My PLG150-AN board seems to have lost connection to play its assigned voice assigned to my pattern mix. Seems to work fine in Voice Mode by itself, but suddenly doesn't play in pattern mode. I attached a screenshot to show what I now see when I check my PLG voice assigned to part 1, track 1. The board is in slot 1. My MIDI receive channel for the board is 1. What do you think?

When in Voice mode the PLG150-AN occupies the Motif ES’ only program option.

When you switch to a Sequencer Mode, the multi-timbral, Multi-MIDI Channel modes, your Motif ES has 16+3 or a potential for 19 Parts. You can, of course, reach only 16 of them at a time from the internal sequencer’s 16 Tracks. So you must replace an internal Part if you’re using the internal sequencer.

However, if you connect to an external sequencer (like Cubase or any DAW) you will be able to address the internal Motif ES on the first 16 MIDI Channels via Port 1. The three PLG150 Boards can be set to occupy, for example, MIDI Channels 1, 2, and 3 of Port 2. See below…

One other fact- I used to have a VH effects board in slot 1 now used for my AN board and I recently loaded patterns created during that time. Would / could that create a conflict or short?

The PLG100-VH uses slot 1 because it must utilize the A/D Input for the microphone - it physically is connected through Part 1. The VH Board is not a synth, it’s an effect processor and works quite differently from your PLG150 boards which are all single Part synthesizers.

When you power on your Motif ES, you can see it scanning the PLG slots, it is at that moment, that the ES will configure itself for the board detected. When it locates a PLG150-series board, it loads the PLG PRESET bank that goes with the board in that particular slot. The VH board did not mess anything up, it simply uses a different protocol from the 150-series synth boards.

It’s been a long time since I’ve worked a Motif ES, but I spent so much time in that product, back in 2003-2007, it should come back. (Let me know).

First thing you want to verify is the communication with the PLG150 (synth) Boards. Since they each play normally in Voice mode, you can rest assured the Boards are fine (your issue is purely a MIDI routing issue through the Sequencer).

Press [UTILITY]
Press [F6] PLG
Press [SF1] STATUS - Here you can verify the board and slots
Press [SF2] MIDI - Here you can place your three PLG150 Boards on Port 2 — this will allow you to route an internal MIDI Track to connect with the PLG Boards.

Each PLG board has settings for DEVICE NUMBER, and PORT NUMBER.
___The Device Number will come in handy when you have two or more boards of the same technology. By giving each a unique Device number ID you can address each independently with bulk data – allowing you to load different sounds to each independently. You have 3 different Boards so leave this set to ALL
___The PORT Number assignment will allow you to break the 16-channel limit when using an external sequencer. You can configure your external sequencer to address the 16 internal Motif Parts via PORT 1 (fixed) and the PLG Boards can be addressed on separate PORTS, as necessary. In the scenario where you have three PLG150 boards, you could set the DX, the VL and the AN all to Port 2, since each only requires a single MIDI channel (remember the PLG150 series are all single part boards). Therefore they would only occupy 1 MIDI channel each on Port 2.

While in either of the Sequencer Modes, “Song” or “Pattern”, you additionally can press the [MIXING] button to view the settings of your Tone Generator.
[PATTERN] - is the MIDI data on the Tracks — EDIT let’s you view MIDI events
[MIXING] - is the Motif ES Tone Generator — EDIT > [F1] VOICE > [SF2] MODE __ this is where you can set the Part MIDI Receive Channel and you have a view function to flip to view your three boards “PLG1-3”… the PLG Parts default to 1, 2, 3 respectively.

When you are using the Sequencer you are literally transmitting from the Keys to a Sequencer Track, that Sequencer Track is connected to a Tone Generator PART. Your Parts are identified as Parts 1-16, and PLG Parts 1-3.

If you want to connect the Keys to Track 1 and then have Track 1 trigger the PLG150-AN Board in slot 1 you must set the Track Out to connect with the Board here’s how:

On the main [PATTERN] screen
Press [F3] TRACK
Press [SF1] CHANNEL
Set the OUT CH = 1
Set the PORT = 2

Now when you select Track [1] you will be in communication with your PLG150-AN Board that is in slot 1, on MIDI Ch 1 of Port 2.

Let me know.

Extra Credit:
If you switch the TRACK, OUT CH = 1, and PORT = 1 the keyboard will trigger the internal sound in Part 1. Just to complete the concept.

Your memory was accurate - perfect navigation
With the info you provided, I looked and determined from UTILITY mode, that my PLG150 Board in slot1 was set to Port 2, The remaining board ports were set to OFF. I then returned to PATTERN / TRACK / CHANNEL / OUT CH - and saw that the ports for all channels were off. Once I set channel 1 port to 2, the AN board voices returned.

Let me try to put a fork in this whole "port" configuration discussion. I do not use any external sequencer or DAW I do and control all my playing and production on the ES, Given this workflow, it doesn't seem like I should EVER want/need to open any ports. Shouldn't I just keep all Ports OFF?

I don't know how / when I might have ever opened any ports. Would such Port configurations be part of SYSTEM settings that would load with an ALL file? if so, to the extent, I recently loaded old files created when I had an effects board (VH) in slot one instead of the AN board, could that explain why slot 1 board port was set to 2 instead of OFF so that an external mic on A/D could be connected to the VH effects? Now, with the AN board instead of VH effects board in slot 1, whenever I now try to change the UTILITY PLG port settings, all three PLG ports change together, no way to set one to 2 and the other two OFF,

Let me try to put a fork in this whole "port" configuration discussion. I do not use any external sequencer or DAW I do and control all my playing and production on the ES, Given this workflow, it doesn't seem like I should EVER want/need to open any ports. Shouldn't I just keep all Ports OFF?

You answered your own question: “Once I set channel 1 port to 2, the AN board voices returned.”

All three of your PLG150 boards should be set to Port 2. Again, they each only occupy one Channel. They all can coexist on the same Port.
Look how nicely all sixteen internal Parts play together — they all are on Port 1, each occupies one Channel 1-16
You don’t have sixteen PLG slots just three, so just three channels are necessary on Port 2.

When you want to communicate with them, set the [F3] TRACK “Output Channel” and “Port”, as necessary.
Does not matter you never use an external sequencer — the only thing that means is you are limited to 16 Tracks, 16 Parts… you must REPLACE an internal Part with a PLG Part.

If you were using a DAW you would have 19 Parts and could do 19 Tracks. Not a big deal.

You can actually use any Track as long as you match the Channel and Port.
By using 1, 2 and 3 for your PLG Boards just makes it align easily. When you use Track 7, for example, you are programming your AN Board from one slot physically, but have to return to the main screen to select Track 7 to play it. If that makes no sense, that’s why it’s best to leave your PLG150-series boards on Channels 1, 2 and 3 respectively, and use the correspondingly numbered Tracks to play them.

Ok. Please indulge me a little more, would the only reason to keep the PORTS set to off (both the PLG settings in UTILITY and under TRACK in PATTERN/SONG mode) be if I wanted the PLG voices to play simultaneously on same part with the internal voices 1-16? And is it correct to say and understand that without porting designations every voice is sent through together on the same channel? and ,to put it another way, does the PLG Port 2 designation automatically give my PLG voices solo rights to the exclusion of the internal voices 1-16 which are fixed to port 1?

Ok. Please indulge me a little more, would the only reason to keep the PORTS set to off (both the PLG settings in UTILITY and under TRACK in PATTERN/SONG mode) be if I wanted the PLG voices to play simultaneously on same part with the internal voices 1-16?

Ok, I’m willing to indulge you because understanding how things work makes it more fun to work with… even if it is a bit challenging. Ready?

Voices on the Motif ES are played in Voice mode. When you move to Performance or to Song or to Pattern Mode, you place a Voice in a Part. You must refer to it as a Part from that point on. The phrase “if I wanted the PLG voices to play simultaneously on same part with the internal voices 1-16?” makes no sense.

Even though I know what you are trying to ask… if an internal Part and a PLG Part share the same Receive info, naturally they both sound.

There are 16 internal Part locations each holds one internal Voice.
There are 3 Part locations for your PLG150 Boards, one each for each PLG150 board.

Tracks TRANSMIT
Parts RECEIVE
If you want multiple Parts to play the same thing, you simply must set their Receive Channel to match the Track’s Transmit Channel.

The Track, 16 of them are Television stations… each one can be broadcasting different stuff.
The Part, 19 of them are Televisions… if you want to tune a Part into what Television station #7 is broadcasting, you must set the receiving TV to channel 7. If you set multiple TVs to channel 7 they all will be receiving the same show, simultaneously.

You have 16 Tracks.
You can substitute a PLG Part for an internal Part.
The way you must do this is address the PLG Part on a separate Port.

The 16 internal Parts are ALWAYS occupied by an internal Voice. And they are always Port 1
To avoid layering your PLG150-AN Board (slot 1) with the internal Part 1, you put the PLG150 boards on Port 2 - this keeps them discreet.

A Port is a pair of MIDI connections: a MIDI IN (16 Channels) and a MIDI OUT (16 Channels)
Each Port is like another pair of MIDI cables. A separate system of 16 Channels.

Internal Parts are on Port 1 (fixed) and all 16 Parts are always occupied.
If you want your PLG150 Boards to be discreet, place them on Port 2.

You now know how to set what each Track is transmitting > “Out Ch” and “Port”
The Keyboard Transmits via a Track [1]-[16]