The Monitor Switch Setup MOX6/MOX8

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

The MONITOR SWITCH is designed so that you can determine where (at what point in the signal path) you are monitoring (listening) to the audio and what is routed where. Remember, in certain setups the MOX6/MOX8 is acting as a computer soundcard. This is when you have your monitor speakers connected directly to the audio outputs of the MOX. Nothing additional is needed to get audio into and back out of your computer.

There are going to be times when you want to hear the audio being generated by or that is coming through the MOX directly. There will be times when you want to hear the audio that is coming back from/through Cubase. There are times when you’ll want to hear a little bit of both! The MONITOR parameters have to do with routing audio to your sound system when you are using the USB function. There are several templates that will help you (once you understand their purpose). But nothing substitutes for *knowing* what is happening so that you can creatively use the routing to your advantage. 

Like any recording studio, there is no one way for engineers to proceed. Often you read articles where you find that some new method of accomplishing a task was come up with for the particular session. This is because, when dealing with music and musical creativity, you can count on each session may present a different set of challenges. Knowing where you want to MONITOR the signal and where you can MUTE the signal to avoid latency and where you can avoid “doubling"… that knowledge comes from understanding the signal flow.  Fear not while you are mastering routing, the provided templates will help you get used to the basics of signal routing.

There are several basic scenarios:
Using the MOX alone without computer – the Monitor Switch would be ON. This one is easy. It is used when you are using the MOX by itself or at anytime you wish to send the audio output of the MOX exclusively and directly to the main L and R analog outputs. You want to have the A/D and the PARTS going to the outputs. Significantly, it allows audio from the MOX tone generator to go directly the main L and R analog outputs. You will use this when playing the MOX normally. 

Using the MOX With a Computer – Here you will want to have the option of selecting your Monitor position. The Monitor Switch is used to determine when signal travels to your speakers. When you are using the MOX with a computer sequencer (DAW like Cubase) you may need to monitor audio played back from that DAW, you may well opt to break the direct Monitor connection.. (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.) 

When you are using, for example, the MOX6/MOX8 Editor VST, you setup routing so that MIDI data from your Cubase tracks travels via USB to the MOX 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 USB to the main L and R analog outputs. The number of milliseconds late (delay) will be determined by your buffer setting and is your systems latency. You simply hear doubling.
Note: Doubling of the audio signal, as mentioned here, is a bad, bad thing. It means instead of having a clear and focused picture of our audio, you are badly out-of-focus and need to correct it! This is not a good type of doubling of signal.

So when you want to hear exactly what is going to be printed to Cubase, you must defeat the direct signal feed (because it does not include any changes you made to the signal inside Cubase) - you want to hear (monitor) the signal post Cubase. How do we do this? One way is to set the switches manually - but what Yamaha has done is create a couple of templates that make the settings for you. Simply select the most appropriate template for what you wish to accomplish.

You can select the QUICK SETUP designed for working with a DAW (‘DAW REC’). What this does actually is turn OFF the audio path that sends the MOX tone engine directly to the analog outputs (thus avoiding doubling). Now signal is returned to Cubase via USB instead, where it arrives in the audio lane (VST audio Channel) and is then, finally, routed back to the MOX (audio interface) 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 MONITOR switches determine what outputs are active, and sent to an active audio lane (VST audio channel) for the MOX to be heard through it.

I will mention this here: if ever you power ON your MOX, and you are not hearing sound, one of the things you want to add to your troubleshooting checklist is this MONITOR switch  parameter. Imagine you are not connected to a computer of any kind, and you are getting no sound from the MOX. 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 Monitor Switch parameter because this connects/disconnects the MOX tone engine’s audio from going directly to the analog outputs. If set to OFF and no Computer is present, you get no audio output via the analog outputs. Just FYI.

Understanding: Direct Monitor Switch – This parameter option exists to address the situation when you are actually playing/recording the MOX audio “live” (or recording vocals or guitar with the MOX A/D Input) and need to hear what you are doing with no delay. Even the few milliseconds of latency that you get when routing through the computer is not going to be tolerated when you want to “overdub” in time with your music. The 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 MOX key presses triggering the MOX tone engine and that signal, which you will be routing via the USB 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 signal 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 can hear the DAW audio tracks (to which you are playing along). This works because you can turn the monitor function within the DAW OFF to prevent doubling of signals. (...More on this when we get to examples using Cubase).

What the parameters mean:
_ By default, the AD (analog-to-digital) Input PART is always fixed to the first stereo pair of audio outputs (USB1/2). The parameter named “A/D In & Part” is named this because, although the AD INPUT is always assigned to USB1/2, you have an option of selecting any internal synth PART to be routed to USB1/2, if ever and whenever necessary.
_ By default, the internal MOX Synth PARTS are routed to the second pair of audio outputs (USB3/4). But as mentioned above, you can if you wish re-route any internal PART to USB1/2. This arrangement means you can isolate your synth from your vocals, and if necessary, you can isloate any synth Part on its own. You can configure what Part goes to which of the outputs (but the AD is always going to 1/2).

DirectMonitorSw: ”A/D In&Part” (Direct Monitor Switch A/D Input & Part)
The Direct Monitor Switch determines whether or not the audio signal which is output to the external device via the “USB 1/2” channels also sounds from this instrument (Direct Monitoring). When the Direct Monitor Switch is set to “on,” the audio signal which is output via the “USB 1/2” channels is also output to the OUTPUT [L/MONO]/[R] jacks and [PHONES] jack. The audio signal output to “USB 1/2” channels varies depending on the “Mode” setting. When “Mode” is set to “VST,” “DirectMonitorSw A/D In” is indicated in this parameter.

DirectMonitorSw: ”Part” (Direct Monitor Switch Part)
This parameter is shown only when “Mode” is set to “VST” or “2StereoRec.” Determines whether or not the audio signal which is output to the external device via the “USB 3/4” channels also sounds from this instrument (Direct Monitoring). When this is set to “on,” the audio signal which is output via the “USB 3/4” channels is also output to the OUTPUT [L/MONO]/[R] jacks and [PHONES] jack.

Summary of the USB Record Modes:

USB I/O = VST
The audio signal from A/D INPUT [L]/[R] jacks is output to the “USB 1/2” channels of the USB TO [HOST] jack.
Also, the audio signal from the tone generator is output to the “USB 3/4” channels of the USB TO [HOST] jack.
This mode is for using the dual stereo channels (4 channels) as the output channels. When using the MOX6/MOX8 Editor VST, set this parameter to “VST.”

Above: USB Inout/Output mode is set to the “VST” setting.

USB I/O = 2 Stereo Record (Dual Stereo Record = 4 channel)
The audio signal from A/D INPUT [L]/[R] jacks is output to the “USB 1/2” channels of the USB TO [HOST] jack.
Also, the audio signal from the tone generator is output to the “USB 1/2” channels or the “USB 3/4” channels of the USB TO [HOST] jack. The output channels for the audio signal from the A/D INPUT [L]/[R] is fixed, but the output channels for audio signal from the tone generator can be selected for each part. The output channel for each part is selected in “USB OUTPUT SELECT” of Performance Common Edit or Mixing Common Edit.

Above: USB Input/Output mode is set to the “2 Stereo Record” (dual stereo outputs) setting.

USB I/O = 1 Stereo Record (Stereo Record = 2 channel)
The audio signal from the A/D INPUT [L]/[R] jacks and the tone generator are output together to the “USB 1/2” channels of the USB TO [HOST] jack. This mode is for using the “1 Stereo Rec” (2 channels) as output channels.

Above: USB Input/Output mode is set to the “1 Stereo Record” setting.