Newby with Yamaha.  I have A Yamaha S90XS.  How can I playback a performance (in performance mode) using different midi channels for the different voices?  I’m wanting to capture (record) all “voices” via midi (usb) in Sonar on different midi channels.

Recording arpeggio data (as MIDI) from a keyboard to a DAW software is a much more complex process then one first thinks. Of course, it can be done but as things go, this is at the far end (the deep end) of the MIDI swimming pool… and here’s why:

First, you have to deal with MIDI clock sync - because, naturally, you want them to play in time to the rest of your compostion.

Second, you have to recognize that the way the arpeggiated MIDI data is created is going to force you to work differently than if YOU yourself were playing the data.

Okay, let’s take a closer look at each of these points.
MIDI CLOCK SYNC… the DAW, Sonar in your case, will need to be the MASTER clock; most DAWs don’t like to slave to external clock, so you will need to activate MIDI clock and send it on the port going to the XS. The S90XS/S70XS will need to be setup as the slave to that clock. This is handled by the XS by selecting QUICK SET #2
Press [UTILITY]
Select “QUICK SET” > press [ENTER]
Select QUICK SET #2 > press [ENTER]

QUICK SET #2: When recording PERFORMANCE data including Arpeggio data to a DAW software on a computer.

What this does is turn:
LOCAL CONTROL = ON
MIDI SYNC = AUTO
CLOCK OUT = OFF
ARP MIDI OUT SWITCH = ALL ON

The MIDI SYNC = AUTO is a special case of MIDI SYNC where the XS will play at the last received external tempo (as set in your DAW). This is so you can audition arpeggios without having to start your DAW’s transport everytime you want to audition an arp pattern. Many DAWs do not send clock information unless the transport is actually running. So if you set the MIDI SYNC = MIDI, the arps would not play unless you actually started the MASTER clock (DAW) transport. AUTO simply means that the arps can run with or without your DAW actually running (it is simply a convenience).

Notice that LOCAL CONTROL = ON… this is necessary because, remember, you are using the arpeggiator instead of playing the keyboard yourself. So your key-presses need to go to the XS arpeggiator (first), which then generates a specific pattern of MIDI notes… these are then sent OUT via MIDI to your computer DAW.

Typically, when recording normally with a DAW like Sonar you are used to working with LOCAL CONTROL = OFF… so your key presses go OUT via MIDI (first) before they are echoed back to the XS and heard… That will not work for working with arpeggios. You must work with LOCAL CONTROL = ON in order to trigger the arpeggiator data, then send that note data OUT via MIDI - where it must DEAD END in your computer.

When I say DEAD END, I mean DO NOT echo the notes back to the XS, or you will be arpeggiating the arpeggio… DEAD END means your receiving track in your DAW should not echo or thru the received notes back to the tone generator. Different DAWs have different methods to set this up - with some you simply do not assign a MIDI OUT device, some you have to deactivate the THRU function in preferences.

Recording arpeggios is different from recording yourself playing the keys… Recording arpeggios means what you’re actually triggering on the keyboard is less interesting than what the arpeggiator is doing. This is not a criticism or value judgement, it is just saying that you may only be holding down a Cminor7 chord for 8 measures, meanwhile, that is not what is of interest in this instance; what is of interest is the 150 notes that arpeggiator pattern is generating that sounds like a killer guitar strumming away.

Now once you complete recording, you must disarm the arpeggio prior to playback (I cannot tell you how many times this step is missed and people conclude that it didn’t record correctly)… remember incoming note data triggers the arpegiators… so before you play it back you must disarm the arpeggiator:
SET the ARP ON/OFF light to OFF.
You must also ensure that your DAW track (the one set to DEAD END the data), must now be set to send the data back to the XS.

So recording arpeggios is complex and at the deeper end of the MIDI pool - you definitely get a MIDI Jedi Knight Merit badge for accomplishing this… and one last thing…

Why? You have to ask yourself: WHY am I recording this arpeggio data as MIDI data?

Unless you are going to edit it in some fashion, it almost makes more sense to just simply record it as audio. Simply record your PERFORMANCE to an audio track ...

Hope that helps. I’m not a Sonar user so I cannot tell you specifically what steps to setup Sonar but this should get you started in the right direction.

Important note Once you have completed recording arpeggios to your DAW, you will want to change your QUICK SETUP function back to condition 1 or condition 3 - depending on what you want to do next.
Please see your S90XS/S70XS Reference Manual page 144 for details of the QUICK SETUP templates.

And don’t forget to change your DAW back so that it is set to recording normally as well. If you get strange behavior after recording arpeggios, this is usually why.