Yamaha SU700 Sampler Unit
July 11, 1997
Yamaha Corporation of America, Audio, Guitar & Synthesizer Division, is entering a brand-new market area with the introduction of the SU700 Sampler Unit at Summer NAMM. The SU700 is a powerful, pattern-based multi-functional music production center which is a hybrid combination of a sampler, sequencer, tone generator and drum machine. It will be a great asset for the DJ and hip-hop markets as well as a valuable compositional, live performance and recording tool for the professional musician.
"The SU700 crosses the boundaries of techno/hip-hop/dance into a wide range of market areas," states Avery Burdette, product manager, Digital Musical Instruments Department, Yamaha Corporation of America. "Although there are similar units out on the market, Yamaha has not had anything like it before. We're coming into this growing market area capitalizing on Yamaha's strengths. We're combining the QY pattern-based music production approach that we've developed over the years, and incorporating the sampling, loop playback type of approach into a powerful table-top unit."
Included with the SU700 are an optional SCSI interface, multiple outputs, digital I/O, assignable ribbon controller, and many other functions. The SU700 has a projected list price of $1,500 and will begin shipping in September.
"The SU700 is going to have a strong DJ application," adds Burdette, "plus it can be incorporated into a production studio to function with virtually any style of music. The unit's sampling, looping, ribbon controller and multi-effects processing capabilities make it naturally suited to the lo-fi/vinyl/scratch approach used by hip-hop music. It has all of those capabilities but it's certainly not limited to that. It can do much more."
With the unit's sampling features, "you can sample from a CD-ROM or audio CD, transfer the audio information into the SU700 and then edit it, chop it up and slice and dice it-any way you want," says Burdette.
The SU700 is totally loaded with functions and features. Its Sequencer records in either Real Time or Step mode, features 42 tracks, has an adjustable tempo from 40.0-299.9 BPM, and a resolution of 1/480. Its AWM2 (Advanced Wave Memory 2) based Tone Generator/Sampler features 64-note polyphony, adjustable data format (16-, 12-, or 8-bit linear), sampling times ranging from 44.1 kHz 16-bit stereo down to 11.025 kHz 8-bit mono, and 4MB of sampling wave memory expandable to 64MB. For more information, visit their web site at www.yamaha.com. |
