Part Two: Motif XF Firewire Monitor Setup

The Firewire MONITOR SETUP The key word here is “AUDIO”

The FW (Firewire) MONITOR SETUP parameter is designed so that you can determine where (at what point in the signal path) you are monitoring (listening) to the audio. Remember, in certain setups the Motif XF is acting as a computer soundcard. This is when you have your monitor speakers connected directly to the audio outputs of the Motif XF. There are times when you want to hear the Motif XF directly. There will be times when you want to hear what is coming back from Cubase. There are times when you’ll want to hear a little bit of both! The FW MONITOR SETUP has to do with routing audio to your sound system when you are using firewire.

There are three basic settings:
“Standalone” – this one is easy. It is used when you are using the Motif XF by itself or at anytime you wish to send the audio output of the XF exclusively and directly to the main L and R analog outputs. This is the default setting. Significantly, it allows audio from the Motif XF tone generator to go directly to the main L and R analog outputs. You will use this when playing the Motif XF normally.

“With PC” – this setting is used when you are using the Motif XF with a computer sequencer (DAW) and you need to monitor audio played back from that DAW (Cubase). (Remember you can never hear MIDI – MIDI makes no sound by itself – it triggers a tone engine and that produces the audio. You can only monitor audio.) Here is why this particular setting exists: When you are using, for example, the Motif XF Editor VST, you setup routing so that MIDI data from your Cubase tracks travels via firewire to the XF tone engine, the tone engine generates audio… That audio can, and normally does, go directly to the main L and R analog outputs. But there are instances when you want to “return” the audio signal to Cubase, first, instead. This is when the Cubase VST “audio lane” (the VST audio channel) comes into play. We know that this is where you can hear exactly what your audio data is going to sound like when you finally commit to it and actually render an AUDIO TRACK.

But if this audio is going both places, are not we going to hear doubling? You bet. The audio that normally goes directly to the analog outputs will do so and be heard first, and a few milliseconds later you will hear the audio signal that is “returned” to the Cubase (audio lane) and is then routed back via firewire to the main L and R analog outputs. The number of milliseconds late (delay) will be determined by your buffer setting and is your system’s latency. You simply hear doubling.

So when you want to hear exactly what is going to be printed to Cubase, you must defeat the direct signal. How do we do this? You select the FW MONITOR SETUP = “with PC”. What this does actually is turn OFF the audio path that sends the Motif XF tone engine directly to the analog outputs. Now signal is returned to Cubase via Firewire arrives in the audio lane (VST audio Channel) and is then routed back to the XF main L and R analog outputs.

Therefore you can see why this is an audio equivalent to MIDI’s Local Control. Local Control requires that you have an active Cubase track to echo (or Thru) the signal back to the tone engine so that you can hear the sound. Here, the FW MONITOR SETUP = “with PC” you must have an active audio lane (VST audio channel) in order for the XF to be heard through it.

I will mention this here: if ever you turn your Motif XF ON, and you are not hearing sound, one of the things you want to add to your troubleshooting checklist is this FW MONITOR SETUP parameter. Imagine you are not connected to a computer of any kind, and you are getting no sound from the Motif XF. You remember to check Local Control (because you know that this disconnects the key presses from triggering the internal tone engine). But remember also to check the FW Monitor Setup parameter because this disconnects the XF tone engine’s audio from going directly to the analog outputs. If set to “with PC” and no PC is present, you get no audio output via the analog outputs. Simply set the parameter back to “Stand alone” when you are not in a recording session. Just FYI.

“With PC (Direct Monitor)” – this is the same as “with PC” with one important difference. You would use this option when you are actually in a situation where you are playing/recording the Motif XF audio “live” (or recording vocals or guitar with the XF’s A/D Input) and need to hear what you are doing with no delay. Even the few milliseconds of latency that you get with the “With PC” option is not going to be tolerated when you want to overdub. The “with PC (Direct Monitor)” function allows you to play along with tracks in Cubase and your playing will be immediately heard. There is “zero” latency because you are listening to the Motif XF key presses triggering the XF tone engine and that signal, which you will be routing via the assignable FW output buses, is going to be monitored at the main L and R output. Since you are playing along with tracks in Cubase – you are in sync with what you hear. This setting allows the assignable FW outputs you are sending to Cubase to heard immediately, and yet those coming from the DAW (Cubase) can also be heard.

This is used when you are overdubbing “live” material to pre-recorded material. You hear yourself direct and you hear the DAW audio tracks. This works because you can turn the monitor function within the DAW OFF to prevent doubling of signals.

Summary: “with PC” you wish to hear audio post (after) it travels through Cubase; audio, be it audio tracks, audio lanes, etc.
“with PC (direct monitor)” you wish to hear audio “live” as you are sending it to Cubase; you can monitor yourself live and hear audio from the DAW.

Part Three: The Quick Sequencer Setups