BIG SOUND, SMALL SPACE: YAMAHA DEBUTS MOTIF RACK

—Features Motif Sound Bank, Expanded Polyphony and Effects—

BUENA PARK, CA (March 14, 2003)—Yamaha Corporation of America, Digital Musical Instruments, builds on the legacy of Motif with the debut of the Motif Rack. Loaded with the same great sounds as the ground-breaking Motif Music Production Synthesizer and updated with expanded polyphony and effects, the 1-RU unit is an ideal addition to a personal studio, a keyboard workstation or performance system. The Motif Rack is currently available.

Low Profile Power: Motif Rack

"Since its introduction, the Yamaha Motif has become the tool of choice for songwriters and performers in virtually every genre, and the rack mount version has been heavily requested by Motif owners who want to expand their systems," states Athan Billias, marketing director, Technology Products. "For those musicians who don't need another keyboard but simply want access to the Motif's sound bank, this product will introduce Motif to a whole new segment of the market."

The Motif Rack features full 128-note polyphony and, like its keyboard counterpart, 48MB wave ROM. An intuitive user interface provides quick access to all functions and includes a 160 x 64 dot LCD.

The Motif Rack contains 896 normal preset voices (including the General MIDI bank) and 65 preset drum kits; user voices include 256 normal/32 drum kits, plus 128 user multi setups. In addition to the same high quality chorus and reverb as found on the Motif Synthesizer, a significant new feature is the expansion of Insert effects in Multi Timbral mode so that up to four Voices can have their Inserts Effects enabled.

Two expansion slots will accept Yamaha's PLG Modular Synthesis Plug-in Expansion boards, resulting in new sounds, effects, additional notes of polyphony and new synthesis engines. Connections include a built-in USB MIDI interface and MIDI IN/OUT/THRU connections, Stereo OUT, four individual OUTs and a Digital OUT. A bundled application CD-ROM contains a Voice Editor and Multi-part editor for Windows and Mac platforms.

"The additional 128 notes of polyphony and the extra inserts are really attractive features," states Avery Burdette, product manager, Digital Musical Instruments. "The Motif Rack makes a perfect complement to a Motif or any other music production system."

For more information on the Motif Rack, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Pro Audio & Combo Division, Digital Musical Instruments, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622; telephone (714) 522-9011; e-mail infostation@yamaha.com; or visit www.yamaha.com or www.yamahasynth.com or www.motifator.com.