You should buy any musical instrument based on the *sound*, not based on how much it works like your previous keyboard. Not only did you buy a different brand of instrument but one with different features and benefits. It may take you a bit to find your way around, particularly if you avoid the Manuals. Please don't... But here is a quick peek at what you will learn about how to accomplish this on a MOXF...

On your MOXF you have several Modes, these modes allow you access to different features and importantly each has a different purpose (reason to exist). Back in the day when your previous keyboard was current, moving between programs was simpler due to the allocation of the Effects. In today's more advanced engine you will find that each individual VOICE program is far more complex in terms of architecture and signal routing (and most specifically, in the Effect routing). This mandates a different solution. You will simply need to find the MODE that supports what you require.

For example, your MOXF has 8 Oscillators (Elements) available per Voice, each can be routed to one, or both or neither of two Insertion Effects available per Voice. Then the Voice, as a whole, goes to two System Effects (a "Reverb" chamber and time-delay processor called "Chorus") via two Aux Send controls. This routing is very much like creating a complex "patchbay" routing on a mixing console where channels can be "patched" to insert effects and each channel has two aux buses, but on a per Voice basis. Eight complete synth pathways per Voice. You will appreciate the complexity and this architecture when playing and listening to sounds your MOXF is capable of making.

Now if you are in VOICE mode (and you have an understanding of this architecture) you can appreciate why switching Voices by pressing a Program Change button will interrupt the sound. (It's akin to ripping cabling out of the patchbay and re-plugging it for the next sound). But then again multiple instrument sounds can be obtained in a single Voice.

The advanced XPANDED ARTICULATION CONTROL introduces the best way (IMHO) to dynamically change musical instrument sounds, designed specifically for musical smooth transitions between either Articulations or entire instruments ... It depends on how you use it. (XA CONTROL is for more advanced programming, not for the casual "on-the-fly" player... Because you need to plan ahead and program the instrument to behave as you require); at some point you should explore this... It's not something you would think to look for on your previous keyboard or any other keyboard for that matter.

A PERFORMANCE combines 4 MOXF Voices, potentially 32 Oscillators, each can be routed to its Voice's dual Insertion Effects. You can, again, dynamically switch between these four instruments without any interruption in audio via the [PERFORMANCE CONTROL] features and CONTROL KNOBS on the front panel. The change can be executed with a touch of a button, with a gesture from a controller, velocity, etc...

In SONG/PATTERN MIXING mode you have the resources to recall 16 Voices, each Voice is in a PART. Any 8 Parts can recall their Dual Insertion Effects from VOICE mode... And for your purpose, this is where you can move between any sixteen VOICE Programs without any interruption in the sound as you do so. Use the TRACK SELECT [1]-[16] buttons.

Now just so you know... In any of the modes discussed above, VOICE, PERFORMANCE, SONG and PATTERN, you can select the the MIDI CHANNEL on which the MOXF is transmitting on by pressing a numbered button [1]-[16] while the

In VOICE and PERFORMANCE the MOXF receives on a single MIDI channel. However, in SONG and PATTERN mode, a different VOICE can be placed on each MIDI CHANNEL.

How this will work
What this means is, for live play on-stage, a SONG/PATTERN MIXING setup (there are 128; 64 Song, 64 Pattern plus 32 extra Templates) can be recalled. Each can be named (for a specific use, could be the Song title, or genre, or band). Each setup recalls your favorite 16 Voices and you can switch between them seamlessly without any audible interruption or abrupt change in your effects (as was the case in your example). That's right you can hit and hold a string sound on one channel (hold it manually or with your sustain pedal) switch to another and play without interrupting the strings (using their Insertion effects). If you are holding the strings via the sustain pedal, you are free to play the full range of the keyboard on your newly selected channel. And your effects are not compromised!!!!!!

Because you are free to assign MIDI Receive Channels of the Parts, you can create Layers, Splits, and complex Split/Layers in this mode. And you can seamlessly switch between layers and splits no matter how complex. This is possible again because the Mixing program recalls all of the MOXFs extensive resources when you initially recall it!

Grouping the sounds you are going to play on a particular composition into a SONG MIXING or PATTERN MIXING template is the smart way to use your new technology. You only bought the wrong keyboard if you don't take the time to learn how to use it. We think you will find the advantage of the design will serve you better. Instead of limiting the complexity of the signal routing within a Voice, Yamaha elected to keep advancing what a single VOICE is capable of... And by adding, arguably, the most advanced signal processing ever placed in a music synthesizer we think it makes for a viable solution to what you are attempting. Your Distortion Guitar effects doesn't wind up on your Flute when you switch (if you know what I mean).
🙂
Yamaha's VCM EFFECTS are gaining worldwide acceptance as tops in their class... Ask around!

Try it. Create a MIXING, selecting all the Voices you plan to use on a particular composition. Place them in any order that makes sense for you 1-16... For example, some place them in order 1-2-3-4-5 as they use them; others place the "piano-type" in 1, the "lead-type" in Part 2 and so on. It's up to you.

Switching between any of these 16 Voices in their 16 Parts is seamless, quick and comes without crippling the synth engine and without compromising what we at Yamaha know are the best Effects in the business. Try it out.

The Song and Pattern mode's [MIXING] mode is where you can assemble your group of sixteen instruments for "live" play. You will find that many things are done differently when you purchase a new keyboard. The MOXF is not the best selling keyboard in its class by accident. And while it doesn't get everything right... Seamless transition between programs while you are performing - this it has got correct.

Why it works is simple. The analogy of signal routing inside a Voice to a studio Patchbay is particularly appropriate, because say I have a Voice: "Piano & Strings"... Four Elements (oscillators) make the piano sound and the other four Elements make ip the strings. In a simple keyboard like a Yamaha PSR, you can seamlessly move between Voices because the Effects are typically post (or after) the Voice, so you just inherit the effect settings. That is NOT what happens in your MOXF. The String Elements can be routed to one Insertion Effect, while the Piano Elements can completely separately be routed to their own Insertion Effect. And when you place that Piano & String Voice in Part 1 of a MIXING setup, you can place your B3 Voice in Part 2 (with its own Rotary Speaker and Overdrive) and you switch to it by simply pressing [2]. Sustaining one Part while accessing another, full effects in affect, no problem. All the resources are recalled when you recall the MIXING, the 'patchbay' is full of spaghetti - which represents all of the detailed routing from the selected PARTS to their Dual Insert Effects. Awesome! And real time control of Insert Effect parameters remains available!

Conclusion
No, we think you purchased the right keyboard. And now that you've found Yamaha Synth you can find out all about how it works. Then decide if it is, indeed, right for you. Welcome.
🙂

Please see the following tutorial article for details:
Using a MIXING Program in your “Live” Setup

Thanks Bad Mister. I'll check all that out when I can.

Bad Mister, I think I found an easier way to get to the sounds I'll want to use the most. Just select them as favorites and call them all up from the performance favorites list. I have another question though. I have noticed that notes in the center section of the octave between middle C and the C above, essentially from D to B, that the response from these notes is slightly softer, and especially in the F to A range including accidentals. Do you know if there is an adjustment that can be done to these individual notes so they will speak better? I've even checked playing all the notes with the same finger to make sure I wasn't just playing them softer and I definitely hear a volume difference that I can't correct just by playing louder in the context of the piece. An acoustic keyboard definitely would not react this way. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Bad Mister, I think I found an easier way to get to the sounds I'll want to use the most. Just select them as favorites and call them all up from the performance favorites list.

Okay, good! Sorry, we thought you were looking for a way to be able to hold one sound with a sustain pedal and switch to another, like you talked about in your original post. But if the Favorites works for you, then fine, you should use that then.

t to use the most. Just select them as favorites and call them all up from the performance favorites list. I have another question though. I have noticed that notes in the center section of the octave between middle C and the C above, essentially from D to B, that the response from these notes is slightly softer, and especially in the F to A range including accidentals. Do you know if there is an adjustment that can be done to these individual notes so they will speak better?

Sorry, that is not the case on all MOXFs, certainly not on any that I've played. If you tell me a specific sound and the OCTAVE/TRANSPOSE you're using I can tell you exactly how to adjust your sound system's EQ to compensate for speakers lack of response in the frequency areas you specify.

Forgive me for asking what are you listening through and what else have you played it through?
Are you playing a stereo Voice in mono? What you describe is a symptom of phase cancellation (boxy mid-range). In general. You should play your MOXF in stereo. Try headphones, see if you hear the same response.

What is an "acoustic keyboard?" Do you mean piano? Acoustic instruments eliminate the speaker system, which from your initial description, is at issue. If you put a mic in front of your hypothetical "acoustic keyboard" and then put it through a speaker system, it too would inherit any problems in the EQ of that system. And it is highly unlikely that what you describe is a fault of the MOXF overall. I say that because with literally tens of thousands of MOXF's and Motif XS/XF's in the market, we would hear this complaint more than from just you, if you follow what I'm saying. There is no known issue with the range of notes you mention.

Are we talking the Full Concert Grand? Every Voice? Please be as specific as you can. If all these faults you describe are found on all Voices and Performances, and you hear them in both (stereo) speakers and headphones, let us know.

Hello,

This is a great article. The subject is something that I really want to improve on while using the MOXF61. I use a Roland FC-300 midi foot controller, which I also use to control my guitar effects rack processor equipment. I want to incorporate this with the MOXF61 and so far I have been able to use the FC-300 very easily with it. I have attached a picture of the FC-300 so you can get an idea of what this midi foot controller is and perhaps visualize the features of it that I am going to discuss below.
.
With a midi cable connection from the midi out of the FC-300 to the MOXF midi in and the FC-300 in Standard mode (which is the default Program Change mode) it is very simple to use the footswitch bank to call up either Voices or Performance changes. As you explained above however there is a latency issue as the changes are made. Using the Control List it has been easy to control the parameters of a function with the CC command that you can program into the FC-300 in each of the different modes that I use on the FC-300.

The FC-300 has 4 modes:

Standard Mode- PC commands in banks of 5 dedicated footswitches for PC Commands. This bank has two dedicated CC footswitches and two expression pedals
CC Mode - Control Change commands utilizing 7 dedicated footswitches for CC commands and two expression pedals
Sys Exclusive Mode - I have not been able to use this mode for a lot because so far this is beyond my ability with midi functions but I am working on it.
Patch Mode - The mode where you write the commands (either PC - CC and several other midi commands) as needed to 5 dedicated Patch footswitches, two dedicated footswitches that will perform either PC-CC and other midi commands) and two dedicated Expression pedals that can also be programmed for PC / CC / and other midi commands

I am beginning to understand the Song/Performance/Mixing mode concept and want to know is there a midi PC or CC change command function for the track select button? That way I could select all of the tracks that I assign in mixing mode with the FC-300 foot controller "hands free" if you know what I mean by programming the correct PC or CC change command into the FC-300 for that function. Also, is there a PC or CC change command that controls the SF-1 - SF-6 buttons so that one could toggle with a footswitch thru the Arp's that are programmed for voices or performances?

Your help would be very much appreciated.
Thanks

I am beginning to understand the Song/Performance/Mixing mode concept and want to know is there a midi PC or CC change command function for the track select button? That way I could select all of the tracks that I assign in mixing mode with the FC-300 foot controller "hands free" if you know what I mean by programming the correct PC or CC change command into the FC-300 for that function.

No, there is no MIDI Program Change or Control Change message that will function for the Track Select button. Here's why: the Program Change and Control Change messages are specific types of MIDI messages that fall into the category "Channel Message". And by definition you send these commands on a specific MIDI Channel and the devices set to receive this Channel will respond. You cannot "pull the rug out from under your own feet" (best picture I can place in your mind) - you cannot use a Channel Message to change channels.

It is the transmitting device that needs to be changed... In SONG and PATTERN modes the MOXF is automatically set to receive on every MIDI channel. By default, PART 1 = CH 1, PART 2 = CH 2, and so on... You will need to change the MIDI channel you are transmitting into the MOXF..

You need to find out if you can change the basic MIDI Transmit channel you are communicating on from your FC300 Foot Switch. This may or may not be a convenient function for you to change (sorry we do not know that device) but that is what the SONG/PATTERN MIXING mode concept was all about. Selecting 16 Voices, one for each PART then setting up the Effects, EQ, Levels, Pan, etc., etc., etc for them all so that you can easily and quickly and seamlessly switch between playing them from the MOXF keyboard. The front panel "TRACK" buttons numbered [1]-[16] default to sending Keyboard Transmit Channel when the

You will need to find a way to change the MIDI channel on which you are transmitting into the MOXF

Also, is there a PC or CC change command that controls the SF-1 - SF-6 buttons so that one could toggle with a footswitch thru the Arp's that are programmed for voices or performances?

No, and while this would be something that could be handled by a CONTROL CHANGE message, it is, unfortunately, not implemented on the MOXF.

Thank you for the response.

There was a lot of information in your reply and I think it might be able to help me. With my midi foot controller in patch mode, I can write several midi messages in one patch and each of these messages I believe can be assigned to any midi channel (1 thru 16) I choose when I write the patch. So, I think I might be able to take a single patch that I write on one footswitch (it will have a midi play command so that I can start a saved pattern that I have setup as a template for whatever song I assigned to it). I would then copy that patch to the other footswitches of the bank of 5 and then modify each one to transmit on a different channel. It sounds like it's going to be complicated but if it works I will love it. I will try this out on the factory demo songs and patterns and see what happens.

As far as the Arp's assignment, your response leaves me wondering if that is something that a firmware upgrade release from Yamaha would be able to amend. 😀 😀 😀
That in itself would make me very happy. Do you know if that might be in the works or is it just a pipe dream?

I will let you know what I come up with for the midi foot controller patches. I do enjoy this keyboard very much and it is a great keyboard with some absolutely killer sounds that I have been able to wrangle out of it and I am just a guitarist who is just now learning how to play keys. This is the first keyboard that has inspired me enough to actually take the time to learn how to play piano.

Thanks,
Norm

As far as the Arp's assignment, your response leaves me wondering if that is something that a firmware upgrade release from Yamaha would be able to amend. 😀 😀 😀
That in itself would make me very happy. Do you know if that might be in the works or is it just a pipe dream?

Pipe dream at this point. It is a feature that was in the original Motif (back in 2001) but de-evolved out of the product due to lack of use/interest. Sorry. We do a lot of after market research to find out which features are being used and which are just not being utilized at all. While there used to be commands to remotely select the ARPs, the front panel buttons simply are enough for 99.9% of users.

For example, the Motif-Rack XS has the ability to remotely select the ARP via Control Change messages (because the front panel of a rack module is not usually accessible as it would be on a keyboard). And while I believe in "never say never" but I think it unlikely that this might be reinstated in the MOXF keyboard.

Also, is there a PC or CC change command that controls the SF-1 - SF-6 buttons so that one could toggle with a footswitch thru the Arp's that are programmed for voices or performances?

No, and while this would be something that could be handled by a CONTROL CHANGE message, it is, unfortunately, not implemented on the MOXF.

such a shame this can't be done with a foot controller, kinda gutted as playing with both hands and switching arps is really tricky for me, are there any work-a-rounds at all to this? apart from sequencing everything or using pattern modes?

Hi Gavin,

I think the design concept of the arpeggios, as implemented in the MOXF (and Motif series) leans more toward adjusting the "feel" of the arp phrase using the "Play FX" then recording them to the sequencer... Not for live selection so much. We make keyboards where that "live" access thing is the focus, they have dedicated roles for the phrase groups like intro, fill-in, ending etc. and can "go to" a particular 'next' selection automatically. It's just the focus here in the MOXF is optimized toward transferring the arp phrases individually to the sequencer. Once in the sequencer, you can then manipulated the phrase groups with a bit more flexibility.

It is not that you cannot make the MOXF work like an Arranger Workstation, and vice versa, it's just the "focus" of the design concept seems to lean more toward the sequencer versus live selection. You do not state what it is you want to accomplish exactly, there maybe another way to accomplish what you require. We certainly know how to make an interface that is designed for live selection, here the focus is directed more toward using the content in composition... Where perhaps with an arranger type Style based keyboard, the focus is directed toward realtime performance of backing accompaniment.

Bad Mister --
I'm not sure what Gavin's exact use-case is but I had a similar case come up where I wanted to cycle through the arpeggios with a foot pedal. Perhaps there is another way to get what I want. Our 4-person jam is often lacking a drummer. On those days it would be handy to set up a PERFORMANCE with an appropriate set of drums. Our keyboardist would rather not fuss with the buttons while playing live. We would like to offload this to the bassist ('cmon -- he only has 4 strings to deal with) and give him a foot pedal so he can cycle through the Arpeggios without distracting the keyboardist.

From reading the thread, I realize this must not be in your target set of intended uses (first time I'm in the 0.1 %) but perhaps there is an alternative I haven't though of.

Create a complete drum Pattern Chain, that way the drummer will keep the band in line (just as if they were there in person) - instead of pawning the job off on another player, make your drummer self-sufficient. You can write out the play order of the Sections, including fill-ins, and breaks. Having the drum track fully automated will take your playing experience to the next level because you will be forced to follow a pre written arrangement.

I am also new to synths and had the same problem which is solved so I thought I would share it with you without the snarky remarks and the tech talk. First press "voice" and find the voice you want to save. At the top of the display you will see which bank you are in. It will probably come up as "USR 1" you can change that with the two bank select buttons but for now you should stick with user 1.The instructions have you layering etc. but if you just want a voice at your fingertips just bring it up. Then light up one of the 16 buttons on the right and press "store". The display will show the voice you selected and the one that is already there.Then press enter. It asks if you are sure and you have an option to try them both. If you are sure, press enter again and it writes your selection into the location you chose. Easier done than said.

Norm,
I'm interested in learning whether you were able to get the FC-300 configured for changing voices. Any luck? :p

Rob