Is it possible, with a USB cable connected between my Motif XF and my computer (which has Cubase AI,Motif XF Extension,Motif XF Editor and a USB-Midi Driver all installed), to take a song from the Motif together with the instruments used on each track and get it into Cubase so I can mix it there? I have followed the “Cubase: Motif XF Song Import” link but all I could get was the midi data of my song being played by Cubase instruments.
If this is possible, please advise on how it is done or where I might be going wrong. Thanks

If you want to get audio from the XF into Cubase, you’ll need more than the USB connection.

Welcome to the forums!

This is a “what’s the difference between MIDI and AUDIO?” question. It is because you don’t say what it is you want to do when you get it in Cubase other than mix it down… We know what you mean. MIXDOWN - to us says you want your data recorded as AUDIO.

If you, for example want to eventually burn a CD or create an mp3 that you can play for your friends, then at some point you must record or sample your data as AUDIO.

The USB connection between the XF and computer is MIDI data only. MIDI data cannot be heard. No one has ever heard MIDI. MIDI can only be heard when it is played back to a MIDI tone generator like the Motif XF… The XF then can interpret the coded messages and turn them into Audio.

It is this audio that can burned to CD, or transfer to an mp3 file.

If you get or if you have the FW option for your Motif XF (the FW16e) you can route MIDI and AUDIO bi-directionally between your XF and your computer. MIDI data is used to capture your performance (via a series of coded messages). You can edit your performance, change instrument sounds, change tempo, etc., etc. - get the performance perfect - before you render it as AUDIO. The MIDI data is played to the XF tone engine which outputs AUDIO that can be recorded and heard. It is the XF outputting audio via FW that can be captured and recorded in Cubase.

Your other options include:
_ Using the XF’s built-in Integrated Sampling Sequencer to resample your tracks turning them into audio data, which can then be transferred to Cubase via the Motif XF SONG IMPORT.
_ Purchasing an externa audio interface for your computer so you can record audio directly to Cubase. 

In general, to “mixdown” means you want to RECORD as AUDIO - creating your final stereo audio file. If all you have is recorded MIDI data to the XF sequencer, the only way to turn that into AUDIO is to have the XF interpret the coded MIDI messages, and have it output the audio, you must then capture that AUDIO
1) in Cubase via an audio interface (be it the Yamaha FW16E or an external audio interface of your choosing)
2) Resample your tracks in the XF and “export” them one at time. (Long process, if you want each PART on a separate AUDIO TRACK in Cubase but could be done).
3) Record it direct to a USB stick or drive (without the computer)

If you are not doing a bunch of additional recording/processing with your computer, you can mixdown your XF sequence and have the XF turn it into audio:
Press [FILE]
Press [F4] AUDIO
You can record the output of the XF (sequencer playback) to a USB drive connected to the TO DEVICE port on your back panel. This will create a 16-bit, 44.1kHz audio file suitable for burning to CD or crunching down to mp3.

Thanks very much for the replies, especially Bad Mister - really appreciated the clarity of your answer.
My computer doesn’t have the connection needed for FW so I will do some reseach and get the appropriate audio interface.
What I’m trying to do overall is take the songs I’ve composed in my XF and get them into Cubase for the mixdown (I’m told that mixing in Cubase is easier and better than trying to do this on the XF) then convert them to MP3 format.
Expect a question or two soon when I’m trying to connect up the audio interface - not expecting this to go smoothly but we’ll see! As you can tell from my first question I’m more of a musician/composer than a computer expert - seems you have to be both these days. Thanks again.

Wow. Reseach on which audio interface would best suit my needs is proving to be more difficult than I thought (such a huge range and huge price range).
Given what I’m trying to do, as explained above, can anyone recommend a simple-to-use mid-price range audio interface that would do the job?

This discussion interests me, as well.  Bad_mister, would you mind elaborating on the following:

“If you are not doing a bunch of additional recording/processing with your computer, you can mixdown your XF sequence and have the XF turn it into audio:
Press [FILE]
Press [F4] AUDIO
You can record the output of the XF (sequencer playback) to a USB drive connected to the TO DEVICE port on your back panel. This will create a 16-bit, 44.1kHz audio file suitable for burning to CD or crunching down to mp3.”

When I attempt this I simply get a menu option to record something - there would not appear to be an option to record the output of my XF’s sequencer playback, as you indicate above.  I am working on an XF 8 and have many a pattern-chain converted to songs for which this would be lovely to do.  Any guidance would be appreciated.

WAIT!!! I think I got it - FINALLY!!!:

Please correct, if need be:

1). My USB device is attached
2). I enter song mode and select the song I’m interested in
3). I go to FILE and then AUDIO
4). I choose the record option and then press enter to start recording at which point I simply press the PLAY button under the SEQ_TRANSPORT controls which begins to play the song I started out with. 
5). Song finishes, I press ‘Enter’. Done - REALLY NICE!!!!

I imagine one could substitute pattern chains or sections as well, though I’m not sure.

It would have been so much more convenient to have plastered this bit of advice all over these forums rather than getting into technical details of FW to computer, load to DAW as MIDI via USB and then have Cubase intstrument sounds, etc. - I’m sure 90% of your user base just wants an easy way to do this as so.

Thanks for the advice - very much appreciated.

One final note - all of that said, I certainly will be recording in tandem with Cubase going forward.  The only thing I’m irritated by at the moment (perhaps the latest thing) is that I’ve imported my songs into Cubase using the extension software and I’ve just discovered how to really work adding MIDI tracks to projects within Cubase but I still don’t know how (or know even if it is possible) to change tracks within Cubase so that I am using Motif instrument voices - such as those I have assigned in my Patterns/Songs in the Motif.  If one cannot do this, I assume the implication is that the entire recording must be done in Cubase from the outset - would appreciate any advice with respect to this.

WAIT!!! I think I got it - FINALLY!!!:

Please correct, if need be:

1). My USB device is attached
2). I enter song mode and select the song I’m interested in
3). I go to FILE and then AUDIO
4). I choose the record option and then press enter to start recording at which point I simply press the PLAY button under the SEQ_TRANSPORT controls which begins to play the song I started out with. 
5). Song finishes, I press ‘Enter’. Done - REALLY NICE!!!!

I imagine one could substitute pattern chains or sections as well, though I’m not sure.

Yes, you have got it - you are creating an AUDIO FIle in real time - so you enter from the mode that you want to work with.

Yes you can playback a complete SONG, and you can play back a whole PATTERN CHAIN, but if you are still in PATTERN mode, you can play a single SECTION (over and over and over) - not really a complete composition. You cannot manipulate the SECTION buttons during making a file. The sequencer will play a pre-arranged SONG or PATTERN CHAIN, and of course the current sound on the keys also works (if you wish to play live).

As to your latest ‘irritation’ - we are not sure you have grasped what importing your song into Cubase means”

Once you have used the Cubase function: IMPORT MOTIF XF SONG what you have done is simply take the MIDI data from the MIDI Tracks of the XF sequencer and imported that data so it plays from Cubase.
If you have sampled any audio to the Integrated Sampling Sequencer of the XF, that data will be imported to Cubase as well, to an Audio track.

The MIDI data is routed from Cubase to the Motif XF tone engine. So we are confused when you say the following:

“but I still don’t know how (or know even if it is possible) to change tracks within Cubase so that I am using Motif instrument voices - such as those I have assigned in my Patterns/Songs in the Motif.  If one cannot do this, I assume the implication is that the entire recording must be done in Cubase from the outset...”

Firstly, you are using Motif instrument Voices - the MIDI data is now in Cubase is all that has happened - it is being output from each track to the Motif XF - see the TRACK INSPECTOR of each track for the information about where that track is being sent.

If you have also opened the Motif XF Editor inside of Cubase you can see the names and parameters of your Motif XF PARTS.

And nothing could be further from the conclusion you make “that the entire recording must be done in Cubase from the outset...” NOT TRUE at all.

Seems you are still missing a significant piece of the puzzle.

Hello, and thank you for your response to my postings.

I have to say I am a bit confused with respect to hooking up my Motif to Cubase and it is indeed quite possible I am missing a significant part of the picture.  First, let me describe what I am trying to do to see if this is even possible: I would like to connect my Motif to Cubase via some protocol which would allow me to play my Motif, have this data (I would presume, in MIDI form) get transmitted to Cubase, and then have the output of this processed MIDI information (I say processed because I presume I can edit this data, say for mixing purposes, for instance, within Cubase) and have this output sent back to the tone generator of my XF so that I may hear the audio output of what I am playing.

Alternatively, rather than the live playing, I have many a pattern chain and song stored in my Motif which I would like to import to Cubase and mixdown there (have already had some limited success in importing songs, fyi).

Regardless of the tasks mentioned, in the process of EITHER of the above there come certain points when one might want to perhaps add a completely new track - something I would like to be able to do using the voices of my Motif rather than native Cubase instruments.  To clarify, I am well aware of the distinction between MIDI and AUDIO so to be perfectly clear I expect this process to occur using the transmission of MIDI data but ultimately with an audio output that is produced using the XF tone generator and reflecting Cubase settings (say, the mix/EQ, etc.) - I underline this part because it’s quite possible this is where I’ve misunderstood things.

I have since found out that a VST editor for the Motif and a handful of downloads will give me a Studio Manager plug-in for my Motif XF8 which I can use in Cubase to accomplish what I was trying to describe before (selecting Motif voices, patterns, songs within Cubase). 

This bit I have found to be imperfect (mainly as I fail to hear any audio - which would make sense, I suppose, as there is no audio interface involved in this setup - and have occasional port setup problems which mysteriously change from one session to the next).  However, I am also confused by what appears to be 2 alternatives to connecting my Motif to Cubase:

1). MIDI in/out with use of an audio interface
[per generic descriptions in the Cubase manuals]
[Fine - but then how do I get Studio Manager working? I can’t, right?]

2). Direct USB connection between my Motif and computer.
[per links in this forum detailing quick USB setups]
[In which case how do I hear any audio playback, assuming I get my port setups correct and they stay the way they should be?]

Here is what I have:

1). Motif XF8
2). Cubase AI5
3). Laptop (PC) with USB only, no firewire
4). Audio Interface (M-Audio Fasttrack Pro, for your reference)

Would anyone mind telling me if what I am trying to do is:
a). possible (presuming I am clear with my goal - will clarify if required), and
b). if so, what would be the best way to achieve this given my setup above?

Any clarification/elucidation of this matter would be greatly appreciated.

I would like to connect my Motif to Cubase via some protocol which would allow me to play my Motif, have this data (I would presume, in MIDI form) get transmitted to Cubase, and then have the output of this processed MIDI information (I say processed because I presume I can edit this data, say for mixing purposes, for instance, within Cubase) and have this output sent back to the tone generator of my XF so that I may hear the audio output of what I am playing.

What we get from this description is that you are not really sure why you want to move the MIDI data over to Cubase. You are presuming you can edit the MIDI in the computer - and yes you can. But you can also edit this same MIDI data in the Motif itself.

Yes, there are many different types of Edit jobs available in the computer but you do not mention anything specific that you need to do with the MIDI data. Many Users will argue the graphic nature of editing in the computer makes some tasks easier and more intuitive. While others would argue that they never use those types of editing because they would rather, either play it again, or not edit it with graphic tools.

I mean playing a crescendo feels different than creating one with a mouse. For some the former is the only way, for others the latter is the only way ... and every permutation, like and dislike, in between. It comes down to personal preferences. (Frankly, my advice is: always use the best tool for the job no matter where it exists)

It is the audio portion of the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) that you are really thinking about when you are talking about for “mixing purposes”. Here is a quick way to think about it.

1) MIDI data is never a finished product. It is the work in progress
2) when MIDI data is played to appropriate tone engine and is turned into audio you can hear it.
Processing the audio is where you get the biggest benefit from a program like Cubase (or any DAW).

Next to think about: you have two ways to handle AUDIO in the DAW - and this is the crux of what you are seeking to understand.

1) “virtual” Audio
2) Audio

Virtual audio (yes as in VST) is audio being monitored (listened to) after it has been processed by plug-in effects that you might have installed in your DAW program. You cannot process audio while the data is MIDI so, you are passing the audio through the computer-based effects just before you hear it.

Here is the signal path: MIDI data is sent to the XF, the XF sends audio back to the computer, the program (DAW) routes it through your selected computer-based plug-in processors and delivers the audio to a special audio lane… that audio is heard through your audio interface.

The data is not yet COMMITTED to the hard disk, you are just monitoring it - listening to what the final product will sound like once you COMMIT - you COMMIT to it by actually rendering a wave.

In a DAW you have actual “AUDIO” when you actually see that graphic of a waveform.
A VSTi audio lane you only see the meter go up and down - there is no graphic of a waveform - because the audio is still a ‘virtual’ audio.

Once you apply all the computer-based effect processing you wish - you commit by executing what is called EXPORT AUDIO MIXDOWN - which is the process of printing (called rendering) the signal as a permanent wave on the computer hard disk. With internal VSTi the rendering (mixdown) is a simply matter of writing the file and takes seconds… but because the Motif XF is a hardware/external VST the rendering must take place in glorious real time.

When it is said that the Motif XF is a VST - it is the routing (don’t be a newbie and think you no longer need your XF to turn the MIDI data into AUDIO, Of course you still do. The Editor VST is Yamaha and Steinberg clever way of introducing external devices so that they too can take advantage of the myriad of processors available as virtual audio plug-ins.

I hope that sheds light on the process and does not cloud it further.

....As I am sure I am about to do now:

In order to take advantage of the VSTi routing - here is an important bit of information: the MIDI data must exist in the computer DAW sequencer.

Now you understand why (and you already have accomplished the task several times) the IMPORT MOTIF XF SONG routine, exists. It exists so that you have the freedom to construct your composition in the Motif XF using its formidable array of tools (Pattern mode, Pattern Chain, Arpeggios, etc., etc. and then you can move all your work over to Cubase, by saving it in a Motif XF ALL data file which Cubase can import.

Once you’ve imported your XF Sequence into Cubase, you can take advantage of the Virtual Studio Technology (VST) routing- which again is:

MIDI Data from Cubase >>> goes to the Motif XF tone engine which turns the MIDI data into audio signal >>>> the audio signal is routed back to the computer through your AUDIO INTERFACE where you can process it and monitor it through the VST Effects you have in Cubase >>> the audio is then monitored (heard) via your AUDIO INTERFACE which is connected to your montior speakers.

You listen to your audio this way until you have decided it exactly as you would like the world to hear it - at that point you COMMIT to it by rendering the AUDIO MIXDOWN!

This prints (typically) a stereo wav file that you can then turn into a CD via a mastering process, or simply convert to an mp3, etc., and now every one can enjoy your finished product.

Last thing; Your audio interface is responsible for audio getting INTO and BACK out of your computer.It takes audio in from the XF and sends it to the computer. It also take audio from the computer and routes it to your monitor speakers.

That is the signal flow -
Bad Mister says:
“Know the Flow and you’re good to Go

Hope that helps.

Hello,

So what is the point of buying a audio interface? Is it to be able to edit the midi on the computer than transfer it to audio? Cause thats what I need to be able to do. Just simply transfer the MIDI to audio and keep the same sound.