I am having a devil of a time with this bugger. All I want to do is play the “patterns” in real time finger mode (entering chord changes in real time) and record each instrument into Cubase 6 with each instrument on its own track. (drums and bass on separate tracks) so I could use the drum and the organ in a pattern for instance but remove the bass and add in a live bass track as audio. Can I record the midi this way ? Anyone that can walk me thru the steps to get this done? Can I separate the drum and Bass tracks?

I have the MM6 installed as a “instrument”. When I try and record a pattern on only one track as Midi I get horrible sounds. I can however record individual instruments as midi and they sound fine. The problem comes in when I try and record the “patterns”.

Am I making sense to anyone that can help me?

Thanks, Rick

Can I record the midi this way ? Anyone that can walk me thru the steps to get this done? Can I separate the drum and Bass tracks?

Yes, Yes, They already are separate.

You don’t say but what you are probably doing is creating a Track for each PART. MIDI data does not need to be kept separate (like audio). When you mix audio to a single track it is truly mixed - you cannot separate it again. But since MIDI makes no sound this is not an issue (at all). think about it. MIDI is not sound - it is a series of coded messages that when interpreted by an appropriate tone generator will be converted into audio (sound).

So a MIDI note-on event actually includes its MIDI Channel, tne Note number, the Velocity with which it was hit, etc. All of that information is encoded into the MIDI event.

we are not sure what you mean you have installed the MM6 as an “instrument” - typically that means you are treating it as a single stereo instrument. That is not a good description of your MM6… it is a multi-timbral device.  You need to treat the MM as a multi-tibmral device. An “instrument” implies something like a flute - that makes only one sound, or a piano that only makes one sound. You want to record both Drums and Bass from your MM so defining it as an “instrument” seems like the wrong path… but then we are not sure what you mean exactly by that statement.

So here is what you need to do with your DAW

Create 1 MIDI track. Set that MIDI track so it is set to receive data from the MM
MIDI IN = “Yamaha MM6-1”
MIDI OUT = Yamaha MM6-1”
Track = “ANY” (very important)

That is a specific setting - you really do want to record “ANY” incoming MIDI channel data.
You want to make Cubase the MASTER clock and the MM the slave
Go to TRANSPORT > PROJECT SYNCHRONIZATION SETUP > MIDI CLOCK OUT > DESTINATION = MM6/MM8

In the MM set it to MIDI SYNC = MIDI (In the MM the parameter is EXTERNAL SYNC = ON)
Make your MIDI settings as needed in the MM , Set LOCAL CONTROL = OFF. Set the MM to send PATTERN, or SONG, or KEYBOARD OUT via MIDI as you desire.

When you place the track in record and play the MM it will transfer its MIDI data to the one track in Cubase.

once you have completed the recording… press STOP
You can use the Cubase function called “DISSOLVE PARTS” to split the MIDI data to separate Tracks… You only need it on separate tracks to make it easy (convenient) to EDIT the data. MIDI data, as we said, does not need more than 1 track to do its thing (all 16 MIDI channels can co-exist on 1 track). It is us (humans, the authors, of the data) that prefer to view it on separate Tracks - and that is simply to make it convenient to look at when editing. Make sense?

You find the DISSOLVE PARTS function on the main toolbar under “MIDI”
If it is “greyed out” this means you have not selected the TRACK DATA, return to the Track view screen and select (highlight) the TRACK DATA listed under the MEASURE RULER.

When you have selected DISSOLVE PARTS, click “by MIDI Channel” option; this will split each to its own MIDI channel

Hope that helps.