FCC INFORMATION (U.S.A) 1. IMPORTANT NOTICE : DO NOT MODIFY THIS UNIT! This product, when installed as indicated in the instructions contained in this manual, meets FCC requirements. Modifications not expressly approved by Yamaha may void your authority, granted by the FCC, to use the product. 2. IMPORTANT: When connecting this product to accessories and/or another product use only high quality shielded cables. Cable/s supplied with this product MUST be used. Follow all installation instructions.
SPECIAL MESSAGE SECTION This product utilizes batteries or an external power supply (adapter). DO NOT connect this product to any power supply or adapter other than one described in the manual, on the name plate, or specifically recommended by Yamaha. WARNING: Do not place this product in a position where anyone could walk on, trip over, or roll anything over power or connecting cords of any kind.
Contents Contents The QY300: An Overview .......................... vii Channel Assignments .......................................................18 Playback Effects ................................................................18 ■ Quantization .............................................................. 18 ■ Swing ........................................................................20 ■ Transpose & Clock Shift ...........................................21 ■ Gate Time & Velocity Modify .........
Contents Patterns — Part 1: Accompaniment Basics ................ 55 Editing Songs & Phrases............................ 104 Defining “Patterns”, “Styles”, & “Sections” ..................55 Loading the Pre-programmed Patterns From Disk ......55 Selecting & Playing Patterns ...........................................57 ■ Changing Chords ......................................................59 ■ Track Muting & Effect Bypass ................................. 62 ■ Voices, Assignment & Effects ...............
Precautions Precautions !! PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE PROCEEDING !! ■ Location Do not expose the QY300 to the following conditions to avoid deformation, discoloration, or more serious damage. • Direct sunlight (e.g. near a window). • High temperatures (e.g. near a heat source, outside, or in a car during the daytime). • Excessive humidity. • Excessive dust. • Strong vibration. ■ Power Supply • Turn the power switch OFF when the instrument is not in use.
Precautions ■ Data Backup • The QY300 contains a special long-life battery that retains the contents of its internal memory even when the power is turned OFF. The backup battery should last for several years. When the backup battery needs to be replaced “Battery Low” will appear on the display when the power is turned on. When this happens, have the backup battery replaced by qualified Yamaha service personnel.
About This Manual About This Manual The following simple icons are used throughout this manual to draw attention to important points and information where necessary. The icons also make it easier to differentiate between information that you should read immediately and information that can be skipped until later, hopefully helping you to become familiar with the QY300 in the quickest, most efficient manner possible.
Power & Connections Power & Connections Power Supply Your QY300 comes supplied with a Yamaha PA-1207 optional AC adaptor. Plug the DC output cable from the AC adaptor into the DC IN jack on the rear panel, then plug the adaptor into a convenient wall AC power socket. It is also a good idea to clip the adaptor’s DC cable into the cable clip on the QY300 rear panel to minimize the possibility of accidentally unplugging the cable during operation.
Power & Connections Setting Up Your System What you will connect the QY300 to, and what you will connect to the QY300, will depend entirely on your individual requirements. A few examples are provided below to help you get started. ■ The Connectors 1 2 3 4 1 MIDI IN & OUT Connectors If you plan to use a MIDI keyboard or other instrument to play and program the QY300, it should be connected to QY300 MIDI IN connector (see “MIDI Connections,” below).
Power & Connections ■ Audio Connections Make sure that both the QY300 and your sound system are turned OFF when making connections. The simplest way to monitor the QY300 sound is via a pair of stereo headphones (1/4" stereo phone plug type) plugged into the PHONES jack. If want to use an external stereo sound system, however, use the L/MONO and R OUTPUT jacks.
Power & Connections Always use high-quality MIDI cables when connecting MIDI devices, and avoid cables longer than about 15 meters — longer cables can pick up electrical noise that can cause data errors. Although it has a built-in tone generator, the QY300 can drive external tone generators and synthesizers just like any other MIDI sequencer or music computer. You can even combine the internal voices with those produced by external equipment.
The Controls The Controls The QY300 has fairly simple, consistent control interface that, once understood, makes operation fast and easy, no matter what operation you are performing. If you read through this section carefully, and try out the procedures in the Try this: sections, you should have no problem accessing and operating the QY300Õs many advanced features. 1 2 3 3 3 1 POWER Switch 2 LCD Display & CONTRAST Control Press in to turn the QY300 on, and press again to turn it off.
The Controls 6 3 7 4 3 3 3 12 9 8 5 10 11 3 Mode Keys 4 Cursor and [–1/NO] and [+1/YES] Keys These six keys select the QY300’s main operating modes: This block of six keys includes four cursor keys — the ones labeled with the triangular arrow-heads — and two data decrement/increment keys. The cursor keys move the “cursor” around the display screen, highlighting the various parameters that are available for editing (the QY300 cursor appears as a dark block with inverse characters).
The Controls 5 Numeric Keypad & Enter Key 9 Sequencer Keys These keys allow direct entry of numeric values where applicable. Enter the required value via the numeric keys — the entered number will flash on the display — then press the [ENTER] key to actually enter the specified value. The [ENTER] key is also used to enter notes and other events when editing sequence data, and to execute a specified job or disk function.
Song Mode — Part 1: Playback & Control Song Mode — Part 1: Playback & Control Playback in the QY300 SONG mode involves much more than simply starting and stopping playback. You have extensive control over a number of important parameters that dramatically affect the final sound. Use the demo song provided on the QY300 data disk to try out the various features and functions described in this section. Before you begin, be sure to select the SONG mode by pressing the [SONG] mode button.
Song Mode — Part 1: Playback & Control 2 Play the Demo Song Press the [©] key to start playback. The demo will automatically stop when it finishes, or you can press the [m] key to stop playback at any time. ■ Loop Playback For continuous “loop” playback — i.e. playback of the song will repeat until stopped by pressing the [m] key — hold the [SHIFT] key while pressing the ) will appear to the right of the song [©] key. The loop playback symbol ( name.
Song Mode — Part 1: Playback & Control Location The QY300 lets you locate any measure within a song quickly and easily in three ways: ■ The Measure/Beat Parameter Measure number Beat number The large number to the left of the colon in this parameter is the measure number and the small number to the right of the shows the number of the current quarter-note beat within the current measure during playback and recording.
Song Mode — Part 1: Playback & Control ■ The Mark/Jump Function The mark/jump function lets you “mark” (memorize) up to 10 locations within the current song and “jump” to any one of the marked locations in one easy step. Marking a Location To mark the current location, press the [F4] function key (“Mark”). This calls the Mark/Jump display. When the Mark/Jump display appears, make sure the cursor is located at a clear number (“2” in the example display above) and press [ENTER].
Song Mode — Part 1: Playback & Control Tempo Control The QY300 allows precise tempo settings from 25 to 300 beats per minute in fine one-tenth of a quarter-note increments. Tenths of a beat per minute Tempo in beats per minute (25 … 300) The number to the left of the period in the tempo parameter is the number of quarter-note beats per minute, an the number to the right of the period represents tenths of a quarter note.
Song Mode — Part 1: Playback & Control Track Muting, Effect Bypass, & Keyboard Track Settings The “Chd” (chord) and “Tmp” (tempo) tracks cannot be muted or effect-bypassed. The mute “buttons” below each track number on the SONG mode display can be used to mute (turn off) the corresponding track, or bypass the internal effects for that track.
Song Mode — Part 1: Playback & Control ■ Keyboard Track Track 1 becomes the keyboard track when the cursor is located at the “Pat”, “Chd”, or “Tmp” track. When the cursor is located at a specific track number/mute button (the track number is inverted), that track becomes the QY300 “keyboard track” — i.e. the track played by the micro-keyboard. The keyboard track setting is maintained even if the cursor is moved to other parameters on the display.
Song Mode — Part 1: Playback & Control ■ The Pan Pots The pan pots actually cover a ±7 range relative to their default positions, so they may not always go from full left to full right. Like the pan pots on a mixing console, the voice display pan pots can be used to position the sound of the corresponding track anywhere from left to right in the stereo sound field. Position the cursor at the pan pot, then use any data entry method to set the pan position.
Song Mode — Part 1: Playback & Control The effect type parameter on the left side of the display selects the type of effect to be applied to the QY300 sound. 8 effect types are available, as listed in the chart below. A fast way to select the effect type parameter when the cursor is located at any fader is to move the cursor down past the fader. The reverb settings apply only to the QY300’s internal voices — i.e.
Song Mode — Part 1: Playback & Control • The voice parameters in these displays can be used to change voice assignments in the same way as in the Mixer display. • Since track 10 is only used for drums and drums are not pitched voices, no tuning fader is provided for the drum track in either the coarse or fine tuning displays. The tuning settings apply only to the QY300’s internal voices — i.e. they will not affect the sound of an external tone generator or synthesizer being driven by the QY300.
Song Mode — Part 1: Playback & Control The pitch bend range settings apply only to the QY300’s internal voices — i.e. they will not affect the sound of an external tone generator or synthesizer being driven by the QY300. The faders set the maximum pitch bend range for the corresponding tracks over a 2-octave range in semitone increments. Position the cursor at a fader, then use any data entry method to set the pitch bend range.
Song Mode — Part 1: Playback & Control The “Val” (value) parameters for each track (the rotary controls) determine to what beats the note data in the corresponding track will be aligned. If you select “d”, for example, all notes in the track will be aligned to the nearest 16th-note beat, to a degree determined by the “strength” parameter. Hold the [SHIFT] key while setting a value parameter to change all value parameters by the same amount. Value Effect Off No quantization. Swing settings also ignored.
Song Mode — Part 1: Playback & Control ■ Swing The Swing effect can only be used when playback quantization (above) is active. This effect produces a “swing” feel by shifting the timing of “back beats”, as specified by the quantize effect. For example, if the specified quantization value is 8th notes, then the swing effect will shift the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th beats of each measure forward to create a swing feel.
Song Mode — Part 1: Playback & Control ■ Transpose & Clock Shift The “Trans” controls in this display transpose all notes in the corresponding tracks up or down in semitone increments. The “Shift” faders move all notes and events in the corresponding tracks forward or backward by the specified number of clocks (96 clocks per 1/4 note).
Song Mode — Part 1: Playback & Control ■ Gate Time & Velocity Modify The parameters in this screen make it easy to increases or decreases the gate times (length) and velocity of all notes in the specified track. • The gate time can be modified to give the entire track a more staccato or legato feel, as required.
Song Mode — Part 2: Basic Recording Song Mode — Part 2: Basic Recording The QY300 SONG mode provides two main record modes for the 16 sequencer tracks: realtime and step record. When you use the realtime record mode the QY300 records exactly what you play as you play it. In the step record mode notes can be entered one at a time.
Song Mode — Part 2: Basic Recording 3 Select the Track to Record Move the cursor to the track area of the display, and then shift the cursor sideways to select the track you want to record (01 … 16). Move the cursor vertically to move to other areas of the screen — the selected track will remain highlighted. Track 1 selected. 4 Engage the Record Ready Mode Press the [v] key to engage the record ready mode. The red LED above the [v] key will light.
Song Mode — Part 2: Basic Recording 7 Record Press the [©] key to begin recording. The metronome will sound and you’ll be given a two-measure count-in prior to the first measure actually recorded. The count-in is also indicated by negative numbers in the “Meas” parameter. If a 4/4 time signature is selected, for example, the count-in will run from measure “–08” to “–01”, then recording will begin from measure “001”. Negative numbers for two-measure count-in.
Song Mode — Part 2: Basic Recording Click (Metronome) Settings The click mode parameter in the SONG display determines whether the metronome sounds only during recording, during both recording and playback, at all times, or not at all. Move the cursor to this parameter and set as required using the data dial or [–1/NO] and [+1/YES] keys. The “Click” (metronome) parameter The Click beat parameter Off Metronome off. Rec Metronome sounds during realtime recording only.
Song Mode — Part 2: Basic Recording 1 Select the Punch-in Record Mode For punch-in recording you must first select the punch-in mode after engaging the record ready mode (step 4 of the realtime record process, described above). Press the [F6] function key (“PUNCH”) to select the punch-in record mode.
Song Mode — Part 2: Basic Recording ■ Multi-channel Recording The “Multi” recording mode allows simultaneous realtime (or punch-in) recording of all 16 sequencer tracks. This can be useful when you want to record complete sequences from another sequencer or music computer which is not data-compatible with the QY300. Select the multi mode by pressing the [F1] function key (“MULTI”) after selecting either the realtime or punch-in record mode (step 5 of the realtime record process, described above).
Song Mode — Part 2: Basic Recording Press the [F6] key (“Exit”) to return to the SONG mode when done. 3 Select the Track to Record Move the cursor to the track area of the display, and then shift the cursor sideways to select the track you want to record: 1 … 16. Move the cursor vertically to move to other areas of the screen. The selected track will remain highlighted. Track 1 selected. 4 Engage the Record Ready Mode Press the [v] key to engage the record ready mode.
Song Mode — Part 2: Basic Recording 6 Set the Time Signature (new songs only) Move the cursor to the time signature parameter and set as required. The time signature cannot be changed if the song already contains data. Time signature: 1/16 … 16/16, 1/8 … 16/8, 1/4 … 8/4 7 Record Press the [©] key to begin recording. The step record display shown below will appear. Measure/beat/clock display Current note pointer Note-entry display Time signature Keyboard display 3 3 3 Velocity: 000 … 127, ext.
Song Mode — Part 2: Basic Recording 9 Enter a Note Once the note parameters have been specified, the note can be entered simply by playing the appropriate key on the micro-keyboard (or on your external MIDI keyboard). A note symbol appears on the note display an the note pointer advances to the next note position. The note symbol always appears as a 1/4-note, regardless of the actual note entered (chords are also indicated by the 1/4-note symbol).
Song Mode — Part 2: Basic Recording MovingAround In the Note Display You can move the cursor down to the note display (the note pointer will appear filled) and move the note pointer to any position at which you want to enter a note, or to any note that you want to delete. You will actually hear the appropriate note or chord when the note pointer is moved to an existing note symbol. When you move the note pointer past the end of the note display, the next measure will appear.
Song Mode — Part 2: Basic Recording ; Complete the Track See the “Editing Songs & Phrases” section, page 104, for information on how to edit recorded song data. Repeat steps 8 and 9 until the current track is complete, then press [m] to stop recording. ■ Drum Assignment & Used Memory Displays The QY300 provides “Drum Assignment” and “Used Memory” displays which can provide valuable information when recording.
The Song Jobs The Song Jobs The song mode includes 24 song “jobs” that perform a variety of important functions. To access and use the song jobs, press the [JOB] key while in the SONG play mode. This calls the song job list. You can select any job on the list simply by moving the cursor to the required job (use the cursor keys or the data dial) and pressing [ENTER]. You can also move up or down the list in 1-page steps by using the cursor [ ] and [▼] keys while holding one of the [SHIFT] keys.
The Song Jobs 01: Quantize Aligns notes in the specified track to or close to the nearest specified beat. The “TR” parameter selects the track to be affected by the Quantize job: “01” … “16” for individual tracks, or “All” to quantize all 16 tracks simultaneously. The “M” parameters above the graphic bar are used to specify the first measure:beat and last measure:beat of the range to be quantized.
The Song Jobs The “Strength” parameter determines how “strongly” the notes are attracted to the specified quantize value. The strength range is from 0% to 100%. At a setting of “0%” no quantization will occur, while a setting of “100%” will cause all notes to be aligned precisely to the nearest specified beat value. Inbetween settings produce a corresponding shift in the position of all off-beat notes to the nearest specified beat value.
The Song Jobs The “Gate Time” and “Velocity” parameters increase or decrease the gate times (length) and velocity of all notes affected by the swing parameter. The range of both parameters is from 0% to 200%. The “Gate Time” parameter sets the ratio between the shorter and longer gate time values. A setting of “100%” maintains the original relationship between the notes, lower values produce a narrower gate time range, and higher values produce a broader gate time range.
The Song Jobs The Modify Velocity job is a great way to “soften” the sound of material that has too great a variation between the softest and loudest notes, or, conversely, to add extra punch to dull-sounding material. Experiment with the parameters to get a feel for what they do. New Velocity = Original Velocity × rate/100 + offset (If the right side of the equation is less than 0, the New Velocity becomes 1.) After setting the parameters as required press [ENTER] to execute the Modify Velocity job.
The Song Jobs New Gate Time = Original Gate Time × rate/100 + offset (If the right side of the equation is less than 0, the New Gate Time becomes 1.) The Modify Gate Time job can be used to produce a more staccato or legato feel, as required. Experiment with the parameters to get a feel for what they do. After setting the parameters as required press [ENTER] to execute the Modify Gate Time job.
The Song Jobs Negative values cause a corresponding decrease in velocity, therby producing a decrescendo rather than a crescendo. The range of this parameter is from “–99” through “0” to “+99”. After setting the parameters as required press [ENTER] to execute the Crescendo job. The metronome icon will appear on the display while the data is being processed, then “Completed” will appear briefly when the job is done.
The Song Jobs 06: Shift Note Changes the pitch of all specified notes within the specified range of measures in the specified track. The “TR” parameter selects the track to be affected by the Shift Note job: “01” … “16”. The “M” parameters above the graphic bar are used to specify the first measure:beat and last measure:beat of the range to be modified.
The Song Jobs 07: Shift Clock Moves all notes and events in the specified track and range of measures forward or backward by the specified number of clocks (96 clocks per 1/4 note). The “TR” parameter selects the track to be affected by the Shift Clock job: “01” … “16” for the sequencer tracks, or “Tmp” for the tempo track. The “M” parameters above the graphic bar are used to specify the first measure:beat and last measure:beat of the range to be modified.
The Song Jobs 08: Chord Sort Sorts all notes in the specified measure range which fall on the same beat (i.e. chords) so that the notes are arranged in order from lowest to highest or from highest to lowest. The “TR” parameter selects the track to be affected by the Chord Sort job: “01” … “16”. The “M” parameters above the graphic bar are used to specify the first measure:beat and last measure:beat of the range to be modified.
The Song Jobs 09: Copy Event Copies all data from a specified range of measures from one track of a specified song to the specified measure in the specified track of the specified song. This operation overwrites the data from the beginning of the specified destination measure with the data from the source measures. Previous data in the overwritten measures is therefore lost. The upper “Song” parameter selects the source song — i.e. the song from which the data is to be copied: “01” … “10”.
The Song Jobs The Copy Event job makes it easy to use phrases or even complete sections (an entire chorus, for example) in more that one place in a song. You can copy a phrase played by one voice, and have it repeated by a different voice later in the song. You can always edit the copied sections to create variations. After setting the parameters as required press [ENTER] to execute the Copy Event job.
The Song Jobs 11: Extract Event Allows a specified type of event — note, program change, pitch bend, control change, channel aftertouch, polyphonic aftertouch, or exclusive — to be extracted (removed) from a specified range of measures in a specified track. The extracted data can be moved to the same range of measures in any other specified track. The upper “TR” parameter selects the source track — i.e. the track from which the event data is to be extracted: “01” … “16”.
The Song Jobs After setting the parameters as required press [ENTER] to execute the Extract Event job. The metronome icon will appear on the display while the data is being processed, then “Completed” will appear briefly when the job is done. Press the [F6] key (“Exit”) to return to the job list, or a mode key to go directly to the selected mode. 12: Thin Out “Thins out” specified types of data by removing every other event of the specified type.
The Song Jobs 13: Create Measure Creates a specified number of blank measures having the specified time signature for all tracks. The created measures are inserted at a specified measure number, and all subsequent measures are moved forward to make room. • All existing measures after the point at which the new measures are created will be moved forward to make room for the new measures. • If you use the Create Measure job with an empty song, the specified new measures will be placed in track 1 only.
The Song Jobs Delete Measure is a great way to completely cut out unwanted data from the song. It’s important to remember, however, that a delete operation affects all tracks simultaneously, and that measures following the deleted range are moved back to take the place of the deleted measures. First measure Last measure M001 ~ 999 After setting the parameters as required press [ENTER] to execute the Delete Measure job.
The Song Jobs 16: Mix Track Combines the data contained in two specified tracks and places the result in the second track. NOTE If there is no data in the second track, the data from the first track is simply copied to the second track (the time signature is not copied). In many situations you may want to “overdub,” or add new material to a single track without deleting the previous material.
The Song Jobs The “TR” parameter selects the track(s) to be cleared: “01” … “16” for the sequencer tracks, “Pat” for the accompaniment pattern track, “Chd” for the accompaniment chord track, “Tmp” for the tempo track, or “All” for all tracks. After setting the parameters as required press [ENTER] to execute the Clear Track job. The metronome icon will appear on the display while the data is being processed, then “Completed” will appear briefly when the job is done.
The Song Jobs 19: Init Play Effect Resets all playback effect settings for the specified track to their default values. The “TR” parameter selects the track(s) to be affected by the Init Play Effect job: “01” … “16” for the sequencer tracks, or “All” for all tracks. After setting the parameter as required press [ENTER] to execute the Init Play Effect job. The metronome icon will appear on the display while the data is being processed, then “Completed” will appear briefly when the job is done.
The Song Jobs 21: Copy Song Copies all data from all tracks of the specified song to any other specified song (including song name, play effect, voice assignment, and output assignment settings). The upper “Song” parameter selects the source song — i.e. the song from which the data is to be copied: “01” … “10”. The lower “Song” parameter selects the destination song — i.e. the song to which the data is to be copied: “01” … “10”.
The Song Jobs 23: Song Name Allows an original name of up to 8 characters to be assigned to the current song. The song number parameter selects the song for which a name is to be assigned: “1” … “10”. NOTE If a series of asterisks appears in the song name area, the selected song contains no data and a song name cannot be assigned.
Patterns — Part 1: Accompaniment Basics Patterns — Part 1: Accompaniment Basics Using the pre-programmed style data provided with the QY300 you can easily create accompaniments that can be used alone — to play or sing along with, for example — or as the basis for complete compositions. The pre-programmed styles are provided on disk, and must be loaded before they can be used. You can also create patterns by combining individual “phrases”.
Patterns — Part 1: Accompaniment Basics 2 Select the Disk Mode, Select “Load” & “All Data” The data disk supplied with the QY300 contains a single “All Data” format file which include 1 demo song and 100 styles × 8 sections (800 patterns). Press the [DISK] mode key to select the DISK mode, press the [F2] function key (“Load”), then use the cursor keys, the [–1/NO] and [+1/YES] keys, or the data dial to select “All Data”.
Patterns — Part 1: Accompaniment Basics Selecting & Playing Patterns Although you’ll normally use the PATTERN mode when creating new styles (page 74), the PATTERN mode is also useful when you want to listen to individual phrases and experiment with chord changes using the QY300’s advanced ABC capability. 1 Select the STYLE Mode In order to select and play the styles as described in this section you must be in the QY300 PATTERN mode. Press the [PATTERN] mode key to select the PATTERN mode.
Patterns — Part 1: Accompaniment Basics The currently selected section is shown between square brackets to the right of the style number and name. You can change styles by playing the cursor at the section name and using the [–1/NO] and [+1/YES] keys or the data dial. The newly selected section will begin playing from the top of the next measure.
Patterns — Part 1: Accompaniment Basics ■ Changing Chords The QY300 features a sophisticated ABC (Auto Bass Chord) system that automatically re-harmonizes the pattern tracks to match chords you specify. This makes creating complete accompaniment tracks fast and easy … just select a pattern, then specify the required chord changes (details in the next section). Here’s how you use the micro-keyboard to specify chord changes. 1 Play a Pattern Select and play a pattern, as described in the preceding section.
Patterns — Part 1: Accompaniment Basics Chord roots Actually, you can press the chord type key and then the root key, the order doesn’t matter. Chord types Press [ENTER] key The chord is actually entered only when the [ENTER] key is pressed. Until the [ENTER] key is pressed, the newly specified chord root and type will flash on the display.
Patterns — Part 1: Accompaniment Basics Specifying the Bass Note For a Chord You can specify the bass note to be used with any chord by using the left [OCT DOWN] key (note the “ON BASS” marking below the key). Enter the chord in the normal way, then while holding the [OCT DOWN/ON BASS] key press the key on the micro-keyboard corresponding to the desired bass note (the bass note will appear to the right of the chord).
Patterns — Part 1: Accompaniment Basics ■ Track Muting & Effect Bypass The track mute “buttons” in the PATTERN mode function in exactly the same way as they do in the SONG mode. See page 14 for details. ■ Voices, Assignment & Effects The PATTERN mode has basically the same Voice mode Mixer and Reverb displays, the same Effect (Quantize, Swing, Shift, Gate/Velocity, Per Track) displays, and the same Output displays and functions as the SONG mode.