Master mode is used to organize your different programs into a single bank, so that you can advance through them easily while performing. Rather than having to jump around you can easily move from Pattern 01, to Song 01, to a solo piano Voice, to a bass/string split Performance, to Song 23, etc. and you can access these by simply advancing the Increment button or setting a Foot Switch to advance through them.

Never heard of an FS3 (typo perhaps).

To ensure not cutting off the reverb trails wait until the sound stops before advancing to the next Program. Much like changing the channel on your television or the station on your radio, if you want to hear the very end of the song, simply WAIT for it to be over, that's easy! 🙂

If you've ever been in a recording studio you can think of each program, be it a Voice, a Performance, or a Song/Pattern Mixing program, as representing complex routing connection in the studio patch bay. Certain Elements are routed to specific Insertion Effects, your System Effect Sends (like aux sends on a board) are patched to specific effect Types (devices)... So changing programs is like ripping out all of the connecting cables and creating a new patch... This can help you understand why you must WAIT before you change programs.
"With great power comes great responsibility..." 🙂

So, Master Mode stores provides one program per master memory location. When you say one bank, that means one series of programs made up of any combination of patterns, performances, voices or songs. I can put the programs (patterns, performance, song, or voices) in whatever order I want in this Master Mode bank. To get to the programs, I simply use the increment,decrement buttons. I tried this and.....so far so good, seems to work. Next I tried to set up a footswitch (FC3).[not FS3-sorry for typo] I followed the navigation in the MasterMode Power User guide UTILITY-F4-SF3- then I got stuck. if I roll the dialogue to 99- it says PC Inc? is that what I want? Your article says Control Change 99, which is what I was looking for but could not find. Nevertheless, I tried (stored) 99, plugged the FC3 into the back -foot switch 1 and pressed the foot switch.. the Master memory did not move. What am I not doing/doing wrong?

As far as overlapping effects on transitions, I understand what you say. Just wanted to understand / test the limits of Master Mode navigation.

An FC3 (Half Damper) Sustain pedal is not recommended for the Motif ES. It has a TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) connector which will not work in the Foot Switch jack (nor will it work for Sustain).

Please see page 42 of your Motif ES Owner's Manual for the recommended Yamaha pedals (which are the FC4 or FC5). The Motif ES (2003) predates the introduction of the FC3.

The Yamaha FC3 is only for keyboards released after 2005, (when the Half Damper sustain function was added to Yamaha Synthesizers), sorry. Exchange that pedal for a recommended Foot Switch. It will have a TS connector (Tip-Sleeve) jack.

Bad Mister....Thanks for taking the time to explain the difference between TRS and TS connectors. I looks like the Yamaha foot switch I have has a TS connector (I attached a photo). So, it must NOT be either FS3 or FC3. I apologize for misleading you. I have had it for >10 years and used it with the old PSR series keyboards. Can you tell from the photo....This is the first time I tried using it on the Motif....A Yamaha foot switch like this with a TS connector-it must be FC5, which seems to be the right one, correct? if so, can you help to diagnose what's wrong with my Utility setup so I can use it to control my Master Mode programs?

Trial and Error- eventually solves almost everything. I discovered I was using was using the wrong jack (foot controller). When I used the assignable foot switch and again dialed up 99 through your Utility mode setting - vuola, I'm tapping my feet through the inc and dec.......One final question......once I save this utility setting. Will the foot switch remain active thru power on/off to operate inc and dec whenever I want to use these controls regardless of what mode I am in?

One final question......once I save this utility setting. Will the foot switch remain active thru power on/off to operate inc and dec whenever I want to use these controls regardless of what mode I am in?

You need to press [STORE] while in UTILITY mode to store your settings -these setting will be written into any ALL data files you create from now on. If you load an older ALL data file use the ALL WITHOUT SYSTEM option so that you do not change your UTILITY mode settings.