Dear all,
I’ve recently stumbled upon the Motif-Rack XS, and it’s a very interesting device!
I have a few questions:
1. Can I use more than one Drum Kit at a time? Or, is it restricted to only using MIDI channel 10?
2. Are there any alternatives to it? Anything newer, or (dare I say it) better within a similar budget?
3. Are there any websites or YouTube videos that show the Motif-Rack XS being used at its best? I’m particularly interested in seeing it being used from a sequencer, and it’s integration, as I am taking a more studio-based approach as opposed to live performance. Apart from the sounds themselves, I’d love to hear the results of the VCM effects!
4. Are there any plans for expansion cards other than the FW16e? I see that is the only card mentioned on the Yamaha website, but I was wondering if there were any plans to connect via AVB or some other kind of Ethernet based protocol, like with the mini-YGDAI cards.
5. What memory and expansion cards are recommended, or have been noted as the most successful?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Kind Regards,
Dan
1. Can I use more than one Drum Kit at a time? Or, is it restricted to only using MIDI channel 10?
Any instrument can be used in any Part. You can use 16 Drum Kits at one time, you could use no Drum Kits at all. It is totally unrestricted as to what 16 instruments you choose to use in a SONG or PATTERN.
2. Are there any alternatives to it? Anything newer, or (dare I say it) better within a similar budget?
The Motif-Rack XS is current product.
Now, you may have your own reasons for not considering a keyboard, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention the MOXF6 and MOXF8. You get all of the sounds of the Rack XS, plus the MOXF is its own audio and MIDI interface to the computer via USB. Featuring a 4-in/2-out computer audio interface. The MOXF can act as a remote control surface for DAWs, and can expand its Wave ROM via an optional Flash Board. Add to this any new voices that become available for the top-of-the-line Motif XF, can be loaded to a MOXF. If it includes new samples and waveforms, you simply add a Flash Board. When you compare the Rack XS to the MOXF, the only reason you would choose the Rack would be you require the 16-in/6-out audio busing of the optional FireWire system.
3. Are there any websites or YouTube videos that show the Motif-Rack XS being used at its best? I’m particularly interested in seeing it being used from a sequencer, and it’s integration, as I am taking a more studio-based approach as opposed to live performance. Apart from the sounds themselves, I’d love to hear the results of the VCM effects!
The Motif-Rack XS is a rack version of the XS keyboard, so any thing you hear from the XS will be indistinguishable from what you can do with the Rack XS.
The one major difference is in the keyboard XS was expandable via DIMMs for user sample RAM. The keyboard XS contains a sequencer and a sampler integrated into it. These are not found in the Rack XS
4. Are there any plans for expansion cards other than the FW16e? I see that is the only card mentioned on the Yamaha website, but I was wondering if there were any plans to connect via AVB or some other kind of Ethernet based protocol, like with the mini-YGDAI cards.
Sorry, no.
The Motif-Rack XS in action...