Using a Yamaha motif es8 as midi for Logic Pro on Mac (big sur)

[Laura Dee]

Hi everyone,
I am having a very hard time getting my Yamaha motif es8 to work as a MIDI in Logic Pro using the latest operating system - big sur. I have downloaded the latest necessary drivers as directed by Yamaha (which is the Yamaha Steinberg USB driver). My computer recognises there is a usb midi connected and in my audio midi studio set up it recognises there is a generic usb midi interface but doesn’t recognise that it’s the motif and therefore it is not possible to use it as a MIDI in the DAW. If anyone on this thread has managed to use the Es8 or something similar as MIDI I would really appreciate some insight!
Thank you very much!
Laura

 

[rob aylestone]

I can't speak for Logic, but in Cubase, the Motif would be received as a generic MIDI device too - which is exactly what Cubase needs. In Cubase sending model specific data back to a device normally works straightforwardly - although you can set up templates to access frequently used MIDI features, but I've never needed these.

The Motif will respond to the usual commands from Logic (as Cubase does too) I suspect you are actually expecting things that MIDI will not do?

It's common for people to confuse the MIDI connection with the audio connection. Your DAW can change the motif's programmes, and the motif can be used to control some DAW functions - my master keyboard has stop, rewind, ff, rec and play features and I can write a little table that converts the MIDI data these buttons generate into real commands. Your Motif can do this kind of thing - you just need the DAW to train itself. What you cannot do is get any audio down that MIDI cable - that MIDI cannot do. When you say "Use it as a MIDI" this is what makes me think you expect music sounds suddenly appearing in Logic - this does NOT happen. If your Motif is set to a Synth sound, Logic can tell it to suddenly become a piano for a few bars then change back to synth - but these sounds remain in the Motif. If you want them in the DAW, then you need cables connecting to the computer's audio input or interface. MIDI is a common language - think of it as English - your Yamaha talks English, logic understands English. English is just the language everything understands - this is what General Midi is - a common protocol, like lighting people have in DMX, and people doing video have with timecode. They just connect the kit. Timecode doesn't do pictures down the cable, DMX doesn't power lights and MIDI doesn't transmit audio. Are you confusing 'MIDI' with a VST - virtual instrument? I fear you may be. The best Logic can do is send note on and off messages, channel and programme changes and system exclusive messages - the sound will be generated and remain inside the Motif.