Yes, don’t mix up the discussion here.

Recording to USB stick has the following limitations: File size is up to the size of your USB stick. You can create a single stereo file up to a maximum 74 minutes in length (provided you have the much room on your USB drive). By the way, if you song is 74 minutes in length you may want to reconsider shortening that 53rd Verse, :)

The file generated is a Stereo file, therefore it is ideal as the final mixdown of your song. Your mix can be made up of everything that arrives in the XF mixer… this includes all 16 internal PARTS, the A/D Input PART and the FW PART.

The 16 internal PARTS: This includes all the synth PARTS of the instrument, all the sampled audio you recorded using the Integrated Sampling Sequencer (which can be in SDRAM and/or on FLASH boards).
The A/D Input PART: This includes anything you have coming into the inputs (could be any mono/stereo input - mic, guitar, external multi channeled mixer, you name it)
The FW PART: This could be anything you have as audio in your favorite DAW that can be returned to the XF mixer via the FW. Say you are using Cubase, Logic, Sonar, Digital Performer, etc, all audio, including all audio in the computer/DAW can be routed to the XF mixer. VSTi, audio tracks, etc…

If you think about the USB RECORD function as the final mixdown - and the MIXING screen as the console: it is really simple.

Now to the 128MB SDRAM:
The 128MB of SDRAM can be used by you in the “tracking process”. By tracking process I means while you are still building/constructing your musical composition. The only time this comes into play ... depends on how much audio you are going to sample directly to the Integrated Sampling Sequencer.

Don’t mix up “sampling” with the “audio recording” as discussed above with the USB Record function. “Sampling” is a musical application of audio recording. Sampling is musical in that the audio recorded is sent to a synth VOICE; a VOICE in Yamaha-speak is always going to be triggered by a note-on event, controlled by standard MIDI parameters like Velocity, Pitch Bend, Modulation and Envelopes, Filters can be processed with the now familiar set of MIDI parameters in your XF.

Audio recording (like we are talking about with USB function) is all about taking all of your music performance data, once completed, and making a final stereo mix - so that your civilian friends can play it back. (*civilian* here equals non-musician)

_ No, USB record audio is not going to be multiple track. Civilians have the ability to playback stereo.
_ No, USB audio recording is not going to be started, triggered by or controlled by MIDI commands. You do not start and stop it with the sequencer transport. Civilians don’t have sequencers, necessarily.
_ No, the USB audio recording does not have synthesizer parameters that control it. Civilians do not have synthesizers.

USB audio is a stereo .wav file recorded @ 16-bit/44.1kHz (CD quality) and can be played by auntie Em in Kansas on her computer, if you sent it to her :)

It is the finished product that you can than reduce to MP3 and then post it on your Facebook page, email to your friends. They do not need a Motif XF to play it, they don’t have to understand MIDI, they will never know how many tracks you used to record it, they will be unaware as to whether you used a DAW, or just the Motif XF, it is your finished product. They will never know that the 12 voices singing background vocals is all you, and they will never know that you did it one track at a time.

Last points so you are clear: The SDRAM in the XF (128MB) is for user sampling - The limitations of this area are:
1) the longest continuous recording is 6 minutes and 20 seconds (same as it has been in the Motif-series since the beginning) - but sampling, in general, is not continuous recording - it is always, being a ‘musical operation’, optimized to start with a note-on, and continue to note-off. Recording lots of ‘dead air’ in a sampler is to not understand what it is or how to use it properly.

2) 128MB is twice the length of the longest continuous sampling time, so it is approximately 12 minutes and 40 seconds of total audio (measured as stereo sample time at the highest resolution).

If you are working with just the Motif XF (no computer DAW) and you have more than a total of 12 minutes and 40 seconds of sampled audio in your song, you should invest in an FL512M or FL1024M. You can transfer the samples to FLASH (none of which can ever be more than 6min 20sec) - access them, in real time, from there, freeing your 128MB for more recording. This should not be an issue.

And, of course, if you are using your favorite DAW, you can record your audio there… And combine it with what you have in your Motif XF.

What a lot of people I talk with fail to understand about all of this… is Limitations are really only in your mind. The Motif XF is 16 PART multi-timbral… does this mean that if I’m doing a project that I am limited to just 16 Tracks?

Think about it. Many conclude, yep, that’s it. Well, those are the same folks that think 128 notes of polyphony is a limit, as well. It’s not…

If you really think about it, committing parts to audio means you can re-allocate and re-use your resources.

Is the fact that only “8 PARTS simultaneously have access to their Dual Insertion Effects” a limitation? Only if I don’t understand how to commit PARTS to audio. Once I record a PART as audio with its effects, the resources are free for me to use on something else!

If you are not afraid of committment you have enough resources to do most anything! Necessity is the mother of invention… if you have the need, use your head, invent a way to get it done.

Hope that helps!

Bad_Mister - 11 September 2010 11:16 AM

quality) and can be played by auntie Em in Kansas on her computer, if you sent it to her :)


Think about it. Many conclude, yep, that’s it. Well, those are the same folks that think 128 notes of polyphony is a limit, as well. It’s not…

I need a Auntie Em .....captive audience so to speak.

The poly is a limit live ...even with both the XS6 and S90XS running together. Which I’ve worked around by using the .wav playback feature which I’m guessing is exactly what you mean by committing parts to audio if I’m not mistaken ? a .wav backing track uses no poly ....

Bad_Mister - 11 September 2010 11:16 AM

Limitations are really only in your mind.

Well, those are the same folks that think 128 notes of polyphony is a limit, as well. It’s not…

If you really think about it, committing parts to audio means you can re-allocate and re-use your resources.

If you are not afraid of committment you have enough resources to do most anything! Necessity is the mother of invention… if you have the need, use your head, invent a way to get it done.

Hope that helps!

You should make a thread and put highlights from your post.  Then lock it.  EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THAT!!!!

including Aunt Em!!!

One question though, you explained how everything that people consider a limitation not being a limitation except polyphony.

Will you explain that one?  How is polyphony not a limit?

Apex - 11 September 2010 01:13 PM

Bad_Mister - 11 September 2010 11:16 AM

Limitations are really only in your mind.

Well, those are the same folks that think 128 notes of polyphony is a limit, as well. It’s not…

If you really think about it, committing parts to audio means you can re-allocate and re-use your resources.

If you are not afraid of committment you have enough resources to do most anything! Necessity is the mother of invention… if you have the need, use your head, invent a way to get it done.

Hope that helps!

You should make a thread and put highlights from your post.  Then lock it.  EVERYONE NEEDS TO READ THAT!!!!

including Aunt Em!!!

One question though, you explained how everything that people consider a limitation not being a limitation except polyphony.

Will you explain that one?  How is polyphony not a limit?

What Bad Mister is saying is that with the USB audio recording feature,
you have a workaround which makes the polyphony limit a non-issue.

And it’s true - man went to the moon, and you can find ways to get around anything you might think is a limit. That’s one of the things the USB audio recording feature is for.

Yeah the poly issue (and it IS a issue or limitation in live situations) can be solved by “committing” to audio as BM says. It means that not only can the XF play back a certain number of parts and you can play 4 yourself but if you feel your gonig to run into possible poly issues then you can “commit to audio” (ie: record to .wav) certain parts which the XF can then playback as part of a performance etc without affecting poly.
At least “I think” that’s what he’s getting at. Its been what I have been doing for the past few months.

And it’s true - man went to the moon

That statement is somewhat controversial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5MVVtFYTSo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b309_YspwMk

you’ll be the judge

DavePolich - 11 September 2010 01:28 PM

What Bad Mister is saying is that with the USB audio recording feature, you have a workaround which makes the polyphony limit a non-issue.

I use it primarily to overcome another limitation: that of the 8 Insertion Effects per Mixing.

I can honestly say that despite some very full arrangements and orchestrations, I have never ever experienced polyphony issues on the XS. (My Motif Classic was another issue however)... :)

botega - 11 September 2010 01:52 PM

And it’s true - man went to the moon

That statement is somewhat controversial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5MVVtFYTSo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b309_YspwMk

you’ll be the judge

This kind of post belongs in the"Mo Lounge” section. Move it there if
you want to discuss conspiracy theories.