Yamaha’s MOXF series is an affordable version of their flagship Motif XF-s. There is two models in the series, but in this review we’ll be looking at the MOXF6. It’s surprisingly good and has most of the features of its expensive counterpart. For beginners and professional musicians alike, it’s a durable, easy to travel with, quality instrument, that won’t break the bank.
Yamaha MOXF6
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Main qualities
With a lightweight plastic body construction, the MOXF6 weighs 7,1 kgs and makes the life of a gigging musician easier. Extreme portability is a key feature: up to the compact monochrome screen. Although you could pick it up with one hand, it has to be plugged into a mains power. It’s also sturdy, with effectively positioned elements, once you get used to its non-standard positioning of knobs and buttons.
Let’s jump into the stats
The MOX has 61 keys, velocity-sensitivity with a half-weighted, vintage feel of the key bed that strives to resemble a piano, and a polyphony of 128 tones. Close to 1200 different presets are available, as well as 72 drum kits, and an integrated sequencer. There is a dial or button for everything – 8 knobs just for quickly adjusting the volume, panning, EQ, different filters. You could even use these to modify the arpeggiator function and get more customized sounds. The MOX also has dedicated transpose and octave shift buttons. It costs half the price of its big brother Motif XF6 – but has the same sound engine and ROM, which explains the amazing, quality warm sound.
MOXF6’s versatility
The central quality of this keyboard is versatility. There is a vast amount of sounds to pick from with the MOX. From classical grand pianos and organs to Rhodes, a variety of synthesizers with an analogue feel – both vintage and modern, very realistic wind instruments and orchestral sounds, and last, but not least, electric guitars, basses and drums. The MOXF6 gives you a huge variety of rhythmic and melodic patterns to choose from – with almost 8000 arpeggios loaded in. Spicy Spanish guitar phrases, funky grooves, modern dance music or acoustic-sounding ones. The string and brass samples are the most popular, but there is also a large collection of quality ethnic instrument samples. There is three modes, depending on where you’re playing – Voice, Performance and Master Voice (for instance, the Performance mode allows to layer up to four individual voices, which is really useful for gigs). If that’s not enough, there is a slot for Flash memory – you can use your own samples or some of the pre-made collections available!
A great workhorse station for the home studio
Outside of a live setting, the MOX can function as a USB audio interface. It’s great for recording – and known for its remarkable integration abilities. It works with any DAW, whether it’s Yamaha’s native Cubase (which is included with the keyboard, along with some VST-s), or Logic, Ableton, Digital Performer and Sonar. For instance, its numerous dials and buttons can be easily mapped to the included Cubase AI and VST editor, or to any other DAW.
Any cons to keep in mind?
Enough with the praise, there are also some negatives to consider. It takes a bit of time to get used to the configuration of the MOX, if you aren’t familiar with the series (a bit of a hurdle on a dark scene!). Also, the transpose and octave shift keys are quite close to the keys, so can be triggered accidentally. Finally, there is no built-in battery, which is a necessary compromise to make the keyboard really portable.
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Overall, the MOXF6 is a great instrument for the gigging musician – compact, durable, covering a wide range of sounds. It’s lightweight build makes it a great choice for live performances, but it can also be great for recordings, at home or in the studio. If you’re after the quality of Yamaha’s high-end keyboard range, but you’re on a strict budget, or you simply need a sturdy backup instrument, the Yamaha MOXF6 is your go-to.