A QY100 user recently reached out asking how I was able to record multi-track MIDI from the sequencer into my DAW (Logic Pro X) such that each track is records a separate MIDI channel.

The following video shows the final setup:

In this video, I am sending MIDI out on individual channels to DAW where I have setup tracks to listen to those corresponding channels. The DAW tracks have been assigned soft synths and audio samples to trigger. The performance is as simple as muting/unmuting pre-composed tracks on the QY100.

How to setup multi-track recording in Song Mode:

While the QY sequencer is in Song Mode, the setup is dead simple. In Song Mode, tracks 1-16 on the QY sequencer automatically correspond to MIDI channels 1-16. So all you need to do is:

  1. Connect your QY sequencer to your computer using a MIDI-USB cable or interface. Ensuring the switch on the back of the sequencer is set to “MIDI.”
  2. In your DAW, create up to 16 MIDI tracks and have them listen to their corresponding MIDI channels. For example, set track 1 to listen for MIDI channel 1 only, track 2 for MIDI channel 2, etc…

And you’re all set up! When you hit play on the sequencer, the tracks will be mapped properly allowing you to record your song performances into your DAW as multi-track recordings.

Tip: Within your DAW, you can setup multiple tracks to listen to the same MIDI channel. This will allow you to stack sounds resulting in rich textures.

But what about in Pattern Mode like shown in the video?

How to setup multi-track recording in Pattern Mode:

Pattern Mode requires an extra step. Note that in Pattern Mode, the QY sequencer uses non-standard MIDI channels 17-24 which most DAWs don’t handle. So here’s what you will need to do:

  1. Connect your QY sequencer to your computer using a MIDI-USB cable or interface. Ensuring the switch on the back of the sequencer is set to “MIDI.”
  2. In the QY sequencer, navigate to Menu>Utility>MIDI. Ensure that the setting PATT OUT CH is switched to either “1~8” or “9~16.” This will re-map the MIDI out channels for the pattern tracks to those channels.
  3. In your DAW, create up to 8 MIDI tracks and have them listen to their corresponding MIDI channels. For example if you are using MIDI channels 1~8, set track 1 to listen for MIDI channel 1 only, track 2 for MIDI channel 2, etc… You could similarly use MIDI channels 9~16 if desired.

And that’s it! When you click play on the sequencer, you will successfully multi-track record the performance into your DAW

Tip: If you have multiple QY sequencers (for instance, both a Yamaha QY70 and a Yamaha QY100), you can set up one sequencer to send to MIDI channels 1~8, and the other sequencer to MIDI channels 9~16, making for powerful performance capabilities.