PSR Keyboards (11 Boards) > PSR-S970/S770/S670 (SFF2)

Why PSR-S serie don't use AMM2 technology ?

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pquenin:
The PSR-S970 or S975 are quite expensive but they still use the old AWM technology.
I have play with a "cheap" MX 49 that is AWM2 and the sounds were "bigger"...

panos:
Hi pquenin,
As long as the Yamaha MX49 is a synthesizer I guess the synthi sounds should sound better there.
It needs a pc and a daw to produce sounds, right?
And probably it is using another technology than the s970/s975 were the sounds must be more "realistic" to acoustic organs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Juy7ZeAfIhY
https://www.thomann.de/gb/yamaha_mx49_v2_black.htm


I could find this article about what WMA technology means
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_Arithmetic_synthesis

Very nice synthi sounds by the way for such a low price.

SeaGtGruff:
I don't know what the differences between AWM and AWM2 are, but Yamaha's arrangers use AWM, while their synths use AWM2:

PSR-S3000: AWM Stereo Sampling
PSR-S975: AWM Stereo Sampling
Tyros5: AWM Stereo Sampling
Genos: AWM Stereo Sampling, AEM technology

MM8: AWM2
MOTIF XF8: AWM2, with Expanded Articulation
MOXF8: AWM2, with Expanded Articulation
MX88: AWM2
MONTAGE8: Motion Control Synthesis Engine, AMW2: 8 Elements, FM-X: 8 Operators, 88 Algorithms

The following page says a number of things-- some incorrect-- from various people who don't really know:

http://www.harmonycentral.com/forum/forum/Keyboards/acapella-18/341405-

But one comment that might be correct is that the difference has to do with how the soundwave samples are compressed:


--- Quote ---AWM uses a constant algorithm to encode the wave information. AWM2, on the other hand, allows the programmer (sound designer) to roughly optimize the compression for a given sample. For example, a triangle lead may be able to suffer much more compression (due to the fact that it has very little bandwidth and harmonics) when compared with a steel-string guitar, or harpsichord, both of which contain a great deal of non-static harmonics.
--- End quote ---

The following page on Yamaha's site doesn't really explain the difference:

https://usa.yamaha.com/products/contents/music_production/synth_40th/history/chapter03/index.html

But it seems to say that AWM2 uses improved digital filters:


--- Quote ---At that time, Yamaha had actually developed a digital filter capable of reproducing the behavior of an analog one, a feature that made its long awaited debut in our SY77 digital synthesizer in 1989. The SY77 was equipped with both an AWM tone generator and an FM tone generator, both of which could be used together with the digital filter to sculpt sound for remarkable levels of expression. These two new approaches to tone generation were christened Advanced Wave Memory 2 (AWM2) synthesis and Advanced Frequency Modulation (AFM) synthesis, respectively.
--- End quote ---

Anyway, it seems that AWM must be sufficient for "ROMpler" keyboards which are intended to play back sampled instrument sounds without much need or desire to create new sounds the way a synthesizer can. Yes, you can tweak the voices by making adjustments to the attack time, release time, filter cutoff frequency, filter resonance amount, etc. But apparently AWM isn't sufficient for digital synthesizers, which is why Yamaha's synths use AWM2.

Joe H:
My MU100R and MU128 XG sound modules use AWM2 and they are not synths.  I suspect AWM Stereo may very well be AWM2 by another name. Or it is possible AWM2 uses a different kind of compression than AWM allowing larger samples or a different sample rate. 

The Motif features AWM2 Voices and I honestly don't hear any real significant difference in the sound quality between the S970 and the Motif. When I play them together and they blend very well with one another. But the S970 sounds better than the MU128.  I suspect it is the improvement in DSPs or how they are adjusted that make the S970 sound better in that case. I believe the S970 inherited some the Motif DSPs so maybe that's why the Motif and S970 sound better than the 1990s MU sound modules.

Having said all that, I must admit the when I put the MU128 into Performance Mode the DSPs make it shine because we can layer up to 4 Voices and use up to 5 DSP processors at once plus Channel EQ and Master EQ.

Joe H

Joe H:
The MX49/61 are the last in the line of recycled Motif technology without the great display of the Motif XS or XF. What you do get is the sounds of the original Motif with only 999 arpeggios instead of thousands, only 2 arpeggiators instead of 4, and fewer User Voice Banks. It is the most scaled-back Motif.  The MX is the last attempt by Yamaha to milk the Motif cow for all it's worth before releasing the Montage.

Yamaha has recycled much of their technology such as vintage synths like the DX7 (FM), AN1x (Analog) and Grand Piano (from their first digital piano) in the form of plug-in cards, beat boxes (for FM and AN) then again as mini keyboards they call Reface.

We can get the Motif sound out of our arrangers with the right synth Voices. And Yamaha is adding those Voices with every new arranger keyboard it releases.

Joe H

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