Old Motifator threads are available in the Archive.
Ruth
Total Posts: 2
Joined 08-10-2012 status: Newcomer |
Hello,
One problem we are having is that the Full Concert Grand and other piano sounds are getting lost in the mix when we setup a performance with pads, strings and drum layers. We dont want to have to hit the keys really hard just to get the piano to cut through a little. Any tips on adjusting velocities, EQs and/ other parameters to bring forward the piano sounds. Thanks in advance for your help.
Alex & Ruth
|
cmayhle
Total Posts: 3116
Joined 10-05-2011 status: Guru |
I’m not sure exactly which other pianos you have tried, but I would move one VOICE over from Full Concert Grand PRE1:A(01) to Rock Grand Piano PRE1:A(02). This piano ‘cuts’ much better right off the bat, and makes a good “starting point” for tweaking an acoustic piano that sings out from the mix but remains a true acoustic piano. You will find that this piano uses a very similar waveform combination to the Full Concert Grand, but is much brighter and has more presence. By examining the characteristic settings of these two VOICES, you should be able to begin getting a feel for the parameters that were tweaked to accomplish this. You can carry this understanding into your manipulation of other VOICES which you wish to shape in the same way. |
Bad_Mister
Total Posts: 36620
Joined 07-30-2002 status: Moderator |
Correct. In general, programmers have a convention that instead of naming the Piano Voice “Bright Piano” or “Piano that cuts through the Mix” tend to call it “Rock Piano” because a rock piano has to contend with distortion guitars, booming picked bass, arena drums etc., so any voice with like “Rock Piano” is one that is programmed to cut through the mix (The phrase “cut through” should not be confused with the audio phrase “cut” which can mean to attenuate or turn down, reduce.) When selecting a Voice, we as musicians tend to listen to it alone (out of context) - when you place it in a mix with other instruments is when you realize that it is fighting to be heard. What is happening is the harmonics of the sound may be battling to be heard. When you cannot clearly hear the upper harmonics of any instrument sound it becomes more difficult to identify. When we as musicians talk about sounds and try to describe what we want, we should actually have an advantage in knowing what to do. The solution, of course, on a synthesizer could easily be to select a different Voice, but if you want to adjust the VOICE you are using to make it “cut” through, the tool you want to learn to use is the EQUALIZER. An EQUALIZER allows you to boost or reduce certain frequency ranges. As musicians we should have a good understanding for where the frequencies are located across the scale of your instrument. As you listen to the piano in context that is when you want to make adjustments to the EQ - to balance the harmonic content of each sound in the musical context you place it. It no longer matters what it sounded like when you played it by itself. It is all about how it sounds in the current musical setting. Here is an article that introduces you to the Equalizer on board your Yamaha synth. And although it was written back in 2007 for the Motif XS, it applies in full to the Motif XF. |
5pinDIN
Total Posts: 11891
Joined 09-16-2010 status: Legend |
Piano tonal qualities have a lot to do with the key velocity. If you haven’t already done so, you might try setting the Velocity Curve to “soft” in the Utility mode. See page 220 of the XF Reference Manual for details. If that helps, there are other ways to modify the key velocity sensitivity. |
Ruth
Total Posts: 2
Joined 08-10-2012 status: Newcomer |
Thanks to all for your responses, they have been very helpful. We made the jump from a Casio workstation to the Motif XF, so as you can imagine its a whole new and exciting world for us at the moment! Ruth (& Alex) |
drewbonez
Total Posts: 3
Joined 10-29-2012 status: Newcomer |
I will cosign on using the Rock Piano as a starting point. EQ can help go a long way, but I also would play around with the attack, as well as the cutoff and reso on the filter...I play a lot of reggae and that helped me get close to a Korg M1 piano sound, which cuts through great. |