Hey guys, I have a new MOTIF XF with a 1GB Flashboard & a MOX6, and am desperately trying to understand how Yamaha patch memory works. I have owned pro keyboards from all major manufacturers but I have to say, Yamaha MOTIF seems the most confusing to me. I usually create my own sounds for my use in my covers band but I’m having a bear of a time with the MOTIF. I did purchase John Melas’ Editor Librarian & Wave Editor software but I really need to understand File operations in the MOTIF before I go overwriting stuff haphazardly.

The PRE voice patches are all ROM, I get that, but what about the USR patches, these look like whole new patches that are not the same as the PRE?

With other keyboards I own, usually the User patches are just identical copies of the ones in ROM that you can change, but it looks like the MOTIF has all new sounds that are really different to the ones in ROM.

I ask because I’m trying to create sounds for my band song list and want to save them in the MOTIF but I’m not sure where I should save them and I don’t want to overwrite any unique sounds. Is there a blank area in the USR section where I can create patches?

I’m also having difficulty understanding the elements in the FILE operations menu.

I’ve poured through the User and Reference manuals but these leave me just as confused. Any pointers in “plain English” would really be appreciated.

Thanks folks :)

In the XF, VOICE USER BANK 1 houses new, unique VOICES that are not found elsewhere in the keyboard.

VOICE USER BANKS 2 through 4 contain VOICES that are merely duplicates of VOICES found in other locations.  Those are the slots you would most likely want to begin putting your custom VOICES in.

cmayhle - 21 May 2015 06:46 PM

In the XF, VOICE USER BANK 1 houses new, unique VOICES that are not found elsewhere in the keyboard.

VOICE USER BANKS 2 through 4 contain VOICES that are merely duplicates of VOICES found in other locations.  Those are the slots you would most likely want to begin putting your custom VOICES in.

Awesome!! Thanks for the fast response :)

Ok so I spent a few hours with it yesterday and with the help of Youtube, I managed to crack the mystery of voice editing. Huge props also to John Melas’ Wave Editor, because I was able to make my own samples & synth patch for Uptown Funk into the MOTIF USR area. The Melas software is definitely a worthy investment.

Sounds like you’re a quick study pmoody.  Glad to have you in the forum.  You also made the leap to Melas quickly.... Smart move IMHO

Thanks for the encouragement richie, the fast learning curve is really out of desperation because my band is putting on a brand new show and I have to program the new setlist into the MOTIF within the next 3 weeks in time for rehearsals.