Yamaha MOTIF XS8 User Manual

These eight knobs let you change various aspects of the 
Voice’s sound in real time—while you play. The eight sliders 
let you adjust the volume of the Voice Elements, 
Performance Parts and Mixing Parts. 

For more information about how to use the knobs and 
sliders in the respective modes, see page 90 (Voice 
mode), page 136 (Performance mode), and page 180 
(Song/Pattern mode). 

This block applies effects to the output of the tone generator block, and audio input block, processing and enhancing the 
sound. Effects are applied in the final stages of editing, letting you change the sound of the created Voice as desired. 

System Effects are applied to the overall sound—a Voice, 
an entire Performance, a Song, etc. With System Effects, 
the sound of each Part is sent to the effect according to the 
effect Send Level for each Part. The processed sound 
(referred to as “wet”) is sent back to the mixer, according to 
the Return Level, and output—after being mixed with the 
unprocessed “dry” sound. This arrangement lets you 
prepare an optimum balance of the effect sound and the 
original sound of the Parts. 

Insertion Effects can be applied individually to each Part. 
Insertion Effects are mainly used to directly process a 
single Part. The depth of the effect is adjusted by setting 
the dry/wet balance. Since an Insertion Effect can only be 
applied to one particular Part, it should be used for sounds 
you want to drastically change or for sounds that use an 
effect unintended for other sounds. You can also set the 
balance so that only the effect sound is heard, by setting 
Wet to 100%. This synthesizer features eight sets of 
Insertion Effects (one set has A and B units). They can be 
applied to all Parts of the Performance, and applied to 
eight Parts (maximum) of the Song/Pattern. Another 
important Insertion Effect is the Vocoder, which can be 
applied only to one Part. 

n In the Voice mode, the Vocoder Effect can be applied to each 

of the Voices. In the Mixing (Song/Pattern) and Performance 
mode, the Vocoder Effect can be applied only to Part 1. The 
Vocoder Effect does not work even if you assign the Voice (to 
which the Vocoder is applied in the Voice mode) to the other 
parts (Part 2 or higher).

This block applies effects to the final stereo output signal of 
the entire sound.

The Element EQ is applied to each element of the Normal 
Voice and each key of the Drum Voice. You can specify 
which shape is used among six types, such as shelving 
and peaking. 

This 3-band parametric EQ is applied to each part of the 
Performance/Song Mixing/Pattern Mixing. The high band 
and low band are the shelving type. The middle band is the 
peaking type.

Master EQ is applied to the final (post-effect), overall sound 
of the instrument. In this EQ, all five bands can be set to 
peaking, or the lowest and highest bands can also be set 
to shelving.