Chapter 5: The Complete Musical Instruments of the MOTIF Series - Yamaha USA

Chapter 5: The Complete Musical Instruments of the MOTIF Series

The Ultimate Workstation

Our decision to listen more closely to the voices of customers paid dividends with instruments such as the S80, winning high praise as stage keyboards among other achievements. That being said, efforts to develop successors to the SY series and the EX series failed to deliver any instruments that went on to become massive hits.

In the latter half of the ‘90s, significant progress in Windows and Mac operating systems made it possible for those with little or no computer skills to use PCs with confidence, and many musicians—both professionals and amateurs—started to build their music production systems around computers. Although workstations excelled in their ability to make serious music without the need for any other equipment, they began to fall short of the requirements of the market because of these developments.

In response, we refocused our development of new workstation synths on the following three goals:

1. Great sound

New Yamaha workstations needed to deliver highly practical and expressive sounds in both recording and live settings. The synthesizer is generally expected to deliver a myriad of different sounds, but in order for it to be treated as a serious musical instrument, the quality of these sounds is paramount.

2. Effortless Music Creation

Complex operations could disrupt the creative flow. That’s why we focused on simplifying the user experience, leveraging the high-quality hardware to enhance the interface while making it possible to create fantastic music in a short amount of time.

3. Computer integration

Adopting a radical new approach for the workstation synthesizer, we recognized the need for greater compatibility with computers. Our workstations needed to excel not only as standalone, fully independent devices but also as integral components in PC-based music production systems.

Dawn of the MOTIF Era

MOTIF

Yamaha had been working on a new form of workstation developed under the code name “Kangaroo.” It was to be a world-class instrument capable of satisfying all three of the above goals. To this end, we focused on enhancements to several features and capabilities, including our PCM waveforms (i.e., the raw data for sampled sounds) which had steadily improved since the development of the S80, the intelligent arpeggiator functionality, as well as support for the remote control of digital audio workstations (DAWs). Developed as a commercially viable product based on the Kangaroo project, the MOTIF workstation synthesizer had a massive impact on the synth world upon its release in 2001.

Prior to the MOTIF, our EX series of workstations had been equipped with many of the tone generation systems that we had developed to date, such as VL and AN. However, Yamaha selected AWM2 as the fundamental tone generation technology for the MOTIF. With all these other tone generation systems supported in the form of plug-in boards, we achieved a perfect balance between simplicity, convenience, and expandability. In the early 2000s, audio loops—short sections of drum and instrument tracks several beats in length—had started to become very popular with music producers, and in order to support this approach to music making, MOTIF workstations featured an Integrated Sampling Sequencer (ISS). Using this functionality, the synths could automatically detect the beats in an audio loop, slice it up, and apply a natural sounding release to each slice. Intelligent time stretching could then be applied—in other words, the audio loop could be played back at different tempos without sounding unnatural. The ISS could also rearrange the order of the slices to create totally new grooves. And because pitch could be changed without having to modify the tempo, the ISS was extremely effective with pitched musical phrases as well as drum loops. Thanks to this innovative feature, MOTIF owners could now make beats and tunes in a highly intuitive fashion by combining audio and MIDI phrases—functionality that is now taken for granted in the modern DAW.

The MOTIF also featured an intelligent arpeggiator that proved highly effective both when playing live and arranging. While the term "arpeggiation" might conjure the image of a musician holding a chord as the synth sequences the notes up and down, the MOTIF’s implementation went far beyond that. For example, an arpeggiator programmed to play the notes G, A, and G when a G key was pressed could be set to trigger only within a certain velocity range. This allowed for expressive effects, like producing a trill on instruments such as flute or guitar, simply by playing with greater force. It’s not surprising that the arpeggiator became one of the most popular features of the MOTIF.

Image of MOTIF catalog

Hardware Innovation

Image of MOTIF catalog

In addition to wide ranging improvements in software, the MOTIF also featured hardware with specifications that were markedly different from those of previous Yamaha synths. For a start, all the instruments in this series had the same tone generation functionality, regardless of keyboard length. Prior to this, the number of keys making up a synth's keyboard, its body dimensions, and its feature lineup usually depended on whether it was intended for professionals, stage use, or beginners. However, the 61-, 76-, and 88-key variations of the MOTIF synths were equipped with exactly the same tone generation functionality. The keyboard from the 88-key model had a slightly different mechanical design, but there was no difference at all between the three variations in terms of the number of dials and voices. This was highly convenient for musicians who, for example, owned a 61-key MOTIF, yet used a 76- or 88-key model for rehearsal or recording. They could go from one model to the next in complete confidence, without anything seeming unfamiliar. This advantage was further enhanced with the inclusion of a flash memory slot, allowing voices and sequence data to be stored on memory cards. With all required data stored on a single card, you could easily recreate your preferred playing environment on any MOTIF, anywhere in the world.

Meanwhile, faders and dials ergonomically arranged at the left of the top panel could be used for real-time control of the MOTIF's voices and arps as well as DAW software running on a PC. By seamlessly integrating with computers, these features positioned the MOTIF synth at the core of any computer-based production system, effortlessly connecting via USB or MIDI cables.

Yet the MOTIF also packed in many more features that were critical to a professional workstation synthesizer. For example, the MOTIF could easily import sampling libraries that had become standard tools among the professional producers of the day. The instrument also supported digital output for direct digital connection to studio equipment. In addition, the physical design and colors of the MOTIF looked great on stage. From this perspective, the MOTIF series went far above and beyond our three original goals.

Offering so much to the musician, it comes as no surprise that the MOTIF series was released to great acclaim. In terms of sound quality, ongoing improvements to the built-in waveforms – particularly those that sounded like backing instruments such as the electric piano, bass, and electric guitar – earned high praise. The quality of the instrument's built-in audio effects also received recognition, and MOTIF quickly became a permanent resident in many professional recording venues. Meanwhile, the ISS enabled seamless application of drum sampling techniques, allowing music production methods once limited to a select group of dance music producers to become accessible to other genres of artists as well. Given that the hip-hop sound started to make inroads into the US charts only after the MOTIF was introduced, this family of synths clearly had a major impact on the music scene of the day.

Further Evolution to Mega Voices

Image of Examples of sampling piano sound

Having regained their groove, the developers of the MOTIF set about planning the synth's second generation, and the most notable change in this—the MOTIF ES—contained twice the amount of memory provided for built-in waveforms in the original MOTIF series. In specific numbers, the 85 MB of memory originally available was increased to 175 MB, allowing more sampled data to be stored on the instrument. This availability of waveform memory went a long way in enhancing the quality of sampled voices. To understand why, let's look at a piano voice. As shown in the illustration, a piano sample slowly attenuates over time. In the case of a grand piano, it could take dozens of seconds for each note to fade away completely. Storing all this data on a synth would soon exhaust the available memory, and looping was usually applied as an alternative.

Sticking with our piano example, the attack portion of the sound comprises an extremely complex blend of harmonics that changes rapidly over time; however, the same basic waveform repeats in the release portion, gradually decaying in volume. We could therefore simulate the way in which piano notes fade by looping a suitable length of the release portion and slowly reducing its volume. Waveform data from behind the looped portion would no longer be needed. When this is removed from the sampled sound, less onboard memory is required for storage. If, however, the loop points must be positioned too far forward due to memory constraints, it becomes more difficult to reproduce the delicate nuances of the sampled instrument, and the resulting voices become sterile and mechanical. In other words, when more memory is available for storing sample data, more realistic, higher quality sounds can be replicated. In addition, the subtle noises produced when playing a real instrument—in the case of our piano, the sounds of mechanisms such as the actions and pedals—can also be sampled when more memory is available, and when properly mixed with the musical sounds, they make the simulation much more realistic. In the MOTIF ES, we were able to achieve a level of musical expressiveness that memory limitations made impossible on the original MOTIF, significantly boosting the overall quality of the synth's sound.

Meanwhile, a technology known as Keyboard Mega Voice made all the nuances of an acoustic instrument's sound instantly playable. In the past, guitar mutes and harmonics could only be accessed by individually loading the corresponding programs, but Keyboard Mega Voices beautifully produced these sounds in response to specific key velocities and other performance data, playing a critical role in making the MOTIF ES a much more expressive musical instrument.

  • MOTIF ES7
  • MOTIF ES7 Red Prototype

Revolutionary Advancements in the MOTIF XS

MOTIF XS8

As the second-generation MOTIF ES made steady inroads and the MOTIF Series synths became a favorite of amateur and professional musicians alike, expectations for the next generation began to grow. The third installment in this series—the MOTIF XS—further increased the memory available for waveforms, while also providing a great many other functions.

To begin, we changed the operating system used to drive the synthesizer's on-board programs. Earlier operating systems had been specially designed for synthesizer development, and therefore, drivers had to be built on a case-by-case basis for functions that needed to communicate with a computer. This extremely inefficient and time-consuming situation was worsened by the fact that the drivers needed to be updated whenever a computer OS was upgraded. As a solution, we switched to operating systems such as Linux, which had originally been developed for use on computers. This allowed us to resolve all compatibility issues while boosting the pace of development. What's more, it became much easier to release subsequent OS updates that added new functionality to the synths. From this perspective, the MOTIF XS could almost be described as a computer with a built-in piano keyboard.

With the MOTIF XS, we also greatly enhanced the functionality of the arpeggiator, now a key feature of this synth family. In contrast to earlier MOTIFs, where phrases were combined from multiple voices –each using one type of arp – four arpeggiators could now be driven in parallel for much more complex phrasing.

MOTIF synths can be played in two different modes: Voice mode, which lets the musician focus on all the nuances of one specific instrument, such as piano or guitar, and Performance mode, which allows a number of these voices to be layered on the keyboard and played at the same time. Using the four arpeggiators of the MOTIF XS in Performance mode made it possible to simultaneously play sequenced phrases of up to four voices. If, for example, the first of these Voices was set to drums, its arpeggiator could be used to play a drum loop. If bass was selected for the second voice, the corresponding arpeggiator could play bass guitar phrases. And if piano were selected for the third, a backing part could be played by the corresponding arpeggiator. Finally, selecting guitar for the last voice, and having its arpeggiator play a strumming phrase, would round out a complete backing pattern.

This was not the same as programming a multi-part backing sequence: the fact that the pattern was arpeggiator driven meant that it could instantly respond to the notes played. While the drum phrase would normally be set to play the same loop, the other three voices could change in real time based on the notes played. The MOTIF XS could also identify chords based on the keys held down, allowing the player to play intricate backing phrases with chords instantly changing as he or she desired.

Of course, many of the other synthesizers available at the time had pattern sequencers with support for chord changes, but what made the MOTIF XS special was a more realistic-sounding approach that also allowed the phrases themselves to be changed based on velocity data from the keyboard. For example, the drum pattern's arpeggiator could be set to produce a crash cymbal and kick drum in response to the playing of a note above a certain velocity (or strength). This made it possible to easily produce accent cymbals or syncopated 8th- or 16th-note rhythms during actual performances. Rather than switching to "pattern" or another similar term, Yamaha stuck firmly with "arpeggiator" to describe this ability to freely control phrases in line with the player's wishes, and it has become synonymous with the MOTIF Series.

Further Enhancement of Core Functionality in the MOTIF XF

MOTIF XF7

The MOTIF XF was introduced in 2010, further building on the MOTIF XS of three years earlier. The memory available for built-in waveforms increased from 355 to 741 MB. This synth was also equipped with more inspiring and powerful voices. In addition, there was support for flash memory expansion modules that could boost the available sampling and waveform data to 2 GB. Its predecessor, the MOTIF XS, also provided for voice expansion, but not using flash memory. For this reason, any expansion waveform data had to be reloaded every time the instrument was turned on. With the addition of support for flash memory modules, expansion voices could be loaded into the MOTIF XF as easily as presets. Meanwhile, effects and various other synth features could be updated using software upgrades, meaning that the synth's owners received ongoing enhancements without having to purchase new hardware.

In developing the MOTIF XS, we also reviewed the synth's basic hardware functionality. Many internal components associated with sound quality were upgraded. The driver voltage for analog circuitry was also increased from that of the MOTIF XS. As a result, the punch and fatness of sounds improved tremendously.

Leveraging all the Yamaha synthesizer expertise acquired over the years in the objective of achieving a perfect balance between content and technology, the fourth-generation MOTIF XF harnessed every success of the MOTIF series in a single instrument. Since its release, this remarkable synth has become a favorite of a great many musicians. Having matured rapidly through the first decade of the 21st century from the original MOTIF to the XF, this series has developed an enviable reputation for ease-of-use, great sound, and excellent performance. As such, the MOTIF has taken the place of ultimate workstation synthesizer in all but name. With an adoption rate for recording studios, tour rentals, and a diverse array of other applications that rivals that of the incredibly successful DX7, the MOTIF series continues to support musicians all over the world today.

Image of groundbreaking models released during the 10 years after the release of the first MOTIF were introduced

Crossover to Other Models and the CP Series

New releases in the 2000s were not limited to the MOTIF Series alone. we introduced a great many entry- and mid-level synths that inherited various MOTIF technologies and features, including the MO series in 2005 and the revolutionary lightweight MM series in 2007. As with the MOTIFs, each series comprised a range of models that could all be played and operated in exactly the same way despite having different keyboard sizes and designs. This notable feature meant that once you were familiar with one synth, any other from the same series could be mastered in an instant.

CP4, CP1

The synths of the MOX series and the MOXF series came equipped with the same four-layer arpeggiator found on the MOTIF XS, allowing for hours of inspiration and fun with intelligent arps. Meanwhile, our compact MX Series synthesizers, which catered to all age brackets from teenagers up, featured a rich array of PCM waveforms taken straight from the MOTIF series. Even the entry-level models perform to the highest standards.

Another highly noteworthy development of that decade was our release of CP series stage pianos. Stretching back to the CP-70 introduced in 1976, this series had been dormant since the CP-60M of 1985, but thanks to the large onboard waveform memory and high-quality sampled content of the MOTIF series, we were able to successfully relaunch it at the end of the decade. The original CP series comprised of two different types of instruments—a type of electric piano that used pickups to capture the sound of actual piano strings, and another that created sounds using circuitry (see the "CP Series" anecdote); however, this latest iteration of CPs applied the experience and expertise of four decades to bring together the best of both worlds. Starting with the CP1, many new models had been developed as part of this reborn CP Series, and as exemplified by the CP4 STAGE, it successfully evolved with the needs of the times for stage instruments. This, too, was only possible thanks to our policy decision at the start of the decade to proactively feed the findings of market research back to product development.

  • MO6
  • MM6
  • MX49
  • MOXF6

From its genesis in the SY-1 of 1974, the rich tradition of the Yamaha synthesizer has evolved through many stages, such as innovation in tone generation systems, advancements in user interfaces, and enrichment of content. This tradition was handed down to the MOTIF XF WH that we proudly introduced in 2014. In the ‘70s and ‘80s, Yamaha focused on technical innovation in building the fundamental components of keyboard mechanisms and unlocking the secrets of tone generation. The challenging ‘90s saw a repeated number of trial and error attempts in our quest to understand how the synthesizer could be improved as a musical instrument. Over the course of the past decades, we have slowly, but surely, perfected our craft.

MOTIF XF7, MOTIF XF8, MOTIF XS6, MOTIF ES6, MOTIF 7