Yamaha RY8E User Manual

IMPORTANT ! PLEASE READ BEFORE PROCEEDING !

PRECAUTIONS

The RY8 is a powerful electronic music device featuring sensitive high technology. To ensure many years of trouble-free use, please take the important precautions below seriously.

LOCATION

■ In order to avoid causing serious damage to the RY8, do not expose the instrument to direct sunlight, high temperatures, excessive humidity, excessive dust or strong vibration.

POWER SUPPLY

■ Turn the power switch off when the RY8 is not in use.

■ The AC power adaptor should be unplugged from the AC outlet if the RY8

is not to be used for an extended period of time.

■ Unplug the RY8 during electrical storms.

■ Avoid plugging the RY8 into the same AC outlet as appliances with high

power consumption such as electric heaters or ovens. Also, avoid using multiple-plug adaptors, since these can result in reduced sound quality and possibly even damage to the RY8.

TURN OFF POWER WHEN MAKING CONNECTIONS

■ To avoid causing damage to the RY8 and other devices to which it is connected (such as a sound system or MIDI instruments), turn off the power of all related devices prior to connecting or disconnecting audio and MIDI cables.

ELECTRICAL INTERFERENCE

■ Avoid using the RY8 near televisions, radios or other devices which

generate electromagnetic fields, since this may cause the RY8 to malfunction, and may possibly generate interference noise in the other devices.

HANDLING AND TRANSPORT

■ Handle the RY8 with care. Physical shocks caused by dropping or jostling

the instrument, or placing heavy objects upon it, can result in serious damage to the RY8.

■ Never apply excessive force to the controls, pads, or connectors of the

instrument.

■ Disconnect all cables before moving the instrument. Always unplug cables

by gripping the plug firmly, and not by pulling on the cable itself.

CLEANING

■ Never use chemical solvents or thinners to clean the RY8, since these will

damage the finish or the rubber pads. Wipe the instrument clean with a soft, dry cloth. If necessary, use a soft, clean cloth slightly moistened with a diluted, mild detergent. Then wipe the instrument thoroughly with a dry cloth. Avoid placing vinyl objects on the top of the instrument. Vinyl can stick to and discolor the surface.

DATA BACK-UP AND STORAGE

■ Yamaha recommends that you regularly save your music data using an

external MIDI data storage device (such as the Yamaha MDF2 MIDI Data Filer), and storing the floppy disks in a safe, cool, dry place. YAMAHA CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACCIDENTAL LOSS OF IMPORTANT MUSIC DATA! Regarding the User memory, as long as fresh batteries are inserted in (or an AC power adaptor is connected to) the RY8, the User pattern, song and drum kit data will be retained, even when the power is turned off. It will also be retained long enough to exchange an old set of batteries for a new set. If you have important data in the RY8 which you don’t want to lose, please take care to keep fresh batteries inserted in (or keep an AC power adaptor connected to) the RY8, and to regularly save it to an external MIDI data storage device.

SERVICE AND MODIFICATION

■ The RY8 contains no user serviceable parts, so never open the case

or tamper with the internal circuitry in any way. Doing so may result in electrical shock or damage to the instrument. Refer all servicing to qualified Yamaha service personnel.

YAMAHA CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR DAMAGE TO THE RY8 RESULTING FROM IMPROPER HANDLING OR OPERATION !

THANK YOU FOR PURCHASING THE YAMAHA RY8 RHYTHM PROGRAMMER.

The Yamaha RY8 is a full-featured, high quality, low-priced, hand-held stereo rhythm programmer with accompaniment backing and guitar input that’s the perfect “pocket pal” for the guitarist on the go.

With its compact size, friendly user interface, wide variety of preprogrammed patterns and songs, user programming capabilities, versatile MIDI features and more, the handy RY8—which easily slips into a guitar case or gig bag—is ready to plug and play anytime and anywhere. It’s the ideal music practicing companion and composing sketch pad.

Whether you’re a professional or amateur guitarist, a serious songwriter or simply a music hobbyist, you’ll find the RY8 a unique and powerful addition to your arsenal of music tools. You’ll be surprised by its full, dynamic stereo sound quality when played through a high quality audio monitoring system. You’ll also appreciate being able to plug in a guitar and headphones and work in privacy without disturbing others—or better yet, without others disturbing you!

To take full advantage of the RY8’s many features and music making capabilities, please read this owner’s manual carefully to familiarize yourself with the proper operating procedures. Also, keep this manual in a safe place for future reference.

III

CONVENTIONS USED IN THIS MANUAL.

In order to keep confusion to a minimum, there are a few basic conventions used in the feature explanations in this manual, as follows:

■ Names of key features are written in the cap-low style; e.g., Pattern Mode,

Song Record Mode, System Mode Sync function, User patterns, etc.

■ Names of controls and connectors are written in all-caps within brackets;

e.g., [EXT IN] jack, [VOLUME] slider, [DELETE] button, etc.

■ Special prompts or words which appear on the LCD screen during operation

are written in quotes; e.g., “NEXT”, “CHAIN”, “accnt”, “COPY SURE?”, etc.

■ Everything else will be written in the lower case style.

PLEASE KEEP THIS MANUAL IN A SAFE PLACE FOR FUTURE

HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

GETTING STARTED

MODES & FUNCTIONS

APPENDIX

INDEX

The RY8 Owner’s Manual is designed to travel alongside the RY8 itself. It includes information about all the RY8’s features and operation procedures, organized in such a way as to permit quick and easy access to any feature you need to locate. The main sections of the Owner’s Manual are as follows:

A brief overview of the RY8’s capabilities and system structure, as well as descriptions of all panel features—everything you need to know before you begin using the RY8 in order to put its many features and capabilities into proper context.

A step-by-step guide through setting up the RY8, turning on the power, playing the demo songs and performing basic pattern, song and drum kit operations— everything you need to get started enjoying the RY8 right away.

An extensive feature reference of the various modes and functions of the RY8—everything you need to know about all operating procedures.

A collection of technical charts and lists including display messages, troubleshooting, drum voice and pattern lists, MIDI implementation chart and more.

An alphabetical list of topics which gives you quick and easy access to any subject in the manual you want to locate.

REFERENCE !

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

GETTING STARTED

MODES & FUNCTIONS

APPENDIX

INDEX

..............................................................................................................2

1. THE RY8......................................................................2

2. RY8 SYSTEM STRUCTURE.......................................4

3. TOP PANEL.................................................................7

4. SIDE & REAR PANELS.............................................10

..............................................................12

5. SETUP & POWER-ON..............................................12

6. PLAYING THE DEMO SONG....................................18

7. PLAYING THE DRUM PADS ....................................19

8. PLAYING THE PRESET PATTERNS .......................21

9. PLAYING THE PRESET SONGS..............................26

....................................................30

10. PATTERN MODE....................................................30

11. SONG MODE ..........................................................41

12. DRUM KIT MODE....................................................54

13. EXTERNAL IN MODE .............................................61

14. SYSTEM MODE......................................................67

15. TEMPO MODE........................................................73

16. MUTE MODE...........................................................74

17. BALANCE MODE....................................................75

18. TRANSPOSE MODE...............................................76

................................................................................77

19. RECALLING THE FACTORY

DEFAULT SETTINGS.............................................77

20. DISPLAY MESSAGES ............................................78

21. TROUBLESHOOTING.............................................79

22. SPECIFICATIONS...................................................81

23. LISTS & CHARTS....................................................82

..........................................................................................94

1. THE RY8

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

The RY8 is an easy-to-use yet powerful rhythm programmer with automatic bass and chord accompaniment backing, an external input for playing along using a guitar, versatile MIDI capabilities and much more.

Featuring Yamaha’s exclusive AWM (Advanced Wave Memory) tone generation technology—where voices are high quality digital samples of actual instruments—the RY8 has a large capacity waveform ROM filled with 128 “drum” voices for the rhythms, and 50 “normal” voices for the backings, plus 200 Preset rhythm patterns with matching accompaniment backing encompassing many different popular music styles, and 50 Preset songs and 12 Preset drum kits suitable for any type of music situation. The RY8 also features powerful programming capabilities that let you do the following:

Create Your Own Rhythm Patterns

Record your own one-measure User patterns in step-time or real-time. You can assign any of the preprogrammed backing accompaniments—consisting of Bass, Chord 1 and Chord 2 tracks—to your rhythm.

Create Your Own Songs

String together a series of Preset and User patterns to create your own User song—complete with chord progressions as you specify.

Create Your Own Drum Kits

Assign drum voice sounds to the pads to create your own User drum kits— complete with drum voice pan positioning, pitch tuning and more.

The RY8’s many other features include song chaining and loop repeating, rhythm “swing” function for a realistic human feeling, guitar tuner and guitar synthesizer, 28-note polyphony, stereo outputs, headphone jack, and a large LCD screen which always lets you know what mode and status you’re currently in. Hence, the RY8 is the ideal music tool that’s useful in practically any music situation. You can use it as:

A Practicing Companion

Plug a guitar directly into the RY8 and play along with the patterns and songs. Mute one or more of the accompaniment tracks, or turn the backing off entirely and play along with the rhythm only. The RY8 provides just the music you need for a hot practice session.

A Music Sketch Pad

String together a series of Preset and User rhythm patterns, designate a backing accompaniment, and specify the chord progressions for a song idea. Creating your own songs is quick and easy with the RY8’s user-friendly interface.

A Powerful Drum Machine

Program professional sounding rhythm patterns by Step or Realtime recording, complete with accent dynamics and “swing” factor for a realistic human feel. Whether you modify a preset or create your own rhythm pattern from scratch, the RY8’s auto-quantizing makes sure your rhythms are always on the beat.

A Guitar Synthesizer

Plug a guitar directly into the RY8 and “trigger” AWM normal voices (including acoustic piano, strings, brass, synth pad sounds and more) in real-time with the notes you play on the guitar. You can specify the RY8 to “synthesize” any of the 50 normal voices as single notes, octaves, harmonies and more—in order to create interesting and unique sound textures.

A MIDI Tone Generator

Connect an external MIDI keyboard or sequencer in order to play the RY8’s AWM drum voices. You can specify the note table by which the different voices will be sounded.

2. RY8 SYSTEM STRUCTURE

The RY8 is primarily a powerful rhythm programmer, but with the added dimension of automatic backing accompaniment, song programming capability and a guitar synthesizer.

The key components that make up the RY8’s operating system are the AWM voices, the drum kits, the patterns, and the songs. The main operating modes are Pattern Mode and Song Mode, each of which are made up of several “functions”. Additional modes include Drum Kit Mode, External In Mode, System Mode, Tempo Mode, Mute Mode, Balance Mode and Transpose Mode.

THE AWM VOICES.

There are 128 “drum” voices and 50 “normal” AWM voices. The drum voices are assigned to the drum kits. The normal voices are assigned to the backing accompaniments and to the guitar synthesizer.

THE DRUM KITS.

There are 12 Preset drum kits and 4 User drum kits. Although there are only 12 pads on the top panel of the RY8, each drum kit is made up of 24 drum voices, organized in two “Pad Banks”—a “Drum Pad Bank” and a “Percussion Pad Bank”—with 12 drum voices assigned to each Pad Bank. (You can switch freely back and forth between Pad Banks by pressing the [PAD BANK] button.)

The various Preset drum kits are designed for different styles of music. You can create your own User drum kits by assigning any drum voice you want to the pads, and specifying output and accent levels, as well as pan positioning and pitch tuning, for each pad.

THE PATTERNS.

There are 200 Preset patterns and 50 User patterns, each comprised of a onemeasure rhythm pattern. The Preset patterns are organized in 50 music styles with “A”, “B”, “C” and “D” Sections for each style—representing both “main” and “fill-in” type Sections.

The Preset rhythm patterns also have special Bass, Chord 1 and Chord 2 backing accompaniment tracks—matched to the music style of each respective pattern—assigned to them. Each backing track can be turned off, or “muted”, at will, and you can adjust the volume balance of each. If you want, you can switch the backing off entirely.

You can create your own User rhythm patterns, and assign one of the backing accompaniments to it.

THE SONGS.

There are 50 Preset songs and 50 User songs. The Preset songs are made up of the Preset patterns, complete with preprogrammed chord progressions, and are intended as music style ideas to get you started or to play along with as they are.

You can create your own songs using Preset and/or User patterns, complete with chord progressions that you can record in the “chord track”.

THE MODES AND FUNCTIONS.

The RY8’s features are for the most part organized into nine modes accessible by holding [MODE] and pressing one of the drum pads (the names of the modes are printed on the various pads).

All modes except Tempo Mode and Transpose Mode contain several pages of functions which you can select by holding [MODE] and pressing [PAGE-] and [PAGE+].

Most routine operations can be performed from either within Pattern Mode or Song Mode.

■ To enter Pattern Mode, hold [MODE] and press [PATTERN].

■ To enter Song Mode, hold [MODE] and press [SONG].

3. TOP PANEL

1 LCD SCREEN

High contrast, easy-to-read Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) provides large-content visual feedback to always let you know exactly what mode and status you’re currently in.

2 PATTERN AND KIT LISTS

List of rhythm pattern and drum kit types arranged logically for quick reference and easy access.

3 [REC] BUTTON

For entering and exiting Pattern Record Mode and Song Record Mode. Both Step and Realtime recording are possible.

4 [TOP] BUTTON

For returning the song or pattern location to the top, or the first measure, when the playback is stopped.

5 [BWD] BUTTON

For rewinding the song through a series of measures when the song playback is stopped. Pressing [BWD] in Pattern Play Mode returns the pattern measure location to the top, or the first measure. Pressing [BWD] in Pattern Record Mode lets you select the clock position.

6 [STOP] BUTTON

For stopping the song or pattern playback or realtime recording.

7 [PLAY] BUTTON

For starting song or pattern playback or realtime recording from the current measure location. Pressing [PLAY] immediately after pressing [STOP] will continue the song or pattern playback from the stop location. To start the song or pattern from the beginning, or the top, press [TOP] before pressing [PLAY].

8 [FWD] BUTTON

For fast-forwarding the song through a series of measures when the song playback is stopped. Pressing [FWD] in Pattern Play Mode returns the pattern measure location to the top, or the first measure. Pressing [FWD] in Pattern Record Mode lets you select the clock position.

9 [ACCENT] BUTTON

For adding an accent to a drum beat, by pressing and holding [ACCENT] while hitting a drum pad. In Pattern Step Record Mode, you can record an accent by simply pressing [ACCENT] at the desired drum beat clock location. You can assign the accent level for each drum pad of a User drum kit in Drum Kit Mode.

0 [MODE] BUTTON

For accessing the various modes, by pressing and holding down [MODE] while pressing a mode button, and for accessing the various functions within each mode, by holding down [MODE] while pressing [PAGE-] and [PAGE+].

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