Yamaha SW1000XG Advanced Manualbook page 10

2. Scalability
Although the XG format defines an extensive range of parameters and allows exceptionally fine musical control, not
all XG devices need to conform to the full XG specification. The XG format allows features and capabilities to be
"scaled" according to price and target applications. When music data is played on a scaled-down XG device,
playback is adapted to the capabilities of the device used. If, for example, a specified voice is not available for a
certain part, that part will be played using a similar basic voice. On the other end of the scale, models equipped with
a graphic equaliser can be automatically set to play hard rock pieces or classic compositions with appropriate overall
EQ. The SW1000XG is tight up at the top of the XG ladder, and as such supports everything that XG currently offers.
3. Expandability
The XG format has been designed to allow future expansion whenever needed.
Now the SW1000XG as you will see conforms to this, and is also at the pinnacle of what XG is about. It takes the
concept of scalability to new heights, and as far as expandability goes, it doesn't get much better.
But what makes XG work? Well MIDI has several fundamental instruction event types. The most obvious ones are
things like note data. When you press the key on a keyboard, your sound module or card plays the corresponding
note. Program changes allow you to choose which sound is playing, and modulation from things like a pitch bend
wheel or mod wheel can alter the sound, but this is only scratching the surface of the SW1000XG, as we will now
show. XG relies on several other data types, which at first may seem terrifying but once mastered can transform your
music, and thankfully you don't really have to know too much about them, as later chapters will demonstrate.
Anyhow, on with the show. Let's start by explaining some of the common MIDI terms used in this guide.
Controller Numbers.
The MIDI standard defines a list of 128 controller numbers, many of which have been fixed and in use for many
years. Controllers such as controller 7, which determines the volume of a MIDI part, and controller 11 which can
affect the expression level of a sound. All XG instruments respond to the standard controllers of the GM and GS
spec, but add a few extras such as effect sends using controllers 91.93 and 94. Yamaha's free 'XG Guidebook
Volume 2' which is available from all good Yamaha subsidiaries, goes into great depth via a series of lectures the
importance of controllers and lists specific examples. Most of the power of the synth engine of the SW1000XG (all 32
parts of it – a part being a unique synth sound or voice) can be controlled using controller numbers. A common effect
used in most dance tracks is the 'squelch acid sound' of a bassline synth. Using the controllers 71 and 74, which are
filter resonance and cut-off respectively can accurately mimic this. This guidebook will not go into depth on the
principles of synthesis, however our XG Guidebook does cover the basics, and many other manuals have varied
explanations of what 'resonance' for example is all about.
It is at this point maybe worth noting some of the synthesiser parameters you do have access to with the
SW1000XG.
The key elements behind the sound of SW1000XG can be summarised as follows
1: The basic soundset – You have over 1300 on board basic sounds on the SW1000XG. Ranging from acoustic
pianos, brass, string, woodwind, synthetic, drum, basic waveforms, ethnic, percussion, organs guitar, bass pipe and
sound effects. So without even adjusting a single parameter, you have a palette of sounds that every synth player on
Earth would have killed for only a few years ago.
2: Each sound can comprise of more than 1 element. Each sound on the SW1000XG can be made up of a single
element or 2 elements. These can provide intricate soundscapes where one sound forms the attack (beginning) or
the sound, and morphs into another for the main part of the sound. We shall go more into the possibilities of sound
layering in future chapters.
3: The synthesis parameters – You have full control over a wide range of 'modulation' parameters (parameters that
adjust or modulate the sound). These include.
Low pass filter cut-off, Resonance, Attack, Decay, Sustain and release (for the amplitude envelope), Pitch Envelope,
High Pass filter, Vibrato rate, Delay, and Depth, Tuning, EQ (for each sound), Keyshift panning, Portamento, the list
just goes on and on. All of this and we haven't even started on the effects processing section yet! It responds to a
myriad of controllers all in real-time, thus making it possible to change the character of a sound as your song is
playing. Thus lies the key to 'real' music, and to XG. Real instruments are not static samples, or snapshots. They
change with time, or with how hard you play them (the expressive element), or how you use effects on them. It is this
that makes the SW1000XG so powerful
4: 6 independent effects processors. A lot has been said about effects processing by many books over the years. It
can add so much to a sound, just to add a bit of subtle reverberation for example makes a sound come alive. With
the SW1000XG you get access to hundreds of pro studio quality effects (not an idle boast. Yamaha practically
invented the studio multi effects processor, and our effects units are found in almost every professional studio in the
World!). Effects can make the difference between a boring sound and a crunching 'in-your-face' sound that can
transform your tunes. In total you have 12 reverb types, 14 chorus types, 70 variation types, 42 Insertion types (x2).
So in total, you have 12+14+70+42+42+1(eq) = any six from a Palette of 181 different 24 bit effects available to you
at any one time. And that's just the presets!
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