Creating Custom Voices on Tyros 2 using Samples

Overview
Creating voices is the way to get sounds true to your genre of music and to your
taste. Done with some care, it can be successful, is worth the effort. The following is
a description of the process with advice on how to achieve the best results.
A Custom Voice is made up of up to 8 elements, each of which is made up of
waveforms which are triggered when note keys are pressed. Elements are similar to
playing right hand voices together. They play across a range of the keyboard and
add their sound together based upon the volume settings. Piano & Strings is an
example of a voice with two elements. The piano element might have one mapped to
each of the note keys, whereas the string element might only have 6-8 waveforms,
each of which are mapped to several keys with the pitch adjusted by the Tyros2
according to the note key depressed.
The Voice Creator run on the Tyros 2 is used to assemble waveforms into elements
and specify default settings for as EQ, harmony, response to after touch, etc. Later,
use Voice Creator on the PC to edit these characteristics in more detail and/or
combine the voice with other Preset or Custom Voices.
Getting samples
Start by assembling some waveforms. These must be in either .wav or .aiff (change
the extension to .aif before using with the T2) format, and are available
commercially from many types of sources such as distributors, developers, or from
free sites that make available samples contributed by users. For example:
http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/index.php : Free; use single-note and multisample in
searching; mp3 format files need to be converted to .wav.
http://www.bigfishaudio.com/4DCGI/index.html
http://www.e-officedirect.com/samplefusion/English/frames.html
http://www.mp3.com/free-samples : mp3 format files will need to be converted to
.wav
http://www.kidnepro.com/Framers/FramerSC.php?referer=/KN/SampleCity/AIFFWAV/AIFF-WAV-Files.html : multi sampled over several octaves; many vintage
synths
http://www.soundzone.info/ : This site has .sf2 files that can be converted to .wav
http://www.bestservice.de/index.asp/en/430858a216p66p103p145
You can also make your own samples by recording a signal on the mic input of the
Tyros 2 using the Hard Disk Recorder and then Exporting to convert it to .wav
format.
To make a Tyros instrument type voice you generally need waveforms consisting of a
single note played at one frequency. Depending upon the site, this may be called a
single note or multisample data. How many waveforms you need depends upon the
instrument. Stringed instruments require at least one waveform per open string per
octave, while instruments such as a flute might be fine with one or two waveforms
(C, G) per octave.

When a waveform is used for more than one note, the instrument shifts the pitch by
altering how fast it plays the sound. This has some undesirable consequences. For
instance, a shift of one octave (say from C3 to C4) will reduce the waveforms
duration by . Plucked notes became shorter and longer waveforms will require
looping to maintain a uniform duration. In addition, the sound of any periodic
elements (e.g. rotary organ effect) will likewise change and become unnatural. The
more complex the waveform, the less likely it is that it can be made to span several
notes. When there is a choice, more waveforms are better.

Why Waveform Editing

If you are fortunate, the samples may already have loop points. These likely are
ready to use and probably do not need editing.
Otherwise samples usually require some editing. For example, waveforms may come
with unwanted leading silent periods; others may start and sustain properly, but end
unnaturally, or need to be adjusted to uniform amplitude.
Sometimes, a waveform does not sustain long enough, and an editor is used to
identify a portion of the waveform following the attack that will loop as long as a key
is held down. For example, plucked sounds, such as an acoustic guitar, are brief and
there is no need for them to continue to sound if the key is held down. In contrast, a
string sample of 4-5 seconds might be perfectly natural, but since strings are often
held for several measures when used as a Pad, they will probably need looping to
make them sustain indefinitely. Likewise, organ sounds are usually engineered for
indefinite sustain.
Another reason to edit waveforms is to make them smaller. In Tyros, however, the
problem is not the size of memory. It can be big. The Tyros 2 allows up to 1 GB of
total storage (4 MB is factory installed, the remainder depends upon the amount of
user installed RAM) to be active at one time. This means that the total size of all the
voices in the currently loaded voice library (from 1 to 128 voices) must not exceed
this amount. I.e. you could have one voice at 1 GB, or 128 voices at 8 MB, if the
memory was divided equally (which it never would be; this is for illustration
purposes only). In the latter case, since a 5 second stereo waveform at 44 kHz takes
about .5 MB, the 128 voices could each have 16 waveforms. Memory size is really
not the issue.
The problem for many users is that the last-used voice library is automatically loaded
when the instrument is powered up (you can terminate this at any time by hitting
Cancel). Since it requires about 1 minute to load 16 MB, large libraries can take
many minutes. Possible solutions to this long loading time include:

Creating libraries tailored to the application. A custom voice is stored on the

T2s hard drive and may be assigned to locations in one or more library file.
This allows users to create many smaller libraries tailored to the application.
For example by Genre (e.g. Celtic, Country, New Age), Gig (e.g. Wedding,
Christmas) or Project (e.g. Song Name or Album Name).

Not turning off the instrument as frequently. It is better for reliability, albeit
at the cost of the electricity.

Using an editor to make smaller waveforms. Some reduction will occur

regardless as you trim the waveform or create loops for indefinite sustain. But
making very small waveforms is an art, and takes a lot of time. You may not
want to spend the time doing this if one of the other solutions is adequate. A
reasonable size is a 3-5 second stereo waveform, of which 80% might be the
looped portion. If 10 stereo waveforms were required to cover the keyboard
range, it would take up 5 MB, and load in about 1/3 second.

Waveform Editors
Waveform editors run on the PC and come in many flavors and costs, from free to
hundreds of dollars. Here are two:

Yamahas TWE. This is free and available at:

http://www.yamahasynth.com/download/twe.html . It does most of what you
need (Trim, Normalize, DC offset, Looping), but looping requires extensive
manual intervention.

Zero-Xs SeamlessLooper. Cost is $40; the demo and registered versions are
available at: http://www.beatcreator.com/ . This product offers automatic
looping that works, has a sf2 to wav conversion, and is easy to use. The online help is not that great, but you can do the basics with only a couple of
clicks. It seems ideal for this job, and I will refer to its controls in the
remainder of this document.

Preparing Waveforms on the PC

Check the pitch of all waveforms by comparing the sound of them looping on the PC
with a similar voice played on the instrument. After selecting your T2 voice, use the
left side of the Upper Octave control to lower the keyboard as far as it will go. The
lowest note will then be C1.
The Tyros 2 will accept either stereo or mono waveforms. To prepare waveforms
using SeamlessLooper, if they are in stereo, toggle the Multisample Mode in the
toolbar so that the AutoSearch and other functions will operate on both waveforms
together. Under Settings/Open, check the Normalize and DC Offset items so these
functions will automatically be performed as files are loaded.
For all waveforms, check for any delay between the start of the sample and the
attack portion. Correct with Edit/Crop Sample Start.
For waveforms that needs looping:
1. Open the file, and drag the left button on the line separating the waveforms,
and select from the beginning to into an area where the waveform is
relatively flat and the sound is sustaining (about 3 seconds or so is not a bad
region if available).
2. Click the AutoSearch toolbar button (with a 20% value) to allow the program
to automatically select an area to place loop markers. This takes several

seconds. If done manually in TWE, you will have had to find an area where
the waveform can loop without pops and other artifacts (see links below for
some techniques). SeamlessLooper does this all automatically and is much,
much faster.
3. Using Edit/Crop/To End Marker, remove the waveform after the loop end to
make it smaller.
4. SaveCopy to an empty folder on the PC. It is recommended to include both
the order of the waveform in the pitch sequence and the pitch at the
beginning of the file name so it is available when you load the waveform (e.g.
01_G2_Fiddle.wav). Note: for numbers < 9 use a leading 0 so that the files
will display in the correct order on the Tyros. Also, use Eb for D#, Ab for G#
and Bb for A# to avoid confusion.
For sounds that do not need looping, just perform 3 &4.
Editing can be very involved. This article cannot begin to cover all the techniques
involved in sample editing (including the manual procedures required in looping if
you use TWE), but you can find some additional information on the Net:
http://www.tweakheadz.com/Sampling_Tips.html
http://www.soundonsound.com/index.php?section=%2F&url=%2Fsearch&Ke
yword=lost+art+of+sampling
After you have your collections of waveforms, it is useful to prepare a Waveform
Loading Sheet which summarizes the settings that you need to enter. A sample form
is included at the end of this document. If the waveform will only sound for one key,
Fixed Pitch should be On and Center & Start keys should be set to the waveform
pitch. If the waveform will cover several notes, Fixed Pitch should be Off, Center
should equal the waveform s pitch, and Start & End set to the beginning and
endpoints.
If the waveforms are separated by more than a semitone, you will want to make the
Start and End points in the middle of the span between adjacent pitches. E.G, for
waveforms with centers at C2 and C3, the end of C2 would be F# and the Start of C3
would be G. For waveforms with centers of C and G, the span for C would be Bb to E
and the span for G would be F to A.
Creating a Voice on the Tyros 2
Use the HD Storage Mode to transfer your waveforms to the Tyros 2. It is fast,
convenient, and you will avoid problems that may arise later if the memory stick is
used.
A note regarding file organization: There are a lot of files involved in making voices
on the Tyros 2 and things can easily become confusing. Having a folder organization
similar to the following helps a great deal:
Waveform Files folder for wav and aif transfers via HD Storage Mode for
later use by Voice Creator/ File Import. This is where to place edited
waveforms.

TVN Voices folder for saving TVN files created by Voice Creator/ Wave
Import or for transfer of externally created TVN files via HD Storage Mode and
installation by Voice Creator/ Individual Load
TVI Library Files folder for saving Custom Voice Banks with or without the
associated TVN files
Voice Edits folder for the .vce, .liv(live), .swv(sweet), .clv, etc. files created
by VoiceSet, and the .org files created by the Footing Editor
PC Voice Editor Files folder for saving the edits of built in voices (.cnv), or
TVN voices (.cwn) created by the PC Voice Editor
In order to save the maximum room for HD Recordings, it is recommended
that you do not place the large TNV or waveform folders in the root partition.
To create a custom voice from your waveforms, start Voice Creator on the Tyros 2
and follow the detailed procedure starting on page 94 of the manual.
Use Wave Import, and for each voice element, use Add Wave to load the waveforms
(start with the lowest frequency and work up), selecting Fixed Pitch = On and the
Center frequency key for waveforms that will only sound on one key, or Fixed Pitch =
Off, Center Frequency, a Start and an End key for waveforms that will span several
notes.
If just starting off, keep the process simpler by not attempting to create more
complex mixtures of voices by combining sounds via multiple voice elements using
Voice Creator running on Tyros. It is much easier to create individual voices and then
use Voice Creator running on the PC to combine them.
If you make a mistake, you can edit any wave already input by selecting it in the
Wave box, deleting it, and adding it again.
At the end of loading the elements and waveforms, before saving, depressing Exit
gives you the opportunity to edit the overall voice by depressing the VoiceSet. This
brings up a series of tabbed screens which determine the general characteristics of
the voice and how it interacts with effects, harmony, after touch. These settings can
have a tremendous effect on the quality of the sound!
While you can use VoiceSet in VoiceCreator running on the Tyros 2, the version
available in Voice Creator is more extensive and gives better results. Therefore, it is
recommended that you accept the default settings and just Save and Assign the
Voice without exiting to VoiceSet. Then use Voice Creator running on the PC to edit
the settings.
The manuals for Tyros and Voice Creator on the PC have some useful explanations of
the parameters in VoiceSet, but it is more useful to examine a similar preset voice
with Voice Creator on the PC, and use these settings as a starting point for your
voice. Included at the end of this document is a VoiceCreator Screen Worksheet for
recording the settings of similar voices. (Note: There is also a VoiceSet worksheet,
but this is not nearly as useful).
To edit the voice on Voice Creator on the PC, start the program, select your voice
and modify all the settings as per the Worksheet. Then go back an experiment with

individual ones. Note that the keyboard is active while using Voice Creator and you
can audition your voice ftom the T2 or the PC to determine the effect of settings.
If you ever need to edit your voice on the Tyros, select the custom voice that you
wish to edit as R1, and then depress VoiceCreator. When finished, Save and Assign
to record the change.
Troubleshooting
Problems in creating voices have three main causes:

Inadequate samples. With few exceptions (e.g. samples of synth voices), is

difficult to create a realistic voice that covers several octaves of the keyboard
without having several samples per octave. The Fixed = off will retune
samples but this does not sound natural if extended over broad range. If you
need an authentic sounding voice (not so critical in genres such as dance and
new age), use with samples spanning several octaves, with the most common
octave in the most detail.

Poor Waveform Conditioning (especially looping). With products such as

SeamlessLooper, adding a loop and correcting for volume, offset, silence, etc
takes just seconds. While you can always come back and redo the waveforms,
it is simpler just to do it correctly the first time.

Inadequate VoiceSet Settings. It is easy to overlook this critical step in

voice creation. Fortunately, VoiceCreator running on the PC provides many
examples from which to learn. Taking a couple of minutes to record the
settings of a similar voice to be used as a starting place for your voice is time
well invested.

The majority of the time necessary to create a voice will likely be in locating good
quality samples in a sufficient number of frequencies at an affordable price. Editing
takes a minute or two per waveform, as does loading them on the Tyros 2. Creating
a Loading Worksheet requires a little thought (about the span) and a couple of
minutes. Logging a preset voice on the Voice Creator Worksheet might require 5
minutes. The operations, other than finding samples, is not complicated or a big
investment in time.
Request for Feedback
Voice creation on a PSR is a new experience for most users. We are at the beginning
of a long learning process and can benefit greatly by sharing our knowledge. Please
help by forwarding your ideas, experiences, suggestions, comments, links, etc to
mpb@sover.net and I will endeavor to include them in future versions of this
document.

Waveform Loading Worksheet

File Location ___________________
Number

Fixed Pitch
(On/Off)

Start Key

01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
C

C#

Eb

F#

Ab

Bb

Center
Key

End Key

Volume
If < 127

Voice Set Parameters for _____________

Common

Volume

Value_______

Touch
Sense

Depth_______

Offset_______

Left_______

Right_______

Mono/Poly_______

Porto_______

Filter_______

Amplitude_______

LFO_PMod_______

LFO_FMod_______

Filter_______

Amplitude_______

LFO_PMod_______

LFO_FMod_______

Brigtness_______

Harmonic_______

EG

Attack_______

Decay_______

Release_______

Vibrato

Depth _______

Speed_______

Delay_______

ReverbDepth_______

ChorusDepth_______

DSPDepth_______

Panel Sustain______

Type_____________

Variation_______

Low Freq_______

Gain_______

Hi Freq_______

Gain_______

Type_____________

Volume_______

Speed_______

Assign_______

ChordNote_______

TouchLim_______

Panel
Octave

Controller

Modulation

AfterTouch

Sound

Filter

Effect/EQ

DSP
EQ

Harmony

LFO_AMod_______

LFO_AMod_______

Voice Creator Screen Worksheet