Guess...  MODX can only play one Performance at a time. 

It sounds like you are asking Reaper to play or sync,  "Performance 1" from Track 1,  and "Performance 2" from Track 2.  

I think if you want different Performances on different tracks,  you will need to merge those original Performances into a Single Performance.  Then distinguish the two Performances (now a Single Merged and Stored Performance) with MIDI channels.  

To merge a Performance,  load one of them into the MODX,  then click on "+" icon in an "empty" Part.  

Be wary... merging Performances,  can, and often will, "break" the Control Assigns associated with the original individual Performances. The "breaks" can be "repaired",  but this is a pretty deep subject. The "breaks" are normal, not a fault.  They can arise due to conflicts in "Assigns",  or because the imported (merged) Performance can be left "orphaned" because it is now a "subject" of the Performance it was merged into. 

It's worth studying the Control Assign System ASAP in my honest opinion, because it is so integral to all the "Custom Performances" you are likely planning to create.  

Hi,

Thanks for that! I read this on the Yahama website ....

There can be eight Libraries resident in your MODX at any one time – each containing as many as 640 Performances. In addition to the 640 Performances themselves each Library can contain 2048 Waveforms, 2048 Live Set slots, 256 Arpeggios, 256 Motion Sequences, 32 User Curves, and 8 Micro Tunings.

I took that to mean that all the "performances" are available at any time, I just need to address/access them in some way.

From what you're saying that in order to play voices (performances) simultaneously then I need to manually merge the performances together 1st. Is that not a bit limiting limiting? From what I can see a performance can have max 16 parts simultaneously, so is that the limit?

In relation to switching performances during Reaper playback in order to access a different set of voices at a different point in the song, is there a way to do that? I've downloaded and installed the VST plugin MODX Connect since my initial post. Do I use this? Do I need more than 1 instance of the plugin loaded on different tracks? I'm not 100% how to use the MODX Connect plugin to do this or if it can be used in that way.

Sorry for all the question but I'm just trying to get my head around all this.

Hello, 

I wanted to jump in here clarify how MODX Performances are structured.

The first thing is this: Unlike a lot of other multimode synths that have a single voice mode and a multi mode (and often a few other modes), MODX uses one called a Performance. That is the only "mode". A Performance with a single Part is like a Voice (or Program, or Patch depending on the manufacturer). Performances can have up to 16 Parts per Performance, 8 of which can be played simultaneously as a layer, split or combination layer and split. But you still have 16 Parts available to you. You can build multitimbral constructs for sequencing with one Part being a piano, another a bass, another a guitar, a pad, a drum kit, etc., by adding single Parts to a Performance.  

A good way to do this is to start with the Preset Performance "Multi/GM". This is a template Performance with all Parts set to a Grand Piano. If you touch on a Part you can bring up Part Category Search and change that Part to another voice type. When you are in Category Search touch on "Attribute" and set that to "Single", then you are only seeing Single Part Performances that you can add. MODX has all the voices for the MOTIF XF onboard. They appear as Single Part Performances. Each Part will send/receive on it's own MIDI channel coinciding with the Part number (Part 1 = MIDI channel 1, Part 2 + MIDI channel 2, Part 3 = MIDI channel 3, etc). Once you create a multi Performance for sequencing, the MODX Connect app allows you to save and recall that Performance in the DAW. You can also save it to the User memory. 

That's a basic overview of a MODX Performance, and this structure is shared by MONTAGE, MODX+ and the new MONTAGE M. So, rather than selecting a single Part drum Performance, keyboard Performance, bass Performance, pad Performance...You would do all of this with PARTS within the PERFORMANCE. 

These is more to this in a music production situation, but this is the basic structure. Take a look at MODX/MONTAGE articles on YamahaSynth. There might be a few in there that can answer the deeper questions. And as always, keep posting here!

Thanks!

Sorry for the length but it may be clearer to take one thing at a time - so taking your second reply first:

I took that to mean that all the "performances" are available at any time, I just need to address/access them in some way.

That is correct - and those quotes are important. On a Modx+ (or Modx, Montage, Montage M) only ONE performance is loaded and executed at a time. That performance can have up to 16 parts and each part has a dedicated channel. The channel number corresponds to the part number and might be called track number in DAWS or other external devices.

From what you're saying that in order to play voices (performances) simultaneously

The use of 'voices (performances)' above suggests that you consider them to be the same thing. But, in Yamaha speak, the term 'voice' is NOT used on Modx, Modx+, Montage, Montage M.

From what I can see a performance can have max 16 parts simultaneously, so is that the limit?

Yes - that is the limit.

Now for your initial post:

On the first track I have inserted a bank/program select event to select "FM&AN Classic Arps" and that worked fine on it's own. I can see the voice being activated on the MODX screen as soon as I start playback in Reaper.

Terminology again -  the term 'track' is NOT used on Modx, Modx+, Montage, Montage M. That is a DAW term.

The "FM&AN Classic Arps" performance has FOUR parts and each part has it own channel. Talk to part 1 on channel 1, part 2 on channel 2 and so on. When you use a single command channel to send MIDI from the DAW to the Modx+ it will get sent to all 4 parts so they can each do their thing.

When I added a second track and had the bank/program select event select "FM Glocken"

Ok - but you added that track on the DAW and the select event is a command load a DIFFERENT performance, "FM Glocken".

On the Modx+ only ONE performance is loaded at a time. So if when you load "FM Glocken" it replaces the performance you were using before.

I can see on the MODX screen that "FM Glocken" is the voice being selected and now that is playing on both tracks?

Not picking on you but it is a terminology thing again. What you see is the 'performance' being selected. And since there can only be ONE performance at a time that is the only one that will now play.

The "FM Glocken" performance only has 1 part and that is the ONLY part that will now produce a sound since the other performance isn't loaded anymore.

then I need to manually merge the performances together 1st.

You are wanting to use two DIFFERENT performances. But only one can be loaded at a time. You can either:

1. switch between the two when you need to

2. merge the performances together and then play whichever parts you want to play of the merged performance

The first performance has 4 parts and the second has one. So, as described, you could:

1. load the 1st performance - using parts 1-4

2. add part 5 by loading part 1 of the second performance

3. save the result as a user performance with your desired name.

Now when you want to play part 5 you send data on Midi channel 5 and so on.

So if you want to play 'sounds' from both performances at the same time then, yes, you need to merge the performances because you can only have one performance loaded at a time.

If you just need to switch from one 'performance' to the other then you can just switch - which is what is happening now.

A performance has from 1-16 parts - 8 of them can be under keyboard control while the other 8 can be played by a DAW or external midi controller.

Each part can produce 1, or more, 'sounds' (not voices). An AWM2 part uses records samples and each part can have 8 of them. Each sample can produce a different 'sound'. So one part can produce 8 different sounds.

And 8 AWM2 parts, with 8 elements each, can produce 64 different 'sounds'.

I'm sure the above is confusing but read through it, and the previous reply again, and then post any questions.

The key question for those trying to help you is whether you need sounds from BOTH of those 'performances' at the same time. If so you need to merge the performances.

There are two types of Bank/PC messages MODX recognizes.  One type (single) will place a single Part within the current Performance.  The other type (multi) will recall an entire Performance and will swap out all Parts (and Performance global settings) with the contents of the Performance you are bank switching to.

So you could insert these Bank/PC messages into every track.  You'd have to record one track at a time but the Performance changing would be handled for you.

If you did combine multiple Performances into one Performance (which is an option if you have enough free Parts -- which you start with 16 that are accessible by the DAW) then you could do this.   The compromises (if it matters to you) would be superknob connections to the added Parts, master effect for the added parts (they have to use the initial Performance's Master Effects since there's only one), system effects for the added parts (they have to use the initial Performance's Master Effects since there's only one set).  There may be other compromises for any shared Performance-level settings but those are the top-tier ones.  System effects are possibly the most impactful since the sound could change drastically for some Performances that depend on a particular set and inherit something different.

@Blake - links are broken. In my reply I was going to produce OP with a link but unfortunately ALL of the links to the articles seem to be broken.

https://yamahasynth.com/learn/modx-series-synthesizers/mastering-modx-article-series-music-synthesizer/

That link (and the other actual article links I tried) just point to a common page that doesn't appear to have any 'learn' related material.

I used the 'Contact Us' link to report the issue.

Thanks. We are aware and are working on this issue.

Wow! A million thanks to everyone who replied here! What a load of incredibly useful information you have given me. I really appreciate it! Let me go through it and I'll post back with any findings/questions that I might have!

Brilliant!

Posted by: Jason

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There are two types of Bank/PC messages MODX recognizes.  One type (single) will place a single Part within the current Performance.  The other type (multi) will recall an entire Performance and will swap out all Parts (and Performance global settings) with the contents of the Performance you are bank switching to.

I know how to switch performance in Reaper but how do I change parts of a performance?

Also, in relation to the MODX Connect plugin, I'm not sure how that works. Can I use it to trigger performances on the MODX? For example, if I have the plugin on a Reaper track how do I use that to switch performances? Or can I? Or is it just used once at the start of a song to load up a configuration of the MODX?

Hello, 

If you want to know the MSB/LSB/program change of a Part within a Performance, directly select the Part in the Touch Screen. There will be a text crawl on the left side of the screen and at the bottom of the the list of options you'll see "Property". Touch on that to reveal the Bank Select and Program Change information to enter into the event list editor. You won't need Connect for this: You can just pop that information into a MIDI Track event list editor. I'm not sure how this is done in Reaper but this is how you can automate program changes within a Performance. 

Although changing out Parts is possible with MSB/LSB/PC, you may run into the behavior warned about previously.

That said, when you send the MSB/LSB/PC for a single Part be sure to send to the MIDI channel where you want the Part to end up.  

Also, if you are are using single Part bank/PC and ask it to take a single Part of a Multi-Part Performance then only the first Part will be populated.   There's not a way to tell the system to bank/PC in a single Part other than Part 1 of the requested Part.

A little confusing without an example.

Say you're editing a Performance called "My Part Switch Perf".  It's a user bank Perf that's your own creation.  Part 1 is a piano and Parts 2 is a bass and Parts 3-5 is some 3 Part organ.

You can send a single-Part MSB/LSB/PC combo to MIDI channel 1 to replace the Piano with any single-Part piano Performance.  Like CFX Stage.  If you tell the keyboard to MSB/LSB/PC using single Part methods and tell it to say use CFX Concert which itself has many Parts then it will replace Part 1 with only the first Part of CFX Concert.  This will create a broken sound since you need all of the Parts of CFX Concert for it to work properly.

Part 2, the bass, can be replaced.by sending MSB/LSB/PC to MIDI channel 2.  Just make sure you're replacing with a single Part Perf since if you target a multi Part Perf then you'll only load the first Part as illustrated with the piano.

Parts 3-5 take 3 Parts to make a single Organ sound.  You can't load another 3 Part Performance to Parts 3-5.  You can only load the first Part to a single MIDI channel (Part slot).   If you really wanted to, you could take a multi Part Performance and save EACH Part of it as Part 1 of a different Performance.  Then load each of these single Part performances into different Parts of your "My Part Switch Perf".  I never do this but it's possible.  It's best to just stick with single Part Performances and merge these into your Perf rather than jumping through hoops.