January 19, 2024
Yamaha SY22 And SY35
Okay, here is some information – historical and personal – regarding the Yamaha SY22 and SY35.
In brief: both synthesizers are vector synthesizers in which AWM (sampled based synthesis) and FM sounds (two operators) are altered and can be combined using the on-board joystick to create sounds.
The SY22 (1990) and SY35 (1992) are from the SY-Series. The way I see it personally goes as follows; the SY22 and 35 belong together, like the SY77 and SY99. You could consider that the SY55 and SY85 belong together as well, because both engines rely on sampled based synthesis only. However, because their overall character of sound is so significantly different in my opinion, I see them as separate sources in my altogether palette of sound.
- SY22 has 12 bit samples resolution against 16 bits in the SY35
- They have the same quantity of waveforms (128 samples and 256 FM) onboard. Because some of them are different, they do not sound exactly the same. For example: you can send sysex files from the 22 to the 35, but the final output – due to the different waveforms – will be different.
- The SY22 internal bank is empty, while the SY35 is pre-programmed. You could say that the SY35 comes with an extra 64 presets from the factory. These of course can be overwritten.
I use the SY22 and SY35 for eccentric sounds, as well as some of the bread and butter sounds. I feel they do well in both leagues. They have a distinct character that often times adds something extra to a mix. Some beautiful and interesting textures. They are part of my most used sounds and you’ll hear them in many of the productions that I have done.
Often described as thin, metallic sounding, digital and cold, but described by me as authentic, lo-fi, raw and emotional. If it makes your heart beat faster, then stop questioning it.
DG
