| SY99 | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Yamaha |
| Dates | 1991 [1] |
| Technical specifications | |
| Polyphony | 32-voice |
| Timbrality | 16-part |
| Oscillator | 6-Operator FM, PCM (AWM2) |
| Synthesis type | FM, subtractive |
| Filter | HPF, LPF [2] |
| Aftertouch expression | Yes |
| Velocity expression | Yes |
| Storage memory | 128 preset patches, 128 user patches, 16 user multi-patches |
| Effects | 2 × 63 types |
| Input/output | |
| Keyboard | 76 key |
| Left-hand control | Pitch wheel, 2 × modulation wheel |
| External control | MIDI (In, Out, Thru) |
The Yamaha SY99 is a synthesiser combining frequency modulation synthesis (branded as Advanced FM) and sample-based synthesis (branded as Advanced Wave Memory 2), a substractive synthesis based on either basic sine, square, triangle or saw oscillators (digital modelling of earlier analog synthsizers), or complex waveforms (PCM). Complex PCM samples could be used as modulators in the FM sound generation, which could also be controlled in many different ways (by velocity, aftertouch, 2 control wheels, control pedal and breath controller) simultaneously, allowing the creation of very complex and “lively” sounds and very expressive modulation. It is the direct successor to Yamaha's SY77/TG77. Compared to the SY77, it has a larger keyboard at 76 keys instead of 61, a larger ROM with more in-built PCM samples, the ability to load user-specified PCM samples into on-board RAM, which also can be fed into FM synthesis, an upgraded effects processor (based upon the Yamaha SPX900 rather than the SPX50 or SPX90), many parameters of which could be controlled in realtime by the various control sources, and several other enhanced features.
