To SAVE a PLUGINBULK file to SmartMedia
card
•
Press [FILE] to enter the Card mode
•
Select the SAVE Card function
•
Set the TYPE to
“pluginbulkx”
where x is
your slot
•
Name your file (8 characters).
•
Press [ENTER]; and [YES] to execute
•
If you name your file in the root directory
(literally): AUTOLD1.W2B for PLG1,
AUTOLD2.S2B for PLG2, or AUTOLD3.S2B for
PLG3 the synthesizer will automatically load
this file when you switch it ON.
Setting up your optional BC3 Breath
Controller
Connect the BC3 to the Breath input on the back
panel of the Motif. Select the BC set of PLG
Voices
PLGPRE3.
Press [F2] Bank and use INC
to select PLGPRE3.
Blow a puff of air into the BC3 mouthpiece to
initialize it. Now,
without blowing into the
mouthpiece
(very important) hold a note down
on the keyboard. Adjust the OFFSET control on
the side of the BC3 up and down. Notice how the
sound can be made to disappear (remember you
are
not blowing
).
This is a critical setting
– you
want to turn this back and forth so that you are
resting at a point where the sound has
just
reached the OFF point. Stop! You should now
here absolutely no sound when you play on the
keyboard. (The sound is said to be “biased” to
breath control). It will now take blowing into the
mouthpiece of the BC3
and
playing a key to turn
on a note.
Now, what about that GAIN control. This
is set to your playing style and taste. If you are
just starting with breath control and have no
background with blowing an instrument, then
you will want to set this sensitivity control for
lighter response. With GAIN you are changing
how much effort it takes to reach a maximum of
127. As you acquire more and more confidence
in your ability to ‘blow’ notes, you will find
yourself actually increasing the amount of air it
takes to reach 127.
Please take your time
. In
about 3 weeks re-evaluate your playing and
make adjustments. Remember that the BC3
mouthpiece has an air/moisture release valve
(drain cap) that also changes how the BC feels as
you play. You can let air escape or close it tight –
it is a matter of taste. The VL Visual Editor will
make VL voice creation easy. It has prearranged
“drivers” (mouthpieces / bows) and prearranged
pipes/stings so that combining the complex
mathematics is as easy as selecting icons.
Without a degree in acoustics you can quickly put
together custom horns. If you want to delve
deeper into the technology download the VL
Expert Editor but be forewarned the potential for
creating a “tacit horn” – one that will not support
sound - is very great. There is very little luck
involved in creating new instruments via the
Expert Editor. You can find the Mac and PC
versions of the VL Expert Editors at:
www.yamahasynth.com
in the Downloads section
Be sure to visit:
www.sondius-xg.com
for more
information on the development of this
technology – a joint project of Stanford
University and Yamaha Corporation.
We’ll close this article on the PLG150-VL
with an excerpt from the Programming Guide
written for the VL Expert Editor – it gives you a
good insight into why this Physical Modeling
system is different from any synth engine you
have encountered to data. Visit the VA (Virtual
Acoustic) Tutorial online:
http://www.digitalmusicworld.com/html/hardwar
e/SynthsTutorial.asp
Excerpt taken from VL Programming Guide by Dr.
Manny Fernandez:
“Virtual Acoustic synthesis is unlike traditional
types of synthesis because you are programming
the physics of instrument behavior and
construction (not the sound!). This reproduces in
the holistic interaction of pitch, timbre and
behavior, which occurs in acoustic instruments.
Indeed, it is the skillful control of pitch, timbre
and behavior which allows acoustic instrument-
alists to create nuances and expression in their
playing that traditional synthesis cannot
reproduce.
Timbre
Pitch
Behavior
This is because traditional synthesis is
based on the reduction of sounds into
discrete
pitch, timbre and behavior components i.e.
Assign a tuning (pitch), choose a waveform or
sample (timbre), then alter with filter and
amplifier envelopes (behavior). There is the
ability to modify behavior with real-time
controllers like Mod Wheel for vibrato, Foot
Controller for filter sweeps and the Pitch Wheel
for bend articulations, but each of the effects is
discrete and does not
recreate the
interdependent interactions
that happen in a
acoustic instrument.
