Yamaha FS1R
| FS1R | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Yamaha |
| Dates | 1998 - 2000 |
| Price | List US$1,000 Retail US$700 |
| Technical specifications | |
| Polyphony | 32 voices |
| Timbrality | 4 |
| Oscillator | 16 (8 pitched, 8 unpitched), each with: - attenuation envelope - frequency envelope One common pitch envelope |
| LFO | 2 |
| Synthesis type |
Digital Frequency modulation, Formant synthesis, Subtractive synthesis |
| Filter | Resonant multimode filter with envelope generator |
| Aftertouch expression | Yes |
| Velocity expression | Yes |
| Storage memory | 1408 factory voices, 128 user voices, 384 factory performances, 128 user performances |
| Effects | 1 insert, 2 send |
| Input/output | |
| Keyboard | none |
| External control | MIDI |
The Yamaha FS1R is a sound synthesizer manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1998 to 2000. Based on Formant synthesis, it also has FM synthesis capabilities similar to the DX range. Its editing involves 2,000+ parameters in any one 'performance', prompting the creation of a number of third party freeware programming applications. These applications fill the gap nicely, providing the tools needed to program the synth which were missing when it was in production by Yamaha. The synth was discontinued after 2 years, probably in part due to its complexity (particularly the formant sequencing), poor front-panel controls, brief manual and limited polyphony.
The FS1R synthesizer has an impressive set of new wave forms over the earlier DX line of FM synthesizers, which have since been incorporated into the new Montage line from Yamaha (with the exception of the Formant wave form). These wave forms include Sine, All1, All2, Odd1, Odd2, Res1, Res2, and Formant. The new wave forms are each constructed with a very LARGE number of inherent harmonics making FM synthesis far more efficient. Each one of these operator wave forms can replace an entire column of operators in a DX7 synthesizer algorithm.
Formants are mainly associated with modeling the human voice, but have other uses as well. Formants are present in all instruments that use a resonating body, like the violin, viola, cello, bass viol, bassoon, saxophone, English horn, clarinet, oboe, acoustic guitar, etc. The fixed body of the instrument acts like a set of fixed frequency band pass filters, which is what a formant is. The resonating body instrument was previously very difficult to model using the DX7 family of FM synthesizers. There was an obvious lack of accurate real instrument patches in the factory presets for these synths and in the user produced patch libraries. Modeling this type of instrument is child's play using the FS1R using the formant wave form. This capability is largely unknown due to the path synthesizer development had taken, the sample-based synthesizers had just gained favor, which bypassed the need for combining formant synthesis with FM.
Sample-based synthesizers though, have a downside the FS1R, older FM synths, and the new Montage line now fill. Sample-based synths limit the user to a set of preset instrument patches, the user can't create his own instrument from scratch to create a custom new sound. The FM style of synthesizer has this capability and is drawing a new set of users to the older technology. Some of the most popular VST's today are based on the DX7 synthesizer. The new FM-X synth engine in the Yamaha Montage is based on the FS1R, with its expanded capability. The desire for custom FM voices is also driving up the price for the FS1R, which now can cost almost as much as it did when it was new.
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