Sound Sensations!

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PS Ed-480 Yamaha PSS-480 Tone Bank Editor for the IBM-PC and MPU-401 MIDI interface Version 1.0 Copyright (c) 1989 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 $150-$170 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. I will look for data files in the directory 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 ACCOMPIANMENT 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? _ To load the current tone banks from the PSS-480 type 'f' 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. I'll see what I can do about fixing this in the next release. 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 want to load a file from another directory, you can use the (90) DOS command to "cd" to that directory before loading the file. (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 set of double quotes contain the last DOS command executed. Just press enter to re-execute the previous command, or 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. Screen Colors: The configuration file PSED.CFG can be modified to change the screen colors displayed by PS Ed-480. The first line of the file must be in the format: screen = hh fields = hh Since PS Ed-480 only reads the first line of the program any additional lines may be considered comments. See the PS Ed-480 was written in Turbo C 2.0. The MPU-401 interface routines are those in the cMIDI message manager v. 1.2 copyright 1988,1989 cMIDI. The cMIDI function libraries are commercial products which greatly simplify the task of MIDI programming. (Address: cMIDI, P.O. Box 4903, East Lansing, MI 48823 Phone: (616) 337-2569.) 7. The Future of PS Ed-480. There are many enhancements I will be making to PS Ed-480 in the near future: --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. --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!