Hi!

I have a Motif XS8 which is connected to a computer with the mLan (Steinberg FW Drivers). I also have a MOTU Firewire interface that is connected to two other external instruments (a Keyboard and a sound module). My question is: is there a way to connect everything together in the same setup? I mean, is there a way to connect all the instruments and use them in the same Cubase/Sonar project?

MOTU 828mkII (Firewire interface)
YAMAHA Motif XS8
ROLAND JV-1010 (sound module)
KORG N264

Well, yes there is. You don’t mention what type of computer you are using. But in either case you can either Switch drivers - Cubase allows you to select what ASIO driver you are using. In order to record via the Motif XS Firewire you will need to switch the driver to the Yamaha Steinberg FW ASIO driver - it can be used to handle your audio recording and playback.

When you need to use to record through your MOTU firewire device you can switch to that driver. Trcks you have created with the XS and its driver will simply playback through the selected driver.

If you are using a Mac you might be able to build an Aggregate audio device to handle both drivers simultaneously but there is not really much need to have everything setup simultaneously if you are not using it at the same time (if you get my meaning). What ever is the selected ASIO driver will playback your audio.

Switching is as easy as clicking a parameter (although your mileage will vary depending on your studio setup.)

Thank you very much Bad_Mister!

Bad_Mister,

Is this really the case? I would _love_ to be proven wrong, but my experience is that YSFW and MOTU don’t get along very well at all. I can’t sync my Motif XS6 (using YSFW) to anything other than it’s internal clock, which means clicks and pops in the audio because my MOTU Traveler (which everything else is connected to and whose main outs feed my power amp / monitors) is not synced to the Motif clock. If I try to sync the Traveler to the YSFW clock, there is no audio at all.

All I want is to connect my Motif XS6 digitally to my Mac at the same time as my other instruments. To get rid of the clicks and pops, I have to either use my Motif’s analog outs and not YSFW, or—when recording digitally from the Motif—disconnect my audio cables from the Travelers main outs and hook them to the Motif’s in addition to switching drivers in Logic.

As I said, I would _love_ to be proven wrong here and educated. If someone could show me how to record audio over Firewire _from_ the Motif XS and have said audio play back / monitor _to_ the Traveler (with all of the other audio from the other instruments / sources), without clicks and pops and using Logic Pro, i’ll buy them cookies/ pizza / etc., no kidding.

The Motif sounds beautiful, and it’s a real shame that I have to use it’s analog outs just because I want to keep using my Traveler as the hub of my studio.

Regards,

John, _really_ hoping there’s a solution for this

The YSFW Driver works fine - you are the one trying to make it work with the MOTU Traveler(?) I have no experience with that device. Here’s what I can tell you:

When building Aggregate Audio devices you put extra strain on your computer; each device will address the computer using its own driver - if your computer cannot handle it, clicks and pops are typically the result. Try increasing the BUFFER SIZE in your software. I’m not exactly sure I know what you mean when you say you want to monitor the XS through the Traveler? That may never happen unless you go analog or connect S/PDIF for monitoring only. The FW from the XS will only travel to the computer.

I don’t know what it (the Traveler) is but it is not going to handle the 22 audio buses and 3 Ports of MIDI from your XS’s Firewire (that I can tell you). (Best send it a stereo feed - which would only be for monitoring - either analog or SPDIF)

The Motif XS via FW will communicate directly to the computer only… it will not send audio or MIDI to your MOTU device directly thru FW ... the MOTU does not speak the same protocol (at all). And vice versa…

So each device will have to talk directly to the computer via its driver. The Aggregate audio device will allow the Mac to sort things out. Only one of the two interfaces can connect to your speakers, that device will be the “mixer” (for lack of a better term), the other device will have to be connected to it. That much is for sure.

So if you are using the Motif XS as the device that connects to your speakers, take the LEFT/RIGHT output of the MOTO can connect that to the A/D INPUTS of the XS (for monitoring purposes only). The MOTU will still send its digital audio as it always does to the computer.

If you are using the MOTU as the device that connects to your speakers, then the LEFT/RIGHT or the S/PDIF output of the XS can connect that to the MOTU (for monitor purposes). You still will record audio from the Motif XS directly via FW to your computer.

Also for help with any computer related problem - please give us a clue as to what you are working with. I can tell you that no one at either MOTU or Yamaha spent much time (if anyone did at all) doing what you are attempting - so you have to prove it to yourself… and let us know
:-D

We are also not clear what you are talking about when you say SYNC - are you talking MIDI Clock or word clock? Also what is “everything else” that is connected.

Not sure how we can help you given no information about the computer and since we don’t know the MOTU piece, sorry.
:-(

If someone could show me how to record audio over Firewire _from_ the Motif XS and have said audio play back / monitor _to_ the Traveler (with all of the other audio from the other instruments / sources), without clicks and pops and using Logic Pro, i’ll buy them cookies/ pizza / etc., no kidding.

I can describe in very great detail about the Motif XS and its Firewire operation - you will have to explain to me what a Traveler is, how it connects to your computer and what its purpose is - does it have its own driver (I presume it does).

What have you tried? - if you get audio, and all you are worried about is clicks and pops, as I mentioned, give your computer a larger BUFFER inside your software.

Bad_Mister,

Computer: MacBook Pro, 2.4ghz quad-core i7, 8GB RAM / 750GB HD, running OSX Lion 10.7.4. I have an external 500GB FW800 hard disk that I use to record audio connected to the MacBook’s FW800 port, and the MOTU Traveler and Motif XS are daisy-chained off of the FW400 port on the external hard disk.

What i’m really trying to achieve is:

My MOTU Traveler (MOTU FW interface with 20 inputs, 192khz recording) is the hub of my studio, and this is the way I like it. My older synths (Roland XP80, Kawai K4) are connected to it. It has 4 AES/EBU mic inputs and phantom power, so I record all vocals through it. I also record all acoustic instruments through it, and it’s main outs are connected to my power amp and monitors (so I use it as the output device in Logic). Life is good.

I also have an Access Virus TI that sends / recvs all audio / MIDI over USB.

Enter the Motif (first the ES before I sold it, now the XS). Since these synths—which sound freakin’ amazing—have optional FW, I want to record their tracks (get audio _from the XS) digitally over FW, but I _don’t_ want to have to make the XS the hub of my studio. I still want the Traveler—whose main outs are connected to my monitors—to be the audio output device.

So, these are the audio input / output devices (from the perspective of my DAW, which is Logic Pro) I currently use:

MOTU Traveler (FW, using the latest MOTU Mac FW driver)
Access Virus TI (USB)
Motif XS6 (FW via internal mLAN card, using the latest YSFW Mac driver)

1. If I set Logic to use the Traveler as the input device and output device, there are no clicks / pops and everything rocks, but I have to connect the XS analog outs to a pair of the Traveler analog ins and I lose all of that XS FW DAW integration goodness.

2. If I set Logic to use the Virus as the input device and the Traveler as the output device, there are no clicks / pops and everything also rocks.

3. If I set Logic to use the XS as the input device and the Traveler as the output device, clicks and pops galore are the result, even with only 1 stereo track. It’s very sad to hear such a good-sounding synth sound so bad :-(

Regards,

John

If I set Logic to use the XS as the input device and the Traveler as the output device, clicks and pops galore are the result, even with only 1 stereo track. It’s very sad to hear such a good-sounding synth sound so bad :-(

Try connecting the XS as it was designed and you will not get clicks and pops. Obviously your way does not work for the XS.
:-(

Bad_Mister,

Wow, good news ... it seems to be working now :-) Several things changed:

1. Device order on the FW bus (I switched it to Mac -> FW800 disk -> MOTU Traveler -> PowerCore FireWire -> Motif XS
2. Logic Pro update installed
3. Downloaded and re-installed latest YSFW, MOTU and PowerCore drivers to be sure
4. Removed mLAN connection manager
5. Removed the aggregate device (MOTU, Virus and Motif) I made in AMS (even though I wasn’t using it, it was leftover from when I experimented with trying to solve the problem that way)
6. I was using an ExpressCard to give me additional FW ports and plugging the Motif into one of those instead of daisy-chaining—I stopped using that

Right now i’m very happy—I can choose the MOTU Traveler as the input device in Logic and record from any of it’s inputs, I can choose the Virus as the input device and record from it (next step would be to test to see if I can still use the Virus Control AU), and I can choose the YSFW input device and record from the XS6, all while keeping the MOTU Traveler as the output device. This _rocks_ :-)

A cool thing about this is that i’ve an extra FW800 bus if I need it, since all of this is connected to the FW800 bus on the MacBook Pro, i’ve another FW800 bus available via the Apple Thunderbolt display I just purchased (so I don’t need to use the ExpressCard, which probably contributed to my issues) :-)

Regards,

John

4. Removed mLAN connection manager

Well, mLAN should have been removed. Seems you never mentioned it previously. If you are using YSFW driver mLAN can not be on the computer… No wonder
:-(

Had you mentioned it, it would have been a clear red flag issue!
Glad you got it working!

From the YSFW Driver download:

CAUTION
- This driver does not have compatibility for 01X、i88X、mLAN16E.
You need to uninstall AI Driver and mLAN Driver/mLAN Tools before install this driver.

Bad_Mister,

Yeah, I forgot it was even there. The way the XS is working now in my setup is so cool. I’ve always really enjoyed the sound of the Motifs (my old ES as well), now I get to enjoy it even more because I don’t have to switch my whole setup to revolve around it just to record over FW :-)

Regards,

John, who is going to include you in the thank-you list on his next album if that’s ok :-) Also, there is the matter of the cookies / pizza I promised :-)

I would simply connect all keyboards to the Traveller via 1/4 TRS from the mains from each keyboard.  Then, have the Traveller hooked up to the PC via Firewire.  In that way, you are only dealing with one interface, one ASIO driver, and still have capability to multi-track and record multiple channels at the same time. This is what I do with my keyboards and my MOTU Audio Express Hybrid.

Yes, but you do not get anywhere near the flexibility of routing as with the connection being discussed here.

JMZorko - 18 May 2012 02:11 AM

Bad_Mister,

Wow, good news ... it seems to be working now :-) Several things changed:

1. Device order on the FW bus (I switched it to Mac -> FW800 disk -> MOTU Traveler -> PowerCore FireWire -> Motif XS
2. Logic Pro update installed
3. Downloaded and re-installed latest YSFW, MOTU and PowerCore drivers to be sure
4. Removed mLAN connection manager
5. Removed the aggregate device (MOTU, Virus and Motif) I made in AMS (even though I wasn’t using it, it was leftover from when I experimented with trying to solve the problem that way)
6. I was using an ExpressCard to give me additional FW ports and plugging the Motif into one of those instead of daisy-chaining—I stopped using that

Right now i’m very happy—I can choose the MOTU Traveler as the input device in Logic and record from any of it’s inputs, I can choose the Virus as the input device and record from it (next step would be to test to see if I can still use the Virus Control AU), and I can choose the YSFW input device and record from the XS6, all while keeping the MOTU Traveler as the output device. This _rocks_ :-)

A cool thing about this is that i’ve an extra FW800 bus if I need it, since all of this is connected to the FW800 bus on the MacBook Pro, i’ve another FW800 bus available via the Apple Thunderbolt display I just purchased (so I don’t need to use the ExpressCard, which probably contributed to my issues) :-)

Regards,

John

Hi there, I’m trying to achieve this but unfortunately I cannot make it work. if you can help me guys I would be very happy this holiday season. :-)

here’s my setup:

Imac 2.66 GHz intel core 2 duo with 4gb memory running snow leopard 10.6.8
Motif XS7 with FW16E connected directly to FW port of my Imac
Korg M3 connected to steinberg CI2+ USB audio interface
Logic express 9

All I want is to output both synths from my audio interface. thanks in advance!

Ivan