Old Motifator threads are available in the Archive.
tbone
Total Posts: 318
Joined 02-15-2009 status: Enthusiast |
I’m currently performing with a couple of groups and my Voice library has become a challenge. I have the editors okay and can re-arrange, import to the XS and all of those good things… My challenge, is trying to recall “setups” using two XS’ I use for live performance. My current rig includes an XS6 on top and an XS8 on bottom. I don’t have them MIDI connected, but each has mLAN so could receive CC messages. Ideally, I would like to use my laptop to pull up the sets depending on which band/gig repertoire. At the same time, I am looking for a technique of ‘dumping’ or sending cc messages to select the appropriate patches for each song/setup on each respective synth/deice. In a perfect world, it would be an Application, with a database and a search function by song, which would then send CC messages to each respective device. Anyone have any thoughts, ideas or similar challenges in this regard? I’ve contemplated a controller, but not sure how to get it sending data to different devices and this level of programming is new to me. Thanks in advance for your inputs or suggestions. tbone |
Bad_Mister
Total Posts: 36620
Joined 07-30-2002 status: Moderator |
You are saying “CC messages” but we are not at all convinced that is what you mean. A “cc” message is a Control Change message and is typically used when referring to controllers like Modulation Wheel (cc001), Breath Control (cc002), Foot Control (cc004), Channel Volume (cc007), Pan (cc010), [removed]cc011) etc. If you are using the Studio Manager and the Editor, you can use it to recall your setups - That is what it is for. You can have as many as 16 Motif XS linked (bless your heart if you do)… each can be addressed individually by giving each one its own unique DEVICE number. It is totally possible with Studio Manager to have several instances of the Motif XS Editor open and have each one designated for a specific device. This is, in fact, the purpose of the DEVICE NUMBER parameter.
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Settings: 1 – 16, all, off
all
Therefore setting your Motif XS6 to, say, Device Number 1 and your Motif XS8 to Device Number 2, you can individually address them via the Editors and Studio Manager. When you launch Studio Manager simply place two (2) Motif XS Editors in your WORKSPACE and set the DEVICE NUMBER both in the software and in the instruments.
The Device Number is found in the Motif XS as follows:
Device Number is found in the Motif XS Editor as follows:
Now when you open your Studio Manager File both Editors will open - one will be specifically for the Motif XS6 and the other for the Motif XS8. You can set it up so each FILE that you open will automatically send the correct data to each unit. You only need to name and organize your data carefully. Each instance of the Motif XS Editor you add to your Workspace will be numbered “Motif XS”, “Motif XS2” and so on. This is very much part of the design concept and use application of the Studio Connections initiative. |
tbone
Total Posts: 318
Joined 02-15-2009 status: Enthusiast |
Thanks Bad Mister for your input. Always appreciated. I am aware of the device assignments, and had been experimenting with that as an approach for what I am trying to achieve. I had tried a device centric approach using John Melas’ editors because I use Performances and Master setups to organize my voices, splits, etc. However, John’s editors can only address 1 device at a time and couldn’t recognize a second device at the same time. I will dig deeper into what you are describing, using Studio Manager and Yamaha Editor instances, but on first glance it seems the Editor is used only for Voices, Songs and Patterns and not equipped to manage Performances and Masters. I think that’s what led me to try John’s tools in the first place. To your first point, re CC messages, you are usually correct. Are they more correctly then channel messages? (Midi Conceptually, I’m trying to find a programmatic method to send (midi/sysex) commands to change patches/voices (Masters, Performances, Songs, Patterns)on each XS device. Linked with a database search function (Perl, Java, whatver) it would be ideal for my needs, to search songs and load these into my current live rig. I had exchanged email with John Melas, but I’m likely the only one asking for the ability to address multiple devices simultaneously. He suggested he might contemplate this as a future feature, however, if something exists today… I saw some open source tools recently that might achieve what I’m thinking. I truly don’t really want to learn to program in C+ or develop software, but if I can properly articulate my requirements in terms of MIDI/SYSEX or whatever, possibly someone will have already written something that could be tweaked or migrated for use on my XS’. tbone |
DavePolich
Total Posts: 6820
Joined 07-27-2002 status: Guru |
There is an easier way to do what you want. You can borrow a technique
You can’t send program changes to a MASTER. That’s because MASTER mode is just that - it is the mode in which the XS is the device sending all the
So here’s how I did it. I used Digital Performer 5.13 for this, but you can do it in just about any DAW. You’ll have to have a MIDI interface attached to your computer (I’m assuming you’d use a laptop - we were using MacBook Pros).
I created sequences for each song in Digital Performer. Since you can have multiple sequences (which are also called “chunks” in DP) you can
Within each sequence, all the keyboards connected via MIDI would each receive a program change. The XS’s were in Performance mode, since a Performance can contain a single voice, or up to four voices, in any zone or layer combination. So calling up a sequence would immediately send the program changes to the appropriate receiving devices (the XS’s, in your case).
Tha’s all there is to it. Pretty simple when you think about it. It worked flawlessly for the MJ Tour, and as an added bonus you can put
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tbone
Total Posts: 318
Joined 02-15-2009 status: Enthusiast |
Thanks Dave for sharing this technique.
Would something like Motu micro line fit the bill? Are you just sending standard MIDI messages to this MIDI interface which splits the MIDI to address two devices on that bus? So DP provides the ability to define “macros” which can be triggered from the laptop keyboard to transmit the desired MIDI messages? And in this case, I need only send “Program Change” message out over the midi port. Could one alternately assign these ‘sequences’ (macros) to an Alt-# or Command-# combination? This sounds promising. I have Cubase 4.5 and will have to research to see if that could work in a similar way as I don’t have a MAC. Thanks again for sharing your experience. I haven’t quite figured out the whole MIDI programming thing, but your approach sounds very straight forward and promising. thank you |
DavePolich
Total Posts: 6820
Joined 07-27-2002 status: Guru |
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teeloo
Total Posts: 23
Joined 11-29-2009 status: Regular |
I found MainStage 2 to be very much up to the task sending midi commands to multiple keyboards.
That is, if you only want to use it for that. Tee |