After redefining the sound of the 1980s with the DX7, Yamaha upped their game to take on the competition that had fought back. The Yamaha SY77 and SY99 were their response, but how do we get that sound today?
Digital synthesis is back with a vengeance and back in the late 80s/early 90s, Yamaha came back at their rivals with a new and improved take on FM. Expanding on the groundbreaking DX7, they took the algorithmic FM concept way beyond our expectations.
Yamaha SY77/SY99 Sounds and Presets
The Yamaha SY77, TG77 and SY99
Instead of six Operators with just sine wave oscillators, they expanded the number of waveforms to include numerous options (16 in total), allowing you to really explore the concept discovered by Dr. John Chowning some 25+ years previously.
This was then coupled with Yamaha’s AWM engine, powered by PCM samples of incredible quality. This enabled the SY/TG range to not only rival the likes of the D50 but go way beyond. On top of that, these synths featured Real-time Convolution and Modulation Synthesis (RCM) which enabled the samples and FM to be combined on very powerful ways.
These synths have tended to fade into the background after the digital backlash of the last 20 years but those who know them, love them. And this week’s article is inspired by a recent video from the legend that is Anthony Marinelli where he is amazed to learn that the iconic lead line from Dr. Dre’s ‘Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang‘ isn’t a Minimoog and is actually an SY77! Check out the video below!
But First…
Before we check out the sounds and patches, I wanted to draw your attention to an upcoming plugin that claims to emulate the SY77/99 perfectly. Sadly, it isn’t available just yet, but just listen to this demo of Sway and judge for yourself. The developer hopes to have it released before the end of 2024…
Watch this space as I will be reporting on Sway as soon as it becomes available!
Gospel Musicians TGX-99
The Gospel Musicians TGX-99 is now at version 2 and can easily lay claim to being one of the largest and most comprehensive SY77/SY99 reproductions out there. It weighs in at a whopping 18GB of sample content from both the SY77 and SY99, including all the factory presets, raw waveforms and drum kits.
It comes in two forms; Dedicated and Expansion. Dedicated comes in a very pretty interface that closely resembles the hardware but you have less options to go beyond the originals in terms of taking the sounds and making them your own. Expansion uses GM’s free Pure Synth Player to deliver that flexibility at the expense of losing the nostalgic interface.
It’s a bit confusing and it would be better, in my opinion, if there was just a single version that did everything. But it makes up for that by also coming in an iOS version for all you iPad musos out there!
Gospel Musicians TGX-99 is available for £115.70 GBP directly from their website.
Amazound SY-TG for Kontakt
There had to be a Kontakt library out there covering the SY77 and by golly there is! Created by Amazound, SY-TG for Kontakt contains nearly 3.5Gb of samples filling 128 Kontakt patches with a slim but dedicated interface.
Everything has been recorded at 24bit/44.1kHz in stereo so sounds lovely and clean. Every patch has been multisampled and features smooth looping. Best of all is the fact it costs a mere $19.95. It’s labelled as Volume 1 so we look forward to listening to Volume 2 soon!
Amazound SY-TG for Kontakt is available direct from Amazound for $19.95.
Space Dust by Functional Junkie
Rather than trying to replicate the SY77/99, Functional Junkie’s Space Dust uses it as a sample source and in doing so, they have created a unique library for Kontakt that manages to stuff nearly half a gigabyte of content into a small space.
The package covers all manner of grounds, including spacey pads, ambience, choirs, voices and bass sounds. These are all able to be played with via a custom-scripted interface featuring FX, enabling you to make your own sounds from the content supplied.
Space Dust by Functional Junkie is available from Loot Audio for the paltry sum of just £4.20!
Analog Dreams for Yamaha SY77/TG77 and SY99
In case you thought I’d forgotten the originals, here are some preset packs for the actual SY/TG77 and SY99! These are modern presets designed for these vintage digital behemoths so expect more contemporary sounds amongst the nostalgic tones.
Programmed by Nick Klimenko, each pack contains 64 patches and covers a wide range of sounds and styles, making use of every part of the hardware. As the names suggest, there is a definite leaning towards more analog sounds and that’s something that the SY/TG can deliver easily with its powerful sample and synthesis capabilities.
The SY99 specific pack takes advantage of the few extra features that the 99 offers, including it’s more powerful FX processor. Did you know, by the way, that the SY/TG77 has an unfixed bug in it? The SY99, that came out in 1991 managed to avoid this.
All three of these packs are available via lfo.store for just €25 each!
Easy Sounds Vintage Series for Yamaha SY77/TG77 and SY99
Rounding off this selection of sounds and presets dedicated to the Yamaha SY/TG77 and SY99 are some packs from Easy Sounds, known for their close collaborative with directly with Yamaha themselves. They offer one pack for the SY/TG77 and two packs just for the SY99, all within their Vintage Series.
These packs are easily downloadable and installed on the hardware as normal and will give you all of Easy Sounds SY content from over the years in modern digital download formats. Patch lists can be downloaded for each of the packs from their relevant pages.
The best thing about these patches is that because Easy Sounds have worked closely with Yamaha for many years, they know these instruments inside out and that experience shows in the quality of the sounds available here.
Easy Sounds SY77/TG77 Collection is available here for €29.
Easy Sounds SY99 Voice Collection Vol.1 and 2 are available here for €49 and €19 respectively.
