Gadgetoid

gadg-et-oid [gaj-it-oid]

-adjective

1. having the characteristics or form of a gadget;
resembling a mechanical contrivance or device.

Yamaha MM8 Music Synthesizer

Yamaha MM8 Front

Building upon the success of Yamaha’s MM6 “Mini Mo” synthesiser the new Yamaha MM8 Music Synthesiser will also feature sounds from the Motif Series. however this larger sibling of the MM6 will boast an 88-note Graded Hammer action Yamaha keyboard making it essentially a full-sized version of the MM6 with all the features that made the MM6 successful.

Unfortunately the one gripe I’ve always had with the MM6, looks, has not been fixed; the Yamaha MM8 still boasts the ugly, boxy, grey exterior. This could, perhaps, be part of the reason behind the MM6 and MM8s budget pricing and I am almost convinced to let Yamaha off for sacrificing superfluous design in favour of producing solid audio products at such affordible prices. However Yamaha have proven themselves masters of attractive design (You need only look to the slimline Clavinova series) so I remain somewhat let down by the Yamaha MM8s aesthetic that somehow manages to be a step back from the consumer DGX series Yamaha I owned years ago. Curves, please, Yamaha.

There’s no word yet on when this will be available in Europe, but it’s set to drop in the states in July for $1,299.99 placing it well below more professional synthesizers in the price spectrum.

Digital Village also have the Yamaha MM8 available for pre-order at £699, putting it in a similar ball park to the Roland Juno G and the Korg Triton TR61 in price. Not a bad price at all for a budget synth with an 88-note Graded Hammer action keyboard! This makes the Yamaha MM8 look like a solid choice as a master keyboard offering both portable synthesis and VST or rack control.

Wednesday, March 12th, 2008, Professional Audio.