A whole world of synthesis (EX: expanded synthesis) lot of techniques to make sounds, but not very friendly to integrate as one. Sampling is very cool with the EX5, but the memory capabilities are very limited. you can reverse sounds without accessing editing screens, and make 1024 waves from the samples you have recorded. The sequencer is the worst feature of EX5. It has 16 tracks, but you can assign effects only with three of them. If you jump from one track to another one, there is an annoying interference on the sequencer playing. If you use an analog sound, you can't assign effects to the other 15 sounds. The arpeggio secuencer is really cool, but complicated also, and with some innecessary feaures. You have a four track secuencer for making 50 user arpeggios, an 8 track secuencer for 50 user patterns. and a song mode for lineal recordings. But only 30.000 notes capability for all these features???? Who understands Yamaha enginneers??????

Price paid

$1.200

UTILIZATION

Well, the EX5 is one of the most complicated synths to navigate. The user interface is really annoying, you get lost in a huge mess of directories and subdirectories. They try to put too much features in just one machine, a terrible waste. Yamaha put a lot of their synthesis knowledge in this synth. The result is a keyboard with too much software, an infinite path to create original pads, with a really confusing hardware to operate it. the sequencer is a waste. It has 30.000 notes capabilities.

SOUNDS

The EX5 has FM, AWM, FDSP, virtual, sampling and analogic synthesis. Something else? The quality of the sounds is really good. The virtual sounds rocks, you can improve thwm with a brath controller, and the FDSP effects are very original, it has very realistic effects, for example, for playin' an acoustic guitar. If you combine the different ways to edit sounds in just one, the EX5 can make incredible sounds. For example, you can layer a sample wave, a FM voice, and a virtual voice, and make an original pad with these features, and resample this pad. EX5 synthesis is really original, an odditie for pads creation. The coolest feature of EX5 is its capability to make new sounds from the combination of all the Yamaha's different synthesis into a unique instrument.

OVERALL OPINION

No customer support for this keyboard. I can't even find accesories, supplies, memories, etc. how much EX5 or EX7 users around the world? 600, 700???? This keyboard is the factory prototype for the Motif. Motif is the improved version of EX5.

I like EX5 because just a few people has it. It's a freak, and a failure from Yamaha sound engineers, who tried to make "the new DX7" for the ninetiees. you have to take your time to learn how to operate it. But it's an incredible machine for sound editing. Combining the different synthesis like FM, Analog, FDSP, virtual and AWM into just one single pad is possible. I use it for editing weird sounds. Its very handy for me when I want to create sounds with my personal signature.

Originally posted on FutureProducers.com
Posted by: Unknown (January 1-, 2003)