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”.
