Got my ES7 from Ebay with no CD Rom, just a printed out manual the size of a Chicago phone book, which I have been studying.

Very fundamental, I know, but can someone get me started? I am running the ES with my Mac, OSX Mountain Lion, Cubase Artist 6.5. I have the USB driver working and cable connected.

I want to use Cubase as sequencer. I have ES on SONG and it works. However, I don’t know how to access ALL voices on the ES other than general MIDI voices. I tried to use STUDIO MANAGER but it never worked right.

Get me started please? Even what part of the manual to read. THX!

Very fundamental, I know, but can someone get me started? I am running the ES with my Mac, OSX Mountain Lion, Cubase Artist 6.5. I have the USB driver working and cable connected.

The driver you should have is called the “Yamaha USB-MIDI Driver” Version 1.3.2 for Mac （10.5.8 / 10.6.8 / 10.7.8 / 10.8.x).

This driver will allow the Motif ES to communicate MIDI data to and from the computer. Once installed go to SYSTEM PREFERENCES > OTHERS > Yamaha USB-MIDI Driver.

Make sure your Motif ES is set to MIDI IN/OUT = USB
Press [UTILITY]
Press [F5] MIDI
Press [SF4] OTHER
Set MIDI IN/OUT = USB

Press [SF2] SWITCH
Set the LOCAL CONTROL = OFF
This will disconnect the Motif ES keyboard from the Motif ES tone generator. MIDI data will travel OUT via USB-MIDI to Cubase, where you will setup a MIDI Track to receive and then THRU the data back to the Motif ES on a specific MIDI Channel (more on that later).
Press [STORE] to lock in your UTILITY mode setting

In Cubase:
Go to DEVICES > DEVICE SETUP… > MIDI > MIDI PORT SETUP… > In the final column “In ALL MIDI INPUTS” make sure “Yamaha Motif ES7-1” (PORT 1) is marked; it is the MIDI INPUT all others should be unmarked.

In the REMOTE DEVICES folder, set the MOTIF ES as the Device. If it does not appear, click the “+” icon to ADD “Motif ES”.
Once it appears set the MIDI IN and MIDI OUT = Yamaha Motif ES7-2” PORT 2
This will allow you to use the front panel of the Motif ES as a REMOTE CONTROL Device for Cubase.

You do not mention an audio interface - so you will be ready now to record MIDI data to Cubase and you will be able to play MIDI back to the Motif ES.

This will take place by adding a MIDI Track for each PART of the Motif ES you wish to play. Each MIDI Track can be set to a separate MIDI Channel 1-16.

By placing the Motif ES in SONG or PATTERN mode you will be able to access 16 VOICES, by placing one each in the 16 PARTS of the [MIXING] setup.

Press [SONG]
Select a blank SONG location
Press [MIXING]
you can now assign a different VOICE to each of the 16 PARTS of this multi-timbral mixing setup. Each PART is on a separate MIDI Channel 1-16.

In Cubase when you set a MIDI Track so the INPUT comes from the Motif ES and the MIDI OUT is set to the Motif ES you will be able to hear the Motif ES assigned to the MIDI Channel of that selected Cubase Track.

OMG! We did it! Many thanks, Bad Mister
!

Hello Bad Mister,

I have almost the same question, and your help above is verry useful, thanks. Can i use the same settings, my setup is a Motif ES6, Steinberg UR 22 interface and cubase elements 7. I have connect midi in and out from Motif to the interface. The interface connect with usb to imac and connect my interface to M-Audio monitors voor the sound. On my Motif i have set MIDI IN AND OUT not to usb but to midi. In Cubase divice setup in don’t see my Motif, is see the interface, this is correct? The rest of the settings are the same as you explain above?

Hope you wil help me out, thanks!
Steven

If you are connecting your Motif ES via standard MIDI cables, then little of my instructions about connecting the Motif ES via USB applies to you.

What is it you cannot get to work?

Thank you for your reaction Bad_Mister.
I have a second synthesize connect via midi true, but its not working.

Steven

Sorry, tell us again what you have, but this time don’t leave anything out.

Hello,

I have a Motif ES6 connected to a Steinberg UR22 Interface (midi). The interface is connected with usb to a iMac. Then i have a Ensonic EPS16+ which i want to connect to the Motif with midi thru, so i can use samples etc.
I’m using Cubase Elements 7. How can i get everything to work in Cubase?

Thanks for your help.
Steven

Sorry, you don’t have enough inputs to hook everything up at once. But that will not matter because you can connect each keyboard to your interface one at a time and use your DAW (Cubase) to record your data as audio.

Multi-track recording was basically invented by Les Paul, where he disengaged the erase head on a tape recorder so that he could play along with himself. You will connect one of your keyboards to your two input audio interface (left and right) setup to record. When complete disconnect and connect your other keyboard.

Since your audio interface has but 2 inputs, you cannot connect everything at once. This means you will have to commit some things as audio in order to accommodate switching to your other keyboard…

MIDI connections will allow you to keep everything in time so no worries there.

You will need the “Yamaha USB-MIDI” driver because you will connect the Motif ES to your computer via USB connection. Set the ES to MIDI IN/OUT = USB
This will allow you to connect the MIDI Out of your Ensoniq to the MIDI In ... The ES will pass MIDI messages from the external keyboard on to the computer as “Yamaha Motif ES-1” (port 1).
You can set a MIDI THRU PORT that will determine how MIDI messages get back to the Ensoniq
Press. [UTILITY]
Press [F5] MIDI
Press [SF4] OTHER
Set Thru Port = 4
Doing so will mean when you want to return a MIDI track to the Ensoniq you would set the MIDI OUT of the Cubase Track to “Yamaha Motif ES-4” (port 4).

This will take care of all your MIDI routing. No need to re-patch for MIDI (you have enough MIDI ports available using the ES as a MIDI interface). Or you can connect the ES via USB-MIDI and connect the Ensoniq to the MIDI ports of the Steinberg interface.

It is for audio routing you will need to connect the audio outputs of each keyboard as you are using it. And because you will record as audio, you will not need to have it connected in order to playback..

Hope that helps.

Thank you for explaining Bad Mister, one thing: The interface is also midi, so i thought i connect the motif with midi in and out to the interface. The interface with usb to my imac. The Ensonic with midi in to midi thru in the motif. So all the recording is midi. I have a friend who is playing guitar, so he can plug his guitar into the audio input. Is this an option to use all instruments at once? If i want to use the effects from my Motif and not the effects from cubase is there something i need to set into the motif?

Again, thank you for helping me, I appreciate it.
Steven

The Ensonic with midi in to midi thru in the motif.

no, that will not work.

Sorry, you don’t have enough Audio inputs to hook everything up at once.

Thanks for your help.

Is it possible to:

MOTIF > USB > MAC
ENSONIC > MIDI INTERFACE > USB > MAC

So the motif is direct connected to my mac and the ensonig via the interface to my mac.
In cubase channel 1-8 is motife and channel 9-16 is ensonic.

I don’t want to record in audio, just in midi.

regards,
Steven

Yes. But each the Motif ES and the Ensoniq have 16 MIDI channels of their own. Why you are thinking 1-8 on one of them and 9-16 on the other is not clear. Since each has its own path to get MIDI data to the computer each has is own set of MIDI channels.

You will need to connect the audio outputs of the Ensoniq to the A/D inputs of the Motif ES because even though you only want to record MIDI, you will eed to hear both keyboards via th audio interface.

Is it possiple to use more than 16 midi channels in Cubase?  For me its al new.
I give it a try and look how it all works.

Thanks!
Steven