Yamaha mLAN System User Manual

mLAN System Setup

A Getting Started Power User Guide

(Windows)

Senior Product Specialist

©Yamaha Corporation of America

Phil Clendeninn

Technology Products

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mLAN System: Music Local Area Network

This is an example setup for education purposes
and by no means is the only configuration. For
this article our example mLAN system:

• Motif ES with mLAN16E installed

• i88X – high-quality mLAN I/O expander

• 01X – moving-fader mLAN digital mixer

• Motif Rack (as our non-mLAN module)

• Pair of MSP5 monitors

• Windows XP Computer (Sonar, CubaseSL/SX, SQ01)

• Multi-Part Editor for Motif ES

• Multi-Part Editor for Motif Rack

• Graphic Patchbay Software

• Studio Manager Software

• VST Plug-ins: Pitch Fix, Vocal Rack, Final Master,

(01X Channel Module) – included with 01X

• High quality microphone (not shown)

Four 1/4" cables (2 for the Monitor Outs of the
01X to the MSP5s, 2 for the analog outs of the
Motif Rack); you will need 2 MIDI cables (in/out of
the Motif Rack to the 01X). Connect these in/out
of MIDI “B” on the back of the 01X.

Three Firewire cables (one comes with the i88X,
another with the 01X) you will need a third for the
mLAN16E. Connect the computer to the 01X, the
01X to the mLAN16E, the mLAN16E to the i88X.
The units can be connected in any order, by the
way, but the point is it is just a "daisy chain". The
firewire connections simply need to go from one
device to another. The order is insignificant. When
you see two Firewire Ports on a product (like on
the 01X, mLAN16E, and i88X) these are not IN
and OUT. Each single Port is both IN and OUT.
The order will not matter because all routing
within the Network is done digitally with the
“Graphic Patchbay”.

The Motif ES should be set as follows:

• Press UTILITY

• Press F4 CTL ASN

• Press SF4 REMOTE

• Set Mode A = OFF = Port 4 (not used in this setup

– because we will be using the 01X to remote
control the digital audio workstation sequencer)

• Set Mode B = GENERAL = Port 3 (the Motif ES’s
Port 3 will be used to remote control the Motif Rack)

• Press ENTER to make settings

• Press F5 MIDI

• Press SF2 SWITCH

• Set the Local Ctrl = OFF*

• Press SF4 OTHER

• Set MIDI IN/OUT = mLAN

• Set the Thru Port = 2 (This will make the MIDI OUT

jack of the Motif ES available for routing tracks to
yet another module or synthesizer)

• Press STORE to lock in settings

*In this setup with Local Control OFF you would typically
route signal back to the selected tone generator via
track assignment in your sequencing software.

The Motif Rack should be set as follows:

• Press UTILITY

• PAGE to MIDI screen

• Cursor down to MIDI IN/OUT = MIDI (The Motif

Rack will be connected to the MIDI In and Out of
the 01X…In this setup we will use MIDI-B. Connect
the MIDI Out of the Rack to MIDI-B IN on the 01X
and MIDI-B OUT to the Motif Rack MIDI IN).

• Press MULTI to select Multi mode and write the
settings to Flash ROM

• Connect the audio outputs of the Motif Rack to
inputs 3 and 4 of the 01X with two ¼” cables.

• Audio for the Motif ES will be handled by mLAN.

The 01X should be set as follows:

• Press UTILITY to view the UTILITY SETUP MENU

• Press Knob 1 REMOTE – select your desired

software; press Knob 8 Yes to lock it in

We will discuss the setup of the Wordclock Master
a bit later.

Getting Started

Make sure you have the latest version driver
You will need to have installed:

• The mLAN Driver (this will install mLAN Manager,
Auto Connector and the Graphic Patchbay)

• Studio Manager; VST Plug-ins: Pitch Fix, Vocal
Rack, Final Master, (01X Channel Module)

• Multi-Part Editor for Motif Rack (on the mLAN
CDROM)

• Multi-Part Editor for Motif ES (on the Motif ES Tools
CDROM)

ACTIVATE the mLAN Driver

To activate the mLAN driver you can right click on
the mLAN Manager icon in the computer’s System
Tray - Select ON.
Alternatively, you can use the Windows launch
routine.

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• To start the mLAN Driver:
Press START> mLAN TOOLS> mLAN Start

It will take a few seconds to launch.

AUTO CONNECTOR

AUTO CONNECTOR is used
when you are using a
single connected device ­in a scenario where you
are using just an 01X <->
computer, for example.
We will open it here just
because we can learn
some interesting things
from it.

Right Click on the mLAN Manager icon in the
System Tray and select “AUTO CONNECTOR”.
Making the initial settings:

• Model Name 01X

• Sampling Rate 44.1kHz

• Master Clock = 01X * *

• PC -> 01X 16 channels + 2 CH Monitor (17&18)

Please note: [There are 16 channels coming from
the computer back to the 01X via the mLAN cable
plus the 17
monitor bus.]

• ASIO ____ ASIO

• PC <- 01X 24 channels [There are 24 channels

going from the 01X to the computer DIRECT OUT]

th

and 18th arrive direct to the STEREO

(see Troubleshooting for details)

up within a network. Or this may happen if the
01X was last running on a different clock setting.
If this happens follow these simple steps:
On the front panel of the 01X –

• Press UTILITY

• Press Knob 3 W.CLK

• Press Knob 1 ENABLE

• Press Knob 8 YES

• If necessary, DISPLAY DOWN to page 2/2 and set

the Clock to “INTERNAL” and “44.1kHz”

• Press [SHIFT] + [BACK UP]

• Click OK on the computer.

This will configure the 01X as the “Master Clock”
running at 44.1kHz.

LAUNCH the DIGITAL PATCHBAY

You would use the DIGITAL PATCHBAY in a
system setup where more than one mLAN device
is being connected.

• Right click on the mLAN Manager icon and select the
Graphic Patchbay

• Click CONNECT

The computer will take a few more seconds to
negotiate the setup. If you get a warning that
says activate WORDCLOCK on the 01X - do so.
This may happen the first time an 01X is powered

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You may not be familiar with what a patchbay is
or does in an audio studio. In the analog world,
literally the input and output jacks of every piece
of gear is connected to the patch points in the
patchbay – this makes it convenient to re-patch
when necessary to accommodate a specific goal.
Usually filled with spaghetti-like cabling, routing
this input to that output and that output to this
input. In the analog world there was no way to
memorize the connections made during a session
except by attempting to write it down on paper. In
the digital domain the Digital Patchbay will allow
you not only to memorize for instant recall but it
allows you to connect gear within the network
without ever having to pull a physical cable. You
define the connections between NODES (devices)
here in this patchbay.

The Patchbay is not only educational but on a
fundamental level is at the core of what makes
mLAN the powerful innovation that it is. There is
an icon for each mLAN device in the network -

Place the cursor arrow on the icon itself - click on
it and see the NODE INFORMATION dialog box for
that item. Each device in the Network is
technically called a 'Node'. There are three main
graphic views you should become familiar with:
AUDIO, MIDI, and WORDCLOCK. There are icons
for each one on the tool bar.

How connections are made and broken

• Select the AUDIO graphic view…you can click on the
Audio icon in the toolbar or you can use your
QWERTY keyboard: CTRL + 7

Audio view

computer 01X

mLAN16

i88X

Breaking a connection: Place the cursor arrow
on the connecting line that runs from the 01X to
the computer, it will turn into cross hairs... Right
Click and select DISCONNECT ALL or any one of
the connections as necessary. If you break a
single connection the graphic will adjust and
redraw the connections as necessary.
Alternatively, when you need to disconnect all –
you can click on it and press DELETE.

• Break the connection that runs from the computer
to the 01X.

Making a connection: Connections are made by
routing signal OUTPUT

to INPUT (follow the signal
flow). Click on the word OUT on the COMPUTER
node (shown below by the yellow arrow) – a box
showing the potential OUTS will open. There are
18 OUTPUTS from the computer. You can select a
single connector by clicking in the empty space to
the right of the number – a small jack will appear.

Let’s connect 18 outputs to 18 inputs in one
operation by using the SHIFT button on your

QWERTY:

• Click on the word “OUT” of
the NODE you are sending
from (yellow arrow at left)
– the computer. The long
OUT cable list opens

• Click on the empty space
to the right of the first
cable jack to be routed.
(red arrow above)

• Hold SHIFT and click on
the last cable to be routed.

This will prep 18 Cables to
be plugged in. Always route
OUTPUT to INPUT. The
graphic will show 18 cables
ready to be connected.

Next we will connect them:
Click on the word IN on the
01X node. The 18 possible
inputs will be shown. If you
click on the empty space to
the right of cable 1, the
Graphic Patchbay will make
a connection. It is only
necessary to select a single

input – we have selected 18
outputs so it will automatically look for 18 inputs
in to which to connect our selection.

• Simply click next to IN number 1 to make the 18

connections – shown below:

Click here

in the space

Although only a single line appears to connect the
OUT of the computer to the IN of the 01X – it
contains all eighteen audio connectors (much like

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