Owner`s manual

ManualsBrandsYamaha ManualsThe input devicesPLG100-XG

POWER USER

Motif and the Modular Synthesis Plug-in System

PLG100-XG

Multi-timbral Synthesizer

Plug-in Board

A Getting Started Guide

Phil Clendeninn

Digital Products Support Group

©Yamaha Corporation of America

NOTE: The PLG100-XG is a multi-part board

meaning it does not have a Voice mode, nor can

the XG sounds be used in a Motif Performance

but it is accessed via the SONG/PATTERN

MIXING screen. This is different from the PLG150

Series, single part boards that can be accessed

via Voice and Performance modes in addition to

being able to be used in a SONG or PATTERN.

The Motif has a “pseudo” (many consider better

than) General MIDI set of Voices, because of this

you will need to determine if you need a PLG100-

XG board. It can be used to inexpensively

increase the multi-timbral capabilities of the

Motif when you are going to be using an external

sequencer (with more than 16 tracks) and the

multi-port USB(MIDI) interface. This interface

will allow you to address the Motif internal

sounds on one port and the XG board on a

separate MIDI port all inside the USB (universal

serial bus) connector.

Summary of content (9 pages)

PAGE 1
y POWER USER Motif and the Modular Synthesis Plug-in System PLG100-XG Multi-timbral Synthesizer Plug-in Board A Getting Started Guide Phil Clendeninn Digital Products Support Group ©Yamaha Corporation of America NOTE: The PLG100-XG is a multi-part board meaning it does not have a Voice mode, nor can the XG sounds be used in a Motif Performance but it is accessed via the SONG/PATTERN MIXING screen.
PAGE 2
change, control change and system exclusive messages. The Motif is not an XG device and will ignore some XG specific messages. The Motif ‘multi setups, of course, can be saved in a MIX. A Mix is associated with each Song or Pattern you create in the Motif. So do you need the XG board with a Motif? You can already playback and revoice GM files with relative ease with the sounds provided by the Motif GM bank. PLG100-XG: XG/GM Multi Board The PLG100-XG is a 16-part multitimbral synthesizer on a board.
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• • • • • • 16 MIDI channels in a basic MIDI ‘system’. You have access to your Motif VOICES in a multitimbral setup (Song MIXING, or Pattern MIXING) via what are called PARTS. AWM2 sounds from [PRE1], [PRE2], [PRE3], [USER] and [GM] occupy Part01 through Part16.2 This system of assigning Voices to Parts may seem a bit mysterious, at first. But a quick look at the advantage that it gives will make this clear. A Part has settings that can be stored locally, i.e.
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Sustain cc64 FS (cc assignable) An added advantage is that you can substitute a new Voice without disturbing the PART parameters. But the main advantage is that when you are tweaking a Voice to fit your music you can, to a great extent, do all the editing right within the Song or Pattern you are using. The Motif offers the user an incredible number of potential storage locations for your Song Voices and Pattern Voices. Each Song and each Pattern has 16 Parts and there are 64 Song and 64 Patterns.
PAGE 5
ECHO, ECHO BACK, THRU or sometimes SOFT THRU. With the XGworks software you “arm” a track by clicking on the RECORD box for the channel you which to communicate with. In a column labeled “R” you can select a track by simply placing a red R in the box. Each track of your sequencer can be routed, individually to either PORT 1 which will communicate with an internal Motif PART 116 or to PORT 2 which will communicate with a part on the PLG100-XG 17-32.
PAGE 6
sliders and various views to your data. You can go to the WINDOW pulldown and select to view both screens together by selecting TILE VERICALLY or HORIZONTALLY. First let’s understand what is being assigned here: MIDI IN “Yamaha USB MIDI 0-1”. This is the Motif Keyboard sending IN to the software. You want to send on Port 1. Anytime you complete a Port 1 connection you will be communicating with the Internal Motif Voices. MIDI OUT You will see that there are a possible six Ports with this software.
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and system exclusive messages). Typical GM modules do not have an internal RAM bank that memorizes your multi – the multi is stored in the so called “Setup Bar” in the song data. (This is the reason that GM modules can be less expensive…no SRAM). Each new song has its own setup, therefore the first event of a properly prepared GM/XG file will return all parameters to a neutral or default condition via a RESET command.
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• • just as you like, you can have the software create (and insert) the entire XG parameter setup into the sequence for you. The setup data includes all effect routing, voice selections and the GM/XG reset commands – it is all done for you (icon on the toolbar for Insert XG Parameter). Or you can store this setup data separately and send it prior to playing back the file.
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• • • sequencing packages can be found on the Internet (free). Go to www.yamaha-xg.com for more details on the expert use of XG – it is much deeper than most people think). There are excellent tutorials on XG and XGworks, online. If you are getting no sound from any Parts, Performances or Voices in your Motif, try the Master Volume in [UTILITY]/ [F1] TG. Some song files have a fade out and leave the Master Volume set to 0.