YAMAHA VL 1 | VIRTUAL ACOUSTIC SYNTHESIZER 1993 | FACTORY DEMO SONGS

[@AlexBallMusic]

Kenny G _and_ Steve Vai in one keyboard? I'm sold.

[@tonyisyourpal]

Alex Ball And bagpipes too, it can do a mean set of bagpipes... seriously though, this is one of those synths I always wanted to have a play with. And the near mythic VP-1 too...

[@_P_M_]

People complain that Yamaha stopped innovating with the Motif series, but look at what they released in the 90's, SY77, SY99, VL1, EX5, FS1r, and nobody was interested.

[@TayWoode]

Luckily I got an sy55 even though it’s rompler but good sounds and an EX7 which doesn’t have the VL of the EX5 but still a superb keyboard even now

[@fortheloveofnoise]

Underrated machine. Would be cool if they did a Reface version to expose this type of "synthesis" to more people.

[@serhiymarchenko8361]

Why “synthesis” in quotes? It is actually real synthesis going on in VL, unlike many modern sample-based “synthesizers”.

[@mikedelicus]

Sounds impressively. Yamaha should release a reface version.

[@kicksNCY]

yes but please not a shitty reface version ahah

[@squeakD]

I remember when this came out! First time I heard one in person, I about hit the floor. This synth was so far ahead of its time. Its sounds are still relevant today. It’s hard to believe this was a little over 25 years ago!!! People usually look at a vintage keyboardS and then say “we’ve come so far since then”. That doesn’t apply to the VL1.., truly legendary synth.

[@fjfrancois]

I remember back in 94 this synth at a NAMM show, I was amazed and it was pricey to. I still hearing that saxofón sound. Interesting 🎹

[@_greenleader]

Sounds legendary

[@torley]

Yamaha VL1 lineage was kind of a weird Damascus Steel for awhile, lost in the ether with only historical hardware artifacts and no clear virtual/software descendent. When I was young, I couldn't afford the full shebang so I opted for the Yamaha MU100R, which was cheaper for me than the VL70-m (still appears to be, if used sales are any indication) yet contained the same tech. But for "in the box" convenience", so glad we have Respiro now, and a plethora of MPE and other controllers for subtle, nuanced expression.

[@PeterWalkerHP16c]

Great job torley. I grabbed my old MU100R and guess what? plg1100- VL "Virtual Acoustic card fitted! I knew I'd seen that somewhere. Thanks dude!

[@davcar23]

I remember when Keyboard magazine covered this synth and explained what physical modeling was, unfortunately no store in my location carried it for demoing.

[@AnalogAudio1]

I was not for the mass market...

[@OscillatorCollective]

Dang…I’m getting kinda obsessed with this thing…it sounds so neat!

[@spearPYN]

VL1/7 are the most realistic synths ever. You can hear this on classic Wu-Tang albums from 95.

[@kicksNCY]

really?

[@vintagesynths]

What a sophisticated synth. Thanks for this amazing demo.

[@AnalogAudio1]

Gerne, Rüdiger.... :-) es sind übrigens die Werks-Demos.

[@vintagesynths]

@@AnalogAudio1 letztes Jahr wurde mir einer in Ulm angeboten. Konnte aber widerstehen

[@Musikkeller-Innsider]

Very expressive, I'm impressed!

[@kerzwhile]

Uh yeah, this is by far one of the most amazing synths ever conceived! So way before its time and I honestly think that's why is didn't take off! Sad!! Polyphony and multitimbrality was still the goal back then and thats what sold! 😔

[@HenritheHorse]

I guess it was way too expensive and rare.

[@fjfrancois]

Henri the Horse I think back then the cost was 7 grand or more.

[@idoido7421]

7:11 New York saxophone i Love it

[@greenmanshell1117]

Thank you for this upload! I want this! :)

[@lee_at_sea]

I always regret not buying one of these Guitar Center of all places had for just over $1k. in 2018!

[@tuckerbenjamin]

Wow! Thanks. That was great.

[@misophoniq]

I remember first reading about this synth and hearing demos on the cover CD in a Future Music magazine issue. I thought to myself: "This is revolutionary, this is going to change everything!" and then never heard about it again. To this day, I don't understand why this machine didn't become like the Yamaha DX7, Korg M1 and Roland D-50. It was another huge leap in synthesizer technology and nobody seemed to care...

[@AnalogAudio1]

Physical Modeling was innovative, but it did not sell very well... FM and sample playback did.

[@oscarvargas171]

Swam Audio takes ideas of this synth. Am pretty sure about that. Thanks for the demo 👊🏻✌🏻

[@PeterWalkerHP16c]

So underrated, BUT lucky me because I have an old Yamaha MU100R which has the VL1 "Virtual Acoustic Synthesizer" card fitted. Time to dust it off and have a closer look. :-)

[@josephwright5921]

There is some Italian company that has taken this type of technology and exponentially improved it. Their models of the saxophone and violin were stunning. I am sorry I can’t remember the name of it.

[@GalantGoStudio]

SWAM 🥳

[@TransistorBased]

I'm pretty sure that bubbling synth pad with the lead over it was used for some of the incidental music in GTA V

[@PocketOperatorGuy]

I've seen one of these sitting in the back of some thrift shop... It had some missing keys and it was really dirty. I didn't think it sound that Bad ass! I'm ashamed I left it behind. There was no way to test it and they wanted 50 bucks for it. Damn. That's a beautiful sounding piece of hardware.

[@chitan1362]

1:25 I can tell you had fun here!

[@doordedeur]

Too bad it isn't developed further anymore. But for most people PCM samples sound nicer and are less complex to play. The sounds of the VL1 have a raw FM-like character.

[@EgoShredder]

Real instruments sound raw too, its just that people are so used to samples being so processed and simplified sounding. The VL presents the real raw sound warts and all, similar to the real thing and is therefore a more honest and living instrument to master.

[@lombaxgddr5468]

In Space 5:48 Cure Scarlet Violín Demo

[@chocovanistraw]

Sounds great. I would purchase a Reface VL with a quickness!

[@jphwacheski]

i still would like a go at one of these,. but so expensive. i'll keep waiting to find one a a yard sale for a few bucks,.

[@AnalogAudio1]

Very unlikely to find one there, since it's very rare. Someone who bought one back then, will also remember it's high price, so I don't think it will show up at a yard sale.

[@nazariocamacho6412]

Excelente teclado!

[@bandfromtheband9445]

Very impressive for 1993! But GOD, this was so expensive! And people just didn't know enough about it! Some bad marketing, I'd say!

[@_P_M_]

It was on the front page of Keyboard mag. People knew about it. But it was like 7-8k and 2 voice polyphony. I always assumed it was more of a concept synth. Some of it's technology trickled into the EX5.

[@insidestraight4659]

Second patch, wow

[@rejectedsynths]

Even the cheapest of smartphones today probably has 1000x the processing power of the VL1, a modern take on Physical Modelling would most probalby be super interesting 😍

[@AnalogAudio1]

Processing power is no problem, but it takes awful lot of programming work to get it done...

[@rejectedsynths]

@@AnalogAudio1 sure, but if you've already done it and have access to the source code ... a reface would really be very nice but well, it's probably much too nieche

[@socratesbandeira]

Hi, @@AnalogAudio1! Need your help... In your opinion, what is the EARLIEST SYNTH capable of delivering the sound you hear at the very end of this song: m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIGql2einrRggbMm40s (2m40s) Some people believe it is the Syn-Lead5 preset on Yamaha DX7, but... was there any other device capable of this FM voice before 1983??? Hope to hear from you, man!

[@AnalogAudio1]

@@socratesbandeira It's a plain analog synth, only god knows which one exactly

[@socratesbandeira]

​@@AnalogAudio1, sorry man, I have to ask you... How much of your time it would cost in order to try to reproduce that wha-like lead effect of THE MOST MYSTERIOUS SONG OF INTERNET on ANY pre-1983 synth you may have? We're really stuck on this issue... If you could record and upload this as a snippet here on your channel, even if you don't will to join us on Reddit, it would be a pleasure mentioning you as our expert source. www.reddit.com/r/TheMysteriousSong/

[@v1o]

This would be amazing with a wind controller

[@v1o]

@paul vorderwinkler lol apart from causing devastation to the natural scenery, that type offers no benefits to the VL1. I was of course talking about wind controllers like the Akai Ewi series.

[@rumo201]

A cool synth. Organic sound, but hard to play….

[@javiceres]

Rara avis

[@cdwhiley]

Still the silliest saxophone sound ever. Synthesizers shouldn't never try to do saxophone. It's always silly.