Posted by: chrisNova777
« on: December 21, 2018, 08:59:09 AM »http://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/shape-of-things-to-come/5709
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NEW YAMAHA MEGA-SYNTH
Yamaha have launched a major new flagship synthesizer, the SY77 (£1999), as the first of what could be a whole new generation of Yamaha products. The SY77 represents another significant step forward in synthesis technology, in the same way that FM and LA did — old style 6-operator FM has been kicked into touch, and superceded by a technique called Realtime Convolution and Modulation (RCM) synthesis. The technique incorporates Advanced FM (AFM) synthesis and AWM2 sampling capabilities, but within an architecture that allows them to interact - the characteristics of a sampled sound can be used to modify those of a synthesized sound.
The SY77 is 32-note polyphonic, 16-part multitimbral, and includes on-board drum sounds, digital effects and a 16-track sequencer.
Also new is the TG55 tone module (around £699), which has the AWM2 voicing facilities of the SY77 but no AFM and no RCM. The TG55 is 16-voice polyphonic, 16-part multitimbral, and offers onboard digital effects.
AWM2 sampling technology is a refinement of the Advanced Wave Memory found on previous Yamaha instruments. Samples are stored with 16-bit resolution, and all are sampled at 32kHz or 48kHz. Internal processing is 24-bit, output is via 22-bit digital-to-analogue convertors, and 4Mb of samples are stored internally. Additional waveform data can be read from ROM cards; one ROM card slot is dedicated to waveform data, another to program data.
The Advanced Frequency Modulation uses six operators, which can be configured in 45 different algorithms. Each operator can use any of 16 different waveforms, and any algorithm can include up to three feedback loops. RCM involves using AWM2 elements to modulate AFM operators. Each AWM2 and AFM element in an SY77 voice has two 12dB per octave real-time digital filters, a significant addition to FM. A full review of the SY77 will appear in next month's Sound On Sound.
YAMAHA SY77 SYNTHESIZER
Keyboard: 61-note, velocity and pressure sensitive.
Tone generator: AWM2: 16-bit linear, 32/48kHz sampling rate; AFM: 6-operator, 45-algorithm Advanced FM, 3 feedback loops, 16 selectable waveforms.
Polyphony: AWM2, 16 notes; AFM, 16 notes. 16-part multitimbral.
Filters: Real-time digital filters (Low Pass, Low/High Pass, 12dB per octave roll-off, with resonance), up to 8 per voice.
Internal Wave Memory: 4 Megabytes.
Internal Voice Memory: 128 Preset Voices, 16 Preset Multi settings, 64 RAM Voices, 16 RAM Multi settings.
External Storage: 2 card slots (Voice and Waveform data).
Sequencer: 16-tracks, 99 patterns, 1/96th note resolution, 16,000 note capacity.
Effects: 4 configurable digital effects processors; 40 reverb programs; 4 modulation programs.
Controllers: Pitch Bend Wheel, Modulation Wheel, Assignable Wheel.
Connections: 2 sets of stereo outputs; phones; MIDI In, Out,Thru; footswitch, foot volume; sustain pedal; breath control; assignable control.
Display: 240 x 64 dot backlit LCD