Welcome to Yamaha Synth!

Thanks for the screenshot, it saves me asking about the details that you did not provide. Most computer related issues always come down to matching versions of compatible software, and versions of compatible firmware and such - and this is no different. One of your software versions is in advance of the other - so you are in a space between everything working. From your screenshot we see you have upgraded to Cubase Pro 8 (congratulations!).

The MOXF Editor VST version that you are using is not compatible with Cubase Pro 8. There should be an update happening some time early in the new year. Cubase Pro 8 was just released; You can anticipate a version update for the Yamaha Editors VST that will fix this issue, shortly (as they say in software circles).

If you require use of the MOXF as a VST, then you should run Cubase AI7 in the meantime.
If you simply want to get started with Cubase Pro 8, then you can run the MOXF Editor as a Standalone program until the Pro 8 compatible version of the VST becomes available.

Hope that helps.

Hi, Bad Mister.

I appreciate the quick reply on this! Nice to know I haven't lost my mind after all. I'll chalk this one up to the price I pay for being an early adopter... 🙂

Best wishes,
John

There is another alternative... Setup to use the MOXF as an EXTERNAL INSTRUMENT, this accomplishes exactly the same thing as the VST routing found through the MOXF EDITOR VST... it allows you to RETURN audio to Cubase via VST Audio Lanes, it allows you to setup and use VST EFFECTS, Freeze, and to use Export Audio Mixdown.

As you probably know, the top of the line Cubase is capable of setting up external instruments to return audio in ways not available in any of the lower versions. If you require this we'd be happy to walk you through setting this up. There is no timing iffset issue with routing signal via the EXTERNAL INSTRUMENT setup... Just tested it.

Right. I didn't even think about going that route. Works like a charm. As you say, further processing can be applied right in Cubase and freezing is supported, too. Pretty handy!

Just for grins, I tried the new "render in place" function (which I am in love with) on the track. I did get a warning that since it was an external instrument, it would be done in real time, but when it was all over there was no audio part produced (the track was created, but no audio events were there). I would have thought that since freezing was supported, this should have worked as well...

I'd be curious to see if you get the same result.

I was able to succesfully Render in Place. I set up the synthesizer as an EXTERNAL INSTRUMENT Plug-in using an Instrument Track (not MIDI track).
Of course, the rendering will need to be done in realtime (as the external synth is actually generating the audio signal, and this is the only way the synth "knows" how to generate audio). 🙂

There was an announcement some time back (in 7 or 7.5) about setting up multi-timbral external instruments using Instrument Tracks (rather than MIDI Tracks) I didn't fully understand why, but now this may be the reason... I will check with Steinberg to get full clarification... The INSTRUMENT TRACK is required for the Render in Place to work. (How this will work when the Yamaha Editor VST reach compatibility ... Well, we'll have to wait and see.

I used an INSTRUMENT TRACK with the CHANNEL set to "ANY", (this way I determine what channel I'm playing by using the hardware's front panel Transmit Channel buttons [1]-[16]; if you prefer to see the MIDI data listed separately in Cubase - use the MIDI function DISSOLVE PARTS > separate by channel > separate lanes. Highlighting a LANE allows you to render that single lane's data.

The new "Render in Place" function is a really cool feature that allows free thinking especially when allocation of resources (Insertion Effects) is the order of the day... You can simply reallocate your effects, print an audio rendition just as quick as you think of it at any spot in the Project.

This will be extremely useful for MOX and MOXF owners as the dual stereo outputs will allow quick and easy conversion of data to audio, particularly when isolating a PART or PARTs in the process.

Very strange...I'm not getting the same results as you.

See the "before" pic -- I set up as an instrument track exactly as you described. Everything plays back perfectly at this point.

Then, I try various render-in-place options and the result is always the same. The (R) track is created as expected just under the instrument track, but all it contains is a single zero-length event (see the "after" pic).

Can you think of anything else I should look at?

As always, I appreciate your insight.

Regards,
John

Very strange...I'm not getting the same results as you.

See the "before" pic -- I set up as an instrument track exactly as you described. Everything plays back perfectly at this point.

Then, I try various render-in-place options and the result is always the same. The (R) track is created as expected just under the instrument track, but all it contains is a single zero-length event (see the "after" pic).

Can you think of anything else I should look at?

As always, I appreciate your insight.

Regards,
John

Well, my setup is a bit different. We see you are using an external audio interface (which should still work as long as audio is routed properly). A blank result when Render means your MOXF is not set properly to return audio to Cubase.

I am using a MOXF VOICE LIST as the MIDI DEVICE MANAGER.
Go to DEVICES > MIDI DEVICE MANAGER > here I have connected the MOXF Voice list (in lieu of the Editor VST); I make the MIDI Port connection.
Go to DEVICES > VST CONNECTIONS > External Instrument tab > here you make the audio connection (select the PORTS the MOXF audio signal will use) and set the LINK to the MOXF MIDI Device.

Go to DEVICES > VST INSTRUMENTS > Track Instruments > EXTERNAL PLUG-INS > MOXF6/MOXF8 __ X
(With Cubase Pro 8 the selection of the TRACK INSTRUMENT can also be done on the main Track view screen).

When you lauch this VST INSTRUMENT, a TRACK assigned to this routing will appear. MIDI from this Instrument Track will be routed via the MIDI Device to the the MOXF hardware, which will return audio to Cubase. Make sure that is what your audio interface is doing... Returning audio to Cubase.

According to your screenshots you are connecting the MOXF to channels 3 and 4 of your audio interface. The audio interfaces role is to route signals into and/or out of your computer. In this case, audio needs to be returned to Cubase initially.

Well, Phil, I am really stumped on this one.

I've reviewed your instructions in detail, multiple times, and have set everything up just as you described. The ONLY difference is that I don't have a MIDI DEVICE specifically for the MOXF (Cubase does not come with one and I haven't taken the time to put one together). I am using the one for MOX instead, but since I'm using a preset voice it works fine.

I even tried setting it up using the MOXF as my audio interface, and got the same results.

I've double-checked my routings, and they are all correct. The two channels (3 and 4) of my RME audio interface that I have dedicated to the MOXF are working properly, and returning the audio back into Cubase as expected. I know this because I can FREEZE the track just fine, and observe that the .wav file is correctly generated in the freeze folder and I can unplug the MOXF and still hear the track play back correctly. So, it's clear that Cubase is capable of correctly isolating the audio and rendering a file for it. As to why the "render in place" function can't seem to go that last step and make a track/part out of it...well, that is a mystery.

I did notice something else different. When I do a "freeze", I get the warning about having to do it in realtime, after which it proceeds to play though the song and then finish. What's different about "render in place" is that, even though I still get the realtime warning, it finishes ALMOST IMMEDIATELY and doesn't seem to play through the song. Thus, it creates a zero-length audio file and a zero-length event on the new (R) track. And yes, the part is selected and my range locators encompass the entire part.

It seems this discussion may have morphed into a Cubase Pro 8 bug report! It's a head-scratcher, that's for sure.

Happy New Year!
--John

P.S. If you've created a MIDI DEVICE specifically for MOXF, would you consider sharing it? 🙂

Hello, one last time!

Strangely enough, I got it to work -- even though I didn't set up anything differently! All I did was delete all devices from MIDI DEVICE MANAGER, all connections from VST CONNECTIONS, and opened up a new, empty project and went through the steps, exactly as I had done before (I was actually preparing to submit a problem ticket to Steinberg). Lo and behold, I could no longer reproduce the problem!

I suppose it was one of those enigmatic situations where the Cubase project file I had been working with got a little corrupted or confused.

At any rate: thanks, Phil, for your patience. You're an invaluable resource to Yamaha and Steinberg users worldwide!

Regards,
John

That's good to hear. I've been able to get it to work - but initially I had to do some juggling. .
There is definitely something amiss in this area - because I did see, at one point exactly what you described (I put it off to some lost Preference, but I cannot be sure). I will write up my findings and forward them to those responsible for fixing this stuff!

It may well have to do with the data in the Device Manager. I was getting ready to test this very thing -
So before I share the XML that I have for the MOXF, I want to be sure it is not more trouble. At any rate, thanks for your patience and I'll try to light a fire under whomever I can to get this resolved. And I'll endeavor to get the XML for MOXF posted (Thanks to Tony "Tones" Escueta)... standby.

EDIT: I've tested this XML for the MOXF and it works (when I say "it works", I'm referring to the RENDER IN PLACE function - it does seem that the MIDI DEVICE MANAGER - Voice List indeed has something to do with this... Anyway, I've attached it, let me know if you have any further issues.

MOXF XML zipped

Unzip the MOXF.zip
Place the MOXF.XML in a known place
In Cubase, go to DEVICES > MIDI DEVICE MANAGER > and use the IMPORT SETUP to import this XML

Thanks for that, Phil (and Tony). In the midst of all of this, I stumbled across something even more amazing!

For the benefit of anyone else reading this thread, I poked around and discovered that the John Melas Total Librarian (an indispensable companion that no Motif user should be without) allows exporting patch banks as Cubase "patch script" files! That is SWEET. I mean, REALLY sweet! That allows me to simply copy the generated file to the Cubase scripts directory, and voila! It shows up as a device that I can load via the MIDI DEVICE MANAGER -- and best of all, it has all of MY specific user voice names in the USR banks!

I'm actually *glad* about the incompatibility problem that started this whole conversation. It ended up reminding me of some awesome Cubase capabilities that I haven't used in years (since I started relying less on external hardware and more heavily on virtual instruments). To all of the whiners out there who complain because MOXF won't read your mind, or Cubase won't do your laundry, you don't realize how LUCKY we are in this day and age to have this technology at our finger tips. Of course, there's always room for improvement, but let me encourage you to DIG IN, learn, and make the most of what you already have! There's always more than one way to solve a problem.

Okay, sorry for the old-fart rant. Best wishes to ALL of you for the NEW YEAR!

Regards,
John