Yamaha TG500/SY85: operating through the keyhole

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Күн бұрын

The Yamaha TG500 is the rack version of the SY85. Released in 1992, it came with a 64 voice polyphony that was previously unheard of at that time, and it was one of the first synths to feature a resonant digital filter. This video contains some sound examples and a quick walk through the sound editor. Table of contents:
00:00 intro
00:13 hi
00:42 hardware overview
02:06 sound examples: AP Grand
03:13 BR Tooth
03:52: GT Strat
04:07 CH Aah
04:39 DR Kit
04:51 SC Digi1
05:38 GT Strt1
05:53 KY EP 2
06:31 KY EP 5
06:57 ME Mello
07:18 SC Jrney
07:33 SP Sweet
07:55 synth engine walkthrough: voice mode, quick editing
08:46 selecting waves
09:16 Amp envelope
09:59 randomly detuning notes
11:07 filter setup (including a demo of the resonant filter)
12:53 LFO
13:23 control setup (live tweaking sounds)
13:39 effects
13:59 filter modulation demo
14:40 performance editor
15:39 demo performance
16:04 important things to consider
16:30 performance sound demo: CO Soire
17:12 SP Aztec
17:33 CO Dream
17:53 conclusion
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Пікірлер: 97

@xtra8dj Жыл бұрын

For me the SY85 piano is a must, it has good bass and overall tone for house music. The actual SY85 keyboard is one of the best, just put your hands beneath the keys and you can feel the plate which is heavy as hell, but it gives this keyboard a special feel. Also, I used the Clavi sample in many funky house music tunes, it has a nice bite and presence.

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! I agree. Should have included some 90s classics in my examples to show that off. Browsing the sounds, some of them where recognizable instantly.

@XavierRadix Жыл бұрын

AWESOME! I love the SY's from this era. They still sound great in my humble opinion.

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! I agree...

@thefumigator Жыл бұрын

That's an amazing little machine, thanks for your playing, it's outstanding

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@texacomann Жыл бұрын

My first synth ever, I had a RM50 and a Dx7II. This Setup is a Killer until today! Still have it and use it!

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

Absolutely!

@devingademan Жыл бұрын

Oh yeah! i’m looking forward to watch this one soon. I’m a huge fan of the SY-series and I use the TG500 and the SY85 in my recordings all the time!

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

Thanks! ;-)

@corri303 10 ай бұрын

Great overview of the synth. Thank you! My TG500 is already in the mail. Looking forward to it.

@mr_floydst 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching! Congrats on your new synth.

@sonfx Жыл бұрын

Very cool! Had to skip through now but will come back and watch the whole thing. Your demos sound very good as usual. I've been looking at an SY85 for a while, but mainly for the sequencer.

@Gainn Жыл бұрын

The SY85 sequencer is awesome. The onboard sounds are none too shabby either, and the keybed is great.

@sonfx Жыл бұрын

@@Gainn Yamaha really has a few terrific machines and I just suspect the SY85 might be one of them. I have never used one but the sounds, from what I heard, are indeed something I could work with. I saw a video where the three different demos were played. One for the Japanese market, another one for US, and a third for Europe. Quite cool.

@Gainn Жыл бұрын

@@sonfx The basic sounds are identical to the TG500 in this video. Having access to hundreds of sample packs and custom sounds (on floppy, but you can use midiOX to transfer them as well) makes it an incredibly powerful machine. There's one track on my channel - "Talena" -that was created entirely on an SY85 with just final mastering (and one tiny edit) done on a PC. Add in an SYSEX transmit capable sampler (SU10/SU200 for example) and you can stay completely dawless until mastering.

@WoodyPianoShack Жыл бұрын

this is a treat to watch, i came real close to buying a sy85, great powerhouse synth

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

Thanks, Woody! It's a nice piece of synth history.

@TheMagiAlexander Жыл бұрын

Lovely Clean Sound from this Synth, can still sound fresh ...

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! That's right.

@jrodohio Жыл бұрын

I just picked up a TG500 last week, lol. Perfect timing.

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

Nice! ;-) It's a 90s time capsule.

@BliterTV Жыл бұрын

And the ability to create new wavetables and more current patches makes it even more fun to use. 🙂

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

I will propably take a look at that feature in an upcoming video. :)

@BliterTV Жыл бұрын

@@mr_floydst Sector 101 helps us a lot in this direction. 😉

@SamNiverba Жыл бұрын

Great Video as always! Floyd!💖 I Feel inspired to get one myself "in the future" cuz I need more YERMAHAS

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

It's not too expensive, albeit very heavy. ;-)

@glenesis 8 ай бұрын

Great video, Floyd :)

@mr_floydst 8 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@ClemensWennersMusic Жыл бұрын

Some pretty tasty sounds in there!

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

I agree! :)

@croonologist Жыл бұрын

there's a sonic charm about these old romplers, that can beat all the fantoms, Nautiluses and Montages

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

I'd agree insofar that these old synths have a very specific sound that will inspire you to create other music than usual. Those high end workstations are pretty good synths actually (the Nautilus in particular).

@croonologist Жыл бұрын

@@mr_floydst yes, the Nautilus has a huge wave library (the biggest I have seen), wave sequencing, a powerful editable arpeggiator, no doubt it’s excelent. I have the TG500 module though, and to my ears, the samples sound cooler, tougher, prettier.

@JulianToler Жыл бұрын

Sold my SY35 (little brother of SY85) a few months back. it was my first synth - pretty nice sounds. It was pretty great hooked up to Cubase on my Atari 520ST ! Happy days.

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

I agree. I started with a copy of "Concerto", which was a cover disk of "ST Format" one month in '89. I was blown away. The computer could play a keyboard! Incredible. :-)

@JulianToler Жыл бұрын

or maybe it was Steinberg? It was a long time ago!

@JulianToler Жыл бұрын

@@mr_floydst ST Format was obligatory reading of course!

@Gainn Жыл бұрын

The only thing they screwed up on with the SY/TG (other than no mono/legato mode!) was the bass drums. easy enough to build one in a multi with sines etc, but it's annoying to lose one channel just for that. The non-volatile memory upgrade from Sector101 is a must-have, particularly on the TG. An SY85 is worth having just for the dreamy pads and the hugely powerful and quite intuitive sequencer.

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! Yes, the pads sound lovely indeed.

@EgoShredder Жыл бұрын

I've played most of the SY range and I own an SY55 and TG55, and the kick drums on that are nice and meaty, good for Rock and Metal stuff. Overall though the drums are a very mixed bag quality wise and not very well balanced as overall kits. I suppose either the SY77 or SY99 would be my choice, if I could only have one.

@glenesis 8 ай бұрын

And Sector 101 waveblade basically turns any sy/tg into a sampler 💕

@Gainn 8 ай бұрын

@@glenesis or the non-volatile RAM with an SYSEX capable sampler (SU-10, SU-100 etc) if the 'blade is a bit beyond your understanding.

@thefumigator Жыл бұрын

16:30 is so amazing

@matszh Жыл бұрын

Retroaktiv should make a dedicated programmer for the TG500, that would make fun competitor for the JD800…

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

That would be something! :-)

@blewits9474 Жыл бұрын

I had one for years. But I confess I never worked out how to get to edit or control it. Just presets. But it has a beautiful warm tone.

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

I hope my short walkthrough helped a bit. The quick edit already lets you do a lot of things. The warm tone is typical for Yamaha, they definitely like their synths with a side of bass.

@patrikknoerr9777 Жыл бұрын

I own the 03R/W and the TG500. Fun Fact: They almost sound identical from the perspective of the converters. Very small dynamic range, sterile sound, little variations. Crystal clear. But the FX contributes a lot to the sound. When you enter Multimode territory, it sounds very dull. I'm using it as a second module in performance play mode with the RM50 as a drum module together with the EX5r as the primary synth in my working rack I like it, but to my mind, it is very limited as a standalone unit. You run one sound that is great.

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

I can see where you're coming from. Many of the ideas here were passed down to later Yamaha workstations and refined over the years. That being said, you can get some pretty great results if you put in the work. But then again, we tend to have other synths that do it all quicker.

@EgoShredder Жыл бұрын

Very true and that is why multitracking in the 90s was so important, to layer up sounds and retain the full individual presets with their FX intact.

@jmichell1880 Жыл бұрын

Your sweater looks like a JD-08. Nice touch.

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

Oh, haha. I see it now, too. :-)

@discodivo9045 2 ай бұрын

This was a great video. Thanks a lot! My ram card needs battery replacement. Tried looking at the manual on how to bulk dump the card for backup but got lost :( Any idea on how to do that?

@mr_floydst Ай бұрын

It's been a while, but I think I used SoundDiver 3 for this: archive.org/details/emagicsounddiver3.0.5.4 It's an abandoned patch librarian that will detect your TG500 and all its installed cards, and you can then drag & drop your patches / samples to your PC. It still works in Windows 11, but I found it sometimes won't work at all. Just try again if that's the case.

@SYNETHZoficial 8 ай бұрын

I have one still!!! Sounds are beautifulls, the problem is that dont exist a midi controller in real time to change filters and osc.

@mr_floydst 8 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching! Yes, this came before the GM standard, so not all the parameters have controls assigned to them.

@garyhendrie4001 3 ай бұрын

Was my first ever synth and one of only two synths i regŕet selling over the years. Replaced it with an EX5 which i still have, but a soft spot for the 85.

@mr_floydst 3 ай бұрын

I know that feeling, it's somewhat irrational, but it's real. ;-)

@garyhendrie4001 3 ай бұрын

@@mr_floydst think its like your first girlfriend lol.

@tuesss 3 ай бұрын

What is the other one you regret selling?

@garyhendrie4001 3 ай бұрын

@@tuesss Hi @tuesss, the other synth was a Korg a prophecy when it came out. I later replaced it with a Korg Z1, again which i still have. Tremendous synth also but i still miss my prophecy, been tempted to replace it but i dont really know what i'd gain having the z1 now.

@oupahens9219 3 ай бұрын

Interesting comment at 11:55: First digital with resonant filter. Thought, that the SY77 already had a dial in for resonance, which was although not attachable to the modwheel. Was that then there possible?

@mr_floydst 3 ай бұрын

Yep, you're right: The SY77 was earlier. Should have said "one of the first".

@bravedoodle1333 11 ай бұрын

I wonder if there’s a way to download the presets from Y-85 to my iPhone online

@mr_floydst 11 ай бұрын

Hi - www.yamahamusicians.com has a copy of the original disks in their downloads section if that's what you're looking for.

@bravedoodle1333 10 ай бұрын

@@mr_floydst Tried adding the files to GarageBand but they’re are greyed out.

@OperationChicago 10 ай бұрын

Nice video, what has more sounds, tha rack mount o keyboard ? Thanks

@mr_floydst 10 ай бұрын

Hi, thanks for watching! If I remember correctly, the TG500 is technically better and comes with extra sounds and more memory. The SY85 has a better user interface, obviously.

@OperationChicago 10 ай бұрын

Thanks man, I am all about sounds, plus I am out of room for more keyboards :(@@mr_floydst

@cosmolopez8616 Жыл бұрын

Hi there, I have a TG-500 and want to control some parameters by using Ableton running a Mac. So far I can't seem to find an editor for it o a list of CCs to do so from the DAW, do you know if this is possible? I'd imagine so but even though I've tried haven't be able to do so. The manual is not that helpful in this regard and haven't found anything online about it. If you could help that would be great.

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

Hi, thanks for watching. The search term you want to use is "Yamaha TG500 MIDI implementation chart". ;-) Which will give you this: usa.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/5/317115/TG500E2.pdf

@cosmolopez8616 Жыл бұрын

@@mr_floydst Thanks for the quick reply! Sorry to be obtuse but having read that still don't know how to program say automation of cutoff, resonance and say AEG which is what I'm looking for. The usual CC 18 doesn't affect filter cutoff for example.

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

The TG500 is one of the earliest instruments that supported General MIDI, so you should try the GM CCs. anotherproducer.com/online-tools-for-musicians/midi-cc-list/ Filter cutoff frequency should be on CC 74, for example.

@cosmolopez8616 Жыл бұрын

@@mr_floydst Thanks again! I managed to do program change but for some reason 74 is not working for filter cutoff freq, is there a system protect mode where one can't change this parameters by any chance? Strange that I can do this with all my other syths but the TG-500 has proved a bit difficult to far! I appreciate you taking time in replying to all of this!

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

The TG500 was a very early digital synth, so some things won't work as you expect them too. I found that changing the filter via MIDI is very "jumpy", for example. :)

@crocacrola Жыл бұрын

Nice video thank you. Programming that synth looks tedious though.

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

It is. The SY85 has some sliders which makes things a lot easier. You can also resort to software editors - Sound Diver is abandonware but still works on Windows 11.

@michelvondenhoff9673 Жыл бұрын

Nothing as much fun editing on a two line lcd display 😉

@Gainn Жыл бұрын

You get used to it pretty quickly for basic uses. The multi setup is a whole other thing though.

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

It is kind of ok. The "quick edit" feature is quite helpful here. But some more knobs & sliders would have done wonders here. :)

@EgoShredder Жыл бұрын

I remember in the 90s when Korg introduced those huge backlit LCD displays, and I thought they were just a gimmick and I carried on preferring the older green displays we had become accustomed to using. I've always disliked using touch screen displays; I find them annoying to use.

@michelvondenhoff9673 Жыл бұрын

@@EgoShredder You should have a try on AKAI MPC LIVE II, beats almost everything I tried. Only one thing is better imho, one knob/slider per parameter.

@zibikasound Жыл бұрын

Hello, Floyd. 2:06 - what is the name of this piece ? Is it Jan Garbarek's composition?

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

Hi, thanks for watching - Edvard Grieg, Arietta (op. 12-1)

@oupahens9219 3 ай бұрын

If I were to choose between an M1 and an SY85, which one is better to buy?

@mr_floydst 3 ай бұрын

The SY85! It's a fully featured synth with a resonant filter. Unless you want those classic M1 sounds.

@oupahens9219 3 ай бұрын

@@mr_floydst THX.

@oupahens9219 3 ай бұрын

@@mr_floydst The SY85 only has one "Voice" in play mode. In performance mode you can though have 4 "Voices". The M1 has two voices in play mode. In performance mode you can combine 8 of them. Very difficult decision to make. M1 seems broader in stacking voices but lacks in control of them. For regular users it comes down to how these samples sound? Using them as a regular synth, with SAW waves as origin in sound and then filters and such, both have no PWM or ring modulation. I got now both, getting very excited about the sonic stuff on SY85, compared to SY77, but it's somehow boring. Yeah, like M1 it is based only on samples, and they are more crisp than on the SY77, but something is just tedious about that SY85.

@GongMaster Жыл бұрын

Everytime someone does a nice review on a synth I am afraid the prices will go up on the second hand market.

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

I'm afraid you're right, but there's always something great yet cheap to discover on the second hand market. The concensus is "ROMplers are boring and faceless", and of course that's not true for a number of reasons.

@FilippoDeVecchi Жыл бұрын

I had the TG 500 some years ago but I don't like too much the Grand piano, other sound are great. I'm a fan of yamaha grand piano but in this expander the grand sound too much bright and not warm as other yamaha piano in other keyboard.

@mr_floydst Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! You can always edit the filter settings - the filter is quite good in this box...