I'm hoping someone may have figured this out....
 
Why does the sound of a patch change on my Motif if I have a midi track in Sonar with its output set to the Motif?  
I have a Yamaha Motif ES connected to my computer that I use as both a midi controller and sound module.
 
When I open a midi track in Sonar PE and assign the midi track's output to the Motif it changes the sound of the patch I have selected. I'm not talking about the patch changing, I'm talking about the audible "sound" of the patch's sound font eminating from the Motif. 

 
For example:
I select the midi track's output to the Motif. I then select a channel. I then select a Bank and Patch using the imported instrument definitions for the Motif ES such as the Full Grand. The audio output of the Motif is routed to its own amp and speakers.
 
Now, if I play recorded notes back to the Motif from the midi track it sounds fine. But if I try to play the notes on the Motif myself by strikiing the keys on the Motif then the tone of the Grand Piano is distorted. Distorted meaning: sounds like the chorus and the reverb are not correct and it has a very thin sound as if it were a cheap toy electric keyboard. Playing with the Chorus and Reverb settings within the midi track doesn't really help even though you can hear those things change as you increas/decrease the settings.
 
As you know there are several different variations of sending midi information to the keyboard through a midi track. In fact I don't even have to use the imported instrument definitions that I set up to send midi information to the keyboard but no matter how I have the midi track set up I get the same resulting distorted sounding Grand Piano.
 
The only way I can get the Grand Piano sound back to normal again is to set the midi track's output to something else besides the Motif. If I insert a Soft Synth into the project and then set the midi track's output to the soft synth instead of the Motif then the sound of the Grand Piano on the Motif returns to normal. Actually I've been using this method for years as a work around but it's very annoying and I'd like to find a solution to the problem.
 
If I record a midi track in Sonar using the Motif and then play back the midi track through the Motif it sounds just fine. But if I manually strike the keys of the Motif, whether the recorded midi track is playing or not, then I get this weird sounding distorted piano sound from the notes that I'm manually striking.
 
So to sum it up...Why does the sound of a patch change on my Motif if I have a midi track in Sonar with its output set to the Motif?
 
Hope I made this clear enough, it's difficult to explain.
 
Thanks,
Pete

You need to get the instrument file for the Motif (INS file) and set it up in Sonar so that you can control the Motif from inside of Sonar. Google Motif INS file and you may find a place to download it. 

Try this link: http://www.sninety.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=1,3&Board=Cakewalk&Number=56958&page=15&view=collapsed&sb=4&o=&fpart=all&vc=1

Did you turn Local Off on your Motif? If you also have Echo On enabled in the Motif's MIDI track, then playing notes on the Motif will trigger notes internally, and the Midi will loop back though and trigger notes on top of the ones that you played. Depending on the delay between the struck notes (the loopback to/from the computer introduces a delay due to latency) you will get phase cancellation that can sound like an altered tone.
 
The preferred setting when working with a DAW is to have Local Off in the keyboard. In this mode, the keyboard acts like two elements: a MIDI controller and a MIDI sound module.

My bet is that losguy is correct.  Local On will cause exactly what you described when working within a DAW.  I have two hardware synths and on occasion I will forget to turn Local back off if I have turned it on.  As soon as I hit a key...I know exactly what the problem is....I've done it so many times :) . 

Local on, been caught out by that one myself too! ;)

 
Wow! Thanks folks! It's working perfectly now.
 
You were correct. It was the "Local On" control that needed to be turned off.
 
Thinking about it now it makes perfect sense that I was getting doubled sound fonts timed such that it was causing a phasing issue. The only time I've ever turned the Local off was if I was using a soft synth and didn't want to hear the sounds eminating from the keyboard.
 
I've been having the same issue when I connect my lappy up to my Yamaha Clavinova. I'll have to refer to my Clavinova manual and see if the Clavinova's Local can be turned off. It doesn't have all the functions that my Motif ES8 has, it's more of an electric piano with a few extra instruments and features and not really intended for full blown studio use.
 
Funny...I've been using a workaround for years and it was such a simple fix.
 
Thanks again to everyone.
 
Pete

@Peter Rabbit - I just saw a news article yesterday that says you are almost endangered in the North East, due to habitat destruction.  Good luck with that.

Also, since your problem is fixed, can you edit your initial post and add the word 'Solved' to the subject line?  It let's folks know they can skip it, if they were going to go through the thread to offer help - it's sort of an etiquette thing. :)

Thanks, 

Bob Bone

@Peter Rabbit - I just saw a news article yesterday that says you are almost endangered in the North East, due to habitat destruction.  Good luck with that.

 
This bunnyman has adapted to an urban habitat and refuses to be exterminated so easily.
 

Also, since your problem is fixed, can you edit your initial post and add the word 'Solved' to the subject line?  It let's folks know they can skip it, if they were going to go through the thread to offer help - it's sort of an etiquette thing. :)

That's a good idea. Consider it done.
 
Pete