Yamaha MOXF8 How to Control the Volume of Different Voices While Playing

This is a "How To" video showing how to control the volume of different voices while playing live on the MOXF8 in Performance Mode. See my other video "Yamaha MOXF8 How to Mix a Song" which will show more about using the volume controls while mixing a song in Song mode.

[@novasco55]

I always find myself returning for your instructions---------++ Great Job Cathy

[@bluerabbit7245]

Really helpful, thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge.

[@kelvinchung5052]

Thank you! Immensely helpful!!

[@brandonrose582]

Cathy, your videos save me every time that I pull out the MOXF8. Haha Many thanks!! :)

[@cathyt6773]

So glad!

[@brianshermeyermusic4717]

This is great if your bass and drums are generated by an arpeggio which many of the out of the box Performances are. However, I have found most of the bass arpeggios not very good especially if there are a lot of chord changes. Therefore with my left so busy with the bass and right hand busy with a flute & vibe in this example, there really is not a good time hit 2 buttons to get the display up and then turn a knob. This an area in which Yamaha went backwards. The predecessor Motif keyboard had the same type of setup allowing 4 voices in a Performance, but they had a slider volume control for each voice. Still tricky when playing live with an active bass left hand but a bit easier to quickly change the volume.

[@cathyt6773]

I totally agree about Yamaha moving backwards. I much preferred the 4 sliders from the earlier model.

[@nasonschooler6807]

Wow! Your videos are VERY helpful. I'm amazed at your deep understanding of the MOXF. How do you find out about all this stuff?

[@cathyt6773]

Lots of tears and tearing my hair out. I have had a Yamaha workstation keyboard for 14 years and just got the new MOXF8 a few months ago. Just trying to learn the new keyboard (lots of changes) and found many of the videos on-line didn't address my needs. Thought I would share what I already knew and what I am learning.

[@jetwoman10001]

I have found your videos very helpful and to the point. Not a lot of excessive talking. It is too bad that the navigation is so non intuitive for such a great instrument.

[@nicolasolsonmusic5191]

Cathy, these videos have been incredibly helpful. Is there a way to use this function to set up a droning pad to use in worship? Basically, I want to have a pad sound connected to an individual volume parameter and functions separately when using a piano sound. An example would be: A C note set to drone, with the ability a fade in and out with a separate volume knob (like modulation knob), and then being able to play piano sounds over the same droning note. In something like layering, all the sound are connected to the same notes (play a C chord, it plays a C chord in the pad & piano sound, play an F, it plays an F chord in the pad & piano, etc). When it’s split, you can’t utilize the whole keyboard to get the piano sounds since the keys are cut in half. Any advice or tips would be great!

[@cathyt6773]

There might be other ways to do what you are describing, but I played around a little and have an idea. It sounds like you want to noodle around on piano above a low drone voice. What I am going to describe would work for noodling around - - background music (not necessarily for something with a lot of rhythm). I would go into Pattern mode. Find an available Pattern (one on which you haven't recorded anything yet). Open the mixing window while in pattern mode and on track 1 choose a drone voice - - I like Background Strings. Then over on the RH side of your keyboard push the "Pattern Section" button to "on." When you do this the 16 numbered buttons now function as "sections." Button number one becomes "Section A" and button number 2 becomes "Section B", etc. (On the main window you will see a section letter to the right of the box where the name of the pattern would be.). Start with Section A (button no. 1) and now hit "Record" and just play and hold a low "C" on the keyboard for 4 measures. You have now created a loop that sounds like a drone on low "C." Then hit the number 2 button which will take you to "Section B" and record a low F for 4 measures and then it will loop, becoming a drone on F. Then go to "Section C" (button 3) and record a loop with a held low "G", etc. You can keep adding up to 16 drone notes. Next you need to open the mixing window again and move to track 2 and choose a voice for that track - - probably piano. This is the track that you will play live on. So now hit play and you can play along with the different drone notes that you recorded. To change to a different drone note you push the numbered keys (1-16) which, as I explained above, are now "Section" letters. MAKE SURE THE PATTERN SECTION BUTTON IS STILL LIT. Control the volume of your drone on track 1 using the method explained in the above video. See if this works for you . . . There are certain performances on the keyboard that have bass lines that will change automatically with the chord that you are playing, but you have to have the arpeggiation function on for that to work This usually means drums are pounding away. I guess you could turn the volume down on the drums so you can't hear them but the bass lines will all be rhythmic, not drones . . You will have to explore the on-board performances and see if there is anything that is useful to you (there probably won't be). If you find one, you can control the volume of the different voices in the performance as I showed in this video. You should explore learning how to create your own arpeggiated performance . . . Sorry, I don't do much with performances on the keyboard so I am not much help there.

[@tgpword]

NICE JOB!! However Cathy would you please solve an issue for me? There's a voice called LURCH on the MOXF8, but the drums sound will not playback across all the keys like the other layered arpeggios voices will, when I finger them... I can hear the drums but I can't play them, or play along with this arpeggio when I press the keys ...how could I change that? Thank U Miss C!!

[@cathyt6773]

I found "Lurch" and it seems to work fine. Remember, you are in a "Performance" and you don't have a lot of control over the arpeggios that have been pre-programmed into this "performance." If you like the drums but want to get rid of some of the other sounds, go to the F2 button (Voice) and on the left side of the screen are little boxes with x's in them. Use your data wheel to cancel (unselect) the x's or perhaps select other instruments. You may find that you don't really want to be in performance mode. If you just want to play along with drums, hit "voice" then "Drum Assign" then "Category Search" to choose your drumming voice then F2 to choose what instrument you want to play along with. It will probably default to piano. Not sure what else to tell you. If you watch all of my videos you may get a better idea of how the keyboard works.

[@tgpword]

@@cathyt6773, thank you for your knowledge, time and solutions...Peace!!

[@bruceblinn-knapp4288]

Hi Cathy, Is that feature (pressing both buttons to mix all 4) only available on the MOXF8? IT doesn't appear to be available on my MOX8. Excellent videos!

[@reversecowboy]

Same 🫤

[@romainereid7883]

For some strange reason when I push the both buttons to get the knob volume control for each voice, all the lights doesnt appear nor the volume info and so I cant modify the volumes.

[@saybahzaizay4318]

Romaine Reid same thing happening to mine

[@kingpiano37]

Me too. Any idea how to fix this?

[@roncarter3801]

Cathy, have you ever experienced low volume output of all voices on the MOXF8. I thought my issue was due to my aged studio monitors, so I got 2 HS8 which should have more than enough power to fill my small home studio, but still with volume on both the keyboard and HS8s maxed out, I still barely get any sound. Any suggestions?

[@cathyt6773]

I don't have that problem. My keyboard is plugged into a Focusrite audio interface unit and I have two Rokit5 Reference speakers plugged into the Focusrite. I control the volume using the Focusrite volume control and I get plenty of sound. When I plug my keyboard into my Roland KC500 or any other keyboard amp, I get plenty of sound - - tons of sound. When you use a keyboard amp or headphones do you get plenty of sound? Try these things: 1) Go to UTILITY - then hit F1(General) - then check your keyboard volume. It should be 127, which is as high as mine will go. 2). Next hit SF2(Output) and make sure the L&R Gain is 6dB; 3) Maybe purchase an interface unit (mine is the Focusrite - costs around $150) and run your keyboard through this into your speakers; 4) If you have a Guitar Center store near you, go in and ask the keyboard guys about the problem and also ask about the types of cables you should be using - stereo vs. mono, etc. I am not an expert regarding this . . . Good luck.

[@roncarter3801]

Cathy, thank you so much. I don’t have a keyboard amp but I am getting good sound thru headphones. I thought I would be able just to plug my powered studio monitors into the MOXF8 and get plenty of sound but that’s not the case. I ordered a Focusrite 2i2 3rd gen., hope once I can get everything connected, I will recognize some improvement. I’m going to connect both studio monitors to the rear outputs of the interface, connect left mono output on keyboard to front input 1 of the interface, connect interface and keyboard to MacBook Pro and see what happens. Again, thanks for your assistance , you say you are not an expert but your videos are more intuitive that 99% of the others on KZbin.

[@sherigarlockpianostudio4682]

Hi Ron - I second Cathy’s endorsement of the Focusrite Scarlet digital interface. I run stereo - both outputs into the front of the interface and two JBL speakers to the back of interface. Great sounds! Though without Cathy - I would be lost with this keyboard! Yamaha should pay her! 🎹❤️

[@emguanue]

Mine doesn’t work when I press them together. It’ll only show part 1 volume

[@cathyt6773]

Hmmm. Do you have the MOXF8? If you push both together at the same time then turn the first knob on the left, you will then just seen track one and the volume for that track. Press the two buttons again to bring up all four tracks, but when you turn the 2nd knob from the left, you should now be controlling the volume for track 2, etc. Keep fiddling with it.

[@ygh55]

How do you fade the instruments out quickly at the end of a song? I’m using ‘Auto Ballad’ and need to fade the drum instruments at the end.

[@cathyt6773]

When you are playing a Performance (like Auto Ballad), if you press F2 (Voice) you can see the four instruments that are assigned to tracks # 1, 2, 3, & 4. Now over on the left side of your keyboard you will see a grey button that has Tone 1, 2, 3 underneath it. Below that grey button is another grey button that has EQ, Effect, and Arp under it. If you press both of these grey buttons at the same time, all six of those little green lights will light up at the same time. What this means is that now the upper four buttons to the right of the "Tone" grey button are now volume buttons for each of the four voices. If your drums are on track #1 (which they will be), you can fade them with the first knob (the "A" knob). However, I think what you probably trying to do is to turn off the arpeggiation at the end of the song so you can slow it down and end. You can do that by simply hitting the Arp on/off button while you continue to play. Try playing around with both of these techniques and I hope you are able to achieve what you want.

[@markydooberry9245]

When I try to record it plays arp drums how do I turn that off it's like a recording helper of some sort

[@cathyt6773]

I'm not sure what is happening, but be sue to turn the Arp Off if you don't want to hear the arpeggiation (drums or whatever). It is a button to the left of the screen on your keyboard. The little red light will go off when you turn it off. If you are referring to the metronome which clicks as you record to help you keep a steady beat, when you hit the "record" button, look on your screen and you will see "click" above the F5 key. To turn off the metronome, hit F5 and the metronome won't click anymore as you record. You will have to turn it off each time you hit record.

[@markydooberry9245]

@@cathyt6773 I just learned on your channel thanks

[@markydooberry9245]

@@cathyt6773 kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqOxZaSYhNZ5Y80