It's true that Total Librarian only saves the Mixing data of Songs and Patterns and not Sequencer data. There are some live performers who prefer to use Mix mode because it provides 16 different sounds! That's why I've added Mixes to Total Librarian".

I have not played live yet so I must say I don't know what John means with his explanation. Can you elaborate?

Yes, I can. Because the SONG and PATTERN mode can be used for sequencing does not mean that you have to use it for sequencing. If you are a stage performer, you might need to play half a dozen sounds in a single number - switching from Piano, to Organ, to Synth Lead, to Strings and then to an Electric piano and finally a Wooden Flute... You could jump around trying to find all these different sounds in Voice mode (but those who understand how the XF works, would assemble these six Voices in a single SONG MIXING or PATTERN MIXING setup... As Parts 1-6. Then when you need to switch between sounds you don't have to go hunting all over the place to find your Voices.

By placing them on a single SONG MIXING location (name the Song for the Song you use them in) when recall that setup all your Voices are recalled together, you need only touch the TRACK button [1]-[6] to recall your sound. Also in the MIXING mode you can switch between your selections without the sound cutting off. For example say you need to hold the last String chord for four measures into you Synth Lead solo, (overlapping the start of your solo on that string chord) in MIXING mode you can hold a sound with your sustain pedal, switch to another sound while sustaining the first, you can begin playing the new selection... Let go of the pedal when you want the Strings to end. This seamless transitioning between the 16 PARTs of a MIXING is a really good reason for assembling the sounds you are going to play in a SONG/PATTERN MIXING. As many as 16 Voices can be housed in a Mixing setup, you can transition between them seamlessly using the Taprack Select buttons. You can even layer multiple sounds on any button 1-16 by manipulating the MIDI Receive channel assignments of each Part.

I purchased two third-party Voice Libraries, one of which is a Piano Library and includes Sample Data and the other which is a Organ Library with no Sample Data.

If your Organ Library contains no Waveforms and Samples then it matters not where the LOAD OPTIONS are set in the FILE screen. The LOAD OPTION in the lower right corner of the FILE screen are to direct the Waveforms and Samples in a file to where you would like to install the audio data. Since your Organ Library contains no such data when the XF goes to load the file it will find no Waveforms and Samples to redirect. So no data, no worry.

Any data in your 128MB SDRAM is consider in USR memory. If the XF has any audio data in this area it will be placed in a SubFolder within the FILE called "USR". When loading such a file, if you wish to return that data to the 128MB of volatile SDRAM, you would direct USR > USR.

If the file was SAVED with no data in the volatile SDRAM, it makes no difference, whatsoever, where the USR > xxx is set, no data meaning nothing to load.
If, however, the file does have samples in SDRAM and you wish to redirect the data SAVED in the file to your FLASH BOARD, because you would like to keep the data as apart of your extended Wave ROM, you would set USR > FL1 - this will redirect the data that was originally saved as USR and install it on your FL1 Flash Board. This means as it Loads the file, every Voice that uses any custom audio data will be rewritten so that the Voice "knows" to look in FL1 for its data.

There is no USR SDRAM data in the Chick Corea Mark V electric piano library. It contains its audio data in FL1 folder of the File so it matters not at all where you set USR > xxx (there is nothing in that file's USR folder). It does matter that you set the FL1 > xxx option. If you want to restore the data exactly like the author intended (to FL1) then you would set it to FL1 > FL1.

If, however, you already filled your Flash Board in FL1 then you might need to redirect the Chick Corea data from the file's location FL1 to your FL2 Flash Board... FL1 > FL2. This will rewrite each Voice that originally would have been looking to FL1 to the FL2 location in which it places it.

Now, because you can have far more Voices than you have Wave data, once you've installed the Chick Corea MARK V data your Flash Board, you never have to install it again. After you install data to the FLASH BOARD you will make a new ALL Data file which will document exactly where your XF placed the Waveform data. Your file may differ from the original File Chick Corea made. Your backup file contains your unique information. Every ALL data file that you create will contain your Waveform data. You get to choose whether or not you SAVE the Samples or not.

I'll repeat for emphasis: Every ALL data file that you create will contain your Waveform data. You get to choose whether or not you SAVE the Samples or not.

If you've been using or thinking about Waveforms and Samples as the same thing, they are not. Understanding the difference will be necessary to fully understand what the XF is doing.

Waveforms - are the instructions that organize the Samples into playable entities. It is just the framework. While there are just 5 Waveforms in the Chick Corea Library, there are literally hundreds of individual audio Samples in that Library.

Samples - are the actual audio data.

Waveform data is relatively small in size (a couple of kilobytes) and is always written to a file.
Sample data is relatively large in size (Chick Corea Mark V is almost 400MB) and written to the file only when you select that option.

It takes less than a second to load the Waveform data for a Voice, but could take 20 minutes for the Samples
So SAVING OPTIONS (lower left side of the FILE screen) allows you SAVE "with Samples" (for when you are making a complete backup File) or "without Samples" (when you are making a quick change).

Your complete back ("with Samples") should be kept in a safe place as it is a complete backup of your customized Flash Board.
All other files you make do not have to contain the huge Sample data. Say you add a crash cymbal to measure 49 of a sequenced Song, you've made no major changes to your Flash Board, all you've done is add a single crash cymbal... Instead of making a complete backup, you'd opt to SAVE "without Sample" - instead taking 20 minutes to create a file - you'll be done in 1 minute.

Say you get a new ALL data Library, you can load this new library... Overwriting the Voices in your four internal banks. It does not disturb your Waveforms nor your Samples - they remain exactly where you installed them. Even when no Voices are using your FLASH BOARD data, they remain in memory.

When you want to reload your favorite Chick Corea Voice, you can load just a single VOICE from YOUR file - the Waveform and Samples are still in memory, you only need to load the single Voice.
Set the load options as follows:

USR > USR (meaningless because there is nothing in the USR folder)
FL1 > NONE (the necessary data is already installed, you simply are restoring the Voice parameters)
FL2 > NONE

The "None" option means you are loading the Voice data but making NO CHANGES to your Flash Board information. There is no need, the Waveforms and Samples are already installed, your file will "know" how to direct the Voice to find the data it needs to sound correctly.

Basically, the cataloging done by the XF means you don't have to keep track of where the data is. It handles all of the heavy lifting.

If you select File TYPE = "All" - this means you will overwrite all User settings in the XF internal memory (excepting the Flash Board, which can never be overwritten, not by accident, not even on purpose)

You can choose to set the File TYPE = "1 Bank Voice" - this allows you redirect data contained in the File to any of your internal Banks. (So you do not need the Total Librarian for this, albeit the Total Librarian make reorganizing easier because you can do it "offline")

You can choose to set the File TYPE = "voice" - this allows you to redirect data contained in the File to any of your internal Voice locations.

Thanks for another detailed and thorough response, Phil.

Now I see the benefits of using Song or Pattern mode and what a great idea it is. I especially like the idea of using MIXING mode for a seamless transition between parts. Very cool indeed.

With regard to loading the libraries, I was successful in loading the Organ voice library using "all without system" as the creator suggested, but I lost all my Patterns and Songs in the process. So, I had to re-load MY "All" file to restore those. I suppose I could load 1 BANK of Voices and 1 BANK of Performances individually, but I will not get the MASTER mode sounds. I guess that is not a big deal anyway, as it seems to me that a MASTER list is something that should definitely be customized by me, the USER and I could add those Performances to my MASTER list any time I wish. Does that approach make sense? But I do wonder if there is a way to load an "All" file without losing my Patterns. In any case, I now need to re-load the Organ library, whilst not losing my Songs and Patterns.

When I go to load the Piano library, which does include nearly 500MB of Sample Data, I have been instructed to Load 1 BANK of Voices and 1 BANK of Performances individually and direct them to an available USER Voice bank and available USER Performance bank. So, using this approach, I should retain all my Patterns and Songs.

As I write this, I did a quick test to see if I could LOAD only the Patterns from MY "All" file. There were two options: "All Pattern" and "Pattern". With "All Pattern" selected, MY "All" file disappeared from the directory. With "Pattern" selected, I could highlight MY "All" file, hit Enter and my Patterns appeared the the directory. I then loaded each Pattern individually into the Motif. When I went into Pattern Mode though, all the instruments for each pattern were listed, but the yellow boxes to the right of each instrument were blank (sorry, I don't know the correct terminology for what I should call those "yellow boxes"). None of the Patterns would play. But when I loaded the entire "All" file, everything was restored. I thought that was curious. What am I missing here?

In general, I will say that File Management seems to be my biggest hurdle in learning the Motif. I'm sure with perseverence I will eventually get there. I have read through the File Management section in the Reference Manual, but I still find some of the concepts a bit difficult to understand. I have also viewed "Inspiration in a Flash", which did shed some light on loading Libraries, but it doesn't seem to cover all scenarios one might encounter.

Do you ever lead workshops on how to maximize the potential of the Mofif? I would fly cross-country to attend one of those!

Best,
Brian

With regard to loading the libraries, I was successful in loading the Organ voice library using "all without system" as the creator suggested, but I lost all my Patterns and Songs in the process. So, I had to re-load MY "All" file to restore those. I suppose I could load 1 BANK of Voices and 1 BANK of Performances individually, but I will not get the MASTER mode sounds.

There are no such things as "the MASTER mode sounds"... let me explain. The MASTER mode is the one mode that is not like the others.

VOICE mode is for individual sounds programmed in great detail (by hired professionals). These are what you pay for in any purchased library. The VOICE is the fundamental playable program in the Motif XF.

PERFORMANCE mode is for combinations of VOICES (as many as 4). Each VOICE is placed in a PART, numbered 1-4. Any one can put together Performances. They take the work done by the programmers (VOICES) and combine them into programs that feature as many as four PARTS, with as many as four arpeggiators - so that you can play them simultaneously from the keys. Say you have a Library that contained a great piano keyboard sound set. You pick your favorite Voice from that Library and create a Performance where it is split to the right hand side of the keyboard, and you select an internal Acoustic Bass to be the left hand side. You set the split point at F#2 because that's where YOU need it for the song you are thinking of playing. That is the significance of Performances - you tailor them to YOUR specific needs. Anyone (and everyone), should make their own Performances. The Factory Performances are placed there, as examples, to show you what you can do by combining your favorite VOICES. The VOICE creation is the really hard work. Performance are USER creations based on necessity being the mother of invention. You program them as you require for what you need to accomplish.

So a Performance is the Voices that make it up. It is not a separate thing - it references Voice locations. It does not contain any unique data. the individual data is always found somewhere in VOICE mode _ either in a PRESET VOICE location or a USER VOICE location

SONG and PATTERN MIXING modes are combinations of VOICES (as many as 16). Each VOICE is placed in a PART, numbered 1-16. Anyone can put together MIXING setups. They take the work done by the programmers (VOICES) and combine them in a setup where you can place them so that each PART is on a different MIDI channel... ideal for sequencing or for (as we discussed) "live" setups where you need access to a set of sounds quickly and seamlessly. Performances can be copied into MIXING setups _ you simply set the four PARTS on the same MIDI receive channel - then when you select the numbered button [1]-[16] you can play the set of Voices assigned to that channel. Remember you can switch between between even complex setups at the press of a button.

MASTER mode is not like the others. It is not really anything but a way to master (or control) the entire arsenal of internal programs you have available. You can have 1024 Preset Voices, 512 User Voices, 512 Performances, 64 SONG MIXING setups, 64 Pattern MIXING setups... plus Preset and User Drum Kits etc., Unlikely you will need them all in a performing situation... So the MASTER mode is a User defined Bank of 128 of your Favorite things to do with your MOTIF XF... no matter which original mode they are in

Say you are on stage and you need the following four things
Acoustic Piano (alone)
Electric piano Split with Synth Bass
Electric Piano Layered with a Pad, and Synth Brass in the right hand, plus split with Electric Bass on the left side
Organ (alone).

You might find yourself pressing tons of buttons as you moved from Voice mode to Performance mode, to a Song Mixing and back again to Voice mode...
MASTER mode allows you create a bank of 128 programs where you can place your favorite things to do in 8 Groups of 16 Programs (128 Master Programs). You can even set them up so you can use a FOOT SWITCH to advance from one MASTER setup to the next.

So the MASTER mode does not contain any new or different data... it is made up of Voices, Performances, Songs, and Patterns already in other locations in your Motif XF. Notice as you step through the MASTER mode - it is always referencing a VOICE, or a PERFORMANCE, or a SONG or a PATTERN. It contains no unique data of its own. Its function is to organize what you need to recall in one neat bank. It is the Master. It is the one ring to rule them all...

As I write this, I did a quick test to see if I could LOAD only the Patterns from MY "All" file. There were two options: "All Pattern" and "Pattern". With "All Pattern" selected, MY "All" file disappeared from the directory.

The REFERENCE MANUAL is absolutely necessary to get a handle on the FILE TYPES>

ALL PATTERN is a specific TYPE of file - it has a special extension (.X3P) - you can only LOAD an ALL PATTERN file if you SAVED an ALL PATTERN file (.X3P)
You can LOAD a single PATTERN from either an ALL data file (.X3A) or from an ALL PATTERN file (.X3P).

When you SAVE data, if you select ALL then every user programmable item in your Motif XF is Saved to that file. Because you have FLASH BOARDS you can opt to save "with Samples" or "without Samples". But all other USER programmable parameter is Saved.
Importantly: From an ALL data file you can LOAD certain specific data:
VOICE - Load a single Voice from the file
PERFORMANCE - Load a single Performance from the file
PATTERN - Load a single Pattern from the file
SONG - Load a single Song from the file

or you can LOAD "ALL" which overwrites all current User programmable data with what was included in the file.

When you wish to SAVE a new PATTERN or SONG you have written to the Sequencer, you can save the aforementioned "ALL" data file (.X3A) which saves EVERYTHING... or you can opt to save just "ALL SONG" (literally) or "ALL PATTERN" (literally). You can Save all the Patterns or all of the Songs but when loading back you opt to load ALL back or just a single selected item.

The "why" of this will become clear when you realize that there is just one big Sequencer with several ways to approach assembling your music data. The purpose of the Sequencer is to help you assemble music composition with both a linear structure and a looping cycling structure... these two methods (SONG and PATTERN respectively) are used together to complete your music composition. You can SAVE ALL - and from that ALL you can load a single (or simply reload the ALL).

With "Pattern" selected, I could highlight MY "All" file, hit Enter and my Patterns appeared the the directory. I then loaded each Pattern individually into the Motif. When I went into Pattern Mode though, all the instruments for each pattern were listed, but the yellow boxes to the right of each instrument were blank (sorry, I don't know the correct terminology for what I should call those "yellow boxes"). None of the Patterns would play. But when I loaded the entire "All" file, everything was restored. I thought that was curious. What am I missing here?

There are several things that could have (and often do to those new to the SEQUENCER) we will cover them below:

RULE 1: Only STORED data gets SAVED to FILES.
When you record something to the sequencer it is recorded into the XF's internal RAM (basically it is in a temporary "edit buffer"). This is volatile memory (like the RAM of your computer). On the XF until you press the STORE button, that data will disappear if you were to move away or power down. Once you press STORE however, you will write the MIDI Events that appears on the Track (as yellow boxes) and the MIXING setup that is associated automatically with the SONG or PATTERN data. This is Stored in the XF's internal FLASH ROM. Like writing (Storing) a VOICE to a USER location.

RULE 2: The small letter "E" that appears in the upper right corner of the screen.
You need to become aware of this little icon. It is tell you that the data currently in RAM has been edited (changed) from its original condition and that the current condition is not yet STORED. This could mean what you have written is not yet in the internal FLASH ROM area (only the STORED data gets Saved).

If you wrote data to the sequencer and did not press STORE at any point, the data will not be contained in the FILE.
If you attempt to move away from the current Sequence without having STORED you will receive a warning - that the data currently in the sequencer will be discarded. If you wish to keep that data - press NO, which returns you to your sequence where you can now PRESS the [STORE] button.

If you opt YES the data in the sequencer since you last pressed STORE will be discarded. This is something to know. There are times you want to discard the data in the "edit buffer" - there are other times you want to go back and STORE it (because you actually want to keep it).

Another cause of PATTERNS not playing back is whether or not the XF is set to playback. If your MIDI SYNC is set to external or MIDI, the Motif XF sequencer will not start until it gets an external command via MIDI. You can view the TEMPO on the main SONG or PATTERN screen - if it does not read a number (BPM) but reads EXT or MIDI, this will prevent the XF sequencer from starting. GO to UTILITY > [F5] CONTROL > [SF2] MIDI > set the MIDI SYNC = internal

Another cause of PATTERN not playing back is because you used USER VOICES in the MIXING setup and you have since overwritten those VOICES and now the VOICE in those locations do not respond properly. When you load an ALL data file - it ensures that the VOICES in memory will match the Performances you've made, the Song/Pattern Mixing setups you've created, the Master programs you have setup.

However, when you start loading individual items you really need to know what data is being used and whether or not you are accounting for it.

in general, when new to the XF it is best to work with ALL data files until you can truly understand what needs to be where. The XF has, with the SONG and PATTERN modes, special locations designed to keep every VOICE you use with the SONG or PATTERN you create it in. These are called the MIXING VOICE.

And it is something that will always ensure that when you load an individual PATTERN or an individual SONG, that every VOICE you used will automatically be reloaded. If your MIXING setups only reference the PRESET VOICES, then of course, the Voices will always be where they are expected to be. But if you create a PATTERN and you use USER 1: 001(A01) as the VOICE in PART 1. It is totally possible, by loading a new VOICE bank into your XF that the PATTERN looking for a Flute Voice in that location will find a Wind Sound Effect because you loaded a Bank of Sound Effects into the USER 1 VOICE bank.

Instead of finding the Flute that was there when you created your PATTERN, it now finds the Wind Sound Effect... To prevent this, you can STORE your USER Voices (used in your MIX to a "MIX VOICE" location) - this, as mentioned, will guarantee that when you load a single PATTERN your custom Flute sound will load with it!

This is part of the learning curve on the XF. This feature was developed to solve the very problem you are experiencing. Once you realize what is happening you will realize that what now seems a little bit confusing - actually is the answer to exactly what you need. It's simply a matter of getting used to the File Management system.

You are in the process of "assembling" data. Until you realize how the data is inter-related, inter-connected, you may not appreciate this "feature". But it is actually a very mature and well thought out system. Easy, perhaps not, but flexible to the nth degree!!!!

The thing about "all scenarios" is there are many of them. And it can be a mountain to climb (or appear so at first) .... when you see all the different LOAD OPTIONS, for example, you may wonder... "which one do I use?" and ..."why would anyone ever want to direct FL1 > FL2?" And then you wonder what all the others are even there for, they are just confusing... Until you actually need that weird one and it saves your bacon! 🙂

Directing audio data (Waveforms and Samples) to either volatile USR (SDRAM) or to your semi-permanent Flash Board (FL1/FL2) can be deep. What the article on FLASH MEMORY takes lengths to make clear is that a VOICE (that basic fundamental playable entity) is made up of a bunch of parameters that describe the instrument (Voice parameters) and a source bit of audio (the Waveform... which organizes samples). The Waveform is the OSCILLATOR. It is huge in size or can be. The rest of the Voice parameters which include the Filter, the Filter EG, the Amplifier the Amp EG, the Effects, the EQ, the Note Shift, the tuning, the Velocity sensitivity settings, etc., etc., etc., etc... all these Voice parameter can add up to about 2KB worth of parameters per VOICE. The OSCILLATOR's source wave could be several MB in size.

Take the first Chick Corea Mark V Rhodes Voice, it is about 2KB of Voice parameter data and almost 400MB of audio data (for the oscillator sound source).
Now the significance of that size difference is immense - think $2000 versus $400,000,000. While you've certainly spent $2000 (you own a Motif XF so we know that... but I bet in all you days you have not yet spent 400 million dollars... even if you add up everything you've ever bought!!! So you can see how Voices take literally a second or two to load when that big AUDIO data is not included.

(I've found over the years, that musicians understand kilobytes and megabytes much better when you compare it with money)!!! 🙂

At any rate take your time. Don't make assumptions, you are going about this the correct way. You will make mistakes but if you have a backup of your data you can always recover. So until you are used to the load individual file management - always err on the side of safety and SAVE ALL... it saves everything - then you can experiment.

Most important thing to grok: you have 3977 factory installed Waveforms burned into permanent memory of the Motif XF. This is the Factory WAVE ROM.
The Flash Board (each one) represents up to 2048 additional hand-picked Waveforms that you can install to semi-permanent memory. This extends your Wave ROM. Once you install a Waveform it takes on a number in your system. For example, the first Waveform you install to Flash Board 1 will be given the designation "FL1: 0001" and in every FILE you make from this day forward (until you DELETE or FORMAT your Board)... the XF will write that FL1:0001 has a specific Waveform in it. And any time you load from one of your FILES it will know that if it needs that data for a VOICE... it will know to find in this location.

You could STORE the FULL CONCERT GRAND in any USER 1, USER 2, USER 3 or USER 4 bank internal Voice location, it still "knows" where to look to find the WAVEFORM to make it sound properly. Same will be true for you FILES. No matter where you load the Chick Corea VOICE, it will know where it placed the WAVEFORMs to make it sound properly.

We do workshops around the country from time-to-time in conjunction with local music stores. If you are interested in such events we usually will have notice posted here on this site. Stop into your local music store and let the owner or manager know you are interested in events concerning Yamaha synthesizers - you'd be amazed what kind of impact that will have. Back in the early days of digital synthesizers such events were plentiful and extremely well attended... I believe stores have begun to think that no one goes out any more... people stay home and binge watch YOUTUBE. 🙂

As we get Yamaha Synth ramped up to ramming speed here, we intend to have such events happening even here online - as live webcasts or as downloadable podcasts. We'd love to interactive things but there are too many children (no, not children, I should just say *immature* folks, "trolls" is even too kind a word) who ruin it for those really interested in the topic. But we will find away around the immature... Stay tuned.

Hi Phil - it's taken a bit of time for me to digest your response, but I think I'm starting to get on track.

Incidentally, I'm rather new to using BBCode, so please let me know if this comes through to you as odd-looking or cryptic. In your last reply, you not only italicized my text, but the text seems to also be indented. Might you share how you do that? Anyway, here's what I could put together, with your statements from my last post italicized, my original questions italicized with quotation marks and comments from others in quotation marks only.

With regard to loading the libraries, I was successful in loading the Organ voice library using "all without system" as the creator suggested, but I lost all my Patterns and Songs in the process. So, I had to re-load MY "All" file to restore those. I suppose I could load 1 BANK of Voices and 1 BANK of Performances individually, but I will not get the MASTER mode sounds.

First off, losing my Patterns and Songs was not a big issue after all - I was able to load them back from my 'All' file. I should have been clearer in my original post regarding the MASTERS in the Organ Library. This is what the Sound Designer wrote with regard to the Organs that load into the first four MASTER locations:

The Master mode organs use Song mode, but there is no recorded music. Song mode is used as a kind of workaround. The Motif XF doesn't allow more than 4 voices to be layered except in Song or Pattern mode, so Song mode is what I used to bypass the 4-voice limitation.

Master organs are designed for maximum real-time control that goes beyond what is possible in other modes. They offer 8-way drawbar control, optional percussion via AF1, optional chorus via AF2, and (for three of the organs) optional overdrive via the Master Effect – all within a single Master setup. Choose from 2 different rotary speaker simulations (the first two masters), or use your own external rotary speaker via the Main output (3rd master) or Assignable Right output (4th master). Overdrive is not available for the assignable output. Note: After selecting a Master mode organ, you will need to move each of the sliders to make each drawbar active.

OK, now that I understand much better what can be done with MIXING, I see why these Organs were set-up as Songs as the setup offers much broader control. So, if I am clear on this, these Organs were set-up in Song mode and stored as MASTERS - does that seem correct? It is also now very clear to me why one would want to put-together a MIXING setup for a Live performance.

VOICE mode is for individual sounds programmed in great detail (by hired professionals). These are what you pay for in any purchased library. The VOICE is the fundamental playable program in the Motif XF.

I do think I'm starting to get a handle on what a VOICE really is, and it's very important to me that I understand the building blocks of a Voice. Les Paul once said that, while his brother would switch on a light, he might say 'oh, the light went on', but Les wanted to know 'why' the light went on. I'm inquisitive in this way and I'm just fine with that, I like challenges. Back to Voices. What I (think) I understand so far - please correct anything that I misunderstand:

Instruments are recorded as digital audio data tnto the Motif. The fundamental building block of a Voice is a Wave or Sample (At least I think these terms can be used interchangeably). A Waveform, however, is a collection of audio data used to make up a Voice, which could be a single Sample or multiple Samples. But in any case, the Waveform has additional parameters that make it useful to the Motif, such as Keybank (key range & velocity), Going out on a limb now...as I understand this, an Element is a Waveform with Synth Parameters appllied to it, such as LFO, Effects?, etc. A Voice can be made-up of up to 8 Elements.

I won't go into great detail on Performances, just that I do understand they can use up to 4 Voices (PRE or USER) and 4 Arpeggiators. OK, easy. But one thing I am not clear on is how and why Performances 'point' to a Voice location. For example, when I finally get to loading my Sample Piano Library again (as I had trouble the first time and yes, I will load to FL1), I'm told I need to load '1 Bank Voice' option and direct 'USER 2' bank to load into the Motif's 'USER 3' bank. This is because the Organ Library will occupy the entire 'USER 2' bank. OK, fine. But what I'm not really clear on is this: The Piano library is set to load to the beginning of USER 2 banks in both Voice and Performance modes. Thus, when I direct the Voice library to my USER 3 bank, the Performances will not sound right as they will be looking for the associated Voices which were in the creator's USER 2 bank. I have been instructed to open each performance, press F2 'Voice' and for each voice re-direct the bank to USER 3. I haven't tried this yet, but I'm told I need to use the cursor buttons to change that. I thought the Motif knew where to find any Voice that is needed for a Performance, but that is clearly not the case.

SONG and PATTERN MIXING modes are combinations of VOICES (as many as 16). Each VOICE is placed in a PART, numbered 1-16. Anyone can put together MIXING setups. They take the work done by the programmers (VOICES) and combine them in a setup where you can place them so that each PART is on a different MIDI channel... ideal for sequencing or for (as we discussed) "live" setups where you need access to a set of sounds quickly and seamlessly. Performances can be copied into MIXING setups _ you simply set the four PARTS on the same MIDI receive channel - then when you select the numbered button [1]-[16] you can play the set of Voices assigned to that channel. Remember you can switch between between even complex setups at the press of a button.

With regard to the way my Patterns were created, I used only Preset Voices found in the PRE 1-8 banks. Then I STORED each Pattern - pressed STORE and INC/YES. Pattern was stored, and I think it was stored to the Sequencer Memory, but not sure of this. What is curious is that, when using Total Librarian, I looked at the Voices in my USER banks 3-4, and I found the Voices I had used in my Patterns there, and they were highlighted as being used by 'Pattern 4', 'Pattern 11', etc.. When I loaded the Piano Library into USER 3 bank, some of the Voices in my Patterns were now changed to Voices from the Piano Library and the Patterns of course didn't sound right anymore. I loaded my 'All' file and started over. Someone suggested that I STORE the Voices my Patterns use as Mix Voices instead of USER bank Voices. I did not know I had that option and when I pressed STORE, the Patterns 'STORED', so I thought all was fine. Not the case. Can you help me with how to save all my Song and Pattern Voices as Mix Voice?

So the MASTER mode does not contain any new or different data... it is made up of Voices, Performances, Songs, and Patterns already in other locations in your Motif XF. Notice as you step through the MASTER mode - it is always referencing a VOICE, or a PERFORMANCE, or a SONG or a PATTERN. It contains no unique data of its own. Its function is to organize what you need to recall in one neat bank. It is the Master. It is the one ring to rule them all...

So again, with regard to the 'Songs' in the Organ library that are in the first 4 slots in MASTER mode, I expect they were created in SONG mode and stored to MASTER mode.

As I write this, I did a quick test to see if I could LOAD only the Patterns from MY "All" file. There were two options: "All Pattern" and "Pattern". With "All Pattern" selected, MY "All" file disappeared from the directory.

I figured this out. I needed to select Pattern and then each individual Pattern, highlight using the right cursor, and then direct the Pattern to a slot. That worked! i should point out that I have always STORED my Patterns - that's one thing I understand, just apparently not where the associated Voices are stored, as I mentioned above.

Another cause of PATTERNS not playing back is whether or not the XF is set to playback. If your MIDI SYNC is set to external or MIDI, the Motif XF sequencer will not start until it gets an external command via MIDI. You can view the TEMPO on the main SONG or PATTERN screen - if it does not read a number (BPM) but reads EXT or MIDI, this will prevent the XF sequencer from starting. GO to UTILITY > [F5] CONTROL > [SF2] MIDI > set the MIDI SYNC = internal

I have had no issues playing-back my Patterns until I used Total Librarian to organize them and then TRANSMITTED back to the Motif. So I'm not TRANSMITTING any Songs or Patterns to the Motif anymore until I understand what to do. This makes me wonder how one would use Total Librarian for Mixes, as John Melas indicated, if one cannot TRANSMIT everything back to the Motif.

Another cause of PATTERN not playing back is because you used USER VOICES in the MIXING setup and you have since overwritten those VOICES and now the VOICE in those locations do not respond properly. When you load an ALL data file - it ensures that the VOICES in memory will match the Performances you've made, the Song/Pattern Mixing setups you've created, the Master programs you have setup.

Exactly my problem as I mentioned above. If I have overwritten a Clavi Voice I used in a Pattern, for example, with a new Piano Voice from the purchased library, I can't see how saving an 'All' file and then loading from file that will help. Hmm...

PATTERN modes, special locations designed to keep every VOICE you use with the SONG or PATTERN you create it in. These are called the MIXING VOICE.

You might have already explained the procedure for saving VOICES used in SONG and PATTERNS as MIXING VOICES from my questions above.

And it is something that will always ensure that when you load an individual PATTERN or an individual SONG, that every VOICE you used will automatically be reloaded. If your MIXING setups only reference the PRESET VOICES, then of course, the Voices will always be where they are expected to be. But if you create a PATTERN and you use USER 1: 001(A01) as the VOICE in PART 1. It is totally possible, by loading a new VOICE bank into your XF that the PATTERN looking for a Flute Voice in that location will find a Wind Sound Effect because you loaded a Bank of Sound Effects into the USER 1 VOICE bank.

OK, now I'm confused again because I used only PRESET VOICES when I created all my Patterns, but they were highlighted in Total Librarian in the USER banks.

You are in the process of "assembling" data. Until you realize how the data is inter-related, inter-connected, you may not appreciate this "feature". But it is actually a very mature and well thought out system. Easy, perhaps not, but flexible to the nth degree!!!!

I am starting to really gain an appreciation for the complexity of how data is organized or assembled. I don't actually mind a good mountain climb - in fact I've been to the top of Mt. Whitney in the Sierra Nevada twice. The struggle to get there can be very satisfying.

...What the article on FLASH MEMORY takes lengths to make clear is that a VOICE (that basic fundamental playable entity) is made up of a bunch of parameters that describe the instrument (Voice parameters) and a source bit of audio (the Waveform... which organizes samples)...

Maybe I missed this, but where can I find the aforementioned article?

At any rate take your time. Don't make assumptions, you are going about this the correct way. You will make mistakes but if you have a backup of your data you can always recover. So until you are used to the load individual file management - always err on the side of safety and SAVE ALL... it saves everything - then you can experiment.

Thanks for the encouragement - I will definitely continue to SAVE ALL, as that 'All' file has saved my 'bacon' at least a few times now.

You could STORE the FULL CONCERT GRAND in any USER 1, USER 2, USER 3 or USER 4 bank internal Voice location, it still "knows" where to look to find the WAVEFORM to make it sound properly. Same will be true for you FILES. No matter where you load the Chick Corea VOICE, it will know where it placed the WAVEFORMs to make it sound properly.

Yes, I have found this to be the case. But the Performances which load to Performance USER bank 2 do not automatically know where to find their associated Voices.

We do workshops around the country from time-to-time in conjunction with local music stores. If you are interested in such events we usually will have notice posted here on this site. Stop into your local music store and let the owner or manager know you are interested in events concerning Yamaha synthesizers - you'd be amazed what kind of impact that will have. Back in the early days of digital synthesizers such events were plentiful and extremely well attended... I believe stores have begun to think that no one goes out any more... people stay home and binge watch YOUTUBE. 🙂

Sadly, there aren't that many 'local' music stores anymore, but I'm in the San Francisco Bay area, so there are still a few around. I'll talk with the folks at one of them and encourage them to try and set-up a workshop. I sure wish there was a way you could be involved in any workshop I attend. 🙂

As we get Yamaha Synth ramped up to ramming speed here, we intend to have such events happening even here online - as live webcasts or as downloadable podcasts. We'd love to interactive things but there are too many children (no, not children, I should just say *immature* folks, "trolls" is even too kind a word) who ruin it for those really interested in the topic. But we will find away around the immature... Stay tuned.

Actually I think most children I know are much more mature than the 'trolls' you mention - at least most are sincere. It's very unfortunate and those people are welcome to sit and stare at YOUTUBE all day long and leave the creative people alone. I will definitely stay tuned.

On an unrelated topic, I have thought about connecting a MIDI keyboard with Synth-style keys to my Motif XF to play Organ sounds. I have a Yamaha Portable Piano - without checking I think it's the PSR-E423, which from memory only has USB connectivity. Can I use that as a controller with my Motif for Organs? Maybe you could recommend another (Yamaha of course) keyboard that would suit the bill.

Thanks as always,
Brian

OK, now that I understand much better what can be done with MIXING, I see why these Organs were set-up as Songs as the setup offers much broader control. So, if I am clear on this, these Organs were set-up in Song mode and stored as MASTERS - does that seem correct? It is also now very clear to me why one would want to put-together a MIXING setup for a Live performance.

I am not familiar with this particular Organ Library, but the programmer is making use of the SONG mode's ability to have a separate Voice in each PART and the MASTER mode's ability to reference 8 of them via its 8 ZONES. A very creative use of the architecture. But the thing that you must realize is that the MASTER is pointing to a particular SONG location. If you load a new SONG into that location - the MASTER will be pointing to whatever is loaded there currently. The only way it will make sense if you load the intended SONG data into the location that the MASTER is associated with. Please navigate to the following screen to see what I mean.

Press [MASTER]
Recall the MASTER in question.
Press [EDIT]
Press [COMMON EDIT] if not already lit
Press [F2] OTHER
Here you can see where the MASTER program is set to access a particular SONG location. It does not include the SONG data, it is only pointing to whatever is currently in the SONG NUMBER referenced here.

By using a SONG MIXING setup, the programmer is giving you access to a set of 8 VOICES each programmed to be a different TONE WHEEL (organ oscillator) - this way when in MASTER mode each ZONE 1-8 references a different 'drawbar'. Clever indeed.

I won't go into great detail on Performances, just that I do understand they can use up to 4 Voices (PRE or USER) and 4 Arpeggiators. OK, easy. But one thing I am not clear on is how and why Performances 'point' to a Voice location. For example, when I finally get to loading my Sample Piano Library again (as I had trouble the first time and yes, I will load to FL1), I'm told I need to load '1 Bank Voice' option and direct 'USER 2' bank to load into the Motif's 'USER 3' bank. This is because the Organ Library will occupy the entire 'USER 2' bank. OK, fine. But what I'm not really clear on is this: The Piano library is set to load to the beginning of USER 2 banks in both Voice and Performance modes. Thus, when I direct the Voice library to my USER 3 bank, the Performances will not sound right as they will be looking for the associated Voices which were in the creator's USER 2 bank. I have been instructed to open each performance, press F2 'Voice' and for each voice re-direct the bank to USER 3. I haven't tried this yet, but I'm told I need to use the cursor buttons to change that. I thought the Motif knew where to find any Voice that is needed for a Performance, but that is clearly not the case.

The Motif XF does "know" where to find the VOICE - but as you say you are redirecting the VOICES from where the Motif XF "knows" they are supposed to be, you are directing them to the USER 3 Bank. Unfortunately, nobody bothered to tell the Motif XF of this change. It is not a big deal... there is a way to deal with this.

If you were simply loading back what the author of the file created - there would be no issue. The Motif XF would "know" the location of each of the VOICES it needed. But since you are assembling the data into your (custom) Motif XF setup what the Motif XF "knows" from the FILE is out of the window. So here again: The PERFORMANCE does not include the VOICES... just like the MASTER does not include the SONG MIXING - it is just referencing that location (and whatever is in that location)... the PERFORMANCE only "points to" a specific VOICE location. Change the VOICE in that location and you have changed the essence of that PERFORMANCE>

Your FILE's data is looking for USER VOICEs in "USER 2" So that a PERFORMANCE might look like this:
PART 1 - USER 2: 001(A01)
PART 2 - USER 2: 002(A02)
PART 3 - USER 2: 003(A03)
PART 4 - PDR: 001(A01)

That is the data that is stored in the PERFORMANCE... if you do not ensure that the VOICEs in USER 2 positions 001, 002 and 003 are the data from the FILE, then you will inherit whatever is there currently.

If you are loading the VOICES that go with this PERFORMANCE to VOICE bank USER 3, then you must go into each of the PERFORMANCES and change "USER 2" to "USER 3" .

If I'm following you, you loaded the PERFORMANCES to PERFORMANCE bank USER 3... and you loaded the VOICES from that file and redirected them to USER 3. But in reality the PERFORMANCEs are still are looking at USER 2 (as I typed out above). So by recalling the PERFORMANCE you will simply change USER 2 to USER 3:
PART 1 - USER 3: 001(A01
PART 2 - USER 3: 002(A02)
PART 3 - USER 3: 003(A03)
PART 4 - PDR: 001(A01)

Now they will correctly point to the VOICES that were used when the data was created.

But you have the Melas Total Librarian... it will do all this heavy-lifting for you. If you allow it!

When you copy a PERFORMANCE - you determine which PERFORMANCE you would like to have... when you COPY and PASTE it into a new Library setup, it will copy the VOICES that are used and put them in to empty locations. Not only that, it will maintain the Parent-Child relationship between the PERFORMANCE (parent) and its VOICES (children).

Once you've suffered through manually maintaining this relationship, by changing USER 2 to USER 3 in every case, you will see why people RAVE about the Melas tools - they are awesome when it comes to assembling your own custom setup. But your understanding of what is going on will only be enhanced if you understand just how much time and effort the Melas Tools will save you!!!

When you open a (.X3A) FILE in the TOTAL LIBRARIAN using the IMPORT NATIVE FORMAT feature, you can then open a blank TOTAL LIBRARIAN field... then drag the items you want from the FILE into your blank Library. All the data that is necessary will be moved into the Library with the VOICES going into empty locations and yet the Performances will maintain their relationships.

Basic Workflow:
You want to LOAD the biggest library (the one with the most samples and voices)
Then make an ALL data file (with samples) to back up your work.
This file will contain your WAVEFORM LIST and have all the Samples as installed on YOUR Flash Board.
Next, load the next library you want to audition... with its Performances etc., etc.
Load as an ALL data file. This will "ADD" its Waveforms and Samples to the end of your Flash Board's Lists.
Make a new ALL data file backing up your work
This new FILE will have your new extended WAVEFORM LIST and will document the new Samples you've added to your Flash Board.

Place the USB drive with this new library into your computer and open it with the IMPORT NATIVE FORMAT feature
Simply COPY the items you want into a NEW TOTAL LIBRARIAN field - for example, when you copy a PERFORMANCE - the VOICES it uses will be placed into empty USER locations.

This makes assembling a new Library easy... when you have all the VOICES, PERFORMANCES, SONG/PATTERN and MASTERS in place - simply bulk the results to your instrument. And make your composite ALL data file that contains the assembled works.

I have had no issues playing-back my Patterns until I used Total Librarian to organize them and then TRANSMITTED back to the Motif. So I'm not TRANSMITTING any Songs or Patterns to the Motif anymore until I understand what to do. This makes me wonder how one would use Total Librarian for Mixes, as John Melas indicated, if one cannot TRANSMIT everything back to the Motif.

Not all SONG and PATTERN MIXING setups are used for sequences... you know this, you were talking about that Organ library that uses a SONG location for just setting up VOICES. So John was talking about using MIXING for Voice setups... just like that MASTER is using a SONG MIXING, not for a Song, but for Organ Voice setups.

Maybe I missed this, but where can I find the aforementioned article?

Flash Memory Expansion Modules
and
Flash Board Session Motif XF

Once again, I appreciate the detailed reply. Everything you have written makes sense to me except for one thing: I am still having trouble understanding the use of Total Librarian with regard to SONG / PATTERN. Sorry for being so slow in understanding this.

You wrote:
This makes assembling a new Library easy... when you have all the VOICES, PERFORMANCES, SONG/PATTERN and MASTERS in place - simply bulk the results to your instrument. And make your composite ALL data file that contains the assembled works.

I have had great success using Total Librarian to organize VOICES, PERFORMANCES AND MASTERS, but something seems to be happening when I TRANSMIT SONGS/PATTERNS that were re-organized in Total Librarian back to the Motif. They don't play! I hope I am just doing something wrong, but I'm not sure what is happening. Each one of the VOICES appears in each PATTERN, but nothing is highlighted (yellow boxes) to the right of the VOICES. So, when it comes to a SONG / PATTERN that includes SEQUENCER data, is it not possible to use Total Librarian to organize those and TRANSMIT back to the Motif?

One thing I will be doing is to save the VOICES I am using in my Patterns as MIX VOICES, and I have learned how to do that. Reason for this is (and this is also a little confusing to me) although I used only preset VOICES, from PRE banks 1-8, the PATTERNS are pointing to Voices found in the USER Voice banks. Why is this the case when I have selected the VOICES from the PRE banks? When I install a library that overwrites some of the VOICES that are used by my PATTERNS, clearly the PATTERN will not play properly. So, if I understand correctly, if I save the VOICES used by my PATTERNS as MIX VOICES, I will avoid this problem.

In any case, I am looking forward to trying-out the procedures you outlined in your last reply with regard to Loading libraries.

Thanks,
Brian

I am still having trouble understanding the use of Total Librarian with regard to SONG / PATTERN. Sorry for being so slow in understanding this.

No worries. It is a bit different regarding SONG/PATTERN mode. The Total Librarian is written so that SONG and PATTERN MIXING setups can be backed up and restored. Not the data on the Tracks.

When John Melas spoke about SONG and PATTERNs being included in the Total Librarian he said:
"It's true that Total Librarian only saves the Mixing data of Songs and Patterns and not Sequencer data. There are some live performers who prefer to use Mix mode because it provides 16 different sounds! That's why I've added Mixes to Total Librarian".

This is what has you stumped. It is not the SEQUENCER data - the NOTE-ON and NOTE-OFF events are not backed up by the librarian. The librarian is always all about those SOUNDS. The VOICES, the VOICES placed in PARTS: The PERFORMANCE with its four PARTS, the SONG MIXING with its 16 PARTS, the PATTERN MIXING with its 16 PARTS.

Not the fact that you played "Feelings" in Bb (not the notes) The librarian has nothing whatever to do with notes.
But the fact that you used the Full Concert Grand in PART 1, the Velo Bass in PART 2, the Power Standard Kit 1 in PART 3, the Wind Synth lead in PART 4, the The Medium Large Section in PART 5 and so on. It remembers all of the parameters of the MIXING>

Remember many people do not use the on-board sequencer to record songs and patterns. They use it to store multi-timbral setups with 16 PARTS. It gives you quick access to all of them - with seamless transitions between all 16 PARTS within the MIXING setup.

EXTRA CREDIT:
Here's what you do to fully understand this.
Press [SONG] The button lights
Press [EDIT]
You are now viewing the data on the Tracks of the sequencer. MIDI Note events, MIDI controller events.
Press [SONG] to return to the main SONG screen

Now press [MIXING]
Both SONG and [MIXING] are now lit
Press [EDIT]
Now you are viewing the data that will be saved by Total Librarian. The VOICES, the Volume, the Pan position, the Filter Settings, the Effects, etc.

Back in the early days of MIDI this would not be confusing because your SEQUENCER was a totally separate device from your SYNTHESIZER> What is confusing you is because they are together in one box, you don't see them as separate. But they are. You used to have to connect them with two MIDI cables.

The SONG or PATTERN = the SEQUENCER. It has Tracks.
The MIXING setup = SYNTHESIZER (Tone Generator) It has PARTS.

It is that simply and that complex.

The Total Librarian is a librarian for SOUND - sound is the Synthesizer, the Tone Generator. It does not back up the SEQUENCER (the MIDI notes, your performance).

The only way to back up your Sequencer is to save it to a USB drive using the FILE function
Set TYPE = ALL or ALL SONG or ALL PATTERN
ALL will back up everything - literally everything!
ALL SONG will back up all 64 Song locations. Not User Voices - just the Song data and the Mixing data
ALL PATTERN will back up all 64 Pattern locations. Not User Voices - just the Song data and the Mixing data

You can opt to SAVE "without sample" for FL1 and FL2. YOu only need to Save "with sample" when making a long term backup FILE.

So the TOTAL LIBRARIAN saves MIXES not sequences.
If you are using the SEQUENCER for SEQUENCING - do not use the Total Librarian to back up your SONGS and PATTERNS - use a USB drive!!!! Use a USB drive.

One thing I will be doing is to save the VOICES I am using in my Patterns as MIX VOICES, and I have learned how to do that. Reason for this is (and this is also a little confusing to me) although I used only preset VOICES, from PRE banks 1-8, the PATTERNS are pointing to Voices found in the USER Voice banks. Why is this the case when I have selected the VOICES from the PRE banks? When I install a library that overwrites some of the VOICES that are used by my PATTERNS, clearly the PATTERN will not play properly. So, if I understand correctly, if I save the VOICES used by my PATTERNS as MIX VOICES, I will avoid this problem.

If you used only PRESET VOICES - then there is no need to make MIX VOICES. Preset Voices are always guaranteed to be where they are supposed to be. It is the USER VOICE banks that are subject to change. They change whenever you've loaded in a new set of VOICES.

Full Concert Grand will always, always, always be in PRESET 1: 001(A01) no matter what.
The Voice located in USER 3: 128(H16) is subject to change...

Get in the habit - if you are using the SONG and PATTERN mode for Sequencing Songs and Patterns - use a USB drive to back up your recording. The Total Librarian is a total librarian for the Synthesizer portion of the Motif XF(it does not store MIDI sequence data at all) never meant to do that.

Hope that helps.

OK, what you have written is a huge help. But there is still something strange in my mind (yes it might just be in my mind!)

If I RECEIVE ALL from the Motif into Total Librarian, I can see in the USER 3 Voice bank (I think that's the bank), for example, that the 'Marimba' Voice is a 'child' for one of my PATTERNS. There are other Voices as well which were highlighted in blue, and when I put the cursor over it, it tells me "used by pattern XX". There were 3 or 4 of these if I recall, in USER 3 Voice bank.

Are these highlighted simply because the Voices in USER banks 2-4 are copies of Voices found in the PRE banks? i.e. Total Librarian. I think there is something more to this and I'll tell you why I think so because this is what happened after recently loading a voice library.

I loaded the Signature Piano Voice Library (from K-Sounds) into my Motif. I used '1 bank voice' in file mode to load the Voices into USER 3 Voice bank. All the USER Voices which Total Librarian was highlighting in blue were now gone and replaced with the Piano Voices. OK, I fully expected this, and it didn't seem like a big deal until I went into my PATTERN and discovered that the Marimba (and other Voices) was replaced by one of the new Piano Voices. I thought, but I selected them from the PRE Voice banks.

I can confirm that I used Category Search to select all Voices for my PATTERNS from the PRE Voice banks. I never selected a Voice for these PATTERNS from a USER Voice bank.

Why might my PATTERNS be pointing to those USER Voices, when I am absolutely certain I selected them from the PRE Voice banks? And since I selected them from the PRE banks, why would anything I do to the USER Voice banks affect my PATTERNS at all?

Is there something I am doing wrong from a procedural point of view? It makes sense this would happen if I edited a Voice and saved it to one of the USER Voice locations, but I didn't do that.

I have loaded Voice Libraries, with and without samples, moved things around in Total Librarian, and restored my PATTERNS from my 'All Data' file a few times now. The structure of the Motif is becoming clearer and clearer the more I make mistakes and restore, LOAD and restore, move files in Total Librarian, study the file structure before and after loading libraries, etc.

But this issue with 'child' voices to my PATTERNS has me stumped and my mind feels a little dusty.

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life"
-Berthold Auerbach

Thanks,
Brian

If I RECEIVE ALL from the Motif into Total Librarian, I can see in the USER 3 Voice bank (I think that's the bank), for example, that the 'Marimba' Voice is a 'child' for one of my PATTERNS. There are other Voices as well which were highlighted in blue, and when I put the cursor over it, it tells me "used by pattern XX". There were 3 or 4 of these if I recall, in USER 3 Voice bank.

The "Marimba" Voice - there is no "Marimba" in PRESET 1-8. The Voice named "Marimba" is in the GM Bank... so when you say PRE do you mean the PRESET bank or do you mean GM

on the MIXER in the Motif XF you can see the Bank abbreviations:

On the line that is the "Bank" the two letter prefix is used as follows:
PR = Preset
US = User
GM = General MIDI Normal
GD = General MIDI Drum Kit
PD = Preset Drum
UD = User Drum
MV = Mix Voice
SP = Sample Voice

Why might my PATTERNS be pointing to those USER Voices, when I am absolutely certain I selected them from the PRE Voice banks? And since I selected them from the PRE banks, why would anything I do to the USER Voice banks affect my PATTERNS at all?

You have a mystery on your hands! If your PATTERNS used only PRESET VOICES, then the USER VOICE banks will not affect your PATTERN at all... your thinking is spot on correct.

But this issue with 'child' voices to my PATTERNS has me stumped and my mind feels a little dusty.

Mixes are the tone generator
Mixing setups have 16 "children"...

Patterns only have notes and controller data.

Sorry, I can only guess what has happened. Take a look at your MIXING setup when you load it from your FILE (USB drive)... You mention "Marimba" the quotes make me think you are talking about the actual Voice by that name - which is in the GM bank and not PRE as you have stated. Maybe only semantics but GM is neither PRE or US bank so I'm confused. Is your file a GM File that might be working on a Program Change? Is the Voice "Soft Marimba", "Marimba DX" - those are in the PRESET bank. I'm just guessing here...

Hello again Phil, can't say how much I appreciate your prompt replies and patience! I have found that working through these things, with all the mistakes that come with the process, has been a very good exercise...I'm starting to get it.

I have been very conscious about saving "ALL" files to my USB, so I have not had a problem re-loading my PATTERNS or even my "ALL DATA' file into the Motif. I have just had the issue with VOICES the PATTERNS use being overwritten when I loaded a new library, and I think I know why.

First off, my apologies...I was not accurate in my description of the VOICE I used. I did use "Marimba DX", not "Marimba" as I wrote - an oversight on my part.

And now I am pretty sure I know what I did that has created this issue with regard to USER Voices being used in my PATTERNS. When I created my PATTERNS, I used CATEGORY SEARCH, I didn't scroll through the various PRESET banks. While those VOICES do indeed exist in the PRESET banks, that is not the way I selected them. So, of course that is why my PATTERN is affected when I load a new library that occupies those spaces in the USER bank. I went into MIXING setup and lo and behold those same VOICES are shown as US Voices. I think the mystery is solved! But I'm not sure what to do about it.

Is there a way to re-direct the VOICES I used in my PATTERNS to find them in the PRESET banks? Should I use another approach?

Next, my plan is to use Total Librarian to organize my VOICES, PERFORMANCES & MASTERS, so that I can load my new libraries without overwriting those that I want to keep. Make sense to you? If there is something I'm missing please elaborate.

This is getting exciting. I am starting to figure at least some things out by using the procedures and logic you have shared with me and I have found that studying the Reference Manual is in fact very useful and not all that daunting once you get into it.

I'm sure to have more questions as I move forward and it's great to know you are here to help!

Thanks again,
Brian

Hello again Phil, can't say how much I appreciate your prompt replies and patience! I have found that working through these things, with all the mistakes that come with the process, has been a very good exercise...I'm starting to get it.

You're quite welcome. It takes working with it to really understand how things are related. And the reward is worth the effort.

Is there a way to re-direct the VOICES I used in my PATTERNS to find them in the PRESET banks? Should I use another approach?

I'm afraid there is no shortcut to re-direct a Voice selection, other than manually making the change. Here's how the Voice selection is locked in... when you place a track into record certain "start condition" settings are memorized by the instrument: the Voice you have assigned to the PART, the current Volume and Pan position, whether or not the Insertion Effect routing is active for this PART... This information is held in an edit buffer and is transferred to the MIXING program's data when you press [STORE].

Go to [MIXING]
Select the PART 1-16
Press [CATEGORY SEARCH]
A list containing the current selection will appear (highlighted). You will see the Bank it is recalled from clearly displayed
Simply find the same Voice name in the PRESET bank.
Press [ENTER]

Repeat for each Part accessing a USER (if it is available in Preset).
If a USER Voice is one that does not have a duplicate in the PRESET 1-8 area, (because it comes from another library) this is when you create a MIX VOICE. Anytime that you want to permanently associate the Voice you use with *this* Pattern Mixing... This means if later you load a single Pattern, the Mixing *will* have access to everything it needs. The Preset a Voices we know are permanent, and Mix Voice is stored within the Mixing setup.

Again, a MIX VOICE is one that you will store within the Mixing program (you are "adopting" this Voice). It will always be associated with this Pattern's MIXING setup. And will never be overwritten by changing/loading the regular USER 1-4 banks with other sounds.

To create a MIX VOICE, you press [F6] VCE EDIT> from the [MIXING] screen (the little arrow to the right indicates you are taking a shortcut). This drops you into "full" Voice Edit on this particular selection. When you press [STORE] you are offered a unique "Mix Voice" location within this individual Pattern. Each Normal Voice has one Mix Voice location per program. A total of 256 Mix Voices per XF Library.

Once you have pointed the Parts to the Preset location, or you've created a Mix Voice for the rogue User Voice, press [STORE] to store the Sequencer and Mix settings to internal memory.

Hi,

I wanted to offer some suggestions for organizing Voices, Songs/Patterns, and Masters using Total Librarian. I have an MOXF6 but the same basic principles apply so from here on I'll l only refer to the Motif . First off, one annoying quality about Mix mode is that if you take the trouble to rename all your Songs/Patterns, that name data is not part of the data that gets sent to the Total Librarian (verified by John Melas) so the Song/Pattern names are still organized as Song 1-64/Pattern 1-64 even after the Total Librarian gets all your data. A way to work around this is to add the Song/Pattern name in the comments section so you can easily see which is which and drag and drop to organize as needed or click the comments bar to alphabetize by name, etc etc. Whats cool about Total Librarian is that you can edit all this data and wait until you have everything as you like before you send it back to the Motif XF/MOXF. So you can name all the Songs/Patterns and maybe drag and drop a couple and then send that back to the Motif. *Note* If you have any Masters using a particular Song/Pattern you will need to adjust the location in the Master if you change its location in Song/Pattern mode. Another cool feature is the dependency tracker and color coding which allows you to hover the cursor over the Song/Pattern and/or look at its Font color to see what Voices its using and what Masters are using it. The only important thing to remember is to not start fresh with all an .AllXF file when you want to edit but to use the one you last saved as it will have all the correct Song/Pattern comments (names) which will not load with the rest of your data from the Motif.

**I recently got the MOXF6 after having the MOX6 for a few years. I got the Melas Complete Pack and Waveform Editor and some 3rd party Voice/Sample libraries. I am going to be using the MOXF6 mostly for live performance in combination with another keyboard that will be acting as both a midi controller and sound source for the MOXF6. So essentially I have two keyboards that will be playing their own internal sounds but also via MIDI playing the other keyboard's internal sounds as well.**

Here's my basic method and how it would work on the Motif: (Bad_Mister helped me figure out some of this as well)

First I use the Waveform editor to put all my 3rd Party Samples/User Voices into one .X3A file. For example I put Phat Analog 1 in User Bank 1, Phat Analog 2 In User Bank 2, Air from DCP in User Bank 3, and the Chick Samples in the 1st 16 slots of User Bank 4 all using the Waveform editor before I even turn on the Motif XF! You then install the the Samples and load the Voices onto the Motif XF using a USB drive making sure to select with Waveforms when installing and also making sure you know which Flash Board you're going to. This is different from the MOXF which only has one Flash Board slot. After you're done keep this .X3A file.

Once these are installed you have two options. You can just leave the User Voices there and start setting up things as you like OR you can take the time to go through the sounds you've loaded and audition and only keep the ones you like. This will allow you to free up User Slots and space on your Flash Board and have a more manageable amount of Voices to pick from for live playing. What I did was, with the Waveform Editor, I created a new .X3A file and opened up the old one that I just loaded at the same time in the editor. As I went though the User Voices on the Motif and found ones that I liked, I would drag that Voice (with waveform) from the old .X3A into the new one putting it in the User Bank/Slot where I wanted it. Once I did this with all the sounds. I saved the new .X3A file and proceeded to reformat the Flash Board, erasing all the old Waveforms and then installed the new .X3A file with only the Voices/Samples that I auditioned. Keep a copy of this .X3A file as it has the correct Flash Board locations of your Waveforms stored.

At this point you can send all the User Voices from the Motif to the Total Librarian and create an .allxf file. What I like to do at this point is to initialize all the User Voices that I'm not using and also all the Performances/Songs/Patterns/Masters in the Total Librarian and then send just that data to the Motif so I can easily see what I have free for space. This is a bit drastic and you have to be careful not to lose any of the User Voices you just created. Obviously you can elect not to do this, or do it and back up the Factory data using the Total Librarian. Personally it just helps me keep track of all my own User Voices/ Song/Patterns/Masters and what I have free without all the superfluous factory data there to distract me.

Next I like to browse preset Voices and find ones I like and save them to my free User Voice slots for editing. At this point I will also edit the 3rd party User Voices to tweak them to my liking (output level, stereo effects, amount of delay, etc etc). **Also a good thing to do now is organize all your User Voices by how you're going use them live. This way if you want to just use just Voice mode on a gig your sounds are basically where you want them. Remember once you start opening User Voices in Song/Pattern Mode they need to stay in that slot or you have open each Song/Pattern and reselect each Voice when you move them. Not fun! An alternative is to use favorites to do this, but you can't customize the order, Voices just appear in the order they are organized in the Preset Banks**

So in my case I do Pianos, EP's, Organs then Strings, Horns, Orchestral stuff then Synths, custom samples etc. Then I organize Voices by specific songs I might play like "Jump" or "Tom Sawyer" . Once the User Voices are where I want them I start to set up Songs/Patterns as needed for multi-timbral setups/specific tunes/splits/layers etc etc and then access them with Master Mode. If I know I only need a Voice for one Song/Pattern ("Jump" for example) I'll save it as a Mix Voice and then delete it from my User Voices to free up some space. *Using Total Librarian you can make a Voice Library to keep track of all your User Voices and any Voices that you delete from the Motif in case you want to add them again later.*

Once I'm done creating all my Song/Patterns I create a Master Mode patch to correspond with each Song/Pattern (128 total Masters and 128 total Songs/Patterns) and create zones on the Masters for splits and when needed assign Program Changes to the Master to send to my other keyboard. Its worth mentioning that you can edit zones and much more with the Melas Master editor, including ranges,which is pretty helpful. You can all do this (and much more) in Song/Pattern mode with the Melas Mix Editor which means that you can essentially create splits for your Midi controller to play by just assigning the correct ranges and Midi Channels in the Mix Editor. Pretty sweet!

Obviously this only scratches the surface of what you can do with the Motif or MOXF in a live setting, but the Yamaha terminology and architecture can be overwhelming and intimidating to beginners or even experienced keyboardists and I know a post like this would have been very helpful to me a few years ago.

Hope this is helpful, please comment if there is anything glaringly wrong. The section on loading the Flash drive was a bit vague but mainly because its covered in a lot of detail earlier in this thread.

~Ben

Hi Ben and thanks so much for your reply! I apologize that I have not replied to your post sooner, but I haven't checked in in a while.

I would like to take a little time to digest what you have written and experiment with the things you suggest. I have tried to do some of what you have written, but not all. I am sure I will have some questions for you about your procedures, which make a lot of sense to me. Is it better to post back to you on the MOXF forum or here?

A couple of things come to mind right now that I would like to ask about: I have considered using another keyboard with my Motif both in the studio for practicing and live. I would be interested in knowing more about how you set that up. What is your external keyboard? How do you set up the connections? My initial idea would be to have an external keyboard with "synth style" keys for playing organ, so I would be interested in knowing how you would do that. Are you using a computer in a live setting?

Regarding the Melas' software, I haven't tried the editors yet, so it sounds like I need to get going with those. From what you wrote I have a number of different possibilities there. I definitely need to try out the Waveform Editor and I will explore what it can do for me.

And mix mode is something I need to experiment with as well. I look forward to testing the waters and I will post back.

Thanks again,
Brian

Hi Brian,

I have a couple different setups for live use. Basically I use the Yamaha MOXF6 as my top keyboard and and a Nord Stage Compact EX 73 for the bottom one. The Nord has a semi weighted waterfall action which for me is a nice compromise for pianos, EP's, organs, clavs, synths etc. Also on the plus side is that it only weighs 20 pounds. I connect them via MIDI so they are capable of playing the other keyboard's sounds and their sounds simultaneously. Sometimes instead of using the MOXF6, I'll bring out my laptop and a midi controller and run Mainstage the same way into the Nord. I don't use my laptop with the Yamaha currently.

FYI: There is a bug with Total Librarian and Mix Mode where the MOXF (duplicates?) sequencer data instead of overwriting when it receives song/pattern data from the Total Librarian. You may run into a situation where you need to clear some Songs/Patterns to make room for new data. I haven't had too much of a problem since I'm not using the sequencer live but its useful to know if you get the "Sequencer Memory Full" message.

~Ben