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REVIEW
Chris Allen
has worked as a Yamaha sales manager,
secondary music teacher and now teaches teenagers with learning difficulties, while still finding time to play in bands
MOX – the ideal school composing tool
Can you imagine a keyboard with an 88-note graded-hammer action that weighs less than 15 kg? That alone would be an achievement, I thought, as I was introduced to Yamaha’s brand new series of MOX workstation keyboards. The line-up comprises both the MOX 8 and the MOX 6, which has a newly developed keyboard and shares the same electronics as its bigger brother. As I sat down to play, I was immediately taken aback by the fantastic response of the keyboard, along with a very high-quality, rich piano sound that only Yamaha seems capable of providing. The MOX series is the very latest
incarnation of the world-famous MOTIF workstation keyboards, which offer extremely high-quality sounds and a very comprehensive on-board recording facility, accessible both from the keyboard or a computer. I like to think of them as the ‘mobile Motifs’! As I discovered more about the MOX
I became increasingly impressed by the instrument’s versatility. In fact, I have sold two instruments that I use for live work and the MOX 8 has now become my main keyboard. The fact that it is so easy to switch between the sounds I need, then store all of my favourites in one bank, is a real plus for live work. It doesn’t matter whether they are single sounds or performances made up of up lots of voices, drum patterns, bass lines or whole pieces. I can call them up instantly at a touch of a button. The MOX’s sound bank comes directly from the MOTIF XS and allows you to choose from 1217 very high- quality voices, which you can layer, split and alter to your taste, using the
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on-board rotary buttons. No longer do we have to dive into pages of information on the screen. This feature is instant and, if you like what you have created, you simply store it in the MOX’s user area for recall at any time. Students working on composition using the MOX are really in for a treat. First, they can they store their settings and sounds on a memory stick (which means they can instantly get the MOX back to its settings when they last used it). Second, having access to an unparalleled 6720 arpeggios, which have been put together by top professionals as a songwriting and production aid, they can be as creative as they want. The MOX even recognises chord
shapes being played and changes the backing accordingly. You can choose anything from Latin to a trumpet concerto, from hardcore dance to hip hop, and all at the touch of a button. Added to that, rather like on a portable keyboard, you choose your basic backing then have six different levels and variations of that accompaniment. Of course you are not limited by what Yamaha has chosen for you. Experiment by switching off the drums or bass, the synth or cello part – whatever takes your fancy – and turn the ideas they have given you into a performance or compose your own from scratch. Next comes the really clever bit and it is a real breakthrough. Just press record and it will store your song, phrases or ideas, ready for you to add to or perform over. It really is that simple. Of course, many people will want to add a voice or real guitar to their recording. The MOX also has that
covered. Simply plug in your microphone, bass guitar or whatever you choose and you can add some reverb or other effects to your new part. Sing along to your performance, then listen to yourself, all from the MOX. The MOX is the first Yamaha synthesizer to come with an integrated USB/audio interface, which allows you, using only a single cable, to establish a MIDI and an audio interface. When you link this with the Cubase AI software and virtual instruments that come as part of the package, it can all be controlled remotely from your MOX and the possibilities are endless! It is hard to imagine an instrument which is so usable in so many different situations. Mine has provided the piano in assembly, a backing track for a Year 10 drama performance and the main keyboard in a progressive rock band. The really incredible thing for me is that it weighs so little for an instrument limited only by my capabilities! Yamaha has certainly hit the nail squarely on the head with the MOX series and I strongly urge you to hear one as soon as possible.
THE SPECS
MODEL MOX 6 & MOX 8 ‘THE MOBILE MOTIF’ PRICE £1051 & £1076 FEATURES MOX 6 WEIGHS ONLY 7KG!
88-NOTE GRADED HAMMER ACTION (MOX 8). 1217 VOICES. 6720 ARPEGGIO PATTERNS. DIRECT PERFORMANCE RECORDING
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