Drive Yamaha MX61 with a midi controller

[Locutus]

Greetings folks! I have a roland A-30 connected to my MX61 via midi. And it works, I can play the midi sounds on the MX from the Roland. However, I'd like to be able to have two different programs running - one controlled from the Roland and one on the MX (maybe even layer one or both keys to get 3 or 4 programs!).
I can't seem to find any guidance anywhere to do that. Can some steer me in the right direction, please?
much thanks,
phil

 

[happyrat1]

You'd have to set each voice to a separate channel. How many layers you can achieve depends entirely on the specs of the sound engine.

 

[anotherscott]

Out of the box, the MX61 is designed to play one or two sounds at a time from its own keys... the primary sound (which is on MIDI channel 1), and, if you'd like, a second sound split or layered with the first (which would be on MIDI channel 2). Your external controller is then free to play the sounds on channels 3-16. How many you can play from the external board and how easy it is to select different sounds for it to play can vary with the capabilities of the controller (and I am not familiar with the A30), but that may help you get you started.

For more flexibility, look at the MX Tools available from John Melas, which will allow you to put multiple MX sounds on a single MIDI channel, among other useful functions.