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The LCD panel is crisp and clear.

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The Yamaha Motif was brought to the masses back in 2001, the initial trio of workstations inspiring a fan-base enamoured of the lush AWM2 timbres, sample-mangling facilities, powerful onboard sequencers and (in the case of the Motif 8) Clavinova-style balanced hammer keys.

There was stiff competition from the mighty Korg Triton and Roland’s Fantom-X. But sound quality, flexibility, performance and sheer charm (a near impenetrable manual, peculiar operating system and the slightly mad decision to use ill-fated SmartMedia for memory expansion) garnered the machines many a high-profile devotee. Two years later and (more being more) the Motif ES range saw daylight, bringing roughly twice the waveform capacity, memory and polyphony, while still offering the mLAN connectivity and expansion potential via PLG plug-in boards of the originals. The XS version yet again near doubles the number of onboard waveforms (now 2,670 in 355MB of wave ROM), but at a price.

We’re not all well-heeled enough to keep up or buy in from scratch even, and while ‘lite’ Motifs in the shape of the MO6 and MO8 surfaced in 2005, Yamaha still recognises an entry-level market seeking the tone of the full-fat workstations. Hence the new MM6 (code-named ‘Mini-MO’). It’s a 61-key budget synth with 418 voices and 22 drum kits based on the sound libraries of its maxi-sized brethren, a selection of tweakables for real-time sound-warping, and a smattering of auto-accompaniment features.

While expansion isn’t an option, the MM6 sports USB ports for hooking up to a computer or other storage device, so that songs, pattern files, performance settings and more can be backed up as SMF, ready for replay on any compatible device. Physically, it’s a lightweight lump and clearly built to a price – its 5kg feels a bit plasticky, although the top panel buttons seem positive enough. The synth-style keyboard isn’t quite up there with the one on the original Motif, and the range of controller knobs are none too grippy, but the blue, backlit LCD is clear and more user-friendly in terms of layout and iconography than its predecessors’ green screens.

Control

The rear panel hosts limited controller connectivity - just a foot controller and sustain socket alongside stereo/mono main outs and a headphone socket - although both ‘to device’ and ‘to host’ USB ports sit alongside the MIDI I/O ports. The top panel, meanwhile, makes driving this instrument child’s play. On the left, there's continuous controllers, song and pattern control, along with the requisite transport buttons, while on the right there’s the means to call up voices and performances.