Tone Generator Block - Yamaha RM1x Owner's Manual

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4. Tone generator block

About the tone generator block
The tone generator block is what actually produces sound in
response to the MIDI messages received from the sequencer
block, the controller block, and from the MIDI IN connector.
This is a 16part 32note polyphonic multi-timbral tone genera-
tor.
Voices
"Voices" are the individual sound programs that you can edit,
which are used by the tone generator to produce sound.
There are two types of voices: normal voices which change
their pitch as you play different notes on the keyboard, and
drum voices which produce a different rhythm instrument
sound for each note of the keyboard.
Normal voices consist of 1 or 2 "elements." By using two
elements you can produce a richer sound, or create a voice
that produces different sounds depending on the pitch or ve-
locity.
Drum voices are special voices in which different sounds are
assigned to each note. You can make detailed modifications
to the sound of each note.
Elements are the building blocks that each voice is made of,
and are made from sampled waveforms. You can make de-
tailed modifications to the pitch, tone and volume.
Bank number (MSB, LSB) and
Program number (Voice number)
The RM1x contains 654 normal voices and 46 drum kits. This
is more voices than can be selected by a program number of 1
- 128. Thus, voices are selected on the RM1x using a combi-
nation of the Bank Number MSB, Bank Number LSB and
Program Number. When using MIDI to select a voice, trans-
mit these three MIDI messages in the order of Bank Select
MSB, Bank Select LSB, and Program Change.
The voices within the bank specified by the Bank Select mes-
sages are selected by Program Change messages.
Each voice is placed in a three-dimensional space with the
three axes being the Bank Select MSB, LSB, and Program
Change (see diagram below).
Bank Number
MSB=000 : LSB=000 Normal voices: GM System Level 1
MSB=063 : LSB=000 Normal voices: SyBa&Ld
MSB=063 : LSB=001 Normal voices: SyPd&Fx
MSB=063 : LSB=002 Normal voices: SyMater1
MSB=063 : LSB=003 Normal voices: Band Instrument
MSB=063 : LSB=004 Normal voices: Cls & Wind
MSB=063 : LSB=005 Normal voices: Ethnic & Percussion
MSB=063 : LSB=006 Normal voices: SFX
MSB=126 : LSB=000 Drum Kit
MSB=127 : LSB=000 GM Drum
Maximum polyphony
The tone generator block has a maximum polyphony of 32
notes, in element units. i.e., 32 notes can be played simultane-
ously if you are using normal voices that consist of one ele-
ment or drum voices, and 16 notes can be played simultane-
ously with normal voices that consist of two elements.
The number of elements used by each voice is given in the
voice lists of the separate "List Book".
If MIDI messages are received which request more than the
available maximum polyphony, currently-sounding notes will
be turned off, and the later arrivals will be played. This type
of note assignment is called "last-note priority".
Connections between the
sequencer block and the tone
generator block
The sequencer block is internally connected to the tone gen-
erator block via MIDI.
The connections between each track of the sequencer block
and each part of the tone generator block can be specified by
the SETUP submode Out Channel (page 75) setting "TO TG".
TO TG
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Tone Generator
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
part number

4. Tone generator block

37
RM1x SEQUENCE REMIXER

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