Copying a Voice to a PERFORMANCE or MIXING

Written by Bad Mister on . Posted in 2010s.

A Step-by-Step Tutorial
Skills Learned

  • How to explore a Voice and begin to analyze its content. 
  • Use the “Parameter with Voice” feature to copy applied additions/tweaks to a PERFORMANCE or MIXING program (including Arpeggios, FEG/AEG offsets, etc.)
  • Copy the System Effect Types from a Voice so that they becomes the global (System) Effect for the entire Performance or Mix
  • What changes when a Voice is placed in a Performance Part or Mix Part

Scenario: You have found a Voice that you like and it has assigned arpeggios (five different arpeggios can be associated with a Voice). You want to use the Voice and its assigned arpeggios in a Pattern/Song Mix or perhaps in a Performance with other Voices. What you discover when you place a Voice into a PERFORMANCE or you use it in a MIXING setup, it might sound different from it did in Voice mode.

When you assign a Voice to a Pattern/Song MIX or to a Performance certain of the data is stripped off and reassigned to a default setting. This can cause the sound to be quite different from what it was in VOICE mode. This is due to a reallocation of Effect processing resources and like any signal going to a channel of any mixer (combines various signals) the channel has some default /nominal settings.

Some of the things that can change include:

  • Insertion Effects – can be activated for up to eight Parts of any Mix and for all four Parts of a Performance. By default the first eight internal Parts of a Mix will recall their Insertion Effect routing from Voice mode. By default all four internal Parts of a Performance will recall their Insertion Effect routing. Often if the INS FX SWITCH is not activated for a Voice it will sound completely different. You must make a decision when combining Voices into a Mix – which PARTS require their dual Insertion Effects, and which do not.Reverb/Chorus assignments – These so-called “System Effects” which were programmed individually in Voice mode are now shared by all PARTS of a MIX or Performance – each PART has a SEND amount parameter much like the auxiliary sends you find on any mixer.
  • Volume – is set to a default of 100 on a scale of 0-127. When you combine multiple sounds they all cannot be at maximum volume – volumes on any mixer are set so you can raise or lower channels to create a balanced mix.
  • MIDI channel assignment – Each Part of a MIX is automatically assigned a successively higher MIDI channel that initially corresponds to the PART number by default. In a PERFORMANCE all PARTS are on thesame Basic MIDI channel.
  • Arpeggios – If a Voice had arpeggios associated with it in Voice mode they are stripped off. Arpeggios are not apart of the Voice, they were only associated with the Voice – arpeggios can be assigned to any Voice and are quite independent. Besides there are only four arpeggiators – in a MIXING setup how could each VOICE bring its arpeggios? Just not going to happen – so you have to decide you want to bring a Voice’s arpeggios into the mix.
  • Offset parameters that affect the FILTER, the Filter Envelope Generator, the AMPLIFIER and the Amplitude Envelope Generator, can be copied. Equalization, for example, is something that you will undoubtedly want to change – as EQ is all about making the sound work in its current surroundings. When you combine a VOICE in a PERFORMANCE or MIX the EQ that is appropriate will change.

Think of the Voice in VOICE mode as being a single musician with a small setup. Think of the PERFORMANCE and MIX as a band of musicians with a mixer – some of the settings on a channel of the mixer will automatically be zeroed out because the mixer is there to combine and blend multiple musicians. So a Voice will no more sound the same in a Performance than a single musician would sound the same when they join a band.

If you wish to copy Voice mode settings, like the arpeggios, System Effects, and the others, to the Voice’s PART of the MIX follow this step-by-step tutorial.

We will use Voice:
PRESET 8: 085(F05) Gt: “Mega 60s ChorusCombo”as an example.

Let’s assume you want to build a Pattern around this particular Voice. First, let’s learn how to explore this Voice and see what it has going for it. To learn about any Voice from the main screen press the [F6] EFFECT then the [SF6] INFO button.

This guitar sound is in Bank MSB/Bank LSB 063/007 – that’s the Preset 8 bank. This Voice is made from seven different Elements. An Element is a multi-sample – and can represent an instrument or component that makes up an instrument sound.

  • Polyphony mode is POLY.
  • Portamento (glide) mode is OFF.
  • Pitch Bend range is –2/+2 or up and down a whole step.
  • Insertion Effects are “Amp Simulator 1”; “Ensemble Detune”.  
  • Reverb is a “Rev-X Hall” and the Chorus is “Delay LR”.
  • Press the [EXIT] button or press [VOICE] to return to the main screen. From the main screen press [F4] ARPEGGIO to learn about the assigned (associated) Arpeggios. When this Voice is initially recalled ARP3 is active. It is from the preset “GtMG” bank (Guitar Mega Voice) of preset arpeggios. These Mega Voice arpeggios are designed to go with specific Voices – these Voices are virtually impossible to play – as you will hear and see, they are made up of multiple multi-samples mapped so that each has a specific velocity range. The arpeggio data is specifically designed to trigger a specific guitar articulation – so that the generated rhythm guitar patterns have a new depth of realism unattainable via real time play.

Arp3 GtMG Funk 2179 “FA_Jazz Pop _XS”

Tempo is 104 BPM

This particular arpeggio Type #2179, is a “FA” Fill-in, genre is “Jazz Pop”, the “XS” means that no matter where across the keyboard you voice the chord, the resulting guitar rhythm will come out voiced in the range a guitar would be able to play.

Because we are curious and there is no better way to learn than to explore…let’s see what makes this Voice tick. If you press the [EDIT] button and navigate to the Control Sets you can view what assignments have been made. You will be able to use these assignments once the Voice has been placed in a MIX so let’s be aware of what they are. From the main Voice screen:

  • Press [EDIT]
  • Press [COMMON EDIT]
  • Press [F4] CTRL SET (Control Set)

Control Sets:
Set 1: AS1 Knob is assigned to INSERT EFFECT A’s Overdrive (Amp Simulator 1)
Set 2: AF2 Switch is set to control the INSERT EFFECT B’s Dry/Wet balance (Ensemble Detune)
Set 3: Mod Wheel is set to control Element Low Frequency Oscillator for Pitch Modulation Depth (Translation: Vibrato)
Set 4: AS1 Knob is assigned to additionally control the OUTPUT LEVEL of Amp Simulator
Set 5: AF1 Switch is set to control the Chorus Send amount (Delay LR)
Set 6: AS2 Knob is set to control the Dry/Wet balance of INSERT “B” (Ensemble Detune)

All of the CONTROLLER SETUP ASSIGNMENTS will be active when you move the VOICE to a PART, be it a PART of a PERFORMANCE or a PART in a SONG MIXING or PATTERN MIXING program. Your controller assignments will work just as they do in VOICE mode because they are a part of the Voice data.

When we place this Voice in either a Performance Part or a Mixing Part, as mentioned, some of its assigned parameters will be changed, reset or stripped off completely. Voices are placed in a somewhat neutral state as you are going to combine them with other Voices. A Voice played alone in VOICE mode, is very much like an instrument in a specific practice room – one where it is the only instrument sounding – it has free reign over all the available effect processing. However, when you take that individual instrument and place them in an ensemble or band (which is what you are doing when you combine it with others in a PERFORMANCE or a MIXING program), it can have some of its own effects of course, but it must share the room acoustics (the Reverberation chamber and the Time Delay effects) with the rest of the instruments in the ensemble. In other words, when you are home in your practice room (VOICE mode) you could be the only instrument in the room, when you join the band (go to a rehearsal studio or recording studio) you now must share the room with other instruments.

A PART is an important concept to understand. It is defined as a Motif XS/XF Voice that has been placed in a Performance or a Mix – it is the set of parameters that are assigned to control the Voice – they are offsets to the actual Voice parameters. So when you save a Performance or a Mixing you are actually not saving the Voice data itself but these set of parameters that are now associated with the original Voice. This allows you to edit the PART without destructively editing the Voice data itself. What this accomplishes is you can use the same Voice in other Performances and Mixes completely uniquely – without having to create a new version of the VOICE that needs to be stored elsewhere in VOICE mode. Next we will learn about how to have the PERFORMANCE or MIXING program “copy” some of the additional data that would normally be stripped off of the VOICE to a multi MIX and then how to “copy” it to a PERFORMANCE.

“Parameter with Voice” for some settings / COPY Job for other settings
As mentioned when you move the Voice into a Performance PART or into a Mixing PART you will notice that the Reverb and Chorus assignments are set to the default (Rev-X Hall and Modulation) types, These are to be shared by all PARTS via a SEND/RETURN situation similar to what you find on any professional mixer or recording console. Each PART has a SEND amount control, letting you, like the engineer, send a certain amount of each Channel to the effects connected to the console. Additionally, when a VOICE is placed in an ensemble, the associated arpeggios are removed. To restore the arpeggios, we will use the convenient function called “Parameter with Voice” – which literally allows some of the programming that normally would be removed to come to the new program “with the Voice”. Please the short article “Parameter with Voice” for details of what gets copied.

Recalling the INSERTION EFFECTS of a VOICE is easy: Activating the INSERT FX SWITCH restores the Insertion Effect but to restore the SYSTEM EFFECTS we will use the convenient COPY JOB function. But you must recognize that only one setup of room acoustic (SYSTEM EFFECTS) can be shared by the ensemble. It is impossible as it would be in real life, for each musician to bring his/her own home room acoustics to the ensemble. Think of the ROOM ACOUSTIC effects (SYSTEM EFFECTS) as those that recreate the room in which the entire ensemble is appearing. This is why you sound different when you go from VOICE mode to a PERFORMANCE ensemble or to a SONG/PATTERN MIXING setup. Here’s how to make it work for you:

Initialize the Mixing or the Performance you wish to use (this process will work equally well for each). Initialize is a [JOB] found always at [F1].

  • Press [JOB]
  • Press [F1] INITIALIZE
  • Press [EDIT]
  • Press a PART button [1]-[4] if you are in a PERFORMANCE, [1]-[16] if you are in a MIXING to view the PART’s parameters
  • Press [F1] VOICE
  • Press [SF1] VOICE
  • Set the PARAMETER WITH VOICE = ON

Then set the VOICE you want to this PART… by moving the cursor up and using the BANK and NUMBER options or [CATEGORY SEARCH].

The act of activating “Parameter with Voice” prior to setting the VOICE in place will automatically copy some of the functions stripped off normally. This is your choice. There is no real help from the operating system to make a VOICE sound like it does in VOICE mode… you may wonder why? Because just like on any mixing console that deals with multiple channels, the goal is to get the VOICE or individual input to sound GOOD in its current situation – not worry about what it sounded like when it was played alone – it is no longer going to be played alone!!! You can understand the ARPEGGIOS not being automatically brought along, because you can assign any of the more than 6000 arpeggios to the VOICE, you are restricted to just the 5 that were attached to it in VOICE mode. If you want the arpeggio parameters to go along with the Voice to your PERFORMANCE or MIXING you have to “OPT IN” by setting the “Parameter with Voice” function to ON prior to selecting the Voice for the PART.

When you initialize a Performance it will place the Full Concert Grand piano sound in PART 01. You can change this to your sound and then use the PARAMETER WITH VOICE function to restore its Voice mode settings (including the 5 Arpeggio Types that were assigned during the VOICE mode). When you initialize a SONG/PATTERN Mixing program it places the Full Concert Grand piano sound in all 16 PARTS. You can change the Part you want to your sound, then use the PARAMETER WITH VOICE function to restore the Voice’s setting. What follows are the step-by-step instructions for this procedure; first for a MIXING followed by the step-by-step for a PERFORMANCE.

For MIXING Mode
Select [SONG] or [PATTERN] mode:

  • Press [MIXING]
  • Press [JOB]
  • Press [F1] INITIALIZE
  • Press [ENTER] / [YES] to execute
  • Press [MIXING]
  • Press [EDIT]
  • Press a PART button, [1]-[16] to view the PART’s parameters
  • Press [F1] VOICE
  • Press [SF1] VOICE
  • Highlight the Voice in PART 01
  • Set “Parameter with Voice” = ON
  • Press [Category Search] or use your favorite method to select the Voice you want to work with.

In our example select the PRESET 8: 085(F05) Gt: “Mega 60s ChorusCombo”.

This will Copy the ARP settings (among other parameters) from the VOICE in PART 1 to the current Mix

How to Copy the SYSTEM EFFECTS:
• Press [JOB]
• Press [F3] COPY
• Press [SF2] VOICE
• Set CURRENT MIX
Select the PART that contains the VOICE whose SYSTEM EFFECTS you want to COPY into this MIXING. If the VOICE is currently in PART 1, set PART 1 and mark the attributes of that VOICE in VOICE mode that you wish to use here. Mark the REVERB and CHORUS.

• Press [ENTER] to execute.
This will Copy the REVERB and CHORUS setting from the VOICE in PART 1 to the current Mix. Take note that when you copy the Reverb and Chorus to the current Mix, all the Parts will now use these effects as they become the SYSTEM Effects for the entire Mix.

Now when you return to the main SONG or PATTERN screen you will have all five Arpeggios that were associated in Voice mode associated with this Mix. And the Reverb and Chorus algorithms of the “Mega 60s ChorusCombo” Voice are now the System Effects of this Mix

  • Store the Mix

For Performance
Select PERFORMANCE mode:

  • Press [PERFORM]
  • Press [JOB]
  • Press [F1] INIT
  • Press [ENTER] / [YES] to execute
  • Press [PERFORM] to return to the main screen
  • Press [EDIT]
  • Press a PART button, [1]-[16] to view the PART’s parameters
  • Press [F1] VOICE
  • Press [SF1] VOICE
  • Set “Parameter with Voice” = ON
  • Press [Category Search] or use your favorite method to select the Voice you want to work with.

In our example select the “Mega 60s ChorusCombo”.

This will Copy the ARP settings from the VOICE in PART 1 to the current location.

Press ENTER/YES to execute

To Copy the SYSTEM EFFECTS:
• Press [JOB]
• Press [F3] COPY
• Press [SF2] VOICE

Select the PART that contains the VOICE whose SYSTEM EFFECTS you want to COPY into this PERFORMANCE. If the VOICE is currently in PART 1, set PART 1 and mark the attributes of that VOICE in VOICE mode that you wish to use here.

• Press [ENTER] to execute.
This will Copy the REVERB and CHORUS setting from the VOICE in PART 1 to the current PERFORMANCE. Take note that when you copy the Reverb and Chorus to the current PERFORMANCE, all the Parts will now use these effects as they become the SYSTEM Effects for the entire Mix.

Now when you return to the main Performance screen you will have the 5 Arpeggios that were associated with “Mega 60s ChorusCombo” in Voice mode associated with this Performance and the SYSTEM Reverb and Chorus will be the available Effects via the per PART SENDS.

  • Store the Performance.

Cubase: MOTIF XF Song Import

Written by Bad Mister on . Posted in Apps, 2010s.

Motif XF SONG Import For this you must have installed the Yamaha “Motif XF Extension” to your Cubase program. This can be obtained at the Official Yamaha Download Site

Select your country Type in the Model Number: Motif XF When the SEARCH RESULTS are shown, confirm your Motif XF You want to download the SOFTWARE for your computer type and OS: Motif XF Extension

This adds functionality to Cubase that will allow you to IMPORT a Motif XF Song directly into a Cubase Project from a Motif XF ALL data file (.X3A). This is the most efficient way to move Song data from your XF to Cubase. It is a simple two-step procedure. First, your musical performance data (sequence) and then your mix data into a Cubase Project – where it will all be recombined and stored together in a Cubase (.CPR) Project file. This is very useful when you have started a project in your Motif XF and want to now continue work in the Cubase environment.

Since the Motif XF Editor VST runs inside of Cubase, it will be taking care of your Mixing and Voice data (everything you used will be accounted for) – so when you open this Cubase Project (.CPR) not only your MIDI and audio track data will be restored but every Voice, Mix Voice, and setting of your Motif XF will be restored, as well. This is part of the Studio Connections initiative whose goal is: true integration of hardware and software.

Save your Motif XF data to a USB drive as an ALL data file TYPE (.X3A). This ALL data file will contain all the information you need to move the data into your Cubase Project.

Step 1: Move in the MIDI track and Audio data
Step 2: Open the Mix data in the Motif XF Editor.

Cubase has been “taught” to open and import the SONG track data from a Motif XF ALL data file. Of course, the Motif XF Editor can ‘open’ the ALL data file and import the Mix and the Voices.

Here is how it works:

Step 1:

All you need to do is place your USB drive with your ALL data file into your computer. (Alternatively, if you are storing directly to your computer via Ethernet, you only need to access the .X3A file on your computer)

_ Open Cubase
_ Under FILE in Cubase select IMPORT > Motif XF Song

If it does not appear – Make sure you have downloaded and installed the Motif XF Extentions

_ Navigate to your Motif XF ALL data file (.X3A), highlight the file and click OPEN

_ Select a target Directory on your computer for this new Cubase Project. This should be somewhere on your computer (do not make a directory on your USB stick). You are being asked where do you want to create the new Project.

_ Click OK

_A dialog box will open revealing your “IMPORT OPTIONS”

_ Select the SONG by title (click on the small chevron in the corner of the title window to see the full list of Song’s contained in your ALL data file.

_ Click the “Select All Tracks” option to import all tracks.

_ Click OK. This will import each track to a separate track in Cubase.

MIDI Tracks will be imported to Cubase MIDI Tracks. And any audio you have recorded to the Integrated Sampling Sequencer will be properly positioned on an Audio Track in Cubase.

Start the “Motif XF Editor VST”. Make sure the Motif XF Editor VST is communicating (ONLINE) with the Motif XF. (If you are new to the Editor please see separate article on their setup and use).

STEP 2:
 This second step is not really necessary because since you originally did the SONG in the Motif XF, your MIX and Voices are already in its memory. However, when transferring data to Cubase it simply makes sense to store all of the data in the Cubase Project file. This is so next year when you remember you did this song, and you open the Cubase Project everything (every sound, every setting) will be recalled automatically!

Next you will want to import the MIX data and place it in the Motif XF Editor. In a similar operation you can use the Motif XS Editor to import the MIX data from the ALL data file… Just as Cubase deals with the MIDI data in the tracks, the Motif XS Editor will deal with the sounds and Mix data.

_ On the XF Editor’s menu bar go to FILE > OPEN…
_ Set the “Files of Type” option (or “ENABLE” in Mac-speak) so that you are looking for Motif XF ALL data file type (.X3A)

_ Navigate to and highlight the same .X3A file and click OPEN

A “SONG SELECT” dialog box will appear and allow you to see the songs contained in the ALL data file. Use the small triangular chevron to view a list of all song titles.
_ Select the SONG by title and click OK.

The Editor will open the file and find the requested data. This will take a few seconds… as it imports all the USER sounds, and the current Mix, including any MIX VOICES you have done (so all your possible edits have been imported as well).

Then the Editor’s AUTO SYNC window will appear and you can select to send the CURRENT MIX and the VOICE data (if necessary) from the COMPUTER => the Motif XF.

This will allow you to load the Mix and Voice data – every setting you made with the Motif XF. It is total recall.

Click START and the Mix and Voice data will be sent to the Motif XF. Now you have restored all your work created in the XF and opened it in Cubase.

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