Back in the day, PowerTracks Pro Audio came with some great tutorial videos on the distribution CDs. Those videos, the manual and help here on the forums were enough for me to switch over from the built-in sequencer in my Ensoniq VFX SD to PTPA. I just looked to see if they have any videos for PTPA on the PGMusic support site and it appears that everything is RealBand and BIAB up on there.

I see you also have Logic Express 9. I'm not completely familiar with that version, but my experience with Logic is that it is a better design for visual folks than most other DAW on the market. It is very similar to Mackie Tracktion in that regard.

As for editing MIDI data - PTPA has great MIDI editing tools compared to most other DAW softwares; particularly the mode where it is a combination between a notation editor and a piano-roll editor. I know of no other DAW which makes this easy to understand connection between the staff and piano roll type of paradigms.

I've tried sequencing on a Motif 6. Ugh!!!! I was trying to do VERY simple stuff - simulating turn signal and other audible warning signals found in automobiles and it was terribly complicated. But I find most Yamaha equipment that has a 'brain' in it of some kind to be very hard to use.

You may end up finding it easier to sequence in the DAW rather than try to sequence on the Motif and then transfer those sequences over to the DAW - at least this was the way it worked for me moving from the easy to use sequencers in Ensoniq keyboards (I had the ESQ1 and the VFX SD; actually still have the VFX SD - it's my controller keyboard). The only thing that was easier in the VFX SD sequencer was constructing songs from midi sequences. That was simply a matter of chaining together sequences - it was a little more complicated in PTPA - but after-the-fact MIDI editing ease of use more than made up for that inconvenience.

Some choices you'll be making and thinking about:

1. What is the actual end goal of moving into the home studio/DAW world? If you want to be making your own CDs and so forth, going the DAW route is in the right direction.

2. Following on from #1, do you like the sound output of the Motif? If so, then eventually, you will be recording the analog output of the Motif into the Lexicon if you want to make CD or .mp3 files of your work.

3. Do you sing, play other instruments besides keyboards, etc.? If so, you can add these into what you record with the Motif with a DAW; not with the Motif by itself.

Many other things, too many to list here.

Don't be surprised if you end up thinking this is all too much work. I know many folks that get all glazed eyes no matter what DAW software they are trying to learn. These people typically end up using some kind of dedicated desktop recorder.

However, I think you'll eventually get to the point where the additional visual helps in the DAW will overcome your complete dependence on the Motif; a terribly non-visual interface/instrument.

-Scott

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