PLG plug-in boards - which to choose?

[Sealed]

I finally won a YAMAHA MU100 module that can host one PLG plug-in board. I'll use it as a PLG module, and like to get a DX board and a VL board.

 

There are different versions - PLG100-DX and PLG150-DX, PLG100-VL and PLG150-VL, etc.

Do you know what's the difference between PLG100 series and PLG150 series?

 

And Please let me know anything about your PLG board experiences.

[LWG]

Hello,

 

This provides some perspective, but I'm not sure if it sheds any light on the

MU-100.

 

http://www.motifator.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=Plugboard&Number=75511&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

 

FWIW I use a Yamaha S80 as a master controller and for the fun of it, tried to use it as a host for the 150DX. I had heard of someone else having problems trying to get the card to work in an S80. After I got the same problem, I asked their tech support if they perhaps had a bad batch of cards.

They tried to make one work in an S80 of theirs and said they got the same result. (By not work, it refused to save your own custom patches as a user file).

Check out some of the Yammy forums out there and get what info you can. Although I like the feel of their weighted controllers, Yamaha's add-ons sometimes have compatability issues, and at times do not even appear to have been tested with their host products.

 

Regards,

 

 

Lawrence

[Sealed]

LWG, thank you very very much for your answer. The forum you referred clarified much about the PLG series.

 

There may be compatibility issue, as MU100 is an older machine. But I'll try and see what can be done with it.

 

The AN board is also attractive, but I already have an AN200 - a nice machine. And I'll look into SG and VH boards, too. I think PLG is still a great idea.

[Umbra]

First thing you should do is take the PLG150AN out of the AN200 and put it in the MU100 and see if you like working with the card that way (computer editor, integration into the MU100, patch loading, etc) .

 

The plug-in cards require that you load your patches in after the synth boots. There is no storage on the cards themselves. The way it works, atleast on a CS6x is that you store your patches on a smart media card under a certain file name which then gets loaded when the synth boots. My guess would be the S80, MU100 work the same, although the latest motif series are a bit different so maybe not.

 

Personally I'd stay away from the cards. They are mediocre at best. The midi implementation is terrible, probably one of the worst I've seen on a modern synth so writing your own editor isn't as easy as it is with a normal sysex based synth and yami is dumping support for them so there wont be any new official editors. The way the factory patches are stored on the cards is just downright stupid, especially the DX card. Also there are synths that have identical functionality that are far superior to those clunky cards.

 

In addition there are far better ways to host those cards than an mu100. I believe kenton(or somebody) makes a 1U rack that holds 4 cards. Much better alternative if you really think it's worth wasting time on them.

[Sealed]

Thanks, Umbra, for the idea of putting AN200 card into MU100. I'll try and see if there's difference in D/A quality.

 

According to your information, PLGs seem to have bad interface. One good thing is that I got MU100 for cheap. AN1x, DX200 and VL7 would be much better, though more expensive.

[Umbra]

 

AN1x, DX200 and VL7 would be much better, though more expensive.

I was thinking more along the lines of a modern VA, G2(for doing DX patching) and a Z1 to replace VL7.

 

FYI:

It's usually less expensive to buy a AN200/DX200 than to buy the plg card.

 

If I were doing the plg card thing I would go with http://www.kentonuk.com/products/plugstation.shtml

[Cloudschatze]

Sealed,

 

I have an MU100/PLG100-DX combination. I think it's a fantastic setup. I wholly recommend an MU host, rather than something like the Plugstation, as the PLG cards are completely integrated into the XG specification, resulting in some very, very powerful effect/control/combination possibilities. The MU100's Performance Mode will even let you layer four tones, either from the internal ROM, or the PLG card, allowing for a sort of hybrid PCM/FM patch.

 

As far as the editing capabilities are concerned, I am using Yamaha's XG Works 3.0 sequencer, which integrates the DX editor and librarian. (A stand-alone editor is also available.) I think it's fairly complete, and I haven't any reason to complain about the editing. Additionally, once installed, the PLG parameters can also be changed via the MU's front-panel controls. Not only that, but unless I'm mistaken, the PLG100/150-DX is also SysEx compatible with the DX7. I'm not sure how Yamaha could have made it any easier!

 

I haven't done much with the whole setup yet (other synths compete for time), but I did record a few of the demonstration tunes, if you're interested:

 

http://queststudios.com/smf/index.php/topic,1810.0.html

 

Oh, and the difference between the PLG100 and PLG150 boards is that the 150-series contain NVRAM for saving the user bank, whereas the 100-series do not, and will require you to re-load any user patches if power is disconnected.

[Cloudschatze]

Oh, one other thing. The MU100 mainboard has solder pads for one, possibly two additional PLG board headers. I'm not sure if there is actually room to mount two boards inside the case, but I think they will fit, and I am currently attempting to procure another header cable.

[Umbra]

 

Oh, and the difference between the PLG100 and PLG150 boards is that the 150-series contain NVRAM for saving the user bank, whereas the 100-series do not, and will require you to re-load any user patches if power is disconnected.

That's only true if the host supports saving directly to the 150's, most do not other than the motif and ES series.

 

Personally I'd stay as far away from XG Works as possible. It's probably the worst sequencer available, it's buggy, unstable, and feature poor.

[swardle]

I'm intersted in the VL plug in. Anyone have one?

[eric]

I use a pair of PLG-AN boards and a PLG-DX board in my S90. I'm not a big fan of the latency involved when accessing the sounds, but it is really cool to have these guys in the same host board, adding polyphony and sounds not possible with the core Rompler brain of the S90.

[Sealed]

 

did record a few of the demonstration tunes, if you're interested: http://queststudios.com/smf/index.php/topic,1810.0.html Oh, and the difference between the PLG100 and PLG150 boards is that the 150-series contain NVRAM for saving the user bank, whereas the 100-series do not, and will require you to re-load any user patches if power is disconnected.

 

Thank you very much, Cloudschatze! I'm very glad to listen to these nice combinations of FM and PCM. The performance mode will be very interesting - it can almost be an easy version of SY77.

 

And I'll look into 100 series - I mostly use my synths with my Mac/SoundDiver, and don't particularly need the hardware patch memory.

 

Umbra: Kenton Plugstation would be a great product, though it's not available in my area. YAMAHA says that the PLG architecture allows simultaneous use of 8 boards. It would be nice if there were PLG version of TX816, or 8-polyphonic VL synth.

And yes, I have a Z1. I haven't dug deep into Z1, but it's my impression that Z1's physical modelling does not have much variety. I expect to see if PLG-VL has more flexible engine.

[Miket156]

I have been planning on getting a few PLG boards for my MOTIF ES8 before Yamaha decides to stop making them altogether. I don't know if they are planning on doing that real soon or not. I have been considering the PLG100-VH Vocal Harmony board, and the PLG150-AP Piano card, and maybe the PLG150-DR drum card.

 

Does anyone have any of those cards? I'm a bit concerned about the latency that Eric mentioned. I play 99% of my songs using the internal sequencer of my Motif ES8, and I use one or more tracks for my own live KB parts that I play along with the sequences. All the piano card would have to do is be available as another piano sound that I setup within my sequences. I don't know that I will record anything from the card into the sequences or just use it for live parts I play on the fly.

 

The vocal harmony board I would use for background vocals (typically two part harmony) while I sing lead live.

 

I've been thinking about adding the drum card too, just for "more" drum kits. I think the piano sound as well as the drum sounds on the Motif ES8 are fine, but I would like to add more sounds.

 

Anyone have any experiences with these cards that can give me any insight?

 

Mike T.

[Meatball Fulton]

I have three of the AN boards installed in an ES6. The latency is seen when selecting voices from the boards, it takes a little over a second for the switch to happen, it's not as fast as the "native" voices. There is no latency when playing the voices!

 

As far as the AP and DR boards the main reason to add them would not be to have more/different sounds but to add polyphony. The AP board is 64 voice polyphonic by itself, it doesn't use up any of the ES's 128 voices; the drum card is 32 voice polyphonic.