Thanks again for all your feedback when I first joined the forum, I managed to sell my Fantom G and got an ex demo XS6 from the shop. I installed 128mb of ram today and managed to load some wav. samples onto my memory stick from my computer which are recognised by the XS. However I can’t work out how to load more than one sample at once. When I load a new sample it replaces “USR 1” in the waveform list and the load window only gives you the option to load or not, not where to load it to. I can’t find anything in the manual to show how it’s done so I would be really grateful for any help on this matter. Also how do you enter a space in the character diplay? I’ve tried moving the cursor but it only goes backwards so where can I find the space?
Just two more queries: is it possible to create a drum voice with sampled shouts across the keyboard and is it possible to record the vocoder to a sample?
Thanks for taking the time to read this, I really would be very grateful for any advice you can give me.

You’re asking questions that involve a lot of long detailed responses. I won’t go into the question about the drumkits with samples (yes it is possible) or the vocoder question. But I can answer you regarding how to load samples.

First, before I list the steps, I suggest you upgrade your XS RAM to at least 512 MB (2 256MB DIMMs modules). 128 isn’t enough to load much of anything these days, especially the free content or any of the sample-based sound libraries available at the motif mart.

To load samples:

1. Place the .WAV or AIFF files you want to load onto your USB drive. Insert the drive. After the “connecting to USB device..” message goes away, press the VOICE button to put the XS in voice mode.

2. Press the FILE button.
3. Change the “type to “WAV” or “AIFF”, depending on what your sample files are.
4. Below the line of the display that reads “Type”, you’ll see a destination voice. It will be the voice that you were at when you selected Voice mode. Notice you can’t change it. More on this later.
5. See the “Element” Box (below “Bank” in the display). It should read “1”. “Key” should read “C3”. This means you will be loading a sample to element 1 of your voice, and the key you will load it to is C3.
6. Cursor up to select your WAV file, then press SF2. The sample will load.
7. Now the next step is where you determine what to do with the next sample. If you change “Element” number to “2”, and select the next sample, it will load in as a new sample with its own keybank. In other words, you will now have two individual samples in memory. You can’t see them yet, don’t worry. Keep reading on.
8. If you load the second sample without changing the element number from “1” to “2”, you will load the second sample ON TOP of the first one, so they’re “stacked on top of each other”, so to speak. You’d do this if you had a bunch of samples of the same instrument, such as a piano, and wanted them all to be in the same keybank (group) of samples. If you want to load multiple samples of a single instrument, you would not change the element number, BUT with each new sample you must change the KEY. Let’s say your first sample was loaded to Element 1, Key C3. The next sample must be loaded to element 1, Key C#3.
9. If you follow me, when you do this, you will be able to play C3 on the keyboard and hear the first sample, and then when you play C#3 you will hear the second sample.
10. Let’s go further. If you were loading samples of a melodic instrument, like a piano, the KEY you load each sample should correspond to the actual note of the sample you are loading. So, if you were loading the bottom C of a piano, you’d load it to Element 1, and set KEY to C0. Then if the next sample was the E0 note, you’d load that to element 1, but change the KEY to E0.
And so on.
11. As long as you stay on element 1 when loading and change the keys for each sample you load, you can load as many samples as you like, up to 1024, or to the limits of your RAM, whichever comes first. (See, I told you you want LOTS of RAM).
12. If, on the other hand, you are loading a bunch of non-related samples, like shouts, explosions, someone screaming, waterfall, etc. blah-blah, you will change the element number each time you want to load a sample. When you reach element number 8, you will have to stop and do this:
a. exit FILE mode.
b. Press PERFORMANCE or SONG button to escape VOICE mode.
c. Press VOICE button again to re-enter VOICE mode.
d. Select another VOICE
e. Return to step 2 above and go through the same steps again to load more samples.

Once all your samples are loaded, you can exit FILE mode and then once again, follow steps 12 a thru 12d. Then:
Press INTEGRATED SAMPLING
At the top of the page you’ll see “Waveform” with a number, “0001”, next to it. You can audition your samples by pressing the keys that you loaded them to and scrolling through the waveform list of numbers. You can rename these samples later if you want.

How to edit samples, map their ranges, set them into keybanks, etc., is another lengthy response which I won’t go into now.

Click on the Support area at the top of the site.  We just uploaded a Sampling Basic on the Motif XS document that should help you out.

“Also how do you enter a space in the character diplay?”

Space is the first character in the display.  Highlight that character and press Insert.

Just two more queries: is it possible to create a drum voice with sampled shouts across the keyboard and is it possible to record the vocoder to a sample?

Yes to both. The first question is answered in the document we just put up and we also just put up a document on setting up the vocoder.

Dave, many many thanks for taking the time to give me such a detailed explanation of what I should have been doing, I followed your instructions and everything worked brilliantly. I’ve been working mainly with Tyros type arranger keyboards for a while so the language of the Motif is new to me but I am beginning to get my head round it and I’m sure I’ll be able to work out how to organise my samples as I want, thanks for making the whole process of accessing them much clearer.
As far as memory goes, I’ve previously recorded some fairly sample heavy songs on a Fantom S with just 32mb on board, and the voices on the XS are perfect for what I need and I prefer midi sequencing to using loops so 128mb is fine for me.
Thanks for pointing me in the direction of these docs, Yamaha US, I will visit soon.
Since posting this reply I have worked out how to create a program for my shouts in drum voice mode and I am still debating the merits of using such an over-used and cheesy effect as a vocoder but it is great fun, isn’t it?
Finally, having been on several instrument forums before, Motifator is way ahead of the rest with a brilliant bunch of members, glad to be aboard!

Yamaholic