EXTENSION CHORDS

EXTENSION CHORDS

YAMAHA’S PRODUCER SERIES

by

Allen Hester

As the saying goes, big things come in little packages. In this case it is the new Producer Series from Yamaha: a group of four components that enable one or several musicians, be they singers, guitarists, keyboardists or horn players, to play together, practice or write songs, or play along with pre-recorded music. With the addition of a tape recorder, the possibility of on-the-spot recording opens up. And that spot can be anywhere; on the bus, around the campfire, or in the limo. And to make it even sweeter, all of this creativity can be constructed in silence, using headphones, so that no matter what the hour or the location, the art of making music can be carried on. And the cost? Cheap.

This handsome quartet from Yamaha begins with the MA10 Mic/Line Headphone Amplifier and the MH10 Stereo Headphones. These are the most basic elements of the Producer Series. The MA10 has controls for Volume, Master Volume, Treble, Bass, Headphone Level, Auxiliary Input, and two Monitor inputs. The unit has jacks for Input, Headphone Out (two), Monitor In (two), Monitor Out (two), Aux In (left and right), Line Out (left and right), built-in Stereo Effect, battery power or AC adapter.

The MH10 headphones weigh only two ounces, and are able to sustain high volume levels. The phones have an openair design, adjustable headband, and a 9-foot cable. With these two components, the user can. plug in electric guitars, microphones, keyboards,' and synthesizers. Using up to four line inputs and separate volume controls, instruments can be mixed with sounds from cassette players, radios, or other MAlO’s. The Line Outputs can be used to feed tape recorders; amplifier/speakers, and other MAlO’s. The headphone amp will even permit intentional distortion effects by using the Input and Master Volume controls; sounds similiar to those of large amps can be achieved, with bass and treble tone controls to further enhance the sound.

The “built-in stereo effect” comes from an analog delay line which produces a stereo effect from mono sound sources. Transistor radios can be enhanced in this way, and you can even use it with a television to create a broad, spacious effect for those gripping scenes on your favorite cop show or soap opera.

The beauty of this setup is that it is completely portable, battery-powered, small, and inexpensive. (Suggested retail for the MA10 is $124.95 and the headphones go for $29.95 a pair). It is not a recording system, as such, but it is designed to be used with a tape recorder, and the Producer Series components will greatly expand the capabilities of a simple stereo recorder. And, as more sets of MAlO’s and headphones are added, the more versatile the entire systerh becomes.

To illustrate this, take for example this setup: one MA10 headphone amp, two pairs of headphones, an electric guitar, a keyboard, and a portable cassette recorder. In this situation, the guitar and keyboard play along with the recorded music, and. each person would hear both instruments and the tape. Volume and Master Volume affect only the guitar; Monitor 1 Volume affects only the keyboard, and the Aux Volume affects only the tape. The Headphone Level is an overall adjustment for all the sounds. The tape, of course, could be a song that the players are trying to learn, or it could just as well be tracks that the musicians themselves have already recorded using the existing setup.

The above situation does not even take into account the use of the MM 10. Mic/Line Mixer. When this piece of equipment comes into use, the capabilities are again expanded. This mixer has the capacity to blend together up to four microphones, electric guitars, keyboards, and/or pre-recorded sounds.

The MM 10 has all the features found in a basic 4X2 mixer. One can electronically blend two or more sounds together; adjust the volume of each sound independently of others or with a Master Volume control; place a sound at a particular point from left to right in stereo; preamplify; location record, monitor, and more. It can be used for mixing rehearsals while traveling, creating music-plus-narration soundtracks, and other applications. Once again,, the cost is extremely affordable (suggested list, $109.95) so that young musicians can take full advantage of a system that teaches them about mixing sounds and about playing with other people. In contrast to sitting alone and practicing along with a record, young players who use the Producer Series can get the feel of playing with other people, so that they learn early on that they can only play so loud, or they drown everyone else out. (Some guys never learn that lesson!) And professionals will benefit from the convenience of being able to rehearse while traveling, or while cooped up in a motel room with nothing else to do but watch the tube. Since all this stuff is battery-operated, it can be used outdoors or anyplace where there’s room enough to strum a guitar or play a keyboard.

And speaking of keyboards, that brings us to the last of the four components now available in the Producer Series: the CS01 Micro Monophonic Synthesizer. (Other components in this series are forthcoming). The CS01 is only about 20 inches long, yet it contains a 32-note keyboard and a full complement of features essential to sound synthesis. Pitch and modulation wheels, low frequency oscillator, variable glissando, control pitch and wave-form controls, a footage selector for changing octaves, pulse width modulation, full VCF, VCA and envelope generator controls, and a unique breath controller interface for modulating both the VCF and VCA with your breath. (Shades of Hendrix and the Kustom “talk bag”!) The CS01 also contains a built-in amplifier and speaker system, and it is the most expensive of the four components, at a retail cost of $249.95. Not bad for a synthesizer, folks. Total ,cost of the entire four-part package: only $514.80, plus tax.

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Let’s suppose that, in addition to the four-part package, we add in three more headphone amps and three more sets of headphones. This would cost $464.70, plus tax. Now there are a total of four MAlO’s, four MHlO’s, one MM10 and one CS01 synthesizer. (Grand total, $979.50; less than many new guitars cost, these days).

Now, four headphones amps can be fed into the mixer; each performer can hear all others through his or her set of headphones. Each individual performer adjusts his or her own level using the Volume and Master Volume controls on the MA10 Headphone Amp. The guitar player can get the distortion he wants, and other instruments remain clear. The MM10 Input Volume controls are then used to balance the four sources, while the MM10 Master Volume sets the mixed output which is fed back to each headphone amp. The pan pots are centered so both the MM 10 line output signals are identical, and each line out is split, via a Y adapter, in order to feed all four headphone amps. Finally, the Monitor Level controls on the headphone amps are used to adjust the level of the mixed program that returns to each of the headphone amps.

So here you have four people playing or singing at once, each one having control over individual tone and volume, all mixed together, balanced, and playing through four sets of headphones at once. Together they can learn to play and sing as a unit, with each member developing a clear sense of his or her individual role in the group, and a respect for the input of others.

The thing thgt I like most about the Producer Series, aside from the phenomonally low cost that makes it possible for many people to own such a system, is the fact that these components do not promise to “teach you instantly or your money back!” or some such nonsense. In an age when computers and sophisticated microprocessing circuitry make it possible for instruments to virtually play themselves, the Producer Series does just the opposite. It encourages people to play, and more importantly, to play together, not in isolation. These components won’t play themselves; it is up to the musicians to do that. And that is how it must be if people are going to continue to make music that is new and exciting. ®