Re: [MoAccess] Motif vs Tyros - A Practical Example
- From: Bryan Smart <bryansmart@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "MoAccess@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <MoAccess@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 6 Jul 2012 19:57:36 -0400
OK. This can get complicated, but here is the nut shell.
An arranger keyboard solves a problem for a few types of musicians.
If you gig by yourself, you have a virtual backup band that can play along with
you. You select a musical style on the arranger, play the main keyboard part,
and the band follows along. The instrument sounds on a good arranger keyboard
are going to sound way better than some cheap general MIDI module or canned
backing tracks. The keyboard also reacts to you, so if you stretch out with
additional choruses, or if you want to throw in a break or solo, you can do
that in the moment.
The other big problem arrangers solve is they help someone that doesn't know
how to play keyboard sound like a full band. I don't mean that the musician
can't play keys, but playing keyboard is different from playing piano. Keyboard
players learn how to spread out with wide two-handed chords to play more
realistic guitar parts, how to play the correct intervals for instruments like
harmonica, etc. If you play piano well, but don't know how to change your
technique for those other instruments, then an arranger helps you. You
basically play in the piano part, or else record in a few tracks that serve as
guides, pick a style, and the arranger plays all of the other instruments for
you. You can write this way, but you focus on the chords and melody, rather
than playing each part. The styles are also useful for letting you hear how
your chord progression and melody will sound when performed different ways. You
focus on the big picture, and let the arranger worry about the details.
A workstation keyboard is meant to be a self-contained instrument for
composition/production of an entire song. It is supposed to be something like a
scaled down studio or DAW. Motif has lots of ready-to-go instrument sounds,
both a 16 track linear (tape recorder style), and a 16 track pattern (drum
machine style) sequencer, a sampler that can be used to import loops, make new
instruments, record vocals, etc, and, finally, Motif has a mixing/mastering
system for getting the sound right. You might have a megabucks computer with a
mountain of softsynths, but a workstation is a boiled down version of that for
getting the tech out of your way so you can write. You turn on the Motif, and
it is all there: no updates, drivers, viruses, etc. You perform your parts in
to the sequencer on the Motif, mix it on the Motif, and can record your file
directly to a USB flash drive. The idea is that you sit down, turn on the
Motif, quickly play in your idea, quickly mix it, and get up with a recorded
song. The computer has more synths, more and better effects, etc etc. If you
want to demo a song idea, though, you can throw something together in a short
time on the Motif that sounds good, rather than spend hours working through the
infinite possibilities on the computer. If you end up loving your demo, you can
jump on the computer with a better idea of where you're going.
A workstation is also different from an arranger in that it lets you control
just about everything. You can record and edit on all 16 tracks, instead of a
few on an arranger. You have more performance controls that affect the tone of
the instrument voice, where an arranger has mostly performance controls that
affect the virtual band. You can also tweak the sound of any of your
instruments: change the effects, edit the filters, envelopes, LFOs and other
mod sources, all the way down to the individual samples, where an arranger
doesn't go as deep with control of the instrument sounds.
Arps or arpeggios get their name from history. On an instrument, you play an
arpeggio by playing the notes of a chord individually in a pattern. In the
ancient days, synthesizers had devices called arpeggiators that did this for
you. You'd hold down a C major chord, and they'd play c, e, g, e, c, e, g, etc.
You could change the pattern, so they'd play c, e, g, c, e, g, or g, e, c, g,
e, c, but that was about it. On the Motif, an arpeggio is a bit like that in
the sense that you can play a chord, but what comes out is a realistic sounding
riff. For example, say you don't know how to play good guitar parts. You can
pick a guitar sound for a track, select one of the guitar arpeggios, and just
play the chords. The Motif will generate notes that sound like you're
strumming, muting, tapping the guitar body for rhythm, etc. The arps on the
Motif aren't as smart as the styles on the Tyros, but they try to help in the
same way. You can also play them in to the sequencer one at a time, which gives
you more control than you get on a Tyros. The Motif has a performance mode,
where you can use up to 4 parts at once under arpeggiator control. People
commonly make performances that include drums, bass, guitar, and keys. The
result is something that sounds similar to a Tyros style, but with fewer parts.
You can always hammer in a nail with a screw driver, but it isn't necessarily
easy. That's why it's better to get the keyboard that is laid out to best
handle the problems that you encounter the most in your work.
Bryan
On Jul 3, 2012, at 11:10 AM, Ben Humphreys wrote:
Thanks Bryan, I liked your summary: "The Tyros is a great arranger
with some workstation features. The Motif is a great workstation with
some arranger features."
Unfortunately, I don't yet have a grasp for what "arranger" and
"workstation" mean specifically. However, an example might help
clarify the situation for me.
Let's say I have a 4-handed piano piece, such as "Heart and Soul."
I want to make a first pass with the left handed part, a repeating pattern.
Then a second pass with the right handed part.
I understand how I might do this with Sonar, recording the left hands
part on a track, and then looping it over and over. Then putting the
right hands part on its own track.
How might I accomplish this with Motif and/or Tyros?
Is this where arpeggios on Motif come in? Is this where styles on
Tyros come in?
Without regard to using Sonar, how would this be accomplished on a
Motif vs. Tyros?
Obviously, I'm confused about a lot of terms: workstation, arranger,
arpeggios, styles and how they might apply to various situations, and
in particular the one I have described.
I'd be grateful to anyone who can set me straight :)
Thanks
Ben
At 04:07 PM 7/1/2012, you wrote:
There are a good many blind Tyros users out there. Most of these
people are using the Tyros for doing one-man shows: weddings, small
parties, etc. It is incredibly realistic at being a backing band
while you play. The styles, harmonizer, and so forth aren't really
useful if you're playing with a full band. Ensemble keyboard players
would do better with a workstation, where they can split/layer
voices as much as they want, as well as build their own from
scratch. I know a few blind people that have the Tyros as a studio
sound module, but is very expensive for that approach.
The Tyros is a great arranger with some workstation features. The
Motif is a great workstation with some arranger features. My
personal opinion is that the Tyros is the superior live keyboard,
and the Motif is the superior studio piece, but they both can do
either things to some degree.
Anyway, there isn't a blind Tyros users list, as far as I know, but
lots of them are on MIDI-Mag. At one point, there were panel
descriptions, menu descriptions, and so on floating around for at
least the Tyros 3.
I suggest to ask on MIDI-Mag. Go to <http://www.midimag.org>www.midimag.org.
Bryan
On Jun 29, 2012, at 4:51 PM, D!J!X! wrote:
The motif is different in the layout and navigation than the tyros and the
top line psr. The tyros and psr are aranger keyboards, with the styles and
are geared more toward quick composition and perfomance like that. You can
use it with a sequencer with no problem, and for quick recordings. Not sure
what it has in terms of sampling capabilities, but the motif is more of a
workstation, you can make more customized full songs on there, they have
pattern mode for quick loop based music creation, and it's more of an
overall perfoming workstation, with separate channels and assignable parts
and such for performing, the tyros and psr just have the main voice, 1 or 2
layers that you can add, and a left hand split along with the styles.
The motif for example can have 4 separate keyboard zones or 4 layers
(probably more in the xf and xs), you can use arps with the voices (short
musical loops), and you can even use the pattern mode to create a 16 track
part or such to use in performances. It also has many more effects than the
tyros and more advanced routing, as it's meant for the studio musician and
the live gigging musician as well.
But if you're using the tyros in studio or for small performances, the tyros
should be fine, though because of it's different layout and such it'll be
harder to get help, since most people on this list at least use the motif
line. The good thing about the tyros and psr navigation system is that it
stays constant and once you learn it you can get around most of those
keyboards.
HTH, D!J!X!
-----Original Message-----
From:
<mailto:moaccess-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>moaccess-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:moaccess-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:moaccess-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Ben Humphreys
Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2012 9:52 PM
To:
<mailto:MoAccess@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>MoAccess@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:MoAccess@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [MoAccess] Motif vs Tyros
Hi folks,
I have a question relating to accessability of the Motif vs the Tyros.
I've heard it consistently stated that Motif is one of the best workstations
for a blind musician, presumably because so many functions are accessible
from dedicated buttons and the screen interface is button-based, not
touch-based.
However, when I went to purchase a Motif, I was so enamored with the even
more beautiful sounds of the Tyros that I ended up getting a Tyros 4
instead.
I figured the Yamaha Tyros interface was similar enough to Motif that I
wouldn't be at any disadvantage to a Motif user. Tyros has lots of buttons
I can label in Braille, and screen has 10 buttons, A through J, tab keys,
and 1 through 8 up / down buttons. I'm assuming Motif is very similar.
Of course, there is no ty-access mailing list, and certain apps, such as
those from John Melas, won't work with Tyros.
But I'm using Sonar with Cake Talking, same as I would with Motif. And I've
found a Tyros 4 Instrument Definition File so presumably can select
instruments easily using Sonar.
Which leads to my question:
Is the Motif preferred among the blind community over the Tyros primarily
because the Motif is somehow more accessable? Or is it perhaps that the
Tyros is a bit on the expensive side?
Is there some compelling reason I'd want to sell my Tyros and get a Motif
instead?
Thanks for your help,
Ben
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