What this beauty can do Yamaha SY85 Demonstration Sequences

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Күн бұрын

Recently I acquired the one of the pre-sales Yamaha SY85 demonstration sequence disks.
The Yamaha SY85 was restored to health a few months back and I have been getting familiar with the way it operates.
This video is to show you what this beauty can do in the hands of a master programmer.
Background:
I have always wanted to get access to the big Yamaha SY-Workstations. Back went these boards were released between 1990 and 1992 I spend many hours in the local synthesiser shop playing first the Yamaha SY77, then the Yamaha SY99 and finally the Yamaha SY85. However at the time the price tag for these synthesisers was just a little rich for a trainee accountant!
It was not obvious to many, that of these three big boards that the Yamaha SY85 was not compatible with with its SY-Synth siblings. It uses a different method of synthesises to generate the tones.
So now I am a little older I have acquired a what was descibed as a fully working Yamaha SY85. However when I got it home I found this description to not be completely correct. There is a series of restoration videos showing the journey required to make this great synth whole again and added to my stable of great synths.
The songs are:
- The Race
- Give in to me
- Tuxedo Junction
- The Model
- Madworld
The equipment mentioned above (if you can still buy it!):
Yamaha SY85 (Used): themusictechguyuk.me/3cAKR4O
📖Chapters:
00:00 Channel promotion
01:26 The Race
04:08 Give in to me
07:26 Tuxedo Junction
9:55 The Model
12:34 Madworld
#yamahasy85 #YamahaSY85Tutorial #YamahaSY85Demo #Yamaha #SY85
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What this beauty can do Yamaha SY85 Demonstration Sequences - 2020-08-16

Пікірлер: 70

@BobsBand 3 жыл бұрын

I have owned an SY85 since 1996. I did some productive stuff with its sequencer and built-in sounds, and with some sounds I downloaded converted and loaded in by floppy disk. The "Give in to me" demo is the most impressive - imagine going in to a muso shop in 1992 and hearing that, you'd be interested. The built-in sounds aren't very inspiring though.

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 3 жыл бұрын

Yes I agree the “Give in to me” demo is rather good. In fact I had several records from around this period that this demo would have fitted straight into. I have said a few times that people seem to be re-acquainting themselves with the SY85. As with all synthesisers there are a number of default sounds that are considered useable and many others that are not. Compared with what a modern £2,000 keyboard is capable of they could be considered lacking. But at £200 for these legacy keyboard you get a very capable keyboard. Bangs for the Buck as they say. More videos to come on this platform in 2021. Jon

@Gainn 4 жыл бұрын

There were a couple of demo disks depending on region plus some optional ones you could get from dealers. I've got this one (I think this was an optional one), another that has some Yamaha "Japan" sounding songs plus a hip-hop/swing demo song pack and a (truly terrible!) C&W one. I don't have a working floppy drive for my PC but once I get one sorted I'll link you up the other packs (if you don't have them somewhere). It truly is an immensely versatile keyboard once you have something to edit and transfer samples to it. I used an SU10 as it can send samples to the 85 over SysEX.

@Gainn 4 жыл бұрын

Madworld was what mine shipped with btw.

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 3 жыл бұрын

So I have since found out. I think I have found the demos for the European, US and Japanese markets. I have also found a number of other disks. But I can’t seem to locate the official Yamaha disks, these seem to have completely gone to ground. Look forward to the other packs when you get around to it. Jon

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 3 жыл бұрын

Great info

@Gainn 4 жыл бұрын

Shameless self-plug moment : Track I did on the SY85 back in the day. I had to do it in two sections and chop them together because I didn't realise you could add in program change events at that point. Sampled loops from a couple of third party disks (there were literally hundreds available at it's peak), plus some drum and synth samples transferred over via a Yamaha SU10. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/r9iTn5SAtZrQh3k.html

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 4 жыл бұрын

Shameless plug published for those that read the comments. Jon

@kronossonork6994 3 жыл бұрын

Nice painting in the background

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 3 жыл бұрын

@Kronos Sonork. It's actually a photograph of a beach on the Caribbean I believe. Jon

@System-1541 3 жыл бұрын

These ARE the original demos. I remember how it had Kraftwerk's the model as one of it's demos. I wonder how they convinced Kraftwerk to let them include it. Kraftwerk is famous for suing people for that sort of thing.

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 3 жыл бұрын

Have you subscribed? :-) Hi @CyberSpace. You are correct these are the original demos issued to the Yamaha retailers to demonstrate the capability of the instrument. And like you I agree they must have come to an agreement with Kraftwerk. I suspect that Yamaha were probably sponsoring something that Kraftwerk were doing at the time and this was part of the deal. I can tell you that as soon as the video went onto KZfaq I had a copyright claim, but as it was a sharing claim as opposed to the more draconian we want all you income claim, I let the video be published. I am not sure whether you have ever watched the Rick Beato channel on KZfaq. Because he does videos song analysis and song disection he is always getting hit with copyright claims of the cease and desist type. Jon

@squishmusic 2 жыл бұрын

@@TheMusicTechGuyUK blooming YT AI and their strikes. Im not publishing much and havent enough subs for monetization. I wasnt aware there are 'categories' of strikes :D Sharing sounds quite calm though. Curious, did you just get (c)-strikes for the Kraftwerk part or the entire video. Nice SY85 work. Ive found your channel again after a SY85 popped up locally. FDD broke though, but Im only curious for the sample part, so probably need to add RAM as per your video :) TTFN

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 2 жыл бұрын

Hi @ Squishmusic. Oh yes its a three strike system. I watch Rick Beato and the nature of his channel he has had a number of strikes that he has had to fight. With the Kraftwerk piece I reproduced their music and not played the record. In this situation it is the writers copyright that is lost and not the performers. So in this situation it is a shared situation. Yes you can use SYSEX for moving data backwards and forwards, but the disk is faster based on experience. So you might want to get it fixed. Jon

@tudorhoria764 4 жыл бұрын

Hi! Congratulations on the beautiful songs and synth. Please have a Korg Oasys mp3 demo! I only managed to save one. Tremolo magic. I can't find the rest. I wish you a beautiful and peaceful day! Horia from Romania

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 4 жыл бұрын

Have you subscribed? :-) @tudor horia Funny you should say that. I have recorded some material in the last few days. Keep your eye on the channel or follow the instagram feed. Jon

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 3 жыл бұрын

See this video for the Korg OASYS demo kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bN-pgc951bm9n58.html

@m.morris399 2 жыл бұрын

Bought an SY85 a few months ago. Can't find any useful youtube tutorials on how to navigate the thing. I wish someone would make some.

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 2 жыл бұрын

Hi @M. Morris Be careful what you wish for. Jon

@eduardogayondato7276 11 ай бұрын

hi i just bought a sy85 like that and i want to know how to play demo songs, can you help me? And also i want to know how to play keyboard while playing the beat , can someone help me please?

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 11 ай бұрын

Hi @eduardogayondato7276 The demo songs are contained on the disks that were released with the synth like the factory set. There are no ROM songs on this synth. So you will need the various disks or appropriate SYSEX files to load these into the sequencer and play them back. Jon

@eduardogayondato7276 11 ай бұрын

@@TheMusicTechGuyUK oh thanks, but can I play piano in the performance mode while playing the beats in pattern mode?

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 10 ай бұрын

Hi @eduardogayondato7276 That's a really good question. If I am understanding you, you can play while a sequence is playing. Jon

@808music3 3 жыл бұрын

anyone here can help me. i accidentally reset to factory settings, but wiped off all sounds on the sy85. any advice how to find the sounds bsck without the floppy disk?

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 3 жыл бұрын

Have you subscribed? :-) @808 Music. if you need the disk it can be found here: ebay.to/37pZ9B0. I can't send you the SYSEX, as because I have multiple copies of the factory disk I haven't got round to backing them up to a SYSEX file in the event that the floppy drive fails again. Jon

@808music3 3 жыл бұрын

@@TheMusicTechGuyUK thanks. will the disks reload all the sounds that the synth came with? many thanks

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 3 жыл бұрын

@808 Music. Yes the factory restore disk will take the SY85 back to the sounds and patches that it was shipped with from the factory. Jon

@drewsyg191076 2 жыл бұрын

@@808music3 hi, I have exact same issue with sy85. Did you manage to get your issue fixed?

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 2 жыл бұрын

Hi @Drew G Music You need the factory restore disk to put them back. You can get one here: themusictechguyuk.me/31bZDf5 Jon

@joshuamuwanguzijoshkeys9418 3 жыл бұрын

My sustaining pedal is doing the opposite how can I handle that

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 3 жыл бұрын

@Joshua Muwanguzi. Answer your other question. Jon

@velonaut303 4 жыл бұрын

Nice studio setup! Glad things are coming together. We saw a taste of it through the window during your last 2 outside videos. Did you put the rack on the floor? So, does the SY85 use the same synthesis as the SY77? That was a confusing period of time for Yamaha SY22, 33, 55, 77, 85, and 99. Some with completely different synth engines. However, I remember Chick Corea played the SY77 a bunch, and I tried it at a music store a few times. Also, what is your favorite feature or sound/patch on this keyboard? Why?

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Shawn. Thanks. Yes this is my mini setup. I like working in this space. I like looking out over the garden while I am noodling about on the keyboards. Haven’t managed to get much recorded. But it is starting to feel like somewhere I can work when all the nastiness that surrounds me is done. Now back to the specific questions that you asked. SY77 and SY99 patches are not compatible with the SY85. However that being said the SY85 can use SY77 waveforms for the generation of tones. Now I have yet to try this out as I haven’t had a SY77 tones to do this. That is up to now. More on that later. It was interesting and I did a piece on the various SY synths launched about this time. Unlike the D5, D10 and D20 also launched about this time there was little compatibility between the platforms. But all the synths earlier than the SY77 were built on different principles. The SY77 and SY99 can exchange some patches but not all and the SY85 as I said above can use some of the SY77’s waveforms to generate tone. As of now I haven’t done enough research to understand what is exchangeable and what is not. I was surprised to read that not all the SY77 patches were compatible with the SY99 given that the SY99 was sold as the upgrade. I am not sure I have had enough time with the keyboard to form an opinion on what is the best patch. I have always loved the strings and pads on the Yamaha synths and I think my favourite is in this area. But I can’t say which at this point. Jon

@monx 3 жыл бұрын

SY55, SY85 = AWM2 SY22, SY35 = AWM + FM SY77, SY99 = AWM2 + AFM

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 3 жыл бұрын

@ivionday. Thanks for the simple explanation. And while the SY85 and SY77/99 both use AWM2 as the basis for synthesis the way that it is implemented is very different. And this is the same across the whole SY range with the exception of the SY77/99. And event the SY77 and SY99 have issues with specific sound structures, that means some SY99 sounds cannot be played on a SY77. Jon

@MrByteYT 2 жыл бұрын

@@monx And (only) SY85 and SY99 can also use samples.

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 2 жыл бұрын

Hi @MrByteYT Yes you are correct that wave data can be interchanged, but only the wave data. Jon

@schoovaertssimon7904 Жыл бұрын

demo number two is MJ's "give in to me"

@TheMusicTechGuyUK Жыл бұрын

Hi @schoovaertssimon7904 You're absolutely correct. Jon

@DonnDeVoreMusic 4 жыл бұрын

"Give in to Me" is almost the same opening riff as "How will i laugh tomorrow" by Suicidal Tendencies.

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 4 жыл бұрын

Hi Donn. I have to be honest and say I do not know the band per say. But they were definitely active in 1993 when the demo disk was issued. Jon

@DonnDeVoreMusic 4 жыл бұрын

@@TheMusicTechGuyUK this was from 1988. skater metal band from L.A. i used to play this kind of stuff on guitar when i was in high school. just listen to first few bars. it's a different key but same riff! :D kzfaq.info/get/bejne/n7yiaLWlqtfUk2Q.html

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 4 жыл бұрын

I love the Gun's and Roses Inspired cover! Jon

@Gainn 4 жыл бұрын

I wonder if they ever sued MJ for stealing that riff..

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 4 жыл бұрын

This is such a complicated area of law. I was watching a programme on this the other evening. It also depends on the jurisdiction. The question is how much of the same / similar constitutes copying. Remember the Men Without Hats case? Jon

@user-lr4rf5qy4n Ай бұрын

Даже с заводскими звуками SY85 нормальный

@TheMusicTechGuyUK Ай бұрын

Hi @user-lr4rf5qy4n it does sound very good. Jon

@mootbooxle 2 жыл бұрын

The first demo is one of the most horrifically chaotic things I’ve ever heard on a keyboard demo. The second one sounds like the base has been muted or something. Very strange hollow sounding mix!

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 2 жыл бұрын

Hi @mootbooxle There is no processing of the signal from the synth. It is recorded flat as it comes off the synth. But thank you for the feedback. Jon

@mootbooxle 2 жыл бұрын

@@TheMusicTechGuyUK That’s what I figured! That’s fascinating that they would mix it in such a way!

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 2 жыл бұрын

@mootbooxle. Who can tell what was running through the heads of the creators. Jon

@jaytee200 Жыл бұрын

There is definitely something not right with the sound. It’s very apparent on mad world where some elements are missing effects, and also some elements you’re only getting the effect. It becomes clear when you listen to other uploads of this demo on KZfaq. I’m sure I experienced this early on when I first got mine and it’s to do with it sending the signal to all 4 outputs instead of just the 2. Not sure, it’s been a long time, I still have mine, but shamefully, it’s been in its box for the last 20 years.

@TheMusicTechGuyUK Жыл бұрын

Hi @jaytee200 Thanks for the feedback. I will get the SY85 from storage this weekend and try plugging all 4 outputs into the mixer and see if that provides a different sound to the standard left / right mix. Jon

@PoppetTV 4 жыл бұрын

Wonder why Madworld was done at 240bpm

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 4 жыл бұрын

@PoppetTV. A very good question to which I do not have a good answer! Lol Jon

@Gainn 4 жыл бұрын

I've doubled tempo on mine occasionally because of the lack of sequencer resolution on things like pitch bend and aftertouch. They can be a little choppy at slower tempos, so doubling it up increases the clocks over a particular event. Madworld has a lot going on, so maybe there's some 32nd notes in there somewhere (the percussion at the start?) and doubling tempo is an easier way to program those on the 85. Edit : "Give in to me" is double tempo too.. That has loads of short PB events. They'd sound even worse at it's original tempo.

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 4 жыл бұрын

There you go PoppetTV, a better answer than I could give you. Jon

@TheMusicTechGuyUK 3 жыл бұрын

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