Yamaha MU - The Ultimate DTM Tone Generators! (Sound Profile)

[@SpeedySPCFan]

Just some quick corrections before anyone comments on them: 1: I used the wrong artwork for POWER! XG in this video - there was a miscommunication about the album name that was my fault, and I was in too much of a hurry to get this video done to notice. 2: I stated that Pianoteq is just pianos - this isn't true, it does some instruments that aren't acoustic or electric pianos like harpsichords, steel drums, etc. My bad for not reading further into what it can do!

[@hienvu1714]

For someone who's new to MIDI (for music, not games) would you recommend spending $200ish on a SC-88PRO, $300ish on a UM2000 or a little more for a MU2000EX? I don't care too much about drum sounds or weird allien sound effects. Mostly synth, synth pads, EPs, strings, brass, organ. Thank you!

[@ChilliusVGM]

This video sold me on the Yamaha MU2000 back in late 2021, and I finally got one last month! I thank you for this information heavy, fantastically edited and put together video! :D

[@ベンゲルのカナズミトム]

This video is really well done. It is very entertaining and informative. It's cool to have a video that covers that fantastic line of DTM tone generators.

[@XavierRadix]

Fantastic video as always, Speedy. Your videos get better and better each time! I mean, I'm even gonna go as far as saying you're up there with big ones (8-bit Guy, LGR, Technomoan). The fact that you've worked with David extensively, already shows your talent! Brilliant work. All that's missing is the amount of subscribers! That has to change :).

[@AndersEngerJensen]

Great in-depth feature of a cool series of modules. Wonder if I should get one, but kinda looking out for the FS1R, although it's ridiculously rare and expensive. Got my TXes, Motifs and such though so I'm probably well covered already. :D

[@nneeerrrd]

That's a titanic work Speedy! Enjoyed every bit of it. Thanks!

[@fosferus]

i don't know why i'm drawn to these goofy modules, but i love them. thank you for doing all your deep dive videos into 90s GM devices.

[@MidoriMizuno]

I somehow grew to love Yamaha XG synth module's sounds so much that i think at this point i prefer them over typical sounds of Roland's SC-xx line. Also these green displays though

[@musicaldracula2017]

Sounds really fantastic. I have MU1000EX and I like it more than Motif es8 I have. :)

[@kotto7877]

Holy crap! I've never seen anywhere near this many links to other youtube vids in the description of a youtube vid! Gonna take a long time to go through the TWENTY-EIGHT new tabs in my browser for these. :-O

[@broparty7076]

Your enthusiasm is a bit too contagious but I digress. A well done video and really like the demos shown, audio examples are a great welcome.

[@xgmode]

So far the most fun has been the Yamaha DB-50XG daughterboard combined with XG-Gold (registered). Being able to load up QS300 patches (not fully compatible tho, not all basic samples are on the daughterboard or could be loaded) or make new ones thru the QS editor (which isn't possible with all the other soundmodules in the MU range, shame on you Yamaha) has been my best investment ever. I used to have the daughterboard connected to a soundcard with waveblaster port, but was very noisy, these days have it connected to a high quality interface (CHiLL Waveblaster MIDI interface (Serdashop)) which is way less noisy.

[@EpicureMammon]

The DB50XG is pretty amazing. I grabbed one on a whim when it was on clearance at Best Buy and it started an XG obsession. The QS300 sounds are really amazing. I wish they'd implemented them on something else. I don't know if I've ever tried to see if they were compatible with the SW60XG or not, but I think they are.

[@xgmode]

@@EpicureMammon Yamaha forgot to lock the SW60XG as well? Which there was a way to unlock the MU modules and load QS300 patches in those, e.g. my MU500 has more FX and FX slots.

[@rbus]

Just ordered an MU128! Been a fan of XG from way back with a SW60XG and several DB50XGs, then got two SW1000XGs which I intended to double but found the MU128 twice the polyphony in one unit.

[@douglasschafer4850]

Great production and info!!!! Good job, Speedy DTM!

[@musicaldracula2017]

I agree. I have MU1000 and soundwise it is not shy standing beside my Motif ES. Great module!

[@Old_Man_Jay]

Man, I HAVE to get one of these now! Sounds awesome!

[@mr_floydst]

Great video! I wanted one of these so badly in the 90s, but my budget was too limited back then. ;-)

[@serhiymarchenko8361]

SW60XG (MU50 on PC ISA card) was my first “synth”. I remember how I was trying to get 909 drum sounds out of it and also calculating parts polyphony (reserves). :) Also, remember I was drooling over MU100R, which I have got many years later (for cheap). Great unit.

[@MrZerolix]

Need to do more of these man, they're so interesting

[@wilcandou]

Went for the Motif ES rack... brilliant!!! Have also got the Roland FantomX Rack with the drum and piano cards, also... Brilliant.

[@YoshiLightStar]

The S-YXG50 SoftSynth with the 4MB sample set is really cool, the last couple months I've been messing with it via Domino and I have to say its pretty powerful despite some of its limitations. The variation effects are very neat and they work very well in both System and Insertion mode plus it has 128 note polyphony and its TG300B mode is actually marked as GS which is surprising. I really wish Yamaha made a VST of S-YXG100 PVL because it is pretty good since it has both 8 channel VL support and SG support, unfortunately its stuck as a windows 98 driver and most VM software I tried have bad audio delay making it harder to work with. Overall its a very fun thing to mess with and shows Yamaha's old Software synths are good

[@VickersDoorter]

I still have a boxed Yamaha MU2000 EX with PLG cards fitted. I really should dig it out of store some time, having not used it for nearly 10 years! 32 simultaneous channels of extended GM midi on one USB really was quite ahead of its time.

[@hienvu1714]

I'm in the US and considering buying a MU2000EX from Japan. Are you interested in selling yours? Thanks.

[@noah-gabel]

First of all, it goes without saying that the Sound Profile series is some of the most detailed and binge-able content about this topic so props to you for these fantastic resources. I’m wondering what the best MU unit would be if I wanted to use it as mainly an effects unit for an electric guitar as you show in the video given that some have more effects than others. Thanks!

[@larslevinberget9558]

Nice review of some very capable and compact modules from the end of my Timeline of comparable keyboards & synthesizers 1978-1998 (Roland, Korg, Yamaha, AKAI & KAWAI) The VL is very interesting here along with the QY100 ... have you tried to hook them all up? Yamaha had some very neat guitar amps and effects - the DG Stomp that outplayed both Line6 and Behringer at that time :)

[@Smurf431]

I own the Yamaha 500 and am really craving the MU1000 more after this video for the screen / buttons…….Thanks!

[@jimbotron70]

I like that bright lime green hue of the screen, I wonder how they got it, it's not a simple green LED.

[@trevor_mounts_music]

I'm 1000% buying one of these to make some tasty retro house, hip hop, and jungle tracks. So many cool, nostalgic sounds in here - feel like the Sound Canvas + Yamaha MU boxes are really underrated. Reminds me of that PS1/Dreamcast era vibe, especially the strings, guitars, and synth sounds.

[@jon_c]

I loved this video! I actually just discovered you today. Your technical knowledge is awesome! The first thing I do when I get something new is crack it open and see what makes it tick. I have a Triton! I'm eyeing a MU2000EX on ebay right now. I have XGWorks, A Yamaha QY-700 (desktop sequencer with an XG module built in), the SYXG100 software, and PolyVL...I had to buy an old Windows 98 workstation laptop to make all of it run. Despite it being $5000 in the 90s (this thing has 128MB of RAM!!!), it was only $45 on Ebay. I also have the SY77, DX-7, and FS1R. I love the SY77 because you can change the waveshape of the individual operators like in some more advanced OPL3 soundcards. I loved your comment about dealing with latency and artifacting with VSTis....That and the whole being able to reach out and grab a synthesizer's controls is why I don't use virtual instruments. The FS1R is an amazing sounding device, but a horrendous nightmare when it comes to programming. There are over 1000 editable parameters and you basically have to menu dive through them with only 9 buttons. They are expensive...I had to become a software engineer just to support my synthesizer addiction. Also, are you propping up your 1000 on your Triton Extreme with a pile of floppy disks? Anyway- I don't share any of my composed music because I kind of suck. Would love to have a dialog with you sometime.

[@TheAfpetersen]

Loved this. Laughed hard at the part of becoming an software engineer. Thumbs up from sweden. I too compose music that a very few or none listen to.

[@TotallyGoodatGames]

6:04 I know him! Wally Chantek and I worked on a retro-style racing game soundtrack together way back in 2012!

[@WallyChantek]

Still love the ending theme you did, really great tune.

[@contactjuggler21]

Just discovered your channel. Your videos are thorough and useful. Subbed.

[@EpicureMammon]

OMG. I didn't know about the switch to basic mode. After I got an SW1000XG, I edited some of my favorite XG songs to fix volume and reverb on some pieces, but it was still never quite right compared to the DB50XG and SW60XG. I have an MU-1000 and will have to try this out!

[@sniperviperman6400]

thanks for the MU series video, I used to have a Yamaha DB50XG, MU90R and an MU128 with plg boards vl, dx and an all sold and still regret it

[@ShinkoNet]

oh my god 53 minutes congrats

[@dmomcilovic9185]

Excellent review

[@thorndust5329]

Finally picked up an MU1000! just waiting for it to arrive.......

[@alexalbaneive7015]

Grazie mille per il bellissimo video!! ciao!!!

[@alberthouwaart]

Hey Speedy Love your video's man!! May I ask is there a way to get the power xg songs as midi files?

[@alsara2k]

what an incredible video

[@docteurgreene]

Come on Yamaha! please make a new sound module rack with the Montage presets!

[@misterjonestech1611]

Quick correction: Prior to the MU128, the units came in the common half-rack package or a full rack as was the case of the MU90R and MU100R, both of which I used to sell when they were new. There was also the desktop models The MU5 and MU15 with the MU5 being GM only and the MU15 which has XG support (I owned the MU5 for a couple of years in the mid 90's).

[@tlazohtlalia]

I like the older sounding pianos from the MU basic mapping because they remind me of Italio House music from the 90s

[@buckyBitBoy]

I love these old modules, perfect for indie games

[@lightascend2524]

1:54 They played Ambient by Sam Sketty on their MU90 synthesizer, simply judging by the shown parameters and the movement of metres.

[@jodyjohnson265]

Fun fact soundfonts downloaded from the Internet can't replace Yamaha XG generated tones and that's why you need a Yamaha mu or a Yamaha syxg50 plugin

[@djinferno8690]

I have a perfect condition mu-100 that i managed to pick up from japan about a year and a half ago for about $50. She works great.

[@909crime]

my brother overheard the trumpet at @15:07 and he said that's fire

[@chrisyking]

Now if you could make a kontakt version of the sw1000xg, I would pay a lot of money for that.

[@SianaGearz]

Oof. The rompler engine isn't very trivial, it responds to quite a few parameters and the chain ends up being baked in if you sample it, and if you try to suppress the chain, you still can't achieve the same result in a different sample engine. So your choice between sound that is authentic but easy to break and not flexible, and a synth that behaves in an expected manner (minus XG features) but never sounds right.

[@claudiopassavanti2925]

I love it!

[@EgoShredder]

Regards the screenless MU100B versions you mention, I guess they could be controlled fully using Yamaha Studio Connections plugin format software. I use this inside Steinberg Cubase 5 to control my four MU100R rack modules and the six different PLG boards inside (AN, DX, AP, VL, DR, VH). It basically turns your MU and PLG stuff into VSTi instruments. One thing to note is that the plugins for each synth inside Studio Connections, can only be downloaded from the Japanese Yamaha website. Not all the plugins are available from the USA or European main sites. All the ones on the Japanese site are in English too.

[@chrisyking]

Hi, do you think you could do a kontakt library of these sounds? I would pay! I have a load of old songs done on an SW1000xg that I need to re do.

[@halzz121212]

Hello I just bought a mu2000 after watching this video I am a musician/guitarist that is making music with synths now And I am hoping I can midi it up to my current rig that has a roland mc707 and an beatstep pro as my sequencer. If I can bother you with questions let me know. Thanks for the great video !!!!! Most information I found on these units ✌😊

[@ghifordmizzard1897]

to connect a keyboard just use a midi cable with a 5-pin din connector??? then to play just select midi channel 1?

[@lightascend2524]

24:12 The MU1000/2000 upgrade may not need to be run under Windows or Mac. In fact, any OS should do. The update data file is, in fact, a MIDI file with modified structure, containing actual SysEx strings for EPROM writing. You just need to execute those MIDI files, and viola, your unit's upgraded, saving the embarrasement of having to ask others for help ;) You can even reverse the full ROM file out of those YDL update files, and flash those if you like.

[@tlazohtlalia]

I'm glad that GX supports sweet! live! and cool! Voices the live! Grand piano is bank 113 sound 1 And this sound is on multiple digital pianos, keyboards and synths from yamaha

[@saren6538]

I have a Yamaha fs1r would I still want / need one of these ?

[@ashleywhiteman2684]

I have one of the mu128 models with an/pc/Dr please boards I use it with an ATari St running cubase 3.1 Everything o could want from an all in one box, I use an evolution usc controller with it great stuff.

[@Choops6969]

what games beyond brandish 4/VT and FF7 actually use the XG midi format? I have a mu2000ex and I'm happy with the sound for random GS playback overall, but the quality of said two games blows everything else away. i want more. however, here seems to not be any listing of games.

[@XzTS-Roostro]

I had a Yamaha XG ISA sound card installed in my old AST Bravo P series

[@mikeme4456]

My first one was SW1000XG (Mu128 inside), then got a QY100 for a good price! Still,have them, still using the second…

[@serhiymarchenko8361]

I always thought SW1000XG had MU100 equivalent inside. Anyway, the models are pretty close (beside polyphony/parts number and expansion).

[@sonicaids]

do you know if you can use the controls on a midi controller keyboard to change the resonance and cutoff?

[@ベンゲルのカナズミトム]

The Genos still has those reverbs.

[@qwertyasdf66]

46:17 *The lick*

[@ZWestfall]

Were one of these units used to compose the music for Earthbound?

[@DhinCardoso]

I will say it again! Where are you? We need you ♥

[@billsolomon1]

I have a Yamaha MU 80 module. need to replace battery. The original battery was welded into the pc board. Got that one out but I could see what battery is in the unit!! I assume it is a 2032. So I purchase a socket for the battery and some 2032. But my next problem will be factory reset the system after the battery is back in the system. Do you know how to do a reset of this module???

[@EyalCohenHealingMaster]

Is there's a possibility to find a USB driver for windows 98/ME???

[@EyalCohenHealingMaster]

???

[@kalebyoung4098]

how do you apply the effects to live input instruments like a guitar?

[@OrGerard]

Hi Sppedy, how to do the self MU check as you did at 07:40? Many thanks!

[@squirrelsyrup1921]

Is Planet X3 named after the Korg X3?

[@adisamtima1960]

Speedy how do i put the mu1000 in local off mode so i can use it with my sequencer flstudio 20, or does anyone else know? I keep getting double notes.

[@JohnSmith-ut9ti]

Wheres the vl70m review bro?

[@SpeedySPCFan]

It'll happen eventually, I just haven't had the motivation to work on videos because of personal reasons

[@oazlast8844]

can it be connected to Yamaha dx 11 keyboard ????

[@adamotto1147]

I'm not sure if I missed it, but how do you get around the US voltage conversion for the 1000/2000?

[@SpeedySPCFan]

I don't think I mentioned it directly in the video, but the power supply they use is *external* (hence why I said they use center positive 12V 3A power supplies). Just buyone that takes the right voltage from your wall and use that.

[@deejay7339]

@@SpeedySPCFan I know this is an old post, but... Something like this would work? www.amazon.com/PK-Power-MU2000EX-MU1000EX-Genetator/dp/B06XC6P3VZ I'm clueless on these things XD

[@monx]

Not sure if you covered it, can the MU1000 be USB powered?

[@SpeedySPCFan]

Sadly no. No model of the MU can be USB powered - the only USB powerable desktop synths know of at all are the Roland/EdiRol SD-20 and SC-8820.

[@HiranthaIddamalgoda]

I have had an MU 2000 I got down from Japan in 2015. Not used it yet. I have installed the Yamaha MIDI drivers and my Sequencer can see the instrument. But unlike in my SC-D70 where I see two MIDI instruments SC-D70 A and B each having 16 channels, I don't see the four MIDI instruments in the MU 2000 so I can use the 4x16 MIDI channels. Any idea how this is done?

[@xgmode]

Howmany ports does it show in your sequencer? Here it shows like 8 ports to choose from, got a MU500.

[@HiranthaIddamalgoda]

@@xgmode hi. I have uninstalled it now. It showed 16 ports. But none communicated with the sequencer.

[@xgmode]

@@HiranthaIddamalgoda : I see, strange. I’ll try it myself, have only tested one port so far.

[@HiranthaIddamalgoda]

@@xgmode thank you Rob. I feel like going back to trying it again....☺️👍👍

[@xgmode]

@@HiranthaIddamalgoda : Or just sell the thing to me haha. For analysis I installed Midi-ox, will get back to you what my module does.

[@Uz7Racer]

Hello! I need your Help! I own a Yamaha MU100R with both Expansion Cards in it. my question is, what software is there out specific to work the Yamaha MU series? I want to control that thing in the best posible way. I also try to figure out, wich DAW i use for my purpose. i Actually think, i would go for Cubase right now. I need some help and i would be very happy, if we could chat a little. Have a nice Day!

[@xgmode]

XGedit, latest version registered. I have it running in a virtual machine with Windows 7. Sending MIDI thru RTPmidi to my Host OS (Win10), controlling a MU500.

[@serhiymarchenko8361]

I have tried to run XGedit on Mac (OS X 10.14) under Wine, but it is not working well. Looks like there is some problem receiving SysEx longer than 128 bytes. Same problem with AN1xedit. Nord Modular editor works well though. Maybe the issue with specific wine version.

[@alexthejapanfan7905]

Where is this Program at 36:36 called?

[@SpeedySPCFan]

MIDITrail.

[@alexthejapanfan7905]

@@SpeedySPCFan Thanks! :)

[@HamguyBacon]

hydrogen peroxide and UV cleans the yellow.

[@lanmichaelmix2818]

it is all about the musician.If the music sounds shitty,no matter how modern and "high-fidelity" the software VST,how expensive the instrument is,The music is still 💩.You can make music from any sound nowadays,people made great musuc back from analog era too.Modern tools are for a fun game not really needed for making any quaility music.