Yamaha SY-77

I'm not sure what software version my SY-77 uses, but yea... I'd say it's pritty easy to use.
The presets are a bit... "Hit's of the 80's". If you know what i mean. I make Trance, so i had to make most of the sounds myself, but some of the presets are awesome.
Editing the patches can be pritty hard. It depends on what you're trying to make. And i lost the manual, so i cant say alot about it.

Well i'd say it's pritty good. The sounds are VERY clean. And yea, you can expand it. Myself, i have 2 expansions. I only know of one expanios capability and that is in the sounds. The keys are pressure sensitive, but i never bothered to use that. I only operate the synth from my pc. Using it together with FruityLoops3 and MC-307.

Well the sounds are good. Pritty Cinematic if you know what i mean. Sounds like the backdrop music from a motion picture if you play around with the right sounds. hehe!
The sounds work for jsut about anything... The only big minus is that the drumkits are old and sucky.

Yea i can depend on it. Well mostly..... Well if you play one song from your computer, then load another one while the synth is playing, then theres the good old midi feedback. That's the only minus i can think of right now... No! NEVER without backup!

I cant say really... I never met them.

Nah.. It's too old, and i'd probably not be able to get a new one anyways. I've been playing for 3 years or so, and i use a MSB-1 Midi through box, a Roland MC-307, a Oberheim DPX-1 rack synth and a Roland M-160 16-track rack mixer

Presets are useful as a starting-point for making your own sounds. (This is not a preset keyboard, but a synth!) Editting takes a lot of experience, but that's the pleasure. You make the best sounds by try-and-error and use the manual as a back-up.

The 32 note polyphony (16 FM, 16 AWM) is enough for live-performance, but using multi-track sequencer you wish you had 64.
Keyboard is a bit plastic but ok.
Good effects. Two weaknesses: 1) useing reverb over a few FM-sound sometimes results in irritating hiss. 2) switching via program change is possible but takes to much time.
I don't use the expansion capabilities.
MIDI capabilities are great. The SY-77 is THE GREAT CONTROLLER!
I'm very pleased with the on-board sequencer. It's very easy to use, but lacks capacity.

One word: GREAT
Sample-based realistic instruments are acceptable, some are good (strings, piano, horn), but the unrealistics are incredible amazing fnatastic. You are able to create a wide spectrum of sounds. Thin, fat, dark, bright, layered, looped etc. RCM is nice but not the miracle they promised 10 years ago.
I use it for (symphonic) rock, pop, JM Jarre/M Oldfield-like music and classical things.

I have mine sinds 1993 and had no problems. One (of the many) button is sometimes refusing the first attempt to press it.

If it were lost or stolen I would buy it again, or a SY-99 for a few hundred guilders more.
The SY-77 is double worth the money I payed. I spend so much time behind this machine and still have a lot off creative fun with it in creating weird sounds and composing beautifull songs. Much more than the Yamaha DS-55 + Kawai PH1 + BOSS digital effects + Korg sequencer I had before.

Not sure of the software version, but it's reliable and bug free. The presets are typical Yamaha, nice gloss, not much depth, but they do the job. The info screen is quite large (for it's time), so editing is possible without a computer (unlike the DX series), but I have found a good patch editor on the PC and will be giving that a go soon. The manual is very good, better than the earlier synths manuals.

There are 32 notes of polyphony to play with, these are split between the sound elements, 16 for AFM and 16 for AWM2. Depending on how you assign each element, less notes are available. The keyboard is OK, velocity and aftertouch, pitch bend and 2 modulation wheels (mod 2 is assignable, as is volume 2 and the data entry slider).

The effects add a lot to the sound, but the effects are universal (ie, if used multitimbraly, all voices with effects pass through them), although you can select voices to bypass the internal effects if you wish. The effects themselves are high quality, and up to 4 effects can be used (there are 2 effects processors used inside the machine, I believe they are from Yamaha's own REV 5). There is some basic editing of the effects available, but I have not delved too deep into this.

There are 2 card slots on the top of the machine, one for ROM data, the other for RAM cards, as yet I have not used these. There is also an in built floppy disk drive for saving and loading sounds and sequenser patterns.

The sequenser is OK, the display helps and it is similar in operation to the QY10/QY20. I havn't used it for anything complex though, but reviews at the time the machine came out were favorable.

MIDI is well catered for, all the usual suspects are here, plus the assignable controllers make this very flexible indeed.

Well, do you remember the DX7? The FM implementation on this is better, more waveforms, more algorithms, more flexible routing of modulation, superb! The best thing about it though, is you can use the sampled sounds of AWM2 as part of the FM sound (AFM). The two elements can be combined in whar Yamaha calls RCM (Realtime Convolution and Modulation). Hard to get to grips with, but when you do, the sound is just unlike anything else. The AWM2 samples are high quality and the whole synth is very expressive. Combine this with the effects, and almost anything is possible, especially when used with velocity, aftertouch or any other controller you assign. (Just try playing around with the filters, the only digital filters to self oscillate at the time of it's release).

Has not let me down yet, 5 years of service, never even an unwanted click. Display is clear and informative, and the case is built like a tank. I try not to move it around too much due to the weight, but I don't think I could replace it if I was to take my setup out on the road, it would have to come with me, no question.

Never had to deal with Yamaha customer support, but they have put the manual for this and many other Yamaha synths on-line, and as far as I know, they will still service them. On the basis of that...

The only synth to beat this was the SY99, same basic idea, but with more keys, weighted keyboard and sample RAM for you to load your own samples for use in the synth engine. If my machine died or was stolen, I would try to get an SY99, but would be happy with another SY77.

Don't be fooled by the presets, they are 'nice', but it is able to do much more. There is a site with different sounds to download, although I can't remember the address (oops). There are conversion programs available too which will convert DX7 voices into SY77 voices, while not quite the same, with a litte tweaking, you can make these sounds come alive in a way just not possible on the DX series, thanks to the effects and the filters.

Oh yes, the filters can be combined in different ways, they can even be set up as a single 24db filter (like the ones in the minimoog, but digital). They are not as warm as analogue filters, but they are a welcome addition to the Yamaha sound.

As far as editing the AWM stuff goes, it's about as easy as editing a digital sampler can get - the usual rez filter stuff, envelopes, and the like. The FM goodies, however, ares probably a little better than most other FM synths, which means it's still difficult to edit if you don't have a handle on FM synthesis. The Presets, IMHO, suck. It's not that they are THAT bad, but just that they could have been so much better. The SY-77 is capable of some seriously phatt sounds if edited properly, but the presets deny the existence of any analog-sounding patches. As for the manual, it's not bad actually. Yamaha usually make pretty spiffy manuals, and this one does the trick.

The keyboard has 16-note polyphonic AFM (FM) synthesis, as well as 16-note polyphonic AWM (samples) synthesis, so it's pretty much enough for most uses, depending on what you want to do. However, people don't realise (or take advantage of) the 6 oscillators per voice. This thing can be monstrously phatt, given that you can layer 4 voices on top of each other, and each voice can use 6 oscillators!! The keyboard action is probably better than most, and, and it has velocity sensitivity, as well as aftertouch. Expansion consists of a voice data card slot, and a PCM waveform card slot, as well as a 720Kb floppy. There are two banks of 64 preset patches, as well as a 64 user-programmable patches. It has a sequencer too, although I haven't bothered with this at all because my setup is PC based. The effects, for their time, are not bad, and add a lot of punch to the sounds - very good for washy effects and phattening things up.

Expressiveness is amazing, but then most FM synths have excellent expressiveness. The stock sampled sounds are okay - by today's standards they're probably considered very low-end, but mixing AWM and AFM makes this synth a beast. Being able to layer combinations of AFM and AWM (up to 4 voices per patch) each with it's own filters and envelopes really turns this synth into a monster. The self-oscillating filter is pretty good, actually, and the bonus is that you can apply it to the FM parts as well. Think of this : Each AFM voice can consist of 6 oscillators, with FX and filtering applied. The feedback loops seem to be *multi-tasking*, in that you can route one feedback loop into two different oscillators. It literally turns the 6 oscillators into about 12 oscillators per voice!!! Then you get to pass this all through a self-oscillating resonant LPF. What more could you ask for? Four AFM layered voices with 6 oscillators each = 24 oscillators per patch ... not even taking into account the feedback loops. Talk about stacked sawtooths!!! This synth can do amazing analog impressions, brittle and metallic sounds, thumping basses, seering leads, floating pads ... it can do it all. The drums SUCK. Saynomore! The AFM sounds can be extremely velocity driven - FM probably has one of the best responses to velocity on the planet. The expression you can derive from the SY-77's velocity-sensitive FM patches is unbeatable, IMHO. This keyboard is simply highly underrated.

Reliability? As always, it's a Yamaha keyboard - built like a tank. WARNING: The floppy disk is often problematic. In my experience, you can attempt disk access and the light stays on but nothing ever happens ... just keeps spinning and spinning endlessly. No error message. No feedback to the user. Nothing. However, on opening the synth I found that this was simply the drive belt slipping. I cleaned the pin wheels and rubber drive belt, and it came back to life again. It works perfectly now. What's more, the keyboard was very simple to open (like most Yamaha keyboards) and the floppy was equally easy to remove. Childsplay, actually. No hidden springs jumping out at you. No inexplicable reason why you can't pry the backing off the keyboard even though you think you have removed every screw in the universe. It's a 1-2-3 open (albeit many screws later), and you're at the heart of the floppy problem.

Haven't dealt with Yamaha personally, but they offer all their manuals (even ancient ones) on the web in PDF format. Who else does that!???

Oh, I'm not gonna give this baby up. Nothing can do what it does, except another SY-77, TG-77, or SY-99. This keyboard, as I mentioned earlier, is a highly underrated synth when it comes to *synth* sounds. If you get the chance to pick one up in good condition for under $550, go for it - it's well worth it!!

I'll keep this real short. Had this machine for many years but after
playing my mates SY-85 and speaking to Yamaha U.K. realised certain
features on newer synths to be obviously more adapt to my needs.
Only problem is when you hit the right sound on this little cutey
it ROCKS! So still trying to find "THAT SPECIAL SYNTH" to replace it
which I feel I never will.

Excellent

Brill mate but if anyone out there has some new kicking pads and general wacky stuff E-mail charmingant@hotmail.com
CHEERS!

Only just getting key breakages due to too much "Child In Time"
type stuff. long live Jon Lord.

Don,t know as I get it fixed by someone local who's a genius.

Excellnt!

Yamaha should award certificates for those that can actually program these FM monsters. I first got this synth in 1991 (i was 16), and only now (2001) say that i feel i know its power. I would suggest one of the SY synths over a DX anyday (filters, AWM, seq... to name a few reasons). But as always, with all FM synths, expect to spend several years really learning its ins and outs. It is almost as though they expected only sound engineers to buy them. As with most yamaha's the manuals are pretty basic, and don't cover the true capabilities of their synths, or the concepts of FM, as they probably should. In general its complicated programing capabilities are its real bonus. FM should only be recomended for people that understand the basics of synthesis, and are ready for a challenge. I could easily spend several hours on one sound, and it would be amaisingly rewarding as a result.

The 32 voices might seem light compared to todays 128 voice samplers and synths, but i assure you, the complexity of the FM and AWM hybrid in these synths is dizzying, and VASTLY UNDERRATED!!! Take this senerio: It is possible to program a sound that is a simple sine wave in the begining, that is modulated over time by operaters 2, then 3, then 4, then 5, then 6 each with their own independent EGs not to mention the 2 filters with their own EGs... in essence a sound can evolve slowly, yeilding increadible textures. Lost yet? well you will be, especially since a sound on this synth can consist of what i just discribed happening on 2 different FM "elements" each with their set og 6 operators, then you can add to that the 2 AWM waveforms aditionally modulating those other two elements... so essentially you have 6+6+1+1 elements each with their own LFO and two filters with EG and Keyboard scalling each. it is like a symphony of Synthesis! and that is one sound?!?!?! On top of the extreme EGs, elements and LFOs, there are 2 mod whells, aftertouch and a host of other controllers that can be assigned to a sound. from simple to extremely complex sounds all from the same machine!!! Let me Stress again that these are VASTLY UNDERRATED!!!

I touched on the expressiveness of this synth in the above sectioin, but that is but a hint of its capabilities. In general i always use my FM synths to make textures and other "non-imulative" sounds, and reserve samplers for the realistic stuff. FM synths are the most exciting place to "discover sounds", not to recreate sounds, though they do a pretty good job on some. It is possilbe to create sounds that are so expressive (assign velocity responce to the filter and WOW!!!) they sound like they are something real that you recorded, but you cant really figure out what it is... "is that a guitar" a "piano", a "pump organ" "what is that?" AHHHH, the illusiveness of FM! (The only slightly bad thing I could say about this synth's sound quality, is that the Built in effects are rather noisey and generally unremarkable, but they can give you an idea of how you want to effect a sound. I always have my effect BYPASS ON on mine. Again yamaha engeniers doing all of us a favore there.) If you have a chance to play with one of these, ignore the presets, go directly to EDIT and play around. Yamaha has the worst idea of what to put in a preset bank. Their engineers make these great synths and pack them with unremarkable and sometimes terrible sounds that really don't show off the posibilities of their synths.

Ingeneral any keyboard you spill liquids on will be flakey, so i have a few keys that "stick" occasionally, but that is a problem that could be avoided with a little caution. I have had nothing but joy from this synth. Every time I go to turn it on and play it, "IT Works"!!!!!! I foresee a time when the Analogue Craze wanes and people rediscover the great and refreshingly new sounds that can be made from FM synths and other digital synths such as the Ensoniq ESQ-1 or the like. I"ll be ready with my arsenol, will you?

I have no idea about support for this marvel of modern science, as i haven't had to seek it out.

So, it isn't easy to use... That is a blessing in this case! Music hobbists beware... this is for those that actually want to WORK towards something, and what a reward that is once you arrive. oh, you can make ok piano sounds, bitting horns, smooth organs, silky strings with these... but I assure you it is what you don't expect that is the true strength in these synths. ENJOY the hours you will spend lost in EGs, Microtonal tunings, Modulations, etc...

I owned the Sy77 for almost ten years (1991/2000) and I recently had to sold it (with regrets) to purchase a Triton. But now I really miss the FM sounds (the FM sampled sound on Triton aren't even remotly comparable to true FM based synths). So I just submit this review as a ten years old proud ex owner, just to recommend you to never sell it, because you'll miss this black queen.
That was my first synth and I found veary easy to interact with and to create new sounds. The display was great by the standards of that time and although there was lot of pages and parameters, the interface was and still is pretty good (Ok, the touchscreen is another thing, but consider a 10 years gap).

Again, in 1990, 32 voices were a good standard. Just occasionally in some complex songs you could notice a voice chopping; anyway you could make massive pads or split voices with 2afm+2awm voice structure. Very nice action on the keyboard. Great and easy to use sequencer (I miss even now the immediacy of pattern mode to create drumtracks on the fly). Also very good fx section. Basic midi features. Overall great features (until the 99 came out!!)

I made hundreds and hundreds of new fantastic sounds on my own, editing sounds was such a joy, even the complexity of FM synthesis. I really miss the warmth of FM (despite what people says about coldness of FM). Moving pads, atmospherics, bass, strings, RCM Winds, Electric pianos, organs, FX, are sound types where SY77 still shines. I bought the Rock&Pop card to supply some excellent drums (instead of the cheesy ones in the Rom), which I really recommend. Even if the Triton 32 MB ROM has a larger and much better sampled sound palette, it can't reproduce many of the unique FM sounds (maybe some, with the MOSS board that I'll buy soon). This keyboard is still among the favourite synths of many professional synthesist (Brian Eno, Wendy Carlos, William Orbit, to name a few).

Never had any troubles.

X club in Italy published a journal with many hints, tips and tricks.

If I could I'll buy it again. I miss FM sound (did I say it before ?)
I hope to find a good used TX module to add to my Triton, but they are not so easy programmable like the 77. Again, I recommend you: dont'sell this great synth for any reason !!!

This is a combination of easy and difficult. The presets range from blah to astounding. Editing patches is...well, you know, page after page after freakin page. The manual is barely okay.

This is my main keyboard. The action is typical synth and although when it came out some people dissed the effects, they are fine. It has limited expandablity via cards. The sequencer is a breeze. Very cool. Unfortunately, the floppy drive is not double density, so you gotta keep a flock of disks around.

This is where it really shines. I learned FM on a PDP-11 computer, laboriously hand entering code. The DX-7 was a miracle and, because I knew the insides of FM, a breeze for me to use (the DX-7 practically put most U.S. synth makers out of business). But the FM used in the 7 was very limited and, well, weenie. The 77, uses AFM (advanced FM) and what a difference. This is a monster! Analog sounds from FM? Yes. And sample playback, too. Combine them for one of the best synths ever.

I always depend on it.

Ugh. I had one problem: the floppy disk drive died. It has extra stuff on the drive so a freekin floppy drive cost hundreds to replace. This sucks, Yamaha.

I have never found anything to compare. I it was lost or stolen I would either get another or it's bigger cousin, the 99. That one has slightly better expandability and supposedly better-sounding efex.

I've bought it in 1993. This was my first "pro" synth.
The onboard presets are nice but now i've a Korg
05R/W and my SY just acts as a master keyboard. The Korg
is far better...
Strings and brasses are really great ! Leads and pads are as good as
on other synths. Electric Pianos are very good.
I really don't like acoustic sounds on that machine. Acoustic pianos
sounds like toys (compared to the Korg Piano) and guitars are
horrible (except 12 strings guitar).
You can virtually make any sound you want. This synth is a monster.
Before editing a sound, you have to understand the architecture of the
machine (4 oscillators + waveforms) and learn the 1200 edition
parameters ! I don't know very much in sound synthesis but the SY-77
seems to be a very good machine.
Never read the manual for this, the big screen is really
(and enough) helpful.

32 notes polyphony (16 FM + 16 AWM2). Quite good.
The keyboard action was very pleasant but some keys became
a bit harder to press (and did not release as fast as the others)
so i decided to sell it.
There is a quite large range of effects, and those are pretty good.
Yamaha had a great idea including a "bypass effects" button, which allow
to hear the "pure" sound. Cool for effect edition.
The SY77 has a double density floppy disk and 2 cards slots. I only
used the floppies to store my own sequences.
MIDI capabilities seems good. In fact, i've only had to use
1 expander so i've never used advanced midi possibilities.
The onboard sequencer is a 16 tracks one. Limited to 16000 events,
which is a bit short. Enough if you only record songs (about 4-5 minutes).
I really like the sequencer on the SY. This is really more convenient
than a computer-based one. There is 5 dedicated buttons and many
track edition possibilities. You can use it very fast. The sequencer
is (for me), one of the best things on the machine.

As i said... Strings are REALLY fantastic. Brasses are useful
(yes they are !).
I don't like acoustic sounds. Especially pianos. The Korg sound
is far better.
Electric guitars really sucks.
Electric piano are pleasant.
The sound generator is great to play classical music and in general
can be used to play any kind of music.
Hmmm... This is not a good dance/techno synth.
The sounds are very reactive to pressure. Play softly and the
sound will be soft... play hard, the sound will be agressive.

Had it for 7 years and never fails.
The thing is heavy, too heavy (17 kgs).
I regret some keys became harder than others after 6 years !

Never had to contact customer support.

I've sold it and i don't want another one. This is not because the SY
is a bad synth but because i wanna change.
I've used the SY for 4 years as a sound generator but now
i mainly use a Korg 05R/W, which sounds better.
I don't really like many of the sounds, i now hate the keyboard,
but i love the SY77. It's a great synth with a cool sequencer :-)
If you are a beginner that want to make sequences and discover
the synth world, the SY77 is for you. For any other use, you would better
get a more dedicated machine. The SY77 is a multi purpose synth.

Easy to operate and understand Display is a bit limited and dark. I love the pattern sequencer though a bit dated by todays standards. Song sequencer is a bit strange and does not always work as expected. timing on sequncers is very solid. All controls are easy to reach. The interface is a vast improvement over the old DX style.

reasonable polyphony for its age. The real power is in the AFM with a little patience just about any sound imaginable can be created though the sonic density of acoustic instruments is tough to replicate. Samples are limited and while very useful are limited in number. Data entry sliders can be used for live control, very handy

I have always been impressed with the sonic capability of this machine and would nover part with it

8 years and still ticking

The one time I called in on it the staff was helpful
manual could be better written, but then you don't buy an FM based board for it's looks.

The first time I heard the SY it made my ears sing. I spent almost a year saving to buy it and have never regreted the purchase. It has performed well over the years and I still find interesting uses for i. I think it has quite a while before it can look forward to retirement