Complaints about the motif XS sounds. Your thought?

Reamodic

Reamodic

New member
Hey guys,

So i have a Motif XS and its sole purpose is for my rap/hip hop production. I am trying to decide if i should get rid of it and switch to all software, or keep it, or buy a fantom or something.

This is a little bit of a rant, but i would like some opinions as well too.

Let me first say that i am no expert, but i know what sounds good and what doesn't. My main concern is that some of the motif sounds sound to 'real" sometimes. I know that sounds dumb, but most hip hop doesn't have a full orchestra brass ensemble if you get what i mean. It has that dirty south 'fakeish" horn sound. Maybe its 100% me and I'm not using the sounds correctly or mixing correctly and thats what I'm trying to figure out.

these are two of my main concerns....

1. I think the piano sounds on the Motif XS are terrible. Period. Which sucks cause after its all said and done....its a piano hahaha

2. I feel like it isnt really created to make hip hop/rap (which i know it wasnt) A large majority of the sounds are kind of cheesy for rap.


What do you guys think about the motif?

If i were to switch to software how would i go about deciding what programs i want?
 
I have a XS6, I think you are full of it. I also have a Fantom Rack. The motif has high quality sounds and you should learn how to use it or sell it, but the problem is not the board, it's you.
 
Im not trying to argue at all or say that the Motif is a terrible machine thats why i said, it may be me and my mixing that is the problem. Im just trying to figure stuff out. Could i hear some stuff you did with the Motif sounds?
 
youngjboy said:
I have a XS6, I think you are full of it. I also have a Fantom Rack. The motif has high quality sounds and you should learn how to use it or sell it, but the problem is not the board, it's you.
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agreed. The motif is probably the best music workstation on the market. Its not the machine its you.

---------- Post added at 04:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:50 PM ----------

There are many hit records done on the motif. Look at Scott Storch's catalog most of that is Motif es Presets.
 
man you know how much I hate that demo...they changed ALL my damn sounds...especially the drums LMAO, and the synths...and then QUANTIZED the hell out of everything. Anyhow.....

Plenty of people are still using Motif XS sounds for music productions. I dont think any PCM based synth ever had great brass, it usually just works in a certain context. People always ask about the horns on my intro track for my videos... its Motif ES horns



most of the sounds besides the bass and drums from that intro come from the Motif ES...not to say its the Most realistic, but I think you have to put things in context and explore what works. Just because it doesn't sound like the "real thing" doesn't mean it cant sound good. Also you must understand that PCM synths are not meant to replace the real versions of the instruments it samples, you should still aspire to use real versions with real musicians when possible, and consider the keyboard sounds the place holders in certain situations.
 
Im not saying its not a great workstation. It is and i like it a lot. Im just saying lets say your trying to sell me motif, and i already sequence in logic... Why would I be better off with this $3,000 workstation over a $500 Komplete 7 bundle? Im not trying to bash equipment and like i said im not even close to pro. I just want to know if people feel the same way about the product or if maybe i personally would be better of all software.

---------- Post added at 05:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:11 PM ----------

@F Major

I like that beat a lot. thanks for that. Are you happy with the Piano sounds from the ES? Mine sound a bit dull? compared to others i have compared to. Ive watched a ton of your stuff, but are what is your... I guess" primary" sound bank. Do you use the ES a lot or do you prefer software, or are you kind of all over the place?
 
this is the problem with the internet and these types of boards...you always need to give some sort of musical reference for the opinion to make more sense. If you posted examples of the music you are trying to get into, or audio examples of the types of sounds you are looking to achieve, people could give you much more objective information. Just generally talking about how something doesnt work/vibe/sound right to you is too subjective and doesnt lead to anywhere. The Motif XS is one of many tools you can use creatively to get cool music done with. It cant do everything though, but it can do MANY things if you are creative and talented.

---------- Post added at 05:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:19 PM ----------

To answer your question, I have not used a Motif XS in about 2 years, I mainly use Reason, and Kontakt for those types of sounds now. I like it all though, I find myself putting together music much faster and decisively on the keyboards than in the software environment. In software I tend to focus more on exactness of sound and not context of sound. Theres no wrong way, but people dont tend to listen for exactness unless they too are musicians. Context will generally win vs exactness for electronic music.
 
Yea, that makes sense. Maybe ill try to post up some samples of what im talking about in the next few days and see if you have any advice. thanks for the quick response though.

---------- Post added at 05:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:23 PM ----------

Maybe thats where im struggling, i find myself throwing stuff together very quick on the XS, which is why i love it. But then i sit there and debate whether or not each sound fits just right. but like i said, ill try to get up an example.
 
Damn Focused, i didn't know you hated the demo:p I really haven't done any tracks on my XS due to school and work and other schedules. I haven't even gotten into it yet really. I swooped up an Alesis Ion a while back and haven't really got into that either.

To, the OP, ok, edit. I think you have to either decide software, hardware, or both. I love keyboards but sometimes love daws for the ease of just clipping a midi section and pasting it wherever i want.
 
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Focused said:
man you know how much I hate that demo...they changed ALL my damn sounds...especially the drums LMAO, and the synths...and then QUANTIZED the hell out of everything. Anyhow.....

Plenty of people are still using Motif XS sounds for music productions. I dont think any PCM based synth ever had great brass, it usually just works in a certain context. People always ask about the horns on my intro track for my videos... its Motif ES horns



most of the sounds besides the bass and drums from that intro come from the Motif ES...not to say its the Most realistic, but I think you have to put things in context and explore what works. Just because it doesn't sound like the "real thing" doesn't mean it cant sound good. Also you must understand that PCM synths are not meant to replace the real versions of the instruments it samples, you should still aspire to use real versions with real musicians when possible, and consider the keyboard sounds the place holders in certain situations.
Click to expand...

whats PCM?
 
hmm makes sense. ive heard the term but never really thought about it. I always think of Romplers are preset boxes myself and not synths in the slightest also lol
 
The sounds in what we call a "ROMpler" are made through synthesis, its not simply sample playback. On a software sampler like Kontakt or even NNXT, the sounds are usually just being generated through sample playback and no real synthesis is being applied unless the sound is specifically modeling an analog subtractive or FM synth. People dont realize all the great pads and polyphonic sounds that can be made using a PCM synth. Equally there are tons of interesting monophonic sounds to be made with a PCM synth. I think the preset hunting game becomes much worse when people start using software to be honest. If you are looking for the most realistic and accurately sampled instrument sounds..the Motif XS will not give that to you. If you want a powerful synth that can be manipulated to create tons of great sounds, the Motif XS is just that, how you use the sounds determines how the music comes out.
 
I have the XS8 and the the triton extreme and I must say the XS8 has great sounds. Now if you trying to do hip hop, r&b or dirty south tracks then you might want to go with the Triton or Fantom. I had my triton first then wanted to get the motif for more sounds because I do urban latin music. A lot of the sounds I needed were in the Motif XS. I have been using the motif for about 8 months now since i bought it and recently went back to using the triton. I go back and forth between the two keyboards to change it up. I just recently made some tracks again with the triton and they came out good for the type of music I produce. So basically it's just knowing how to use the keyboards and getting better at your craft.
 
Hmm, after having the Karma and a Fantom rack, and switching to the XS6 and Fantom rack, I dig a lot of things about Korg sounds, but I did Yamaha and Roland also. At any rate, realistically, I could make a track on any of the 3 using just the onboard sounds, however the M3 engine that Korg is using now is better suited for my style than the Triton engine.
 
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