I'm in the market for a new board and I've narrowed it down to either the Yamaha Motif ES8 or the Roland Fantom-X8. I realize this is a Fantom message board and there will be some biased opinions but try to be open about it, I'd appreciate it.
My musical style: Classical, Acoustic, Orchestra Compositions, Alternative & Lighter Rock. (probably no heavy rock/metal, rap, R&B, disco, turntable-DJish stuff, or electric; but I guess it's always fun to experiment!)
-Instruments (listed by importance)-
1) Pianos
2) Strings
3) Wind/Wood/Organs
4) Bass/Drums
5) Electric
Questions I still have:
*When I choose one of these I don't want it to be outdated a month after I get it..Which one has the longest shelf life in that regard?
*Connectivity to the computer: I need it; especially for burning, possibly mixing, though these keyboards can do that themselves I believe...correct me if I'm wrong. Which would be the best?
*I don't want to have to buy a bunch of extra crap with this thing. Which is more "ready to go" out of the box without the need to buy extras? I know I'll probably have to buy a pedal and speakers for either of them; unless I can connect them to my computer's speakers via my Audigy2 Platinum sound card..not sure about that though..I've got Logitech Z-680 speakers)
That's about it. Thanks in advance to anyone who replies.
Which board is for me: Fantom X8 or Motif ES8?
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hennyncohibas
- Posts: 2
- Joined: 15:29, 13 April 2005
Re: Which board is for me: Fantom X8 or Motif ES8?
you can't go wrong with either one. i got the fantom xr and es rack and as far as sounds go, one is not better than the other, just depends on your personal preference. as far as sequencing, i use to own a motif 6 and the feel of the sequencer was super tight! i could do sum nice drums on it which i was only capable of doing on my mpc. there is no way to tell which one will hold its value longer, u gonna just have to pick one, or both!
Re: Which board is for me: Fantom X8 or Motif ES8?
**NEWBIE QUESTION ALERT**
Say I buy the Motif board, I could buy a Fantom Rack and hook it up to it as well couldn't I (Or a Fantom board with Motif Rack)? Or does it not work that way?
Say I buy the Motif board, I could buy a Fantom Rack and hook it up to it as well couldn't I (Or a Fantom board with Motif Rack)? Or does it not work that way?
Re: Which board is for me: Fantom X8 or Motif ES8?
Yep, you can hook it up that way. Personally I'd go with the Fantom board and Motif rack, that way I'd still get the dynamic pad bank.
Re: Which board is for me: Fantom X8 or Motif ES8?
Both keyboards are great; I went with roland because I really like the user interface and I love the Roland pitch bend/modulation stick (it feels so much more natural to me). Additionally the larger screen is a lot easier to use and the keys, at least the unweighted ones, feel much nicer than Yamaha's (the only reason I say that is because I have not compared the 88 key models). All of that coupled with the ability to add SRX cards, PC card storage, and a dynamic pad bank (which does come in handy every once in a while) give the Fantom X a slight edge over the motif ES.
I compared the piano, strings, and other orchestral instruments and found the Fantom sounded superior in almost every catagory (the only thing I think the motif had that sounded maybe a little better would be some of the solo brass; though you could always get SRX-10 for that).
It really is a tough call (and you want to make the right decision because it is a big investment), if you have a store in your area where you can try out the two boards I would go and spend an hour or two comparing them. If the sounds in one or the other do not make your decision, decide which boards you feel more comfortable on; also, what board you think may be the most productive board for you (after all you could, like you mentioned, get the keyboard version of one and the rack version of the other synth).
I compared the piano, strings, and other orchestral instruments and found the Fantom sounded superior in almost every catagory (the only thing I think the motif had that sounded maybe a little better would be some of the solo brass; though you could always get SRX-10 for that).
It really is a tough call (and you want to make the right decision because it is a big investment), if you have a store in your area where you can try out the two boards I would go and spend an hour or two comparing them. If the sounds in one or the other do not make your decision, decide which boards you feel more comfortable on; also, what board you think may be the most productive board for you (after all you could, like you mentioned, get the keyboard version of one and the rack version of the other synth).
Re: Which board is for me: Fantom X8 or Motif ES8?
Hi, i own the Fantom X8 and Motif ES7 and this choice is just too hard, but i will stick my neck out here and say the Fantom X8 just has the edge, again this is purely subjective my friend... u really have to choose after spending many hours like i did, then you could always do what i did and buy Both, it just means you will have no social life as you gotta pay the damm things off of your credit card, lol
good luck with your decision, both boards rock in my opinion
Wayne
Professional Keyboardist in UK`s Number 1 Tribute To Bon Jovi
www.wayneharris.co.uk
www.bongiovi.co.uk
good luck with your decision, both boards rock in my opinion
Wayne
Professional Keyboardist in UK`s Number 1 Tribute To Bon Jovi
www.wayneharris.co.uk
www.bongiovi.co.uk
Re: Which board is for me: Fantom X8 or Motif ES8?
I wish like heck that I could go and test them out but no music stores carry them around here. It stinks. I can only go by the music samples i hear on this forum and the motifator forum...Maybe I'm missing somewhere in town that does have them, I'll just have to keep looking around.
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Chris Gardner
- Posts: 37
- Joined: 02:22, 16 April 2005
- Location: Vienna, Virginia USA
- Contact:
Re: Which board is for me: Fantom X8 or Motif ES8?
Hi, new to the board, but I've been lurking literally for months. I just completed the review, analysis, and selection of a workstation. After probably too much deliberation, I chose the Fantom X8 with 512mb dimm expansion, and SRX's 01, 06, and 07 to start - heck if I'm gonna pay for the big gun, might as well get it ready to rock!
I spent about 25 hours at several local Guitar Centers (Wash. DC metro area, USA), and was really torn between the Motif ES8 and the Fantom X8. While I think overall the ES8 sounds and arps are a bit better than the X8's (although there are lots of areas where Fantom stock sounds are better, and I expect alot from the SRX's), my ultimate decisor (is that a word?) was the ease of use, aka intuitive-ness of the operating system. That translates (to me) into a real-world advantage. With gear, I find that the easier it is to work, the more likely I am to use it. I have plenty of stuff (hardware and software) laying around that was just too much work to swat up. Not that I'm not willing to work, but I want to put the majority of my time and effort into the REAL task at hand - making music - and not spending my time learning to think like an engineer. Not to diss any of you engineers out there, I luv ya!
I wanted to be able to create original music quickly, and easily turn ideas into usable stuff - whether for a project or banked for use later. Quite frankly, the Fantom X seemed to me to be much less of a barrier to creative juices than the Motif ES (or the Korg Triton Extreme, or the Kurtzwiel 2600. Working with any "workstation" is not the same as jamming in a session or just plinking out tunes on a keyboard - it's a whole 'nother world and really opens the pores!
I also spent (rough guess) about 50 hours perusing this forum, thanks to Artemio and the major contributors! I spent as much time on Motifator, plus hours at harmony-central, studio-central, tweakheadz and other boards, plus time at online vendors like Sweetwater. Way overkill on the analysis department. I won't bore you further with the play-by-play, but suffice it to say that I explored (IMHO) a good portion of the known, online universe of knowledge about keyboard workstations. Fantom X came out best for me (semi-pro keyboardist, some performance, lots of studio and rehearsal work, and some time just playing for myself and the dog).
IMO, the selection of keyboard workstation is a deeply personal choice, and one that MUST include demo'ing the available keyboards. I hope you can find some to try out in your area(?), and if not, can spend lots of time doing what I've been doing for the last 4 months - gathering lots of info.
Best to ya!
C.
I spent about 25 hours at several local Guitar Centers (Wash. DC metro area, USA), and was really torn between the Motif ES8 and the Fantom X8. While I think overall the ES8 sounds and arps are a bit better than the X8's (although there are lots of areas where Fantom stock sounds are better, and I expect alot from the SRX's), my ultimate decisor (is that a word?) was the ease of use, aka intuitive-ness of the operating system. That translates (to me) into a real-world advantage. With gear, I find that the easier it is to work, the more likely I am to use it. I have plenty of stuff (hardware and software) laying around that was just too much work to swat up. Not that I'm not willing to work, but I want to put the majority of my time and effort into the REAL task at hand - making music - and not spending my time learning to think like an engineer. Not to diss any of you engineers out there, I luv ya!
I wanted to be able to create original music quickly, and easily turn ideas into usable stuff - whether for a project or banked for use later. Quite frankly, the Fantom X seemed to me to be much less of a barrier to creative juices than the Motif ES (or the Korg Triton Extreme, or the Kurtzwiel 2600. Working with any "workstation" is not the same as jamming in a session or just plinking out tunes on a keyboard - it's a whole 'nother world and really opens the pores!
I also spent (rough guess) about 50 hours perusing this forum, thanks to Artemio and the major contributors! I spent as much time on Motifator, plus hours at harmony-central, studio-central, tweakheadz and other boards, plus time at online vendors like Sweetwater. Way overkill on the analysis department. I won't bore you further with the play-by-play, but suffice it to say that I explored (IMHO) a good portion of the known, online universe of knowledge about keyboard workstations. Fantom X came out best for me (semi-pro keyboardist, some performance, lots of studio and rehearsal work, and some time just playing for myself and the dog).
IMO, the selection of keyboard workstation is a deeply personal choice, and one that MUST include demo'ing the available keyboards. I hope you can find some to try out in your area(?), and if not, can spend lots of time doing what I've been doing for the last 4 months - gathering lots of info.
Best to ya!
C.
Re: Which board is for me: Fantom X8 or Motif ES8?
personally i wouldn,t like to advise either way because you could well prefer to work with your choice which although technically may not be the best choice but works best for you.Having several keyboards i often find that it is the one that grows on me the most i will turn to for daily use and if there is something it is not capable of doing it means working out of a keyboard comfort zone.So in the end its all about your comfort zone and what you like to work with best.
Re: Which board is for me: Fantom X8 or Motif ES8?
It really depends on the workflow you like. So for one the Fantom suits best and for the other it's the motif.
But I would do this way:
Get the Fantom board and the Motif rack.
1. With the Fantom you can use the pads (better for drums).
2. If I am right the Fantom has a bigger display have a look (better to get the Fantom board). If you take the Fantom rack you will loose the big display!
3. You can expand the Fantom board with 4 SRX cards (which are enough) to get more specific sounds. So, as you listed your preferences:
1) SRX-11 (for piano)
2) SRX-04 (for strings)
3) SRX-10 (for brass) here I would take SRX-06 to get more possibilities
4) SRX-01 (for drums) Fantom internal sounds are good enough IMO.
5) SRX-12 (for EP)
The weakest part in the Fantom are the organs.
On the Roland webpage the are also all the XV-sounds ready for download. You don't have to buy all SRX cards at once just the one you need most.
No, I think you won't sound outdated with a Fantom X (incl. with the SRX cards). E.g the piano is timeless, isn't it?
Roland did an update for VISTA (64-bit) compatibility (something you need maybe).
But I would do this way:
Get the Fantom board and the Motif rack.
1. With the Fantom you can use the pads (better for drums).
2. If I am right the Fantom has a bigger display have a look (better to get the Fantom board). If you take the Fantom rack you will loose the big display!
3. You can expand the Fantom board with 4 SRX cards (which are enough) to get more specific sounds. So, as you listed your preferences:
1) SRX-11 (for piano)
2) SRX-04 (for strings)
3) SRX-10 (for brass) here I would take SRX-06 to get more possibilities
4) SRX-01 (for drums) Fantom internal sounds are good enough IMO.
5) SRX-12 (for EP)
The weakest part in the Fantom are the organs.
On the Roland webpage the are also all the XV-sounds ready for download. You don't have to buy all SRX cards at once just the one you need most.
No, I think you won't sound outdated with a Fantom X (incl. with the SRX cards). E.g the piano is timeless, isn't it?
Roland did an update for VISTA (64-bit) compatibility (something you need maybe).