I could easily go on and on, but these are products that I actively use. Keep your eyes peeled when browsing!
I immediately jumped on the IK Multimedia Hammond B-3X app at half price and encourage you to do the same. One needs to take a deep breath before spending $60USD on an iPad app. However, B-3X is normally $130. If ever you wanted it…
B-3X is a stunning recreation. Although Korg Module’s B-3 organ sounds are good, B-3X has it beat, providing an abundance of live controls and a superb Leslie effect. So far, I’ve encountered only one drawback — B-3X does not merge MIDI messages from two Bluetooth MIDI sources. At any time, B-3X responds only to the Korg Microkey Air keyboard alone or to the Boss EV-1-WL wireless MIDI expression pedal alone. My experiments will continue and I may need to upgrade from midimittr (free) to Audiobus ($9.99).
I’m still hunting for good pipe organ sounds. I started a 7-day trial of the Korg Module Organ and Clavinet collection. If you don’t want to spring for IK B-3X, the Organ and Clav collection is a good bet. Many of the B-3 and Clav sounds really nail “the classics,” e.g., Stevie’s auto-wah clav. The pipe organs leave me wanting. But, hey, at a $9.99 sale price…
Keep an eye on Toontrack. They run their best sales during the holidays. Patience pays off. When EZKeys MIDI expansion packs are ten bucks a pop, it’s EZ to build a songwriting library.
If new site content is a little skint, I’m deep into a music-related coding project. Hint: it involves ChordPro. Between playing, new iPad apps, coding and the holiday, there’s not much time for writing.
Halleluia, the slow boat from Malaysia arrived and it brought a Boss EV-1-WL wireless expression pedal. The EV-1-WL (henceforth, “EV”) is a compact expression pedal which sends MIDI Continuous Controller (CC) messages over Bluetooth BLE, USB and conventional serial MIDI.
My point of reference is the Boss FV-500L (FV) which was my mainstay volume and expression pedal for many years. Since my switch away from Roland to Yamaha (2011), I’ve been using the Yamaha FC-7 with MODX and Genos at home and at gigs. The FV-500L is built like a tank — and weighs like a tank. The FC-7 has held up pretty well although it’s not as Sherman-esque as the FV.
Boss EV-1-WL (fore) and Boss FV-500L (back)
Since we’re comparin’, the EV and FV achieve roughly the same angle in the down position. Due to the placement of the pivot point, however, the FV has a wider sweep than the EV. Some people may not like the EV’s relatively short sweep. The FC-7 has the widest sweep of all.
Boss EV-1-WL (fore) and Yamaha FC-7 (back)
Practically, the EV feels comfortable when sitting or standing. The FV is a little less comfortable when standing. The FC-7 is least comfortable for standing play if you absolutely need to reduce pedal position to its minimum point. I’ve had some success with FC-7 angle adjustment although its adjustment plate always seems to work itself loose. After trying the EV, I’m good with its sweep and playing angle.
The EV is ready-to-go right out of the box, including two AA batteries. I’m trying to build a wireless iPad rig:
So, that is my test set-up. I followed the pairing directions to a T and the EV came up in the EV-1-WL configuration app and in Korg Module Pro. [More Bluetooth gymnastics below.]
I recommend the calibration procedure. It works. I checked out the result with MIDI-OX and the EV sends over the full CC value range (0 to 127).
If I have a beef, it’s the amount of force needed to engage the EV’s expression switch. I pressed and pressed with the EV on a carpeted floor and could not get the switch to engage. There are LEDs to indicate the switch state and they just were not coming on. I was able to engage the switch by putting the EV on a table and pressing very firmly with my hand. The app has a sensitivity adjustment and it works. Expect to use it.
I’m not really sure how I would use the expression switch when playing. And now here’s my second beef — the EV-1-WL sends only MIDI continuous controller (CC) messages. No pitch bend, no program change. Worse, it doesn’t cover the full range of CC messages, supporting only CC#1 to CC#31 and CC#64 to CC#95. Somewhat dubious omissions. I really want to send bank select (CC#0 and CC#32) and program change via two external foot switches. Bummer. I hope Roland/Boss add this capability.
So, what else doesn’t mother tell you? As usual, Boss are less than forthcoming about important details hoping to force you into one of their own accessories. Here’s a few helpful details:
Power adapter: Boss recommend the PSA-120S adapter: 9V DC, 500mA, tip/center negative. The 1SPOT works just fine.
Footswitch break-out cable: Control 1 (CTL1) is tip and Control 2 (CTL2) is ring.
3.5mm MIDI break-out: The 3.5mm MIDI jack (plug) follows the “Korg convention”, which adheres to the current MIDI Association standard.
Serial MIDI works as advertised. I check out both serial MIDI operation and MIDI over USB using MIDI-OX and Windows 10. No special driver required. Please see my post about 3.5mm MIDI conventions.
Bluetooth MIDI
The olympics of the weird always commence with IOS and Bluetooth MIDI. I’m running on IOS 14.8.1.
Over several days of use, the EV consistently could not remember its pairing with my iPad. Turn it on and it flashes the blue LED slowly, suggesting that it awaits the iPad. Whether the iPad’s Bluetooth is initially enabled or disable, the EV just sits there and flashes slow blue. No connection.
The EV does not appear in the list of Bluetooth devices displayed in the IOS Bluetooth settings. The Korg Microkey Air is there, but the EV is AWOL. Right now, I’m not sure who is ghosting whom.
If an app has an explicit rendezvous feature, you can re-pair with the EV by pressing the EV’s pair button. The EV flashes fast blue when it is ready to pair. Standard operating procedure is to pair explicitly when sitting down to play. Korg Module Pro and the Roland/Boss EV-1-WL app will rendezvous with the EV when requested. Once the app connects, I leave the app running in the background even if I move on to SampleTank or iSymphonic. SampleTank does not not have the ability to explicitly rendezvous (initiate pairing) with the EV or any other Bluetooth MIDI device. I wish that all apps had this feature.
I’ve had spotty results with midimittr. midimittr will establish a Bluetooth session, slightly increasing latency. However, I’ve observed occasional bizzarre behavior with the EV through midimittr — huge leaps in volume indicating the presence of a true bottleneck somewhere in the MIDI message chain. Not good.
One other small snag. Be sure the EV is sending the correct CC message as needed by the receiving app. SampleTank IOS does not respond to CC#11 Expression. [Surprise!] I configured the EV for CC#7 Volume and all is well.
Overall, I’m satisfied with the EV-1-WL. The Bluetooth MIDI part is a little quirky and tetchy. I hope Roland/Boss get this ironed out. As Korg have (unfortunately) discovered, chasing Apple updates, etc. is a migraine headache, having had their own share of problems with the Microkey Air and IOS Bluetooth.
Mid- to upper-level Yamaha arranger workstation have long had a drawbar organ feature which Yamaha calls “Organ Flutes.” This feature dates back to 1999, appearing in the PSR-9000 keyboard. Although a few details have changed over the years, Yamaha has not substantially overhauled Organ Flutes. It’s time, Yamaha — the world has moved on. I’d love to see the new YC organ technology in Genos. It’s the flagship of the arranger line and YC organs would definitely differentiate Genos from its lower-cost brethren.
Yamaha Organ Flutes main voice editing screen
The main, tweakable organ parameters are:
Nine drawbars
Percussion (first note/each note, length)
Percussion pitch (4′, 2-2/3′, 2′)
Response (onset delay of drawbar and percussion sounds)
Vibrato (on/off, depth, speed)
Rotary speaker speed (slow/fast)
Volume level (1 to 8)
DSP effect (e.g., rotary speaker)
For B-3’ers, the 4′ percussion pitch is the 2nd harmonic setting and the 2-2/3′ percussion pitch is the 3rd harmonic setting. The 2′ pitch supports non-Hammond organs which require it.
Compared with a contemporary clonewheel, one immediately notes a few missing features:
Vibrato only, no chorus
No key click
No rotor noise
No leakage
Overall, the Genos B-3 is super clean and polite — not vintage. MODX (Montage) provides key click, rotor noise (grit) and rotor whistle waveforms. Why does Genos lag behind? Although MODX is AWM2, not modeling, these extra waveforms are better than nothing at all.
The Genos synthesis engine is also AWM2 sample-playback and AWM2 provides the Organ Flutes vibrato. Organ Flutes does not simulate the one-of-a-kind Hammond vibrato/chorus scanner. The Korg Module “Gospel Organ” voice incorporates C-3 chorus and the AMW2 vibrato just doesn’t cut it (head-to-head comparison). I had to substitute Genos’ V-2 setting and move on.
Simplified, graphical rotary speaker interface
If you want to change the rotary speaker type, you need to dive through the effect setting button at the top of the Organ Flutes screen. After selecting the insertion effect, Genos displays a skeuomorphic (graphical) rotary speaker cabinet with a few knobs. In the screenshot above, we get rotary speed, horn and rotor balance, and microphone left/right angle. Like many (most?) rotary speaker simulations, the rotary effect emulates the sound of a mic’d up, stereo recording of a Leslie, not a horn and rotor moving air in a room.
Additional rotary speaker (DSP) parameters are changed by tapping the “Detail” button in the lower right corner. deep-diving reveals a few more deficiencies:
Missing parameters due to a limitation on the number of DSP effect parameters (16 parameters maximum)
Only one insert effect (typically the rotary speaker)
Volume control is post-effect and does not affect overdrive
Here is a little more information about each issue.
First page of rotary speaker parameters
At heart, the Genos (PSR, Tyros) sound engine implements the Yamaha XG synthesis and effects architecture. The XG architecture allows up to sixteen (!6) parameters per DSP effect unit. Unfortunately, Yamaha’s DSP engineers are creating effect algorithms (AKA “effect types”) with more than sixteen parameters! The MODX ROTARY SPEAKER 2 algorithm has eighteen (18) parameters. The Genos REAL ROTARY effect type is the same algorithm as MODX. However, only 16 parameters are accessible or stored on Genos. The two missing REAL ROTARY parameters are:
Slow-Fast Time of Rotor
Fast-Slow Time of Rotor
You cannot change these rotor ramp times on Genos, yet, you can change them on MODX.
This issues affects the Genos UNI COMP compressor algorithm (MODX: UNIVERSAL COMPRESSOR DOWN). Dare I mention the inability to specify a side-chain part, too? People are trying to create EDM on arrangers.
The XG architecture allows only one insert effect per part. The Organ Flutes insertion effect is typically a rotary speaker simulator. The MODX effect architecture, on the other hand, allows two insert effects per part. Yamaha synths take advantage of the second insert effect to add overdrive or vintage EQ:
Rotary speaker 1 → Multi FX (Distortion Solo)
Rotary speaker 2 → VCM 501 EQ (Flat)
Amp Simulator 3 (Tube) → VCM 501 (Flat)
Amp Simulator 1 (Stack 2) → Rotary Speaker 1
VCM 501 EQ (Flat) → Rotary Speaker 1
The rotary speaker drive alone is not enough to warm up the basic sound nor is it enough to get a sweet, realistic overdrive with guts. I experimented with the Genos REAL ROTARY effect and got some very squirelly results at high drive levels. The algorithm can be pushed in unexpected, undesirable ways while searching for true funk.
Unlike a real Hammond/Leslie combination, the Genos expression pedal controls post-effect part volume. This is like putting the volume control after the Leslie speaker. A Hammond B-3 pedal controls the level into the Leslie pre-amp. Thus, the pre-amp frequency characteristics and overdrive track the Hammond pedal. The Yamaha YC61 modeling gets this right. Putting the volume pedal before the pre-amp lets the player get clean or dirty in the same way a guitarist uses picking and/or the guitar volume knob to distort or clean up their tone.
If the Genos developers must work around the XG architecture, they should consider a new effect algorithm that combines overdrive with the rotary speaker simulation. The algorithm should allow foot pedal control over the Leslie pre-amp input level. Genos and other PSRs allow wah pedal control, so they obviously know how to achieve this capability within the current architecture.
Just like finding a 20 dollar bill in a drawer full of old socks, it’s a pleasant surprise to discover that you already own a useful iPad music app and simply forgot about it. Thus, I installed IK Multimedia SampleTank IOS on my iPad and gave it a try. (Again) Even better, I restored in-app purchases, finding additional B-3 organs and, ta-da, Miroslav Symphonic Mobile Edition. (Henceforth, “Miroslav”.)
Miroslav goes back a long way to 1994. The mobile edition is a cut-down version of the current, big and improved Miroslav Philharmonic 2 library. The full library is 2.27GB while the Mobile Edition tips in at a modest 532MB.
Miroslav Vitouš, by the way, is one heck of a jazzer. I was well-aware of his work as a leader and as a sideman (Herbie Mann, Chick Corea, Roy Ayers, Larry Coryell, and others) before hearing the original Philharmonic library.
Sonically, Miroslav has always had its own unique character. You either love it or dislike it. I’m on the love side although some of the string sections sound a tad dated. I like the woodwinds and horns best, rating them a notch above the Korg Module Pro voices. As to variety and solo instruments, Miroslav Mobile trounces Module Pro in the orchestra department.
As to B-3 organs, Module Pro wins the contest. Frankly, I am not a fan of SampleTank IOS drawbar organs, which are very rock-oriented. Further, SampleTank IOS does not have a rotary speaker simulation built-in. I can only assume that IK want you to purchase Hammond B-3X for iPad ($130 USD) or AmpliTube Leslie. I found, however, that I can easily switch between Module Pro and SampleTank IOS while keeping the Korg Microkey Air connected over Bluetooth. Problem solved.
As to church organ, I blended SampleTank’s Church Organ Air with Miroslav’s Cathedral Organ. The solution is good enough for basic hymn playing. I still plan to purchase Module’s organ (and clav) expansion pack when it goes on sale. The organ expansion pack includes a few traditional pipe organ voices.
SampleTank IOS plus Miroslav Mobile complements Korg Module Pro rather well. I forgot about dear old Miroslav after moving to our new house and to a new iPad. I’m glad that I remembered! If you need to choose one app, there are differences to be considered in the synth engines. Please read on.
Korg Module Pro
As I mentioned in my review, Module Pro with the performance expansion pack allows two-voice layers and splits. Splits and layers are created and stored within set lists.
Korg Module Pro Set List management
Module’s Set List management screen lets you choose and load a combination (combi). Tapping the keyboard symbol on the right hand side of the selected entry takes you to the screen where you set the mode: Single voice, Layer or Split. There, you can balance levels, shift octaves and set the split point.
If a voice needs tweaking, you can switch to the standard Module instrument screen for voice edits. When finished, you need to switch back to set list mode and save the set list. The set list combi retains any changes. (You need to tap the file icon in the upper left corner to show the appropriate pop-up menu.)
Korg Module Pro edit screen for sample-playback voices
SampleTank IOS
Instead of set lists, SampleTank has its Live mode where you can create multi-voice layers and splits. SampleTank is better-featured that way, allowing up to eight voices to participate in a combi.
SampleTank IOS Live mode screen
In the example above, instruments are split left (two string layers) and right (two flute layers). You can see the split and layer relationships in the pane at the bottom of the screen. Since it’s all touch-based, one slides split points left and right. It’s quite natural. Please note that this example patch is already well-beyond Module Pro’s simple two-level layers and splits. SampleTank IOS also allows overlaps around the split point, eliminating a jarring sonic change when a musical line crosses the split point.
Unlike Module, SampleTank IOS has a strip of control knobs for voice tweaking. Both apps let you change attack, release, cut-off, resonance, effect type and effect levels. This level of basic editing is usually sufficient.
SampleTank IOS level and pan control in Live mode
All four voices in the example are on MIDI channel 1. Thus, all four individual voices sound (modulo splits and layers) when a note is struck on the Korg Microkey Air. In order to set volume and pan levels, one taps the slider icon in the upper middle part of the screen. When mix is enabled, each part box shows a volume and pan knob.
Managing the list of multis
Overall, I give the win to the SampleTank engine. Eight layers/splits is more than enough and there isn’t any need to change modes or screens in order to make voice edits.
Module Pro set lists have mo’ power, however. You can attach audio songs, PDFs and other performance aids to a set list entry. I find the iPad screen too small for most of my charts, so I’m not taking advantage of those particular set list features. Access to performance aids might tip things toward Module Pro, if that’s your thing.
Over the last several weeks, I’ve been practicing and playing through church tunes. Our liturgical group covers genres from pop, light rock, classical and traditional hymns to gospel. I’m trying to keep up my chops while our group awaits its post-pandemic return.
This has been a good opportunity to wring out any issues with Korg Module Pro (on Apple iPad) and a Korg Microkey Air 49 controller. Both Korg products have been solid and I feel comfortable with the idea of using this combo live in church.
I’ve also been able to evaluate the suitability of Korg Module for our church repertoire. Module’s set-list features are very easy to work letting me build quick-access layers and splits. Set-list features are well thought out and I strongly recommend purchasing the Module Performance Expansion.
Thankfully, set-list combis store patch and effect edit, allowing me to dial in a consistent level across combis and to tweak attack, release and reverb. Just don’t forgot to save the set-list after making edits!
Right off the top, I’m quite happy with Module’s stock Hammond organ sounds. My three favorite patches are Gospel Organ, Simple Organ and Clean Organ. Church music doesn’t require over-the-top distortion. The Korg rotary speaker simulation is very good and the speed transitions (ramps) are realistic — a vital component for gospel music.
The only thing missing organ-wise is a traditional church organ. I have not purchased the Korg Organ and Clav Collection which offers a classic organ. I intend to buy the organ expansion during the next Korg app sale. In the meantime, I’m substituting Simple or Clean organ.
As to other instruments, I need orchestral woodwinds, French horn, and strings. Compared with Miroslav Philharmonik Mobile Edition, Module Pro is a general purpose, all-rounder, not a specialist like Miroslav. The sounds are good enough for live play, but would not please a purist. Nor would they be adequate for mocking up symphonic music.
Korg offer the KA Pro Orchestral Dreams expansion. “KA Pro”, by the way, means Kurt Adler Productions, who sell a full range of orchestral samples. If Korg Module isn’t to your taste, the KA Pro samples are available in the CrudeByte iSymphonic Orchestra (iPad) app. Orchestral Dreams is comprised mainly of full orchestra emulations. The emulations implement multiple velocity levels including percussion. Full orchestra emulations are not suitable for our repertoire (especially the percussion!) and I don’t plan to buy this expansion.
The Korg sounds make for good layers. The Woodwind Ensemble patch is serviceable by itself, but is fuller and warmer when layered with the Horn Ensemble voice. Same for the Solo Flute. By itself, the Solo Flute resembles a Mellotron flute, especially when playing chords or clusters. Horn Ensemble knocks down the tron-y flavor.
Here’s a quick list of my favorite patches: Wind Ensemble, Horn Ensemble, Synth Horn, Romantique Strings, Strings Pad, Solo Flute.
What’s missing? Module has solo violin and cello, but it’s missing most other solo orchestral instruments (including essential double reeds). The violin and cello voices have hard attacks and a lot of bow — difficult to tame. Thus, overall playing is limited to mainly ensemble or pad-like voices. Quite the shame. Korg need to add an orchestral expansion with solo instruments and/or small sections a la Miroslav.
Yes, I auditioned the Triton expansion pack. Having owned a Triton Taktile 49, I’m not satisfied with the Triton orchestral voices, solo voices, in particular. That’s why the Triton Taktile is gone, gone, gone.
Oddly, I have not found a simple synth pad among the plethora of synth patches. I want something very light and plain for layering — a non-fat synth pad without sweeps, sparkles and other tricks.
Functionally, I wish layers could cross-fade (“tilt”) across the keyboard. This would let us overlap (cross-fade) the upper and lower instruments forming a soft split. Hard split points are rather jarring when a right- or left-hand line needs just a note or two past the split point. Examples include Oboe/Bassoon or Oboe/Cello splits where a short blend across the split point is highly desired for continuity.
Overall, Korg Module Pro is a solid, reliable citizen within its limitations. Module is intended to appeal to and serve a wide range of users. If you need good electric piano or high-quality acoustic piano, it’s got ’em, too. I stand by my earlier positive recommendation.
The Yamaha PSS-A50 is strictly MONO OUT and needs a little spice. After trying the Haas effect via a Synthrotek Dev Delay, I ordered a Future Kit FK651 Stereo Simulator. Future Kit — also known as “Thai Kits” — offers a range of audio kits including the FK651. I ordered through Amazon with Future Kit in Thailand handling fulfillment. Thanks to the pandemic and global shipping delays, I finally received the FK651 after a few weeks of waiting. Can’t blame Future Kits for the delay. They shipped right away putting the FK651 on the proverbial “slow boat from Thailand.” Thanks, pandemic!
Future Kit FK651 Stereo Simulator (click to enlarge)
The FK651 takes a MONO signal, splits it, and sends each side into a short filter chain. The left and right filter chains have different peak frequencies:
The filter chains alter each side of the stereo pair just enough to create the impression of different source signals coming from the right and left channels.
Kit of parts
The FK651 kit is fairly small making it suitable as a PSS-A50 mod. The small board should fit easily within the PSS-A50 even with the A50’s rather large speaker. I tested the FK651 with a 9V battery and it worked well even though 9V is below the suggested 12V supply voltage. I’m hoping to tap power from the A50’s 6V battery supply. Fingers crossed.
Why order one when you can have two?
You’re not seeing double in the picture above. I ordered two FK651 kits. By the time I paid for one kit and shipping, it wasn’t much more to order two just in case I blew up a kit. It’s happened to me before, e.g., horribly destroying a Blokas MIDIboy during assembly.
Part and board quality are good.
Assembly
Assembly is straightforward. Given the number of parts, I assembled the kit in four phases:
Resistors
IC sockets and quad op amps
Capacitors
Wiring
Due to the placement of the power and audio pads, I couldn’t use terminal blocks. I decided not to use the enclosed terminal pins and soldered external connections directly to the printed circuit board (PCB).
Future Kit FK651 Stereo Simulator (assembled)
There were two minor concerns. Although the printed directions are OK, the instructions do not include a resistor color code chart. If you decide to build an FK651 of your own, here’s my look-up chart.
Ohms Resistor color code ---- ------------------------ 220 Red - Red - Brown 470 Yellow - Violet - Brown 1K Brown - Black - Red 2K Red - Black - Red 4.7K Yellow - Violet - Red 15K Brown - Green - Orange 47K Yellow - Violet - Orange 56K Green - Blue - Orange 100K Brown - Black - Yellow 470K Yellow - Violet - Yellow
The second concern is a single inconsistency between the parts provided, the schematic, and a silk-screened legend on the PCB. [Does anybody use silk-screening anymore?] I found a 4.7K resistor when the PCB called for a 47K resistor. The part placement picture on the paper instructions has it right — “4K7”, the alternative way of writing “4.7K”. The PCB legend says “47K” and is wrong. Otherwise, it’s all pick, place and solder assembly.
The picture above shows the completed board ready for testing. The audio wires come out to 3.5mm jacks with ring, sleeve, tip (RST) terminal blocks. This should make it easy to reconfigure the FK651 during bench experiments.
The power cabling may look unnecessarily complicated, but I decided to experiment in preparation for possible integration with the PSS-A50. The JST connectors should make for plug and play with the A50. The power wires solder into a tiny “distribution board” that I nibbled out of an old proto-board. The result is a tad ugly.
Use
Power up and the FK651 works the first time. 🙂
As to testing, perceived effect depends upon source material. I had reasonable success with a drum loop (WAV demo). The first half of the demo is the direct A50 audio and the second half is FK651 simulated stereo.
I applied the FK651 to a full mix (WAV demo). Again, the first half of the demo (about 10 seconds) is the direct A50 audio and the second half is simulated stereo. With the full mix, there is a clear difference between direct and effected. Whether it’s a stereo effect or not is subjective.
Clearly, the FK651 messes with the distribution of energy across the frequency spectrum. The effected full mix demo audio has less bass. As it is, the FK651 has a profound effect on a mix, maybe an unwanted effect that undoes your hard work balancing and mixing. The FK651 may be best applied to individual instruments, not a full mix.
Full mix direct and effected spectrum (click to enlarge)
I experimented with ways to visualize the FK651 at work. Here is a false-color spectral plot for the full mix demo. The left and right channel plots are identical during the first half when the right and left channels each carry the same signal. During the second half of the demo, the right and left plots show differences due to the different filter chains applied to the left and right signals, respectively.
As to signal gain, boy, there is an abundance of gain! The A50 line OUT is the headphone OUT, which itself is a fairly hot signal. The FK651 adds even more gain. I had to attenuate source signals heavily in order to sample cleanly without distortion. I also had to carefully balance the level of the first and second halves of the demo to avoid the “louder is better” bias of human hearing.
There are still a few more experiments to try. First, it might be helpful to mix a little of the original source signal into both the right and left channels as a way to mitigate loss in specific frequency bands. This may also be a way to control the depth of the simulated stereo effect (dry plus wet). Another trick to try is putting delay on one of the outgoing channels to enhance the Haas effect.
All in all, the Future Kit FK651 Stereo Simulator is an easy build and a fun toy (tool). It’s not a be all or end all solution. The Volca Mix stereo spread effect beats the FK651 hands-down. The FK651, however, is small and inexpensive enough to deploy in a circuit mod as long as you can tame its gain.
I’d like to add more animation to the distinctly sound of the Yamaha PSS-A50. I really like the Korg Volca Mix stereo width effect and want to add something similar as either a mod or an external effect.
My intuition suggests the Haas effect or as Wikipedia would have it, the precedence effect. This well-known effect delays one side of a stereo pair that changes our perception of a sound source in the stereo field.
Rather than buying — and potentially, disassembling — a delay effect pedal, I decided to give the Synthrotek Dev Delay kit a try. Synthrotek offer a broad range of inexpensive kits and heck, they’re located nearby in the Pacific Northwest!
Synthrotek PT2399 Dev Delay — It’s in the bag
The kit is a relatively straightforward implementation of a PT2399 delay — right off the datasheet. The Princeton Technology PT2399 is a workhorse appearing in many guitar pedals, synth modules, karaoke mixers, etc. The VCO control voltage (pin 6) determines the delay time and is set by a 50K linear potentiometer. The delayed signal is fed back into the input with feedback level set by a second 50K linear potentiometer. In addition to the PT2399 and its discrete minions (resistors and capacitors), there is an LM78L05 +5V power regulator.
Synthrotek Dev Delay — Parts is parts
Synthrotek provide a rather nice board and kit of parts. It includes many unexpected extras: both 3.5mm and 1/4″ phone jacks, knobs, switches, power LED and parts needed for PT2399 mods. Quite decent of them! My only niggle is the quality of the potentiometers. Physically, they appear dingy and functionally they are a little noisy. I would call them “surplus grade.” If building the finished kit into a permanent project like a pedal, I would replace the pots with fresher parts. Please don’t let this concern stop you from buying a kit, however.
Synthrotek Dev Delay — Almost finished
The kit builds quickly enough. For some crazy reason, I had trouble keeping my soldering tip clean. Once I got some flux from Lowes (desperation!), soldering went better. Maybe it’s my eyes, but even the DIP and standard size discretes seem smaller and smaller…
I like reconfigurable builds that are easily re-purposed. So, I added a number of embellishments. I added two three-contact terminal blocks (5mm pitch) for the pots on the PCB. The terminals match up with the potentiometers’ leads and since the pots are linear, I flipped them around and connected them to the terminal blocks directly. I don’t think you can play this trick with log pots, by the way.
Synthrotek PT2399 Dev Delay — Assembled with enhancements
I added a JST connector for battery connections. Audio in and out wires are soldered directly to the PCB. The other end of the audio wires are connected to 3.5mm jacks with in-built terminal blocks for ring, tip and sleeve. These audio jacks are very handy and I intend to use more of them in the future. They have a shaft and nut for panel mounting, making them suitable for permanent installation, not just prototying.
Connect a battery…
… and nothing.
This is the moment which we builders all dread.
Drag out the digital multi-meter (DMM). Power is good to the board. Audio wires are good to the board. Crank up the volume on the powered speaker and a faint signal is heard.
So, what’s up? Check the connections to the audio jacks and, holy smokes! Instead of signal to tip (T) and ground to sleeve (S), I have ground to ring (R). I didn’t pay close enough attention to the terminal order and labels.
After a quick fix, the Dev Delay was up and running. I used the PSS-A50 as my signal source and had it play a drum pattern over and over. Yes, you can get King Tubby with this unit!
This deal is too good to go unnoticed. If you bought a Yamaha AG03 or AG06 mixing interface, I hope you saved (or used) the Cubase AI download access code. It’s your ticket to a free copy of Steinberg Wavelab Cast.
Fortunately, I’m a pack-rat and saved all the paperwork with the AG06. Wavelab Cast looks to be a fast way to touch up live recordings among other uses. The Track Inspector offers a menu of the most common audio tune-ups: denoise, de-ess, EQ, reverb, etc., featuring no-brainer one-knob control.
My only wish is a written (PDF) getting started guide. The PDF manual is a reference manual and isn’t organized well for getting started. At a minimum, a beginner user needs to know about the “Audio Montage” and how to get audio clips into the Audio Montage pane. Audio Montage isn’t discussed until Chapter 10! Also, one should know that the audio editor mainly twiddles bits (errr, samples) and that effects are applied through Audio Montage.
Please don’t let these quibbles slow your roll to a free copy.
I’ve been using the Yamaha AG06 as my desktop mixer and audio interface. It has performed reliably over the past several months and I feel comfortable recommending it even though the internal tech is a little bit behind the Steinberg UR22c (its closest alternative in the Steinberg product line). I like the small mixer format and the audio I/O options. Plus, the AG06 has been dead quiet when attached via USB to an HP desktop computer and its schmutzy (noisy) power. The AG06 has a separate 5V external power port for mobile operation, too.
Well, as you might have guessed, your Apple iPad synthesis rig cannot be entirely wireless (at least inexpensively so). The audio part ain’t there yet. Bluetooth audio has too much latency and Apple does not provide any other built-in solution. So, it’s wires, again, folks.
In my first post, I discussed the MIDI part: an Apple iPad running Korg Module Pro communicating with a Korg Microkey Air 49 over MIDI BLE. The MIDI part works quite well and I haven’t had any issues.
As to the audio part, I absolutely detest the iPad 3.5mm phone connector. Any plug is exposed and even the slightest movement emits a nasty grind from a powered speaker or other downstream audio device. Buzzzzzz — literally. I simply wouldn’t risk this method in a high volume situation in front of a church congregation.
The Lightning connector, however, is relatively snug and secure. Like most people, I opt for a Lightning-based solution. With Bluetooth handling MIDI duties, one needs only an audio interfacing solution.
Sorry, USB-C people, I don’t have a USB-C iPad and don’t address USB-C solutions here.
By now, everyone knows that the Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter is not just for cameras. Thanks to the Camera Adapter, you can hook up a USB-based audio interface to your iPad (or iPhone). The Camera Adapter’s street price has dipped to $9USD, making this a very inexpensive solution. If — if — your bus-powered audio interface draws a small amount of power, the Camera Adapter will supply power although the iPad battery drains faster. If your bus-powered audio interface is a power hog, you will get the infamous “This accessory requires too much power” message and iPad will refuse to play along, shutting down the interface.
Enter the Apple Apple Lightning to USB3 Camera Adapter ($39USD). The USB3 Camera Adapter has two ports: a USB3 host port and a Lightning charge port. The USB3 port connects to your audio interface while the Lightning port connects to an AC adapter. The Lightning port both charges the iPad battery and supplies power to your audio interface.
At one time, I considered the Steinberg UR22C as a solution for both desktop use and mobile. The UR22C has the necessary functional features and sports its own external power port. This is definitely another way to go and I wish more manufacturers would provide an external power port and not rely solely on bus power. I decided to eschew “yet another box at the gig” in favor of an even smaller, lighter solution. (For desktop, I eventually chose the Yamaha AG06, BTW).
Belkin adapter and the tangled mess o’cables
For smaller and lighter, I went with the somewhat neglected Belkin 3.5mm Audio + Charge RockStar™ ($40). This Belkin adapter provides a more robust 3.5mm jack and a Lightning charge port. My only beef is the short iPad to adapter Lightning cable. The short cable is good enough for casual listeners, but I feel that it still requires too much stress on the 3.5mm jack. I added a 2 meter Lightning extension cable, letting me rest the adapter and 3.5mm plug on the floor. This arrangement reduces the physical stress on the iPad Lightning port, too. One flexible cable to the iPad makes it easier and safer to move the iPad during a gig.
A few fine points. I configure Korg Module Pro for MONO out and use a 3.5mm stereo to 1/4″ breakout cable (tip and ring) for the final audio connection. MONO is close enough for rock’n’roll. I realize this is audio religion to purists. 🙂
Before closing, I want to mention an ultra-cheap, simple solution: an Apple Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter plus an extension cable. You may already have one of these adapters! When Apple dropped the 3.5mm jack, it began selling these adapters so people could connect their headphones to the jackless iPhone. It’s ultra-inexpensive at $8USD (street).
Maybe it’s the first day of the regular NFL season or the phase of the moon. Here’s a recap of a few questions that came into the forums.
How are arranger/synth preset voices stored? First, one may ask, “How is a preset represented?” Typically, a preset voice consists of waveforms (AKA “samples”) and voice (meta-)data. The voice data control how the sample-playback engine applies filtering, amplitude envelope, modulation and so forth. The waveforms, of course, provide the basic digital audio data.
There is such a broad range of arranger/synth products at different price points, that the amount of storage and the kind of storage varies quite a lot.
The lowest of the low in the Yamaha range: PSS-A50, -E30, -F30, PSR-F51. Presets are stored on a 2MByte serial flash ROM and are loaded into the processor (SWLL) at start-up. The 2MBytes include code, too! Tone generation is integrated into the SWLL. Insanely small, and very low cost.
The highest of the high in the Yamaha range: Genos. Factory presets are stored in four 1GByte ONFI NAND flash devices. Expansion memory consists of two 1GByte ONFI NAND flash devices. Wave memory connects directly to external tone generators (SWP70).
I’ve looked at the diagrams for Genos and I’m not sure about the size and function of those memory units, especially Genos USER memory and expansion memory.
Yamaha confuses people when they speak of “user memory,” “internal memory,” etc. They are usually referring to logical, user visible storage.
When getting down to the hardware level, there are many different physical memory units. since we’re not discussing fairy dust or magic, the logical storage must be assigned to one or more physical memory units. And, of course, the physical memory units themselves may be composed of multiple integrated circuits. The other dimension is “what communicates to what.” Memory is passive and needs a processor to initiate reads and writes and to do something with all that data. At the physical level, a memory unit essentially belongs to a single processing unit (host computer, tone generator) and directly communicate with it.
Sometimes I think of the SWP70 as a parallel processor just like a GPU. The CPU/SWP70 is not exactly analogous to host CPU plus GPU, however. Graphics memory is shared between CPU and GPU. The SWP70 does not share its waveform memory with anybody — it’s dedicated to the tone generator. That’s why installing an expansion pack (voice library) is kind of slow and technically complicated, and why a Genos reboot is required.
Yamaha Genos SWP70 tone generators
Staying with Genos, Genos has two SWP70 tone generators: one handles factory presets and the other handles user expansion voices. The factory SWP70 has 4GBytes of flash memory while the expansion flash memory has 1GB of flash memory. That’s physical memory. Yamaha boosted the effective capacity to 3GB expansion through compression.
The SWP70s also have DSP RAM. As a user, you never know about this memory. It’s scratchpad memory for DSP effects. Physically, the DSP RAM is completely separate and independent from the waveform memory, and communicates with only its parent SWP70.
Yamaha Genos Host CPU
The host CPU has two kinds of memory (as determined by its bus interfaces): 1GB of working RAM on the CPU memory bus (EMIF) and two embedded eMMC memory devices that act like solid state storage drives (MMC0 and MMC1). As far as a user is concerned, the user never sees the 4GB eMMC drive (MMC0) just like you don’t see the DSP RAM; it’s hidden. The MMC0 drive contains the Linux operating system kernel and the root file system.
The user sees only part of the second 64GB eMMC drive (MMC1). The user sees the logical storage which Yamaha calls “Internal memory” or “USER drive.” What’s in the remaining 6GB? I don’t know — Yamaha haven’t left any clues.
What about Montage and its 5.67GByte waveform memory? 5.67GB is the capacity when the waveforms (samples) are compressed. Again, this is logical storage capacity.
Yamaha Montage SWP70 tone generators
Montage has two SWP70s. One SWP70 is dedicated to FM-X and it does not have waveform memory. The second SWP70 handles AWM2 synthesis (sample playback) and has waveform memory connected to it. The waveform memory consists of four 1GByte devices totaling 4GBytes. Thanks to Yamaha’s proprietary compression, Montage stores 5.67GBytes-worth of data in the physical waveform memory. The remaining space, 1.75GB physical, is available for user samples.
How does sample capacity relate to price? It doesn’t. Component cost is outweighed by manufacturing costs, software development cost and sound design cost.
If the memory components are so cheap, why isn’t there more waveform memory? If there was more, then you wouldn’t buy the Mark II model, would you? 🙂
I understand that E30/F30 do NOT offer velocity sensitivity. My question is about the internals. Is it confirmed that it’s a keybed with two switches per key, that just aren’t supported in software?
Yes, you need to be careful here. There are hardware model differences: E30 and F30 are not velocity sensitive. A50 is velocity sensitive.
There are two different keybed printed circuit boards (PCB). Yamaha part number VAY27800 for F30/E30 and VAY28500 for A50. The A50 PCB has the necessary diodes installed for velocity sense. The F30/E30 PCB does not have the diodes. Further, the A50 board has a 12-pin connector while the F30/E30 board has an 11-pin connector — perhaps to avoid assembly mistakes.
Yamaha Reface key switch matrix schematic
Is velocity sense worth the extra bucks? There may be other differences, too, but these differences are plainly visible.
And the usual caution/disclaimer — kiss the warranty good-bye! For the money, the PSS should be good mod-fodder. Korg probably sold a mess o’monotron that way.
