Recently, Michel Sanchez, Eric Mouquet, and Gino Ceccarelli of the world-popular band Deep Forest checked out two of YAMAHA's new synthesizer models, the Motif Music Production Synthesizer and the RS7000 Music Production Studio RS7000, at the YAMAHA Art Studio in Tokyo

After introducing our new productions, we were able to have an enjoyable conversation with the band.

Yamaha: What did you think of the sounds of the MOTIF you heard today?

Michel: I was surprised by its sound quality. After playing the first sound (the Piano 1 voice), it was obvious to me that the keyboard uses very large, high-quality samples. I was glad to know that the knobs on the front panel would allow me to directly edit the sounds. This is a huge advantage for us because we often want to tweak the filter resonance of our sounds on the fly when we play live. Also, I was impressed with the high-quality onboard effects, such as the long reverbs. The sound was very clear, even at the tail end of the reverb.

Yamaha: The MOTIF has an External Control function that lets you control outboard sequencers, such as Logic, directly from the front panel of the keyboard. What do you think about this function?

Eric: I think it’s a great idea. I currently have a Yamaha EX5 in front of my PC as a master keyboard, but now I would like to replace it with a MOTIF. With the MOTIF, I won't need to use the mouse so often to modify my mixer settings in Logic. Being able to modify parameters like volume and panning using the sliders on the MOTIF would be extremely useful for me.

Yamaha: The most impressive function on the RS7000 is its Integrated Sampling Sequencer. This function handles sampled audio as if it were an onboard synthesizer wave, allowing you to fully control it with MIDI. What do you think of this?

Eric: What a brilliant idea! That, too, would be very useful in our music production because we use lots of samples. And because sampling on the RS7000 is so easy, we’ll be able to spend a lot more time being creative.

Michel: The Integrated Sampling Sequencer function would be nice for live use because it would allow us to freely use loops containing both MIDI and sample data without having to worry about the BPM of the sequencer.

Eric: We are thinking of putting together a smaller band for our next tour: 3 keyboardists (Michel, myself, and one other keyboardist), just one drummer, Gino and some other vocalists including a singer from the U.S. Because of this, we are looking for a device that can stretch loops in realtime on stage. The RS7000 can do that. This machine would be a great performance tool for us as well as a superior music production tool.

Yamaha: What do you think about the RS7000's user interface?

Eric: It’s very intuitive. Very easy to learn. I was able to figure it out today without opening the manual. Again, this is a big advantage for us because we can spend more time on being creative.

Yamaha: Did you enjoy playing around with the Master Effects function of the RS7000 today?

Eric: Yes. I liked it very much. Usually, once you complete a song it’s a finished project. But with this function, we can modify our music even further. That’s great.

Yamaha: The RS7000’s Loop Remix function allows you to remix sample loops in realtime. Does this function appeal to you?

Michel: It sure does. It’s an amazing function for me. We can get totally unexpected results, and those results can be good source of inspiration. Seriously, we can definitely use this function in our music production.

Yamaha: Thank you. We are glad to hear that you like our two new products. Now, please tell us a little about your current studio setup and music production environment. First of all, what Yamaha products do you use in your studio?

Eric: Michel and I each have our own studio and have the same equipment to allow us to exchange information easily. We use the EX5 as a master keyboard and also have many Yamaha synthesizers including the VL-1, CS6x, and FS1R.

Yamaha: You used the VL-1 for the synth lead in "Sweet Lullaby". That’s a beautiful sounding lead.

Michel: Yes, the sound of the VL-1 is really great. I think keyboardists are lucky that Yamaha is continuing to offer VL synthesizer technology with its Modular Synthesis Plug-in System.

Yamaha: That’s right, you can plug the PLG-150VL into an MSPS-compatible synthesizer to get that Virtual Lead sound.

Yamaha: What’s your favorite synthesizer at the moment?

Eric: Recently, I like using the FS1R. In fact, we are using the FS1R on our new album. The sounds are simply fantastic.

Yamaha: Do you use the FS1R's preset sounds?

Eric: We use some preset sounds, of course, but most of the time we tweak the sounds using the FS1R editor for the Mac. This way, we can make a sound database of our original sounds. We also use a Macintosh voice editor for the VL-1.

Yamaha: I heard that you use the RM1x for making loops?

Michel: Yes, we often use the RM1x in our music production. We make a lot of loops using the preset sounds in pattern mode, and then usually modify the sounds later for use in Deep Forest music.

Yamaha: Thank you very much for your time today. We are looking forward to your new album and next world tour. We also hope that we will see the MOTIF and RS7000 with you on stage and hear many YAMAHA sounds on your new album.


View orignal article at YAMAHA's site.