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Yamaha CP4 master keyboard question


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Hi guys,

I would like to ask someone of Yamaha CP4 owners about a master keyboard feature that isn’t covered clearly in the manual. 
I would like to use CP4 with Mainstage (triggering external instruments). I realized that I can layer or split CP4 internal sound with external midi sound. The thing that isn’t clear for me is that is it possible to make a performance which will only trigger external sound, without CP4 internal sound? So that I can have eg one performance with only CP4 sound, and another with only external sound (withount turning CP4 volume knob down) and switch them fast, without manual adjusting between performances?
I see that you can not turn off CP4 internal sound, so my idea was maybe to set volume slider for that main CP4 sound to 0, so that nothing will come out of CP4 outputs for that performance. Is something like that possible? Or maybe you found some other solution for flexible use of internal/external sounds?

Thank you very much! All the best!

Goran

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I have never used the CP4 to control mainstage but I don't see any reason why you couldn't presave a performance that has the volume of the main part all the way down at 0 or 1 so that all you would hear is the computer.

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Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37

 

My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section

https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native

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Hi Bobadohshe,

 

thank you for your feedback. Please may I ask you to check on your CP4:

When you have performance with main part, and when you put slider for main volume all the way down, is there no sound coming from outputs?

 

Thank you very much!

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I used to use a Hammond emulator on my phone with my CP4.  There was, indeed, a way to deactivate triggering internal sounds and save that setting with a performance.  I have neither the keyboard nor the manual anymore.  Keep looking!  It’s in there somewhere. 
 

looking in the CP4 Reference Manual online, I think you disable the zone using the ZoneSw setting in the Master Keyboard Area.  I think this disables internal sounds for that zone - maybe.

CA93, MODX8, YC88, K8.2
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There can be some round trip latency with this but, you can let MainStage run the CP4. Turn local off on the CP4. Create a MainStage preset to control the CP4. This runs the MIDI that is coming into the computer, back to the keyboard.

 

Generally, it's easier do the fancy stuff on the computer, using a controller keyboard for midi input only. If the latency is unacceptable when running the MIDI through the computer, I use a mute button on a mixer or a switch pedal, or just the volume slider to turn the CP4 down when needed.

 

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Whether a Master Keyboard Zone is on or off doesn’t affect the connection between the keyboard and the 3 voices. 
 

I know there is a way to use the CP4 as a master keyboard controller only, but for the life of me I can’t remember how or find it one of the 3 manuals for the unit. 
 

When the Yamaha Synths forum comes back online, I’m sure you’ll find posts by the infamous “Bad Mister” explaining how this works. 

An acoustically decent home studio full of hand-picked gear that I love to play and record with!

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Garantovic, I think turning the volume to 0 for the local keyboard sound in your saved performance was how I used to do this. My error for thinking it was zone off that could do this. 

CA93, MODX8, YC88, K8.2
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On 1/22/2024 at 11:48 PM, Gorantovic said:

Hi Bobadohshe,

 

thank you for your feedback. Please may I ask you to check on your CP4:

When you have performance with main part, and when you put slider for main volume all the way down, is there no sound coming from outputs?

 

Thank you very much!

 

Sorry haven't logged on for a few days.

 

I just pulled the fader for the main part of a piano performance down to 0 and saved it. When I navigate away from and back to that patch the volume is still 0 and there is zero volume from the outputs. That should solve your problem right?

 

Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37

 

My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section

https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native

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I forget how, but there is definitely a way to not trigger sounds at all without the volume trick.  I'm pretty sure it boils down to just not assuming any keys to the internal voices.

Hammond: L111, M100, M3, BC, CV, Franken CV, A100, D152, C3, B3

Leslie: 710, 760, 51C, 147, 145, 122, 22H, 31H

Yamaha: CP4, DGX-620, DX7II-FD-E!, PF85, DX9

Roland: VR-09, RD-800

 

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