XW questions (MIDI, sequencer)

[Estevez]

Hey guys,

I have couple of questions and hoping you can help me:

I am able to record step sequencer into DAW (Cakewalk in this instance) on Ch. 10 via MIDI together with one Performance on Ch.1 and XW plays it back perfectly. Now my question is what else can can I record via MIDI into DAW that XW will be able to play back simultaneously? Can I record via MIDI in DAW more than step sequencer + one Performance ? Can I e.g. add additional MIDI track in DAW with Tone sound or another performance and will XW be able to pull it? How to achieve this? Is the 64 polyphony of XW what limits this?

Also with regards to Step Sequencer - I can place Performance sound in Solo1 but what can be placed in Solo2? What channel should be used for Sol2 ?

Phrase sequencer - it seems I am limited to record quite a short phrase. Is it limited to current tempo and 16 steps of sequencer and after that it loops?

Thanks.

[Null]

90% of your questions can be answered by reading the FAQ.

 

http://www.casiomusicforums.com/index.php?/forum/2-general-discussion/

 

As for multitrack recording with a DAW, that's what they are for.  You can record  multiple tracks at different times on each track/channel and replay them each one at a time or all at once on your XW.

 

Gary

[Estevez]

Gary - thanks for suggestions. So I have read all the FAQs again and:

- no answer to my first question. Found something on Harmony Central though where Mike Martin indicated that XW can play one Performance/Hex/Draw only at the time (so whatever goes on channel 1);

- no answer as to what can be put in Sol2 in step sequencer - when I tried yesterday it was possible to chose different sound than performance but did not have much time to see how does this work with DAW - most likely it cannot be another performance sound due to limitation in question 1;

- no answer if Phrase Sequencer sequence can be made longer or extended. Manual says that it is limited to 192kb so I assume it cannot be longer than whatever fits 16 steps in step seq.

[Estevez]

As to Sol1 & Sol2 I have found this on xwsynth page:

- Don’t get confused by the names “Solo1 and Solo2″, they simply mean that these are monophonic tracks that can only play or trigger one note at at time.  The Solo1 track can be used to play a “Solo Synth” tone instead of one of the regular PCM tones.  We’ll teach you that trick in an upcoming post.

[Jokeyman123]

Phrase sequencer-the wording is confusing IMO. You can actually record any length of musical performance with the phrase sequencer from the keyboard while the 16-step sequencer is playing several other parts which will be independent of the phrase sequencer part you are recording. Think of the "phrase sequencer" as a continuous "song recorder". You can record an entire two-hand piano part as a phrase-each phrase can be up to 1600 notes long-this is midi data so that's alot of notes and can be as many "measures" within 1600 note limitation as you want. And 192K of midi data can hold alot of phrases. You can overdub a phrase, but it has to be the same sound for each phrase you record.

 

Each phrase you record can be stored in user phrase memory, and used with any step-sequencer "loop" you record. So phrase record is not "monophonic" but can only use one tone/sound per phrase, unlike the step sequencer which can use any combination of tones you want. Not sure about DAW questions, but hope this helps phrase sequencer understanding.

 

There is also a menu setting, don't remember where, I think it's in the performance preset setup, to switch whether the phrase is synced to the step sequencer or kept independent in order to seperately control the tempo of the phrase and the step sequencer. You can get some pretty complex music going on just with the step sequencer and phrase sequencer. And you can still have your DAW playing additional sounds/tones on seperate midi channels with all this, pretty intense.

[Estevez]

Well in my previous trials I was only getting short recording and then it would overlap. After reading your post I sat down to try again and somehow...it would let me record as long as I pleased ;-) Strange world ...anyway yesterday I was playing with my G1 (7th day) and suddenly it all made sense - architecture of the synth as a whole, structure of zones, effects, phrase seq. etc. and it was like eye-opening moment...I am very pleased. Thanks for all the help !