were on the Tyros 5 but have been removed with a software update. Are those limits still present on the Motif XF? If I get one should I get a full 4GB or will 2GB suffice? I imagine that the extra space is only useful for libraries that are big *in sample size* but that still respect the sample number limits and whatnot.

Xeraser - 31 January 2021 12:39 PM

[...]

One thing’s been bugging me about the XF.. I’ve been reading that it can theoretically accept up to 4GB of RAM via third party RAM boards but that the OS itself still has limits on how many waveforms/samples it can load on one board so even if you load just two or three libraries it’ll still throw an error if the limit is exceeded (even if there’s still some free space on the board) The same thread also mentions that those very same limits were on the Tyros 5 but have been removed with a software update. Are those limits still present on the Motif XF? If I get one should I get a full 4GB or will 2GB suffice? I imagine that the extra space is only useful for libraries that are big *in sample size* but that still respect the sample number limits and whatnot.

Welcome to the forum.

Indeed, the maximum number of Waveforms is 2048, Samples 8192, per flash module (regardless of its size).

Some details here…
http://motifator.com/index.php/forum/viewthread/479760
...for those interested.

Looking at the numbers could help, since placing a library having a large number of small samples on the same module with one having a small number of large samples would tend to minimize the chance of exceeding the limits on a module.

In order to help determine what size module(s) to get,
I’d suggest researching any libraries you’re potentially interested in. If the sample number limitation is an issue for you, getting two 1 GB modules would (in most cases) be a better choice than a single 2GB one. Of course, a few very large libraries might better fit one larger module than two smaller ones. Getting two 2GB modules would, of course, allow for maximum storage, only possibly limited by what we’ve discussed above.

5pinDIN - 31 January 2021 01:12 PM

Xeraser - 31 January 2021 12:39 PM

[...]

One thing’s been bugging me about the XF.. I’ve been reading that it can theoretically accept up to 4GB of RAM via third party RAM boards but that the OS itself still has limits on how many waveforms/samples it can load on one board so even if you load just two or three libraries it’ll still throw an error if the limit is exceeded (even if there’s still some free space on the board) The same thread also mentions that those very same limits were on the Tyros 5 but have been removed with a software update. Are those limits still present on the Motif XF? If I get one should I get a full 4GB or will 2GB suffice? I imagine that the extra space is only useful for libraries that are big *in sample size* but that still respect the sample number limits and whatnot.

Welcome to the forum.

Indeed, the maximum number of Waveforms is 2048, Samples 8192, per flash module (regardless of its size).

Some details here…
http://motifator.com/index.php/forum/viewthread/479760
...for those interested.

Looking at the numbers could help, since placing a library having a large number of small samples on the same module with one having a small number of large samples would tend to minimize the chance of exceeding the limits on a module.

In order to help determine what size module(s) to get,
I’d suggest researching any libraries you’re potentially interested in. If the sample number limitation is an issue for you, getting two 1 GB modules would (in most cases) be a better choice than a single 2GB one. Of course, a few very large libraries might better fit one larger module than two smaller ones. Getting two 2GB modules would, of course, allow for maximum storage, only possibly limited by what we’ve discussed above.

I’m assuming no OS update or third party “hack” has been made to remove this limitation, correct? That’s a bummer.. I’m trying to get as far away from Kontakt as I possibly can but there’s a few libraries that I still use regularly (as well as a few old VSL instruments in GIGA) and that I’d like to try to convert and have on the Motif at all times. I’m wondering if a Tyros 5 would be a better choice at this point (both for the built-in acoustic sound and expandability) but that’s quite a bit more expensive than an XF..

Does Yamaha still offer their XS/XF libraries for sale? Or did they offer some for free?

Xeraser - 01 February 2021 09:54 AM

I’m assuming no OS update or third party “hack” has been made to remove this limitation, correct? That’s a bummer..

To the best of my knowledge, the limitations I posted are current.

 

Xeraser -

I’m trying to get as far away from Kontakt as I possibly can but there’s a few libraries that I still use regularly (as well as a few old VSL instruments in GIGA) and that I’d like to try to convert and have on the Motif at all times. I’m wondering if a Tyros 5 would be a better choice at this point (both for the built-in acoustic sound and expandability) but that’s quite a bit more expensive than an XF..

The Tyros is an arranger, and its capabilities and functionality are different than a Motif. If a Tyros suits your needs, then by all means consider getting one.

 

Xeraser -

Does Yamaha still offer their XS/XF libraries for sale? Or did they offer some for free?

There are several libraries available at no charge…
XSpand Your World, and more:
http://www.motifator.com/index.php/main/comments/xspand_your_world_content_updated_with_new_free_downloads/

Inspiration in a Flash:
http://www.motifator.com/storage/support/Inspiration_in_a_Flash.zip

CP1 Piano:
https://usa.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/3/312703/CP1_Piano.zip

EDM Expansion:
https://usa.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/6/312986/EDM_Expansion.zip

Twisted Tools Selection:
https://usa.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/4/312734/Twisted_Tools_selection.zip

There are others from various sources.

Of course, Motifator has a number of libraries available from the Shop…
http://shop.motifator.com/

If you get an XF, it’s likely we can help you find what you need.

5pinDIN - 01 February 2021 12:14 PM

The Tyros is an arranger, and its capabilities and functionality are different than a Motif. If a Tyros suits your needs, then by all means consider getting one.

Yeah, I know.. The thing is, I don’t need the Tyros’ arranger features at all, I just love how it sounds. (At least how the Tyros 2 and 5 sound)

The average price for an XF6 here is 1200€ and a Tyros 5 with the original speakers is more or less 800 to 1000 more (there IS one for sale for 1600 but I doubt it’s gonna be there for long)

I’m kinda conflicted. T5 probably sounds “better” out of the box but I haven’t found any info on the DAW integration and I’d be paying for features I’d very rarely use.. I also heard that sound editing on the Tyros series isn’t very deep and there’s no true sequencer - just a way to create more styles and accompaniments.
It’d bind me to a PC more often (I primarily work with Logic and Live but I’d definitely make use of the XF’s sequencer when I just want to move the keyboard around without moving my entire setup or when I don’t feel like using my laptop) but there’s no waveform/sample limit..

I might wait a tiny bit and see if I can get a white (probably better for wear and tear) XF6/7 with the anniversary pack installed.

Is it possible to convert Kontakt instruments (or even GIGA) to a Motif voice? If so then how hard would it be?

Xeraser - 02 February 2021 04:30 AM

[...]

Is it possible to convert Kontakt instruments (or even GIGA) to a Motif voice? If so then how hard would it be?

There’s third-party software available to convert, for example, .NKI files. I don’t use it, and therefore can’t comment on how well it performs.

Aaand I’ve decided to get the XF! Specifically a white XF6 (couldn’t find any white XF7s or black XF7s that didn’t look like they weren’t really cared after) that’s “barely been used"(still has the yellow tape at the corners) and still has a sealed 40th anniversary pack with a 1gb ram module. It’s a bit expensive and definitely over what I planned to spend but for 1400€ I *think* I got a decent enough deal (considering I’m getting a free carrying bag too and the guy has to travel like 420km total)

I found a second white XF6 in “okay” conditions with another 512mb board on top of the 1gb anniversary pack but it costs just as much as this one and I’d have to pay for shipping on top (guy’s too far away) so I didn’t want to risk it.

I SHOULD be getting it on the 27th unless even more travel restrictions are put in place where I live.

I’ll try to not pester you all with dumb questions when I do get it.

In the meantime, thank you all for the help.