Yamaha MOTIF XS6, MOTIF XS7, MOTIF XS8

MOTIF XS Owner’s Manual 7

Main Features

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Responsive, expressive keyboard (page 12)

The MOTIF XS6 features a 61-key keyboard, while the MOTIF XS7

has 76 keys with the high-quality FSX keyboard and the MOTIF

XS8 has 88 keys with the high-quality BH (Balanced Hammer)

keyboard. All are equipped with a touch response feature (both

initial touch and aftertouch). These allow you to expressively

change the sound in various ways—initial touch by the strength

with which you play the keys, and aftertouch by how strongly you

press the keys when holding them down.

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Wide Variety of Voices and Category Search Function

(page 24)

The MOTIF XS features a huge number and wide range of

dynamic, authentic Voices. Use the Category Search function to

quickly call up the Voices you want, based on their instrument

type.

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Eight Elements for each Voice (page 56)

Each Normal Voice can contain up to eight separate sound

Elements, enabling Voices of great complexity and rich texture.

These Elements can also be controlled in real time—by using the

panel sliders, the [ASSIGNABLE FUNCTION] buttons, or by the

way you play the keyboard. Special “Mega Voices” are also

available, letting you recreate the unique performance sounds of

acoustic instruments.

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Powerful Arpeggio feature with four different types (pages

24 and 62)

Arpeggio automatically plays a variety of sequenced phrases in

response to the keys you play. This function is especially powerful

with Drum Voices—letting you easily call up various rhythm

patterns at the touch of a key, and providing instant inspiration for

song creation and performance. With Normal Voices, Arpeggio

changes harmonically according to the chords you play, helping

you as you compose or perform. Up to four Arpeggios can be

running simultaneously, and of course, in perfect sync. Velocity

control, Accent Phrase and Random SFX features—as well as the

eight panel Knobs—give you even greater expressive, realtime

control over Arpeggio playback.

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Performance consisting of up to four Voices (page 28)

Performance mode lets you use four different Voices together—in

layers or in a keyboard split. Moreover, the MOTIF XS gives you

comprehensive control over the Performance in real time, as you

play—letting quickly select Parts, turn Parts on/off, turn Arpeggio

playback on/off, and more. You can also record your Performance

in this mode directly to the Song or Pattern tracks by pressing the

[REC] button.

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Integrated Sampling Sequencer—seamlessly combines

audio and MIDI recording (pages 39, 161 and 242)

The MOTIF XS provides full Sample recording and editing

features, plus sample memory (with optional DIMM modules).

Wide data compatibility lets you load AIFF and WAV ﬁles, as well

as samples and program/voice data from other popular samplers,

such as the Yamaha A-series.

Adding to the ﬂexibility is a powerful Slice feature that

automatically chops up your rhythms and riffs into their individual

beats and notes. This lets you manipulate the component parts of

your sample loops as MIDI data, and gives you the power to easily

change tempo and even the rhythmic feel, without disturbing the

pitch or sound quality.

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Loop Remix (page 175)

This feature divides the data (Audio sample as well as MIDI

sequence data) in a speciﬁed track to a variety of note lengths,

and randomly rearranges a portion of the data to create totally new

variations.

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Extensive Effect Processing (page 68)

The MOTIF XS gives you a wide array of signal processing

options, including separate Reverb and Chorus, an overall Master

Effect, including multi-band compression, ﬁve-band master EQ,

and a total of eight independent Insertion Effects. The latter

include a huge variety of effects, plus a special Vocoder feature.

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Eight Knobs and Sliders (pages 26, 34, 90 and 136)

Comprehensive real-time control with eight knobs and eight sliders

let you change the Voice in real time, adjust Mixing of the Song/

Pattern, and control DAW software (such as Cubase) on your

computer.

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Pattern mode—for creating a Song (page 208)

Pattern mode functions let you craft different rhythmic sections

and riffs as individual elements—which you can easily and

intuitively combine in real time to create full rhythm tracks. The

Sections you create can be combined together in Pattern Chains,

and these Chains can be conveniently converted to Song data.

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Song Scene and Mixing Voice—for creating a Song (pages

179 and 230)

Song Scene is another powerful tool that lets you take “snapshots”

of the sequencer track settings (such as pan, volume, track mute

and so on). Then, during playback or recording, simply switch

among the Scenes for instant, dynamic changes.

In addition to being able to create User Voices in the Voice mode,

you can create special Mixing Voices for Songs and Patterns,

letting you customize Voices speciﬁcally for your Song/Pattern

recordings.

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Master mode—for live performance (page 251)

The Master mode lets you use the MOTIF XS as a master keyboard

controller (with independent Zones), and easily reconﬁgure the

instrument between Voice/Performance play and Song/Pattern

play in live applications.

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Equipped with a variety of connectors (pages 16, 17 and 18)

A full rear panel of input/output connections provides maximum

interfacing ﬂexibility. These include Assignable Outputs, A/D

Inputs, Digital Output, MIDI, Ethernet, mLAN (standard on the

MOTIF XS8 and optionally available for the MOTIF XS6/7) and two

USB connectors.

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Computer connectivity (page 43)

The comprehensive set of connectors—Ethernet, mLAN and USB

TO HOST—make interfacing with computers and your favorite

software exceptionally easy. In particular, the new Ethernet

connection gives you fast transfer of your MOTIF XS ﬁles to and

from a computer on the same network.

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Quick Setup for using a computer (page 270)

This function lets you instantly reconﬁgure the MOTIF XS for

different computer/sequencer related applications by calling up

specially programmed presets.

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Editor software for the MOTIF XS (page 50)

The instrument is also compatible with the MOTIF XS Editor—a

comprehensive, easy-to-use editing software program that lets

you edit (via USB connection) the Mixing setups and Mixing

Voices to be used for Song/Pattern playback. The MOTIF XS Editor

is free and can be downloaded from the Yamaha website.

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Integration with Cubase (page 49)

The MOTIF XS is specially designed to work seamlessly with

Cubase, Steinberg’s full-featured DAW software—giving you a

comprehensive, all-in-one music production system, in which

hardware and software are fully integrated.