Important:
Changes you make on the “Scene Memory” screen are immediately stored.
It is on the Scene Memory screen that you can review your settings for each of the eight possible Scene Memories.

When creating a performance I sometimes forget to store scene 1 as the first one. By storing scene 2 as the first one, somehow the memory array is not correctly initialized. Changes later on in a prior scene might not be stored. The way I usually solve this is by deleting all scenes and start rebuilding them from scratch and be sure to store scene 1 as the initial scene. This is easy to do with simple performances, but a hell of a job with 8 complex scenes. Before deleting I can take pictures from all the current settings and mixes, however I wonder if there is a more easy way to solve this?

The fact that it is easy to forget to Store the initial settings in SCENE 1 happens because when you initially recall the Performance the settings are at or return to your starting point.

Once you realize (which always happens later) that you want to start using automation, you assume that some how the instrument will memorize the initial settings. Automation is documenting some change in settings... what you want to add to your thought process is any change that is documented is a change from the Stored starting condition.

Scenes are NOT Stored and Recalled in the same way as the Performance is stored and recalled...
Scenes are recalled by simply pressing a Scene button [1]-[8]
A Performance is recalled by *selecting* the program. At the moment you select it all start condition settings are recalled.

If you make changes to any settings, (any settings), two things occur: a blue flag appears in the Performance title box indicating this, and the change you made will remain until you either send another message to change it again, or you completely recall the Performance (those returning it to the initial start condition).

The only way to recall a Performance is to “leave it and come back”.

The alternative is to work with this acquired knowledge and know that automation, any automation, is a change from the original stored condition, if you need to return at some point to that initial start condition without exiting and coming back to that Performance (meaning you want it to happen within this Performance) you should STORE a *start condition* Scene.

A start condition Scene should take you back to the condition of settings when you first recalled the Performance... the start of your musical performance. If you plan on wanting to return to this state while you are performing, you’ll want a better way than exiting and returning to this program.

The other tip is once you automate a parameter change, you must think through your linear timeline... remembering MIDI settings persist (remain where they are until you change them). If you create a Scene with Volume = 0 then it becomes necessary to input a value for Volume in any subsequent Scene you might recall. If you don’t, all subsequent Scenes will remain at volume = 0

If your Scenes are likely to be called up “at any time”, this means you had better place a Volume event in each.
If your Scenes are always recalled in a specific order, 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8, then this is linear and you simply have to ensure that the NEXT Scene represents what you require.

Yes, this can get complicated:
For example, there is a MUTE command that can be stored in a Scene.
But there is no UnMute (sic) command that gets stored

This means if you simply MUTE a Part (on the HOME screen), it will stay muted until you manually unMute the button.
This means even if your Scene has the Part sounding, you can at any time manually MUTE the Part... and it will stay muted, until you manually unMute the Part.

This means the MUTE you see on the Scene Memory area screen, is different from the MUTE you see on the Mixer from the Home screen.
This will make sense as you begin working with automation. And is exactly how you would want it to work... it means you can manually override any automation.

Scenes can be multi-dimensional... in several of the tutorials, I setup Scenes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 as different sections of a composition.
I then setup Scenes 6, 7, and 8 so that nothing changes EXCEPT the relative Volumes.

If you start with Scene 1, you will hear the basic groove at full volume
If you press Scene 6, you will hear the same Arps, but softer, Scene 7 even softer, and Scene 8 even softer. I wanted the Scenes 6-8 to represent volume intensity of the currently sounding Arp Phrases.

If you return to Scene 1 the groove returns to full volume.
If you move from Scene 1 to Scene 2, the groove changes but at full volume.
But I you move from Scene 8 to Scene 2, the groove of Scene 2 plays but at the lowest volume setting
Now that the Scene 2 and the Arp Phrases that it recalls... the same section remains playing, but now you can change the volume of the currently sounding instruments by using Scene 6, 7 or 8

Knowing how MIDI persists allows you to fashion different purposes for your Scene Memories.

By using some Scenes to alter the swing/feel of the basic groove and others to adjust the playback intensity, you have greater control.

If you only see the Scenes as musical Sections you are limiting your thinking, I only needed five different sections but found controlling the intensity and volume of playback was a better fit for this particular Performance.

See the “Smooth it Over 4”, “Smooth it Over 5”, “Smooth it Over 6” and Smooth it Over 7” articles in the MONTAGifying Motif XF Performances series in the LEARN area of this site. I use a 4 Part Performance and build it, an instrument at a time, from a Quartet to a Septet, adding Parts, Arps, real time instrument, etc., etc. Creative use of Scenes .... I should maybe revisit these since so many new features have been added concerning KBD CTRL, Scenes, and Play FX since those articles!!!

Let us know.

EXTRA CREDIT 3 Tutorial Links...
Smooth it Over 4
A Deeper Dive: “Smooth it Over 5”
“Smooth it Over 6” and “Smooth it Over 7“

Those Smooth It Over tutorials are cool stuff. I missed them the first time around.

Learned some useful new things. Thanks!

Thank you BM. I have a great admiration for your knowledge regarding my most favorite instrument.