Yamaha introduces two new portable music production synthesizers under the MX series - the MX49 and the MX61.

The main idea behind the MX series is to bring back selected Yamaha Motif XS sounds into a compact and affordable package. The MX49 is a smaller 49-key synth, while the MX61 is the bigger synth with 61 keys.

These new synths come with over 1000 sounds from the Motif Series. The sounds include piano, electric piano, strings, drums and even complex 8-element synth sounds. All these Motif XS voices are also easily accessible thanks to the MX Series' streamlined interface. Yamaha even added a new category selection to make it even easier to find the sound you need. With the MX49 and MX61, you can even edit and save your changes right onboard.

The Yamaha MX series synthesizer keyboards also come with VCM effects which emulate vintage effects at the circuit level. These effects let you bring the sound of '70s back to life, emulating the sound of hard-to-find vintage EQ, flanger, phaser, wah and other effects hardware.

Another notable feature of this new synth is its Easy Split/Layer Performance Mode. With this feature, you can easily combine two voices to play on the keyboard using the dedicated split layer buttons that come with intelligent arpeggiators. The synths come with 128 Performances that are programmed with the latest club friendly grooves. You can use these as a good starting point on creating, editing and saving your own preset.

Other features of the Yamaha MX series include 16-part Multi Timbral, 128-note Polyphony, Bi-directional USB audio interfacing and MIDI interfacing. Both the MX61 and the MX49 come with a complete suite of music production tools, including Cubase AI, Steinberg Prologue and the Yamaha YC-3B organ emulator. They also come with controls that will let you easily interface with your music production software.

Here is the official introduction video from Yamaha:

All these features are packaged into a lightweight portable keyboard with the MX49 weighing in at only 3.8kg while the MX61 is at 4.8Kg. Rounding off the features of the MX series are essential analog and digital connectivity options for easy integration with your media player, tablet or computer.

The Yamaha MX49 is currently retailing for £499, while the bigger MX61 is priced at £499. For more information, you can visit Yamaha

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