Sorry, if a Foot Switch is required to make changes there will be an interruption in sound.

The way to avoid any interruption when changing sounds you are playing is to place them in a MIXING program. You can seamlessly switch between any of the sixteen sounds you assemble in a MIXING program.

Individual Voices can occupy Parts of a Mixing and even Performances can be copied into Performance (so you are misinformed about that point)... switching between sounds must be done however, by physically pressing the Track Select button corresponding to the Part you wish to sound.

Hey there,
Thanks a lot for the reply!

Just a few more things I wish to know.
Since I'm still a bit new to these keyboards I'm still unfamiliar with the mixing mode (it's basically a sub category of song mode right?)
Thing is, I already have all my presets saved on master mode (for quick switches), is there a way to just transfer those presets into song mode and save them?
(again I'm a total newbie when it comes to song mode because I assumed everything I need would be in voice, performance and master mode).

Also another solution people told me about is maybe adding an external reverb pedal (like guitarists use) into my moxf8, thus bypassing the "cutting off" problem...
Just wanted to know if there's any truth to that.
I'm basically loving these new keyboards but the whole sound cutting off between switches is quite a big deal, so would love a certain solution for the problem.

Or did you mean connecting my moxf 8 into a computer with cubase (or any other daw for that matter)?

Would that help the problem in any way?

You should spend some time learning the instrument before programming a lot of things.

First, the main modes on the MOXF are VOICE, PERFORMANCE, SONG and PATTERN. You are always in one of these four modes. MASTER mode is not really a mode like the others... when you are in MASTER mode notice that one of the for main Modes are lit. MASTER can be associated with a VOICE, with a PERFORMANCE or with a SONG or with a PATTERN. The rules of the mode it is associated with will apply.

The purpose of MASTER mode is organize Voices, Performances, Songs and Patterns that you might need to recall, into one Master list of 128. So you can move from a VOICE in MASTER 001, to a Performance in MASTER 002, to a SONG in MASTER 003, and back to a VOICE in MASTER 004... rather than having to jump around switching and pressing all the buttons to make a change of mode, you can create a Master Bank that you can simply step on a Foot Switch and advance between them.

Next, cutting off. Once you understand the architecture of the Modes you can understand when, why and how to avoid having sound cutting off, and when you will not be able to avoid sound cutting off. Until then, you are just guessing and can be very frustrated by this. (You'll get over it but understanding how your synth works comes first).

There are fixed number of Effect processing resources available in the MOXF. the number you can recall at any one time is an important thing to know.

In VOICE mode - each VOICE has two INSERTION EFFECTS (these are like personal effects and are apart of the instrument routing). Each VOICE has two Aux Sends (like on a mixer) that can feed to the SYSTEM Reverb and Chorus (delay) processors. Each VOICE has access to a 3-band EQ. Finally, there are the Master Effect and Master EQ before the Main outputs.

In PERFORMANCE mode - as many as four VOICES can be placed in the four PART slots. Each PART has VOICE with its two INSERTION EFFECTS. Each PART has two Aux Sends that feed the SYSTEM Reverb and Chorus (delay) processors. Each PART has access to its own 3-band EQ. Finally, they all go through the Master Effect and Master EQ before the Main Outputs.

In SONG and PATTERN mode, MIXING refers to the sixteen PART slots. Each PART has a VOICE, 8 of the PART slots can recall the INSERTION EFFECTS as programmed with the Voice. Each PART has two Aux Sends that feed the SYSTEM Reverb and Chorus (delay) processors. Each of the sixteen PARTS has access to its own 3-band EQ. Finally, they all go through the Master Effect and Master EQ.

As you can tell, different modes, slightly different configuration of Effect resources. Routing signal to these resources is very much like setting up a 'patchbay' in a recording studio. You create your own spaghetti routing situation. You are interrupting the signal from flowing one way and "inserting" an effect or two then you are routing signal via an "aux send" and that Aux master is 'patched' to a Reverb or Chorus (delay type) processor. These "patches" can be very sophisticated and complex.

Quick example, the Voice "Piano & String" uses four Elements for Piano and the other four Elements for Strings, but because routing to the INSERTION EFFECTS takes place within the Voice, the Piano's Elements can have a separate INSERTION EFFECT for its four Elements from what is assigned to the Strings which can be routed to its own INSERTION EFFECT. This make the MOXF architecture very flexible and allows for the refined and detailed sounds you hear (and hopefully enjoy).

Moving from "Piano & Strings" VOICE program to an organ sound like "16+8+5-1/3" would be like repatching all of the cables in the 'patchbay' so that the organ Elements can travel through the selected INSERTION EFFECT for an organ sound... typically a Rotary Speaker and an overdrive. This "repatching" is what makes the synth programmable and flexible. If the Effects stayed the same in every program - you could move freely with no interruption in sound (like on a portable keyboard)... but on a professional synth, the flexibility PER program is the important feature and takes precedent over transitions with no interruption.

In order to have a transition with no interruption you would need to recall all your Effect processing and EQ resources and all the intricate routing setups at once.... that is, have them all in a single PROGRAM... so then you could freely move around within that PROGRAM without any sonic interruption!

The SONG MIXING and PATTERN MIXING programs, by far, have the more resources recalled at once... when you enter one of those programs.

You can have sixteen instruments in a MIXING, any 8 of them can recall their dual Insertion Effects from VOICE mode, all 16 have access to the "aux"-like sends to the SYSTEM Effects (reverb and chorus), and all PARTS go through the Master Effect and Master EQ.

Once recalled... you can simply use the TRACK SELECT buttons to recall and play the sounds you want. There is no interruption in sound. you can HOLD the Strings in PART 1 (either by hand or with a sustain pedal), switch to the Lead Synth in PART 2 and begin playing it. The strings will sustain as long as you hold them... You can then switch to PART 3 and play on the piano sound, and switch to PART 4 and play on the Flute... all with no interruption in sound.

In PARTs 5-8 you can play a PERFORMANCE that you copied in from PERFORMANCE mode. PARTs 5-8 can all be made to play by setting the MIDI Receive channel to the same Channel... say you set the all to Channel 5, when the Track Select 5 button is pressed you will be playing the four PART 5, 6, 7 and 8 simultaneously (just like you did in PERFORMANCE mode). you can even copy another PERFORMANCE into PARTS 9, 10, 11 and 12 and switch seamlessly between the two "Performances"

Reason: all the resources are in place, no repatching has to be done, you simpy switch whenever you're ready.

That is how it works.

Of course, there is the old school solution. The modern DJ has a problem when trying to seamlessly morph one song into another (the equivalent of moving from one sound to another on a synth)... the solution could be the same as the DJ... you can purchase a second MOXF then you would not have to worry about interruption in sound. I only mention it (as unpractical as it sounds) because it is a solution for seamless transitioning between two separate music making devices. So don't laugh.

Otherwise, learn the modes, learn the available resources and recognize that in the real world switching between two instruments requires time (a short amount of time) but it does require some time. That is reality. I've offered you two solutions. Hope it helps. Good luck!

Or did you mean connecting my moxf 8 into a computer with cubase (or any other daw for that matter)?

Would that help the problem in any way?

No, not really.

Thank you for the awesome detailed explanation!
I won't lie, it seems a bit complicated (especially since I'm still new to synths and trying to learn as fast as I can), but I'll try my best with it!

2 other smaller questions if I already have such a knowledgeable person replying to me.
first question is -

Normally in layer mode, you get the option to layer 2 voices together, which you can expand on by pressing the voice button f2 and adding 2 more voices.
Now I have a problem with split mode.

Basically lets say I want to make everything under middle C sound like strings+brass and anything above sound like piano and flute.
I tried doing this by again pressing on the voice button and adding 2 more voices but I didn't see where I can specify their location... so naturally the new voices affected both sides of the keys and not just the ones i wanted...

the second question is about one the reverb pedal i mentioned earlier...
Basically from your explanation I understood that it is indeed possible to have a seamless transition between the voices and that it just requires the proper programming.
However (and to be honest I'm very unsure if it's true), if what I've been told is true, and a reverb pedal (not a normal sustain one) can just do the work instead of the complicated programming, wouldn't that be better?

I really appreciate all the detailed replies and find it a bit of a shame I can't just have private lessons with you (since I'm the type of person who learns better face to face, and it seems like the mofx is indeed a very complex instrument).

Basically lets say I want to make everything under middle C sound like strings+brass and anything above sound like piano and flute.
I tried doing this by again pressing on the voice button and adding 2 more voices but I didn't see where I can specify their location... so naturally the new voices affected both sides of the keys and not just the ones i wanted...

Understanding the purpose of the PERFORMANCE CREATOR is the key here. To quickly create LAYERS or SPLITS, the PERFORMANCE CREATOR allows the performer while on stage create a new program. If you want to go beyond just the quick solution it is time you learn to program the full PERFORMANCE.

Press [PERFORM] to enter PERFORMANCE mode
Press [JOB]
Press [F1] INIT
you will read about options to Initialize Current Performance
Select ALL
Press [ENTER] twice

Now you can press [EDIT] and proceed to program your Performance. (Use the Performance Creator for extremely quick two Part setups)... Use the above method for building your own PERFORMANCE with more details.

Please see the Reference Manual section on PERFORMANCE mode page 55.

the second question is about one the reverb pedal i mentioned earlier...
Basically from your explanation I understood that it is indeed possible to have a seamless transition between the voices and that it just requires the proper programming.
However (and to be honest I'm very unsure if it's true), if what I've been told is true, and a reverb pedal (not a normal sustain one) can just do the work instead of the complicated programming, wouldn't that be better?

No. It will not solve anything about how the MOXF works and it will not solve anything about seamless transitioning between Master Programs, and unless you spend a whole lot of money, I seriously doubt that the reverb will be an improvement over the Rev-X Reverb built-in the MOXF!

yeah had a feeling about the whole reverb pedal not really solving anything, seems like you can never really run away from proper hard work in the music field.
thanks a lot for all the informative replies so far, i'll definitely bookmark this page and revisit it and work on improving with my keyboards!

or buy a Montage? MOXF and Motif XF do not have seamless switching. The overwhelming majority of synthesizers also do not have seamless switching. Montage does. Montage aside, most synth machines cannot hold consecutive different complete programs live in the processor at the same time. It loads the current, but has to dump the current to load the next.

song mode allows you to have 16 voices live at one time, you can simulate seamless switching by turning on/off the voices within the song ("mix mode") - can't do that with a foot pedal, have to use the available buttons and it can be tricky to get one off, next on. and this isn't the same as what you were asking for, its as close as you'll get in this architecture or any of its competitors (that I know of - happy to be corrected).

Bad Mister wrote:

You should spend some time learning the instrument before programming a lot of things.

First, the main modes on the MOXF are VOICE, PERFORMANCE, SONG and PATTERN. You are always in one of these four modes. MASTER mode is not really a mode like the others... when you are in MASTER mode notice that one of the for main Modes are lit. MASTER can be associated with a VOICE, with a PERFORMANCE or with a SONG or with a PATTERN. The rules of the mode it is associated with will apply.

The purpose of MASTER mode is organize Voices, Performances, Songs and Patterns that you might need to recall, into one Master list of 128. So you can move from a VOICE in MASTER 001, to a Performance in MASTER 002, to a SONG in MASTER 003, and back to a VOICE in MASTER 004... rather than having to jump around switching and pressing all the buttons to make a change of mode, you can create a Master Bank that you can simply step on a Foot Switch and advance between them.

Next, cutting off. Once you understand the architecture of the Modes you can understand when, why and how to avoid having sound cutting off, and when you will not be able to avoid sound cutting off. Until then, you are just guessing and can be very frustrated by this. (You'll get over it but understanding how your synth works comes first).

There are fixed number of Effect processing resources available in the MOXF. the number you can recall at any one time is an important thing to know.

In VOICE mode - each VOICE has two INSERTION EFFECTS (these are like personal effects and are apart of the instrument routing). Each VOICE has two Aux Sends (like on a mixer) that can feed to the SYSTEM Reverb and Chorus (delay) processors. Each VOICE has access to a 3-band EQ. Finally, there are the Master Effect and Master EQ before the Main outputs.

In PERFORMANCE mode - as many as four VOICES can be placed in the four PART slots. Each PART has VOICE with its two INSERTION EFFECTS. Each PART has two Aux Sends that feed the SYSTEM Reverb and Chorus (delay) processors. Each PART has access to its own 3-band EQ. Finally, they all go through the Master Effect and Master EQ before the Main Outputs.

In SONG and PATTERN mode, MIXING refers to the sixteen PART slots. Each PART has a VOICE, 8 of the PART slots can recall the INSERTION EFFECTS as programmed with the Voice. Each PART has two Aux Sends that feed the SYSTEM Reverb and Chorus (delay) processors. Each of the sixteen PARTS has access to its own 3-band EQ. Finally, they all go through the Master Effect and Master EQ.

As you can tell, different modes, slightly different configuration of Effect resources. Routing signal to these resources is very much like setting up a 'patchbay' in a recording studio. You create your own spaghetti routing situation. You are interrupting the signal from flowing one way and "inserting" an effect or two then you are routing signal via an "aux send" and that Aux master is 'patched' to a Reverb or Chorus (delay type) processor. These "patches" can be very sophisticated and complex.

Quick example, the Voice "Piano & String" uses four Elements for Piano and the other four Elements for Strings, but because routing to the INSERTION EFFECTS takes place within the Voice, the Piano's Elements can have a separate INSERTION EFFECT for its four Elements from what is assigned to the Strings which can be routed to its own INSERTION EFFECT. This make the MOXF architecture very flexible and allows for the refined and detailed sounds you hear (and hopefully enjoy).

Moving from "Piano & Strings" VOICE program to an organ sound like "16+8+5-1/3" would be like repatching all of the cables in the 'patchbay' so that the organ Elements can travel through the selected INSERTION EFFECT for an organ sound... typically a Rotary Speaker and an overdrive. This "repatching" is what makes the synth programmable and flexible. If the Effects stayed the same in every program - you could move freely with no interruption in sound (like on a portable keyboard)... but on a professional synth, the flexibility PER program is the important feature and takes precedent over transitions with no interruption.

In order to have a transition with no interruption you would need to recall all your Effect processing and EQ resources and all the intricate routing setups at once.... that is, have them all in a single PROGRAM... so then you could freely move around within that PROGRAM without any sonic interruption!

The SONG MIXING and PATTERN MIXING programs, by far, have the more resources recalled at once... when you enter one of those programs.

You can have sixteen instruments in a MIXING, any 8 of them can recall their dual Insertion Effects from VOICE mode, all 16 have access to the "aux"-like sends to the SYSTEM Effects (reverb and chorus), and all PARTS go through the Master Effect and Master EQ.

Once recalled... you can simply use the TRACK SELECT buttons to recall and play the sounds you want. There is no interruption in sound. you can HOLD the Strings in PART 1 (either by hand or with a sustain pedal), switch to the Lead Synth in PART 2 and begin playing it. The strings will sustain as long as you hold them... You can then switch to PART 3 and play on the piano sound, and switch to PART 4 and play on the Flute... all with no interruption in sound.

In PARTs 5-8 you can play a PERFORMANCE that you copied in from PERFORMANCE mode. PARTs 5-8 can all be made to play by setting the MIDI Receive channel to the same Channel... say you set the all to Channel 5, when the Track Select 5 button is pressed you will be playing the four PART 5, 6, 7 and 8 simultaneously (just like you did in PERFORMANCE mode). you can even copy another PERFORMANCE into PARTS 9, 10, 11 and 12 and switch seamlessly between the two "Performances"

Reason: all the resources are in place, no repatching has to be done, you simpy switch whenever you're ready.

That is how it works.

Of course, there is the old school solution. The modern DJ has a problem when trying to seamlessly morph one song into another (the equivalent of moving from one sound to another on a synth)... the solution could be the same as the DJ... you can purchase a second MOXF then you would not have to worry about interruption in sound. I only mention it (as unpractical as it sounds) because it is a solution for seamless transitioning between two separate music making devices. So don't laugh.

Otherwise, learn the modes, learn the available resources and recognize that in the real world switching between two instruments requires time (a short amount of time) but it does require some time. That is reality. I've offered you two solutions. Hope it helps. Good luck!

Or did you mean connecting my moxf 8 into a computer with cubase (or any other daw for that matter)?

Would that help the problem in any way?

No, not really.

Wonderful & useful Thanks 🙂