Yamaha MX88 Synthesizer In-Depth Demo

At Superbooth 17, we talked with Yamaha's Blake Angelos, who gave us an in-depth look at their new MX88 synthesizer.
The MX88 is the flagship of the Yamaha MX line.
The sound collection of the MX88 is based on the Yamaha Motif sound engine, and contains everything from synthesizer leads and pads to realistic acoustic instrument sounds. The Concert Grand Piano sound has also been optimized for the MX88 keyboard.
From Synthtopia's Superbooth 17 coverage:
www.synthtopia.com/content/tag...

[@chelleweatherspoon2226]

Wow! Amazing! I just bought my autistic piano prodigy child one of these and this will be very useful for him to learn all the available features. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise.

[@bitarespect]

An energetic and engaging review - thanks!

[@rafaelperezromero6851]

Awesome review..Thank you! Im looking forward already to playing that keyboard.. it seems to offer a good price-quality ratio

[@brianwood7522]

THAT NEW YAMAHA MX88 IS WAY OFF THE CHAIN," MAN?" I LOVE THE WAY THAT BOARD FEELS LIKE," THOSE SOUNDS FROM MX88 IS SO BEAUTIFUL," IT SOUNDS AND FEELS LIKE A REAL PIANO," THE VINTAGE 73 SAMPLED RHODE'S AND THAT MOTIF XS AND XF SOUNDS ARE A BEAST KILLER," WOW?" I LOVE THE WAY IT SOUNDS," AND YOU CAN CARRIED YOU'RE MX88 KEYBOARD UNDERNEATH YOUR ARM'S TO TAKE IT TO A GIG,. THE YAMAHA MX88 KEYBOARD COST?" IS $999.00 DOLLAR'S U,S."" AND I'VE GOT ONE ALREADY..""

[@jbmagx]

Hi Bro! What can you say about the keybed? Because I'm planning to buy this instead of the RD2000 since it's less expensive 😃

[@flamwork06]

June Birth Magoncia I have a Mx88 I had a rd 2000 first. If your just going for feel and keybed go with the rd 2000. Then you could use it as a controller. To me the sounds we not that good but the action was good. So I got a Mx88 decent action with way better sounds in my opinion. Hope your shopping adventure works out!

[@mrrusty1965]

I am going to get one. Can't continue auditioning with my Yamaha S90es which weighs over 50 lbs.

[@shanemcclure9484]

Cough Caps lock Cough

[@kidsplaymusic]

Thanks for your help in learning this keyboard.

[@flagger7571]

Hey Blake seen a lot of your videos. Love them all

[@ponylockz7371]

Absolutely love this keyboard. I would've loved to hear the various organs

[@robertatherley5590]

Very good demo keep it up

[@torbjorneriksson9304]

I just bought one of these. Delivery in less than a week. I can hardly wait… 😊

[@incogneat]

How do you like it so far?

[@noworries7673]

You have my sympathy. I also bought into the advertising hype and deeply regretted it within 24 hours.

[@simbaking6338]

Why there is not an MX76?

[@redmusichouse]

Hi Blake, will there be a white or blue version of the MX88?

[@matthewranallo3824]

Very nice examples

[@ABNovice]

I've seen several videos on the MX88. mine will be here Thursday & I cant' wait!! one Question if anyone knows, are the percussions programmable? The videos don't cover that. My PSR70 died!!

[@Keyboardman88]

At the end, what is the patch with the sounds that he's playing along to.

[@loyolaschool]

We just got one for my band. Request your advice for a good keyboard amplifier for rehearsals and small gigs ? We are a four person band - keyboards, guitars, bass, drums

[@andryhidupbahagia8318]

great sound

[@newsroomheadlines5110]

hi can you use this as a controller for mainstage 3? if yes how is the setup done?

[@kelvinkalaluka8185]

Hi Blake, between a Yamaha MX88 Synth and a Yamaha MM8 Synth, whats your preference?

[@Songslayer]

Just a heads up to anyone with the Mark I models of the MX49 or MX61, you cannot unlock FM Essentials with these units. They (CAN?) access and use all the features of the app but you need to access a Mark II (or higher) model to unlock the full app. I just took my iPad and iPhone down to the local music store and they let me do it with a floor model. Takes 20 seconds. Mine Mark i MX49 is the black one with MX in grey or white printing and 49 in dark red if that helps anyone determine which model they have. I put CAN? in brackets above because I'm not so sure now... My MX49 is controlling the sounds on the app just fine but the sound doesn't go back to the MX49 itself. I'd have to send the audio out from my phone or iPad to my mixer to include them in a performance. I suspect it could be cuz I'm not using a genuine Apple adapter as I read elsewhere this was an issue for others but not sure (if anyone can confirm or deny for me, that would be great) or, more likely, because of the Mark I model limitations referred to above. Anyways, aside from all that, thanks for the great demo! Really opened up some stuff I hadn't fully explored yet. Cheers

[@stevend984]

Now that I have my MX back I've been trying to figure out how to use the arpeggios for a guitar part. I can't find anything online that clearly displays this feature and the manual is vague at best. If there's anyone out there that can point me in the right direction it would be much appreciated.

[@matrixeye]

Are you able to change rhythm patterns with built in fills?

[@neorich59]

This looks like just what I need. I've recently returned to synth, from playing a stage piano, but my old Alesis QS8 is massively heavy! 😉Could anyone let me know whether it's possible to programme mulitple layers/splits/effects which can be called up for live performance without hooking it up to a P.C? Many thanks..

[@elyamzon]

I think it’s either split or layer

[@pianosesion1824]

What good mox8 or mx88,sound for piano

[@PittsburghPete26]

What stand did you use for the mx88?

[@Antonio-ti2he]

What amplifier are you using?

[@david57strat]

There's a sweet electric/jazzy, almost Metheny-ish lead guitar sound at 16:16. Is that a stock sound? Very nice!

[@Drivethebeat]

Yes

[@rodneylee4026]

Ever sold something and wish you didn't? I've had so many keyboards and modules that I wish I still had.

[@TylerTripsTunes]

When layering patches can you control how much of layer is used like with the Motif Workstations? Is there an midi option to connect other boards to it?

[@synthverkstad2093]

You can set the volume for each layer and yes it has standard Midi ports to connect to other stuff.

[@josephreinhard701]

Can you layer up to 4 sounds?

[@Drivethebeat]

@@josephreinhard701 No. At least haven't figured that one out.

[@autotest8193]

Its really sounds linke a motif??

[@RonaldRademaker]

what is the keyed like compare to mofx88? Is it possible to load in sounds? Is this a good board for life performance?

[@Gangl10n]

What speaker sound play through?

[@calebrabion4786]

Unfortunately the keybed doesn't hold up to long term use. About 6 or 7 months after I got mine, the keybed in certain areas got really loose. Now at just over a year, it rattles and I can hear things hitting other things inside.

[@manfromearth]

I own a P35B and I can attest to your story of loose and rattling keys, but that was after a good 6 or 7 years of moderate use. I finally decided to go with the MX88 and feel like the keybed is an upgrade for me. I'm thinking you must be a very heavy handed player. I consider myself to have a heavy touch, but I am still expecting to get several years out of this purchase. BTW, I believe you can replace an entire octave of keys at a time. I'm guessing your loose keys are worse at the octave that starts at middle C. Good luck!

[@calebrabion4786]

@@manfromearth I'm gonna call Yamaha to see how much the parts are.

[@johnglennie4282]

It doesn't have built in speakers, so what would the minimum set up be, for home, or generally unplugged performances?

[@WiggyWamWam]

John Glennie for just home, get some higher end computer speakers, something like the Logitech z625 or z627. For performing, I’m still figuring that out

[@shanemcclure9484]

THR 10 in flat mode would also be ideal.

[@matrixeye]

I also noticed that most of the demos I see on KZbin has the volume all the way up. I just bought the MX88 and realized why. I noticed that I had to crank my volume all the way up on the MX88 to somewhat match the mid volume on my s90es. Is anyone else having this issue?

[@ctr-alt-del]

Yep,i have the 49 key and its the same,the volume levels for some sounds are all over the place,this was supposed to be fixed in version 2 models but mine is a version 2 and it still has that problem..ive only seen it mentioned in one other video..this one kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6rTfqCVpM6ii80

[@titoisquierdo3446]

When you layer piano and pad, Can you regulate pad volume individually???

[@jojomensah777]

yeah u can... there's a knob for that

[@albertcole8590]

Yesssa

[@piusmutuma9842]

What's the name of the app. Just show

[@johnjr.bolton7028]

Are there any guitar sounds?

[@danielortizdecaracas]

More info about the video in the screen

[@mosesmedina6898]

can you layer up to 4 sounds just like the moxf8 and motif ?

[@autotest8193]

i dont think so...just 2

[@Alisson_Silva777]

Yess! With the app Vycro

[@ernielazos22]

Not able to connect to fm essential My new Ipad software update is at 15.3.1 And there's no communication I bought 2 new speed to camera cables and doesn't seem to be the problem. Please help

[@ernielazos22]

By the way I have the MX88

[@AudioReplica2023]

every time I see this guy I remember the movie "UP" jaja

[@abigailhadasah3708]

Right😂😂

[@motif123456]

Haha...right you r

[@Dav23614]

Can anyone tell me, what's the diffrence between mx88 and mx88 black?

[@Jason75913]

MX88 only comes in one version. MX61 v2 and MX49 v2 have three each, difference being only the color in each modrl.

[@FirstWorlder]

Im so happy they put a video up on that huge screen to distract us with that blue-haired Reface babe. Jeez.

[@RexyFan]

Erik Yeah how distracting 😒 Great keyboard though.

[@shanemcclure9484]

Lol

[@Johngengelbach2]

It's just small medium and large only difference. I have the medium one the MX 61.

[@gerritveldhuisen7748]

When you demonstrate a Sound, also tell the number of the Sound ??? why do Demonstrators never respond???

[@abrahamaguirre3421]

what was the name of the app he's refering to???

[@robertn8423]

Brany FM Essentials from Apple App Store.

[@Beencouraged777]

Thank you, an important side note; the screen in the background is really distracting.

[@michaelkrestan5483]

Es wäre an der Zeit, dass Yamaha sich einmal wieder ernsthaft mit Synthesizern beschäftigen würde. Xf, Mx, MOX etc. in Ehren, aber wie wäre es, wenn Yamaha einen neuen Synth ( gern mit großen Tasten) designen würde?! Mir fehlt das ...

[@josephreinhard701]

Can you layer up to 4 sounds or just 2?

[@Keyboardman88]

In the keyboard itself...only layer or split two sounds. I'm not sure if that can be expanded when hooked up to a computer.

[@wildnites558]

You can layer 4 sounds if you're in the 'Performance' mode. I know I can do this on my MX61 which is the lesser version of the 88.

[@elyamzon]

@@wildnites558 can you split 4 ways in Performance? Thanks in advance

[@take942]

Background video kind of distracting to demonstration.

[@Sam_imman]

how good does Roland ds 88 sound compared with this?

[@Jason75913]

Roland is an upgrade

[@handel1111]

Samuel Immanuel Yamaha MX series is kinda like of a preset synth in a good way compared to Roland Juno DS/XPS30 that you kinda have to dig deeper into it and needs to be studied

[@Uzibastida]

What's the name of the app for iOS?

[@ICA_Ghost]

Uziel Bastida fm essential

[@eduardoros993]

Mine doesn't sound like that when output to speakers. It sounds awful. Only through headphones I can hear a sound close to the one in this video

[@user-fw5gy2iz5l]

Get an amp rather then speakers

[@shawno66]

For the money, the mx88 is the best live keyboard you can buy in my opinion

[@icantintyou]

i have the blue mx61

[@MoMoneyMan]

Can it be tuned to 432Hz?

[@therealborischang]

It can pick up Russian buzzer stations.

[@mojo_plasma]

HEY YAMAHA!!! NOT EVERYONE IS ON IPHONE!!!

[@Toolgdskli]

Most, in the world, are on android.

[@charleswalker4574]

Exactly !! thats why i stick with roland and korg... hooked to my laptop running windows 10.. I do have the yamaha p125 just for the piano sound..

[@kingsleyclarke5516]

Basically a mox refresh

[@rodneylee4026]

I;ll have whoever he had right before making this video. Kind of loopy.

[@stevend984]

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?

[@ronsolomon1405]

Just repackaging the same old same old.

[@keyzone72]

Right? How many versions "based on the MOTIF" are they gonna try to repack and sell to the market? BORING!

[@therealborischang]

Isn’t everybody?

[@renaldomelendez]

at least is cheaper, for a beginner is a great deal

[@johngraham9878]

Too much talking, not enough demo - but thanks for what you did...

[@jodtan9256]

too much talking I want to hear the voice of the piano.

[@kunchuzking3527]

Less human, more machine...Talks waaaaay to much dude.

[@rodneylee4026]

I love Yamaha but that clav sounded like a duck stuck in a hubcap.

[@tyreepenn-hasan6307]

🤣🤣🤣

[@vincente9456]

The video in the background is very distracting and annoying.

[@SynthtopiaVideo]

Can't keep your eyes on the presenter, eh?

[@shookstylez]

lol that rhythm companion beat is a joke hahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha