MO6 / MO8

The heart of the MO series is the same massive 175 MB wave ROM and synth engine found in the flagship MOTIF ES. Complete with expressive, multi-velocity acoustic pianos and EPs, MegaVoice guitars and basses that capture all the subtle nuance of the real thing and a vast selection of string, brass and other acoustic sounds, the MO is ready for any type of music production. A huge selection of different drum kits instantly inspires new beats and grooves. Whether you need realistic rhythm tracks or orchestral backgrounds, the MO has all the sounds you need in one place. But don't be fooled, the MO is not just for acoustic emulations. The 4-oscillator Voices feature multi band filters and snappy envelopes so there's also a complete selection of analog and digital synth sounds from funky basses, silky leads to atmospheric pads. Realtime controls and an advanced modulation matrix, let you easily shape those sounds to fit your production needs.

The MO also includes advanced effects processing including Reverbs, Chorus & Delays, 16 individual Part EQs and powerful dual Insertion effects that can be applied to up to three parts in a Mix or Performance. The Insertion effects feature some of the most creative and unique DSP processing on the planet including lo-fi, digital scratching, slicing, and beat change.

If you're looking for the most expressive acoustics sounds from pianos to drums, the widest selection of the freshest synth basses, leads and pads and the most powerful DSP processing available, you'll find that nothing in its price range has any MO.

As a musician these days you find yourself in lots of different situations–live gigs, song writing collaborations, studio sessions and computer music environments loaded with DAWs and SoftSynths. The MO series was designed to adapt to each of these different applications with their own special demands and provide just the right feature set for each situation. The responsive Voices and real time controls allow you to express subtle emotions in live performance. The Performances are not only live ensembles with splits and layers, but many use the MO's Phrase Factory Arpeggios and are complete grooves to instantly inspire new song ideas. But most important of all, the MO series was designed to be not just a keyboard, but the center of a computer based music production studio. It offers a DAW remote control mode that gives you full hands on remote control of DAW and SoftSynths. The Studio Connections compatibility let you treat the MO as a VST SoftSynth inside Cubase SX 3.1 and Nuendo 3.1. The special Utility Quick Setups let you easily change from one style of working to the next. So no matter how you like to work, the MO series adapts to fit your workflow and lets you be more musically productive.

Some people might wonder why you need a built-in sequencer in a workstation keyboard when there are so many powerful computer software programs like Steinberg's Cubase products available today. But the MO's Song and Pattern sequencer was actually designed to be a creative scratch pad to let you quickly and easily get your song writing ideas down. Much of today's music is looped based and having a Pattern sequencer let's you work in sections that can be easily chained together to try different song arrangements. So when working on new song ideas, it's often faster and easier to use the MO's on board sequencer to get your ideas down quickly while inspiration is still fresh.

The new Utility Quick Setups also let you transfer from the internal sequencer to your computer with a single button press. Because the MO is a complete self contained system – including a keyboard, tone generator and sequencer. It's great when you want to be on the move and collaborate with friends.

The MO6 and MO8 are light in weight and extremely portable so they are great for live performance situations. The MO8 features a Balanced Hammer action keyboard like that found on the MOTIF ES8.

Both the MO6 and MO8 feature hand on knobs and sliders for real time controls and a full compliment of pedal control inputs as well. The MO series also features full multi zone MIDI capabilities for controlling external tone generators, SoftSynths and other keyboards in your rig.

With it's high quality built-in DSP effects, the MO sounds great going directly into your band's PA mixer. Light in weight and heavy on features, the MO series is a working musician's dream.

Today's project studios are centered around the computer and the MO series total integration with computer production systems is what really separates it from the competition. It features both USB "TO HOST" and USB "TO DEVICE" ports. The "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 like hard disk drives and thumb drives (USB flash memory) directly the MO for saving voices, performances and songs and backing up files to your computer. Digital Audio connectivity is standard with a stereo coaxial digital output for noise free digital recording of your MO to your computer sound card, a DAT or CDR.

The MO series also features a DAW Remote Control Mode that allows full hands on control of popular DAW software including Sonar, Logic, Digital Performer and the full range of Steinberg Cubase and Nuendo products. You can control Volume, Pan, Solo, Mute, Track Arming, Track Select and many other track specific functions. The Transport controls on the MO series can be setup to stop, start and return to zero your DAW projects. You can even edit and control VST/AU plug-ins and see their parameters displayed in the LCD display of the MO. Total control over your DAW and SoftSynths from your hardware synth has never been easier.

Total control over your DAW and SoftSynths with the MO's DAW Remote Control Mode has never been easier. Total control of your hardware synth from your DAW software with the MO's Studio Connection compatible software has never been easier. Now you can utilize all the power of the total computer integration in the MO series to make more music.

Audio Integration is the next phase of the Studio Connections project. It allows you to setup the MO Series as a VST Instruments via the "External Instrument" function found in Cubase SX 3.1/Nuendo 3.1. Now you can use the MO Series just like a plug-in, routing it to the DAW’s Audio mixer, applying VST effects and even using unique VST functions such as "mix down" and "freeze". Finally you’ve got a seamless environment where both hardware synthesizers and software synthesizers can be completely integrated together.

Totally Cool – Total Integration.

The new MO series brings the sonic palette and music production power of the award winning MOTIF ES to a new generation of players and producers. Equally at home on stage, in the studio or in a computer based home recording system, the MO series is not just a keyboard, but the heart of your music production system. Killer sounds, a complete Song and Pattern based sequencer, powerful on-board effects processing and total computer integration come together to make these the most affordable music production synthesizers in the Yamaha line up.