Specifications

eurOPe.Yamaha.cOm
11
Y AMAh A MUsic Pr O d U c T i O n GUide
03|2013
Don‘t work in Performance mode, but use the possibilities of the
Song mode. With a simple trick (JOB), you can copy the data of
the Performance to the chosen Song memory and enhance the
Performance by more Voices. Here‘s how: In the Sequencer area
of the MOTIF press the SONG button and then the MIXING button.
Here in the Song Mixing the Voices for the Song production are
put together, with Track 1 being assigned to MIDI channel 1 up
to Track 16 being assigned to channel 16.
First initialise the Song: Press the JOB button, then tap F1 Init
and confirm by using Enter. Now press F3 Copy and select the
useful function „Copy Performance“ by pressing the button
SF3. Copy all of the settings (Voices, Effects, EQ) of the desired
Performance in one go to the first four Tracks of the empty Song
Mixing. Now the Performance that inspires you for your musical
idea can be played in the Song Mixing mode just like in the
MOTIF‘s Performance mode.
Alternatively, you can work with „Performance Recording“: Simply
press the Record button while being in the Performance mode.
In the now apparent display activate the switch „KeyOn“
and look for an empty Song as recording destination. Now all
Performance settings and Arpeggio data are transmitted in one
go to the Song mode. This procedure records the Arpeggio
Patterns and is of course only useful if you already know the
chord structure of the Song.
The advantage of producing in the Song Mixing mode is that
you can easily replace sounds and try things before you start the
actual audio recording in the DAW. By the way, with the MOTIF
XF it is possible to record the resulting sound using the free app
„Cloud Audio Recorder“ and transfer it to SoundCloud or other
apps over Wi-Fi.
When working with a DAW, there is a even faster way: Audio montage
is a very music-friendly approach to song production. First you
record on a MIDI track, edit the recording in an editor like the piano
roll, and then record the final phrase as an audio track. These steps are
repeated with other Voices or Performances, resulting in multiple audio
tracks. The Song comes into existence like a mosaic made of many
individual components - the individual audio files. The arrangement
and mixing of the Song is easily conducted within the DAW.
However, there are a few things to consider when recording the
Voices. You should first set the Song‘s tempo. If you start with a drum
Arpeggio that you like, you should adopt the Arp‘s tempo and adjust
the tempo of all other Voices accordingly. For an individual mixing
within your DAW, you should turn off the reverb effect on the MOTIF
and use a reverb plug-in of the DAW. This allows you to fine tune the
intensity of reverb for each track. Another little tip: Please DO NOT
delete the MIDI sequence that led to the audio recordings. You might
need these MIDI notes again at a later point of the production.
Now to the question how to proceed with an audio montage using
„Evolving Soundscapes“. The User Voice 097 inspired me for the
rhythmic backing. As the name „8Z_Loopkit 01 80bpm“ suggests,
the Song tempo is to be set to 80 bpm. We now record this groove
with its five different Arpeggio types (Arp 1-5 or buttons SF1 to 5).
Generally it is advisable to record more bars than it may seem to be
needed - you can still cut the audio file later as you like. Watch out:
The selected Voice „8Z_Loopkit 01 80bpm“ not only offers a drum
groove, but also sets a root note with a chord: My Song will have
a key of F sharp minor.
The second sound is a Voice for the bass: The User Voice
085 „AnaWobbleBass1 AF1 & 2“ with its rhythmic Arp-LFO-
modulations makes a moving four-bar bass line, which consists of
the notes F#, D, and B. Since the track is to show many sounds
of the MOTIF, I like to feature an alternative: User Voice
070 „WobbleBassLoop2 AF“ brings in some dirt and is to replace
the clean sounding analog synth bass of User Voice 085 in the
harder middle part of the arrangement. After drum groove and
bass are recorded, you should arrange a rough outline of the Song
in the Arrange window of your DAW.
Now it‘s time to lay down some chords. The warm-crisp choir sound of
User Voice 008 „Gregory‘s Noizz“ and the User Voice 001 „Emotional
Affair“ (which by the way is very versatile) are my perfect choice for
that. For the middle and end part a suitable third pad is found with
the powerful User Voice 020 „Big Epic Pad“. Additional atmo-sounds
are important: User Voice 057 „Mystic Winds MW“ supports the intro
and other parts with a mystical mood. For the short theme melodic
sounds are needed. User Voice 033 „Pia Infer No!“ is nice for that,
it‘s a piano that can be very expressively modulated using the mod
wheel and aftertouch. For the unimpressive return of the theme, the
universally playable User Voice 36 „Spectriality“ is used. In the dubstep
oriented middle part User Voice 039 „Jungle Blipsal“ provides driving
percussive elements.
Individually recorded Voices were edited and combined in
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