Yamaha VL7E1 User Manual

Getting Started

Owner’s Manual 1

Getting Started

Contents

Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

About the Manuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

■ The Getting Started Manual (this manual) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

■ The Feature Reference Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

■ Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

VL7 Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Essential Concepts for the VL7 User

■ What Are the Advantages? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

■ The VL7 Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

The Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

The Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

The Modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

■ There’s More … . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

The Controls & Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

A Brief Introduction To the VL7 Interface

■ Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

■ Rear Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Setting Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

System Connections & Preparation

■ Power Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

■ Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Breath Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Foot Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Foot Switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

■ Audio Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Headphones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Stereo Sound System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

■ MIDI Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

■ Power-on Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

■ Play the Demo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

■ Breath Controller Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

■ Load the Pre-programmed Voice Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Loading the “FULLCNT1:All” Voice File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Getting Started

Voice Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Selecting & Playing the VL7’s 64 Voices

■ Using the Voice Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

The Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Natural Musical Nuance and Expressive Control

■ Physical Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

■ VL7 Controller Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

■ Controller Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

■ Some Exercises With the Alto Sax Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

■ Controller Envelopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

■ Other Controller Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Mixing & The Modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Creating New Timbres and Original Voices

Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

■ An Exercise: Remix the Pan Pipes Voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

The Modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

■ Harmonic Enhancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

■ Dynamic Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

■ Frequency Equalizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

■ Impulse Expander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

■ Resonator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

Creating the Right Ambience

■ Modulation Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

■ Feedback Delay Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

■ Reverb Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Getting Started

Precautions

!! PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE PROCEEDING !!

■ Location

Do not expose the instrument to the following conditions to avoid deformation, discoloration, or more serious damage.

• Direct sunlight (e.g. near a window).

High temperatures (e.g. near a heat source, outside,

•

or in a car during the daytime).

• Excessive humidity.

• Excessive dust.

Strong vibration.

•

■ Power Supply

• Turn the power switch OFF when the instrument is

not in use.

• The power supply cord should be unplugged from the AC outlet if the instrument is not to be used for an extended period of time.

Unplug the instrument during electric storms.

•

• Avoid plugging the instrument 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.

● DANGER

Improper connection of the equipment-grounding conductor can result in a risk of electric shock. Do not modify the plug provided with the product — if it will not fit the outlet, have a proper outlet installed by a qualified electrician. Do not use an adaptor which defeats the function of the equipment-grounding conductor. If you are in doubt as to whether the product is properly grounded, check with a qualified serviceman or electrician.

■ MIDI Connections

• When connecting the VL7 to MIDI equipment, be sure to use high-quality cables made especially for MIDI data transmission.

• Avoid MIDI cables longer than about 15 meters. Longer cables can pick up electrical noise that can causes data errors.

■ 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.

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.

Getting Started

■ Data Backup

• The VL7 contains a special long-life battery that

retains the contents of its internal memory even when the power is turned OFF. The backup battery should last for several years. When the backup battery needs to be replaced “Change battery!” 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!

• The VL7 contains a special long-life battery that

■ Handle Floppy Disks and the Disk Drive With

Care

• Use only 3.5” 2HD or 2DD type floppy disks.

• Do not bend or apply pressure to the floppy disk. Do not open the shutter and touch the surface of the floppy disk inside.

• Do not expose the disk to high temperatures. (e.g. direct sunlight, a car interior, etc.)

• Do not expose the disk to magnetic fields. Magnetic fields can partially or totally erase data on the disk, rendering the disk unreadable.

• To eject a floppy disk, press the eject button slowly as far as it will go then, when the disk is fully ejected, remove it by hand. The disk may not be ejected properly if the eject button is pressed too quickly, or it is not pressed in as far as it will go (the eject button may become stuck in a half-pressed position and the disk extends from the drive slot by only a few millimeters). If this happens, do not attempt to pull out the partially ejected disk. Using force in this situation can damage the disk-drive mechanism or the floppy disk. To remove a partially ejected disk, try pressing the eject button once again, or push the disk back into the slot and then repeat the eject procedure carefully.

• Do not insert anything but floppy disks into the disk drive. Other objects may cause damage to the disk drive or the floppy disk.

■ Service and Modification

• The VL7 contains no user serviceable parts. Opening

it or tampering with it in any way can lead to irreparable damage and possibly electric shock. Refer all servicing to qualified YAMAHA personnel.

■ Third-party Software

• Yamaha can not take any responsibility for software produced for this product by third-party manufacturers. Please direct any questions or comments about such software to the manufacturer or their agents.

YAMAHA is not responsible for damage caused by improper handling or operation.

Getting Started

About the Manuals

The VL7 comes with two manuals — Getting Started and Feature

Reference.

The Getting Started Manual (this manual)

The Getting Started manual contains seven chapters that take you through essential information and procedures you will need to know to become familiar with your VL7:

1. VL7 Basics [≥ Page 8]

Basic concepts you’ll need to understand in order to get the most out of the VL7.

2. The Controls & Connectors [≥ Page 16]

Brief descriptions of the VL7 controls and connectors, and their functions.

3. Setting Up [≥ Page 22]

System connections, powering up, playing the demo, calibrating the Breath Controller, and loading the pre-programmed voices.

4. Voice Selection [≥ Page 34]

Several ways to select and play the VL7’s 64 voices.

5. The Controllers [≥ Page 38]

The VL7 controllers and how they can be assigned and edited for optimum control.

6. Mixing & The Modifiers [≥ Page 48]

Customizing the sound to suit your own personal needs.

7. Effects [≥ Page 58]

An overview of the built-in digital effects that you can use to add depth and ambience to the VL7 sound.

We recommend that you go through the chapters in sequence and actually try out the various operations described. Once you’ve gone through the entire Getting Started manual in this way, you should be familiar enough with the VL7 to need only the VL7 Feature Reference manual in future.

Getting Started

The Feature Reference Manual

The Feature Reference manual is the “nuts and bolts” reference for the VL7, individually describing its many functions in detail. The Feature Reference manual is divided into 5 main sections, each describing the various functions within a particular VL7 edit or utility mode.

1. General Operation [

2. Play Mode [

3. Edit Mode [≥ Page 21]

4. Utility Mode [≥ Page 149]

5. Appendix [≥ Page 177]

Once you have become familiar with the way the VL7 works by going through the Getting Started manual, you should only need to refer to the Feature Reference manual from time to time to get details on functions you’ve never used before, or refresh your memory about functions that you don’t use very often.

Each section of the Feature Reference manual has its own table of contents, so you should be able to locate any particular function quickly and easily. Functions and references can also be located by referring to the index at the back of the manual.

≥ Page 13]

≥ Page 7]

Conventions

The following conventions are used through the VL7 manuals to avoid confusion and make the text easier to read.

Buttons & Controls

Button and control names used on the VL7 panel appear in the text in capital letters within square brackets: “the [ button”, for example.

Parameter Names

Parameter names and other labels which appear on the VL7 display are printed in the courier typeface for easier identification: for example, “adjust the “Balance” parameter as required”.

Parameter Ranges

An ellipsis is used to indicate a range of parameter values: e.g. “0 … 127”. This minimizes the confusion sometimes caused by the use of a hyphen or dash for this purpose.

Getting Started

VL7 Basics

Essential Concepts for the VL7 User

ike its predecessor, the VL1, the Yamaha VL7 Virtual Acoustic Synthesizer produces sound in an entirely new way. It has no

In fact, it uses none of the sound generation concepts employed in conventional synthesizers. The VL7 represents an advanced application of computer-based “physical modeling” in musical sound synthesis.

systems or the flight characteristics of aircraft in the design stage, the VL7 simulates the very complex vibrations, resonances, reflections and other acoustic phenomena that occur in a real wind or string instrument. This requires a tremendous amount of computer processing power (weather and aerodynamic modeling require room-filling super computers), and radical advances in microprocessor speed and capability plus some very sophisticated Yamaha technology were necessary to achieve the real-time sound generation capabilities exhibited by the VL7 Virtual Acoustic Synthesizer.

oscillators or function generators, no preset waveforms or samples.

In the same way that computer models are used to simulate weather

Getting Started

What Are the Advantages?

he VL7 offers many advantages in terms of musical performance. Not just in terms of sound, but also in terms of the “behavior” that

because someone has programmed a certain sound or pattern of behavior into it. The physical model can be programmed to have certain attributes — the length of a pipe or the stiffness of a reed, for example — but the actual sound produced by any configuration can only be accurately determined by playing it. Of course, the same applies to the design of acoustic instruments. Because of its natural acoustic behavior the VL7 is undoubtedly a little harder to play than conventional synthesizers, but when mastered this is the very characteristic that is its greatest strength. The Yamaha VL7 is the most musical synthesizer ever made. A soloist’s dream!

makes acoustic instruments so … well, musical! But this is not

• The VL7 sounds better, has more depth, and is more realistic in the musical sense than any other synthesizer system.

• Simply pressing a key in the same way does not always produce precisely the same sound. The instrument is responsive and “alive”.

• It has extraordinary expressive capability. Rather than simply controlling parameters like volume or pitch, you can control characteristics such as breath and reed pressure with appropriate complex effects on the timbre of the sound.

Getting Started

The VL7 Model

he overall VL7 model or “algorithm” consists of three main blocks: the instrument, controllers, and modifiers. In schematic form these blocks are arranged as follows:

The VL7 Voice "Element"

Controllers (also envelopes)

Instrument

●

The Instrument

The key block in this algorithm is the instrument, since it is here that the fundamental tone or “timbre” of the sound is defined. The extreme complexity of this portion of the model makes it unsuitable for user programming, so various instruments for the VL7 are provided in the form of pre-programmed voices. These are primarily woodwind, brass, and string voices, since the VL7’s physical model is capable of most accurately simulating the sound-generating mechanism of all three instrument categories.

The instrument model consists primarily of a driver — the reed/ mouthpiece, lip/mouthpiece, or bow/string system — and a resonant system corresponding to the tube and air column or string.

Modifiers

Sound out.

+ 22 hidden pages