Hi Motif Community:) Thank you for your time!

I’d like to multitrack record all my pattern projects from my motif xs8 to logic pro x and then continue to work on them within logic pro x for better arrangement. But i have hard times to do so, as i’am not familiar with the new version of logic: logic pro x, and the articles about this topic are all about older logic versions…
I am using
-->macOS Mojave V10.14.6
-->Logic Pro X 10.4.7
-->Motif XS 8
-->Yamaha Steinberg FW
-->Mlan

I have problems to understand the setup of
- Midi communication via mlan (Audio-Midi-Setup; Midi-Studio) ?
- Sync Mode ?
- Transmit Midi Clock (MTC/MMC) ?
- Logic Remote and Logic Control ?
- Auto Demix by Channel ?
- Midi Environment - Click & Ports Setting
- appropriate internal Motif Settings

,so i can easily transfer the tracks simultaneously from my patterns to logic x.
If someone could help me with that, I would be so thankful:) Thx in advance.
Barry

Hi Barry

Before we start (it won’t be that difficult...): Do you manage to record one single track (e.g. in Voice Mode) from your Motif XS to Logic Pro X and then play it back so you hear it with the sound of your Motif? If yes I don’t have to explain that part and can directly address the issue of the pattern.

Kind regards, Hobbit

Hi Hobbit, thank you so much for helping me with this - you are amazing:D

Yes I manage to record one single track from my motif to logic.

In order to better show my situation i did some screenshots, maybe that helps:)

Here we go:

Mac:
1) Yamaha Steinberg FX Driver
2) Audio Devices - FW Output
3) Audio Devices - FW Input
4) Midi Studio
5) ‘XS8 Mlan’ Properties
6) ‘YSFW’ Properties

Motif XS8:
7) Autoload Setup
8) Remote Setting
9) Local Control/Interface/Sync
10) Monitor Setup
11) Sequencer Setup

Logic Pro X:
12) Audio Preferences
13) Recording Preferences
14) Recording Project Settings
15) Midi Sync Preferences
16) Track 1 Midi 1 Motif XS8 Main
17) Open Midi Environment
18) Control Surface Setup

I put all the screenshots in this dropbox:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/affn46kygevayvc/AAAuOB7Jcz9IILjWnndLov09a?dl=0

Thx a lot dear Hobbit!! I’am looking forward to hearing from you:)
Cheers, Barry

Thank you for all the screenshots. I’ll try to explain in words only at first. If we don’t succeed I’ll use screenshots too. So try the following steps:

On MOTIF:
(1) Utility > Control > MIDI > set “MIDI Sync” to “MIDI” (instead of “internal");
(2) Pattern Mode > select your Pattern > select F5 ("Chain") if your pattern consists of more than one section (= A, B, C and so on).

In LOGIC:
(3) File > Project Settings > Synchronization > MIDI > select “MOTIF XS8 Main” in the first line under “Destination” and check the box “Clock” in the corresponding line;
(4) Set the tempo to the desired value (= the original tempo of the pattern).

If you hit the “Play” button on LOGIC now, your pattern on the MOTIF XS8 should start to play.

In LOGIC:
(5) Select a MIDI track (Software Instrument Track or External MIDI Track);
(6) Hit the “Record” button on LOGIC, your pattern will be recorded on the MIDI track you selected in step 5 (everything in one region only); stop the recording when the pattern is over;
(7) Right mouse click on the region > MIDI > Separate by MIDI channel;
(8) For each region that was created: look up its MIDI channel in the Event Editor and move the region to the External MIDI Track which is assigned to that same channel of MOTIF XS8.

That’s it. Let me know if this works for you (I just did the same thing step by step and it worked...).

Regards, Hobbit

Thank you dear Hobbit so much!!!
Yes why not Screenshots can be very useful:) new link https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3cf7iclb058g1zg/AAA3jv4fkGHaUJOwNDj867XBa?dl=0

I managed now to transfer the midi data in one external midi track and then separate them by midi channels as described by you :)thank you so much!!! ---> dropbox pic 1
By Pressing ‘Play in Logic’ the sound came doubled i guess and some of the instruments in the motif pattern changed - they went crazy…
Only as I changed the motifs sync option ‘midi’ back to ‘internal’ and entered an empty pattern trace in the motifs pattern the song could be played correctly by pressing play in Logic..

I’am afraid that this whole concept is not crystal clear for me, that’s why i hope you allow me to ask you a few more questions dear Hobbit:

1) Could you describe me step by step how you work with motif pattern mode and logic before and after transferring the music via mlan to logic? plus how you get the midi to audio afterwards and how you proceed if you want to record new phrases but now directly to logic..?
which is/hou did you put your favorite logic template settings to achieve all that the most convenient way together?
2) I’am a bit confused as I tried my first mlan steps with this Tutorial pdf from motifator… never succeed tho.. what’s the difference? they also talk about the transfer of midi and audio data at the same time...? ---> dropbox folder 1
3) do you use motif editor? and how i set the output select? (don’t get it really, if Output m1, m2 or m1&2;or l/r etc… - I thought it’s enough to set midi channels appropriately in logic..? you see I’m confused, mixing all up...) --->dropbox pic 2
4) What means real time bouncing in Logic concerning our topic..? -->dropbox pic 3
5) The sync-Midi Properties in Logic: Why not checking the MTC and MMC as in the above tutorial?--> dropbox pic 4
6) Sync Properties Motif: is it correct to have ‘Clock Out’ on and ‘Sequencer Control’ in/out?--->dropbox pic 5
7) Monitor Setup: with PC or with PC Direct Monitoring
8) What is about Logic Control - Motifs Remote Mode, when you use it?
9) Is it not necessary to set up the Midi environment in Logic?

Thank you hobbit!!!
Best,
Barry

Whoa, that’s a bunch of new questions…

First I’m glad to read that you managed to record your pattern to LOGIC.

By Pressing ‘Play in Logic’ the sound came doubled i guess and some of the instruments in the motif pattern changed - they went crazy…

Yes, you’re right, sorry that I forgot to mention. Once you have accomplished the recording you have to “cut” the sync connection (if you don’t, LOGIC continues to trigger the sequencer in the MOTIF and sends all the notes at the same time...). You can do that in MOTIF by undoing step (1) or in LOGIC by undoing step (3) of my “instruction”. As for the sounds you need to uncheck the “program” box for every External MIDI Track in LOGIC so that it doesn’t send program changes that don’t correspond to the sounds of the pattern (or you choose the correct program changes which can be worth it for later operations).

As for your other questions (as far as I understand the question an know the answer...):
(1) Personally I don’t work with pattern mode very often and therefore don’t have a dedicated template for that. As for the “Could you describe me step by step...”: Isn’t this what we just talked about so far? “How you get the MIDI to audio”: That’s the good thing about the FW connection (also see question 2). You can transfer MIDI from LOGIC to MOTIF and record MOTIF’s sound back into LOGIC at the same time. First, set Logic Pro X > Preferences > Audio > Devices > Input Device to “Yamaha Steinberg FW”. Activate an audio track in LOGIC and hit “Record” instead of “Play”. Now you should be able to record the audio of MOTIF in LOGIC. “How you proceed if you want to record new phrases but now directly to logic”: played how? record as MIDI or audio?
(2) “what’s the difference?”: between what and what?
(3) I don’t use Yamaha’s MOTIF editor so I’m not familiar with (I use John Melas’ great XS/XF Tools).
(4) The External Instrument is a feature in order to use your MOTIF like a Software Instrument. On a Software Instrument Track, select as Instrument “Utility > External Instrument > Stereo”. Set MIDI Destination to “MOTIF XS 8 Main”, Input to “1-2” (assuming you didn’t change the output settings in MOTIF so far) and select the MIDI channel of the part you want to address in MOTIF. Any MIDI recorded on that track will now be sent to MOTIF and it’s sound will be sent back to this LOGIC track where you have the option to insert audio plugins, send effects and so on.
(5) I’m not very familiar with MTC or MMC but as far as the MIDI clock works I don’t mind…
(6) “Clock Out” is needed when MOTIF is the MIDI master and another device is the slave; “Sequencer Control” must be set to “in” or “in/out” in order to receive signals like “Start”, “Continue”, “Stop” and “Song Position Pointer” from LOGIC.
(7) Mine is set to “standalone” but I never cared about that parameter…
(8) In MOTIF Remote Mode you can start, stop and somehow control LOGIC from MOTIF. I don’t use it.
(9) The MIDI environment doesn’t need to be set up but can be very practical. I attach a LOGIC song with the MOTF XS environment where you find multi-instruments for VOICE, DRUM VOICE and PERFORMANCE Mode. It contains all the names of the preset sounds and the corresponding bank and program change commands.

Kind regards, Hobbit

Logic_MOTIFXSPatch.lso.zip  (File Size: 55KB - Downloads: 815)