The Yamaha SY99 is a synthesiser combining
frequency modulation synthesis
Frequency modulation synthesis (or FM synthesis) is a form of sound synthesis whereby the frequency of a waveform is changed by modulating its frequency with a modulator. The frequency of an oscillator is altered "in accordance with the amplitude ...
(branded as Advanced FM) and
sample-based synthesis
Sample-based synthesis is a form of audio synthesis that can be contrasted to either subtractive synthesis or additive synthesis. The principal difference with sample-based synthesis is that the seed waveforms are sampled sounds or instruments i ...
(branded as Advanced Wave Memory 2) and the direct successor to
Yamaha Yamaha may refer to:
* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below).
** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...
's
SY77/
TG77. Compared to the SY77, it has a larger keyboard at 76 keys instead of 61, a larger
ROM
Rom, or ROM may refer to:
Biomechanics and medicine
* Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient
* Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac
* ...
with more in-built AWM samples, the ability to load user-specified AWM samples into on-board RAM, an upgraded effects processor (based upon the Yamaha SPX900 rather than the SPX50 or SPX90), and several other enhanced features.
Specifications
* Date produced: 1991
* Polyphony: 16 notes ("Elements") of AFM + 16 notes (Elements") of sample-playback (AWM2)
* Voice Architecture: Each voice can have up to 2 AFM (6-operator) Elements polyphonically, or 4 AFM (6-op) Elements monophonically, plus up to 2 AWM Elements
* Filter: 2 multi-stage, time-variant, with resonance and self-oscillation per Element
* Sequencer: 16 tracks, ~27,000 note capacity, 99 patterns, up to 10 songs (''cf.'' the SY77's single song only and ~16,000 notes)
* Effects: 2 internal digital effects processors with 63 types of effects, derived from Yamaha's popular rack-mounted processor, SPX900
* Keyboard: 76 notes with velocity and channel aftertouch, which can be zoned along with pitch-bend to affect only specific keys (unlike on the SY77)
* Memory: 128 preset patches and 128 user patches, 16 preset multi-patch setups (up to 16 voices each) and 16 user multi-patches, 512kB of RAM as standard for user-loaded AWM samples or MIDI data recording from/to connected devices
* Expandability: 5 rear-mounted slots for SYEMB05 memory modules of 512kB each, up to a total of 3MB RAM with standard hardware. The final firmware revision, v1.57, supports up to 8MB of total RAM, a capacity that so far has only been reached by Musitronics' now-discontinued 5 MB upgrade board coupled with the full complement of 5 SYEMB05 modules (2.5MB) and standard RAM (0.5MB).
* Control: MIDI in, out, and thru; pitch wheel; 2 modulation wheels; enhanced functions as a master keyboard when compared to the SY77, ''etc.''
Demo song
"99 flavors", an instrumental song by
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", " 500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and ...
from his
Beneath the Mask
''Beneath the Mask'' is an album by Chick Corea Elektric Band, released in 1991 through the record label GRP. The album peaked at number two on ''Billboard'' Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.
Track listing
# "Beneath the Mask" (Chick Corea, ...
album, is named after the SY99;
['']Beneath the Mask
''Beneath the Mask'' is an album by Chick Corea Elektric Band, released in 1991 through the record label GRP. The album peaked at number two on ''Billboard'' Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.
Track listing
# "Beneath the Mask" (Chick Corea, ...
'' -album's booklet the sequenced version was included on an accompanying floppy disk as a factory demo song.
Notable users
*
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
*
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", " 500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and ...
*
Front 242
Front 242 is a Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. Pioneering the style they called electronic body music, they are a profound influence on the electronic and industrial music genres.
History Formation
Fr ...
*
Jean Ven Robert Hal
*
Patrice Rushen
Patrice Louise Rushen (born September 30, 1954) is an American jazz pianist and R&B singer. She is also a composer, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and music director.
Her 1982 single "Forget Me Nots" received a Grammy Awar ...
*
Toto
*
Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou ( el, Ευάγγελος Οδυσσέας Παπαθανασίου ; 29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), known professionally as Vangelis ( ; el, Βαγγέλης, links=no ), was a Greek composer and arranger of ...
*
Thomas Darnal
Thomas may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the Ap ...
*
Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble
The Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble is an orchestra from North Korea. It is famous for its performances of revolutionary and folk songs. They have been reported to be one of the country's most popular groups.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Yamaha Sy99 Advanced Audio DemonstrationYamaha SY99 , Vintage Synth ExplorerYamaha SY99 Music Synthesizer F.A.Q.Yamaha SY99 Operating manual
SY99
Music workstations
Polyphonic synthesizers
Digital synthesizers
{{Yamaha