I have a dated Motif 6 with broken keys and I basically can’t use it as a workstation anymore, so I want to take all the songs I recorded on the sequencer and import them into Pro Tools 8 as MIDI tracks. Is this even possible?

Hi Goth Pop,

Welcome to Motifator,

Having never owned a Motif Classic, I can’t say for sure if it will allow you to export your sequencer data or how you’d do it if you can.

With other boards in the Motif range, it is certainly possible to export it as a Standard MIDI File, to a USB thumb drive for example. But, I’m not sure that the Motif Classic features the same architecture.

You can certainly import a Standard MIDI File into Pro Tools, though.  You’ll find an Import > MIDI function under the File menu.

You can even drag and drop a Standard MIDI File from your desktop on to a pre-created MIDI track as an alternative method.

Hope that helps and sorry it’s only half the info you need.

Yes, the Classic Motif can save format/type 0 SMFs to a SmartMedia memory card or USB flash drive. They’d be saved with file extension .MID.

5pinDIN - 27 February 2017 12:11 AM

Yes, the Classic Motif can save format/type 0 SMFs to a SmartMedia memory card or USB flash drive. They’d be saved with file extension .MID.

Thanks guys, I did the SMF save and while they imported into Pro Tools, just fine, the problem is that there was some sequencer data that didn’t make it over. The big one is mute automation. I used loops and arpegiattors on almost every track with mute automation. The imported tracks into Pro Tools play everything all at once. This would take forever to rewrite. Is there a way to get that over to Pro Tools?

I know it’s a big job to rewrite it in your MIDI file and it’s easy for me to say now.

An easy way around automating muting would be doing something like setting up a silent Voice that doesn’t do anything, and using a program change message to switch to it any time you want to mute, and then switch back from it when you want to unmute.

Pro Tools does have its own mute automation system on MIDI tracks, too.  You can also automate the fader very easily.

When you say that “Pro Tools plays everything all at once” do you mean that it lumps all the MIDi data on to one track?

If that is the case, and you have a back up copy of your sequence data saved.  Try exporting each track to a MIDI file of its own, by either temporality muting, turning off or deleting data for all other tracks apart from the one you wish to export at that time.  Rinse and repeat for each track.

Then import all the MIDI files to one Pro Tools session.

Although, I’m not sure that’s what you mean.