Perhaps they could have embossed some of the logo print of introduced metal end pieces with a slightly different colour or texture. With increased memory and more contemporary sounds brings this machine to the forefront for 90s house and dance tracks. The best view of this machine is from the front because the whole front is on a slope which is designed to make it feel slender but is also practical for screen visibility.
As they age, they also tend to get stuck and need servicing. The SY99 was king of the SY series and was a formidable workstation at the time.
As such they are relatively rare to find in near mint condition. The case is particularly rare and well worth the extra investment if you come across one.
At present they are quite under-rated because of their age but these machines are still very powerful and contemporary. The case is rare! Size comparison between the SY77 and SY99 cases. The SY99 manual was similar in design style to that of the SY There were also two standard demonstration disks that came standard with the unit. The SY99 still had card slots which was rather strange given that it also had a disk drive because disks were more versatile and affordable. These cards were well made and came with protective clear plastic hard cases.
The brochure was smaller, simpler and in our opinion less impressive than the SY That surprised us considering the SY99 came in as the new Flagship model. The SY99 had far fewer sounds made for it compared to the SY77 that came before. Above are the four original sound disks that were made specifically for the SY For this and its solid good looks it is bound to be sought after and go up in value.
Ideally it would have looked a little more interesting than just a stretched SY77, because as it is it feels like how the SY77 should have been rather than a new model. Side by Side comparison with the former flagship model — the SY The synthesizer in this review is from the Wolf private collection. It was purchased in May via an eBay auction from Italy. While in good condition many of the panels were later updated with the very last pieces Yamaha still kept in their Warehouse in Japan.
In near mint condition this synth remains a personal WOLF favourite. The information in this review is intended for informational or educational purposes to provide readers an understanding of how something may be seen from a certain design perspective. As design is subjective this review should only be considered as an independent opinion. Information further to being of an opinion is provided to the best of our knowledge based on our own research at the time of doing the review.
We cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies or inconsistencies and reserve the right to change or update any content as appropriate. The final responsibility of the design resides with the original manufacturer. Your email address will not be published.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Post comment. Skip to content. Yamaha SY99 music Synthesizer Jan 25 The SY99 is the SY77 perfected.
As desired, repeat steps 5, 6 and 7 to select and record additional tracks. Note: A more complete explanation of using the SY99 sequencer is given in the following section How to use the sequencer, which explains how to set up Each of the six FM operators in the SY99 can use one of 16 different wave- forms, and be connected to each other in 45 basic algorithms patterns.
In addi- tion, each operator has two inputs which can be modulated by feedback from any other operator, from a noise generator, or from an AWM sample. Page 24 Voices into a "Performance". This meant that sometimes you played Voices and other times you played Performances.
However on the SY99, layers and splits can be included in a voice, so you can simply select a voice and play without considering whether it contains layers or splits. Page About The Sy Pan, Effects, And Output Each of the one, two, or four elements in a voice has two independent digital filters, and is sent through its own pan table. The SY99 also has two built-in digital signal processing DSP effect systems which can be controlled in realtime, and effect settings are stored as part of each voice.
Page 26 These two effect units can be arranged in either serial or parallel mode. The diagram at the beginning of this section shows the effect units arranged in parallel mode. Depending on the effect type single, cascade, or dual , each effect unit is driven by either one or two effect sends.
The SY99's built-in track sequencer records and plays back musical data. Each track contains an independent musical performance; notes, pitch bends, controller movements, and program changes. Page 28 Sequence editing jobs A wide variety of "sequence editing jobs" are provided to allow you to modify the musical data that has been recorded. Tracks can be moved forward or backward in time, mixed, or deleted. Measures can be copied, erased, deleted, or created.
For specified measures you can quantize the data adjust each note to a specified timing precision , transpose it to a different pitch, adjust the velocity playing strength , or modify the gate time note length. Page Front Panel: Left Side Front panel: left side In order to understand the rest of this manual and take full advantage of the SY99, you will need to know the names and uses of the controls and other features of the front panel. This page explains the left side of the front panel, including the LCD.
Page 30 Finally, you can press one of the : Move back one measure press and program select keys while holding the SHIFT hold to move backward continuously key to change the SY99's transmit channel. Some modes have a Job Directory that shows the various jobs functions in the mode. Move to the desired function by selecting a job from the job directory. Function keys 4 In most screens, you can press the function keys F1-F8 to move the cursor or perform various operations. In the above display for "2.
Volume", pressing F1-F8 will move the cursor to channels of the multi Notice that an inverted "S" While you are becoming familiar with the SY99 it will probably be easier for you to select the desired page while viewing a page directory. However as you gain more experience, you may find it convenient to use the JUMP key to go directly to frequently-used pages. Page 38 Mark frequently used Practiced programmers may even find the jump function a bit tiresome, since pages each jump requires five keystrokes.
You will be happy to know that there is a solution to this, too: you can mark up to five frequently used pages for easy access with just a couple of keystrokes. Page How To Enter Data To select a voice, adjust a parameter, or give a name to a newly created setting, you will need to enter various types of data into the SY Page 40 Data entry wheel If you want to decrease or increase the existing data value by a significant amount, use the data entry wheel.
As you rotate the wheel to the right clockwise the data will increase, and as you rotate the wheel to the left counter-clockwise the data will decrease. Page How To Use The Numeric Key Pad How to use the numeric key pad The numeric key pad can be used to enter an absolute data values, as well as characters for a memory name or disk file name.
How to enter absolute If you waint to set a data value to some specific number for example "57" or numerical data "" , use the numeric key pad. Page 42 This display is essentially the same as for any other job that requires you to enter character data. Notice that below the 0 key are printed the characters "A", "B", and "C". By using the sequencer in conjunction with Multi mode, you can create songs of up to 16 independent parts. Page How The Sequencer Controls The Tone Generator How the sequencer controls the tone generator Although the SY99's tone generator and sequencer are contained in the same unit, they are independent.
When the tone generator is in Multi mode, each channel of the multi can be played by a different track of musical data from the sequencer. Track 16 is a dedicated song Pattern track. It contains pattern numbers and repeat marks.
When playback comes to a pattern number, the specified pattern will be played. This allows each track of the sequencer to play a different sound. Start with an initialized Since we will be creating a song with more than one track, we will use the With the initial settings the Effect Mode will be off. The LCD should now appear as follows: Record the pattern When you enter pattern recording mode, the keyboard will transmit the channel selected for track 16 the pattern track of the sequencer.
Notice that there is no "w" Page Realtime Recording Realtime recording In realtime recording the notes you play will be recorded in the exact timing with which you play them. Page 52 In this way, record all the tracks of the song. As you record each track you will hear the previously recorded tracks play back. The multi we created in the beginning of this example uses the following voices. Multi channel Voice number Voice name P1-A Page Punch-In Recording Punch-in recording In punch-in recording the notes you play will be recorded in the exact timing with with you play them, but only over the measures you specify.
This is useful when you wish to re-record only a specific section of a previously recorded track. Page 54 Re-record the specified Move the cursor to Measure and select a point a few measures before This measures will give you a chance to get the feel of the section you are going to re-record. To begin recording press RUN. Play along with the original. Page Song Editing Song editing Song edit mode allows you to modify, insert, or delete individual events that have been recorded in tracks When to use song edit As explained earlier, a sequencer records not the sound of a musical perfor- mance but the musical data.
Notes, controller movements, program changes, and other data are recorded as individual events. Page Using A Song Edit Job Using a song edit job Song edit jobs allow you to make overall changes in specified measures of a track, and to copy, erase, delete, insert, or apply other operations to entire measures When to use a song edit As explained in the previous section, song edit mode allows you to modify, insert, or delete individual events of tracks Page Saving Your Sequence To Disk You may be so pleased with the fruits of your recording efforts that you would like to keep it on hand for playback in the future.
Since all data is cleared from the SY99's sequencer memory when the power is turned off, you will want to save your song on a floppy disk. If files containing Sequencer All data have already been saved on this disk, the filenames will be displayed.
Move the cursor in this area to select a disk file to which you want to save your newly recorded song. Although it is possible to enjoy the SY99 just by playing preset voices, we suggest that you take some time to learn how to edit your own voices.
It will take a bit of practice to create the sounds you want, but as you become more experienced you will find that creating voices is enjoyable and rewarding. The Voice Mode setting determines how these tone generators are elements used to create a Voice, and how many elements are used for each note you play. Each key also has independent set- tings for volume, tuning, note shift, pan, etc. This type of voice is most often used to arrange drums and percussion sounds across the keyboard so that each key will produce a different percussive sound.
Page What Is An Awm Element For other instruments such as violin, the volume, tone, or pitch can be continuously and freely modified by the musician. The SY99 provides several ways to control various aspects of the sound. Page 66 The basic sound of each AWM element is produced by a waveform a digitally determines the pitch and sampled sound. Interesting sounds have The sounds produced by most musical instruments have a very complex wave- complex waveforms form, which is constantly changing.
Page 68 Operators called an Operator. The FM tone generator of the SY99 uses six operators to produce sounds. These six operators can be arranged in 45 different basic Algorithms patterns or combinations.
Each operator acts either as a modulator or carrier depending on its location in the algorithm. An AFM element consists of four main blocks. The FM block uses six operators to create a complex sound and determines the pitch and basic tone, the Filter block modifies the tone, the Amplifier block modi- fies the volume, and the Pan block moves the sound between left and right outputs.
This is one of the most significant features of the SY99's tone generation system. The filter block modifies The filter block can be controlled in various ways to modify the tone of the sound.
Page The Process Of Voice Editing The process of voice editing Editing a voice is a three-step process: select a voice, modify parameters as necessary, and store the edited voice. If you do not store the voice after editing it, the original voice will reappear and your edits will be lost. Page 72 3. Store the edited voice When you have finished editing, you must store the voice if you want to keep it.
Voice parameters will be organized into the following job directories. Press a function key F1—F2 to see the job directories, and select the job you want to edit. Page 74 How to select a job Suppose that you are editing a normal voice and want to edit the Note Shift set- tings for each element. Press F2 to select the Voice Common data job directory. Notice that the note shift parameter is job Use the cursor keys or press 0 then 3 on the numeric key pad to move the inverse cursor to "NtShift".
You will want to try out the various settings later; for now, set this to "1:Rev. Page 76 Adjust the wet:dry Press the cursor key key twice to move the cursor to the "Out1" area. Page Simple Editing: Tone Filter Simple editing: tone Filter Each element in a voice has two filters which can be used to make overall adjustments in tone.
A filter can be controlled in various ways. Controlling a filter by key-on velocity is a simple way to make a voice respond expressively to your keyboard playing. Page 78 Other ways to control the The SY99 provides many ways to control the filter in addition to key velocity.
Vibrato is created by applying the LFO to the pitch. Page 80 Pitch Mod Sense pitch modulation sensitivity determines how sensitive the pitch will be to modulation from the LFO. Page Simple Editing: Using A Controller Simple editing: using a controller Many acoustic instruments allow the musician to modify the volume, tone, or pitch while a note is being played. The SY99's controllers can be assigned to continuously affect various aspects of the sound for musically expressive control.
Use zoned aftertouch The keyboard of the SY99 is sensitive to aftertouch pressure on the keyboard after a note is played. A single aftertouch value is produced for the entire key- board; not independently for each note. However, the SY99's Zoned Aftertouch Page Simple Editing: Attack Eg EG to be loud when the note is first played and then gradually diminish in vol- ume.
The levels are volume levels, and the rates determines the speed of change that leads to the next level. Page 84 The EGs of carrier operators determine how the volume will change over time, and the EGs of modulator operators determine how the tone will change over time.
To see which operators are acting as carriers, press F8 Alg to get a graphic display of the algorithm. Page How To Name And Store Your New Voice How to name and store your new voice If you have followed along with the last five "Simple editing" sections, the voice is now probably quite dif- ferent than when you first selected it.
Even if the voice sounds rather strange, give it a new name and store it as explained in this section. The voice will be stored into this memory Press F8 Stor , and the bottom line will ask "Are you sure?
Yes or No ". This is normally used to assign drums and percussion sounds to the keyboard when creating rhythm accompaniments. Page 88 Next select note C l and specify preset wave number 94 SD 1 snare drum. In this way, make the following settings for notes C1-F 1 to create the simple seven-instrument drum set shown in the table below. For notes F and F set Alternate to "on". Copy elements into the In this example, we will create a four-element voice by copying element data current voice The Copy element func- tion is available only while in AFM element jobs 1, 2, 6, or 7.
Press COPY to get the following display. Page 91 , and 5. When using velocity crossfades, you may wish to select Velocity curve 6 or 7. This will produce exponential crossfad In Voice Play mode you can do the fol - lowing things. Select voices from preset, internal, or card memory.
View a directory of the 16 voices in the currently selected bank of internal, card, or preset memory. Page Voice Select If you want to play a different transmit channel you selected in MIDI Utility voice in the same bank, simply specify a different 1. Setting JUMP The SY99 keyboard will number 1— Setting JUMP switch a tone generator module connected to the You will prob- ably find the master control function especially con- venient because it is available with the press of a single button.
Page Voice Mode Select are polyphonic, and will allow you to play chords of as many notes as can be produced by the SY99's tone generator.
Page Element Detune Remarks: The note shift setting can be useful when you need play notes that are beyond the range cf the SY99's note keyboard. For voices which play two or more elements for each key, note shift can be used to create automatic parallel The notes of the SY99 keyboard are E0-G6. High Velocity Limit Press F1-F4 to move the cursor to elements It is possible to set the low limit above the high Remarks: If you want to play an element over the limit.
Summary: This function copies dynamic pan data Destination Pan: Select the dynamic pan data from another memory into an Internal pan data memory. To clear the currently entered name press F1 Procedure: Clr. For settings of If you are sure you want to copy the will not be copied. Chorus Sympho Rev Hall Rev Room 1 Phase Rev Room 2 Aural Exciter Rev Room 3 Dist Rev Stage 1 Dist DlyL,R Rev Stage 2 Reverb Time 0.
The sound of all three frequency or modulation depth can be controlled over pitch changes is combined into both left and right time by a simple envelope. HPF Hz At a Low Frequency 32 Hz Phasing Delay L,R St. Depth Modulation Depth For more details, on From: Effect Set job directory Page Micro Tuning Set 64 micro tuning memories are preset in- will be correspondingly out of tune.
You need to side the SY99 see the following remarks. Two specify the key C.. B you will be playing in. G : The same as Pure The being edited are displayed.
G8 : This determine the split Zoned After Touch Mode all, top, bottom, split hi, split lo : This setting determines which notes point for Zoned After Touch Mode settings of of the voice will be affected by aftertouch. Note "split hi" For example if you have specified that Amplitude Modulation Depth be Refer to troller can reduce the volume to silence.
When this is set to , the controller will have no sections F1; The output level of each operator can be Procedure: made to vary across the keyboard. Operators that are on are displayed in in- This is useful when you want to hear how each verse. If of each element in the selected voice is not, the bottom line will show "Element type displayed.
Page If the algorithm has a fixed feedback thesizers, you had a choice of 32 algorithms each loop, the feedback destination operator will be of which included one feedback loop.
The SY99 displayed in uppercase characters e. This display will from a computer with the appropriate software to the SY99, it is possible to select a "free algo - never appear unless you are programming the rithm" in which all algorithm routings can be SY99 from a personal computer with editing specified arbitrarily.
However on the SY99, the input levels In1 and In2 of each operator can also be set. If the input source is the feedback from another operator, the input level setting functions as the feedback level. The init phase range of This set- ting is effective only when Phase Sync is on. The dB level is exceeded by the 4th harmonic, The dB level is exceeded by the 21nd harmonic, and odd numbered harmonics up to the 63rd harmonic. For higher settings, there Summary: Make EG settings for a single operator while viewing a graphic display of the operator will be an increasingly longer delay before the envelope.
Output scaling put level of each operator. This is the same set- of the previous section cannot be set in this job. Refer to 6. For this setting to have an effect, the PModSens pitch modulation sensitivity of an operator must be set above 0. Refer to 5. When the press F1-F6 xl, x2, x5, x10, x20, x Procedure: From: 8. This means that if the cutoff Cutoff Depth.
For example the offset at break cutoff frequency would be adjusted across the point 1 El is -4, so the resulting cutoff frequency keyboard for the values in the LCD above. This can be simulated by setting rate scaling to at the rate of Rl to level L1. AWM element can be adjusted across the key- Procedure: board. AWM filter will access the Copy Filter operation.
For details, explained in AFM element data, Copy element page Please refer to that section for refer to AFM element data, 8. SY99's internal sample memory. Initialize sample, page Page This area displays the names and numbers of To rename the selected sample press F6 the samples that are contained in the SY99's Name.
For details, refer to How to enter char- internal sample memory. Move the cursor or use acter data, page Page Remark: Some samples loaded from external Forward only: devices may produce noise when played using Backward only: the SY
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