Migrating to Reaper you lose compatibility with .vstpreset files. This is what reaper is complaining about. .vstpreset is a proprietary Steinberg (makers of Cubase) format.

There's some comments here about the possibility, in some cases, to convert .vstpreset files: https://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/index.php?showtopic=54719

Maybe someone has a more straight-forward set of instructions to build a more grounds-up environment for Motif XS under Reaper instead of attempting to migrate over from a Cubase setup.

Check this out - not sure if it helps or not. https://yamahasynth.com/ask-a-question/reaper-and-motif-xf-editor-vst
The above link is from 2020 - so it's "recent" and involves Reaper 6. Reaper is still 6.x today.

or

https://www.yamahasynth.com/ask-a-question/motif-xs8-ysfw-vst-editor-reaper-5-50c-no-midi-out-available

Here's something:

https://forums.presonus.com/viewtopic.php?f=213&t=1524

Some of these threads are old. In 2015 Reaper 5.0 was released which included VST3 support. Out of curiosity, what's your reaper version?

Just FYI: Getting a new computer is no reason to stop using Cubase. If you contact Steinberg, through your MySteinberg Account, you can have your new computer authorized to run your license. Reactivation.

Reactivation
The reactivation allows for requesting new activation codes for already registered licenses.
This is necessary, if the initially received activation code has been used already and you need to activate a new installation of your software - for example, after you have switched to a new computer or in case the operating system has been reinstalled.

Link — Steinberg Reactivation Information

Of course, this maybe part of the “uninteresting reasons” — but I have to mention it, because the license is designed to work for folks whose computers crash, die or otherwise get too old to run Cubase, you can move your license, and continue enjoying Cubase. You don’t have to stop just because you got a new computer!

Thanks so much! I've got a lot to look at...
I'm running Reaper 6.32 and the backstory is simple- I started with cubase in the 90s and it's been my primary daw (along with Ableton and even ProTools when forced:) My studio computer died recently and I have a little yoga notebook that I doubt could run any of the above-

However one of my computer geek buddies told me to try reaper because it is not resource-intensive and man was he right- My first project had 32 tracks and a ton of plugin processing and it never skipped a beat.

So it's great with resources, but it totally sucks with standard workflows, configuration and documentation- There's usually 4 different ways to do anything and when you pick one of them you paint yourself into a corner after many steps and have to go back and try another path... and so many easy things (like assigning midi presets, muting segments, etc) are not top of the list.. you have to go find them buried in menus.

And default behavior is a real problem- They have a complex take approach that makes midi overdub a mess.. it took me a week to figure out how to turn that 'feature' off.

On the positive, it is ridiculously flexible but that is also the downside- way, way way too much clutter out of the box- If you're really into it you can essentially build any interface with any feature/functionality- and things like the multitake approach could be useful, but a real PITA to start with.

Thanks again, and yes, I hope I can get back to Cbase sooner than later.
Cheers,
M

Well, I'm immediately back looking for help with the editor-

One of the links suggested running the motif xs editor outside of reaper and it does seem to work- However, the screen size is incredibly small and I don't see any options to enlarge the screen-

Does anyone have any ideas?

Cheers,
M

And one more thing about reaper that I should have mentioned- It doesn't handle midi data well- It misses sending patch changes and often plays 4 or 5 seconds of the track before I actually hear anything- Once again, I would be far happier with Cubase and hope to get back soon.

However, the screen size is incredibly small

Change your screen resolution (to a much lower one). Probably to the detriment of everything else. The XS editor was designed in a time when one could expect, compared to today's standards, very low resolution screens. The GUI doesn't rescale to higher resolution and so everything looks small on hi-res screens.

A guide from a quick search:

Back in 2009, computer screens were a mere 1024 x 768 pixels, or in widescreen format, 1366 x 768

... alternatively, you can pull up "magnifier" which can selectively/temporarily rescale a portion of the screen. These kind of tools typically have several options and one of these modes can usually be found that helps in this situation.

Thank you!