Checkout the plug-in user manual prior to this guide, so you have the knowledge to setup the plug-in properly.

Also, as we are not MOTU Digital Performer experts, we engourage you to read the Digital Performer manual in order to fully understand your DAW.

We hope you have taken all the necessary precautions prior to using our product, like making a full backup of your synthesizer memory.

MOTU Digital Performer

Preparations

Open your DAW and first we will make sure that MIDI ports are disabled for those ports, where your synthesizer is connected at. This will ensure that your DAW won’t crash and we won’t be getting double data in to the DAW processing loop.

Studio -> MIDI Patch Thru…

Digital Performer Guide – Open MIDI Patch Thru Settings

MIDI Patch Thru… & Click

Navigate to “MIDI Solo & Patch Thru” [1] and toggle “Off” [2] MIDI Patch Thru option.

Digital Performer Guide – Toggle Off MIDI Patch Thru

Now choose “Click” [1] and set Type of Click to “Audio” [2].

Digital Performer Guide – Change Click to Audio if Needed

Click Done to confirm your changes.

MIDI Device Groups

Studio -> MIDI Device Groups

Digital Performer Guide – Open MIDI Device Groups

Once MIDI Device Groups is open, check the device list and make sure that the synthesizer port is not assigned here! If you use Windows, you can change the hardware port to JP-8000 vMIDI Out if you want to use it. See image below.

Digital Performer Guide – Confirm the Hardware Port is Not Present

NOTE #1: You can check our support site for additional guides like Setting MIDI Devices to learn how we added JP-8000 vMIDI In and JP-8000 vMIDI Out ports in the DAW.

Insert the plug-in

Project -> Add Track -> Instrument Track -> Mystery Islands Music -> your chosen plug-in.

Digital Performer Guide – Insert Our Plug-in

Plug-in window will now appear.

Digital Performer Guide – Our Plug-in Window will Appear

MIDI IN / MIDI OUT

Now we can select the Physical MIDI input port which receives MIDI data from your synthesizer.

Digital Performer Guide – Assign MIDI Input Port

And then we choose the Physical MIDI Out port which sends data to the synthesizer MIDI input.

Digital Performer Guide – Assign MIDI Output Port

Plug-in will now attempt to establish connection with the synthesizer, so it might take some time if your settings are not right or if you chose a wrong MIDI port by mistake. You should see plug-in saying PROCESSING… somewhere in the plug-in interface and also ABORT PROCESS button will appear.

Digital Performer Config – Plug-in Attempts to connect

If all of the settings are correct, you will see “Plug-in is ready to go!” [1] message in the plug-in display.

Digital Performer Config – Connection Established

If something is wrong with your settings, plug-in will say “No response from JP!” [1] and that indicates something is wrong with your synth settings, MIDI device or Digital Performer Preferences.

Digital Performer Config – Failed Connection

Once the connection is in, you should sync the data with your hardware. Usually this function can be ran from the patch librarian tab / page of the plug-in & “Sync Data From HW” button. Check the plug-in user manual to learn more.

We can now close the plug-in window and move on.

NOTE #1: Check troubleshooting from the plug-in, daw or synthesizer manual if you can not establish connection. You can also seek help from our support site if you can’t find out what is causing error in your setup.

Automating Plug-in Parameters

Click the small arrow [1] on the plug-in instrument channel. See image below.

Digital Performer Guide – Accessing Automation Parameters

Now there is a new track below the instrument track indicating pan automation with lane on the arrangement. Click the Pan and a menu will be shown. Choose Insert -> Instrument: JP-80×0 Editor… to start configuring our plug-in parameters.

Digital Performer Guide – Choose Instrument to Automate

Select parameter from the list which appears to show it in the arrangement.

Digital Performer Guide – Select the Desired Parameter for Automation

Note #1: You can configure as many parameters as you wish. System Exclusive (SysEx) parameters and system buttons can not be automated.

Note #2: For some unknown reason, it is not yet possible to draw automation in any DAW when moving the knob from the hardware. It has to be done with the plug-in user interface.

Here is automation lane drawn with pencil tool. See image below.

Digital Performer Guide – Start Automating

Start drawing in OR move the knobs in the plug-in while recording to make automation! Before you start to pursue with MIDI blocks, read the next chapter!

Assign MIDI tracks to Digital Performer arrangement

Now, in order to send MIDI notes to the synthesizer, we need to have MIDI tracks in the DAW. 

Enable Studio -> Multi Record before we add MIDI tracks.

Digital Performer Guide – Enable Multi Record Mode

Now we can add MIDI track. Choose Project -> Add Track -> MIDI Track. See image below.

Digital Performer Guide – Assign New MIDI Tracks to Arrange

Assign MIDI input for the tracks to the port where your master keyboard is connected. In my case, I’m using the JP-8000 as my master keyboard, therefore I have chosen JP-8000 vMIDI In as my input port.

Digital Performer Guide – Select Virtual Input Port (Windows)

Now select the MIDI output port. In this case we will set the MIDI out to JP-8000 vMIDI Out-1 which points to channel 1. Read our Setting MIDI Devices guide to learn how you can add the device to your setup.

Digital Performer Guide – Select Virtual Output Port (Windows)

Give the track a name which is appropriate for your setup.

As we need more than one MIDI track, I’m going to clone the previously created track by clicking right mouse button on top of the MIDI track. See image below.

Digital Performer Guide – Duplicate Tracks as Needed

Rename the newly duplicated track by clicking right mouse button on top of the new MIDI track. See image below.

Digital Performer Guide – Rename Tracks for Clarity

Set the MIDI port to JP-8000 vMIDI Out-2 which points to channel 2.

Digital Performer Guide – Make Sure the New Track Points to Right Channel

Note #1: Assign MIDI Channels so that they match your synthesizer part / layer MIDI channels. I have set JP-8000 Lower to MIDI channel 1 and JP-8000 Upper to MIDI channel 2.

Note #2: MIDI out is pointing to JP-8000 vMIDI Out, which I’ve created in our Setting MIDI Devices guide. macOS users can point the MIDI out directly to physical MIDI port of synth.

Note #3: If you have multitimbral setup / use with your synthesizer, which most can do, then add more MIDI tracks and point them to respected MIDI channels.

Finishing it up!

Final step is to add Audio track, so we can hear the synthesizer in action. 

Project -> Add Track -> Stereo Audio Track.

Digital Performer Guide – Add Audio Tracks to Arrangement

Select appropriate Audio Inputs and Name your channel as required. Remember to select the inputs where your synth Audio Output is connected!

Digital Performer Guide – All Working like well Oiled Machine

Toggle on Monitoring for the Audio Track to hear the Audio from your synth while making some MIDI blocks and you have some sort of automation (if needed).

Note #1: You might have routed your Audio Output from the synth itself to external mixing desk or speakers, so make sure you power those units on. Otherwise there won’t be any sound because our plug-in does not transmit any audio data to the DAW.

Thats it for the MOTU Digital Performer user guide. We hope you find this useful.

You have some suggestions? Yes please!

We are always open for new suggestions and ideas regarding to our products. Send your suggestions to us because it will make our products better.

Head down to our main site and drop your idea in, we will have a look at it and let you know if it can be done.

Thank you.

Plug-in user manuals: https://docs.mysteryislands-music.com/

Plug-in updates: https://www.mysteryislands-music.com/downloads/

Troubleshooting

loopMIDI and MIDI-OX are both shipping their own user manuals, so please refer to their documentary to learn more about how they work.

If you have found an error in this document, open a support ticket so we can have it fixed ASAP.

Open Support Ticket