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Yamaha VL1 Owner's Manual
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Yamaha VL1 Owner's Manual

Virtual acoustic synthesizer
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Getting Started

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Owner's Manual

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  • Page 1: Getting Started

    Getting Started Owner's Manual...
  • Page 2 Getting Started Owner’s Manual 1...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Conventions ..........7 VL1 Basics ......8 Essential Concepts for the VL1 User What Are the Advantages? .
  • Page 4 VL1 Controller Parameters ........40...

  • Page 5: Precautions

    OFF prior to connecting or discon- necting audio and MIDI cables. MIDI Connections • When connecting the VL1 to MIDI equipment, be sure to use high-quality cables made especially for MIDI data transmission. • Avoid MIDI cables longer than about 15 meters.
  • Page 6 • Do not insert anything but floppy disks into the disk drive. Other objects may cause damage to the disk drive or the floppy disk. YAMAHA is not responsible for damage caused by improper handling or operation. Getting Started Service and Modification •...

  • Page 7: About The Manuals

    We recommend that you go through the chapters in sequence and actually try out the various operations described. Once you’ve gone through the entire Getting Started manual in this way, you should be familiar enough with the VL1 to need only the VL1 Feature Reference manual in future.

  • Page 8: The Feature Reference Manual

    The following conventions are used through the VL1 manuals to avoid confusion and make the text easier to read. Buttons & Controls Button and control names used on the VL1 panel appear in the text in capital letters within a border: “the [ button”, for example. Parameter Names...

  • Page 9: Vl1 Basics

    In the same way that computer models are used to simulate weather systems or the flight characteristics of aircraft in the design stage, the VL1 simulates the very complex vibrations, resonances, reflections and other acoustic phenomena that occur in a real wind or string instrument.

  • Page 10: What Are The Advantages

    The Yamaha VL1 is the most musical synthesizer ever made. A soloist’s dream! • The VL1 sounds better, has more depth, and is more realistic in the musical sense than any other synthesizer system.

  • Page 11: The Vl1 Model

    “timbre” of the sound is defined. The extreme complexity of this portion of the model makes it unsuitable for user programming, so vari- ous instruments for the VL1 are provided in the form of pre-programmed voices. These are primarily woodwind, brass, and string voices, since the VL1’s physi- cal model is capable of most accurately simulating the sound-generating mecha- nism of all three instrument categories.
  • Page 12 One of the remarkable features of the VL1’s Virtual Acoustic Synthesis system is that just about any driver can be used with any type of pipe or string. Drivers Getting Started String vibration.

  • Page 13: The Controllers

    These elements actually form an important part of the sound generating system and, in the VL1 model, are included in the controllers block. The player also influences the sound of the instrument by playing the keys, tone holes, or frets, and this aspect of control constitutes another part of the controllers block.

  • Page 14: The Modifiers

    Although these may appear to be simple effects, they are actually intimately related to the VL1’s sound-producing model and have a significant effect on the sound (the VL1 has a separate effects stage with reverb, delay, and modulations effects — see page 58).
  • Page 15 Getting Started Impulse Expander The Impulse Expander works in conjunction with the Resonator, described below, to simulate the effect of an instrument’s resonant cavity or sound box. It can also be used to simulate the acoustic environment in which the instrument is played.

  • Page 16: There's More

    VL1 actually has two elements which function as independ- ent physical models. Although it is basically a monophonic solo instru- ment, this means that the VL1 can produce two notes at once. More com- monly the two elements are used as layers of a single voice.

  • Page 17: The Controls & Connectors

    Getting Started The Controls & Connectors A Brief Introduction To the VL1 Interface The following brief descriptions of the VL1 controls and connectors should help you to understand the overall logic of the interface. Floppy Disk Drive OCTAVE _ and + Buttons...

  • Page 18: Front Panel

    MODE Buttons PLAY mode lets you select and play voices, the EDIT mode gives you programming access to the VL1’s voice and controller parameters, and the UTILITY mode includes MIDI, disk, system and other functions that are essential for general operation.
  • Page 19 Getting Started page 32. Feature Reference page 10. ! 0 = and - Buttons Used to select voices and edit parameter values in any of the VL1 edit modes. Either button can be pressed briefly for single stepping in the specified direction, or held for continuous scrolling.
  • Page 20 The Controls & Connectors ! 2 Bank a through h Buttons The VL1 has 128 internal voice memory locations arranged in 8 banks of 16 voices each. These buttons select the voice bank from which an individual voice will be se- lected.

  • Page 21: Rear Panel

    Press to turn power ON or OFF. @ 3 OUTPUT L and R Jacks These are the main stereo outputs from the VL1. Be sure to connect both outputs to the appropriate channels of a stereo sound system in order to appreciate the full quality of the VL1 sound and effects.
  • Page 22 Getting Started The Controls & Connectors...

  • Page 23: Setting Up

    Make sure your VL1 is rated for the AC voltage supplied in the area in which it is to be used (as listed on the rear panel). Connecting the VL1 to the wrong AC supply can cause serious damage to the internal circuitry and may...

  • Page 24: Controllers

    BC2 Breath Controller. Foot Controllers Although the VL1 has jacks for two foot controllers, it is not necessary to use both. To begin with plug the supplied FC7 Foot Controller into the rear-panel FOOT CON- TROLLER 2 jack.

  • Page 25: Stereo Sound System

    Getting Started Stereo Sound System The VL1 voices and effects are designed to sound their best in stereo, so you should always use a stereo sound system to appreciate the full impact of the VL1 voices and expressive features. The VL1 OUTPUT L and R jacks can be connected directly to musical instrument amplifiers designed for keyboard use, or to the line inputs of a mixing console.

  • Page 26: Power-On Procedure

    NOTES For detailed MIDI specifications refer to the “MIDI Data Format” . When using the VL1 with other MIDI equipment, it is a good idea to refer to the MIDI specifications (implementation chart, MIDI data format) of the equip- ment used to ensure compatibility.

  • Page 27: Play The Demo

    Getting Started Play the Demo Once you’ve set up your VL1 system, you might like to play the pre-programmed demo sequence to hear how some of the voices sound. This process will also help to familiarize you with some of the VL1’s selection and editing procedures.
  • Page 28 Press [ and Confirm Press the [ button if it’s OK to go ahead with the demo — and rewrite all bank-H data. The VL1 will ask you to confirm again: press - to continue or = to abort. Select a Song Use the data dial or = and - buttons to select the song number you want to start with.
  • Page 29 Getting Started Setting Up Stop the Demo Press the ¶ button to stop demo playback. Return To the Play Mode When Done Press the MODE P button to return the PLAY mode.

  • Page 30: Breath Controller Calibration

    Breath Controller Calibration Proper operation of the breath controller is vital to achieving the best possible sound from the VL1. Although the controller is factory-calibrated to match most requirements, we recommend that you carefully calibrate the breath controller for optimum performance with your own playing style.
  • Page 31 Getting Started Setting Up Adjust the Breath Controller Gain Place the breath controller mouthpiece in your mouth and blow — notice that the cursors move to right and the number below the graph increases according to how hard you blow. Rotate the breath controller GAIN trimmer counter-clockwise as far as it will go (don’t force it!) then, while blowing into the mouthpiece using the maximum pressure you intend to use while playing, rotate the trimmer slowly clockwise until the number below the graph just reaches “127”...

  • Page 32: Load The Pre-Programmed Voice Data

    NOTES Loading the pre-programmed voices overwrites any other data that is in the VL1 internal memory, so if you have any important voices in memory make sure it is safely stored to disk before loading the data — Feature Reference manual, page 166.
  • Page 33 Getting Started Setting Up Select the Disk Function Directory Press the £ function button (“Disk”) to select the utility mode disk function directory. Select “Load From Disk” Use the cursor buttons to move the cursor to “2:Load From Disk” and then press [.
  • Page 34 You must now select a voice in order for the loaded data to be properly activated — see the following section. About the VL1 Data Disk The floppy disk supplied with the VL1 contains the following files: CUSTOMER:ALL A complete set of 128 voices and system data in which the voices are programmed to allow maximum controller variation.

  • Page 35: Voice Selection

    Voice Selection Selecting & Playing the VL1’s 128 Voices One of the first things you’ll want to do with your VL1 is select and play some of its voices … this section will show you how to do just that.
  • Page 36 Voice Selection Select a Voice The VL1’s 128 voices are organized into 8 banks of 16 voices each (8 x 16 = 128). Any voice can be selected by specifying its bank using the bank buttons (a through h), and its number using the voice number buttons (1 through ^).

  • Page 37: Using The Voice Directory

    ‘ wheel upward to produce sound with many of the VL1’s voices. A complete list of the pre-programmed voices and their controller assignments is provided in the Voice List & MIDI Data Format. A brief voice list is provided below.

  • Page 38: The Pre-Programmed Vl1 Voices

    Getting Started The Pre-programmed VL1 Voices Here’s an abbreviated voice list for easy reference. Voice No. Voice Name Voice No. C01 (033) A01 (001) Moby C02 (034) A02 (002) Tenor Sax A03 (003) Shakuhachi C03 (035) C04 (036) A04 (004)

  • Page 39: The Controllers

    • Etc. The effectiveness of the VL1 as a musical instrument depends to a great deal on how well you learn to use these controllers. Since the VL1 sound is produced by a computer-based physical model rather than a oscil- lator-based tone generator, there are no hard-and-fast rules as to how any controller will actually affect the sound.

  • Page 40: Physical Controllers

    Getting Started Physical Controllers First, here’s a list of the physical controllers available for use with the VL1: A natural candidate for controlling pressure, tonguing, throat, growl, Breath Controller and other parameters. This unique “controller” can be applied only through the Breath Controller.

  • Page 41: Vl1 Controller Parameters

    Can add a realistic “roughness” to the sound. Similar to the dynamic filters found in many conventional synthesiz- Dynamic Filter ers. The VL1 filter has selectable high-pass, bandpass, band elimina- tion, and low-pass modes. The Harmonic Enhancer can vary the harmonic structure of the sound Harmonic Enhancer over a wide range.

  • Page 42: Controller Views

    Getting Started Controller Views In the PLAY mode, function buttons ¡ through § are used to select “controller view” displays that list all controller assignments for the currently selected voice. In particular, ¡ through ¢ display the assignments for the controller parameters listed in the preceding chart (you can press the ] button at any time to return to the normal play-mode display).

  • Page 43: Some Exercises With The Altosax Controllers

    ] button one or more times. NOTES When the edit mode is selected, the VL1 will automatically go straight to the last edit page that was selected for maximum programming speed and efficiency. You may have to ] through one or two layers of the EDIT mode display hierarchy to return to the initial display.
  • Page 44 MIDI control change numbers. The “ Modulation Wheel ” setting refers to the VL1’s MODULATION 1 wheel. The MODULATION 2 wheel can be assigned to any MIDI control change number.
  • Page 45 Getting Started The Controllers Go to the Pressure Controller Page From the Vibrato page use the § button to step back to the Pressure controller page. Quite logically, the Breath Controller is assigned to control the “Pressure” parameter, and we will leave it set that way while we experiment with the “Depth” and “Curve”...
  • Page 46 Getting Started The Controllers Once you pass zero, you enter a range of “negative” Depth values that produce reverse controller operation: i.e. the output level decreases as you blow harder into the Breath Controller. Like the normal positive range, the negative Depth range is from “0” to “-127”.

  • Page 47: Controller Envelopes

    Controller Envelopes Since acoustic instruments virtually never respond instantaneously to “controller” changes, the VL1 includes a range of controller envelopes that can be used to simulate this type of response. For example, sudden application of maximum breath pressure to a wind instrument or bow speed to a string instrument normally doesn’t produce instantane-...

  • Page 48: Other Controller Views

    This line indicates the current portamento status. Feature Reference manual, page 40) Any physical controller can be assigned to control certain of the VL1’s effects in certain ways: the wet/dry balance of the pitch change effect, the feedback delay Effect send level, or the reverb send level.

  • Page 49: Mixing & The Modifiers

    Mixing & The Modifiers Creating New Timbres and Original Voices The VL1 provides two ways to change the timbre of a voice to cre- ate original variations: 1) by mixing the output signals from various parts of the physical model, and 2) by using the VL1’s “Modifiers” to shape the overall harmonic structure.

  • Page 50: An Exercise: Remix The Pan Pipes Voice

    Getting Started An Exercise: Remix the Pan Pipes Voice Before going to the EDIT mode, select and play the Pan Pipes voice for a few minutes to get a feel for how it sounds. Engage the EDIT Mode The mixing parameters are accessed via the EDIT mode “Mixing” page. To get to this page first press the E button to engage the edit mode.
  • Page 51 Getting Started Mixing & The Modifiers Tap Location The remaining tap parameter — “Tap Sign” — inverts the phase of the tap signal. It has two settings: “+” and “-”. Try it. 4. Return To the PLAY Mode When Done Press the P button to return to the PLAY mode when you’ve finished experi- menting with the mixing parameters.

  • Page 52: The Modifiers

    Getting Started The Modifiers As described in the “VL1 Basics” section (page 8), the VL1 has five “Modifier” stages that shape the overal timbre of the sound. Although the modifiers can vary the sound over a considerable range, the fundamental timbre of each voice is determined by its physical instrument model.
  • Page 53 Getting Started Mixing & The Modifiers Referring to the block diagram of the harmonic enhancer, above, we can see that it employs a modulation approach to building new harmonic structures. The carrier and modulator blocks have independent display pages and some independent parameters. The Modulator Parameter Page The Carrier Parameter Page NOTES...
  • Page 54 Getting Started Mixing & The Modifiers Although any modulator source signal can be applied to any carrier source signal, two approaches are recommended when attempting to create an acoustic instrument simulation. The first is to set the carrier signal to “Normal” and the modulator signal to any other than normal, set the dry/wet “Balance”...

  • Page 55: Dynamic Filter

    Getting Started Dynamic Filter The Dynamic Filter stage is similar to the dynamic filters found in many conven- tional synthesizers. It allows both fixed and dynamic filtering in high-pass, low-pass, bandpass, and band elimination modes, and is effective for broad tonal control. (from Harmonic Enhancer) The Dynamic Filter Parameter Page...

  • Page 56: Frequency Equalizer

    Getting Started Frequency Equalizer The Frequency Equalizer stage consists of two blocks — Auxiliary and Band — each with its own display page. (from Dynamic Filter) The Equalizer Auxiliary Parameter Page The Equalizer Band Parameter Page The Auxiliary block includes programmable low-pass and high-pass filters that can be used independently or together to create a bandpass response.

  • Page 57: Impulse Expander

    Getting Started Impulse Expander The Impulse Expander works in conjunction with the Resonator, described below, to simulate the effect of an instrument’s resonant cavity or sound box. It can also be used to simulate the acoustic environment in which the instrument is played. (from Frequency Equalizer) The Impulse Expander Parameter Page...

  • Page 58: Resonator

    Getting Started Resonator While the Impulse Expander tends to give the sound a metallic quality, the Resona- tor produces a more woody resonance effect. Careful adjustment of the resonator’s parameters can often bring a not-quite-right voice to life. (from Impulse Expander) The Resonator Parameter Page The Resonator basically consists of five parallel delay lines with independently...

  • Page 59: Effects

    Creating the Right Ambience Effects are the essential finishing touches for any voice. Once you’ve created a sound you like, use one or more of the VL1’s three high-per- formance digital effect stages to polish and refine it as required. Each stage includes a number of effects.

  • Page 60: Modulation Effects

    Since the goal in producing a delay effect is often to match the delay time to a musical time value, the VL1 includes a “time calculation” function that makes it easy to convert standard note values to their corresponding delay times in milliseconds.

  • Page 61: Reverb Effects

    Getting Started The Time Calculation Pop-up Page NOTES Refer to page 53 of the Feature Reference manual for full details on the Feedback Delay effects and parameters. Reverb Effects You’ll probably want to apply the effects in this stage to some degree to all your voices.
  • Page 62 Getting Started Effects...

  • Page 63: Index

    This index covers both the VL1 Getting Started and Feature Reference manuals for easy cross-referencing. Page numbers in the Getting Started manual are preceded by “ © ”, and page numbers in the Feature Reference manual are preceded by “...
  • Page 64 Element on/off Element pan Element random pitch Element select Embouchure & pitch envelope Embouchure & pitch envelope key scaling Embouchure Enter button Equalizer auxiliary Equalizer band Equalizer Equalizer key scaling Error messages Exit button Feedback delay effects Feedback delay Feedback delay/reverb mode Flanger Floppy disk drive Floppy disks &...
  • Page 65 Phones jack Pitch bend mode Pitch change Pitch Pitch wheel Play-mode display Polyphony control Portamento Power cord socket Power supply Power switch Power-on procedure Pre-programmed voices, loading Pressure envelope Pressure Quick editing Receive channel Resonator Reverb effects Reverb Scream Selecting & editing parameters Sound system Specifications Store button...
  • Page 66 M.D.G., EMI Division © Yamaha Corporation 1993 VQ65370 JADIR0PR117.2CP Printed in Japan...

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