Hello-
I’ve been trying for quite some time now to connect my Motif XS8 to my Mac (G4, OSX 10.5.8) and it’s not working!  I’ve tried downloading the USB MIDI 121 driver, but after the computer says it has successfully installed, the plugins aren’t showing up in the preference panes & audio midi driver folders in my library (but I do see plug ins in these folders dated from last summer when I tried to do this).  I’ve also tried downloading the mLAN driver (I have a firewire cable, as well as the USB/host cable) but am getting really confused in the Audio Midi Setup stage (not sure if this is even the right driver for what I’m trying to do, I tried adding 3 devices like the installation directions say, but I also see my Motif showing up here, but grayed out?).
My goal is to be able to connect my motif to my computer and record its sounds into GarageBand or Cubase LE4 (purchased with with a presonus audiobox so I could also sing into the computer).
Does anyone out there have any advice for me on how to do this, steps I might be missing, etc.?
Thank you!

Just an update- Apparently the driver is working somehow… it seems that both GarageBand and Cubase LE4 can recognize the Motif and record when I play onto a track, but I can’t hear what I’m playing/recording through the computer.  Even when I hit playback, nothing sounds in either program.  The best I could do was export a MIDI file from Cubase that opened in QT, but just sounded like a yucky MIDI file.  How can I record and playback sounds from the Motif on my computer?

Welcome to the Forums. We recommend that you use the Cubase AI4 that came with your Motif XS8 as it has special functions that you can take advantage of with your Yamaha Motif XS. Yamaha purchased Steinberg about 5 and a half years ago - Cubase AI4 is like LE4 but for Yamaha products.

Second, you may find you don’t need any external device to record audio to Cubase as the Motif XS can be an audio interface all on its own (via firewire) so plugging a microphone into the AD INPUT of the Motif XS will allow you to route it through its own Effects and record it to Cubase.

Here are setup guides for the Motif XS and Macintosh computers

USB-MIDI setup for MIDI communication only
Quick Setup Guide for Macintosh OS X with Cubase AI4

mLAN/Firewire setup for both MIDI and Audio communication
Quick Setup Guide for Macintosh using the Yamaha Steinberg FW driver

Thanks for you help!  I finally set everything up so I can record my Motif into Cubase AI4 (just with the USB cable so far)!  My next question is about how to export or mixdown these recordings so I can share them with people.  It seems that when I play & record in Cubase, it will only play back through the headphones connected to my Motif.  I’ve tried exporting both Wave and Aif files from Cubase, but when I open them in iTunes there is only silence.  Do you know if I’m missing a step?

I finally set everything up so I can record my Motif into Cubase AI4 (just with the USB cable so far)!  My next question is about how to export or mixdown these recordings so I can share them with people.  It seems that when I play & record in Cubase, it will only play back through the headphones connected to my Motif.  I’ve tried exporting both Wave and Aif files from Cubase, but when I open them in iTunes there is only silence.  Do you know if I’m missing a step?

USB carries only MIDI data, no audio data. You cannot use EXPORT > AUDIO MIXDOWN on MIDI data. No one in all these years has ever heard MIDI. MIDI makes no sound.

In order to make an audio wave with Cubase you will need to add an audio interface. You have an XS8 so it has the mLAN16E2/Firewire port already built-in; this can be used to trasnfer audio to your computer. Or you can purchase an external audio interface that will take the analog outputs of your XS8 and send audio into the computer.

Remember MIDI is just a series of coded messages that represent the music… much in the same way a roll of paper with wholes punched in it - represent - the music to an old style player piano. The paper makes no sound, the paper (MIDI data) must be interpreted by another player piano (the XS8) in order to turn the coded message back into audible sound.

The USB connection between the Motif XS8 and the computer only carries MIDI data. So the audio output of your XS8 never arrives in your computer!!! If computers were designed by musicians (or even for musicians) they would have 1/4” and/or XLR inputs built-in, they don’t. So an entire indsutry of gear exists to get audio INTO a computer. (lol)

However, if you all you want to do is “share” your recording with people, the quickest and easiest method does not require a computer at all. (Go figure).

Plug a USB stick or drive into the Motif XS’s TO DEVICE port
Call up your SONG in SONG mode
Press [FILE]
Press [F4] AUDIO
Press [SF1] REC
A dialog box opens - give the FILE a name
Press [ENTER]
The STANDBY screen appears.
Set TRIGGER LEVEL = 1
RECORDABLE TIME is shown in Minutes and Seconds (maximum is 74 minutes, although it will depend on th size of your drive)
Press [ENTER] to start recording…
WAITING… will appear
Press the PLAY button to start the sequencer playback recording will begin automatically when the level exceeds the value of 1

press [ENTER] to stop when completed.

You have now created a .wav file that you can use to play for friends, you can use the MP3 conversion option (available for Cubase) to squeeze it down to convenient MP3 file sizes for emailing or posting.

That would be the easiest, quickest way to ‘share’ your music.

Hi Again!
Thanks again for taking the time to explain all this and help with the user friendly directions!  I successfully recorded my motif songs onto a USB device as .wav files and have put them onto my computer, but I couldn’t figure out how to convert them to mp3 format.  I looked in Cubase and only see .aiff .aifc & .wav files as options in the audio mixdown export menu (after importing the .wav file into a track in a cubase project).  Is there is a different way I could do this to convert these .wav files to mp3?

I also had a couple other questions if you have time…

1.  I’ve gotten stuck in the mLan/firewire setup for Audio Communication.  For some reason, when I’m in my system preferences and open the Yamaha Steinberg FW, everything is grayed out (sample rate, word clock master, clock source) & my XS8 doesn’t show up in the tabs on top.  Do you know what I might be doing wrong in this set up?

2.  At this point I’m not sure the best/easiest way to record my vocals (into my motif or directly into cubase?).  Can I record my voice into the motif onto a 2nd track within a song?  Or would it be better/easier to record vocals right into cubase?

3.  Sort of the same question about recording keyboard sounds/songs… I now know that I can record them into songs on the motif and just import them into Cubase, but what are the advantages/disadvantages to recording live directly into cubase vs creating the song on the motif and then importing to cubase?