Yamaha's MO8 synth has a wide variety of acoustic and electric pianos.
Yamaha released its 88-key MO8 Contemporary Music Production Synthesizer, part of its Motif line, in January 2006. The MO8 comes with 175 MB of waveform memory, 64 voices of polyphony, 512 preset programs, 18 different filter types and 1,800 arpeggio programs. Numerous artists and producers have taken advantage of the MO8's capabilities as a songwriting station, a sound source for computer-based sequencers, a control surface and a versatile instrument with a wide range of pianos, electric pianos, organs, guitars, strings, pads, percussion and special effects.
Instructions
1. Use it to come up with ideas. The MO8 has hundreds of phrases and beats that can be used as the basis for patterns and grooves in the sequencer and eventually chained into songs. Each preset voice has five arpeggios or phrases saved with it, selected by the sub-function buttons, all appropriate to the type of instrument you have dialed up.
2. Hook it up to your computer. The MO8's "To Host" port lets you connect multi-port MIDI to your computer with a single USB cable. The "To Device" port lets you connect USB storage devices directly to the MO for saving voices, performances and songs and backing up files to your computer. A stereo coaxial digital output allow for noise-free digital recording from the MO8 to your computer sound card, a DAT or a CD-R. The MO8 plays especially well with Cubase, Sonar, Logic and Digital Performer.
3. Record your ideas inside the MO8. The MO's "Song and Pattern" sequencer was designed to be a creative scratch pad that makes it easy to get your songwriting ideas down. Having an on-board pattern sequencer lets you work in sections that can be easily chained together to try different song arrangements.
4. Tweak your settings on-stage. The MO8's real-time controls, including its array of sliders and knobs, make it easy to make subtle or sweeping changes whenever you feel the need, and the 240-by-64 dot LCD back-lit display allows you to keep track of the keyboard's hundreds of voices, EQs, reverbs, choruses, compressors and beat-change effects.
5. Use it simply as a keyboard. Despite all the other things the MO8 can do, you can use it simply as a music keyboard: The tactile feel of the weighted keys, which have balanced hammer action, can come pretty close to giving you the experience of playing an acoustic piano.
