Is there a way to sample my old synth sounds into the Motif XF8?  A simple example would be the wide range of sounds I created back in the 80’s on my DX7.  Does anyone know of a relatively simple way to get those sounds (that I spent hours and hours decades ago creating) into the Motif XF8?  Or do I have to find the sine wave sounds and start all over again?  I still have my DX7 in perfect working condition and was wondering if there was a way to connect it to the Motif to make this happen.  The Motif is so complicated, I was hoping for a work around.  Thanks in advance for the advice.

Yes, it’s possible to sample “old synth sounds”. The question is whether it’s practical.

It mostly comes down to how many samples would be needed to capture all the characteristics of the original sound. If your DX7 creations are anything more than simplistic, then they change with key velocity, evolve with time, possibly react to aftertouch, etc. In a lot of cases it would require sampling at numerous velocity levels, each of sufficient length to record entire envelopes. Even if you recorded a sufficient number of samples across the key range, you’d then have to create Motif Waveforms with Key Banks to house them, and then program a Voice to use those. There is software available to automate the sampling process…
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=250892
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul11/articles/sampling-vintage-synths.htm

Of course, if the XF had a slot for it, you might be able to get a used PLG150-DX…
http://usa.yamaha.com/products/music-production/plugins/plg150-dx/
...but it doesn’t.

Unfortunately, the alternative of recreating custom FM sounds on a Motif is mostly an exercise in frustration. Yes, you could set up six Elements in a Voice to use a sine Waveform, but the XF doesn’t have a synth engine that turns those six Elements into operators which can be configured with 32 different algorithms.

There are some libraries that have FM sounds available for Motifs. However, they aren’t your sounds, so that might not be satisfactory either.

Then there’s the software route. You could get a DX7 emulator like Native Instrument’s FM7 or FM8, or some free VSTi…
http://www.vintagesynth.com/misc/fm7.php
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=266391
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=321853
http://blog.wavosaur.com/4-free-dx7-vst-emulation-fm-synth-4-all/

The Motifs are good at what they do, but I still have a YS200 because the 4-operator 8-waveform 8-algorithm sounds I created on it don’t “translate” to my Motif XS or XF. You might just consider keeping your DX7.

Thank you for putting so much time in your answer to my question.

I have never considered getting rid of my old gear (except a stupid move 25 years ago with selling my Minimoog for a cheap price.  Drat!) so I’ll always have access to it.  I was just hoping for a simpler solution to have all of my sounds in one place.  I do understand what you mean of course by the sine wave algorithms since I understand my DX7 way more than the Motif at this point.  I guess I’ll just keep walking up the steep learning curve of the Motif and hope one day it will be a part of me.  Thanks again for your answer.  Why oh why did I sell my Minimoog 25 years ago for $350!  I’m still not over it.  And it was mint to boot!

One thing I do wish was that even though these forums are very cool and informative and there are some good videos on YouTube, I am old school and wish there was a 1000 page book I could buy on everything there is to know about the Motif XF but you were afraid to ask.  I work much better with having a book by my side.  I’m still sobbing over my Minimoog.  Oh heck with it.  The oscillators would never stay in tune anyway.  But I sure could get more for it these days than $350.  I guess I’m not over it.  Note to self, never sell old gear.

If you still have your DX7 then there is no point in trying to sample it into your Motif XF.
Yes in theory it is perfectly possible, but in reality, you will soon realize that you do not have enough memory in the XF to do it properly.

Sampling requires a lot of tedious work. First, you have to decide which notes of a sound you want to sample - every note across all 88 keys? And are you going to sample each note from where it starts to where it ends? You’ll be at 150MB at least in no time, and that’s just for one sound. Then there’s the matter of looping each sampled waveform so that it “constantly plays”, and then trimming the start and end points so there’s no dead space
at the beginning or end o the waveform.

Remember, the DX7 not only had no filters, but it used a form of synthesis that the Motif
does not have - FM. The way the operators interact in FM synthesis means that even if you did manage to sample a sound, it will never behave like the DX7…it will just be a static
“snapshot”. Many DX sounds are virtually impossible to duplicate in the XF. You need an
actual FM synth to do them - like Native Instruments FM8

People with no experience in sampling tend to think that it must be relatively easy to
sample their favorite synthesizers so they “end up” in the Motif. People who have done a lot of sampling will tell you it’s pointless to even start. Especially since you still have the synth you want to sample.

There is a Motif-format FM sounds library available from Easy Sounds for purchase and download, and it is really well-done. Available here.

Jim Shoe - 20 November 2014 02:32 AM

Thank you for putting so much time in your answer to my question.

You’re welcome.

I understand how you feel about the Minimoog, but of course if you never sold it, then it wouldn’t make any difference how much you could get for it.

I’ve got a Fender Chroma Polaris that I bought new, and has been in a box for the last 16 years. It’s really hard to play it considering where it is, so I’ll reconnect it “real soon"… sure I will.  ;-) I’ll probably never sell it, but in all honesty/reality I wonder if I’ll ever use it again.

 

Jim Shoe - 20 November 2014 02:41 AM

One thing I do wish was that even though these forums are very cool and informative and there are some good videos on YouTube, I am old school and wish there was a 1000 page book I could buy on everything there is to know about the Motif XF but you were afraid to ask.

I’m not aware of any 1000 page books about the Motif XF - but if you don’t already have them, there are certainly eBooks and DVDs available from the Motifator Shop that cover a lot of XS operation that’s applicable to the XF.
http://shop.motifator.com/index.php/downloadable-content/commanding-the-motif-ebook-vol-1-and-2-bundle.html
http://shop.motifator.com/index.php/dvds/motif-series-yamaha-dvds/full-motifation-special-for-motif-xs.html

I don’t have the eBooks, but I do have the DVDs and can recommend them (unless you already have a fairly deep knowledge of most aspects of XS/XF operation).