We can help explain how this works, and why sometimes it seems not to work... but more valuable, we’ll give you a method to ensure success.

First, a MUTE is defined as disconnecting the Part from the audio Out. The term comes from mixing consoles where the Mute button disconnects the signal from going to the output.

You can, at any time Mute a Part, by pressing the corresponding button, you can, at any time unMute (restore) audio by pressing the Mute button again.

Mute status can be stored to a Scene. This is easy enough to understand... but we’ll state the obvious just to be clear: this means when you recall this Scene, the stored Mute will be activated. Let’s say you MUTE Part 8 in Scene 2 and you Store that event... using [SHIFT] + [SCENE 2]

Because MIDI commands persist... this means, the setting you make will remain unchanged until a command is sent to change.
Similar to a Newton Law of Physics (about an object at rest, well tend to stay at rest until...) well, this is a MIDI Law. The change will persist until told to change again.

When you stored the MUTE to Scene 2, this gets documented. And again means, whenever Scene 2 is recalled, the MUTE will activate on Part 8. But you now change back to Scene 1, Part 8 will remain Muted. (Midi persists). (Conclusion: if you want to go to Scene 1 you now need to Store Part 8 unMuted, if you will).

When you use the *shortcut* [SHIFT] + [SCENE] to document the Mute in that Scene, what you actually changed is documented on a dedicated “Scene” screen. Once you understand this you will understand what is happening.

From the HOME screen, touch “Scene” in the first column.
Here you can see exactly what each of the 8 Scene “snapshots” contain.

Once you automate a change — by storing it in a Scene — you must now consider where (which Scene) you might move to. Once Scene 2 is recalled, Part 8 will be Muted... and it will remain Muted until a command is given to unMute it.

If at any time in your performing you are going to move from Scene 2 back to Scene 1, we’ll you’d better make sure Scene 1 gets *stored* with Part 8 active (unMuted).

If you change a Volume Level or a Pan position, or Mute status, or an Effect Send amount, or which KBD CTRL is active, whether the Super Knob is “linked”, etc., etc. that change will remain as the status, unless you document a change in the Scene.
It works like ‘automation’ because it is a kind of automation. Your last command will persist — remain as set until a command tells it to change.

Take a close look at the Scene screen.... your Mute/unMute status is found under the “Mixing” Memory.
This reflects what will be commanded when each of the 8 Scenes is recalled..
Any changes you make on this Scene screen are immediately documented! This is the SCENE MEMORY

If you’re performing with Scenes and you always go in order 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8, then you don’t have to worry so much about ‘last status‘... but if you move freely from Scene to Scene, jumping to different Scenes out of numeric order, you will want to be aware of what we discussed here... Document the status you require. Learn to review each Scene.

And yes you will probably want to use the KBD CTRL Memory status, over the Mute, simply because your sound will never be cutoff when you use KBD CTRL to switch active Parts... even if you‘re holding a note during the Scene change.

Extra Credit:
SCENE MEMORY

Thanks for the detailed explanation BM - I will need to go through it slowly at the MODX.

To paraphrase your two methods ...

Typically to set up scenes I will select my parts (instruments in the band) and then select which instruments are to play in Scene 1 by muting the ones not needed in that scene. Similarly for Scene 2, 3, etc.

METHOD 1: Press [SHIFT] + [SCENE #] to store mixer parameters without having to turn on mixer scene memory

or ...

This appears to work most of the time, however I have found that sometimes I need to go the route of selecting the "mixing" tab and then turning on the mixing button and then set scenes from that screen.

METHOD 2: First turning on mixing memory ("turning on the mixing button" ) before storing a scene.

The difference between having to use one or the other is the starting point of the Performance you're dealing with. Sometimes the Performance already has the memory button turned on for the scene information you want memorized. Sometimes it does not - which means you need to check every time. Unless you know how the scene memory buttons are set up - you should always go into the scene menu and ensure the correct memory button(s) is(are) switched on first.

The reason why these memory buttons exist is that sometimes you don't want to change the state of mixing items or superknob items etc. This allows for scene buttons to change certain things while accepting mute states or superknob positions or anything else in different positions and not change them (leave them alone). For me, generally I don't need this flexibility and elect to turn on the mixing scene memory for all of my scenes then force (when I'm doing mutes) mute states for every PART in every scene.

... or say you have a scene that changes the arpeggio to double time. You press this scene twice during two different sections of music - and each time there are different PARTs muted. This would be a good case for this scene having mixing memory turned off so you just leave the mixing buttons alone (there's not a way to "know" how to set the the mute buttons since they can be different each time you want to change the ARP to double-time feel).

HI BM, Jason,

Thanks for your explanations.

From what I can gather, it is best to enable scene memory first and then go back to the Performance Home page, change settings and use the shift/scene shortcut to store the scene settings.