The Controllers; Natural Musical Nuance And Expressive Control - Yamaha VL1 Owner's Manual

The Controllers

Natural Musical Nuance and Expressive Control

If you've read the "VL1 Basics" section (if you haven't, please do so
— page 8) you should understand the concept of "controllers" as applied
to the VL1. The "controller parameters" correspond to simulated character-
istics of the instrument model — e.g. breath pressure, embouchure or
tonguing. Any of these can be controlled by you via "physical controllers"
— e.g. the breath controller or modulation wheel — assigned to the re-
quired controller parameter. Even if you never go as far as editing the
actual sound of the voices, you'll no doubt want to be able to change these
controller assignments and modify the way the controllers affect the
sound.
In this section we'll introduce you to the basics of controller assign-
ment and operation.
Physical Controllers
• Breath Controller
• Foot Controller
• Etc.
The effectiveness of the VL1 as a musical instrument depends to a
great deal on how well you learn to use these controllers. Since the VL1
sound is produced by a computer-based physical model rather than a oscil-
lator-based tone generator, there are no hard-and-fast rules as to how any
controller will actually affect the sound. There are guidelines, based on the
role of the corresponding controller parameter within the physical model,
but proficiency with the VL1 depends more on experience and practice —
just as it does in any acoustic instrument.
Getting Started The Controllers
"Physical controllers" such as
the Breath or Foot Controller
can be assigned to "controller
parameters" such as Pressure
or Embouchure.
VL Controller Parameters
• Pressure
• Embouchure
• Etc.
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