Hi There,

I am using my Yamaha Rack ES in combination with a Roland FP-5 Stage Piano. Now I have created a performance using 4 elements. During the song I am playing I have to enable, or disable several elements.

Does anyone know if there is any SYSEX command I can use?

I am using a setup where I have an iPad (app Midi Designer) sending MIDI information to the Motif Rack ES. I have an old Dell laptop connected via USB to the rack running MidiOX.

I use this setup because the iPad is easier to use than moving my hand all the way to the Motif Rack unit on the floor. This setup in itself works splendid. For example, I am able to switch between Performance and Voice using SYSEX. (The SYSEX > I found on the Yamaha site)

I already tried sniffing the commands the Performance Editor of John Melas uses, but that does not seem to work for my specific case. See the screenshot for the commands I found. They popup when I enable or disable an element in John’s editor, but that does not seem to be all of it.

Any pointers?

Click thumbnail to see full-size image

WvandenEerenbeemt - 04 May 2015 09:59 AM

Hi There,

I am using my Yamaha Rack ES in combination with a Roland FP-5 Stage Piano. Now I have created a performance using 4 elements. During the song I am playing I have to enable, or disable several elements.

Does anyone know if there is any SYSEX command I can use?

I am using a setup where I have an iPad (app Midi Designer) sending MIDI information to the Motif Rack ES. I have an old Dell laptop connected via USB to the rack running MidiOX.

I use this setup because the iPad is easier to use than moving my hand all the way to the Motif Rack unit on the floor. This setup in itself works splendid. For example, I am able to switch between Performance and Voice using SYSEX. (The SYSEX > I found on the Yamaha site)

I already tried sniffing the commands the Performance Editor of John Melas uses, but that does not seem to work for my specific case. See the screenshot for the commands I found. They popup when I enable or disable an element in John’s editor, but that does not seem to be all of it.

Any pointers?

Welcome to the forum.

It’s important to use the correct terminology, since things can otherwise be confusing. Based on your post, I presume that instead of “elements”, you’re referring to “Parts”. ("Elements" has a different meaning in Yamaha usage.) If that isn’t what you meant, let us know. Assuming we’re discussing Performance Parts…

Composition of SysEx messages is covered in manuals in two places. See the Rack ES Owner’s Manual, MIDI Data Format beginning on page 96, and especially (3-6-3-2) NATIVE PARAMETER CHANGE, MODE CHANGE on page 98. Then see the Rack ES Data List for address and data bytes - the Part Layer Switch is found under MIDI PARAMETER CHANGE TABLE (PERFORMANCE PART), address 31 pp 1F (where pp = Part number, 0~3), on page 62.

The first message in your attached picture is…
F0 43 10 7F 00 31 00 1F 7E F7
The seventh byte, 00, indicates the message is for Part 1.
The ninth byte, 7E, determines the state of several “switches”, including the Part Layer Switch. 7E (hex) is 1111110 in binary. Since bit 0 is “0”, the Layer Switch is off.

The second message in your attached picture is…
F0 43 10 7F 00 31 00 1F 7F F7
The ninth byte, 7F (hex), is 1111111 in binary. Since bit 0 is “1”, the Layer Switch is on.

Those messages should work to control the Layer Switch for Part 1 - as long as the Rack’s MIDI Device Number is correct (see page 91 of the Owner’s Manual).

The remainder of the messages in the picture are similar.
The seventh byte, 01~03, indicates Parts 2~4.
For the ninth byte…
7C (hex), is 1111100 in binary. Since bit 0 is “0”, the Layer Switch is off. However, since bit 1 is also “0”, the Arpeggio Switch apparently was turned off as well.
7D (hex), is 1111101 in binary. Since bit 0 is “1”, the Layer Switch is on. However, since bit 1 is still “0”, the Arpeggio Switch is apparently still off.

I hope that helps.

Hi 5pinDIN,

Thank you very much for your explanation. Sorry for the mixup of elements versus parts. I should know that elements are the little ‘pieces’ a voice is made up of.

I indeed was talking about PARTS and you therefore gave a very helpful answer.

I actually was testing the first SYSEX string [F0 43 10 7F 00 31 00 1F 7E F7] and watching the Motif Rack ES which has 4 buttons with lights up front. I was hoping the light would turn off when sending the SYSEX. It did not and without further testing (at that time I hadn’t coupled a midi keyboard to it) I assumed this method was flawed.

Any thoughts about the reason the light of PART button stays on? Although the send SYSEX should disable the part and in response the light?

WvandenEerenbeemt - 11 May 2015 10:53 AM

Hi 5pinDIN,

Thank you very much for your explanation. Sorry for the mixup of elements versus parts. I should know that elements are the little ‘pieces’ a voice is made up of.

I indeed was talking about PARTS and you therefore gave a very helpful answer.

You’re welcome.

 

WvandenEerenbeemt -

I actually was testing the first SYSEX string [F0 43 10 7F 00 31 00 1F 7E F7] and watching the Motif Rack ES which has 4 buttons with lights up front. I was hoping the light would turn off when sending the SYSEX. It did not and without further testing (at that time I hadn’t coupled a midi keyboard to it) I assumed this method was flawed.

Have you had an opportunity to test further? If so, aside from the lights, are the Parts actually controlled with that SysEx?

 

WvandenEerenbeemt -

Any thoughts about the reason the light of PART button stays on? Although the send SYSEX should disable the part and in response the light?

Assuming that the SysEx is turning the Part on/off…
I don’t own an ES - I have an XS and an XF, and their SysEx commands are not identical to those for the ES. In the case of controlling Performance Parts on/off, they have a separate dedicated message for that purpose (rather than a Layer Switch) - when PERFORMANCE CONTROL on the XS/XF is selected, or in EDIT mode, the message does turn the appropriate button lighting on/off.

Regardless of the lights, I hope the above SysEx controls Part on/off, because I don’t see anything else in the manuals that would do so.

I’ve just programmed my iPhone using Midi Designer to give me 3 buttons to control PARTS (or layers :)) 1, 2 and 4. Tonight I will be in the theater where my equipment is setup currently, so I then will be able to test our hypotheses.

I’m excited to see if this works, thanx in advance, either way it turns out to be.

Hi 5pinDIN,

I’m very happy with the support you are providing on this forum!

Last week I received very good support from you in another thread, which I can not retrieve anymore, but it was about class compliance of Motif XS and connection between Asus tablet and Motif XS.

In the mean time I solved the problem of the connection by buying an USB OTG cable and my Motif is now receiving program changes from the tablet when using Mobile Sheets Pro.

But unfortunately is not working 100%!

When being in Mastermode the program change is not recognized.
When being in Voice mode or Performance mode the program change number is recognized f.i. sound nr. 6 but there is no switch to either performance or voice mode when being in voice or performance mode.

I also found a workaround on Motifator: only use performances and single voice patches in the performance bank.

However I would rather prefer to use Mastermode (that’s what I’m using during my gigs) sothat I can continue my way of working.

From the above I understand that SysEx commands have to be used instead of program changes.

Can you pls advise what the command should read for adressing sounds (Voice, Performance or songs) a Motif XS in Mastermode?

Maybe Zubersoft (developer of Mobile Sheets Pro) will be prepared to adjust their app in the future sothat also SysEx commands can be used.