Since the Korg nanokontrol2 is usb only, looks like I would need a powered usb to midi converter or plug both the nanokontrol and MOXF6 into the usb ports on my macbook. Seems fairly complicated just to get slider control of volumes, but, I can't find another small slider midi controller that has regular midi-out (non-usb) that could plug directly into the MOXF6. Oh well. If Korg can make a stand-alone midi-controller with sliders for less than $60, not sure why Yamaha couldn't have included sliders on the MOXF's. I know, small nitpick for all that Yamaha was able to stuff into these boxes.

Yes, you are going to miss your Control Sliders from your Motif ES7... as you have observed the MOXF-series does not feature Control Sliders. Control Sliders are a Motif-series feature.

In a PERFORMANCE the Volume of the PARTS are not a standard MIDI Control Change message (it is controlled by a Parameter Change message, ie: System Exclusive message). This was true in the Motif ES as well. So even if you have or were to get some external control sliders, unless you can manually program each to a specific System Exclusive message, you will not be able to use an external device either). So before you spend any money make sure the device is fully programmable - able to program custom System Exclusive messages. A simple device that sends Control Change (cc) number messages will not work for PERFORMANCE mode.

As you probably know, all four PARTS of a PERFORMANCE are addressed on a single MIDI channel - that is how you are able to control and play them all together, therefore a Channel Control Change message cannot be used to control individual PART Volume. Any Channel message affecting Volume will affect all four Parts. This is why a Parameter Change (sysex) message is required. That is what the CS of your Motif ES7 sent - system exclusive messages that addressed the individual PART volume.

What you can do on your MOXF:
Press both KNOB CONTROL FUNCTION buttons simultaneously.
All six LEDs will light, this turns KNOBS 1-4 into PART Volumes 1-4 and KNOBS 5-8 into PART Pans for 1-4

If you prefer this assignment for a particular PERFORMANCE, you can press [STORE] and write this preference into the PERFORMANCE data. This way when you recall it, it will automatically be set to KNOBS 1-4 for Volume and 5-8 for Pan for your four Performance PARTS.

Hope that helps.

On the top-of-the-line Motif XF, you can plug in a Steinberg CMC-FD (fader) controller into the XF's USB "To Device" port and have it work as Volume controls/meters for SONG and PATTERN mode and can be used additional Control Sliders... but only in Song and Pattern mode. The Motif XF has the ability to power and support a CMC-FD (fader) or CMC-PD (pad) controller directly. Just FYI.

Thanks for the prompt response. I was afraid that these may be controlled by SysEx messages. I've never been able to get the sliders on the MOTIF ES7 to work with software sliders in Mainstage (2 or 3). From articles that I ran across and from my limited understanding, that's because these also send SysEx messages. Frustrating to us midi-novices but I'm sure the engineers that built it that way had their reasons. I suppose there may be a workaround through Cubase AI7, if I'm willing to lug my MacBook to the gigs. Thanks again!

I suppose there may be a workaround through Cubase AI7, if I'm willing to lug my MacBook to the gigs.

Not sure that there is - some laws are like the laws of physics, they are, because they are, and there is no easy way around them. MIDI has two kinds of channel volume messages (cc007 and cc011) and they affect all devices assigned to the MIDI channel they are sent on. The engineer's 'reasons' have to do with that is how MIDI works! By placing multiple PARTS on a MIDI channel all the PARTS respond to the Channel Messages (or you can set the RECEIVE SWITCH = OFF for the PART). If you move the PB Wheel, they all bend - each its own distance, but they all bend - or you can set the RECEIVE SWITCH so it ignores the control message. Same with Mod Wheel... move the MW, they all respond - each to its own assigned parameter, but they all respond unless you set the RECEIVE SWITCH to OFF. Channel messages are channel-wide, or they can be ignored completely. But individual control of volume is possible but it is a message exclusive to the Yamaha System. Why? Well Yamaha has 8 Oscillators per Voice... nobody else has this many, it is not a universal thing to have 8 Elements per Voice, it is not a universal thing to have 4 PARTS in a PERFORMANCE, so these are parameters that require Yamaha specific messages - messages exclusive to the Yamaha system.

Individual PART Volumes is a Yamaha parameter and each PART within the PERFORMANCE can be individually addressed. Not to hurt your, head but each Element within the Voice assigned to the PART can also be addressed by System messages but these deeper volume controls are NOT easily assigned to your external control device. Sorry, but that is how it works. Gravity is a law, things fall down. You cannot make that soccer ball float in the air indefinitely without extraordinary effort. Think of these deeper levels of volume control as Gravity... they exist and are not easily overcome.

What about triying this to control the 16 track of a MIXING mode???
Is it possible.....
Is the usb to midi converter needed??
Thanks!!

Abby wrote:

What about triying this to control the 16 track of a MIXING mode???
Is it possible.....
Is the usb to midi converter needed??
Thanks!!

I'm not sure what you're asking.

In SONG/PATTERN mode (where MIXING lives) each Part is on a separate MIDI Channel. Each MIDI channel has its own volume control.
The original question was about Performance mode where all four Parts are on the same MIDI channel.