The concept that the midi tracks are on cubase is starting to sink in.
So that means track volumes, sequencer data, pan, are no longer coming from the motif, so the motif can't handle these things like a mixer or sequencer.

That still leaves the parameters for a given part: eq, effects, all the voice edit stuff, all that is midi. But this midi has nothing to do with QBase; it's just between the motif and the editor.
Gosh I hope I'm right about all that.

I'm starting to think that my confusion stems from a lack of knowledge about Midi. I'm somewhat familiar from using the motif for a few years. I know about Control change and program change and midi events, and midi channels, but that's about it. Do I need to know more about the types of midi data, or something like that?
Dave

Dave,
The location of the MIDI Track data is only important from the standpoint of applying changes to the data.
If, for example, you record 10 Tracks of MIDI data to Cubase and you wish to make real-time adjustments to the volumes — say you want the strings you recorded to fade up in the mix as you approach the bridge section of the composition, and at the same time you want to lower the brass Track. You want these messages to be documented in Cubase.

While data is in the realm of MIDI you are only manipulating the coded messages… once you included the Cubase Mixer (with its faders) into the signal path, you can add any mix changes you want to make.. the alternative would be to re-record the strings and do the string fade up and the brass fade down as you record each Track separately.

But if your goal is to have multiple faders available so you can “mix” several Tracks simultaneously, this is when you want include the Cubase Mixer and the Motif XF Remote Control layer.

Simply put, any adjustments to the mix levels of the MIDI Track data can be handled on the Cubase Mixer.
The Motif XF VST (editor) is the same as your Motif XF — You address one Part at a time…

When you play the XF the MIDI messages are sent directly to the Cubase MIDI Track where they are documented in code. The Cubase MIDI Track is where it can be influenced by Cubase (and those changes can be documented into Cubase), it is then Output to the Motif XF VST - MidiIn… the Editor. You’ll see when you include the Cubase Mixer, and you move the fader for the strings and brass channels, not only will you hear the change, but all the graphics will adjust. (It’s still not audio yet)…

From the Editor MIDI Out all the MIDI messages are sent to the Motif XF Tone Generator which generates AUDIO (you can finally hear the results.

So it’s not that adjusting the Volume of Part 1 with the Editor will not work — it is that you are limited to moving and documenting just that one Part’s Volume. To allow simultaneous documentation of any channel you decide to change, you must employ Cubase’s Read/Write automation capability. The most flexible path to do this is to employ the Cubase Mixer function along with the Remote Control function -that turns your XF’s front panel into an 8 Fader/unlimited Channel control surface.

Keep working with it.
Signal flow is what you want to master -first the concept of what the data is, what it represents; then you want to be able to follow it it along its path, this way when something is not working as expected, you have a systematic way to track it down (pun intended)!

Experiment, make mistakes - they truly are the best way to learn. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. It is more complicated then just plugging in a microphone, for example… but it is knowable… and it is flexible.