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PS Ed-480
Yamaha PSS-480 Tone Bank Editor
for the IBM-PC and MPU-401 MIDI interface
Version 1.1
Copyright (c) 1989,1990 by David Rutkowski
2521 Riverside Dr.
Grand Rapids, MI 49505
1. Overview:
The Yamaha PortaSound PSS-480 Music Station is probably the
most sophisticated little synthesizer available for the money
(street price about $100-$120 U.S.) I have yet to hear of an
owner of one who isn't intrigued by, if not in love with, this
ultra low-end workstation.
PS Ed-480 is a program which allows access to all the internal
settings of the PSS-480's digital synthesizer (the 5 custom banks.)
The synthesizer's control panel allows access to 8 of the available
parameters. Using a "patch editor" such as PS Ed-480, it is possible
to elicit a much greater variety of sounds from the tone generators.
2. PS Ed-480 Features:
--Allows access to all 36 PSS-480 tone parameters.
--Parameters can be accesed and modified with a minimum of
keystrokes.
--Save and load tone banks from disk files in standard MIDI System
Exclusive (SYSEX) data format.
--Individual patches can be named for easy identification.
--Has simple librarian functions--new tone banks can be built out
of existing tone banks on disk.
--Auto backup of a patch before editing allows comparison with what
patch sounded like before editing. Previous patch can be restored
at any time.
3. Shareware License:
This program, PS Ed-480, is being distributed as shareware. This
means PS Ed-480 is copyrighted material--it is not in the public
domain. The author retains all rights to the software, and in no
way assumes liability for any consequences resulting from the use
of this program. The software may be copied and distributed freely,
as long as neither the program nor documentation is modified. The
program may not be sold for profit. You are granted the right to
use the software for evaluation purposes, and are expected to
register as a user if you continue to use the software.
For the latest version of the software PLUS one future update, then
send $25.00 (an order form is at the end of this file.) to register as
a user. Your comments, suggestions, and financial support will be
greatly appreciated!
4. Getting Started:
The editor can be run from either the hard or floppy disk. It will
look for data files in the current directory.
For PS Ed-480 to work properly, you will have to put the PSS-480 in
MIDI MODE 00. To be able to test the tone banks in the entire range
of the keyboard, make sure AUTO ACCOMPANIMENT is set to NORMAL.
Also set VOICE/STYLE area of the LED window to VOICE.
Start the editor by entering PSED at the DOS prompt. The editor will
prompt:
Load Data from (f)ile or (s)ynth? _
If you want to a load previously saved tone bank, type 'f'. You
will be prompted for a file name. Either type in the name of the
desired tone bank, or press ENTER for a list of files in the
current directory from which to choose.
To load the current tone banks from the PSS-480 type 's' and press
ENTER. You will be prompted to start the Bulk Data Dump. This is
done by hitting the TRANSMIT CH/MEMORY BULK DUMP key twice so the
left side of the LED window flashes. Hitting the '+' key under the
flashing window will start the data dump. PS Ed-480 should
display the messages "Data being transferred..." and "Data Received."
If these messages do not occur, check out your MIDI connections.
When the data is loaded, the values for the various tone parameters
are displayed and the "Enter: " prompt appears. To change any para-
meter, type the number which appears in parantheses near that para-
meter. PS Ed-480 is programmed to recognize two character numeric
entries. If such an entry is made, it is automatically accepted
without the need to hit the enter key. This means the all editing
can be done using ONLY the numeric keypad.
The message area will display the valid range of values for any
parameter you select. Type in the desired value, or use the "+" or "-"
keys. The tone generator in the synthesizer is updated with the new
value, so you can hear the effect of your changes immediately.
Repeated use of the "+" and "-" keys (even at the "Enter: " prompt)
will raise or lower the selected value one unit at a time.
In a similar way, you can invoke the menu functions at the bottom
of the screen by entering the number next to that function.
One of the best ways to learn how the sounds are created is to
study and make changes to the 100 "factory" sounds that are built
into the PSS-480. To aid in this, I have included several sets of
factory sounds in various catagories saved to the diskfiles,
STRINGS.PSS, HORNS.PSS, KEYBOARD.PSS, etc.
NOTE: When quickly cycling through values using the "+" or "-" key,
the data may occasionally get out of step and the PSS-480 will
display the "Err" error message. The tone bank will temporarily
revert to the default settings. The patch you are editing will
be downloaded to the PSS-480 when the next change to it is made.
The PSS-480's error message can be cleared by hitting the PSS-
480 MIDI MODE key.
5. PS Ed-480 Commands.
(80) Load from File: This command will load all 5 tone bank
voices the tone banks from the file you specify. If no
file extension is given, the extension ".PSS" will be added
automatically. If you press the ENTER key before entering
a file name, a window containing the files with the ".PSS"
extension will appear. Use the cursor keys to highlight the
file you wish to load then press enter.
(81) Load from Synth: This command will load all 5 tone
bank voices from the PSS-480 through a Memory Bulk Dump.
(82) Save to File: This command will save all 5 tone bank
voices to the file you specify. If no file extension is
given, the extension ".PSS" will be added automatically.
(83) Patch Name: This command allows you to add or edit a
name for the current tone bank (patch.) When editing, the
editor will only accept a limited number of characters,
including trailing spaces. If you are unable to enter
characters even though there appears to be room in the
field, it is because spaces at the end of the name are
taking up space. Move the cursor to the end of the text and
hit the delete key several times to clear out the extra
space characters.
(84) Read Patch: This command allows you to read one tone
bank from a file on disk into the currently selected tone
bank of the PS Ed-480. If no file extension is given, the
extension ".PSS" is added automatically. Using this
facility, it is possible to build up custom tone bank sets
from previously saved groups. Such custom sets can allow
you to instrument your recorded sequences or performance
splits with any combination of custom patches desired.
(85) Swap Backup: Whenever you change tone banks, PS Ed-480
makes a backup copy of the bank you change to. At any time,
this backup copy can be recalled with the current bank
settings taking its place as a backup. This allows you to
compare the sound of your changes to the original patch by
using this command once, playing some notes with the backup
settings, then using this command again to get back to your
edited version of the patch. Once you switch to another
bank, the changes becomes permanent. So, if you wish too
abandon the changes made, use the Swap Backup command, then
switch to another bank. Switching back will give you a new
backup copy of the original and a chance to try another set
of changes.
(90) DOS: This command allows you to execute DOS commands
from within PS Ed-480. The editor will present you with
last DOS command executed. Just press enter to re-execute
the previous command, or Backspace over it to enter a new
command.
(99) EXIT: Leave the PS Ed-480 program.
6. PSS-480 Parameters.
Part III of the PSS-480 manual does a good job of explaining the
basic sound generation capabilities of the PSS-480. I urge you to
read it carefully if you haven't already.
PS Ed-480 sound generation parameters are explained in this
section with emphasis on the parameters not covered in the PSS-480
manual. These Parameters are grouped here, as on the PS Ed-480 screen,
by function:
ENVELOPE parameters control the ADSR (Attack, Decay, Sustain,
Release) envelope.
LEVEL parameters controls the various oscillator volume
levels.
TIMBRE controls the basic sound processed by ENVELOPE and
LEVEL settings.
A last group of parameters consists of various settings for
Vibrato and Tremelo effects.
Each parameter in this section is identified by the PS Ed-480 name
and number for that parameter followed by Yamaha's abbreviation as
appears in Addendum-1 in the back of the PSS-480's owners manual.
For a graphic representation of several of the following
parameters, see Addendum-1 (Add-1) in the back of the PSS-480
manual.
Bank
----------------------------- ENVELOPE -----------------------------
Attack 01,02 (AR): Attack Rate. This parameter controls
the way a sound begins. A high value will cause a sharp attack,
a lower value a slower, swelling of sound. When the attack
has reached its peak, the decay parameters determine what
happens next.
Decay1 03,04 (D1R): This is the first stage of the decay
portion of the Envelope. A lower value here will lengthen
the time it takes to reach the point where the settings for
the second portion of the decay envelope take over.
DecLevel 05,06 (D1L): This is Decay 1 Level. When the initial
rate of decay (Decay1) reaches this level, a second rate of
decay (Decay2) takes over. A lower value here means a higher
level of the cutoff point.
Decay2 07,08 (D2R): This is the rate of decay which takes
over once the Decay 1 cutoff level is reached. This is the
"DECAY RATE" parameter on PSS-480 control panel. The lower this
value, the longer the time this portion of the decay will be.
Release 09,10 (RR): Release Rate. This is how long the
note will endure after it is turned off (either by lifting the
key on the keyboard or through a MIDI Note Off command.) This
is similar to sustain, but does not require the sustain effect
be on. The lower this value, the longer it will take the down
to die down after it is released.
Sustain 11,12 (SRR): The Sustain Release rate which is in
effect when the sustain button is enabled. A lower value here
means a longer sustain.
---------------------------- LEVEL -----------------------------
TotLevel 13,14 (TL): Total Level. This parameter is given two
different names on the PSS-480 control panel--MOD. LEVEL for the
Modulator, and TOTAL LEVEL for the Carrier. The higher the level
of the modulator, the greater its "sharpening" effect will be on
the tone of the carrier. The greater the level of the carrier,
the louder the sound will be overall.
ScaleLow 15,16 (LKS low): Level Key Scaling, low.
This parameter controls the relative volume between notes near
the low end of the keyboard and notes near the middle of the
keyboard. A value of 0 means there will be no change made between
low and middl notes. Values between 1 and 15 represent the
loudest to softest settings for notes in the bass register.
ScaleHi 17,18 (LKS hi): This parameter is identical to the
ScaleLow parameter, except that it affects the notes at the
high end of the keyboard.
RateScale 19,20 (RKS): Rate Key Scaling. This parameter varies
the rate at which the envelope parameters are applied. A low
value will cause the entire envelope to be lengthened on the
lower notes. This mimics the response of aucustic instruments
(such as cellos) which take longer to reach a fully articulated
sound in the low registers.
AmpModEn 21,22 (AMEN): Amplitude Modulation Enable. This
parameter controls whether or not Tremolo (a rapid and repeated
rising and falling of volume level) is enabled for the Modulator
and/or Carrier oscillators. A value of 1 here enables Tremelo,
a value of 0 disables it.
FeedBack 23 (FB): This setting varies the amount of the modulator
output which is routed back into the input of the modulator. The
effect is a reinforcement of the modulator frequencies, with a bit
of additional complexity of sound. The higher this setting, the more
sound is being fed back.
---------------------------- TIMBRE -----------------------------
SinTable 24,25 (SIN TBL): This parameter selects one of 4
wave forms for an oscillator. The four values and forms are:
0 : Sine Wave
1 : Squared Sine Wave
2 : Sine Half Wave
3 : Squared Sine Half Wave
Detune 28,29 (DT1): This parameter allows you to finely
"detune" an oscillator--that is, raise or lower it's pitch a
small amount. This result of this is a more complex result
from the interaction of the two oscillators, since they are
slightly out of step. Another effect can be a "beating" or
vibrato type pulsing of the sound due as the oscillators
interact. A value of 0 represents no detuning, 1..7
increasingly sharpen (raise) the tone and 9..15 increasingly
flatten (lower) the tone.
Coarse 30,31 (DT2): Coarse detuning. This parameter
detunes an oscillator by a large amount. The effect is to
produce a less musical, bell or gong type sound.
----------------------------(various)-----------------------------
Vibrato Level 32 (PMS): Pitch Modulation Sensitivity. This
parameter increases the intensity of the vibrato (rapid rising
and falling of pitch) effect, with 0 being the least vibrato,
and 3 the greatest.
Tremolo Level 33 (AMS): Amplitude Modulation Sensitivity.
This parameter increases the intensity of the tremolo (rapid
rising and falling of volume) effect.
Vibrato Enable 34 (V): Determines whether the vibrato key on
the PSS-480 will have any effect, with 1 permitting vibrato and
disabling it. (note: This parameter does not seem to have any
effect, although it is documented in the PSS-480 manual.)
Sustain Enable 35 (S): Similar to Vibrato Enable, only for the
sustain effect.
Vibrato Delay 36 (VBT): Adjusts the length of time before
the vibrato effect begins, with 0 being the shortest time and
99 being the longest.
6. Additional Features
PS Ed-480 has the following command line options:
--If the name of a patch file occurs on the command line PS
Ed-480 will load that file automatically, bypassing the
"Load from (f)ile or (s)ynth(?) " prompt. For example:
C> psed axes
will automatically load the file AXES.PSS for editing.
--A command line flag of "/t" for "transmit" will download
the specified file to the Yamaha PSS-480 without going
into editing mode, but rather terminating after the file
is downloaded. For example:
C> psed axes /t
will download the file AXES.PSS to the synthesizer, and
immediately return you to the DOS prompt.
--The command line flag "/p" for "program" will allow you to
change parameters in PS Ed-480 by using the VOICE/STYLE
select keys on the PSS-480 control panel. To do this, the
VOICE/STYLE selector must be set to STYLE. PSED will read
program changes on channel 15 as keyboard input. In this
mode the numbers 44 and 66 are maped to the "-" and "+"
keys respectively. In some instances, editing in this way
facilitate more elaborate (two-handed) testing of changes.
--The command line flags /i and /a map the PS Ed-480 MPU-401
inteface routines to an alternate IRQ (/i) or port address
(/a). For example, if the MPU-401 you are using has been
configured to use interrupt 3, you would start PS Ed-480
as follows:
C> psed /i3
If, in addition, your MPU-401 was installed at port address
338H (hexidecimal) you would use the command line:
C> psed /i3 /a338
Please note that the port address MUST be in hexidecimal
format.
IRQ numbers and port addresses for the MPU-480 can also be
specified in the PSS.CFG text file, as detailed below.
The PSS.CFG file for Screen Colors and MPU-401 configuration:
The configuration file PSS.CFG can be modified to change
the screen colors displayed by PS Ed-480 as well as specify
the IRQ and port address of the MPU-401 interface. The file
is a standard ASCII file which contains one or more of the
following lines:
screen = hh
fields = hh
irq = hh
address = hh
All numbers are in hexidecimal format. Please look at the
example PSS.CFG file included with PS Ed-480 for further
information.
PS Ed-480 was written in Turbo C 2.0.
7. The Future of PS Ed-480.
--Interface Refinements. User defined commands which will change
many parameters at once. This will allow such operations as
intensifying/softening the envelope with a single command.
Windowing for disk file lists, tone bank lists, etc.
--Enhanced Librarian Features. A single file will hold all
patches and bank sets and allow any combination of patches
to be downloaded to the PSS-480 at any time. The librarian
will also handle PSS-480 Chord and Song Memory Sequences.
--A Simplified Accompaniament feature which will allow easy
"step entry" of chord sequences directly from sheet music chord
symbols, with orchestration changes. (Prototype included in
the separate program, PSCHORD.EXE)
--Integration of the features of the PERF480 performance program
(included with this distribution.)
--Random Generation of patches and performances within user
defined ranges for quickly testing new ideas.
--User Suggestions -- what would you like the program to do? If
it sounds interesting and can be done...
Registered users of PSS-480 will be entitled to the latest version
of the program plus one automatic update (If it is the latest
version of the program you already have, then you will get
automatic updates for the next TWO versions.) Any subsequent
updates can be obtained by registered users for shipping and
handling fee of $3.00.
8. Registration Form.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
To register, please fill in this form and enclose $25.00 in
check or money order. You will be sent the latest version of
the program and one automatic update (or TWO automatic
updates if you already have the latest version.)
Name ______________________________________________________
Address ______________________________________________________
City ______________________________State ____ Zip _________
Computer __________________ MIDI Interface ________________
Version of PSS Ed-480 you currently have: Version ___________
Mail to: David Rutkowski
2521 Riverside Dr. N.E.
Grand Rapids, MI 49505
Thank You!