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Perfomance Record XF

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Hello, BadMister! Please explain the following feature:
Can I write sequencer MOTIF XF other Perfomance 4 unoccupied track in addition to the previously recorded Perfomance, listening to the sounds of the previous Perfomance. That is, you can monitor the sound of already recorded Perfomance while recording another Perfomance adjacent track? Or recording capability is limited only by one Perfomance and has no way of monitoring? ..

 
Posted : 26/02/2015 10:04 am
Bad Mister
Posts: 12304
 

Short answer: No and Yes.

The feature you are talking about is Direct Performance Record. Perhaps you do not fully understand its purpose. We will explain...

What is Sequencing?
A SEQUENCER is called this because of the way it is designed to be used. That is, you record one Track at a time. Most all "sequencers" are designed this way, and used this way in most cases. "Sequence" means in order, one after the other.

In a rare case you might setup to record all tracks at one time, but this is not typical use case (only when transferring data from one sequencer to another). The Direct Performance Record function is designed to help music producer (keyboardist) to record an entire rhythm section at one time from the Performance mode to the SEQUENCER mode (Song/Pattern). Since the Motif XF and MOXF are Music Production synthesizers have a built-in drum function, and truly musical arpeggios that are "chord intelligent", it was designed so you can "jump start" your composing of your sequence by creating your own (accompaniment) rhythm section... Including, for example, a drum groove, a bass line, and a chordal instrument, to play along with you. To help inspire you - give you a groove, a feel...

Other so-called "workstations" (we hate that word) you would have to lay down a drum groove, then overdub a bass line, then lay down the chord instrument, then finally play on top of all of that in four separate passes. Direct Perfomance Record is designed to record your entire four-piece ensemble (rhythm section) at one time.
Then moving to the target Sequencer mode, you have not just one Program, but four separate Program Parts, each split out to its own Track 1, 2, 3, 4 assigned to the separate Voices.

Now you go to the target sequencer mode, and begin "sequencing" by either adding PART 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and so on ... One-at-a-time, as is normal for "sequencing"... To Tracks 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and so on.

MODES: Realtime Play Modes versus Sequencing Modes
Look at the front panel of your instrument VOICE and PERFORMANCES modes are single timbral modes. You address them on a single channel.
See SONG and PATTERN modes (MultiPart modes) where you still play on a single channel, but you play each Part individually, separately.

Your question shows you are not clear on the difference between the modes. Of course there is no way to monitor the recorded sequence when in VOICE or PERFORMANCE mode, they are "outside" of the Sequencer modes. Plus there would never be a need to (in this design concept). How many drummers and how many bass players, are you going to put (simultaneously) in your ensemble? Practically speaking - one of each.

The only way to monitor what you have recorded into then sequencer is to select the SEQUENCER mode, and press play.
Select an available Part and record by "overdubbing" a new Track.

TRACK is a function of the SEQUENCER
"TRACK" is the technical term for a place to store MIDI event data for a particular MIDI channel's data. There are no TRACKs in VOICE mode, there are no TRACKs in PERFORMANCE mode; TRACKS are only found in the SEQUENCER modes: SONG and PATTERN modes.

IMPORTANT CONCEPT
You can record additional TRACKs in the sequencer modes, one at a time.
You can play multiple PARTs simultaneously and record to the sequencer.

EXAMPLE
For example, if you record a four PART PERFORMANCE using DIRECT PERFORMANCE RECORD to a blank SONG 01. Then go to SONG mode, Tracks 1-4 will have MIDI data recorded, the data has been split out to Tracks 1-4, the Performance setup data is copied to Parts 1-4 so that what you played will sound (playback) properly.

Now say you want to "overdub" (the process of adding new material while you monitor what you previously recorded) a string orchestra layered with a Brass section, layered with a synth pad... You can set PARTS 5, 6, and 7 to MIDI RECEIVE CHANNEL 5 and record them together (while monitoring tracks 1-4.
Press [MIXING]
Press [EDIT]
Press [5]
Press [F1] VOICE
Press [SF1] VOICE
Set the Receive channel to 5 (String orch)
Press [6]
Set the Receive channel to 5 (Brass)
Press [7]
Set the Receive channel to 5 (Synth Pad)

Press the RECORD button
Select TRACK 5
Now when you record - the MIDI EVENTS will be stored (recorded) to Track #5, but PARTS 5, 6, and 7 will all respond to the data recorded to TRACK 5.

You will be able to hear your previously recorded data on Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4 while you "overdub" new data to Track 5

Understand how that works?

BASIC MIDI Rules
You CANNOT play on multiple (separate) MIDI channels simultaneously in the sequencer. You transmit on just one MIDI channel at a time (very important and very basic MIDI concept). What I have described above is how one MIDI channel can trigger multiple Parts simultaneously. So you can COPY any Performance and its four Parts to four Parts of a Song Mixing/Pattern Mixing setup. And you can record them... But one MIDI Channel at a time.

Remember: Performance mode is a single Channel mode. If you place four Parts on the same MIDI channel of a SONG MIXING or PATTERN MIXING setup, you can play them all simultaneously, directly. But the "limitation" is the same: to play them all together they must be played on one Channel directly by YOU (not the "other" players... The arpeggiators!!!!)

What, perhaps, you are not seeing about DIRECT PERFORMANCE RECORD, is even though you are generating MIDI data on a single channel in Performance mode... The Motif XF sends what you actually play to a certain Track, and divides what the Arpeggiators are "playing" to their own separate Tracks.

What happens to many who get confused here is: They actually *believe* they are "playing" all the Parts of a Performance... When in fact, some of the Parts are actually being "played" by the Arpeggiators. When you press a key and drums begin, you are not really (directly) "playing" the drums. The source of the data is not being generated by the KEYBOARD, the arpeggio data is generated by the Arpeggiators!

The Key that you used to trigger the arpeggio to start running is not actually routed to the sequencer. It is in fact routed to the Arpeggiator assigned to that Drum Part. The ARPEGGIATOR is "playing" the drums. Your trigger note does not necessarily even get recorded, at all.

Making sense, yet?

CONCLUSION
I know you probably know most of this, and are probably wondering why I'm explaining it all (again), but it is a frequently asked question - and it is because people think it is some kind of "limitation". No, it's not. The whole thing was cleverly designed for a specific use. A very practical use. And until you see this, you keep thinking there must be a way to use two PERFORMANCES - well it ain't designed that way (and for good reason).

Once you record to the Sequencer via the Direct Performance Record, you can either keep all the Parts generated by the Performance, or you can *replace* any or all of them. Some of the Bass lines are purposefully simple... So you may want to go to that track (with the Bass Part) and REPLACE Record... Writing your own bass line.

The concept of Direct Performance Record is to "jump start" your composing. Playing with a traditional "workstation" sequencer you are limited to laying down your first track by playing along with a click-click-click-click... When we were discussing this process for Motif-series we thought this was boring-boring-boring-boring... So the concept of playing along with drums, bass, and chords was something we use in or arrangers so we borrowed some of that tech and made it something a serious music producer /composer /player could utilize. Thus the "jump start" concept.

Hope that helps.

 
Posted : 26/02/2015 2:19 pm
Posts: 0
Topic starter
 

Thank you so much, BadMister !!! As always, your explanations are very clear and wide !!!

 
Posted : 26/02/2015 3:05 pm
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