Modulation Wheel - the Owners Manual P21 says that this wheel applies modulation, back is minimum, forward is maximum.  Whilst this is true for some voices, it seems to be the opposite for others.  This is a nuisance as changing voices also changes the chorus or maybe vibrato speed - typically from one extreme to the other.  An example is Organ Category Voice 004 - forward=fast, back=slow, BUT Voice 032 is the opposite. There are many other anomolies. Can this be corrected?  Thanks for any ideas.

The modulation wheel seem very sensitive - as I roll it forward the initial slow chorus speed all of a sudden “takes” off. Is there any solution to make it more gradual. Thanks for any ideas

The Modulation Wheel sends a Channel Control Change command cc001 with a range of 0-127. Your issue has nothing whatever to do with the Modulation Wheel, but rather with the parameter being controlled.

The Mod Wheel can be assigned to any number of parameter destinations. If that destination is a Switch (switches have only two positions, On or Off, Minimum or Maximum) then all values of the mod wheel 0-63 provide info for the minimum/off position, while all values 64-127 represent the maximum/on position. If the destination is a continuously variable parameter then the scale 0-127 is applied.

The “sensitivity” is determined by the DEPTH setting. It basically determines “how much” in this case how far you must apply the controller to get results. A setting of +32 on the DEPTH equates to a linear application. For each unit increase input there is a unit increase in output. A setting of +63 would have very little influence until you almost reach the maximum movement of the wheel. A setting of +16 would move very quickly to maximum, meaning you’d move the wheel less far to get full results. This s how a parameter is made sensitive to the controller sending 0 through 127.

The MW is assignable to many things, for example, it is used to control the Rotary Speaker “Speed Control”. This Destination parameter is a SWITCH… Minimum = Slow, Maximum = Fast. It is not a continuous parameter - it is an either/or, slow or fast proposition. The “transition time” and individual rotor speed setting and horn speed setting parameters determine the actual speed of the SLOW position setting, and the speed of the FAST setting.

you are not controlling what you think. The MW is simply performing the role of a switch. Once you reach a certain point the Switch is ON. What is fooling you, is that that “TRANSITION TIME” parameters are pre-set, within the INSERTION EFFECT. The Rotary Speaker Insert Effect is fully programmable. The MW is not controlling the actual rate the horn or rotor are spinning, if that is what you think. What the mod wheel is doing is flipping a switch between the programmed SLOW setting and the programmed FAST setting. The transition time is programmed into the effect..

When performing the MW on a B3 Voice in the MX, the MW is a switch, treat it like one. Flip it up while holding a chord, the speed ramps up automatically until it finally reach the max (as programmed within the effect). Hold another chord and immediately flip the MW down… Listen as the TRANSITION TIME eventually returns you to the original Slow settings.

The position of the wheel does not continuously affect the speed of the rotary (that is not how the real thing works, nor is it how it is programmed here)..

So the action and reaction to the MW depends on the exact Destination parameter and the Depth setting for controlling that parameter. The Wheel always sends the same thing: 0 when down, 127 when pushed up… And all the values in between…

By the way: the INSERT EFFECT and the Controllers set to control it are available via the front panel of the MX. So you can completely reprogram the Rotary Speaker Effect, customizing the Slow and Fast settings, the Transition speed of both the horn and rotor, etc, plus you can assign your own custom Controller setup. Then store all of this in a USER Voice location.

george.drayton@xtra.co.nz - 07 August 2013 05:33 PM

Modulation Wheel - the Owners Manual P21 says that this wheel applies modulation, back is minimum, forward is maximum.  Whilst this is true for some voices, it seems to be the opposite for others.

George does make a valid point about this.
For the following voices, the control wheel works in the OPPOSITE direction from the other voices.

Back position = rotary effect ON,
Forward position = Rotary effect OFF. 

ORGAN:
005 COOL CAT
006 JAZZY1
007 JAZZY2
024 HrmnicHole
025 FEW WHEELS
031 GREASY
032 SWISHY
035 EARLYBIRD
046 PANTHER

Same with these keyboard voices where the wheel turns the tremolo OFF when you roll it forward.

024 Ntrl Wurli
027 WurliPhase
030 DynoWurli

I actually went to 2 different stores and checked the MX floor models to make sure there wasn’t something wrong with mine. They all did it too.

I can get along with these but I’d be interested to know why they are set up this way.

Dear “Bad_Mister”, thanks for your comments.  I am totally new to synthesizer technology although I been involved with music and software for many years.  I note that there are about 150 parameters influencing the characteristics of a Voice but as yet I cannot find any information on what they mean as they are cryptic and abbreviated.  Can you point me to some info to do this?  What is the parameter that makes the MW act like a switch?  (its not obvious to me after reviewing 150 parameters). what parameter reverses the “sense” - forward=max or min speed. How can I change it to make it act as a rotary speed control? (if this is the right word).  Thanks in advance.

Please download the SYNTHESIZER PARAMETER MANUAL it will translate much of the abbreviations into something that is at least readable for you.... Plus it will give you an explanation of most of them.

It can be found at the official Yamaha download site under the MX49/MX61.

http://download.yamaha.com

@ Mr5x5:
The Mod Wheel always sends values 0-127 as I stated, this can change something in a positive direction minimum to maximum when the DEPTH parameters is set to a positive number. It can work in reverse if (and this is an important IF) if the DEPTH is set to “negative” and the Destination parameter is able to go in the opposite direction.

That is, in Voices where the Rotary Speaker is initially set to SLOW, cannot travel with a negative DEPTH to FAST… But a Rotary Speaker initially set to FAST can be switched to SLOW by applying a negative DEPTH. That is what is going on. 

The Natural Wurlitzer is set so the signature TREMOLO defaults to ON (that is the setting in the effect) moving the MW up toward Maximum actually applies a negative DEPTH and reduces the TREMOLO to off. This is the reason DEPTH can go both Positive and Negative in direction (the MW only goes in one direction)

If you are using the MW to control the volume of a parameter, it will be necessary to reduce the Volume of the VOICE to 0, this way when the wheel is at Zero the Volume is 0, when the wheel is at maximum the volume will match it. To do so, you must set and store the Voice’s main volume to 0. Now the position of the MW will reflect the output level.

If you want to fade out a Voice by applying the MW’s 0-127, you must set the Voice initial Volume to 127 (or whatever maximum you desire), set the MW destination = volume, set the DEPTH to a negative value, now as you increase the Value of the MW it will fade the Voice volume out.

Obviously if the Voice is already at 0 volume adding Negative values does nothing. (Has no effect)
Likewise if the Voice is already at 127 volume adding Positive values does nothing. (Has no effect)

It is always a combination of what makes sense… Don’t let it hurt your head… When you think about what you are doing, like anything it starts to make sense. It’s math like we all studied in elementary/junior high school ... Adding negative numbers to positive values actually subtracts.

As the articles (when they reappear) point out… Controllers have different methods of doing what they do, you must choose wisely. MW as we’ve been discussing is MINIMUM to MAXIMUM, the PB Wheel goes above and below a center point.the center point is zero. The Assignable Knobs also go above and below a center point… Zero in the 12 o’clock position… +63 at maximum, -64 at minimum.
Foot pedals are like the MW 0-127
Sustain pedal is typically 0 (off) or 127 (on), unless you have a Yamaha FC3 and are set for FC3 as your sustain… Where the FC3 can send all values between 0 and 127 allowing for Half-Damper (pedaling) piano effects.

Hope that helps… Welcome to the world of synthesis.

Oh and by the way, please listen closely to the organ Voices, you are mistakingly referring to ON and OFF for the Rotary speaker, when clearly they are SLOW and FAST or FAST and SLOW.

The Voice named “STOP ROTAR” is the only one I’m aware where the SLOW setting for both Horn and Rotor is set 0.00Hz (Stop), all the ones you listen still have the rotating Speaker rotating…

If you are not hearing the Rotary Speaker effect properly we highly recommend you connect your MX in stereo… Many of the MX’s killer effects are Stereo. In mono there are not, well, how to say this… the same.

Bad_Mister - 09 August 2013 04:17 AM

Oh and by the way, please listen closely to the organ Voices, you are mistakingly referring to ON and OFF for the Rotary speaker, when clearly they are SLOW and FAST or FAST and SLOW.

Well my terminology may be wrong but I still question why they made the mod wheel work the opposite way for the voices I mentioned. I’d have preferred the mod wheel to be consistent in function at least on all the factory voices.  Just as the manual states, “back is minimum, forward is maximum.”

To me, that means “back is SLOW” and “forward is FAST” for the rotary effect. For most of the MX organ voices, that’s exactly how it works.

For the organ voices I mentioned above, the mod wheel works exactly in reverse, back is “FAST”, forward is “SLOW”.

Just wondering if there is a reason why they did this?

Just wondering if there is a reason why they did this?

Asked and answered already.

Some songs require a Fast Leslie sound initially. I explained how this is done. How come? The answer is BECAUSE. Because some songs require a Fast Leslie speed initially. Consistency is the MW adjusts the speed. You ears should tell you if it is Slow or Fast… Trouble hearing the rotary speaker usually means you are playing through a mono sound system. stereo is highly recommended for all music! How come the Natural Wurlitzer has the TREMOLO ON because I’m sure 99% of users would never discover it was there if they set it OFF initially. Besides its cool to have it ON. Don’t want it raise the wheel.

Consistency? Who cares about that...? Get over that, this is a synthesizer that emulates most every other keyboard in history and Yamaha uses a wide array of programmer’s, going for specific things some times. Often the story is told in the name given to the Voice.  We make simpler keyboards that remain consistent… They don’t do as much and are therefore easier to use. But the programmable synths are (thankfully) fully programmable.

It’s a synth You don’t like, You can change it. store your version to the USER location.

Hope that helps.

Was never a deal breaker, just curious as to why.

I understand the reasoning but generally when choosing a voice where I want the fast rotary sound, I would instinctively put the mod wheel forward. Gotta remember not to do that for those voices.

Maybe it would have been helpful to just put “FR” (Fast Rotary) in the voice names where the mod wheel works the other way. Would serve as a reminder that moving the wheel forward will be subtractive to the rotary speed.

You can add that to the name and STORE that to your USER BANK!