Hi, now that all the hardware hook ups seem to be working, where can I get an education or tutorial on assigning ports, channels, output selects, to make it all work?

Right here on Motfator.com. 

for example, I know Mlan carries MIDI and Audio, but do I have to assign an audio track to each MIDI track I create and align the outputs on the XS to the inputs for audio on the specific track in logic?

We can help you with how to go about planning what you assign - but ultimately what you do will be based on your own production decisions - based on what you want to accomplish musically.

We can start with MIDI track and audio. MIDI, as you know, is not sound. No one has ever heard MIDI. MIDI track data is simply coded messages that when played back to a tone generator can be turned into audio. So MIDI is not Mono, nor is MIDI Stereo. MIDI is MIDI.

If you have a MIDI track that is assigned to playback from a Motif XS PART and that PART contains a stereo VOICE, you may want to record the audio of that PART in stereo. If however, the VOICE assigned to the PART is mono you may opt to record its audio to a mono track in your DAW. That is one type of decision.

Some opt to record each track on its own stereo track - it depends on what INSERTION EFFECT is applied - if the INSERTION EFFECT is stereo - then even if the samples are mono, you get a benefit from recording a mono VOICE in stereo (Take the Rotary Speaker as an example: most if not all of the Organ sounds in the XS are mono samples, but the Rotary Speaker is decidedly a Stereo Effect and you get the benefit of the movement when you reproduce this on a stereo audio track in your DAW) Make sense?

Take Drums: you may have recorded all the MIDI data for your Drums on a single Motif XS track, but did you know with the mLAN/FW option you can route the kick drum to “m1”, the snare to “m2”, the hihat to “m3”, the Crash cymbal to “m4”, the toms to a stereo pair “m5/m6” etc, etc. So one MIDI track could turn into a whole bunch of audio tracks in your DAW. Again it will depend on what your production goals are.

Unfortunately, we cannot provide you with a guide specific to Logic but the theory of operation is going to be the same on any DAW capable of multi-track audio recording.

Signal flow is this: MIDI track triggers a PART of the Motif XS tone generator.
You route the OUTPUT SELECT parameter to an individual mLAN/FW output, as you desire.
Press [MIXING]
Press [EDIT]
Press the PART number [1]-[16]
Press [F1] VOICE
Press [SF2] OUTPUT
Highlight the OUTPUT SELECT parameter
Press [SF6] LIST to view a list of OUTPUT buses.

Here you will find the mLAN/FW outputs available in odd/even stereo pairs and as individual mono buses

Assigning a PART to one of these will remove the PART from the default main L&R;output and route it as you require.

In your computer DAW you must setup a mono or stereo input to receive this signal -
The FW16E will give your Motif XS sixteen bus outputs. In Cubase you can see these by name, in other DAWs you will need to know that the sixteen are listed in order as shown in the attachment below.
“Left” is first
“Right” is second
“m1” is the third and so on
through to
“m14” is the sixteenth.

In your DAW - create an AUDIO track to record the data (mono or stereo) as required.

Click thumbnail to see full-size image

well - after a year or two off, I’m back at the Logic 9 and motif XS 8.  all the latest drivers, and the motif iso environment downloaded.  interface working and sound coming through just fine.  can record and playback keyboard onto logic as an external MIDI instrument.

I am trying to accomplish downloading a midi file, then use the XS as a tone generator to make the files sound really good. 

Is there a tutorial to do this for logic and the XS?

I am using the downloaded motif environment.ISO as a template and starting with that.  however, I can’t seem to change banks.  I find myself guessing at sounds.  I also get confused between the window that shows the sounds (can you select them from there? ) and the box on the left which shows the program and number.  they don’t seem to stay in sync, and I keep changing the one on the left and guessing at the instrument I will get. 

I have been experimenting (okay - playing around) with Program changes in the first event, but I’m getting confused between the DAW and the Motif when it comes to the settings.
Do I put the Motif in song mode, mix, then change the voices there?

I would rather set it all up in logic and let initial program changes do it, but having trouble determining the voice numbers (just a number in logic under ‘list, create, program change’ can only put in a number ) vs the bank (which is PRE, USR,etc).

Any help is appreciated, I’m sure many have done this before...just trying to make a MIDI file sound good, store it in logic, boot up the next day and have it play the same way again!

Thanks!

Kevin