Yamaha A-Series Wave Start Address Modulation

[aeon]

The Yamaha A3K/A4K/A5K series of hardware samplers offer a well-specified modulation matrix, for both individual samples as well as the overall patch/program that makes use of those samples.

 

In this tip I am going to explore some possibilities that can be achieved with modulation of the wave start address (a sample-level modulation). Part of the reason I am choosing to do so is because the manual gives no information as to how the modulation amount relates to a given memory address!

 

Using a MIDI controller with a freely-tweakable mod wheel or knob/slider is very helpful when initially

[aeon]

I like to use sample start modulation to make samples of other synths come alive for string and pad sounds. Here is how:

 

Sample and loop your wave such that the loop length is equal to the total length of the sample. This sampling is easy work if you are sampling something that was already looped, such as the

[aeon]

what, no love for the obsessive programmers among us?

 

^bump

[mildbill]

nice tips.

it's been quite a while since i've done stuff like that, and truth be told, i've barely used my a5000 since getting it.

 

i did have an ensoniq eps a while ago that i goofed around with, tho.

you could assign a modulator to control the whole loop position and not just the start point.

for some things it worked pretty good, but for most it got awful grungy when using, say, the mod wheel to sweep the loop position thru the sample and kept passing thru non-zero points.

 

fun stuff tho - almost makes me want to try it again.

[greenshag]

thanks for the tips aeon, I will try these tonight with my A4000!!

[BOBA JFET]

For those unaware, this (excellent) trick also works on E-mu EIV and Emulator X samplers, as well as on Proteus 2000-series synths. Probably a lot of other E-mus as well.

[aeon]

Is the wave address start modulation in Emulator X different than that of the Proteii/Command Stations?

 

I ask because the degree to which the pointer can be moved on my CS is nowhere near to what the Yamaha can do.

 

Then again, there aren't any samples in the CS that are ~10 seconds long either, hehe.

 

 

wondering,

aeon

[urbanscallywag]

You mind posting a clip of the grainular and microdelays? I'm interested in what you can do with this trick.

[mr.rob]

Neat trick. I'd like to do that using Reaktor. There is this one ensemble I use called Randolph. Its a tad different in the way it works but maybe has some similarities. It allows you to load four loops. You set the loop's start point and length and then you can mopdulate the start point so it skips around. Additionally, each loop has two control strips. One is "random Pitch" another is "random gate" which allow you to further control things like 'sync clock divider' and 'random pattern length' 'mod' 'range' each loop has amplitude and pitch envelopes as well as pitch settings. The "random Pitch" has a parameter called 'interval' in addition to the range parameter. It's an insta-IDM ensemble.

[BOBA JFET]

 

Originally posted by aeon Is the wave address start modulation in Emulator X different than that of the Proteii/Command Stations? I ask because the degree to which the pointer can be moved on my CS is nowhere near to what the Yamaha can do. Then again, there aren't any samples in the CS that are ~10 seconds long either, hehe. wondering, aeon

 

 

Yeah, just using a standard modulation routing I could modulate the start position like 10 seconds at least, and with the 4x modifier it would be...well, a bunch! Like, practically a million seconds, dude!

[Lava Lamp]

Great ideas Aeon, I bet some users at the Yahoo A5000 Group would benefit from your step-by-step.

 

I haven't messed with the modulations much in my A5k. I read your post yesterday and tried it on several long atmospheric samples and also on some analog leads - slight modulation of the sample start address really does bring a static sample to life.

 

Thanks!

 

Oh, I have one question for A-series owner's - Can their only be 1 program LFO running at a time? (And would that be Program 1's LFO?)

[aeon]

since the Program LFO is a program-level function (hence the name, doh!), it, like the FX engines, is only available once per given program.

 

that said, it can be routed to multiple sample(banks), so it can modulate across a multitimbral setup*.

 

*multi in the sense of using MIDI channel assign per sample, not using the program-level multi that exists only on the A4K/A5K (A3K does not have this).

 

I never use the program-level multi, as it is less convenient and has poorer timing than the original sample(bank)-level MIDI assignment.

 

 

cheers,

aeon

[Lava Lamp]

Ahh I see...

I guess I just haven't spent enough time with this machine.

 

Too many toys...

 

Thanks once again.