This product utilizes batteries or an external power supply (adapter).
DO NOT connect this product to any power supply or adapter other
than one described in the manual, on the name plate, or specifically
recommended by Yamaha.
This product should be used only with the components supplied or; a
cart, rack, or stand that is recommended by Yamaha. If a cart, etc., is
used, please observe all safety markings and instructions that accompany the accessory product.
SPECIFICATIONS SUBJECT TO CHANGE:
The information contained in this manual is believed to be correct at
the time of printing. However, Yamaha reserves the right to change or
modify any of the specifications without notice or obligation to update
existing units.
This product, either alone or in combination with an amplifier and
headphones or speaker/s, may be capable of producing sound levels
that could cause permanent hearing loss. DO NOT operate for long
periods of time at a high volume level or at a level that is uncomfortable. lf you experience any hearing loss or ringing in the ears, you
should consult an audiologist. IMPORTANT: The louder the sound,
the shorter the time period before damage occurs.
NOTICE:
Service charges incurred due to lack of knowledge relating to how a
function or effect works (when the unit is operating as designed) are
not covered by the manufacturer’s warranty, and are therefore the
owners responsibility. Please study this manual carefully and consult
your dealer before requesting service.
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES:
Yamaha strives to produce products that are both user safe and
environmentally friendly. We sincerely believe that our products and
the production methods used to produce them, meet these goals. In
keeping with both the letter and the spirit of the law, we want you to
be aware of the following:
92-BP
Battery Notice: This product MAY contain a small non-rechargeable
battery which (if applicable) is soldered in place. The average life
span of this type of battery is approximately five years. When replacement becomes necessary, contact a qualified service representative
to perform the replacement.
This product may also use “household” type batteries. Some of these
may be rechargeable. Make sure that the battery being charged is a
rechargeable type and that the charger is intended for the battery
being charged.
When installing batteries, do not mix old batteries with new, or with
batteries of a different type. Batteries MUST be installed correctly.
Mismatches or incorrect installation may result in overheating and
battery case rupture.
Warning: Do not attempt to disassemble, or incinerate any battery.
Keep all batteries away from children. Dispose of used batteries
promptly and as regulated by the laws in your area. Note: Check with
any retailer of household type batteries in your area for battery disposal information.
Disposal Notice: Should this product become damaged beyond
repair, or for some reason its useful life is considered to be at an end,
please observe all local, state, and federal regulations that relate to
the disposal of products that contain lead, batteries, plastics, etc. If
your dealer is unable to assist you, please contact Yamaha directly.
NAME PLATE LOCATION:
The name plate is located on the bottom of the product. The model
number, serial number, power requirements, etc., are located on this
plate. You should record the model number, serial number, and the
date of purchase in the spaces provided below and retain this manual
as a permanent record of your purchase.
Model _________________________________________________
Serial No. ______________________________________________
Purchase Date __________________________________________
MUSIC SEQUENCER
OWNER’S MANUAL
Contents
The QY20: What It Is &
Z
What It Can Do....................... 7
What It Is .................................... 8
Voice Mode............................ 9
Song Mode ............................ 9
Pattern Mode ....................... 11
What It Can Do ........................ 12
Setting Up: Power &
X
Connections ......................... 15
Power Supply ........................... 16
Using Batteries .................... 16
When to Replace the Batteries .
Using a Power Adaptor ....... 18
Setting Up Your System........... 19
The Connectors ................... 19
Audio Connections .............. 21
MIDI Connections ................ 22
Getting to Know the QY20:
C
How the Controls Work..... 23
The Controls............................. 24
Play the Demo ......................... 34
17
The VOICE Mode: Selecting,
V
Playing, & Assigning the
QY20 Voices & Drums ....... 35
Try Out the Voices ................... 37
Making Voice-to-Track
Assignments............................. 38
The Mute Buttons..................... 38
The Pan Pots ........................... 39
The Faders............................... 40
Easy Accompaniment for
B
Other Instruments............... 41
Selecting & Playing the Preset
Patterns .................................... 42
Changing Chords................. 47
Muting Tracks ...................... 51
Record a Complete
Accompaniment ....................... 52
Realtime Accompaniment
Recording ............................ 52
Step Accompaniment
Recording ............................ 59
Using the QY20 As a Drum
Machine.................................... 75
Creating Original Patterns
N
Recording an Original
ABC Pattern ............................. 78
Realtime Pattern Recording...
Step Pattern Recording ....... 86
Playback In the Pattern Mode.. 94
Accompaniment Without the
• Avoid plugging an AC power adaptor used with
the QY20 into the same AC outlet as appliances with high power consumption, such as
electric heaters or ovens. Also avoid using
multi-plug adaptors since these can result in
reduced sound quality and possibly damage.
■ Turn Power OFF When Making Connections
• To avoid damage to the instrument and other
devices to which it is connected (a sound system, for example), turn the power switches of all
related devices OFF prior to connecting or disconnecting audio and MIDI cables.
■ Handling and Transport
• Never apply excessive force to the controls,
connectors or other parts of the instrument.
• Always unplug cables by gripping the plug
firmly, not by pulling on the cable.
• Disconnect all cables before moving the instrument.
Precautions
• Physical shocks caused by dropping, bumping,
or placing heavy objects on the instrument can
result in scratches and more serious damage.
■ 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. If this occurs,
move the instrument further away from the affected equipment.
■ Data Backup
• The QY20 contains a special long-life battery
that retains the contents of its internal RAM
memory even when the power is turned OFF.
The backup battery should last for several
years. When the backup battery needs to be
replaced “Backup Batt. Low!” will appear on the
display when the power is turned on. When this
happens, have the backup battery replaced by
qualified Yamaha service personnel. DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO REPLACE THE BACKUP BATTERY YOURSELF!
• Internal memory data can be corrupted due to
incorrect operation. We recommend that you
use the QY20 MIDI bulk dump utility (see page
163 for details) to transfer important data to a
MIDI data recorder such as the Yamaha MDF2
for safe long-term storage. Yamaha cannot be
held responsible for data loss caused by battery
failure or improper operation of the QY20!
■ Service and Modification
• The QY20 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.
YAMAHA is not responsible for damage caused by
improper handling or operation.
The following simple icons are used throughout this 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 QY20 in the quickest, most efficient manner possible.
6
CAUTION
This icon warns of possible hardware
damage, software malfunction, or any other
serious problem that may occur due to
MUSICAL
NOTE
Suggestions as to how a feature or function can be applied musically are identified
by this icon.
improper operation or set up.
IMPORTANT
This icon marks information that you
must read — i.e. important steps or procedures that are essential for proper,
efficient, or easy operation.
HINT
Hints or ideas that are not specifically
musical but may make operation easier or
more interesting are marked by the lightbulb icon.
The magnifying-glass icon indicates information that may not be essential for
general operation, but is a more detailed
DETAIL
explanation of a feature, a description of
the principle involved, etc. You can skip
this information if full details are not required immediately.
The QY20 is a complete music production system with tone generator, sequencer, and autoaccompaniment capability all integrated with a sophisticated control interface. It has 3
modes that provide access to its 3 main functional blocks: the VOICE mode, the SONG
mode, and the PATTERN mode.
The QY20’s internal AWM tone generator provides 100 top-quality
voices plus 8 complete drum kits with different drum and percussion
instruments assigned to different notes. You can assign any of these
voices to the internal sequencer tracks (➪ page 38), or play them directly from an external keyboard or other MIDI controller via the
MIDI interface (➪ page 168).
See the Appendix (page 172) for a complete list of the QY20 voices.
DETAIL
SONG Mode ————————————————————————————
Think of the QY20 SONG mode as an 8-track tape recorder or 8part score that lets you record different parts of a musical composition
one at a time, and then play them back all together. You can even edit
certain parts after they’ve been recorded to correct mistakes and finetune the overall sound. The QY20 has an internal memory that will
hold up to 20 complete songs. For extra storage capacity you can use
the MIDI bulk dump utility to transmit the song data to a MIDI data
recorder such as the Yamaha MDF2 (➪ page 163).
The SONG mode’s 8 tracks are actually divided into 2 4-track
groups: tracks 1 through 4 are the sequencer tracks, while the remaining 4 tracks are the accompaniment tracks. The difference is
described below.
The QY20 sequencer has 4 “normal” sequencer tracks to
which you can individually assign any of the 100 internal
voices (or 8 drum kits if desired), and record just about anything you like either via the QY20’s own micro keyboard or
an external keyboard connected to the QY20 MIDI IN connector. You can use the real-time record mode (➪ page 109) so
that the QY20 records exactly what you play as you play it, or
the step record mode (➪ page 115) in which notes can be entered one at a time. The step record mode lets you record extremely fast or complex passages that would be impossible to
play in real time.
The remaining four tracks are dedicated to producing accompani-
ment: the chord 1 and chord 2 tracks, a bass track, and a drumtrack. The accompaniment tracks differ from the sequencer tracks in
2 ways:
1. Accompaniments are produced by specifying a sequence of pat-
terns to be played rather than by recording individual notes or
chords (➪ page 52). The QY20 has 100 preset patterns that you
can simply select and use, and can store up to 100 original patterns you create in the PATTERN mode (➪ page 78).
2. The accompaniment tracks feature Yamaha’s advanced ABC
(Auto Bass Chord) auto-accompaniment system (➪ page 47).
Of course, you can create accompaniments without using ABC
if you like.
PATTERN Mode——————————————————————————
The QY20 PATTERN mode produces the accompaniment patterns
that are used by the SONG mode accompaniment tracks. 100 preset
patterns are provided (each with 6 variations: Intro, Normal, Variation, Fill-in 1, Fill-in 2, and Ending) that you can simply select and
use to create accompaniments in a wide variety of styles (➪ page 42).
In the PATTERN mode you can also record entirely original patterns
that you’ll later string together in the SONG mode to create a complete accompaniment track (➪ page 52). The ABC auto-accompaniment feature can be applied to your own patterns. The QY20 can store
up to 100 original patterns, and you can use the MIDI bulk dump utility to transmit pattern data to a MIDI data recorder such as the
Yamaha MDF2 if you want extra storage capacity (➪ page 163).
See the Appendix (page 178) for a complete list of the preset patterns.
Here are a few ideas on how you can use the QY20. There’s no way we can cover all possi-
bilities, but the ideas presented might help to spark some new and interesting applications.
Create accompaniments that you can practice with on your guitar,
keyboard, or any other instrument (vocals too, of course). That way
you have the advantage of practicing with a bass line and chords instead of just a metronome or drum machine (➪ page 52).
Use the drum kit voices to record on the sequencer tracks, or record
drum-only patterns in the PATTERN mode that you can later string
together in the SONG mode. You can also use the drum tracks from
the preset patterns (➪ page 75).
1
The QY20: What It Is & What It Can Do
● Compose & Arrange
● Serious Music Production
● Use It As a Tone Generator
● Add ABC Capability to Your
MIDI Keyboard
The QY20’s outstanding voices, versatile sequencing capability,
and in-depth editing features make it a perfect tool for trying out musical ideas and arrangements. It’s also a great way to present your
ideas to others (➪ page 108).
Use the QY20 as an adjunct to serious music recording and pro-
duction. It can, for example, be MIDI-clock synchronized to other
MIDI equipment in order to add extra tracks to an arrangement (➪
page 160).
The QY20’s AWM tone generator is in no way a compromise. You
get outstanding AWM sound quality that’s on a par with some of the
finest full-size synthesizers. You can select and play the QY20 voices
remotely from just about any MIDI keyboard, computer, or other controller (➪ page 168).
Use the QY20 as an “ABC expander” for your MIDI keyboard.
Auto-accompaniment can make playing at home more fun, and it can
be a tremendous sound-booster at 1-performer live gigs (➪ page 170).
Open the battery compartment cover — located on the instrument’s
bottom panel — by pressing down on the grooved section of the cover
and sliding in the direction of the arrow, as shown in the illustration.
2
Setting Up: Power & Connections
Insert Batteries
X
Insert the six batteries, being careful to follow the polar-
ity markings on the bottom panel.
Replace Cover
C
Replace the compartment cover, making sure that it locks firmly in
place.
When to Replace the Batteries————————————————————
When the batteries run down and are no longer able to operate the
QY20, the sound may become distorted and the display shown to the
left will appear.
When this display appears, replace the batteries with a complete set
of six new batteries. NEVER mix old and new, or different types of
batteries (e.g. alkaline and manganese)!
To prevent possible damage due to battery leakage, remove the batteries
from the instrument if it is not to be used for an extended period of time.
Plug the DC output cable from a Yamaha PA-3, PA-4, or PA-40
AC Adaptor (available from your Yamaha dealer) into the DC IN jack
on the rear panel, then plug the adaptor into a convenient wall AC
Do not attempt to use an AC adaptor other than the specified unit or an
appropriate replacement provided by your Yamaha dealer to power the
QY20. The use of an incompatible adaptor may cause irreparable damage to the QY20, and might pose a serious shock hazard!
Be sure to unplug the AC adaptor from the AC mains socket when the
QY20 is not in use.
2
Setting Up: Power & Connections
Setting Up Your System
What you will connect the QY20 to, and what you will connect to the QY20, will depend entirely on your individual requirements, and it would be impossible to cover all possibilities
here. A few examples are provided below to help you get started.
This jack is only used when you are powering the QY20 from an
optional AC adaptor instead of batteries. The DC output cable from
an optional Yamaha PA-3, PA-4, or PA-40 AC Power Adaptor is
plugged in here.
The batteries are automatically disconnected when a plug is inserted into
the DC IN jack.
DETAIL
If you plan to use a MIDI keyboard or other instrument to play and
program the QY20, it should be connected to QY20 MIDI IN connector (see “MIDI Connections,” below). The MIDI OUT connector can
be connected to an external tone generator if you want to drive external voices from the QY20 sequencer, or a MIDI data recorder such as
the Yamaha MDF2 if you want to store your songs and patterns to
floppy disk (➪ page 163).
This miniature stereo phone plug delivers a line-level stereo output
signal from the QY20 for connection to a stereo sound system (see
“Audio Connections,” below). The output level is adjusted via the
VOLUME control on the right side panel.
Any pair of stereo headphones with the miniature stereo phone plug
can be plugged in here for convenient monitoring. The PHONES output level is adjusted via the VOLUME control on the right side panel.
The simplest way to monitor the QY20 sound is via a pair of stereo
headphones (miniature stereo phone plug type) plugged into the
PHONES jack. If you want to use an external stereo sound system,
however, use the LINE OUT jack and the supplied “Y” cable (miniature stereo phone plug to dual RCA pin plugs). The white RCA pin
plug goes to the left-channel input of your stereo sound system and
the red plug goes to the right-channel input.
Make sure that both the QY20 and your sound system are turned OFF
when making connections.
Although the QY20 can be played and programmed from the built-in
micro keyboard, an external MIDI keyboard connected to the MIDI IN
connector provides the added advantages of standard keyboard size and
key velocity sensitivity (if your keyboard has a velocity-sensitive keyboard). Connect the MIDI OUT connector of the keyboard to the MIDI
IN connector of the QY20, and make sure that your keyboard is set to
transmit on the appropriate MIDI channel. The QY20 MIDI channel assignments are as follows:
7......................... Accompaniment track Ba (Bass)
10....................... Accompaniment track Dr (Drums)
This simply means that if your keyboard transmits on MIDI channel 1,
it will control the QY20 voice that is currently assigned to sequencer
track 1, and so on. See page 38 for instructions on how to assign different voices to the SONG mode tracks.
22
Data received on MIDI channels other than those listed above also produce
sound, according to the selected “Pgc Mode” (page 162) and received MIDI
DETAIL
program change messages (see the “MIDI Data Format” booklet).
The QY20 has fairly simple, consistent control interface that, once understood, makes operation fast and easy, no matter what operation you are performing. If you read through this
section carefully, and try out the procedures in the
Try This:
sections, you should have no
problem accessing and operating the QY20’s many advanced features.
Slide to the “ON” position to turn the QY20 on, and to the “OFF”
position to turn it off.
Always turn the power switch off when not using your QY20.
IMPORTANT
This large multi-function liquid crystal display panel shows all parameters and prompts you need to operate the QY20 with optimum
ease and efficiency.
Use the CONTRAST control on the rear panel to achieve the best
display visibility (LCD visibility varies greatly with viewing angle
and lighting).
Use this key to switch between the QY20’s SONG, VOICE, and
PATTERN modes.
Try This:
Turn your QY20 on (the power switch is on the left
side), then press the [MODE] key a few times and
watch how the display changes. The [MODE] key calls
the SONG, VOICE, and PATTERN mode displays in
sequence.
These 4 keys move the “cursor” around the display screen, highlighting the various parameters that are available for editing (the
QY20 cursor appears as a dark block with inverse characters).
Try This:
Select the SONG mode display (use the [MODE] key,
as described above), then try using the cursor keys to
move the cursor around the screen.