Yamaha SW1000XG Advanced Manualbook page 68

So how do you set up the SW1000Xg with the Control Freak for example?
The simplest way is to think of the Control Freak or Phatboy as a hardware version of XGEDIT. If you connect it to
the MIDI in of your SW1000XG then whatever sequencer you have running will respond to the sysex or controller
data coming out of the MIDI port on the hardware controller. Thus, so long as you are not filtering the data out, will
automate the parameters inside your application software. For audio control, remember to have a MIDI channel
highlighted, (as you will recall from earlier chapters, some sequencers when you have an audio part highlighted will
ignore incoming MIDI data) and make sure that the track in your software application is talking to the correct port on
the SW1000XG. If you are running a purely audio based application such as Cool Edit Pro, Saw, Sound Forge or
similar then you will need to have an application such as MIDI-OX running at the same time. This should be
configured with the following settings (note these settings only apply to applications that only work with audio)
MIDI OX – MIDI IN – SW1000XG MIDI IN
MIDI OX MIDI out 1 – SW1000 #1 Synthesiser
This will ensure that the hardware controller unit is communicating with the audio only application. (Just make sure
MIDI-OX or whatever you use is not filtering sysex!)
Here is a quick guide to setting up the Control Freak in full with Cubase. The methods employed should work with
any of the major sequencer applications software covered in this guide.
1: Connect your Kenton Control Freak to the MIDI in on your SW1000XG, or the MIDI in on any soundcard interface
attached to your PC, and make a note of which interface it is attached to.
2: Run up VST, set up your ASIO multimedia driver to wave profile the SW1000XG on all ports, and perform any
sync tests. Make sure you have the number of tracks set to a sensible level (minimum should be 12 to take full
advantage of the SW1000 wave ports). This only applies if you are not using the Yamaha ASIO driver.
3: Go to your master mixer, make sure that all of the SW1000XG output wave ports are active (green light on each).
4. With the Control Freak switched on, make sure that you can see the MIDI in LED flashing in Cubase when you
move a slider or press a button on the control freak itself. Try to be on one of the SW1000XG control pages (Control
Freak preset) whilst doing this.
5: Go to your monitor mixer, and set your 12 (or more tracks) to Master, Buss 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 respectively (tracks
1&2 to master, 3&4 to buss 1, 5&6 to buss 2 etc). This will assign your VST channels in the arrange page to the
master outs (which you have previously made active). Make sure that you pan the monitor mixer tracks hard left and
right so that they pass over to the SW1000XG's individual audio channels (1-12) on the Control Freak SW1000XG
audio control preset
6: Now make sure that you are not filtering sysex (MIDI options, filter) in VST (This is critical). Then set up a control
channel in VST's arrange page (call it SW1000 control) and set its MIDI port out to SW1000#1 synth, and MIDI
channel to all (any channel will do!). Make sure in preferences (file/prefs menu) in VST, that you have audio & MIDI
to play in background set to on. Open up a multi-channel audio demo or song that uses all 12 channels set your
active track in Cubase to the SW1000XG control track, and then call up the preset profiles for SW1000XG audio
control on the Control Freak. You will now be able to control all of your audio levels, pans, effects sends etc from the
Control Freak and record the changes in VST, as sysex or controller data, on your control track (much like a mixer
map track).
7: For MIDI control of the synth parts, the same rules kind of apply although you should limit the Cubase track to
single MIDI channel when playing with MIDI edits, rather than use 'set channel to all'. Also be careful when sending
out snapshots from the Control Freak, as sometimes Cubase and any other sequencer can upset the data ordering in
the event list if you have quantisation on a high value.
8: Remember that you don't have to be in record mode inside VST to hear the Control Freak changes taking place,
which makes it and ideal way to set up mixes and then snapshot them when you are happy!
Yamaha's own digital mixing consoles such as the 01V also offer limited support via the remote mode. In this mode
you can assign a small number of sliders to transmit user defined midi messages.
And there you have it, for a fraction of the cost of a digital mixer with multiple effects, you have exactly that, a
hardware controlled digital mixer with multiple effects, and a synth, and hard disk recorder, and 48 channel MIDI
interface all in one.
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