Hi,

Just writing down a wish. And that is that Yamaha will create the possibility for the XS to load .sty-files. These are files that are used in Yamaha keyboards for accompagniment styles. It would be very very very great to be able to load styles in the XS for composing songs that are based on a keyboard style.

Bye,
Jaap, XS7.

Re: Wish for loading .STY-files

It is impossible to load .STY files because the PSR styles have upto 8 parts while the XS has only 4 tracks…

But it great to have a PC convertor to deal with STY files and choose one of the style tracks then convert it as XS arpeggio.

Re: Wish for loading .STY-files

Hi,

Actually you can import these files with ArpManager, and convert the parts that you select into user arpeggios.

.STY files are just Midi files, the sections (Intro, MainA, MainB etc.) are present in some specific order. In ArpManager, there’s an “Import Midi Track” function, you select a file, the track, the start measure, the number of measures etc. and it will create a user arpeggio for you.

The files produced have the .W7G extension (Motif ES) but they can be read by the Motif XS.

—Julien

Re: Wish for loading .STY-files

Hi Julien,

I think you are wrong in this statement, first I think the Arp Manager can’t deal with STY files. (Although I don’t have it-but tell me if you did that before).

Second thing, the STY file does not contain regular MIDI tracks, in fact each MIDI track has its own RULES table which called CASM parameters. I’ve been working in this field for 3 years and know that STY is something very complex.

Re: Wish for loading .STY-files

Hi,

Interesting discussion. Actually my wish came up because I heard that the MM6 can load .sty-files. Indeed a .sty-file works with CASM parameters. However it’s easy to record a song with styles on a PSR, Tyros or CVP and save it as a midifile and load it in the XS (needs some tweaking then). But it’s just that live playing with a style on the XS would be great if inspiration brings a visit : )

Bye,
Jaap, XS7.

Re: Wish for loading .STY-files

Hi,

Well, actually it works /forums/images/icons/smile.gif alt= I’ve just retried today, just in case…

It’s true to say that ArpManager will ignore CASM parameters and rules, and whatever it doesn’t expect to find (so it won’t know the start and stop measures of the different sections, the appropriate instruments to select for each track etc.), but if you know this information because you’ll have opened the file with Cubase or whatever, it will import the track correctly, and even optimize the notes by using octave shifts, to fit a maximum of real notes in the user arpeggios’ 16 notes limit.

Well, using some information in these CASM parameters and identifying the sections in a Style file could be the next features of ArpManager…

Jaap: I didn’t know that the MM6 can read .sty files (which is good news). While there is programming activity around the XS’ operating system, i hope they’ll hear you and think about a way to do so in the next version.

—Julien

Re: Wish for loading .STY-files

Very interesting topic.

I do not know what will happen in time but it will be interesting to see what will be implimented in the Tyros 2 replacement.

I for one would be interested with the ability to use parts of a Style on the XS.

I had a choice between T2 and XS I took the XS, and I am happy with that decision, but I do miss the ability to play around with the T2s styles etc.

Re: Wish for loading .STY-files

Hi Julien,

Well as you know the CASM parameters are the root of the style actually, so how we can convert the styles without including their exclusive CASM data!? I don’t think the Motif engineering team will paying attention for doing that in future.
They even reduced the capability of making user arpeggio in Motif XS, have you noticed that?!

I hope the next edition of ArpManager will be able to handle serious paramters to make better arps.
BTW, are you the developer of ArpManager?

Re: Wish for loading .STY-files

Hi Robert,

It is always nice thing for a musician to have a combination of both great features of a workstation & an arranger.
But maybe we won’t be able to have the features of Tyros in Motif keyboard, probably the next sucessor of MM6 will be much tougher and can offer good arrangements & offer sampling abilty. If that will happen, I would get it and sell my XS7.

Re: Wish for loading .STY-files

The MM6 is able to load Sty files because it’s really a PSR.  The Patterns on the MM6 are really Styles themselves.  They’re just not as full in variations as you’d find on one of Yammies typical mid to upper end arranger line. 

It too has limitations (one major) is not being able to create your own styles within the unit.  For some reason Yamaha didn’t include this feature.  They had it on their lower mid end arranger the PSR-540/550 that only cost $499 and I was pretty surprised to see they didn’t include this feature on the MM6 given it too is an arranger.

Also consider what you’re wanting to do as well.  The XS is a Synth/Workstation, and Styles are used on Arranger keyboards.  These two boards are very different in the way they operate.  Yamaha did however improve upon the XS’s arps that give them almost an arranger keyboard feel as far as the chord recognition goes.  I know this feature has actually brought some arranger keyboard players over to the Motif.