Tweak of the Week: SEQUENCING with External Modules

In order to record to the Motif XS sequencer you want to select Sequencer Quick Setup #1:

· Press [SONG] or [PATTERN] mode to enter the sequencer (whichever you prefer).
· Press [SEQ SETUP]
· Press [F3] QUICK
· Select SETUP NUMBER 1 “Using internal sequencer”
· Press [ENTER]

This is the default setup. It sets the Local Control to ON. This is a requirement when recording to the internal sequencer from the XS key bed. You can customize the individual setting where necessary.

If you want an internal Motif XS sound to play on a particular MIDI channel this can be set per PART in the XS’s MIXING EDIT - PART area (discussed below).

It is also a requirement to have the TRACK INT SWITCH checked (ON) when recording to the internal sequencer. If the INT SWITCH is not checked MIDI events will not be recorded to the Motif XS sequencer.

If you do not want a particular track to transmit OUT via MIDI this can also be set on a per track basis by unchecking the EXT SWITCH (shown below) on an individual track-by-track basis. Here’s how:

From the main SONG/PATTERN screen press [F3] TRACK > [SF1] OUT; you will see five columns:

Tr – Track, if a 5-pin MIDI jack icon appears in yellow this indicates data MIDI data is recorded to that track. If it is grey the track is empty. (If a blue wave icon appears it will indicate that a USER sample Voice, bank 63/60, is being triggered by that track).
Voice – The internal Motif XS sound set to receive the Track data is shown.
TxCh – Transmit Channel is the current MIDI channel that the track is set to transmit.
Int – Internal indicates the data on this track is going to be routed internally to the Motif XS Sequencer and on to any Voice set to receive the selected MIDI channel.
Ext – External indicates the data is going to be routed externally OUT via MIDI on the MIDI channel indicated in the TxCh column.

In a situation where you want an external device to play a track and not have the internal XS engine respond, you cannot simply uncheck the INT SWITCH (the INT SWITCH is necessary for key presses to be recorded to the internal sequencer. But what if you do not want the Internal tone engine to sound?

There are actually two steps you must take to prevent the Motif XS tone engine from responding to track data:

1) Use the MIXING MUTE to temporarily silence the internal PART (during record)
2) Set the PART’S MIDI RECEIVE Channel to OFF. This will permanently silence the internal PART (after record)

MIXING MUTE METHOD:
There are two levels of MUTE in the Motif XS sequencer. One is called TRACK MUTE and the other MIXING MUTE. It is like having two separate products: a sequencer with its own mutes and a tone generator with its own mutes. If you are in SONG or PATTERN mode (LED lights green) the MUTE button will allow you to temporarily stop a sequencer track from transmitting data. Neither the internal tone engine nor the external device will receive any MIDI data. However, if you are in SONG mode or PATTERN mode and additionally press the [MIXING] button (LED lights) you are now working with the internal tone generator of the Motif XS. Now the Track Select MUTE buttons will prevent temporarily the internal tone engine from sounding (the internal tone engine will not receive the track data). We say ‘temporarily’ because this status cannot be stored.

RECEIVE CHANNEL OFF METHOD:
If you have determined that you want a track to be routed OUT via MIDI, only, and do not want the Motif XS to respond to that track’s data, you can simply reassign the MIDI receive channel of that PART to another MIDI channel. (This will layer it with another internal sound). Or you can turn it OFF. From [MIXING] mode:

· Press [EDIT]
· Touch the Track Select button [1]-[16] of the PART you wish to permanently remove from the MIX
· Press [F1] VOICE > [SF1] VOICE. Set RECEIVE Channel = OFF

We call this ‘permanent’ because this status will be stored with your Sequencer and Mix information. In the screen shot, above, the Receive Channel is shown set a MIDI channel 1 – Highlight it with the cursor and use the Data Wheel or the [INC/YES] button to set the Receive Channel OFF.

Do this for each of the PARTS 1-16 that you do not want to sound internally. When you have assigned all your PARTS appropriately press [STORE] to make the changes to your MIX permanent.

When you return to the main SONG PLAY or PATTERN PLAY “Track View” screen you will see that the listing for the internal VOICE for that track has been replaced with a blank (shown below) area in the VOICE column, indicating the OFF status:

In the screen shot, above, PARTS 1, 7 and 11 have been set to Receive Channel OFF, these Tracks will only transmit OUT via MIDI. No internal PART is set to receive data from those. No polyphony will be used in the Motif XS. And this will be the information stored and saved to your FILE.

NOTE: For those of you who were former Motif ES owners, the implementation of the INTERNAL and EXTERNAL SWITCH functions are slightly different in the Motif XS. This is due to the direct PERFORMANCE RECORD feature. The INT SWITCH must remain ON (checked) for the keyboard data to be recorded to the internal sequencer.

Download this article as a PDF:
TOTW_INT_EXT.pdf