Hi Again!

I think the WAV is going to be too complicated.  I just spoke with the engineer and he says he can record 4 tracks at a time (of my 16 tracks) if we assign each track to the 4 outputs I listed in the header.  Then we would make 4 passes of the song in real time to get the 16 tracks.  Does anyone know how to do that?  It would be from song mode.

Which Motif model are you using?

I am using the XS8 and I occasionally use an XS6.  I was thinking of bringing the XS6 to the studio since it’s lighter to carry.  Any ideas on how to assign track 1 to L/mono, track 2 to R, track 3 to assignable L, and track 4 to assignable R?  ...all in song mode.

Can’t say I’ve tried that and don’t have time at the moment to turn on my Motif, but if you click on the Mixing button while in song mode you should be able to assign voices there.

Here’s what you need to know to use the outputs wisely.

The OUTPUTS that are the MAIN LEFT/RIGHT are not considered ‘individual’ outputs. They represent the signal in stereo after it has gone through the SYSTEM EFFECTS (REVERB and CHORUS), after it has gone through the MASTER EFFECTS, and the MASTER EQ.

The other two outputs are the ASSIGNABLE outputs and can be used together as stereo outputs or separatelay as two individual outputs. When a signal is routed to these, it is removed from the SYSTEM EFFECTS (REVERB and CHORUS), removed from the MASTER EFFECtS, and the MASTER EQ.

In order to use the main LEFT output (the one labeled (L/MONO) you would need to also have a jack plugged into the main RIGHT output. If you do not, the unit will automatically sum Left channel and Right channel signals (phase coherently) in the L/MONO output.

Additionally to use the LEFT output to isolate a PART in this output, you would need to MUTE all other PARTS in the SYSTEM and PAN the PART you want to record to the extreme LEFT. If you do not, you will find that you are also going to hear the other PARTs in that output, it is a SYSTEM output. And includes all system effect RETURNS.

Meanwhile, the ASSIGNABLE OUTPUTS can be used to automatically isolate a PART from the others without any extreme measures. When you assign a PART to ‘asL’ or ‘asR’, it will automatically be removed from the SYSTEM and MASTER EFFECTs and MASTER EQ, and will be sent directly after it goes through its own INSERTION EFFECTS to that output.

In actuality the Motif XS has a stereo out and 2 assignable outputs. Not 4 separate outputs (really). In a pinch you could use them as such but you’d need to know that the ‘main’ outputs (L/R) are SYSTEM OUTPUTS while the ‘assignable’ outputs are just that - used for the purpose your engineer is interested in.

Press [MIXING]
Press [EDIT]
Select the PART [1]-[16]
Press [F1] VOICE
Press [SF2] OUTPUT
OUTPUT SELECT is the parameter
Highlight it and press [SF6] LIST to view a list of the possibilities

Now for the real conceptual (subjective) decisions involved. You are proceeding as if you think all sounds in your MIX are mono. They may not be. Here’s what I mean - and you should discuss this with your producer and engineer.

When you take a PART of your MIX and route it to the “asL” output (as a mono send) if that sound is recorded in into the XS as a stereo VOICE or if that XS sound’s INSERTION EFFECTS are stereo, you will be defeating the “stereo-ness” in the most brutal of all manners, forcing it through a mono send.

The Full Concert Grand is Stereo
Some of the Drum Kits are Stereo
Some of the String sounds are Stereo
Many of the INSERTION EFFECTS are Stereo. For example, E Pianos, Organs, etc.

What this means is you cannot equate a MIDI track which is only DATA (which cannot be heard) with its audio equivalent (which of course can be heard). As a MIDI track the stereo-ness or mono nature of the data is not immediately known. After all MIDI data is just MIDI data, you can select any sound to play it back. If you have selected a VOICE to play that data and that is STEREO… respect its stereo-ness.

Say, you choose an Organ sound, if that organ is using a Rotary Speaker as an INSERTION effect, that INSERTION EFFECT is STEREO. The sound benefits from using a linked pair of audio buses (stereo bus). So that the movement of the sound that is at the heart of the Leslie can be emulated.

If, for example, you choose an electric piano sound that uses an AUTO PAN and/or STEREO PHASER as its dual INSERTION EFFECTS, routing this PART through just a mono output, will most certainly degrade the sound.

The thing I’m taking the time to warn you about is: often engineers are not aware of the architecture of the instrument you are bringing in and they can make (I’ll call them) “unfortunate” decisions based on this lack of knowledge. Heck, it is not just engineers, it is the musicians also that are often unaware that a MIDI track does not have a stereo or mono-ness to it. The AUDIO generated by that data is either Stereo or Mono.

To be in a hurry to do 4 tracks at a time sounds very reckless to me. I know, I know… who am I? I’m a musician who got into audio engineering because I realized that it is these types of decisions that are very important to your music and that to understand which PARTS of your instrument should be recorded in stereo and which can occupy a mono track is one of those very important decisions.

If later you notice your sound is just not translating once you have ‘quickly’ transferred your 16 MIDI tracks to 16 separate AUDIO tracks, at least if you’ve read this far, you will know why!

Recommendation - take your time. Analyze the sounds you have selected for your composition. Determine by listening closely, while isolated (SOLO’d) if necessary, if the VOICE in that PART is utilizing the stereo field - if not you can assign it to separate mono output (asL or asR).

Also analyze what the Motif XS effects are contributing to each sound. If it is important to you, make sure you record it over to whatever the media is you are using. Do not accept that “the studio” has better effects

The effects in the Motif XS are studio grade so be offended when/if you are told to simply bypass them. That is something you need to be in on the decision.  If they happen to have a $250,000 reverb chamber - okay go with it… but what I’m talking about is the various VCM EQ’s, Phasers, Flangers, Rotary Speaker, etc., the Insertion Effects. You will find those in the XS rival many a standalone device or VST effect.

Anyway hope that gets you thinking - it is not a race to transfer your Motif XS data to the external recorder. Take your time. As someone (famous) once told me… if you can’t listen to your own composition 16, 20, 50 times in a row without getting sick of it, you need to rewrite it! It needs more work!

Truly, I hope that helps.