Hello,

Well, the best concert grand piano sound is a matter of personal taste and function. Are you playing solo, or with a band? Is it for classical, jazz piano trio or a high energy rock band? Each musical example has different requirements.

For home playing, classical or solo work: I prefer a darker sound, so I'll adjust the filter, or change the insertion effect to an EQ and roll off the highs and high mids. I might use a bit of reverb as well and adjust it to taste using the knobs.

For playing in a band: I usually like a brighter piano sound than what I'd play in a solo situation. It tends to sit in the mix better than a darker sound. I also will use less reverb than a solo piano sound for the same reason.

By the way, the good thing about your set up in the photo is you appear to be in stereo. That's great!

A few things you might want to look into:

--Do you have the Best of Motif 2 Pack (BOMB2)? Check out this article.. There is a link to the free pack. There are three files for each model that focus on the different models but all three files can be loaded into your MX88. The piano-focused one is "BO2MX88.X5A". These are all files, so be sure to backup anything you have saved before loading!

--Adjust the filter for a brighter/darker sound. You can do this directly from front panel with the control knobs on the left. This is a fast way to change the piano from darker to brighter.

--Adjust the EQ. MX has a few EQ options, and one of the best is found in the insertion effect "VCM EQ 501". This is a 5-band EQ that you can adjust to arrive at a brighter or darker sound. To set this EQ to a piano sound, first select the piano sound you want to edit. This is covered on Page 27 of the MX owner's manual:

* Press [EDIT], use the cursor down button to select "02: Part" and press [ENTER]
* Use the Category buttons on the right to select the appropriate part. Let's assume it's in Part 1, so press the Part 1 button,
* Press the Cursor up button to select “01:Play Mode,” then press [ENTER].
* Use the Cursor up/down buttons to select “InsSw,” then rotate the [DATA] dial to set the parameter to "on" if it isn't selected.
* Press [EXIT], then use the Cursor up/down buttons to select “05:Voice Insert Eff” and press [ENTER].
* Press the Cursor up button to call up the 1st page, then use the Cursor left/right buttons and the [DATA]
dial to change the effect type to "VCM EQ 501". You can edit the bands of the EQ to your taste to get a darker or brighter sound.

--If you want to really dig into editing check out the John Melas MX editor. This is a nice and easy to use editor for Mac/PC that you can get here. You'll find them at the bottom of the list on that page.

Hope this helps!