Programming the VA system will put you
in the role of instrument designer, and you will
need a new paradigm in your approach to
creating and editing sounds. Namely, you are no
longer directly dealing with the 'sound' itself, but
instead are dealing directly with the
instrument
.
Thus you change the construction of the
instrument to indirectly affect the desired change
in the 'sound.' For example, you are no longer
making the 'sound' brighter by opening a filter.
You are now making the 'sound' brighter by
increasing the airflow speed through the
instrument, widening the flare of the bell and
changing the dampening characteristics of the
wood, metal or plastic body. The essence of VA
synthesis dictates that now the 'sound' is
brighter, but it now also has a slightly different
harmonic structure, the pitch and scale
temperament is altered, and the attack/decay
and legato/staccato articulation behavior is
different as well. The fact that VA synthesis
always responds with this interaction between
pitch, timbre and behavior gives it the ability to
recreate the nuances and expression of acoustic
instruments.
By it's design, VA synthesis emulates the real
physics, so you can easily create instruments
that don't, won't or can barely play. Traditional
acoustic instrument designs were created and
refined over generations, and reflect refinements
in design to maximize specific physical behaviors.
The first time Adolphus Sax tried to create a
metal woodwind, it was a far cry from a Selmer
Mark VI!”
Prepared by: Phil Clendeninn
Product Specialist
Digital Products Support Group
©Yamaha Corporation America
