Yamaha SY-35, Product Manual

Page: 47 / 135

Normally, velocity is simply defined as speed. In a synthesizer, however, it
generally refers specifically to the speed with which the keys are played. When
we think of playing a keyboard we normally think of playing the keys softer or
harder to produce softer and louder notes with the attendant timbre variations.
In reality, however, the instrument is responding to how fast the keys are played
— therefore the term "velocity response." A synthesizer that has velocity
response lets the player produce expressive dynamics and timbre variations
according to the way he or she plays the keys.
Although this term is used in slightly different ways by different manufacturers,
at Yamaha a "voice" is any basic sound that can be selected and played on a
synthesizer. This is in contrast to a "performance" which is a combination of
two or more voices, and a "multi" (see above) which is a group of several
voices that can be controlled independently via the MIDI interface.
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Velocity
Voice