yamaha mu80 xg sound module

[simmo123]

Hi Folks,Simmo was wondering if anyone can give me there opinion on the above module,there is one for sale locally in good condition,would it be an asset for me even though i already have a Sonic Cell module,i often hear mention on the forum about XG midifiles,any feed back most welcome asap..many thanks Simmo

[frank]

Simmo are you not happy with the sound you've got.Its going to be a lot of work reballancing and tweeking your files. Is it worth the hastle.
Make sure the back light is bright if you decide to buy.Also see if it can be connected via USB as some older Yamaha sound modules were conected via serial ports.

[levi2]

ive got the mu50 which i use to record on to minidisc i like it a lot dunno how much difference is with the mu80 poss more voices

[JohnG]

Hi Terry (and all),

The Yamaha MU80 came out around 1995.

The cost of memory to store the voices has changed so markedly since that time that the SonicCell is simply streets ahead, both in number of voices and the overall quality. The MU80 doesn't have USB connectivity either (it hadn't been invented in '95) just MIDI ins and outs and a "to host" connector. You'll need a serial port on your PC to use that. You'll need to get to grips with Yamaha SysEx messages to get the best out of it too.

It has no memory to store songs or anything like that. It's quite useful as a gigging piece of hardware though. And better than the onboard PC sounds by far. There's an SoS review here www.soundonsound.com/sos/1995_articles/apr95/yamahamu80.html.

Any help?
JohnG.

[simmo123]

Many thanks John & Frank for your valuable feed back on the module,you have both convinced me that i stay as i am using the sonic cell to do all my editing,its all going well,still heaps to learn but feeling a little more comfortable with it,i know nothing about the earlier modules but because it was offered very cheap i thought that it would be a useful addition but thanks to your comments i have probably avoided myself a lot of heartaches in the future,where would i be without the forum..thanks again...Simmo

[levi2]

simmo i use my mu50 via usb you just buy a usb-midi interface theres lot going about the one i got is very small has usb casble one end and midi in/out din plugs other end to connect to the mu50 if your gettingthe mu80 cheap i would go for it as i say thats what i use to record all my backing onto minidisc

levi2

[frank]

Dec 19, 2010 0:30:45 GMT levi2 said:

simmo i use my mu50 via usb you just buy a usb-midi interface theres lot going about the one i got is very small has usb casble one end and midi in/out din plugs other end to connect to the mu50 if your gettingthe mu80 cheap i would go for it as i say thats what i use to record all my backing onto minidisc

levi2

Just what I need for the TG 100. Where do you get them and does it need any additional software ?

[simmo123]

Hi Levis2,thanks for additional info,what i am using & have been for the last 3 years on my gigs is a unit called an Mblaster2 it cost a bit then but now they have got cheaper,it will play midifiles,wav or mp3 all stored on a flash card,after editing the midi as best i can & customizing it to suit myself using Sonar le & my sonic cell module i put the midi into wav & then into mp3 format,i then transfer the mp3s via usb to the Mblaster where it goes into my playlist in the same order as my book carrying lyrics etc,i like to be well organised so that i can avoid any awkward pauses etc,the view window on the mblaster unit displays 6 songs at a time & can scroll through them very fast at the turn of a dial, the viewing window is about 4cm x 10cm the Mblaster has never let me down,i used to use midifiles on it when i first got it & it will store over 4000 files but the sound engine side of it for midi's was nothing special that is the reason am using mp3s because i can capture all the goody sounds of the sonic cell module.I still have a long way to go with all this tech stuff but i am getting there slowly.I've probably got a bit sidetracked from the original thread but at the end of the day if anyone has any suggestions or queries on this subject it can only be beneficial to the forum if more info is available.I have attached an mp3 which i have edited from a midi & it is one i use at the oldies gigs& is always popular with the folks,i play the rhythm & a 12 bar lead on guitar (still learning ) in the middle (this is not on mp3) just to make it more interesting,i would appreciate any hints,etc to ie,improve the quality, put more effects,make the instruments sound better etc .I am hoping that i have loaded the mp3 on correctly using 4 share.....Simmo.. having a lazy sunday


www.4shared.com/audio/nK1QMi3c/13_GREEN_DOOR_SC_G.html

[JohnG]

Hi Terry, all,

Don't misunderstand, I'm not slagging off the MU80, far from it. In its time it was a good unit and it can still beat the onboard synth or microsnot's GS softsynth version, if properly set up. It and the MU50, MU90, MU100, MU128, MU1000 and MU2000 are good units. The SW1000 internal card is too. They got progressively better from about 1994 until about 2000, when they moved to things like the Motif and the Tyros series of keyboards.

So, if you don't already have a good tone generator, then I'd certainly recommend any one of these MUs.

I own a few of these. Actually an SW1000, two MU128s and two MU1000s as well as a Roland SC-8850. But IMO the only way (or certainly the most straightforward way) to get the best from them, the MUs, is to use Yamaha's, now discontinued, XGworks program to access the parameters needed. And I'm still in the throes of writing an XGworks tutorial.

If anyone cares to make me a sensible offer for one or more of the MU128s, I'm listening.

But the SonicCell is an excellent unit with a really fantastic set of extra features and huge palette of sounds that only units like the MU128 or MU1000/2000 come close to matching. But they still don't match by quite a long way. At least IMO.

I'll dig out my SonicCell manual, Terry, and take a look at it again. See if I can give you some more hints on using the effects units. It'll give me something to do whilst Susanne is in hospital, instead of worrying. After I've finished the first XGworks tutorial.

Hope that clarifies things?
JohnG.

[levi2]

frank just do a search for usb to midi interface theres a few the one i got didnt need a driver infact cant remember if it came with a mini cd/dvd with drivers on it but i just plug it into the usb port go to the midi devices in the prog im using and its there in the devices just select that and thats it

[levi2]

simmo the mu50 is just a sound module as you will know that what i do is link it to me laptop then link the minidisk to the mu50 outputs and record direct onto mindisk using EQ for the minidiscs on mixer when playing back at gigs. if you want to make a mp3 youll prolly have to set it up so the mu lineout goes to the pc line in record your midi and save as wav or mp3

[frank]

Dec 19, 2010 13:33:52 GMT levi2 said:

frank just do a search for usb to midi interface theres a few the one i got didnt need a driver infact cant remember if it came with a mini cd/dvd with drivers on it but i just plug it into the usb port go to the midi devices in the prog im using and its there in the devices just select that and thats it

Thanks mate will check them out.

[levi2]

no probs frank

[frank]

Levi would this be ok for a TG 100 ,usb - midi so I dont need to use "host" connection.

[JohnG]

Hi Frank,

A USB to MIDI converter should work just fine with any device that has the standard MIDI in and out connectors, like the TG100. Sometimes it's better to spend a little more 'dosh' and get a good quality one from one of the better manufacturers, as they write their own USB driver software which is usually much better than the generic microsnot ones. But for many people the generic drivers work just fine.

However, if you've already got the "to host" cable and the CBX drivers loaded they may work better than the generic MIDI drivers. The only problem IMO with the "to host" cable is the very limited length.

HTH?
JohnG.