Glossary - Yamaha WX7 Owner's Manual

GLOSSARY

after touch:
A type of touch sensitivity in which the pressure
applied to the key after it has reached and is resting on the
keybed is sensed. This, depending on what function settings
have been programmed into a synthesizer, is used to change
parameters of the sound (such as volume, pitch, or timbre).
Also applies to a category of MIDI messages. The WX7 can
be set to transmit after touch data instead of breath control
data.
algorithm:
See FM.
breath
control: A type of MIDI message which is used to
control function parameters of a synthesizer's sound (usually
vibrato depth, tremolo depth, volume and tone). Breath
Control data is created by breath pressure, and can be sent
by blowing into a breath controller (such as the BC1 or BC2
Breath Controllers, designed for use with the Yamaha
DX7II synthesizer). In normal use, the WX7 sends Breath
Control data.
breath controller:
A MIDI controller device with a mouth-
piece that can be blown into, producing a control signal.
Normally, a breath controller sends only Breath Control data,
but the WX7 can also send Note On and Note Off data, and
can also be set to transmit After Touch data.
carrier: See
FM.
channel:
In MIDI, 16 channels are available for data
transmission/reception. As on a TV set, a MIDI device can
be set to receive (or send) only messages of the selected
channel. In this way, one MIDI controller such as a QX5
Digital Sequence Recorder (on which stored MIDI data can
be assigned to a number of different MIDI channels) can
be used to independently control up to sixteen MIDI devices.
DIP switch:
Dual In-line Package (a common integrated
circuit) switch. In computer usage, a two-position switch
which lets the user set current paths on or off. DIP switches
are usually of compact proportions, requiring a screwdriver
for setting, and as they are normally not requiring frequent,
are access concealed under a detachable cover. In the WX7,
eight DIP switches are incorporated, for selecting a variety
of performance modes and functions.
FM:
Stands for Frequency Modulation. This is a unique and
versatile tone-generating system featured on Yamaha's DX
series Synthesizers and TX series Tone Generators, and is
based on the technology used in FM radio broadcasting.
Voices are created by modulating the frequency of one
"operator" by another "operator". Operators are high-fre-
quency sine-wave oscillators. The ratio between the frequency
of the operators determines the harmonic structure and tone
of the resulting sound. The operator which is being modulated
is called a "carrier" — it actually creates the sound. The
operator which is modulating the carrier is called a
"modulator".
I n t h e T X 8 l Z T o n e G e n e r a t o r , a n d
lower-priced DX series synthesizers, four operators are
available for each voice, allowing complex timbral possibil-
ities. The operators can be grouped in various configurations
called "algorithms" (for example, one carrier modulated by
three modulators, or two carrier/modulator pairs). The
TX802 and TX816 Tone Generators, and professional range
DX series synthesizers feature six operators, for added
richness. The level and pitch of each operator can be modified
in a wide variety of ways, enabling recreation of the complex
and random harmonic changes over time that occur in
acoustic instruments.
function parameter:
is usually changed while the sound is being played, for musical
expression. Examples of these include pitch, volume, tone
(EG Bias), and vibrato (pitch modulation).
initialize:
To reset the parameters of a device to zero or to
a predetermined basic setting.
LFO:
Low-frequency oscillator. A waveform controller that
oscillates at a "low" (usually sub-audio) frequency and is used
mainly to produce vibrato, tremolo, and trills. On a DX7II
synthesizer, you can adjust the speed and depth of the LFO,
its waveform (sine, sawtooth, square, etc.) as well as the
"delay" (the time it takes for the LFO to reach its full intensity,
allowing vibrato, for example, to be gradually applied, for
an extremely natural effect).
master:
Any device (such as a keyboard, sequencer, or the
WX7) that controls another device (the slave). The WX7,
therefore, always functions as a master, by sending MIDI
signals to a connected MIDI synthesizer or tone generator.
message:
Any group of MIDI data that is sent or received
within a MIDI system to initiate a selected function or to
achieve a particular effect (e.g., pitch bend, program change,
modulation, etc.).
MIDI: Musical Instrument Digital Interface. A worldwide
standard digital "language" permitting digital information
to be transmitted from one synthesizer to another, or between
synthesizers, sequencers, drum machines, computers, etc.
MIDI
IN: A MIDI terminal on a MIDI device, that receives
MIDI data transmitted from an external MIDI device. For
example, the TX81Z FM tone generator has a MIDI IN
terminal to which you can connect the WX7, allowing you
to use the WX7 to play the tone generators in the TX8lZ.
MIDI OUT:
A MIDI terminal on a MIDI device that
transmits MIDI data. The WX7's MIDI/Power Pack has a
MIDI OUT terminal, through which MIDI data is trans-
mitted to a connected MIDI sound source.
MIDI THRU:
A MIDI terminal on a MIDI device that
relays, unchanged, the data received at its MIDI IN terminal.
This enables you to connect several MIDI devices together
in a "daisy chain" configuration, permitting a number of
MIDI devices to be controlled by one master MIDI device
such as the WX7.
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An aspect of a synthesizer's sound that