Hi,

I am getting ready to scrap my entire set up and give the XF a serious look, along with a new laptop and software. I have been using (crashing) a pretty old version of sonar for years and have a lot of partial songs in thier format so I want to continue using Sonar as long as the compatability between the two is solid. I blame my old Echo/SCSI breakout box and Dell computer for the crashing.

Any insights will help but here are some specific questions:

I am interpreting the technical descriptions to say that, if you you use Cubase and get the firewire card, you can connect directly to a laptop without any additional hardware. You can record/edit Midi on the laptop and then record the audio on the laptop as well. Is that right? Now, can I do this—(interface directly with no extra external hardware—with Sonar? This would eliminate one potential hardware compatibility headache if this is the case.

Any suggestions on a powerful laptop for music production?

Anyone have any solid info about when Sonar 9 will be released?
8.5 seems to be getting stale.

I am interpreting the technical descriptions to say that, if you you use Cubase and get the firewire card, you can connect directly to a laptop without any additional hardware. You can record/edit Midi on the laptop and then record the audio on the laptop as well. Is that right? Now, can I do this—(interface directly with no extra external hardware—with Sonar?

You can record complete projects including audio recording and final mixdown all on the Motif XF itself (even without a computer). Just need to state that clearly so that it is understood. The XF features a MIDI sequencer with a feature called INTEGRATED SAMPLING, which allows you to record (sample) audio data as overdubs to your MIDI tracks. The XF also features a direct to USB drive Record feature that allows you to do mixdown to .wav file by simply attaching a USB drive to the TO DEVICE port.

As to using it with external DAW software, choose your favorite software with the following knowledge: If you wish to record audio and MIDI to an external DAW it should be compatible with ASIO drivers (Sonar definitely is compatible). The FW16E (Firewire) option uses the Yamaha Steinberg FW ASIO driver - this can be used with software capable of using ASIO drivers.

The Motif XF additionally has REMOTE CONTROL templates for Cubase, Sonar, Digital Performer, and Logic - meaning it can act as a Control Surface for these company’s professional DAW software packages. When you press the REMOTE DAW button you can use the front panel of the XF to navigate and control your DAW - allows you to concentrate on playing when you are both engineer and musician)

With the XF and Sonar you will be able to setup to record both MIDI and audio tracks via a single FW cable. The FW16E gives you 16 audio bus outputs plus 3 stereo audio returns; and 3 ports of MIDI communication:
1: music/controller/tempo
2: remote control surface communication
3: one external device can be routed in and out via the XF’s 5-pin MIDI jacks

You will need to connect the Motif XF’s analog audio outputs to a quality sound system. You asked about any external hardware - monitor speakers would be such external hardware. Many people mistakenly think that the sound will come through the computer’s speakers system - but this is not the case. The FW16E turns your Motif XF into your computer’s soundcard, thus you would connect your sound system to the L/R output jacks on the back panel of the Motif XF. (of course you could use headphone).

We like to think of the XF as a stand alone solution that is also designed to interface with computer-based recording systems.
You can connect via FW (as described above), also the Ethernet connection will allow you to easily archive and access your Motif XF sound and sample libraries on your computer via a LAN connection.

We are not exactly sure if or when Sonar will be able to run VST3 compatible plugins… this will mean if you are using a DAW other than one compatible with VST3 protocols, you should be on the look out for the announcement of the Yamaha Studio Manager version Editor for the Motif XF. While the Editor is not required for interfacing with computer based systems nor is it required to record MIDI/Audio, it does allow you to archive your custom edits and sounds inside the DAW environment (meaning you do not have to save your XF data separately). 

“Motif XF Editor VST” (ready now) requires VST3 compatibility to run inside of a DAW. (Cubase, Studio One, and more to come)… The Studio Manager version Editor for the Motif XF is due later this year.

Hope that gives you more information… As to the laptop, get one that more than meets the RECOMMENDED requirements of the software you are going to be running (check Sonar’s recommendations)… Ignore ‘Minimum’ specification, that only means it just barely runs the software, if you push it, you will be unhappy. It is generally true that you should exceed the RECOMMENDED specification when purchasing computers - they immediately start to reduce in power the more you ask them to do… so having that reserve CPU energy is important.

Thank you for a very thorough response!

Dear Thermal,
I’m just finishing up a Sonar patch map for Motif XF.  Once you get the keyboard...you want to test it out for me?

Tones