Yamaha MOTIF XS6, MOTIF XS7, MOTIF XS8

MOTIF XS Owner’s Manual 33

Start Guide

Step 4: Creating Your Original Song

Now that you’ve learned some of the basic features of the MOTIF XS—including how to select Voices and Performances,

play with the Arpeggios, and record your playing and Arpeggio playback to a Song or Pattern—you’re ready to create your

own original Song.

The MOTIF XS features a built-in multitrack sequencer for recording your keyboard performance as MIDI data. This function

by itself is enough to create full, complex multi-instrument arrangements and complete Songs. However, the MOTIF XS (with

optional DIMMs installed) allows you to also record and edit audio tracks—such as vocal and guitar parts.

Terminology

Song

Songs and Patterns are MIDI sequence data consisting of

up to 16 tracks. A Song on this synthesizer is effectively the

same as a Song on a MIDI sequencer, and playback

automatically stops at the end of the recorded data.

Track

This is a memory location on the sequencer where your

musical performances (made up of MIDI events) are

stored. The MOTIF XS provides 16 tracks, which

correspond to the 16 Parts of the Mixing.

Mixing

This is a program in which multiple Voices are assigned to

Parts for multi-timbral play in the Song and Pattern modes.

Each Mixing can contain up to 16 parts and a separate

Mixing can be created for each Song.

nFor more information about the Song structure including the

Track and Mixing, see page 59.

Realtime Recording

With realtime recording, the instrument functions in the

same way as a MD recorder, recording the performance

data as it is played. This allows you to capture all the

nuances of an actual performance. Realtime Record

features three available methods: Replace, Overdub and

Punch In/Out. Replace lets you overwrite an already

recorded track with new data. Overdub lets you add more

data to a track that already contains data. Punch In/Out lets

you re-record only over a speciﬁc area of the track.

Song Playback

Before you learn how to create a Song, you should know

something about the mute/solo functions and how to use

the sliders during Song playback. Call up a Demo Song

(page 21) then try out the following operations while

playing back the Demo Song.

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Track mute

You can mute a speciﬁc track or tracks of the Song.

1Press the [MUTE] button so that its lamp

lights.

The lamps of the Number buttons light.

2Press any of the Number buttons [1] – [16] so

that its lamp will be turned off and the

corresponding track will be muted.

Multiple tracks can be muted simultaneously.

3Press the button which is turned off so that its

lamp lights and the corresponding track will be

sounded.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Track solo

You can solo a speciﬁc track of the Song.

Press the [SOLO] button so that its lamp lights.

2Press any of the number buttons [1] – [16] so

that its lamp ﬂashes to solo the corresponding

track.

Press another number button to change the soloed

track.

3Press the [TRACK] or [MUTE] button to return

to the original status.

PART SELECT ARP ON/OFF

PART MUTE ARP HOLD

PERFORMANCE

CONTROL

123456 87

910111213141516

TRACK

MUTE SOLO

Number buttons [1] – [16] [MUTE] button