MOXF8 Users?

[llatham]

Hello,

 

I've been asked to join a band and lo and behold, they provide all the gear, set up and everything - all I have to do is show up and play!

 

They've actually got 2 88s - an MOXF8 and I believe the other is a Motif workstation.

 

However the MOFX8 was set up when I got to rehearsal last night and if that's going to work fine, that'll work fine.

 

I was able to pretty quickly figure out how to find presets and got a basic handle on the basic groupings.

 

Couldn't spend a ton of time with it though.

 

But what I think I'll ultimately need to do is have a way to quickly access different sounds - without going "Pre 4, E, 12" to get to that sound.

 

I have a Roland FA and you can set up a "Studio Set" of 16 Parts with a different sound on each part, balance them volume wise, and then switch between the sounds using the Pads (which is really handy).

 

Is there anything similar in the MOXF8?

 

I'm going to look up the manual but I know even the Roland manual can be confusing and still not tell you the most efficient way to set something up (i.e. you can do "favorites" but it's less practical because it's hard to see/hit those buttons in the heat of battle - so the pads are better for most people but they don't tell you that part of it in the manual!).

 

So if you have any tips/tricks for a setup that lets you conveniently switch between sounds you can balance out volume-wise I'm all ears.

 

PS, there will be some songs I may have to set up with Splits - the Roland makes this really either within the same Studio Set as your other sounds, or just a dedicated Studio Set.

 

TIA for any help

[Hacksaw]

I've gigged with the MOXF for a few years now and the best way to make things easy for self is to use Master mode. Once it setup you would just have to press one or two buttons. It's impossible to tell you how to set it up on here. Also you can use Favorites which is just as easy. So dig into the manual to learn those two things. I have a two keyboard rig and I have them MIDIed together so Master controls both keyboards when changing patches/programs.

[Red Ranger]

Master Mode might help. You can save either the individual voice you want, or a performance (Yamaha's term for splits/layers), or some other options like patterns, etc. There are 8 banks (A-H) of 16, accessible via the white buttons to the right of the display. Note that the moxf doesn't do patch remain so you can't seamlessly switch between sounds, but at least you can make them all easily available. Hope this helps!

[Red Ranger]

Oops, Hacksaw beat me to it!

[EscapeRocks]

I gigged with an MOX, then MOXF for years.

 

As mentioned above, Master Mode is your friend.

 

If this becomes a permanent gig, you may consider invest in in the John Melas MOX tools. It lets you rearrange the Master Mode order. Once I got the set list for an upcoming show, I'd fire up the Melas tools, and organize the Master order. Then you just plug into your MOXF, and "upload" the new set. You save all your Melas files on your computer. I have tons save for different gigs.

While I don't have the MOXF anymore, I do have MODX and got the Melas tools for it. They are invaluable (to me) for both the MOX(F) and MODX as they go far beyond what the Yamaha Editor can do.

 

Side note: There is a way to have a "patch remain" on the MOXF, but it is a deep rabbit hole that can take abit to wrap your head around YamahaSynth has great articles about this from BadMIster,

[mate stubb]

 

I've been asked to join a band and lo and behold, they provide all the gear, set up and everything - all I have to do is show up and play!

 

How do I get a gig like that???

[EscapeRocks]

 

I've been asked to join a band and lo and behold, they provide all the gear, set up and everything - all I have to do is show up and play!

 

How do I get a gig like that???

 

 

Yeah, no kidding! Closest I ever got to that was a 3 night engagement at a Casino. After first night, the stage is left setup. Wake up the next day, hang out, then go to a sound check, eat dinner, then show up and play.

 

Of course the next weekend playing back at the usual spots reminded me I'm NOT a rock star :)

[AnotherScott]

Some alternatives here...

 

I'll ultimately need to do is have a way to quickly access different sounds - without going "Pre 4, E, 12" to get to that sound.

I

have a Roland FA and you can set up a "Studio Set" of 16 Parts with a different sound on each part, balance them volume wise, and then switch between the sounds using the Pads (which is really handy).

 

Is there anything similar in the MOXF8?

Yes. Easiest way for a beginner is to just copy the desired sounds to the User bank. So let's say your three favorite Voices are "Pre 4, E, 12" and "Pre 3, D, 11" and "Pre 2, C, 11".... copy (store) them into "Usr 1, A, 1" and "Usr 1, A, 2" and "Usr 1, A, 3". Then you just stay in the User bank, and buttons 1, 2, and 3 will call up those sounds. You can set up 16 sounds on the 16 buttons, and if that's not enough, set up Bank B for your next set of 16 sounds, etc. (kind of like a minimal-function Studio Set). That's an easy start (you only have to navigate the Voice mode), but also has limitations, i.e. split/layer and tone remain functionality.

 

Next step up in complexity is to use Performances instead of Voices. (Performances are split/layered combinations of up to four Voices.) The basic approach is the same... i.e. store your 16 favorite Performances in the first 16 user locations, for instant single-button access to any of them. But you have to add the steps needed to create your split/layer combinations in the first place (selecting which Voices you want, in what key range, at what octave, with what volume), so now you need to be able to find your way around Voice mode and Performance mode. Hint: Just because a Performance can have up to four Voices, that doesn't mean it MUST have multiple Voices. You might want to create Performances that have only a single Voice, simply because that will let you use the 16 buttons to instantly select from any 16 sounds regardless of whether those sounds consist of a single or multiple Voices, without having to switch between Voice and Performance modes.The aforementioned Master Mode will also let you use the buttons this way, taking a slightly different approach, where some buttons call up Performances and some buttons call up Voices. Master mode adds yet some additional flexibility, but also some more complexity, as you now have to learn about Voice mode, Performance mode, and Master mode.

 

Here's a whole different way to go:

 

The closest thing to a Studio Set is a Mix, which is a function of either the Song or Pattern mode. This actually works nearly identically to a Studio Set. You assign 16 Voices to the 16 buttons, but each Voice also has a MIDI channel. When you put two of the Voices on the same MIDI channel, enabling one enables them all; and each can have its own note range so you can also do splits/layers this way. Unlike Voice or Performance modes, you will have tone remain (seamless switching between sounds). This is probably what you want, but it is a little more complicated to set up, and it has a significant effects limitation: Of the 16 sounds you have assigned to the buttons at any given time, only 8 can have insert effects (though each can have two such effects). On the Roland, all 16 sounds can have their own effects (but only one each). This differs from Voice and Performance mode, where you lose the seamless sound switching, but all of the sounds you invoke from the 16 buttons (whether individual or combinations of up to four) can each have their own pair of effects. The other big limitation of Mix mode is the display does not show you what sounds are assigned under each of the 16 buttons, whereas in the Voice or Performance modes, you can hit the bank button and see a display of which sounds are currently under the 16 buttons.

 

So there are different ways to do what you need, varying in simplicity and flexibility.

 

[llatham]

Thanks - these terms like "master" mode is what I needed!

[llatham]

That's OK all help is appreciated.

[llatham]

 

I've been asked to join a band and lo and behold, they provide all the gear, set up and everything - all I have to do is show up and play!

 

How do I get a gig like that???

 

It's a who you know world.

 

You should hear the other bennies.

[llatham]

Some alternatives here...

 

I'll ultimately need to do is have a way to quickly access different sounds - without going "Pre 4, E, 12" to get to that sound.

I

have a Roland FA and you can set up a "Studio Set" of 16 Parts with a different sound on each part, balance them volume wise, and then switch between the sounds using the Pads (which is really handy).

 

Is there anything similar in the MOXF8?

Yes. Easiest way for a beginner is to just copy the desired sounds to the User bank. So let's say your three favorite Voices are "Pre 4, E, 12" and "Pre 3, D, 11" and "Pre 2, C, 11".... copy (store) them into "Usr 1, A, 1" and "Usr 1, A, 2" and "Usr 1, A, 3". Then you just stay in the User bank, and buttons 1, 2, and 3 will call up those sounds. You can set up 16 sounds on the 16 buttons, and if that's not enough, set up Bank B for your next set of 16 sounds, etc. (kind of like a minimal-function Studio Set). That's an easy start (you only have to navigate the Voice mode), but also has limitations, i.e. split/layer and tone remain functionality.

 

Next step up in complexity is to use Performances instead of Voices. (Performances are split/layered combinations of up to four Voices.) The basic approach is the same... i.e. store your 16 favorite Performances in the first 16 user locations, for instant single-button access to any of them. But you have to add the steps needed to create your split/layer combinations in the first place (selecting which Voices you want, in what key range, at what octave, with what volume), so now you need to be able to find your way around Voice mode and Performance mode. Hint: Just because a Performance can have up to four Voices, that doesn't mean it MUST have multiple Voices. You might want to create Performances that have only a single Voice, simply because that will let you use the 16 buttons to instantly select from any 16 sounds regardless of whether those sounds consist of a single or multiple Voices, without having to switch between Voice and Performance modes.The aforementioned Master Mode will also let you use the buttons this way, taking a slightly different approach, where some buttons call up Performances and some buttons call up Voices. Master mode adds yet some additional flexibility, but also some more complexity, as you now have to learn about Voice mode, Performance mode, and Master mode.

 

Here's a whole different way to go:

 

The closest thing to a Studio Set is a Mix, which is a function of either the Song or Pattern mode. This actually works nearly identically to a Studio Set. You assign 16 Voices to the 16 buttons, but each Voice also has a MIDI channel. When you put two of the Voices on the same MIDI channel, enabling one enables them all; and each can have its own note range so you can also do splits/layers this way. Unlike Voice or Performance modes, you will have tone remain (seamless switching between sounds). This is probably what you want, but it is a little more complicated to set up, and it has a significant effects limitation: Of the 16 sounds you have assigned to the buttons at any given time, only 8 can have insert effects (though each can have two such effects). On the Roland, all 16 sounds can have their own effects (but only one each). This differs from Voice and Performance mode, where you lose the seamless sound switching, but all of the sounds you invoke from the 16 buttons (whether individual or combinations of up to four) can each have their own pair of effects. The other big limitation of Mix mode is the display does not show you what sounds are assigned under each of the 16 buttons, whereas in the Voice or Performance modes, you can hit the bank button and see a display of which sounds are currently under the 16 buttons.

 

So there are different ways to do what you need, varying in simplicity and flexibility.

 

Thanks for this! Relating it to what I know on the FA will really make things easier!

[b3maniac]

Motifator.com is a great site to find answers to questions on any of the Motif series boards. Yamaha terminology can be confusing, so don't let that trip you up. It pays to read up on the literature. Using the "Favorites" feature is the easiest place to start while you learn some of other ways to be creative.

[MotiDave]

I gigged with an MOX, then MOXF for years.

 

As mentioned above, Master Mode is your friend.

 

If this becomes a permanent gig, you may consider invest in in the John Melas MOX tools. It lets you rearrange the Master Mode order. Once I got the set list for an upcoming show, I'd fire up the Melas tools, and organize the Master order. Then you just plug into your MOXF, and "upload" the new set. You save all your Melas files on your computer. I have tons save for different gigs.

While I don't have the MOXF anymore, I do have MODX and got the Melas tools for it. They are invaluable (to me) for both the MOX(F) and MODX as they go far beyond what the Yamaha Editor can do.

 

Side note: There is a way to have a "patch remain" on the MOXF, but it is a deep rabbit hole that can take abit to wrap your head around YamahaSynth has great articles about this from BadMIster,

 

This.

You can use Master Mode, which allows you to mix n match any type of stored item type (Voice, Performance, Song...) and use Melas Library Manager to re-arrange for each gig. The only limit is you can only save 128 items (I think) in Master Mode index. Thats more than enough for any one band.

 

I used to create a user Performance for every song, even if i only used one Voice, and just play in Perf mode, But for every gg i did the same with Melas. MOXF isn"t the easiest to navigate around otherwise. Note you don"t need all of the Melas applications to do this, only his library manager app. You also need to install the Yamaha USB driver so the board will talk to your laptop (thats free). I got so used to it i could set up for a new gig plan in under 5 minutes.

 

I still have my MOXF6, backup travel gig board But I haven"t used in now 16 months. I now have MODX(7) too, but I didn"t get Melas for MODX yet - i can re-order gig sets directly on the touchscreen quickly, no need to start up a laptop,

[Morrissey]

Not sure if this is best thread for this but - fyi - MF has the MOXF8 discounted to $1200, I believe for this week only. Looks about $300 cheaper than other vendors.

[cassdad]

What is "MF", please? (What seller has a new MOXF8 @ $1200)?

[Morrissey]

Musicians Friend. I get a tad worried about violating forum rules when posting vendor deals. I guess this time I was a tad too obscure.

 

For the record, I have no affiliation with any online music instrument vendors. I just like to pass along a good deal when I see it.

[Stokely]

Man I keep forgetting I own one of these.

 

(?)

 

My buddy was selling his, I was considering it, when my son (who just started college as a music major) mentions that "he needs a keyboard." Oh, really? Actually it's because the normal music lab with a bunch of digital pianos in it is not open due to Covid. So I tried to get an Es110, since I wanted one for myself, and I figured that in a year or two this would be mine again. "Worst" case, if he liked to play it--he's a trumpet player--great, I'd love that! No es110s in stock, anywhere. So bought my buddy's mint condition Moxf8 for a great price with a rolling case and my kid makes off with it the next week.

 

 

I own a Modx7 so if I ever gig again I really don't need both, and honestly the action on the moxf8 isn't what I'd want long-term for a home controller. I prefer the tp-40 action on my old 90s Studiologic but it finally died on me. It's not terribad, I was getting used to it in my week I got with it, just not my favorite.

 

The things we do for our kids! Actually I could see me gigging this, it's not that heavy but man it's bulky (which is also an issue where my studio is). I may end up selling it AND the modx7 though if I go for a Nord Stage.