Dom explores the SY Series flagship. Released in 1991, the SY99 was the SY series flagship. It used RCM synthesis (Realtime Convolution and Modulation) synthesis combining AWM (Advanced Wave Memory) and 6 Operator AFM (Advanced Frequency Modulation) Synthesis. RCM’s unique modulation capabilities enabled AWM samples as modulation sources for the AFM engine.
The SY99 featured a few significant upgrades over its sibling, the SY77:
A larger 76 note keyboard with zoned aftertouch (channel aftertouch programmable to affect notes played either above or below a split point independently)
Three times the amount of AWM waveforms (2 Mb in SY77 and 8 Mb in SY99)
500 Kb of battery-backed user sample RAM, expandable to 3 Mb
Upgraded SPX900 level multi effects
Upgraded master keyboard functionality
Check out Dom’s tour of this legendary instrument below:
Yamaha Synthesizer Product Specialist Blake Angelos has over thirty years of experience with music hardware and software. An expert in music technology, Blake has conducted numerous clinics, master classes and presentations throughout the United States, Europe and Canada. In his role as Product Specialist for the Synthesizer Department Blake appears in many product videos and artist interviews, writes many articles for YamahaSynth.com and co-hosts a regular Podcast called “Behind the Synth”.
Before his work with Yamaha, he taught music theory and jazz studies courses at Arizona State University; managed a technology-focused music store in Seattle and was a production supervisor at Microsoft, where he led a team that developed groundbreaking interactive music content for the Microsoft Network. Blake holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Northern Colorado and a Master of Music degree from Arizona State University. Blake currently resides in Bellingham, Washington with his family, and between his travels around the world for Yamaha, he performs as much as possible with several jazz and creative music groups in Bellingham, Seattle and other places in the Pacific Northwest.
