Help !!! All presets = same sound ?!?!

Does the S90 have a multi or combo mode? Are each of the patches on the S90 on their own separate midi channel?

Maybe you're not sending the proper Bank change messages.

Let me explain.

Most MIDI data is restricted to the range 0-127 (equivalent to 7 bits). For example, keyboard notes, velocities, and most controllers are mapped to this range. Patch numbers must also be within this range. When the MIDI specification came out in 1983 or so, this was just fine: most synths around weren't able to save patches, and those that were, only had memory for 64 or less.

Eventually, manufacturers realized that good patches sold synths, and some people realized sound designing was a business, so 128 patches were soon not enough. The MIDI guys came out with an idea to overcome this limitation: just let the user be able to select a specific set (bank) of 128 patches, and then use the patch change controller to select a patch within the bank. And since selecting banks is performed by another MIDI controller, then one can also have 128 different banks. This effectively extended the theoretical storage limit to 16384 patches in a synth.

Ok, so the story doesn't go exactly like that, but you get the idea: in order to have access to all the sounds in your synth, you must select the bank first, and then the patch within that bank. Now, Sonar makes it all easy for you. In each MIDI track you can select in the box which is right above the Patch selection box. Just keep in mind you have to select the bank first, and then the patch (at least, this is the case in most synths). If your .INS file was properly configured, you should see a list of about 8 banks (8 x 128 = 1024, which is the number of sounds your synth has).

Technically, if you select a patch from the patch browser, Sonar should automatically select the corresponding bank and patch, but if for some reason it doesn't, try selecting it manually (you should be able to see the bank and patch number for each patch in the browser).

I select it manually, I select an instrument and it doesn't sound like it should. Look, the proof of it is that I select a patch ( 003 for example ) and when I keep switching presets on the TRACK PROPRETIES window the instruments name's change but not the sound .

And about ' configuring it '... well, instructions told me just to import the .ins and I did it .


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Just saw your message, I'm looking into the Manual right now, will edit this post again in 5 min.


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I can't find it ! I wonder in what section it would be on the index. .. You sure there is this GM thing on all keyboards ?]\

And I found out how to use arpeggio, but for some reason it's all choppy and it doesn't come out as in the keyboard . AND THE ARPEGGIO IS ALSO RECORDING THE NOTES + THE ARPEGGIO ITSELF AT THE SAME TIME, SO IT COMES OUT REALLY WEIRD

Is the keyboard connected (audio output) to the soundcard input? Do you have a audio track selected with the proper inputs showing on the track? So you can record the keyboards audio output there by putting the instrument sound into Sonar?

A usb connection transmits midi to Sonar and allows midi to echo back to the keyboard to play the selected instrument sound but Audio is not transmited so you will need to make the proper connections play back the midi track while recording the audio into Sonar.

If you use software synths all this would be a little easier but because your new to this computer music I don't want to confuse you even more.

ORIGINAL: Lukeirado

Can you give me a link to one ? And can I still record / edit my music ?

Try Dimension Pro. You can run as many instances of a soft-synth as your PC can handle (vs. only 1 S90 )

If you dare, check out this site for all things "virtual": http://www.kvraudio.com/
You can search their database here: http://www.kvraudio.com/get.php

Multi mode will give to 16 simultaneous voices (be sure to save the multi) up to the poly limit on the s90 just as kwgm said.

Of course Dpro is limited by how powerful your computer is and how much ram you have installed. It might exceed your S90's poly or might not. Chances are good it might unless your running a slow comp with 1 gig ram or less.

Most people that use a keyboard workstation like the sounds. It is a tad less convenient but it has worked very well for many years before software evolved to overtake hardware as the source for sounds in midi.

Uhh I went to the forums and I saw a thread about configuring SONAR, I did all the stuff and I realized the sound didnt come out on the pc but on the keyboard itself. It seems to record when Im on multi, you know, the lines and everything show up on the track, but when I can only hear it through the keyboard and the instruments change as I pick different multis.

ORIGINAL: Lukeirado

Uhh I went to the forums and I saw a thread about configuring SONAR, I did all the stuff and I realized the sound didnt come out on the pc but on the keyboard itself. It seems to record when Im on multi, you know, the lines and everything show up on the track, but when I can only hear it through the keyboard and the instruments change as I pick different multis.

Good Luke.

That's how it works. The S90ES is a synthesizer, and it makes all the sound. For now, you pipe that sound out the two 1/4" output jacks on the back of the S90ES to speakers, or whatever. If you want to record with Sonar, then you'll have to plug them into your soundcard somehow. If you have a pro sound card, it will have some kind of interface ports where you can do this.

The alternative is to buy an additional card for your S90ES, called the mLAN 16E. With this card, your S90ES communicates with Sonar via an IEEE 1394a (so-called "Firewire") cable. On that cable rides 16 audio channels and up to 4 MIDI ports. You'll acquire great benefits from using mLAN, but don't worry about it right now--I know it's all coming at you too fast. If you find that you do need to buy a professional sound card for your PC, that's the time to evaluate mLAN.

Just enjoy your S90ES and learn to use its features, of which there are many.

The User's manual for the S90ES is very terse and difficult to digest. Keep it on your desk, as you'll refer to it again and again, but get all of the "Behind the Manual" documents written by Phil Clendenin, aka "Bad Mister", as they will take you a long way towards understanding your synth.

For now, I recommend:

10 Basic Skills
Quick Guide to Category Search
Quick Guide to Master Mode
Glossary (there's good stuff in here for beginners)

Then, try getting a handle on:

Working with and Understanding Physical Controllers
Understanding S90ES Master Mode

Finally, when you're ready to move to digital audio with the mLAN16E, take a look at:

Using Studio Connection Recall.

This doc talks about using Cubase, but the principals are the same for Sonar.

Another resource: when you get to where you are comfortable with the S90ES modes and you start tweaking your own sounds, get the suite of editing tools by John Melas (http://www.jmelas.gr/motif/es/bundle.php). These tools allow you to edit and manage libraries of voices, performances, multis, and master setups. But give yourself a month or two getting to know your machine first.

Use the forum at sninety.com. By the way, this forum is also visible at motifator.com, which is a sister site where you'll find even more documents that relate to your S90ES, as the S90ES AWM2 engine is identical to the Motif ES sound engine, the differences being the S90ES has no built-in sequencer/sampler, but has a much better grand piano sample.

One more tip--when you start tweaking voices, save them in your User 2 bank, which ships with copies of the same voices that are in the Presets, so you lose nothing if you overwrite them. On the other hand, the User 1 voices are unique and not contained in the 4 Preset banks, so you don't want to overwrite these. Don't worry if you've already overwritten some of the User 1 voices--you can get them all back if you need them, via a system reset. It's all in the book.

Good luck and have fun.

-- Kurt

You can connect the 2 audio outs from the S90 to your DAW's audio inputs or as kwgm said "The alternative is to buy an additional card for your S90ES, called the mLAN 16E."

HTH

You might be able to use ASIO4All drivers on the Realtek ~ try a search of the Sonar forum. Once it was installed you'd need to get an oddball audio cable/adapter for the 2 1/4" on the S90 to a stereo 1/8" on the Realtek - something you're not likely to easily find.

I wouldn't bother with the mLan - it's dying/deprecated Yamaha technology (though I have 2 mLan boxes here) unless you can find a real cheap bargain. But it can be hard to set up & get stable.

If it were me I'd go for a suitable audio interface with the appropriate number of inputs & outputs. Again do a search of the Sonar forum, there's lots of "which audio interface" threads.

HTH