Tag Archives: software plug-ins

Ancient weapons and tools

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Back in the mid- to late-1990s, Yamaha developed and manufactured a wide range of plug-in cards and modules. In many cases, the technology is unique and is still useful today. I have two old Yamaha modules:

  • The VL70m analog modeling synthesizer module and
  • The AN200 desktop beatbox and analog modeling synthesizer.

Both are based on Yamaha’s analog/physical modeling techniques. The VL70m, which has a native WX11 breath controller interface, models string- and pipe-based instruments both acoustic and “virtual.” The AN200 models a 5 voice Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 analog synthesizer. The AN200 also has patterns, a sequencer and a three channel AWM (sample-based) rhythm section.

Although you can program either one of these boxes through the front panel, you really need software tools for deep editing. Yamaha provided editors for both the AN200 and the VL70m. There are also editors for the PLG100 and PLG150 line of hardware plug-in boards that are the module’s cousins. The PLG series use the same analog modeling, FM, AWM, and XG technology as Yamaha modules and synthesizers of that era. The PLG boards can be plugged into a PLG-compatible synthesizer thereby expanding the synth’s sonic capability. The first models in the Motif product family, for example, accepted PLG boards. Unfortunately, the PLG boards and the analog modeling technology was phased out in the early 2000s.

The software tools of that era never advanced beyond Windows 2000 or Windows XP. So, if a guy or gal wants to use these tools today on Windows 7, they better strap in.

Yamaha provided three kinds of tools and plug-ins over the years:

  • Plug-ins hosted by XGWorks or XGWorks Lite (up to version 3.x).
  • OPT tool plug-ins hosted by SQ01, Studio Manager or XGWorks version 4 and later.
  • Standalone tools.

A few of these tool names may not be familiar to you. XGWorks (version 3.x and earlier) is a standalone sequencer that initially ran on Windows 95/98. A patch makes XGWorks (version 3.0.7) run under Windows XP. XGWorks was replaced by Yamaha’s Open Plug-in Technology or “OPT.” OPT is a Microsoft OLE-based standard for plug-in tools. Yamaha dropped the early version of XGWorks and substituted the OPT-compatible SQ01 sequencer in its place. Yamaha also released XGWorks 4 and XGWorks ST in Japan; both are OPT-based. SQ01 and XGWorks 4/ST are OPT plug-in hosts. Old-time users today lament these changes because SQ01 and XGWorks 4/ST do not have some of the features of the early XGWorks. The arranger-like style features, for example, were lost.

It’s worth noting that a few other manufacturers adopted the OPT standard. Cakewalk SONAR can host OPT-based plug-ins. So, if you have a VL or AN editor in OPT plug-in form, then SONAR can find and launch the plug-in editor! Functionality may be limited depending upon the OPT level supported by the host and plug-in.

Well, as if that history isn’t complicated enough, Yamaha eventually bought Steinberg and its Cubase DAW. Support for SQ01 and XGWorks 4/ST was dropped. Studio management is handled by the Yamaha Studio Manager which can host OPT plug-ins among other things. Studio Manager v2.3.1 runs on Windows 7 and Windows 8 (with a minor caveat). This is a modern era host!

Unfortunately, OPT-based plug-ins for the VL70m and AN200 are not readily available for download. The Yamaha web site only has standalone editors or editors which work with the very old XGWorks 3.x. It is possible to get XGworks 3.0.7 running on 32- and 64-bit Windows 7 with persistence and patience. The following produced worked on 64-bit Win 7:

  • Install XGWorks or XGWorks Lite v3.0. You must run the installer in Windows XP compatibility mode.
  • Immediately install the v3.0.7 update also known as the “XP patch.” Again, run the installer in Windows XP compatibility mode.
  • Immediately, restart your machine.

With any luck, XGWorks will now run on Win 7. Of course, this assumes that you even found a copy of the original XGWorks installer or the update! I suggest looking on a Yamaha tools CD-ROM from the late 1990s such as the AN200 tools disk where I found my copy. Then download the appropriate AN or VL editor for XGWorks and install them into the XGWorks directory. Again, you should run these installers in XP compatibility mode.

After a lot of searching and browsing, I did manage to locate the latest version (v1.2.2 released in 2003) of the AN Expert Editor for the PLG-150AN board. This version is OPT-compatible. OPT plug-ins, by the way, are stored in “C:\Program Files (x86)\YAMAHA\OPT Tools” just in case you want to double check the installation. I installed the AN Expert Editor and thought I was home free. Indeed, you can launch the editor via Studio Manager and tweak voices. The editor in standalone mode does not detect the MIDI interface and does not communicate with the AN200. Thank you, Studio Manager.

Version 1.2.2 of the AN Expert Editor, however, really wants to communicate with an AN1x synthesizer and does not handle MIDI bulk dumps from the AN200! The editor refers specifically to “AN1x” bulk dump, not “AN200” like the earlier XGWorks AN200 plug-in. One can still perform a bulk dump/receive through the AN200 front panel and the MIDI-OX utility. Although this is an adequate work around for back-ups, lack of AN200 bulk support may hinder voice management through the editor.

I still need to experiment with the VL editors. At least I have backed up the AN200 voices that I created years ago.

So, there you have it. Some successes, some failures. The old tech is great as long as you don’t let expectations about software support get too high. A deep breath or two along the way definitely helps!