Can I download Piano patches/sounds to a stick, then to my Modx?

Sure - You can even use SoundMondo and download them directly to your Modx.
https://soundmondo.yamahasynth.com/

That is Yamaha's site for sharing sounds.

If so, can I store say three or four from the stick onto the Modx so that I can use them in my performances?

If you don't use soundmond then you need to make sure the format of the files you download is compatible with the Modx.
https://usa.yamaha.com/products/music_production/synthesizers/modx/compatibility.html
That page lists the formats you can use.

There are also a lot of compatible downloads in Library format and you can then load that entire library of performances to the Modx.

Yamaha also converted all of the previous MOTIF performances. There may be some piano performances in there that you prefer

Downloads are here
https://usa.yamaha.com/products/music_production/synthesizers/modx/downloads.html

[quotePost id=122022]Yamaha also converted all of the previous MOTIF performances. There may be some piano performances in there that you prefer

Downloads are here
https://usa.yamaha.com/products/music_production/synthesizers/modx/downloads.html

[/quotePost]
Those are only MOTIF XF performances (not all previous Motif performances), but regardless, in the Motif series, an alternate piano sound would be a Voice, not a Performance. All the Motif XF Voices (so all the piano sounds) are already in the MODX, without having to download anything additional.

You guys are the best. will ones I pick automatically store in a library file?

That age old piano waveform question. For some reason a piano is extremely difficult to make it sound like a real piano. Actually a stringed instrument. The fortitude and power is always lacking and turning up the volume just makes it worse. Piano on a synth isn't much better than piano on a stage board. The stage board should be better because it's a stage board that does mostly pianos or more exclusively. I have the CP1 that gets closer to the real deal. I'd like to use a spectrum analyzer if I had one to digitally see what I'm hearing on every piano sample and post it online. The real deal stirs emotion so texture and nuance and emotional feeling is extremely hard to describe in words. Of course you need a fine speakers system to convey that emotion as much as the source itself. I think this mystery might never be solved in the boards we are getting today. From the sampling to the output stage it has to be substantial. IF you only mean the sound of the piano sample then you have options but if you mean the emotion of the piano voice you are going to need much higher octane. I'm not sure there is anything that can deliver but the CP1 comes close but it doesn't have very many choices. It's also the size and weight of a small army tank. The YC might be pretty decent, I have all of these here. CK is too bright and thin. I didn't like the Genos pianos sounded more like the CK. I can clearly remember the Montage pianos maybe slightly better than the Genos but no, nothing emotional going on with these type technologies. The CP1 pushed the boundaries more then most but isn't really affordable or practical. Coming through a normal or average speaker or PA system any piano you select is going to sound, well, like a poor representation of a piano. It could be the hardest of any voice to replicate and to arouse emotion. Guitars you can add effects. Organs you can add rotary and layers. There's a good reason the guy at the baseball game isn't playing a piano. It's more of an accompaniment instrument. Your face will never be melted by a shredding piano solo.

I answered it: If he means types of pianos he has options and if he means quality of pianos a lot less options.

[quotePost id=122021]Hi all. I have a couple questions re: the Modx pianos. I'm not exactly thrilled with them, although I have tweaked a few of them to sound fairly descent. Here's my questions if anyone has the time to answer.
Can I download Piano patches/sounds to a stick, then to my Modx?
If so, can I store say three or four from the stick onto the Modx so that I can use them in my performances?

I appreciate the time it takes for you all to help with these questions.
Be Safe, Johnny Ack[/quotePost]

Straight to the point, the only way you can load "Piano Presets" from a USB Memory stick, is if they are in a MODX Compatible "Library" file. (They could also be in a User file, or Backup file, but these would overwrite all your existing presets/configs etc). Check the Owners Manual and Reference Manual for more details.

Next, the Factory Piano Presets are actually extremely good. The problem is, they were velocity calibrated on and for a Yamaha Montage Keybed. The MODX Keybed is different, therefore the Calibration doesn't match.

The quick way to re-calibrate the Piano Presets to the MODX Keybed is to change the "Velocity Offset" and "Velocity Depth" settings for each Piano Part (there may be more than one Piano Part depending on the complexity of the Preset/Performance).

You can do this by Editing the Part...

Edit - Part # - Common - Part Settings - General Tab... see lower right of screen.

There is no magic formula for the settings. You will need to adjust and test/experiment, because the correct settings will depend on your personal playing style and the "weight" of your playing (do you play hard or soft?).

This process can be a little tedious if truth be told, because it must be done for each Piano Part in each Performance. There is no Global setting. However, this is still the quickest and simplest method at your disposal, so try this first. Big improvements will be immediately heard.

The more complex way, but likely to yield more perfect results, is to adjust the Velocity Switches for each Piano Sample (Element). I would describe this as an "Advanced Sound Design" technique, therefore, bear it in mind until you are very familiar with the MODX Operating System and how Pianos are "built" inside the AWM2 Engine.

Corollary.... the reason why the Pianos sound "dull" is because, under normal playing, you are rarely achieving the high velocities required to trigger the louder and richer Piano Samples. It's not just you, nearly everyone experiences this, even fluent pianists. A common observation is that you have to "Smash the keys" to trigger the stronger Samples. This is why artificially adding some Velocity (Velocity Offset) and/or Decreasing Velocity Range (Velocity Depth) brings those higher Velocity samples into "normal playing" dynamics.

I agree with David on sound and Antony on technique.

There's a cheaty way to do what Antony's suggesting:

Tap Utility, go Settings>Sound>Keyboard>Velocity Curve - set this to Soft

This makes the keyboard more "delicately responsive" and provides easier access to the higher velocity ranges. But you'll probably still need to do a little of what Antony's suggesting.

Setting both Velocity Offset and Velocity Depth to 70, to begin with, in conjunction with the above, for each Part, of the Performance "CFX Concert", and spin the SuperKnob all the way to the right. This is the easiest/fastest way to get a full and lush sounding "big" piano.

And one more thing. Back at the Performance Level (tap name of Performance at top of screen) and enter the Effects Section. Here's where you'll find that this performance layers two Reverbs, because the other problem with pianos on the MODX/Montage is that the reverbs aren't very good.

But you can help them out a little bit, by adding a Compressor in the unused MFX slot.

Add a the VCM Compressor 376 to this, and choose the Old Piano preset.

Viola. Big, grand old piano that makes you feel a bit like Keith Jarrett.

That velocity curve does make a difference because on the CK although it claims to be at 64, it's much hotter than is the YC at 64. Now the YC sounds meaning the exact same waveforms are better to me than the CK but when I MIDI'd the YC to the CK I had to adjust the 64 all the way up to 128 (on the CK) to get the YC to sound as hot as the CK. When I MIDI'd the YC to the Osmose MPE it really jumps. The Osmose does some crazy stuff something like super touch and continuous sensing. Like a guitar string the key will almost ring at the slightest touch. You can bend a string voice, for example, continuously throughout the entire key range of motion and all the way past normal bottoming out like another 3/8". It's insane. That reminds me I need to test the YC piano performance on the Osmose. I don't honestly notice much difference in the "Soft", "Normal" etc. The real change is in adjusting the 64 upward.