YAMAHA SY85 Music Synthesizer Owner’s Manual 1 - Getting Started -
The SY85 Music Synthesizer delivers the incredible Yamaha AWM sound with improved quality and performance power. In addition to superior sound, the SY85 features “Quick Edit” modes that provide fast, easy access to the most important voice and performance editing jobs so you can customize the sound without having to deal with the details. Of course, you still have full programming power when you want to do some serious voicing.
● Extensive Real-time Control In addition to the pitch and modulation wheels, and dual output level controls, the SY85 has 8 slide controls that can be used to control a range of parameters while performing for unmatched expressive power. ● Easy Editing Interface 8 function keys and slide controls below the large 40-character x 2-line LCD display allow direct selection and control of the parameters appearing directly above them in the display for efficient, intuitive editing.
Contents Precautions ............................................................................4 About the Manuals ■ The Getting Started Manual (this manual) ................................................................ 7 ■ Icons ................................................................................................................................. 8 ■ The Feature Reference Manual ..................................................................................
4. Voice Editing & Effects .................................................40 ■ Further Possibilities … ................................................................................................ 46 5. The Sequencer ■ Real-time Recording (Tracks 1 … 8) ........................................................................ 47 ■ Step Recording (Tracks 1 … 8) ................................................................................. 52 ■ Creating A Rhythm Track .................................
Precautions !! PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE PROCEEDING !! ■ Location Do not expose the instrument 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.
■ Cleaning • • • • Clean the cabinet and panel with a dry soft cloth. A slightly damp cloth may be used to remove stubborn grime and dirt. Never use cleaners such as alcohol or thinner. Avoid placing vinyl objects on top of the instrument (vinyl can stick to and discolor the surface). ■ Electrical Interference • This instrument contains digital circuitry and may cause interference if placed too close to radio or television receivers.
■ Data Card and Wave Card • Never attempt to force a voice card into the waveform slot, or vice versa. Doing so can cause serious damage to the card connectors. ■ Service and Modification • The SY85 contains no user serviceable parts. Opening it or tampering with it in anyway can lead to irreparable damage and possibly electric shock. Refer all servicing to qualified YAMAHA personnel.
About the Manuals The SY85 comes with two manuals — Getting Started and Feature Reference. ■ The Getting Started Manual (this manual) In addition to an overview of the SY85 controls and connectors (page 10), the Getting Started manual contains six chapters that take you through the main procedures you will need to know to become familiar with your SY85: 1.
■ Icons The following simple icons are used throughout the Getting Started 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 SY85 in the quickest, most efficient manner possible.
■ The Feature Reference Manual The Feature Reference manual is the “nuts and bolts” reference for the SY85, individually describing its many functions in detail. The Feature Reference manual is divided into 7 main sections, each describing the various functions within a particular SY85 edit or utility mode. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Performance Edit Mode ...... [Page Voice Edit Mode ................... [Page Drum Voice Edit Mode ........ [Page Song Edit Mode .................... [Page Pattern Edit Mode ........
5 OUTPUT 1 and OUTPUT 2 Controls Adjust the volume of the sound delivered via the rear-panel OUTPUT1 and OUTPUT 2 jacks as well as the PHONES jack. 6 SEQUENCER Keys Control the recording and playback functions of the internal sequencer. Getting Started: page 51. 7 Liquid Crystal Display Panel This 40-character x 2-line backlit liquid crystal display panel shows all essential information for easy operation and programming. Getting Started: page 21.
# [EXIT/NO] and [ENTER/YES] Keys The [EXIT/NO] key can generally be used to exit from any sub-mode or function, while the [ENTER/YES] key is used to engage a variety of sub-modes and functions. These keys are also used to respond to the “Are you sure?” confirmation prompt when saving or initializing data. Getting Started: page 27. Feature Reference: page 9. $ [-1] and [+1] Keys Can be used to select voices, performance combinations, sequencer songs, and patterns.
( PROGRAM [1] Through [8] Keys The PROGRAM keys are used in conjunction with the MEMORY and GROUP keys to select voices and performance combinations. They are also used to enter characters for voice, performance, song, and pattern names, and to enter ties, rests, and accents when recording with the internal sequencer. When editing performance combinations they are also used to select the layer to be edited, and to mute specific layers as required. Getting Started: page 22. Feature Reference: page 14.
y FOOT CONTROLLER Jack An optional Yamaha FC7 or FC9 foot controller connected here can be used for amplitude modulation, pitch modulation, frequency modulation, envelope generator bias, and filter cutoff frequency control. Getting Started: page 17. u FOOT VOLUME Jack An optional Yamaha FC7 or FC9 foot controller connected here can be used for volume control. Getting Started: page 17. i CLICK VOLUME Control This knob adjusts the volume of the click (metronome) produced by the sequencer.
■ Power-on Procedure Believe it or not, there’s actually a “right” way to turn on a sound system that will minimize the possibility of damage to the equipment (and your ears!). 1. Make sure your sound system’s volume control and the SY85 volume controls are turned all the way down prior to turning power on. 2. Turn on the SY85. 3. Turn on the sound system. 4. Raise the sound system volume to a reasonable level. 5.
k If necessary, press the PAGE [ ] key a few times until the “DISK ALL” display shown above appears. Also press the [F1] key to make sure that the LOAD function is selected (the square brackets should appear around “LOAD” on the display). 3. Load the Demo Data Press the [ENTER/YES] once. “Are you sure?” will appear on the display. Press [ENTER/YES] a second time to actually begin loading the data.
■ Load the Pre-programmed Voice, Performance, & Pattern Data Although the factory pre-programmed voices, performance combinations, and patterns are stored in the SY85 internal memory when the instrument is initially shipped, there is always a possibility that all or part of the memory has been erased or modified by the time the instrument gets to you. Here’s how you can re-load all the pre-programmed data.
■ Internal Voice List ● INTERNAL VOICE 1 No. A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7 B8 C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 D8 24 Voice Name SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP AP AP AP AP AP AP KY KY BA BA BA BA BA BA BA BA ST ST ST ST ST ST ST ST Makro Movie SawSt Poly Sweet Phaze Abyss Glass Grand Rock Tack Chors Dance Touch EP1 EP2 Wood Pitz Fingr Pick1 Pick2 Frtls Thump Slap Power Sectn Arco Pizz Deep Sfz Violn JeanL ● INTERNAL VOICE 2 No.
● INTERNAL VOICE 3 No. A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7 B8 C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 D8 Voice Name SP SP SP SP SP SP SP SP KY KY KY KY KY KY KY KY BA BA BA BA SL SL SL SL TP TP TP TP TP TP TP TP Paddy Nehan Wine Hyper Big Exita Freqs Mello EP11 EP12 Clav1 Clav2 Hrpsi Acrdn Cali1 Cali2 Syn9 Syn10 Syn11 Syn12 Digi Lead Saw1 Saw2 Timp Glock Hands Mrmba Steel Tubal Vibes Xylo ● INTERNAL VOICE 4 No.
Note that the voices are arranged in categories for easier access. The category of each voice is identified by a two-character prefix, as follows: AP ............... Acoustic Piano OR ............... Organ KY ............... Keyboard BR ............... Brass ST ................ Strings BA ............... Bass GT ............... Guitar WN .............. Wind FI ................. Folk Instrument CH ............... Chorus TP ................ Tuned Percussion SP ............... Synth Pad SC ...............
IMPORTANT A properly formatted Yamaha MCD64 memory card (or an appropriate pre-programmed voice card) must be inserted in the CARD slot before the CARD memory can be selected. If no memory card is present, the “Data Card not ready!” display will appear when you attempt to select the card voice memory. If this happens, press the [EXIT/NO] key to return to the voice play mode. ■ Real-time Control The SY85 provides a number of controllers that can be used for real-time musical control.
● FOOT CONTROLLER An optional Yamaha FC7 or FC9 Foot Controller plugged into the rearpanel FOOT CONTROLLER jack can be assigned to amplitude modulation, pitch modulation, frequency modulation, envelope generator bias depth, and filter cutoff frequency depth control via the VOICE EDIT mode FOOT CONTROLLER DEPTH functions described on page 85 of the Feature Reference manual.
3. The Performance Mode The SY85 PERFORMANCE mode makes it possible to combine up to four voices in “performance combinations” that significantly enhance the instrument’s performance capabilities. 128 performance combinations can be stored in internal memory and recalled in the same way as the voices. Before we look at how you can create your own performance combinations, try selecting and playing some of the combinations provided with the SY85.
4. Play Try playing the selected performance combination on the keyboard. In some cases you’ll hear several voices “layered” on top of one another, in others you’ll get a split keyboard effect with one voice on the left-hand side of the keyboard and another on the right. Select a number of different performance combinations and try them out. Here’s an abbreviated performance list for easy reference. ■ Internal Performance List ● INTERNAL PERFORMANCE 1 No.
■ CARD Performance Memory Any Yamaha MCD64 Memory Card used for voice storage can be used for performance storage as well. An MCD64 Memory Card holds two banks of 64 performance combinations each — a total of 128 performance combinations in addition to 256 voices per card. CARD performance numbers are preceded by the letter “C”.
Respond to “Are you sure?” on the display by pressing the [ENTER/YES] key again. “Completed” will appear for a few seconds when the initialization job has finished. PERFORMANCE`JOB`Initialize`````````````` ```Completed`!```````````[EDIT]`LYR````` 3. Select the Performance Edit “LAYER” Mode k l Press the SUB MODE [EDIT] key. This selects the performance edit mode. Use the PAGE [ ] and [ ] keys to select the “LAYER” entry screen (if it doesn’t appear immediately).
LAYER`Voice`Number````````<-------->ABC````A=¡C1`````B=¡B1`````C=¡D1`````D=off` k HINT l The PAGE [ ] and [ ] keys can usually be used to select the various parameter and function screens in any edit mode. There is another way, however, that can be more direct is some cases. To call the “LAYER Voice Number screen”, for example, press the [MENU] key, use either the data entry dial or the [-1] and [+1] keys to select “1:Voice Number”, and then press [ENTER/ YES]. 5.
7. Tune Each Layer Press the PAGE [ l] key to move to the “LAYER Tune” screen. LAYER`Tune`)NtShft(```````<-------->ABC`+12```+0```+0```+0```+0```+0``---```--` Since the bass voice we have selected will sound too low if played only on the lower two octaves of the keyboard, we’ll shift its pitch up one octave. Use the [CS1] slider to set the layer-A “NtShft” (Note Shift) parameter to “+12”. 8. Set the Note Limits for Each Layer Press the PAGE [ l] key to move to the “LAYER Note Limit” screen.
10. Go Back And Customize the Parameters Now you know what the parameters we’ve just edited do, go back and modify them to create a performance combination that suits your musical needs (use the PAGE [ ] and [ ] keys to locate the various edit screens). k l 11. Store Your Performance Combination Once you’re satisfied with the sound of your original performance combination, you can store it to an internal performance memory location as follows: Press the [STORE] key.
HINT You can use the PERFORMANCE NAME function described on page 25 of the Feature Reference manual to give your performance combination an original name before storing it. ■ Further Possibilities … When you’re ready to explore the many other possibilities the SY85 provides for performance programming, read through the “PERFORMANCE EDIT MODE” section of the Feature Reference manual (page 13). 3.
4. Voice Editing & Effects For the programmer who wants to get serious about voice programming, the SY85 offers an extensive range of parameters that allow extremely fine control. All parameters are discussed in detail in the Feature Reference manual VOICE EDIT section (page 57), and we recommend that the dedicated programmer study the Feature Reference manual carefully before embarking on any major voicing projects.
Quick Edit Wave Groups 1: Piano 2: Key 3: Brass 4: Wind 5: Strings 6: A.Guitar 7: E.Guitar 8: Bass 9: Folk 10: Synth 11: Choir 12: TPerc 13: Drum 14: Perc 15: SE 16: Osc Acoustic pianos. Other keyboards. Brass instruments. Wind instruments. Strings. Acoustic guitars. Electric guitars. Acoustic & electric bass. Folk & ethnic instruments. Synthesizer sounds. Choir & human voice. Tuned percussion. Drums. Percussion instruments. Sound effects. Basic oscillator waveforms.
Quick Edit Envelope Types 0: -------1: Piano 2: Brass 3: SfzBrass 4: SynBrass 5: StFast 6: StSlw/Pd 7: E.Bass 8: SynBass1 9: SynBass2 10: Organ 11: Guitar 12: Pluck1 13: Pluck2 14: SynPad 15: SynComp 16: Percusiv 17: S.Ideal1 18: S.Ideal2 19: S.Ideal3 20: S.Ideal4 21: Init Full-edit envelope. Acoustic piano. Brass. Sforzando brass. Synthesizer brass. Fast-attack strings. Slow-attack strings (pad). Electric bass. Synthesizer bass 1. Synthesizer bass 2. Organ. Guitar. Plucked instrument 1.
Although the SY85 includes a sophisticated digital filter system that can be precisely controlled via the full-edit parameters, the simplified filter parameters provided here have been specifically created for fast, efficient filter programming. [CS3] selects either the filter defined by the current filter parameter settings, or one of 15 preset filter types for the current voice.
[CS8] determines how the filter cutoff frequency changes in response to velocity changes (e.g. keyboard dynamics). The range is from -63 to +63. Plus “+” settings produce higher cutoff frequencies in response to higher velocity values — i.e. the harder a key is played, the higher the cutoff frequency. The maximum setting of “+63” produces the maximum level variation in response to velocity changes. Minus “-” settings produce the opposite effect: lower cutoff in response to higher velocity.
8. Select and Set the Main Effect Parameters Use the PAGE [ k] and [l] keys to locate the “QED EF PARAM” screen. QED`EF`PARAM)`<`1:Cho`>``)Mod.Freq`[Hz]( `100`Freq``1.2```70```+0```+0``0.8``100` This screen provides access to the four main parameters each for the current selected effect 1 and effect 2. The four effect 1 parameters are edited via [CS1] through [CS4], while the four effect 2 parameters are edited via [CS5] through [CS8].
Press [ENTER/YES]. VOICE`STORE``````````To````````````````` Are`you`sure`?```````™D7:ST`Combo``````` Press [ENTER/YES] again. VOICE`STORE``````````To````````````````` ```Completed`!```````™D7:ST`Combo``````` “Completed !” will appear briefly when the data has been stored, then the SY85 will return to the VOICE PLAY mode.
5. The Sequencer The SY85 sequencer has 8 “normal” tracks and a special rhythm track. Each of the normal sequencer tracks can control a separate “instrument”. Which track controls which instrument is determined by the multi-play setup instrument assignments and the sequencer track transmit channel assignments (both are described below).
Here you can specify which MIDI channel (1 … 16) each of the sequencer’s 8 main tracks will transmit on. Functions keys [F1] through [F8] correspond to tracks 1 through 8. Press a function key to move the underline cursor to the MIDI channel parameter for that track, then use the corresponding control slider (e.g. [CS3] for track 3) to set the MIDI transmit channel for that track.
● STEP The STEP record mode will be described in “STEP RECORDING” beginning on page 52. ● PUNC (Real-time Punch-in) Punch-in recording makes it possible to re-record (replace) a section of a previously-recorded track without affecting the data before and after the punch-in section. All operations are the same as for replace recording, except that you must specify the measure numbers for the beginning and end of the punch-in segment.
7. Record the Next Part When you’re satisfied that the first track is OK, go back to step 3-2 and select a new record track, then record. Continue this process until your composition is complete. For difficult tracks you might want to use the step record mode, described below. ■ Step Recording (Tracks 1 … 8) Step recording allows you to input parts note by note, rest by rest, without having to actually play the part on the keyboard.
3. Set the Gate Time and Velocity Use the [F3] function key to select the gate time of the first note to be entered: “STAC” for short, staccato notes; “NORM” for normal-length notes; or “SLUR” for long notes that run into each other. The velocity of the notes to be entered is set via the “NORM” (PROGRAM [4]), “ACC1” through “ACC3” (PROGRAM [5] through [7]), and “FIX” (PROGRAM [8]) keys.
5. Enter the Required Notes and Rests When you’ve selected the required note length, play the note to be entered on the keyboard. The entered note will appear as a diamond (u) on the step record input display line. The cursor will move to the beginning of the next note. Entered notes appear as diamonds.
7. Press [STOP] When the track is finished, press [STOP] to return to the SONG play mode. Now you can press [RUN] and hear how the sequence sounds. ■ Creating A Rhythm Track SY85 rhythm tracks are most easily and efficiently created by creating a sequence of rhythm “patterns”. The SY85 has memory for 100 internal patterns, initially containing 100 pre-programmed patterns covering a wide variety of musical styles.
● RECORDING AN ORIGINAL PATTERN — REAL TIME 1. Select a Pattern Number In the PATTERN mode, select the number of the pattern you want to edit or record. Optional Clear the Current Pattern. k l If you want to record a totally new pattern from scratch, clear the existing pattern: press the SUB MODE [JOB] key, use the PAGE [ ] and [ ] keys to locate the “PTN JOB Clear Pattern” screen.
● STEP The STEP record mode will be described in “Recording an Orignal Pattern — Step Record” beginning on page 58. 2-3 Select the Pattern Number to Be Recorded. If necessary, use [CS3] to select the pattern number to be recorded. 2-4 Set the Number of Measures. Use [CS4] to set the length of the pattern in measures (1 … 4). 2-5 Set the Record Tempo. Use [CS5] to set the tempo you want to record at (shown in beats per minute on the display). The tempo can be set from 30 to 240 beats per minute.
4. Record The voice assigned to sequencer rhythm track (page ??) is automatically selected when the PATTERN mode is engaged. While the metronome (or the existing pattern data) is playing, anything you play on the keyboard will be recorded. Of course, you don’t have to record everything at once. The pattern continuously cycles as you record. You can start with just the bass drum, for example, then record the snare, cymbals, and so on until your pattern is complete.
2. Press [RUN] Press the [RUN] key to call the step record display. Step write input display line. Each dash represents a 32nd beat. Plus signs mark the beginning of each beat specified by the selected time signature. The example below corresponds to a 1/4 ... 4/4 time signature. If an 8-beat time signature (1/8 ... 8/8) were selected, plus signs would appear every 4 32nd beats. The cursor is placed under the appropriate beat of the display line by using the data entry dial. Current measure number.
Instrument Display Selection Only one instrument is shown on the step write display line at a time. The name of the instrument (and the key via which it is played) is displayed following “INST=” on the lower display line. To change the displayed instrument, press the key corresponding to the desired instrument on the keyboard while holding the [F4] key. Entered notes appear as a dot (●) if they fall precisely on a beat, or as a cross (X) if slightly off the beat. 6.
● ||: (Begin repeat) This symbol indicates the beginning of a range of rhythm parts to be repeated. The begin repeat event has no other parameter. ● :|| (End repeat) A “||:” must always be followed at some point by a “:||” symbol signifying the end of the range of parts to be repeated. Use [CS4] to set the number of times the specified section is to be repeated (x 0 … x99). ● vol (Volume change) This event produces a volume change at the selected part. The [CS4] slider sets the new volume level (0 … 127).
● [F5]: “INS” = Rhythm Track Insert SONG`EDIT`Insert`Part``````````````````` `Part:001=`ptn``***````````````````````` This function is used to insert a new part at any point in an existing rhythm track. Press [F5] to engage the rhythm track insert function after locating the desired insert point via the main rhythm track edit screen, described above. Then use [CS3] and [CS4] to specify the event to be inserted.
● [F7]: “CPY” = Rhythm Track Copy SONG`EDIT`Copy`Part```````from``````To`` `Part:001=`ptn``***```````001ø`001``001` This function is used to copy a part or a range of parts to any other point in a rhythm track. Press [F7] to engage the rhythm track copy function.
6. Data Management In this section we’ll offer a few hints on how to efficiently organize and manage your SY85 data for performance applications. Refer to the THE UTILITY MODE section beginning on page 209 of the Feature Reference manual for complete information on card and disk operations. ■ Cards or Disks? The SY85 allows data to be saved to and loaded from 3.5” floppy disks or Yamaha MCD64 RAM data cards. Whether you use disks or RAM cards will depend on your individual needs.
■ Create a Well-organized Data Library It’s amazing how quickly you can lose track of what voices, performance combinations, and sequences you’ve stored where. A well-organized data library is essential. It’s a good idea to store different categories of voices or performance combinations on different disks (or at least in different files). In the same way, it’s obviously a good strategy to store voices/performance combinations, and sequences on separate disks.
INDEX A G Aftertouch ................................................................ 29 Amplitude envelope generator .............................. 41 Gate time ................................................................. 53 Group keys ........................................................13, 22 C H Card performance memory .................................... 32 Card voice memory ................................................ 26 Cleaning ......................................................
N R Note length ........................................................53, 59 Note limit, performance ........................................ 37 O Output controls ....................................................... 12 Output jacks ......................................................15, 17 Overdub recording .................................................. 49 P Page keys ................................................................. 13 Pan, performance ........................................
V Velocity ....................................................... 53, 57, Voice categories ..................................................... Voice edit ................................................................ Voice list ................................................................. Voice play mode .................................................... Voice selection, performance ............................... Volume change .......................................................
