FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Yamaha Motif Keyboard

Question:
I'm thinking of getting the Yamaha Motif ES rack module for my one-man-band rig, I'm kinda familiar with the Motif sounds because our church has a Motif keyboard that I hear occasionally, but I will audition it myself too. I was wondering overall what owners of this unit think of the sounds for your typical jazz quintet, rock, latin, etc. group (no rap or ethnic, except latin)? Also a second question has to do with the expansion cards, I was thinking of getting the PLG150VL (for horns, sax, etc.) and the PLG150PC (for latin percussion). If you have either of these cards what do you think of them? Synth saxes usually sound like kazoos to me, except I did audition some amazing sax synths in the Roland G-70. Do you think the saxes on this card are as good as the Roland alto sax on the G-70? Saxophone seems to be the one instrument that really separates the men from the boys in the sound-module arena, and I'd like to be able to use one some day without being embaressed.

Answer:
Own both, the keyboard Mo-ES and an ES-Rack. My overall favorites, of all the synth modules that I have owned (through the Triton/Fantom-S/Motif generation of units). The PLG150VL is a derivative of the VL70m module, which I have been using live with my wind controller for many years, now. Have VL's plugged in to both of my Motif's - if that speaks to what I feel about the sounds (as a sax player). The PLG150-VL works quite well inside of the MotifES - particularly, since you have the advantage of the Mo-ES effects package. Bear this in mind - the VL-series is monophonic/mono-timbral (one channel/one note at a time). Can't speak to the PLG150-PC, but I will tell you that I personally felt no particular benefits when I tried the PLG150-DR drum card to the ES - other than the added polyphony. If you really feel a need to plug the second slot, consider picking up one of the PLG piano cards. Here is a link to a couple of .mp3's where I have some horn section/solo work using the VL70m module. Remember - sax, guitar, or any number of other sample-based emulations, tend just as much about the player, as the patch.