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The heritage of the Motif 'JOB' button

This section is for the Yamaha Motif MO, MM6 and MM8 Keyboards

Moderators: parametric, Derek, Saul

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lastmonk
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The heritage of the Motif 'JOB' button

Unread post by lastmonk »

For the last several weeks I've been working on a fairly challenging composition and arrangement on my Motif XF8. I've used many pattterns, and tracks in the composition and the composition spans both Pattern Mode and Song Mode. I found my self reaching for the 'JOB' button and appreciating the 'JOB' button so many times that it made me wonder how long have the Pattern Jobs, and Song Jobs been around. I've found them indispensable for midi composing, arranging, editing, etc. Little did I know what a rich heritage the Motif job button has.

Tied to the 'JOB' button are operations that are so useful and fundamental to midi music production that the lack of those operations in any workstation, music production synthesizer, arranger, or DAW should be an immediate show stopper. And these operations and the 'JOB' button have been with Yamaha hardware sequencers and workstations for a very long time. It seems has far back as 1984. My search for where and when the 'JOB' button first appeared has so far resulted in this lineage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKYi2Sl1wc8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAcrWc1ijGo

Yamaha QX1 Sequencer (somewhere around 1984)
Yamaha QX3 Sequencer
Yamaha QX5 etc.
Yamaha Qy10
Yamaha QY70
Yamaha QY300
Yamaha QY700
Yamaha QY100
Yamaha QS300
Yamaha Ex5
Yamaha Motif Series (starting in 2001)

I know I've probably missed some in here. But these are the ones I was able to get manuals for,and check the existence and function of the 'JOB' button and the associated operations. If someone out there knows if the Job button and associated operations show up earlier 'Please Post!" ;-)
These 20+ Pattern mode jobs, and 20+ song mode jobs mean everything to those of us who do our composing and arranging and editing on the Motif and they have along heritage. They are battle tested, rock solid, and straight forward to use. The 'Event List' processing alone is worth the price of admission.

I've used Cubase, and Logic at very advanced levels. So I know that at the end of the day with enough ingenuity and hard work one can get the same things done in those DAWs as can be accomplished with the 'JOB' button. But as they say you could play tennis with a golf club if you practice long and hard enough. The Motif's 'JOB' button and the associated operations are tightly integrated with the Motif architecture, its controllers, and its buttons and knobs. A large computer screen and a mouse are simply no substitution for the ease of use and the efficiency of the 'JOB' button and the Motif jobs :naughty: A generic desktop computer DAW and the generic sequencing commands simply cannot compete with the elegance and stream lined sequencer that is integrated into the Motif and has been around and thoroughly tested since at least 1984. :o

Its too bad Yamaha chose to go a different way with the Montage. I know they eventually added some semblance of the pattern mode sequencer and some of the jobs back into the Montage., but the last time I looked the montage has.,

No Event List
No Event Jobs, Measure Jobs
Missing some of the Pattern Jobs
has only 8 scenes compared to Motif's 16 sections

Make no mistake about it the Montage M is an astonishing instrument, but it would have been so much more if it had included the full heritage of Yamaha's 'JOB' button :D

I would think that since Yamaha owned Steinberg that they would have insisted the Cubase include a 'JOB' button and the 20+ song jobs, and 20+ pattern jobs as part of their Motif, MoX, MoxF special integration template. I really expected this to be the case when they launched the Montage and pointed those looking for Motif's music production capabilities to Cubase :geek:

The 'JOB' button and the 20+ song jobs, and pattern jobs, represent a long line of Yamaha's innovation in hardware and integrated sequencer space. I literally can't imagine my music production efforts without it :dance:
Last edited by lastmonk on Wed Aug 07, 2024 5:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
Its not about what sounds the Motif can or can't make. Its about how much passion, time and effort one is prepared to spend with the Motif. Once one understands Motif's elements, XACntrl, Controller Arps, and ISS it becomes clear that no synthesizer technique, sound, or musical expression is out of Motif's reach. :ugeek:
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YamahaUser United States of America
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Re: The heritage of the Motif 'JOB' button

Unread post by YamahaUser »

lastmonk wrote: Tue Aug 06, 2024 7:59 pmMy search for where and when the 'JOB' button first appeared has so far resulted in this lineage:

Yamaha QX1 Sequencer (somewhere around 1984)
Yamaha QX3 Sequencer
Yamaha QX5 etc.
Yamaha Qy10
Yamaha QY70
Yamaha QY300
Yamaha QY700
Yamaha QY100
Yamaha QS300
Yamaha Ex5
Yamaha Motif Series (starting in 2001)
I'm aware of the following also having a 'JOB' button:
YS100 and YS200 (1988 release)
V50 (1989 release)
'JOB' functions encompassed both synthesizer mode and (more extensively) sequencer mode.
Operating manuals for both are available online, if details of their 'JOB' functions are desired.
Yamaha A3000V2, A4000, MEP4, Motif XS6, Motif XF6, YS200
Fender Chroma Polaris | Korg T3EX, 05R/W | Roland M-GS64, U-220 | Etc.
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lastmonk
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Re: The heritage of the Motif 'JOB' button

Unread post by lastmonk »

Wow! thanx YamahaUser., I had never even heard of the YS100, it looks awesome. I was able also to get the manual for it so thanx again.
While checking out the YS100 I bumped into the CX5M never heard of this one either. So thanx to you I have 2 new Yamaha gems I can dig into. Although the CX5M does not appear to use the JOB concept, it is interesting.

In the world of mainframe computers, and batch processing a JOB often executed using JCL, or in Unix/Linux terms some shell script, or command, automates the execution of 1 or more commands or programs. I'm guessing, or grasping at the possibility that this is where Yamaha might have picked up the concept. Since midi in the early days was really a programming thing.

The Yamaha sequencer jobs do automate a lot of midi processing under the hood. That's why I cherish them so much. In many scenarios it would take a lot of pointing and clicking, dragging and dropping in a DAW to pull off what is easily done with one or two Motif sequencer jobs.

Maybe the QX1 sequencer and job started with

http://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/yamaha-c1/5600
Last edited by lastmonk on Fri Aug 09, 2024 6:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
Its not about what sounds the Motif can or can't make. Its about how much passion, time and effort one is prepared to spend with the Motif. Once one understands Motif's elements, XACntrl, Controller Arps, and ISS it becomes clear that no synthesizer technique, sound, or musical expression is out of Motif's reach. :ugeek:
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YamahaUser United States of America
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Re: The heritage of the Motif 'JOB' button

Unread post by YamahaUser »

lastmonk wrote: Wed Aug 07, 2024 4:42 am Wow! thanx YamahaUser., I had never even heard of the YS100, it looks awesome. I was able also to get the manual for it so thanx again.
While checking out the YS100 I bumped into the CX5M never heard of this one either. So thanx to you I have 2 new Yamaha gems I can dig into. Although the CX5M does not appear to use the JOB concept, it is interesting.
You're welcome. Yamaha did go off in some unique directions, and the CX5M Music Computer is certainly one of them. One interesting model having 'JOB' functions is the RS7000 Music Production Studio.

There's also a funky-looking modular (keyboard-less) version of the YS100/YS200, the TQ5 Tone Generator. This and the other synth models I've mentioned are all 4 operator, 8 algorithm, 8 voice, 8 note polyphonic FM (except the V50 is 16 note poly).
Yamaha A3000V2, A4000, MEP4, Motif XS6, Motif XF6, YS200
Fender Chroma Polaris | Korg T3EX, 05R/W | Roland M-GS64, U-220 | Etc.
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lastmonk
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Re: The heritage of the Motif 'JOB' button

Unread post by lastmonk »

I checked that TQ5 out., Its just what the doctor ordered. I found one on e-bay. I'm corresponding with the owner now! LOL
thanx
Its not about what sounds the Motif can or can't make. Its about how much passion, time and effort one is prepared to spend with the Motif. Once one understands Motif's elements, XACntrl, Controller Arps, and ISS it becomes clear that no synthesizer technique, sound, or musical expression is out of Motif's reach. :ugeek:
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YamahaUser United States of America
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Re: The heritage of the Motif 'JOB' button

Unread post by YamahaUser »

lastmonk wrote: Thu Aug 08, 2024 2:11 am I checked that TQ5 out., Its just what the doctor ordered. I found one on e-bay. I'm corresponding with the owner now! LOL
thanx
Just a little heads-up - be aware that the TQ5 has no microtuning or portamento capability (true also of the YS models). Also, editing of the FM parameters is limited to "EASY EDIT" - in-depth editing requires a computer running a compatible editor program. Those things might not be important to you, but I thought you might want to know if not already informed.
Yamaha A3000V2, A4000, MEP4, Motif XS6, Motif XF6, YS200
Fender Chroma Polaris | Korg T3EX, 05R/W | Roland M-GS64, U-220 | Etc.
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lastmonk
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Re: The heritage of the Motif 'JOB' button

Unread post by lastmonk »

YamahaUser wrote: Thu Aug 08, 2024 3:27 am
lastmonk wrote: Thu Aug 08, 2024 2:11 am I checked that TQ5 out., Its just what the doctor ordered. I found one on e-bay. I'm corresponding with the owner now! LOL
thanx
Just a little heads-up - be aware that the TQ5 has no microtuning or portamento capability (true also of the YS models). Also, editing of the FM parameters is limited to "EASY EDIT" - in-depth editing requires a computer running a compatible editor program. Those things might not be important to you, but I thought you might want to know if not already informed.
Yea, for the most part, I'm getting this as just a collector's item. It's so unique looking. Thanx again!!!
Its not about what sounds the Motif can or can't make. Its about how much passion, time and effort one is prepared to spend with the Motif. Once one understands Motif's elements, XACntrl, Controller Arps, and ISS it becomes clear that no synthesizer technique, sound, or musical expression is out of Motif's reach. :ugeek:
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