Yamaha Motif 8 Owners Manual

							181MOTIF  Reference
Song Play mode
Reference  Song mode
1Press the [MUTE] button so that its lamp lights. 
2Press any of the NUMBER [1] - [16] buttons to 
select the track number to be muted. 
● To solo a track
Simultaneously hold down the [MUTE] button and 
press one of the NUMBER buttons [1] to [16] to solo 
the corresponding track.
Once you’ve selected a track for soloing, the [MUTE] 
button’s lamp flashes, indicating the Solo function is 
active.  While Solo is active, you can change the soloed 
track simply by pressing the corresponding NUMBER 
button [1] to [16].
To exit from the Solo function, press the [MUTE] 
button again.
Song track selection
The explanations here apply to step #5 of the Basic 
Procedure on page 179. 
In order to edit the Song data, you’ll need to select a 
track for editing.
Press the [TRACK SELECT] button so that its 
indicator lights and press any of the NUMBER [1] - 
[16] buttons to select a track to be edited. 
nSelecting another song resets the selected track to 1. 
Song Scene
The explanations here apply to step #6 of the Basic 
Procedure on page 179. 
Song Scene is a powerful function that allows you to 
save five different “snapshots” of important song-
related parameters — including  transpose, tempo, 
track mute status, and the basic sound/mixing controls 
(all parameter settings controllable from the Knobs and 
CS sliders). 
nThe Song Scene settings can be set independently for 
each song. 
● Storing the Song Scene
● Recalling the Song Scene
Simply press any of the [SF1] - [SF5] buttons to recall 
the setting. 
One of the convenient advantages of Song Scene is that 
it lets you instantly and automatically execute 
parameter settings that normally require many button 
presses or controller operations.  Use it during song 
recording or playback to make instantaneous setting 
changes.
Song editing in the Song Play mode
The explanations here apply to step #5 of the Basic 
Procedure on page 179. 
The Song Play mode lets you perform a variety of 
general editing operations on the selected song.  For 
more detailed and comprehensive editing operations, 
use the Song Edit and Song Mixing modes.
● [F2] Song  Play  Groove
The Grid Groove function makes it possible to 
adjust the pitch, timing, length, and velocity of 
notes in a specified track via a 1-measure 16th-note 
grid to create “grooves” that would not be possible 
with precise sequencer-like programming. The Grid 
Groove function affects song playback without 
actually changing the sequence data. 
15
1
234
56
7
8
91011
12
1314
16TRACK
SELECT
MUTE
SOLO
NUMBERELEMENT / PERF. PART / ZONE
15
1
234
56
7
8
91011
12
1314
16TRACK
SELECT
MUTE
SOLO
NUMBERELEMENT / PERF. PART / ZONE
After making the desired settings
for the Song Scene, simultaneously
hold down the [STORE] button and
press one of the SONG SCENE
buttons [SF1] to [SF5].
STORE
SCENE STORE
SET LOCATE
SONG SCENE
SF 1SF 2SF  3SF  4 SF  5
SONG SCENE
SF 1SF 2SF  3SF  4 SF  5 
						

							182MOTIF  Reference
Song Play mode 
Reference  Song mode
• NOTE OFFSET
Raises or lowers the pitch of the  note(s) on the selected 
grid in semitones. 
❏Settings  99 ~ +99
• CLOCK SHIFT
Shifts the timing of the note(s) on the selected grid 
forward or back ward in clock increments.
❏Settings  120 ~ +120
• GATE OFFSET (Gate time Offset)
Lengthens or shortens the note(s) on the selected grid in 
clock increments.
❏Settings 120 ~ +120
• VELO OFFSET (Velocity Offset)
Increases or decreases the velocity of the note(s) on the 
selected grid. 
❏Settings 127 ~ +127
● [F3] Song  Play  Output Channel
From this display you can set the MIDI output 
channel for each of the sixteen tracks, and 
determine which MIDI port the track data is sent to.
• OUT CH (Output Channel)
Sets up channel transmission to the MIDI OUT terminal.
Tracks set to “Off” will not sound.
❏Settings off, 01 ~ 16
nIn the Song/Pattern mode, the MIDI data created by 
playing the keyboard/knobs/wheels is sent to the tone 
generator block or the external MIDI devices via the 
MIDI output channel of the currently selected track. 
• Port 
Determines the MIDI transmission port for the 
corresponding track.  This is useful for sending data to 
external tone generators over multiple MIDI ports in an 
extended MIDI setup. Keep in mind that this parameter can 
only be set for tracks having assignments to Plug-in parts 1 - 3 
(for installed single-part boards) or Plug-in parts 17 -32 (for 
installed multi-part boards).  Tracks using the internal tone 
generator parts of the MOTIF are automatically fixed at port 1.
❏Settings off, 01 ~ 03nPort data can be output only through the USB 
terminal.  No port data is transmitted through the 
MIDI OUT terminal, even if the corresponding 
track is set to a specific port number.
● [F4] Song  Play  Track Loop
From this display you can determine whether the 
data in the selected track loops or not in playback.  
Using Loop can be an effective way to repeat short 
patterns and phrases throughout the song.
❏Settings on, off
In the example below, a 40-measure song has been 
recorded and Track 1 is set to play back normally 
over the 40 measures.  Track 2 has been set to loop, 
and will repeat until the [■] button is pressed.
When set to on, you can specify the range to be 
looped. (Only the end point can be set, the start 
point of looped playback is fixed to the beginning of 
the song.) Please note that the part that is not 
looped is deleted after setting to on. 
1Press [F1] to call up the Song Play display. Change 
the current measure that is to be a last measure of 
looped playback. 
2Press [F4] to call up the Track Loop display and 
move the cursor to the desired track. 
plus
VELO  OFST  GATE  OFST  CLOCK  SFT NOTE  OFST 
0 minus
Track 1(40 measures 
of data)
Track 2(4 measures
of data)
Playback
The four-measure data is repeated
ten times.
In this example, set to 004. 
						

							183MOTIF  Reference
Song Record mode
Reference  Song mode
3Set to on by using the [INC/YES] and [DEC/NO] 
buttons or the data dial. (The display prompts you 
for confirmation.)
4Press the [INC/YES] button. The Loop is set to on 
and the part that is not looped is deleted
● [F5] Song  Play  Copy Phrase
You can copy s Pattern track data (Phrase) to a Song 
track. You can also copy the preset phrase that does 
not assigned to the Pattern track by the Patch 
function (page 219). 
● [F6] Song  Play  Chain Play/Edit
This function allows songs to be “chained” together 
for automatic sequential playback. 
This is particularly convenient in live performance 
situations, letting you have your song backing play 
automatically in “jukebox” fashion while you 
perform over it.  Highlight the desired point in the 
chain, then use the [INC/YES] and [DEC/NO] 
buttons or data dial to set the desired song number 
or parameter below.The MOTIF allows you to 
create one Song Chain setting.
Parameters other than the song number are explained here. 
• skip
Skips past (ignores) the selected chain number and 
continues playback from the next chain number.
• stop
Stops the song chain playback at that chain number. You 
can restart the song chain playback from the next chain 
number by pressing the [F] button. 
• end
Indicates the end mark of the song chain data. 
Song Record mode
Quick Start Guide (page 110)
In this mode, you can use the sequencer to record your 
keyboard performance in real time to each track of a 
User Song. 
nFor details about recording methods, see page 53. 
◆ Basic Procedure
Basic Structure (page 53)
1 In the Song Play mode, select a User Song to be 
recorded. 
2 If necessary, set a Song Scene (page 115). 
3 Press the [REC] button to enter the Song Record 
mode.  (The indicator lights.)  The Song Record 
Setup display shown below appears.
4 Set basic parameters for recording (e.g., recording 
type, track, tempo, and so on). 
nPlease note that the time signature can be set in the 
Song Play display. See page 179. 
5 Change the display by pressing the [F2] - [F3] 
buttons and set various parameters for recording. 
nYour performance on the keyboard and the 
controllers (Knobs, Pitch Bend wheel, Modulation 
wheel, and so on) is recorded to tracks 1 - 16.  The 
Tempo (“TMP”) track is for recording tempo 
changes, while the Scene track is for changes to the 
Song Scene numbers and Track Mute settings.
6 Press the [F] button to start recording. 
•When any of the Realtime recording methods 
(any setting other than “step”) is selected in step 
#4, your keyboard playing and controller moves 
are automatically recorded.
• When “step”  is selected in step #4, compose 
your performance by entering a note one by one. 
Source PhraseIf sample data is included in the original 
Phrase and you want to copy all of the 
data, make sure to checkmark this box.
Specify the source track and 
measure of the current selected 
song.
After completing the settings, 
press the [ENTER]
button to execute the Copy 
Phrase.
REC 
						

							184MOTIF  Reference
Song Record mode 
Reference  Song mode
nMIDI events the external MIDI devices connected 
to the MOTIF can be recorded to tracks 1~16. 
7 After completing your performance (in Realtime 
recording) or completing Step recording, press the 
[■] button to stop recording.
8 Record additional tracks as required. Repeat 
steps #3 through #7 as desired. 
9 Press the [F] button to hear your newly 
recorded performance. 
10 Save the recorded data to the Memory Card or 
the SCSI device connected to the MOTIF. 
The recorded (edited) song data resides temporarily in 
DRAM (page 64). Because data contained in DRAM is 
lost when the power is turned off, you should always store 
any data residing in DRAM to a memory card or an 
external SCSI device before turning off the power.
• For detailed instructions on steps #4 - #7, see the 
following explanations. 
• For details on step #1
0 refer to “File mode” on 
page 266.
nThe following explanations apply to MIDI data 
recording (creating MIDI tracks).  For instructions 
on recording audio data (creating sample tracks), 
see “Sampling mode” on page 233.
Setting up before recording
The explanations here apply to steps #4 - #5 of the 
Basic Procedure on page 183.
● [F1] Song Record  Setup
Basic Structure (page 51)
When recording type is set to something other 
than “step” : 
 
n“Punch-in measure : beat”  and “Punch-out measure : 
beat”  are available when the Recording Type is set to 
“Punch.”  
When recording type is set to “step” : 
• Type (Recording type)
Determines the recording method.
❏Settings:
R
ecTrack is set to 1 ~ 16: replace, overdub, punch, step
R
ecTrack is set to “tempo” : replace, punch, step
R
ecTrack is set to “scene” : replace, punch 
R
ecTrack is set to “multi” : replace , overdub, punch
nWhen “punch”  is selected, “Punch-in measure : 
beat”  and “Punch-out measure : beat”  appear in 
the display and should be set. 
nWhen “step”  is selected, you should specify the 
event type to be enetered. 
• Quantize
This parameter is available when the Recording Type is set 
to something other than “step.”   Record quantize aligns 
the timing of notes which are not exactly on the beat on-
the-fly as you record.
REC
Tempo
Punch-out 
measure : beat Punch-in 
measure : beat
Time signature
(set in the Song Play display)
This lets you switch between Single Track 
recording and All Track recording. (Press 
the [F6] button.)
This lets you turn the click sound 
(metronome) on/off for recording.
(Press the [F5] button.)
Time signature
(set in the Song Play display)Tempo 
						

							185MOTIF  Reference
Song Record mode
Reference  Song mode
❏Settings: off, 60 (32nd note), 80 (16th note triplet), 120 
(16th note), 160 (8th note triplet), 240 (8th 
note), 320 (1/4 note triplet), 480 (1/4 note)
• Event
This parameter is available when the Recording Type is set 
to “step.”  This lets you specify the event type to be 
entered. 
❏Settings:  note, p.bend (pitch bend), CC#000~#119 
(Control Change)
• RecTrack
Determines the track to be recorded. 
Pressing the [F6] button lets you switch between Single 
Track recording and All Track recording. 
❏Settings:  tempo, scene, 1~16, multi
• Tempo
Determines the Song tempo. 
❏Settings: 001.0 ~300.0
Song Recording
The explanations here apply to steps #6 - #7 of the 
Basic Procedure on page 183, page 184.
■ Realtime Recording
See “Quick Start Guide”  (page 110)
■ Step Recording
If you press the [F] button in step #6 of the Basic 
Procedure on page 183, the following display appears 
and you can input the specified events one by one. 
● Entering the Note Event
When the event to be entered is set to “note” , you 
can input the note events one by one. 
• Beat Graph
This is the display in which notes are “placed” during step 
recording.When the meter is 4/4, the display is divided 
into four beats (one measure). Each diamond-shaped 
marker in the display represents one 32nd beat (each 1/4 
note division is divided into eight 32nd beats).
For example, if the following rhythmic pattern 
“”  is entered in 4/4 time, a display like the one 
shown below will appear.
• Pointer
Determines the data-entry position.
The triangular pointer above the beat graph indicates the 
data-entry position.
To move the pointer right or left, use the [INC/YES] and 
[DEC/NO] buttons or the data dial.
• Value
When the event to be entered is set to “note” , this value 
specifies the velocity  with which the note will be entered.
❏Settings: 
001~127
The set value (1 ~ 127) corresponds to the MIDI 
velocity value entered.
RND1 ~RND4
When one of the random settings is selected, a random 
velocity value will be entered.
• StepTime
The “size”  of the current recording step time for the next 
note to be entered. This determines to what position the 
pointer will advance after a note has been entered.
❏Settings: 
• GateTime 
Sets the gate time to produce slurs, staccato notes, etc.
“Gate time” refers to the actual length of time the note 
sounds. For the same 1/4 note, for example, a long gate 
time will produce a slur while a short gate time will 
produce a staccato effect.
Gate time is indicated as a percent value of the step time.
A setting of 50% produces a staccato sound, values 
between about 80% and 90% produce normal note length, 
and a value of 99% will produce a slur.
❏Settings: 001%~200%
● [F3] REST
Press [F3] to enter a rest as long as the specified step time. 
The point will move ahead to the next data-entry position. 
Rests do not appear on the display. 
nThere is no actual data representing rests in the 
MIDI sequencer. When a “rest” is entered the 
pointer simply moves ahead to the next data-entry 
position, effectively leaving a rest. 
● [F4] TIE 
When the [F4] button is pressed to enter a tie, the 
preceding note is lengthened to the full step time. For 
example, in the following phrase, note   is entered with 
1/4 note step time. If the step time is then changed to an 
8th note and [F4] is pressed, note   is entered.
Pointer indicating the current note position.
Beat Graph
32nd note
16th note triplet
16th note
8th note triplet
8th note 
1/4 note triplet
1/4 note
half note
whole note0001~0059
1
2 
						

							186MOTIF  Reference
Song Record mode 
Reference  Song mode
Dotted notes can also be entered using the TIE function. 
To produce a dotted 1/4 note, for example, set the step 
time to an 8th note, enter a note and then press [F4] twice.
● [F5] DELETE
Press this to actually delete the note events at the current 
cursor position.
● [F6] BCK DEL
Moves the pointer backward by one step and deletes all 
notes at that location.
nMistakenly entered notes can be erased by pressing 
[F6] immediately after they are entered (before 
changing the step time value).
● Entering other events
When entering non-note events (such as control 
change data), the display is basically the same as 
that for note data.
The following descriptions apply to non-note 
events.
• Value
When the event to be entered is something other than 
“note,” this determines the value of the specified non-note 
event.
❏Settings: 
When e
vent is set to to “p.bend”  : - 8192 ~+8191
When e
vent is set to “CC (Control Change) #001~119” : 000 ~127
When e
vent is set to “tempo”  (RecTrack is set to “tempo” ): 001 ~300
◆ Examples of Step Recording
The explanations here apply to steps #6 - #7 of the 
Basic Procedure on page 183, page 184.
This section explains how to step-record notes, using 
three specific examples. 
1 Set the parameters as illustrated below.
Here, we’ll set the Step Time to  (480) so that 
quarter notes will be entered, and set the GateTime 
to 100% to have the notes play in legato.
2 Play the keys C, D, E, F, G, A, B and C in order.
Each time you press a key and release it, the 
pointer moves forward by one step and the played 
note is recorded.
3Move the pointer to the top (beginning) of the 
song and press the [F] button to hear the note 
data you just recorded in steps #1 and 2.
2 1
The TIE function is not available for non-note events. 
						

							187MOTIF  Reference
Song Record mode
Reference  Song mode
●Example 2 (Using the TIE function)
1Set the parameters as illustrated below.
Since the first note is a half note, set the StepTime 
to  (960), and set the GateTime to 80%, since you 
don’t want the notes to play in legato. 
2Enter the first note F. 
3Enter the next 8th notes. 
Keep the display settings unchanged for the 
remaining notes in the measure, and press/release 
each key one by one as shown below.
4Follow the instructions below to enter the next 
dotted half note. 
5 Enter the last quarter note by pressing and 
releasing F.
SEQ TRANSPORT
LOCATE
12
REC
(1) Press and release F.
(2) Change this value to 240, 
since the next note is an 8th note.
(3) Press the [F4] button to tie the 
     two F notes (half note and 8th note).
(2) Press and release A
(3) Press [F4] twice to expand the quarter note to a dotted half note. (1) Change this to 480. 
						

							188MOTIF  Reference
Song Record mode 
Reference  Song mode
6Move the pointer to the top (beginning) of the 
song and press the [F] button to hear the note 
data you just recorded in steps #1 - 5.
●Example 3 (Using the REST function)
1Set the parameters as illustrated below.
Set the StepTime to  (480) and the Gate Time to 
80%. 
2Enter the first note F.
3Enter the next 8th rest by following the 
instructions below. 
4Enter the next 8th note A. 
5Enter the next 4th note C by following the 
instructions below. 
6Enter the next 8th rest via the same procedure as 
in step #3
7Enter the last 8th note F. 
8Move the pointer to the top (beginning) of the 
song and press the [F] button to hear the note 
data you just recorded in steps #1 - 7.
● [F2] Song Record  Voice
From this display you can set voice-related 
parameters for the selected track.  The settings 
made here affect the tone generator parts whose 
MIDI receive channels match the MIDI transmit 
channel of the song track.
Press and release F.
Change this value to 240, since 
the rest value is the same as an 
8th note. Enter an 8th note rest by
pressing the [F3] button.(1) (2)
Press and release A. 
Press and release C. Change this value to 480, since the next note is 
a quarter note.
(1)
(2)
Press and release F. 
						

							189MOTIF  Reference
Song Edit mode
Reference  Song mode
• Voice 
Determines the voice for the selected track. 
You can use the BANK, GROUP, NUMBER button or the 
Category Search function to select a voice (page 124). You 
can also select a Sample voice (page 58). 
• Voume 
Determines sound volume for the selected track. 
❏Settings 0~127
• Pan 
Determines the stereo pan position the selected track. 
❏Settings L63 (Left) ~ C (Center) ~ R63 (Right)
• InsEF (Insertion Effect Part Switch)
Determines whether the Insertion effect (page 39) for the 
selected track is on or off.
❏Settings on, off
● [F3] Song Record  Arpeggio
From this display you can set various Arpeggio-
related parameters for the selected track.
• Bank 
Determines the specific Arpeggio Bank.  For details, see 
page 55.
❏Settings pre1, pre2, user
• Type 
Determines the Arpeggio type.  The two-letter prefix before the 
name indicates the general Arpeggio category. (page 55 )
• Velocity Limit 
Determines the lowest and highest velocity in the 
Arpeggio’s velocity range. While recording, this lets you 
control when the Arpeggio sounds by your playing 
strength.
❏Settings 1~127
• Switch 
Determines whether Arpeggio playback is on or off.  You 
can also turn this on or off from the front panel with the 
[ARPEGGIO ON/OFF] button.
❏Settings off, on
• Hold 
Determines whether the Arpeggio playback is “held” or 
not.  When this is set to “on,” the Arpeggio cycles 
automatically, even if notes are released, and it continues 
to cycle until the next note data is received.  
❏Settings sync-off, off, on
• PartSwitch 
Determines whether Arpeggio playback is on or off for the 
tone generator part (page 55) that corresponds to the 
recorded track. 
❏Settings off, on
Song Edit mode
This mode gives you comprehensive, detailed controls 
for editing the MIDI events of individual song tracks.  
MIDI events are messages (such as note on/off, note 
number, program change number, etc.) that make up 
the data of a recorded song.
◆ Basic Procedure
Basic Operation (page 70)
1 In the Song Play mode, select a User Song to be 
edited. 
2 Press the [EDIT] button to enter the Song Edit 
mode.  (The indicator lights.)  The Song event List 
display shown below appears.
3 Revise, insert or delete the MIDI events as needed.  
If you find the display too cluttered, you can filter 
out certain event types with the View Filter.  
Simply press the [F2] button and select the event 
types you want to be displayed.
4 After completing editing, press the [SONG] button 
to return back to the Song Play mode. 
5 Press the [F] button to hear your edited data. 
6 Edit other tracks as required. Repeat steps #2 
through #5 as desired. 
7 After editing, save your song data to the Memory 
Card or the SCSI device connected to the MOTIF 
in the File mode. 
• For detailed instructions on step #3, see the 
following explanations. 
• For details on step #7, refer to “File mode” on 
page 266.
Determines whether Arpeggio playback data is 
recorded to the track or not. (Press the [F4] button.)
EDIT
Events
Measure
numberClock
(480 clocks per quarter-note)
Beat 
						

							190MOTIF  Reference
Song Edit mode 
Reference  Song mode
Event Editing/Inserting/Deleting
The explanations here apply to step #3 of the Basic 
Procedure on page 189. 
■ Editing/Deleting Existing Events
To edit data in the Event List, use the up/down cursor 
buttons to highlight the specific event you want to edit, 
and use the left/right cursor buttons to highlight the 
data type or parameter to be edited.  Then, change the 
value as needed by using the [INC/YES] and [DEC/
NO] buttons or the data dial.
 The edited event will flash on the display. Press the 
[ENTER] button to actually enter the edited data (the 
event will stop flashing). To abort an edit simply 
highlight to a new event location without pressing the 
[ENTER] button. Press the [F6] button to delete the 
event at the current location.
■ Inserting New Events
To insert an event, use the up/down cursor buttons to 
highlight an event at the desired point in the track 
(measure, beat, clock) — this is the location to which 
the new event will be inserted.  Then, follow the steps 
below.
MIDI events that can be inserted 
(edited)
The following explanations apply to the MIDI events 
that can be inserted (edited) in step #3 of the Basic 
Procedure on page 189. 
The following displays are called up by pressing the 
[F5] button in step #3 of the Basic Procedure on 
page 189. 
■ Note
This is the most common and prevalent type of data — 
the individual notes of a song.
• Note name
Determines the note name or the specific keyboard pitch of 
the note.
❏Settings C -2 ~ G8
• Gate time (beat : clock)
Determines the length of time that a note actually sounds 
in beats and clocks.
❏Settings 00:001 ~ 999:479
nOn the MOTIF, one clock is 1/480th of a quarter 
note. 
• Velocity
Determines how strongly the selected note sounds.
❏Settings 1 ~ 127
■ Pitch Bend
These are the events that define continuous changes in 
pitch and these events are generated by pitch bend 
wheel operation.
• Data
❏Settings -8192 ~ +8191
You can also move the selected event to 
another location by specifying different 
values for measure, beat, and clock.Press the [F6] button to 
delete the
event at the current 
location.
Press the [F1] button to abort and
return to the main Event List
display.Press the [F5]
button.
Press the [ENTER] button to
actually insert the event.
ENTER
EXECUTE
Note name Gate time Velocity
Data