From: rjt2@bnr.co.uk (Richard J. Thomas)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.pro,rec.music.synth
Subject: SUMMARY: SY55/TG55 Information
Date: 12 Oct 92 13:48:04 GMT
Reply-To: rjt2@bnr.co.uk (Richard J. Thomas)
Organization: BNR Europe Limited, London Road, Harlow, Essex, GB

Hello!

A while back I posted a request for information on the Yamaha SY55 Synthesiser.
What follows is a summary of the replies received. I hope this proves useful to
anyone else considering buying an SY55/TG55. Many thanks to all those who
responded. Opinions seem to vary somewhat!

My original request:

>I am considering buying a 2nd-hand SY55, but as these are now discontinued it
>is very difficult to get information on it, let alone to see the beast! I have
>been trying out the new SY35 and found its voices of pretty good quality and
>variety for the money ( ..love that slap-bass sound ). The prospect of better
>quality samples and a rudimentary sequencer on the SY55 appeals to me.
>
>Any answers on the following appreciated:
>
>1. Is the SY55 the same as a TG55, plus a keyboard and sequencer?
>
>2. Are the SY55 AWM2 samples much better than the SY35 AWM ones?
>
>3. Do the on-board filters, envelopes and voice mixing produce much useful
>   variation in sound?
>
>4. What is the spec of the on-board sequencer?  (Saying just "Basic" doesn't
>   really help me :-) Can I download sequences to an external sequencer via
>   MIDI?
>
>5. I hear the Modulation & Pitch Bend wheels are in an odd position - true? Is
>   this awkward?
>
>Any general feedback from SY55 users is MOST welcome.

As a postscript: my heart is now set on getting a new Roland JV30 instead.
In London (UK) these are listed at 799 pounds, but discounted to 650. I guess
they're even cheaper in the US (How come everything electronic seems to have
an artificially high price in the UK ?)

Many thanks to all those who responded.

Cheerio,

Richard.

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From: Seung-Woo Kim <seungwoo@cs.umn.edu>



>1. Is the SY55 the same as a TG55, plus a keyboard and sequencer?

SY55 is exactly that. (TG55 + keyboard + sequencer) 


>3. Do the on-board filters, envelopes and voice mixing produce much useful
>   variation in sound?
Actually, because SY55 is a sample player, those parameters are the only
possible way to give variations to your sounds. They can be controlled in
real time with various controllers, such as aftertouch, bitchbend, modwheel, 
footvolume pedal, breadth controller, etc. They are very useful tools to
create a realistic performance. Factory preset voices are not too impressive,
but by changing the parameters in real time, you can make a killer voice. 
Especially, I like Sax voices, even though you have to edit a lot. For 
example, I lay Sax element and breath element together, changing filter and
volume parameters dynamically to create the nuance I want in performance. 
The samples in the SY55 are not very new, but the capability to make a music
with that is the one of the pros of SY55.  

>4. What is the spec of the on-board sequencer?  (Saying just "Basic" doesn't
>   really help me :-) Can I download sequences to an external sequencer via
>   MIDI?
It's realy basic. I use it as a scratch paper. I used to use it as my primary
sequencer when I didn't have a computer to control the synth. It's functional.
But editing the songs with the on-board sequencer will be one of the major
pain. However, I don't think other synths with the on-board sequencer will
be much better than this machine. After all, what can you expect from those
tiny little windows? Other major pain I had with the sequencer was that I 
could not change the data once it's been recorded. You have to erase the note 
and press the KEY again to change the velocity even in the step edit mode
for instance. Another difficulty is quantizing the notes. Because you can't
quantize controller data such as sustain, you will be left with a mess ater
quantization if you use sustain pedals. You know sustain is indispensible
when you play the piano parts. 
But it serves well as a secondary sequencer. I fiddle with the tunes on the
on-board sequencer and download it to my computer thru midi. After which
I edit the notes precisely. That's the way I use the on-board sequencer. 
SY55 is fully midi compatible, so you won't have any problem downloading
the sequenced songs to your computer. Anyway, here are some of the sequencer's
capability. 

1. Real time mode
a) replace the old parts
b) write new parts over the old one.

2. Step edit mode
a) erase a specific note
b) enter a new note  

3. Editing functions
a) insert blank sections 
b) erase sections
c) delete sections
d) copy sections
e) quantize a whole part. <- this is painful.
 

>Any general feedback from SY55 users is MOST welcome.

It's a great machine for the price. There are some cons with this machine.
But within this price range, I don't think you can have better sounds. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Launiainen Petri <ptl@cs.tut.fi>

Yes the SY55 is a TG55 with kbd + seq.  I recently fiddled with a
second hand TG55, and it was *horrible*.  When I brought it back to
the dealer who had taken it as a partial payment for something
other (a K2000, probably), he commented: "Yeah, that's a real piece
of crap".  He did not (courteously :-) say anything to me before
I took it, because taking it home for a test was totally my own idea...

Read also the Keyboard review of SY55/TG55 on June 90 issue.  They
try to be polite, but their conclusions can be read between the
lines :-)  The only good thing is the resonant filter, but as the
initial sound set is very limited and sounds ugly, there's not much
a resonator can do.

Somehow they have managed to create nice demo songs for it: if you
listen to them carefully, the samples are played just on their optimal
frequencies. Must have been tough to program those sequences :-)

I'd suggest that you spend your money to something more useful.
If you want a decent cheap sample player, U-20/U-220 might do it.
Good drums + Piano + several other useful ones and effects.  I've had
both, and would not very easily part from my current U-220.

If you want to have a Yamaha, take a TX81Z: you get them cheaply,
and they are small miracles.  I don't ever want to part from mine !

Of course, this is just a personal opinion on this matter.  Your
mileage may vary...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: dpelton@nyx.cs.du.edu (Dennis Pelton)


I use a TG55, so I can only answer one of your questions.

> 3. Do the on-board filters, envelopes and voice mixing produce much useful
>    variation in sound?

The filters are very nice, the envelopes and etc. give, as Nick would
say, plenty of "distancing tools."  I like the 55 because it gives me
a wide variety of sounds in a small, affordable, easily transportable
package.  I find the loops on some of the samples to be rather junky.
If you're going to be doing studio work, you'll find that the loop at
the end of the string sample gives a "wobble" effect, and the loop at
the end of the piano sample is very thin and flat sounding.  However,
if you're using it for demos and/or playing live, it's quite reasonable
(especially since it's been discontinued and the price has gone down
so much).

All, of course, IMHO.

Dennis

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: selick@cs.bu.edu (Steven Selick)

Yes, the sy-55 is a tg-55 + keyboard and sequencer. I have a TG-55 and
love it! It is the center of my midi modules, and usually does my pianos
and brass, and hammond organs too! Awesome box!
-Steve <selick@csa.bu.edu>

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: thomas@gmd.de (Tom Gordon, I3.KI 2665)

> 2. Are the SY55 AWM2 samples much better than the SY35 AWM ones?
> 

The SY55 has fewer samples and more memory (2 MB), so they are presumably better.
But I must say that, after several months of use, the imitations of acoustic
instruments are far from authentic.   First impressions are quite misleading.
In particular, the piano, basses, organs and drums are all rather mediocre,
I'm afraid.   The machine looks much better if you consider the samples merely
as a basis for syntehesis.

> 3. Do the on-board filters, envelopes and voice mixing produce much useful
>    variation in sound?
>

In my hummble opinion, YES!    The SY55 is certainly not the most advanced 
synthesizer on the market, but don't be intimiated by those who would like to brand
it as merely a "sample player".  I still consider it a very good buy, considering
its price.


> 4. What is the spec of the on-board sequencer?  (Saying just "Basic" doesn't
>    really help me :-) Can I download sequences to an external sequencer via
>    MIDI?
> 

Yes.   It is the usual Yamaha sequencer with 8 tracks.
But there isn't much onboard memory for sequences.  (You can also store sequences
on RAM cards.)   I also thought a sequencer would be useful, but have almost
never used it, since my Mac with Vision is sitting right next the SY55.  

The sequencer would have been much more useful for my needs if it had been possible
to let the sequence repeat indefinitely.  I had thought I would be able to quickly
record an accompaniment, and then jam to it.  Nope.

> 5. I hear the Modulation & Pitch Bend wheels are in an odd position - true? Is
>    this awkward?
> 

I like this position, above the keyboard.  I fail to see why this is more awkward,
even if unusual, than WAYYYYYYYYYY down to the left on a 88 key masterkeyboard,
for example.  Move your arm in an arc.  The position of these controllers on the
SY55 is no further away than on any other keyboard.

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Newsgroups: rec.audio.pro