Generalmusic WS 2 Owner's Manual page 5

INTRODUCTION
As far as GENERALMUSIC is concerned there is no difference between
the functions of instruments such as a Digital Piano and any other
keyboard, just as there is no difference between the requirements of a
piano keyboard player and a player of other types of keyboard. For this
reason we have employed the same generation centre for both models
of the WS series which we have called: Keyboard Workstation and Piano
Workstation. The substantial difference between the WS instruments
and other existing keyboards on the market, lies in the fact that the others
are evolutions or updates of the Home Keyboard concept whereas the
WS 2 Keyboard Workstation and WS 400 Piano Workstation are
really something new in the Home Keyboard and Digital Piano fields. The
WS 2 e WS 400 give the best of two worlds, with an advanced synthesis
of the professional functions of a Workstation combined with the ideal
simplicity of use of a Home Keyboard or Digital Piano. For this reason,
although designed for simple and immediate use, thanks to their flexibility
they are also ideal for more advanced musicians, who will find in the WS
2 and WS 400, besides the built in amplification, top quality sounds and
the professional functions to which they are used to.
WS 2 and WS 400 are easy instruments to use, having been designed
with a great deal of attention to the ergonomics. The layout of the WS
instruments enables a great deal of information to be absorbed in a very
easy way, because all the manual operations and the visual control have
been confined to a limited area on the control panel. The man/machine
interfacing is the most evolutionary in instruments of this category:
- big 'easy to read' display
- soft keys
- alpha dial
- pitch ball
STRUCTURE AND SOUND GENERATION
The WS 2 / WS 400 is composed of a group of elements which represent
the functions of several incorporated units. The A - B - C - D and E
sections correspond to 5 perfectly equivalent expanders. While in
traditional instruments some sections are strictly assigned to specific
functions (Drums, Bass, Accompaniment etc.) in the WS designs the 5
sections have free access to a data base with 128 editable sounds,
referred to as VOICES.
Each VOICE is made up of 5 parts: Timbre, ADSSR, Modulation, Skew
and Special (Dynamic Switch). A Timbre is a sound source obtained by
using various tecniques of synthesis (pure PCM, multi-loop, single
wavetable, crossfade loops, etc.), and forms the basis for Voice con-
struction.
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