Good day, folks,

I have searched the forum and archives at great length for a solution to my problem. Alas, I have come up dry and now turn it over to you.

I am recording a song using my XF7, in which I wish to employ a pad voice called “Glass Choir” found in User 3 bank, 16. Every attempt to record the sweet parts results in notes dropping out or a choppy transition from note to note, in the same place. For the first verse, it’s smooth as silk, but by the bridge it starts sounding as if I’ve used up all the space in the sequencer. Yet, even if I strip it down to the basic amount of notes played, I get the same result. If I do strip it down to just a little bit o sugar, and go on to record all of its parts, the next voice I try to record (in this particular instance, the drums)the bass drum definitely is delayed, though not on a regular interval. 

The other tracks include:

Track 2: Rock Stereo Kit 2
Track 3: Chill Bass
Track 4: Two Acoustics
Track 5: (vacant currently)
Track 6: Two Acoustics (with a strumming arpeggio assigned; Is this legal, btw? Having the same voice called on by two separate midi channels?)
Track 7: Problem Child (Glass Choir)

I have read up on and experimented with the filters and the elements, and even utilized the THIN OUT function, but with no desirable results.

Thinking it may have been the Track 6 arpeggio causing the problem, I tried copying the song to another location and deleting all but Track 7 and track 4, and playing it’s part. Still same problem, though to a lesser degree. That is, I’m able to get further into the song before hearing the anomaly. The only time I do not get this undesirable effect is when I play it either in VOICE Mode or in SONG mode while I’m NOT running the sequencer.

So, since I’m hell-bent on using that pad sound, I really need to know one thing(aside from any recommendations you will likely have; that’s not sarcasm, that’s praise and hope...I assure you):

*Is there any way that I would be able to play the Glass Choir voice as audio, as if I had another Motif plugged into the Audio IN and then just mix the rest as midi before resampling the whole song?*

I feel pretty confident that routing from the Motif’s AUDIO OUT to it’s OWN AUDIO IN will result in Armageddon.

This may seem extreme, but I cannot tolerate the drop in performance while I’m playing the voice. If it were just in playback, fine, but it’s like trying to carry on a conversation with someone while there’s a wicked echo on your end…

If I’ve made any sense at all, I am open to suggestions

Thank you

Horace

*Is there any way that I would be able to play the Glass Choir voice as audio, as if I had another Motif plugged into the Audio IN and then just mix the rest as midi before resampling the whole song?*

Yes, you can.

I feel pretty confident that routing from the Motif’s AUDIO OUT to it’s OWN AUDIO IN will result in Armageddon.

Don’t do that, use the built-in RESAMPLE feature. There is no need to go D-to-A, and A-to-D, when RESAMPLE keeps you in the digital domain!

This may seem extreme, but I cannot tolerate the drop in performance while I’m playing the voice. If it were just in playback, fine, but it’s like trying to carry on a conversation with someone while there’s a wicked echo on your end…

I would think that multiple arpeggios targeting a single sound is a bit unusual (to say the least), without exactly knowing what you are doing with that situation, this sort of raises a red flag of “this might be a cause of a problem” ... Sort of like two guitar players playing on a single guitar… Bound to cause an issue… Just the egos involved would be a problem. (Take a look at the Event List of those two tracks… I’m curious what do you notice as you scroll through the events? Lots of events that seemingly do nothing? Curious) we’ll come back to this later, if necessary.

Here’s what I’d do… Mute the two guitars and the multiple arpeggios playing it (it sounds so weird just saying it) this will prevent that cholesterol type blockage from jamming up the works, if that is indeed what it’s doing. Currently: unknown

In fact mute all Tracks except the problem child, Glass Choir, Track 7
Play it back using the sequencer ... Does it play correctly, alone?

If yes, then setup to resample it as audio. Leave all tracks but the Glass Choir MUTED.
Press [INTEGRATED SAMPLING]
Select an empty WAVEFORM 001-128
Press [F6] REC

Set the Sample Source:
RECORDING TYPE = sample+note
INPUT SOURCE = resample
MONO/STEREO = stereo
FREQUENCY = 44.1kHz

Set the Sample Destination:
KEY BANK = C3
TRACK = any empty Track

Press [F6] STANDBY
Here you can set up the Trigger Mode. You can have the XF punch in/out if you select MEASURE as the Trigger mode, or you can have sampling begin when the “LEVEL” reaches a specific value, or “Manual”. If you select any a Trigger Mode other than “MEAS” you will need to manually punch out.

Test your record level before executing the sample… Watch the meters in this screen as you test the audio playback ...If you need more level set this up before you resample.

The Integrated Sampling Sequencer will create a Note-On event at the record start point, with a duration until the sampling stops.

You are recording audio now, so you will want to set the record level properly. Raising the level of the Part (via CS) or the Voice Volume (by editing the Voice via VCE EDIT) if necessary. You also have a +12dB record boost available. MIDI volumes are typically lower that what you would use when recording audio.

Resampling a Part will allow you to playback the entire track with just a few note-on events ... Verify your recording by muting the original Track 7 and un muting the others ... Set the mix volume to taste… When satisfied (you should not be able to tell the audio track from the original MIDI data) when satisfied, you can erase the original MIDI data on track 7.

If the musical Part is only in at certain points in the song you can set a new target note for each area that it is to play. For example, say it is in at measures 009-017 and not again until 033-040
You would assign the first punch in/out = C3
You would assign the second punch in/out = C#3
And so on.

You could do the same for those dueling guitars if you think they are the polyphony hog!!!

Bad Mister,

I did receive your response, but have only just now realized it. I am about to run through the steps you so generously provided. I will get back to you promptly with the results.

Thank you

Hello again, Bad Mister and community,

I ran through the event list for each of the tracks. The only thing I did notice is that there are a tremendous amount of midi data required to create the strumming/scratching effect for the second acoustic--I mean A LOT! But, other than that, I saw no other messages in red other than pitch bend (which, admittedly, I use a lot and realize it does contribute to the till).

With that said, the two instances of Two Acoustics on separate tracks (one with just manual pickin’ and the other with the hefty strum arp), plus the Chill Bass, seem to function fine polyphonically, so I sampled those three to a track as a single unit, then attempted to play the Glass Choir over top of them as if I would using an old 4-track.

Result=Success! No more cutoff and/or backtalk from the problem child Glass Choir. It records and plays back with all its warm, thick richness and suits the mood that I had originally intended, which in this case is, easy listening driving music rather than a techno mix of a movie theme.

I am very pleased with the result. If I had room to complain, I would have liked to be able to start the audio at spots other than the beginning, but I haven’t found that amenity anywhere on the XF, where audio playback in concerned. In other words, if I am going to record each new accompaniment track as that sample plays, it seems I have to be spot-on or I’ll have to start from the beginning each attempt...so, I’ll just be spot-on, right?
That aside, I’m pleased and quite thankful for your guidance.

Moving on, now that I have that audio saved to the sequence, and once I record the remaining few supporting tracks, how will I go about sampling all the data (that audio data and the 2-3 additional midi tracks)together for the final mix? Is that what is meant by the Source being “Sample+Note?”

I get a little bit more confused [than normal] here, because I use the “resample” setting, according to a support article regarding how to create MP3 and WAV from sequences, before shipping them off to my laptop to be converted to MP3 from WAV. I honestly do not understand the fundamental difference(s) in the two modes.

Finally, once I do mix everything together to one sample voice, will normalizing the final result likely add surplus noise, if I normalized the result of the first sample? I haven’t, mind you, based on that fear alone, but what if I had? Would it be like trying to normalize a second-hand source on the computer, which often ends up a sounding like an approaching train or an air leak?

Again, thank you very much for your help. I am certain that you and your associates are bombarded hourly and I am truly amazed that you are able to respond to every call. The help you provided me today is comparable to giving me a new blank journal after having kept the last 10 years scribbled on the back of a book of matches. I would have asked sooner, but I didn’t really know the right question, I suppose.

Have a blessed day

Horace

Hello, all,

Turns out I ended up answering my own questions in my last reply, regarding how to playback the audio at a more opportune spot (via the slice amenity).

Also, thanks to you [Bad Mister],and someone who asked questions regarding how to interpret the MIDI clock > Calculator on the forum in “slice...”, I now understand a great deal more about it.

Thanks again

Horace