Hey Biggi,
Welcome to YamahaSynth!

It is not clear from what you have written thus far what it is you want to do.
Since you can do this in 2 minutes with MainStage, why are you spending all this time trying to do this, are you not using MainStage? You don’t say.

How are you connecting your the keyboards? Through a computer? With a standard 5-pin MIDI cable? Everything we read about your chosen other keyboard talks about using it with a DAW? What DAW are you connecting through? Are you connecting through a computer?

To get started, first, build the sounds you wish to use into a MODX Performance. This we can help you with (since we will need to depend on your knowledge of the DAW, MainStage, and whatever external keyboard you wish to use). You refer to the MODX as the master keyboard, (this usually means it is the one you are playing the Keys on and the other device is the one making the sounds, does the Novation make sounds?) in other words which one is the “master keyboard”?

Start by selecting the instrument sounds you wish to use and place them in a MODX Performance. By the way, the MODX is always in Performance mode and can play one Performance at a time.
Do you know how to “merge” the sounds you wish to use into a MODX Performance?
If not, pick them and we can start there... what we need to know from you is your selections.

Let us know.

Additional questions:
A Foot Switch is an On/Off device. It is inappropriate to control Expression which is a 0 through 127 continuous function... a device like an FC7 sweep pedal would be appropriate to control Expression properly.
The Sustain Pedal is a dedicated controller, it only does the Sustain function. A Foot Switch (On/Off) would be more practical for rotary speaker speed control (Chorale/Tremolo). The Speed Control is typically assigned to the MW which is most like the ‘half-moon’ Switch modification found on most B3’s

The Novation Impulse is a MIDI controller without internal sounds.

The thread is entitled as if the MODX was to be the Master Keyboard

(?)

Bad Mister,

I believe what Jason wants to do is use the MODX to call up a performance that would allow him to play sounds internally from the MODX, and at the same time use a midi controller (Novation) to play parts of the same performance remotely. Does the MODX allow separate MIDI channels for different parts within a performance? If so, can that MIDI channel information be assigned in the different scenes? If this wasn't what he was asking, this is something I would like to know.

Thanks,
Mike

Yes. The MODX allows 16 Parts per Performance. As many as eight Parts, 1-8, can be linked by “KBD CTRL” to be played simultaneously... either by the MODX keys (by *selecting* any of the linked Parts), or by your external controller via MIDI, by transmitting on the channel you set for the linked Parts

Press [UTILITY] > “Settings” > “Advanced” > Set “MIDI I/O Mode” = Hybrid
Select a Channel on which the “linked” Parts will be addressed together.

All non-linked Parts transmit and receive on their correspondingly numbered Channels.
You play them from the MODX keys by *selecting* them directly.
You play them from your external keyboard by transmitting on their MIDI channel.

I was just reading now in a local forum about this matter and what I thought could be done, now I am not so clear and I have become alarmed. I will try to give an example as clear as possible in case you can help me:

I have a Performance with 12 parts. Can I simultaneously use the first 8 on the MODX itself and the parts from 9 to 12 on the controller keyboard? If possible, how is it done?

I thought that Hybrid mode came to solve this lack in MODX / MONTAGE but I have read that it only allows two parts to be joined in the same midi channel. I'm in trouble.

Please help!!

I have a Performance with 12 parts. Can I simultaneously use the first 8 on the MODX itself and the parts from 9 to 12 on the controller keyboard? If possible, how is it done?

You can and always could simultaneously use the first 8 Parts linked by KBD CTRL. Without information on your external controller we cannot definitively tell you if you can control channels 9, 10, 11, and 12 simultaneously... but if you have a controller with four zones, of course you can. It takes a Zone transmit to each Part receive. If your external controller only Transmits on two zones you can pick any two. If it only Transmits on a single zone, you will only be able to control one of those Parts, 9-12.

Conversely, you can play as many of the first 8 Parts with your external controller using a single channel. “MIDI I/O Mode” = Hybrid allows the KBD CTRL linked Parts to receive and transmit on a single MIDI Channel (as a group). Even if your external controller only Transmits on a single channel, you can select a communication channel that will allow you to play all of the KBD CTRL linked Parts. This is the same as MIDI I/O Mode = Single... except, in Hybrid, the non-linked Parts are still accessible on their correspondingly numbered MIDI Channel.

Hybrid Mode solves the issue of winding up with multiple streams of MIDI data in your DAW when attempting to document a Multi Part single instrument program... like CFX CONCERT instead of four MIDI channels with exactly the same data, you now get just one stream of data that when played back, addresses all four Parts from the single stream.

Please see the excellent article in the latest Music Production Guide for details.

Music Production Guide 07/2019

My controller is Alesis Vortex Wireless 2, and I have read that it has 2 Split Zones, so I guess I only have two zones. However, if I have not misunderstood your Bad Mister message, if I transmit parts 9 through 12 on the same channel, they can all sound on the controller, right? Also, if I program these 4 parts in different keyboard areas in Performance, will this work on the controller?

Thanks Bad Mister!

With this setting, I get part 9 on lower and part 10 on upper.
Is it possible through Hybrid that both parties sound together? If so, how?
On the other hand, from parts 1 to 8, can I make them sound from 1 to 4 in MODX and from 5 to 8 in the controller? If so, how?

Assuming 2 zones for external controller ...

In multi-channel mode you must address all PARTs individually by PART #. If you have a 2-zone controller, you can only externally address 2 PARTs total.

In single-channel mode you can only externally address PARTs 1-8 that have keyboard control ON. Only one single channel. Your second zone cannot really be used.

In hybrid mode you can externally address PARTs 1-8 using one channel (external controller's first zone) as long as keyboard control=ON and the MIDI channel matches the configured receive MIDI channel. Then you can address one other keyboard control=OFF PART using your controller's second zone - since these PARTs will all be on unique MIDI receive channels (matching their PART number). The MIDI receive channels for keyboard control=OFF PARTs are never configurable in any mode.

MIDI transmit settings do not change receive channels. If you do change the MIDI transmit channels - you're using MODX's zone features. Using MODX zone features turns off hybrid and single mode and forces the keyboard to multi-channel mode. Use of MODX zone master features and Single/Hybrid modes are mutually exclusive. Which may present wrinkles in what's going on if you forget this.

Magnificent Jason! Following your instructions, I have managed to make two presets in the controller making the most of the limitations of the controller. A preset with a zone for part 9 and another zone for part 10, and parts 1 to 8 in the modx (this already had it). And another preset with a zone of the controller for parts 1 to 8 together, and another zone for part 9. It is not much, but I think more can not.

Now I tried one last thing with the 1 zone setting for parts 1 to 8: Make some parts sound in the modx alone, and other parts in the controller alone. For this I used the keyboard control key, and it doesn't work. I turn off one part and it only sounds in modx and all the others in the controller, but when I turn off another part, it is this part that sounds alone in modx and the previously turned off part disappears.

Is it not possible (playing with keyboard control) to play some parts in modx and others in the controller? Taking into account of course that the configuration described in the first paragraph indicated in bold works.

I'm not sure what you're seeing exactly since there may be missing information here. If you touch "keyboard control" on the touchscreen - this may simultaneously SELECT that same PART. Which "screws up" how keyboard control normally works.

I didn't cover the "screwy" keyboard control rules - because the focus was on only how they interact with external MIDI controllers and assuming a normal condition when you load the Performance and no (zero) PARTs are selected.

Before going any further, do me a favor and press the [PERFORMANCE] (HOME) button and retry what you were trying to do. As a last step before playing your PERFORMANCE, press that button to ensure no PARTs are selected. This is the easiest way to deselect all PARTs.

FYI - how Keyboard Control works for local keys is that if you have zero PARTs selected - then local piano keys will not trigger any PART with Keyboard Control=OFF. This makes sense. If you have --selected-- a PART that happens to have Keyboard Control=OFF, then what happens is that -only- this selected PART will make sound (is triggered). All other PARTs "pretend" like Keyboard Control=OFF and the --selected-- PART will "pretend" like Keyboard Control=ON. Meaning the local piano keys WILL trigger a PART with Keyboard Control=OFF if that PART happens to be selected - and simultaneously, all other PARTs (regardless of their setting) will NOT be triggered.

So maybe this is what you are seeing. Or maybe not - just want to make sure that hurdle is crossed.

Okay Jason!

I have done the check, and indeed, I had a selected part and it did not work as I expected. When putting the performance in home it does work as expected the keyboard control function locally. But in the controller, no. I expected to deactivate keyboard control, to stop ringing in the modx but to continue playing in the controller, and this does not happen. It does exactly the same in the controller as in the modx. When I deactivate a part in the modx using keyboard control, it is also deactivated in the controller. Is there a way to solve it? Can I deactivate a part (1-8) in modx and keep it playing on the controller?

thank you very much Jason !!

When you activate a Zone Switch within your Performance, this action overrides the MIDI I/O Mode settings: Single, Hybrid
The settings as made within that Performance will determine how the instrument behaves.

It is an either/or proposition. Either you are using the Zone setup that you configure for the current Performance or you are using the MIDI I/O Mode setting, Single or Hybrid.

When I deactivate a part in the modx using keyboard control, it is also deactivated in the controller. Is there a way to solve it? Can I deactivate a part (1-8) in modx and keep it playing on the controller?

If you have a number of Parts linked by KBD CTRL, if you deactivate the KBD CTRL icon, that Part now becomes available on the correspondingly numbered MIDI Channel.

Say you have an 8 Part Performance, you unlink Part 7 by turning off the KBD CTRL icon.
That Part will now be addressed via MIDI In on Channel 7, the other Parts will sound when you play the local keyboard while [COMMON] or any one of the KBD CTRL Parts is *selected*.

KBD CTRL linked Parts have the link in *common* so it follows when you are in a Performance Common area they will all sound together.
Parts not linked by KBD CTRL are *individuals*, and it follows that to play them you must either *select* them directly or transmit In on its specific correspondingly numbered MIDI Channel.