My S90 ES suddenly “locked” on playing only a single voice - harpsichord - regardless of what track & patch I created.  I have the S90 ES connected via USB into a Windows VISTA 32 machine, running Sonar X1 Producer (which I use to control the S90), and audio outputs from the S90 into an old Layla 24 midi/audio interface.  All drivers & updates are up to date & all cables & connections have been double-checked.

I had been doing well, fully being able to build multiple tracks in Sonar, each with a different S90 patch/voice (up to 5-10 instruments/tracks, typically). 

PROBLEM: One day last week, each time I tried to create a new track & select a new S90 instrument, only the last patch I had used (GM-harpsichord) would sound (when the new Sonar track was set to, let’s say, grand piano).  This is with only the new track armed for recording with echo on (i.e., the previous harpsichord track is fully off; this even happens if I MUTE the old harpsichord track).  The MIDI data is correctly recorded in the Sonar track - although while recording it I’m hearing the wrong voice from the S90 - harpsichord.  What’s further wierd, is that when I then play back the track - I hear the correct patch - grand piano!  This isn’t resolved by a PC reboot, or going back to factory settings in the S90.

After spending over an hour on the phone with Sonar support—the (very nice) tech told me it’s a configuration problem with the S90 - and he couldn’t help me further at all!

Any ideas?  Thanks --David

First, welcome to the forums. We can see that this is most likely a configuration issue with your S90 ES. When recording with with an external software DAW you want to make certain MIDI settings to accommodate this function. We can also tell you are not really familiar with the various modes of your S90 ES and this has much to do with the problem.

Forgive us for this but, I help, literally, hundreds of users a year and what I’ve discovered helps is gaining a working knowledge of the terminology (correct terminology)… It can make understanding things better. Many people conclude that the Manual is no good, simply because they don’t understand some one thing initially so they never go back. That usually is a wrong or at least a premature conclusion. The manual is consistent in its terminology and becomes a better and better resource as you go along.

First there is no “patch”, the term is “VOICE"… you place a VOICE in a PART of the MULTI.. so from reading our post we are not even sure you are in the correct mode when you are attempting to work with your DAW, (MULTI) but we can probably guess since you make no mention of it, that you definitely do not have you MIDI transmit/receive setting aligned properly for what you are doing.

Is LOCAL CONTROL set to OFF?
Are you in MULTI mode?

For example, if Local Control is ON while attempting to record to an external DAW you will hear the internal sound and whatever sound is set to the same MIDI channel as the Track set to Record. You want to defeat the direct or local connection between the Keys and the Tone Generator.

Turn Local Control = OFF
Now your key presses and controller movements are transmitted OUT to the DAW, where you determine what tone engine and what MIDI channel will respond. That is where you need to start your troubleshooting.

Hope that helps… Let us know.

Bad_Mister:  Thanks first for moderating this forum and second for such a quick response!  I should have explained that, yes, this is occurring in MULTI & UTILITY modes on the S90, with USB selected and LOCAL CONTROL = OFF.  These are basic functions that I have understood from the S90 manual, which I’ve used without problems.  Otherwise, as I wrote, I would not have been successful recording multi-track, multi-instrument compositions for the past many moons.  This is a new problem. 

By the way, I use the term “patch” because that is the parameter in my sequencer (Sonar) that I have to use to select the S90’s “Voice” (they’re synonyms).

So, I suspect that my problem is a bit more complex...and still unsolved.

What next? —Thanks, David

Sorry, we do not know SONAR (haven’t used it since Sonar 2.2)

Please describe a simple Track setup:
What is the MIDI IN?
What is the MIDI OUT?
What is the MIDI Channel setting?

Can you provide screenshots… do it as if you were explaining this to someone that does not know Sonar (I be the test case dummy here).

With LOCAL CONTROL OFF in your S90 ES, you are sending Key presses and Controller data OUT via MIDI to SONAR. The SONAR MIDI Track that is set to receive this data will ECHO that data back to the S90 ES on the PORT and MIDI channel you have set for this particular Track. (we are sure you know this) but in troubleshooting we need to follow the routing.

Please tell us about “patch” being synonymous - what are you using this function in Sonar to do, does it select sounds in the S90 ES perhaps it is sending a wrong command. What Voice (specifically) is recalled instead of what you want…

Does your file have a GM RESET command in the track data, that might be responsible for switching the Banks of the S90 ES?

Can you provide some screen shots of your Track screen