Pros and Cons of the Yamaha MX88-Review

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Күн бұрын

Colin Wiebe shares his pros and cons of Yamaha's MX88 keyboard.
Visit colinwiebe.com for more.
Colin Wiebe is a Yamaha Artist who uses and performs with Yamaha products.

Пікірлер: 101

@finneganfly 2 жыл бұрын

I started playing on stage in 1972 with an 88 Rhodes. Yuck, what a beast for a 130 lb. guy to move. As the years have passed, my go to boards have been Roland, simply because of the piano sounds available (although I do have a Motif and some Korgs). 4 years ago I bought an RD2000 for around $4000 thinking it would be the last board I would purchase (getting pretty long in the tooth...). I included it as a side piece for my rig for one gig. Interestingly enough, I didn't play a note on it that night - Jesse O'Brien (Canadian keyboardist) was the only one that actually played it that night. As I hauled it out of the venue that night, I realized that there was no way I was going to lug that anvil from gig to gig. I traded it for an MX88 (that was a little more than 1/3 the price) that week and haven't regretted the choice. The MX is around 16 lbs. lighter and that makes a huge difference to me in a multi-keyboard rig. I don't think there's a live audience that could hear the distinction between the MX pianos and the RD2000's.

@tacudche Жыл бұрын

I like this review. Straight UP Pros and cons. Not OVERLY critical. Very useful, well for me at least I actually got one based on several one of these reviews

@christopherbrown7234 2 жыл бұрын

Down to Earth review. Thank you.

@ZyroPapuchon18 Ай бұрын

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@koolkat8595 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the independent review👍

@ZyroPapuchon18 Ай бұрын

@budgetguitaristcom 2 жыл бұрын

Great overview - thanks!

@ZyroPapuchon18 Ай бұрын

@officialWWM 4 жыл бұрын

Curious, can the patches and sounds be controlled via midi? For example, I also play guitar and I use Onsong on my iPad to control the patches. When I change songs in onsong, it also changes the patch in my Headrush pedal unit. Can I do that with this keyboard?

@Keyboardman88 4 жыл бұрын

I feel your pain. Before buying my MX88, I played a Kurzweil PC2X...a long heavy keyboard.

@braxtonjackson_ 2 жыл бұрын

Question: Is there a way to assign a specific voice to each of the 4 knobs? Say I want a strings in the 1st one, Bass in the 2nd one, a Pad in the third and a different piano voice in the 4th. Is there a way I can do that while having the piano as the main voice and just use the knob to increase the sound of whatever voice I choose? Thanks!

@Keyboardman88 3 жыл бұрын

Sold my Kurzweil PC2X in a Gator case because it was too heavy and too long to get into my Camry with the back seats down. Bought the MX88. Weight is very manageable, the Yamaha MX88 case fits perfectly and has handles place in convenient locations...AND...has wheels on one end. The keyboard is shorter than the "K" and I can get it in the back seat. A lot of the sounds in the MX 88 are superior to the PC2X; however, the PC2x excels in orchestra sounds - strings, brass sections, and has some great vocal pads that the Yamaha can't begin to touch. The Yamaha has some great solo instruments. The jazz flue is fantastic..includes chaffing. The jazz soprano sax makes one thing that Ronnie Laws is in the house. One mans opinion.

@edwarddeyon7189 2 жыл бұрын

Can I program my own original drum tracks on the MX88 with the drum sounds it has???

@EzraBufford 2 ай бұрын

I LOVE this board! I have the blue 61 and the 88 -Best Grand Piano out there!

@shadrachjackson752 Жыл бұрын

Which Yamaha keyboard did you drop on stage? I'm curious. And Thanks for the video.👍

@LQ_1980 5 жыл бұрын

Hi colin, I just bought this keyboard, I really love the rhodes affair sound from Robbie Buchanan, and I was wondering if I can get that same sound from the MX88.. Thank you

@ColinWiebe 5 жыл бұрын

Congratulations on your purchase. I’m sure you will get value from it. My MX88 is at my second home in Mexico so I can’t check that here, however if look at the voice list at this link that might help. usa.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/0/892970/mx49mx61mx88_en_dl_c0.pdf

@sandronejm Жыл бұрын

Hey Colin! I'm afraid that does not differentiate intensity/velocity of touch. Is that feature going to be a miss?

@musicandfilms9956 3 жыл бұрын

I really like my MX49 but it has one odd limitation: when playing monophonic bass/lead patches in a legato style, there's no way to retrigger the filter envelope with each new note. You have to momentarily take your fingers off the keys.

@MeadeSkeltonMusic 5 жыл бұрын

Is it like a modern version of the Yamaha S08? How does it compare to that one? I have a Yamaha S08 that is 12 years old and I am looking to upgrade.

@ColinWiebe 5 жыл бұрын

The MX88 has a USB slot for storing sounds where I believe your S08 has an obsolete Smart Media card. You can also connect it directly to a computer without an audio interface. There are upgraded sounds in the MX88 but you are right it is probably a modern version of that price point. Try one out. I'd also look at the MODX8 it's awesome.

@andryhidupbahagia8318 Жыл бұрын

great piano sound

@susie9188 3 жыл бұрын

There’s no music rack or place to put one, on the MX88 keyboard. Seriously. I’m considering buying a dual keyboard stand and making, out of a long board, a sheet music rack to go where the top keyboard would go. Anyone done it?

@stratcat4461 5 жыл бұрын

Nice review.--very helpful. I have an MX49 that I use for practicing in my living room while watching TV at night. I just sold my Roland FA07 that I used in my home studio and was going to buy a Yamaha MODX as a replacement. But I think I'm going to buy the MX61 instead. I love the MX sounds and the easy access to the instruments without a million menu dives as well as the built-in DAW controls. To top it off, the prices are great for the MX series as well. The MX keyboards are light, powerful and a great bargain.

@tronlady1 4 жыл бұрын

Strat Cat .....modx too expensive yeh? Why did you sell ur FA07?? That always seems like a step above to me?

@sandronejm Жыл бұрын

Hey, did you know Mx does not differentiate intensity (Strong/weak) touch of Grand Piano? Thats only present on P lines. Do you think its necessary to have?

@MarlinForbes 2 ай бұрын

@@sandronejm the weighted action keyboard is only on the MX88

@BLAzinStRipePiPes10 2 жыл бұрын

Hi! I have a P125, but I'm looking for a synth with a wider variety of sounds (which this obviously has) that is better in terms of portability. I'm on the fence between the MX61 and the MX88. The reason I might go with the MX61 is the size difference... I love 88 keys, but I don't want something that's too heavy. Is the MX88 lighter than the P125? Also, is there a significant difference in weight betweek the 61 and the 88? Thanks in advance!

@KM1980Music 2 жыл бұрын

The MX88 is only about 30 lbs. The P-125 is 26 lbs. In my opinion, I wouldn't get the MX61. I have it, but I really miss the full size, weighted keys. I'm always running out of notes. I would highly recommend the MX88. It has a TON of great sounds!

@neorich59 5 жыл бұрын

Hi there. I've recently gone back from playing only a Stage Piano in a piano and vocal duo to needing to use a synth in a band and to create multiple, programmable layers and splits, which I can call up at the touch of a button! For this, I dug my old Alessis Qs8 out of the shed, which would've been perfect for the job.. However, like the keyboard you mentioned, it's *massively* heavy and out of the question, unless I want to give myself *another* hernia! 😉 I've heard so many good things about this keyboard, but the best I've been able to find out, so far is that it can create 3 layers and one split, whereas I would be looking to create multiple splits and maybe layers of 4, or more sounds for some performances and need to be able to call them up at the touch of a button. Could you (or anybody else please) let me know if this an option with this keyboard. I'm due to try one in a store tomorrow, but I have no intention of parting with my hard earned cash, unless I can get an answer to this one....thanks! 😉👍✌

@ColinWiebe 5 жыл бұрын

Depending on the sounds you need you can create a patch that has 2 sounds with limited voices ie: bells on top, strings below and layer it with another patch that has two sounds ie: bass below and piano on top and layer them with your desired split points. Its not the ideal way you would want to create splits and zones but it is possible.

@tronlady1 4 жыл бұрын

Colin Wiebe I heard that this is only possible by using the software yes?

@JA-lv9uh 2 жыл бұрын

Can you plug two monitors into it for a stereo sound? Which cable is used to connect it to a monitor btw?

@ColinWiebe 2 жыл бұрын

2 TRS cables into powered speakers but I would use a mixer

@robinmayerat4705 Жыл бұрын

Could you tell me what kind of gig bag you have to transport the Yamaha MX88 in? Thanks!

@jjrusy7438 Жыл бұрын

he has the yamaha bag for the mx88. it is really nice and has wheels even. I have that bag too. i got mine from sweetwater when i got the mx88 3-4 years ago. i think it was about $120 or so.

@kellygaulke7338 5 жыл бұрын

I like the sounds and the octave and transpose BUT I have spent nine hours trying to save and organize my favorite sounds and simply can’t do it. Help!

@ColinWiebe 5 жыл бұрын

I’m traveling and not in front of my MX but I usually just select the sounds, splits and layers I like and store them as a performance patch. (Red LED light) name it and then save to USB. Downloading the manual might save you some hours

@adriennewilliams5408 5 жыл бұрын

I have been having similar issues. I've been trying to save voice and rhythms and assign them a performance number but frankly I'm not sure if it has that option. I love the sound of the keyboard but it isn't that user friendly :( It's a bit frustrating.

@tronlady1 4 жыл бұрын

Did you RTFM??

@gregoryuselman4074 4 жыл бұрын

I thought the sounds were from the Motif XS? I could be wrong, just curious. I’ll probably buy it either way. Sounds pretty authentic.

@nathanaelvalville9191 3 жыл бұрын

They're from the motif XF

@TheDeterminedFisherman 3 жыл бұрын

I just got one and wow, the weighted keys have an awesome feel. I was waiting to see what your dislikes were and I can definitely see how those cons are problematic. My old PSR-530 had a detachable sheet music rest... it would have been great to have that option in the MX88.

@alexbasana5074 Жыл бұрын

are you getting MX88 sound from the camera microphone or from mixer?

@jjrusy7438 Жыл бұрын

i think it is some room mic or the camera mic because he said he is playing through a mono monitor, AND we could hear the real piano when he played it, along with his voice

@sizzorjack 5 жыл бұрын

I have a yamaha mx61, and I love it. But there's one thing that I don't like about this keyboard, it does not have a way to directly go to the sound that I want. Other than that it's a great lightweight keyboard.

@ConeyIsland1952 3 жыл бұрын

why not just save you sound to user?

@sizzorjack 3 жыл бұрын

@@ConeyIsland1952 Good point, but I have more than one user sound.

@aaronwest88 5 жыл бұрын

Colin, have you found a way to save sounds so you can easily switch from one sound to another during a song? Thanks, great review.

@ColinWiebe 5 жыл бұрын

Hi Aaron, using the performance select numbers to store your presets works. The sounds don't cut off when switching which is nice for a seamless transition

@aaronwest88 5 жыл бұрын

@@ColinWiebe Thanks for the response Colin!!

@RyanWright 3 жыл бұрын

biggest con on this for me is the lack of sliders to bring in/ bring out pads, strings, ect in a dual or split setting.

@stevensorrell5330 4 ай бұрын

can't you control volume of a pad with a footswitch/continuous controller?

@Beencouraged777 Жыл бұрын

There is no perfect keyboard. This ain’t heaven😊

@sandronejm Жыл бұрын

Can you connect it on Windows? Thank you

@ColinWiebe Жыл бұрын

Yes

@tronlady1 4 жыл бұрын

I really can’t understand why somebody can’t design a keyboard that has a space in the centre for an ipad, with a ridge like on the CS1x and a slope to angle it up?? Why why why?

@rakagunawan692 3 жыл бұрын

They're just dont have enough idea to think about that :)

@arnabbagchi3641 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Colin, Is there a built in speaker in the mx88 ? Or do we need to connect an external speaker for the audio ?

@tronlady1 4 жыл бұрын

I’m guessing that Colin has much better things to do than answer questions like this that can be easily answered by a quick search on google! For goodness sake dude!

@arnabbagchi3641 4 жыл бұрын

tronlady 1 well i could not find it at that time. But it also looks like u have a lot of time 😂😂

@cdb_music6949 2 жыл бұрын

Plays MP3 files ? Mine doesn't support that

@shayneoneill1506 3 жыл бұрын

Hah. Hghi-5 on the "Rock and roll" death of the keyboard. Why should guitarists get all the fun lol. Ok yeah seriosly speaking though. OUCH. I've managed to murder a couple of keyboards on stage accidently. One with a beer spill, and another a rowdy punter knocking it off the stand and then falling off it. First time and hopefully last time I've ever thrown a punch in a bar. Rockabilly audiences can get manic, especially the younger rocker dudes who get a bit carried away with the whole bad-boy idiot posturing. Could be worse. A friend had a $7K german double bass killed by a drunken punter onstage once. I'm currently torn between this and the Roland DS88. Both seem exceptional. I've always loved the Yamaha piano sound (My Clavinova at home is an almost perfect piano) but that DS88 is such a sweet sounding unit and I *really* like the keyboard on it.

@sergeyvoznyuk1176 Жыл бұрын

"Yeah-maha"

@MarlinForbes 2 ай бұрын

in a backpack? lol don't be short. 😂

@Keyboardman88 5 жыл бұрын

The flaw in the action is starting to show. After about a year of medium playing ( about 5-6 hours per week in the home) the keyboard starts getting sloppy and noisy. I've read other reports from people experiencing the same issue. I contacted Yamaha about the issue. Since my piano was out of warranty they granted me a one time special warranty to get the keyboard repaired. The tech at Cascio Music - New Berlin WI. ordered a whole new key bed and did the replacement. The older keys showed a lot of ware as the mechanisms are not made of the most durable materials. If the keyboard were to be used professionally 5-6 nights a week, I'm sure it wouldn't hold up.

@ColinWiebe 5 жыл бұрын

Keyboardman88 thanks for that information a good warning. I had the keyboard of my S-90 replaced as part of a recall maybe the same will happen. Let me know if the new one holds up

@optimixxx 4 жыл бұрын

It is a bad instrument unfortunately especially the keys are the worst!

@musicandfilms9956 3 жыл бұрын

My now-ageing MX49 recently lost sound from 3 keys. It'll cost nearly £200 to fix. That's not impressive, Yamaha, particularly as I've only been using it at home.

@cassisbrook 3 жыл бұрын

@@musicandfilms9956 I'm kooking to get an MX61 but am reading alot of review comments remarking on keys not working properly or well after short period of time. Hmmm...getting apprehensive about getting one now.

@musicandfilms9956 3 жыл бұрын

@@cassisbrook Actually, I've not heard of anyone else having similar problems to my used model having this keyboard problem which, according to the repair guys I've contacted, seems to be a circuit board failure. Having used various synths for many decades, I've never had such a fault. But perhaps it's unique to the MX series build quality which is clearly done to the lowest they can manage for the price. The key widths are narrower than Yamaha's standard (I've a Clavinova piano which has a better keyboard), it's ridiculously light and the buttons don't feel good to press. But it's 128-note poly, the presets are fine in a rather bland way, there are plenty of drum kits, the integration with a a DAW (I use Cubase) is excellent. If you do buy one, I highly recommend the John Melas editing software which Yamaha relied on to give the only possible access to many parameters not available from the machine itself. The display is dreadful - it's no better than the DX7 Mk1.

@willymccabe6602 4 жыл бұрын

I have the 49 key version and I have to say, I'm not impressed at all. The EP sounds are average at best, and most of them are awash in a sea of tremolo and reverb. The organ sounds are average and the guitar sounds are flat out atrocious. I will say it has some decent synth lead sounds and a some nice pads, but personally I found 80% of the stock patches in the MX very disappointing. I'm going back to my old Kurzweil K2500. 20 plus years old and still blows my MX away.

@martinmilter 4 жыл бұрын

That's two very different machines and I think the K2500 probably comes in around x5 the price at release. It also serves a completly different market. I had a K2500 for years and really loved it (except for the weight). Do you have any comments on the quality of they keys? That is one are where I could imagine some savings that would be hard to live with. Also the piano sound, would be essential (at least for me)

@millersmusicatl5930 3 жыл бұрын

Where on the keyboard can I pick sounds ,store them and bring them up FAST ? On my Yamaha MOXF6 , I can find a sound, store it to one of the 16 buttons on the right and bring them up lighting fast, how do I do that on a MX88 ..... Thanks for the help

@qedit1755 5 жыл бұрын

The action is very poor on this keyboard, it has good sounds!, but the way you trigger them with this version of GHS does not sound good. I personally ended up modifying the action by adding layers of rubber to the keys and adjusting the "blow distance". It took meore than 6 months to match it to my style of touching the keys. The velocity curves presets are useless and there is no way to calibrate this instrument.

@willymccabe6602 4 жыл бұрын

Agree. The keybed feels terrible.

@liberallarry847 4 жыл бұрын

That's interesting. I played a real piano for quite a few years and found this to be the closest to real piano action VS a Roland juno DS 88. I know many people prefer the Roland, so I guess it's down to preference.

@Dannyjedge 4 жыл бұрын

I just bought an mx88 an hour ago, disappointed to hear you thing it feels different. Will try it in a few hours and report my opinion back

@optimixxx 4 жыл бұрын

Please let me know

@optimixxx 4 жыл бұрын

And the keys get noisy quickly after not so many ours of practicing ... no idea how some people use this instruments for gigs ?!

@stevend984 2 жыл бұрын

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem...ew... yesI said the "P" word! For decades I have chosen Yamaha because I rely on the quality and I've never had a problem...Well until I got an MX88. I feel the same way about Tascam. I don't know if it's just me or what but it seems these days everything is being made so cheaply. The tech is there but the hardware has gotten cheaper every decade. ANYWAY... I got my MX88 last June specifically to tackle a project I had planned for a year. Having previously had a few Motif's I'm familiar with what the MX has and for that...no surprises. The action is good, but I also have a P255 and these actions are supposed to be the same, but they are not. It's all about the feel. ANYWAY...right out of the box after getting everything setup to start the project I noticed a crackling noise every time I turned the MX on. Consistently on every power on with first note/chord strike. All on attack of the note. BUT... after a few notes it would subside. Knowing now... I should have immediately returned it, but anxious to get the project going I made the exception since the noise consistently seemed to subside upon playing. It was like it just needed to warm up. Fast forward to project completion. After weeks of practice and many out takes I had a track I was happy with. BUT as I began to listen more carefully readying for mixdown I began to notice there were STILL crackles within the track. Be they ever so subtle... they were there, all on the strike/attack of the note! Because this noise is specific to the strike/attack of the note I was able to work around it by playing a little less aggressively and was eventually able to get a keeper track. However some crackling was still there. I performed a number of tests to ensure it wasn't another piece of equipment or a bad cable and found unanimously my MX has a problem. So yesterday I boxed it up and sent it to the nearest service center and it should be interesting to see what they find. So that said... has anyone else noticed this dilemma?

@jonah7086 2 жыл бұрын

I think my mx88 has a similar issue. Have you figured it out or heard anything back yet?

@stevend984 2 жыл бұрын

@@jonah7086 Interesting that you mention it. A rep named Robert got involved...or so I thought... and supposedly contacted the service center in SF, "Pro AV", who never did return any of my requests for updates or status. Then low and behold without any advance notice my MX showed up at my door a week later! No note...no nothing from anyone! So...now I continue to request some sort of documentation as to what was done in the repair of my keyboard to Pro AV AND Robert at Yamaha. I've given up on Pro AV but continue to send requests to Yamaha, and they continue to ignore me. This is just the most pathetic display of behavior I have ever experienced. I have lost all faith in Yamaha over this...very sad issue! Bottom line so far...so far... the MX is working fine. I don't understand why no one will tell me what was done to fix the problem... UNACCEPTABLE! Shame on Robert at Yamaha!