Boss SY-300 Owners Manual, Parameter Guide, MIDI Implementation

Started by Elantric, June 09, 2015, 07:17:28 AM

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Elantric

BOSS SY-300 Owners Manual
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Elantric

Boss SY-300 Owners Manual (English) - see attached PDF in 1st post above



Page 6 mentions the "SY-300 Parameter Guide"
get it here:
http://cdn.roland.com/assets/media/pdf/SY-300_ParamGuide_e02.pdf




- 99 user presets, 70 factory (unchangeable) presets

- Layer function - it should be possible to make sounds with eg OSC1 only in your lower playing range and switch to OSC2 and/or 3 when you move up. Each OSC has a upper and lower range (p6 right side)
- Blender function: again as far as I've understood you can "lock" one (or more) of the OSC's and copy those settings to another patch/preset. Could be neat.
- effect list looks like any old fx list - the slicer is a thing that interests me (the dual boss pedal was a great toy)






(spider wrote)

Editing OSC1-3 (Synthesizer Sound)

Each OSC1-3 contains several parameters, including WAVE /
PITCH which determines the waveform and the pitch of the synthesizer sound, FILTER which determines the clarity of sound and AMP which determines the volume. You create a synthesizer sound by changing the basic values and by specifying the time-varying change will occur.

Layer Function
The SY-300 allows you to reach the pitches where
OSC1-3 sound produces specify separately. Just like on a keyboard synthesizer you can build play different sounds in different pitch ranges or different combinations of sounds in layers.



Someone should contact Boss (Netherlands) and request the Boss SY-300 Parameter Guide
http://nl.boss.info/

New discoveries.
============

Page 3: It would appear your picking dynamics control the OSC Attack Dynamics.  Perhaps use Slow Gear  FX to create a Slow Attack Time

* Page 6: Audio FX Loop is a parallel side chain FX Loop, which is depicted in block diagram on page 6, Apparently exists so the SY-300's three Oscillators can directly track the dynamic response of your guitars pickups, without any effects , (rather like the old Octave FX) the SY-300 works best being First Effect in the signal flow.

Page 7: Much shorter list of available FX than I expected, many are Dual FX (Chorus + Delay), (Chorus + Reverb) rather disappointed no COSM Amp modeling  to warm up the synth tones. No intelligent Harmonizer.

Page 8 : Sub Out can be set to Always On , while Main Out can be Toggled by Footswitches for SY-300 On/Off

* Page 9: Appears SY-300 has No Guitar to MIDI Note On /Off capability. Likewise, the SY-300's  triple OSC Synth can Not respond to external MIDI Note On/Off Messages.

Page 12: All Outputs are Unbalanced TS 1/4" Jacks.

Frankster

The sections on external MIDI and sequencer parameters make no mention of external MIDI clock. Looks like they've done exactly what they did with the GP-10 and each patch has its tempo set manually. If that's the case then it's not going to be much use to me.

Elantric

QuoteThe sections on external MIDI and sequencer parameters make no mention of external MIDI clock.



Boss SY-300 Parameter Guide
http://cdn.roland.com/assets/media/pdf/SY-300_ParamGuide_e02.pdf

Boss SY-300 MIDI Specification


https://static.roland.com/assets/media/pdf/SY-300_MIDI_Imple_e02.pdf


But based upon info we know today from the Boss SY-300 Owners Manual,  the Boss SY-300 DOES NOT perform Guitar to MIDI.

Likewise,  the SY-300 can NOT be used as a MIDI tone Module.

thebrushwithin

Well, I am hoping the other manuals will show an ADSR envelope for each oscillator, because, unless it is in the AMP section, which has little info, there are none, apparent to me. I hope I am wrong, missed it, or whatever, because that is a deal breaker from my perspective, if there are 0 envelope generators. Maybe the Slow Gear FX, has the same parameters to shape the envelope, just in "guitar lingo". It does come off like a quick start guide, as I see no explanation of the LFO section. There appear to be many pages for each oscillator, so perhaps the ADSRs are in those pages. I sure hope so, but of all synth products, the one for true guitar synthesis needs a very detailed manual, or it may fail miserably, with plenty of retail returns. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the ADSRs are there, it is a big deal!

(Edit) After looking at the GP10 Parameter Guide, the envelope details are in the Parameter Guide, for the single oscillator, in the oscillator section. I'll be looking at that for sure when it is released. I normally wouldn't have such paranoia, but if you would have told me there were no MIDI connectors on the GP 10, before it was released, I wouldn't have believed it either. I wonder what the normal time frame has been for the release of the other two manuals, for past Roland gear.

Elantric

QuoteWell, I am hoping the other manuals will show an ADSR envelope for each oscillator, because, unless it is in the AMP section, which has little info, there are none, apparent to me. I hope I am wrong, missed it, or whatever, because that is a deal breaker from my perspective, if there are 0 envelope generators. Maybe the Slow Gear FX, has the same parameters to shape the envelope, just in "guitar lingo". It does come off like a quick start guide, as I see no explanation of the LFO section. There appear to be many pages for each oscillator, so perhaps the ADSRs are in those pages. I sure hope so, but of all synth products, the one for true guitar synthesis needs a very detailed manual, or it may fail miserably, with plenty of retail returns. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the ADSRs are there, it is a big deal!

QuoteIt does come off like a quick start guide,

Thats the Roland/Boss paradigm for all new Owners Manuals

instead of one 120 page doc, they have now reduced the Owners Manuals to "Quick Starts" , and then separate all the real necessary info into a separate "Parameter Guide"  doc.


But so far, Its looking more like a few here will watch from the fence, and wait for the "next gen"  2017 Boss SY-500

Elantric

QuoteI wonder what the normal time frame has been for the release of the other two manuals, for past Roland gear.

About 2 weeks

Rhcole

You can accomplish the most critical part of an ADSR with the Slo-Gear effect, which is included, although that would use up an effect.
I do think I remember seeing a reference to ADSRs or at least ASRs in the product literature somewhere.

thebrushwithin

Just fantasizing about some of the flexibility this unique machine offers, and getting both curious and excited!
Wondering if you can use combinations of delays within each patch, with separate parameter control of each fx, which could give you up to 3 independent delays, simultaneously. Also, it dawned on me that if using the aux out of a small mixer that has guitar input, and another synth input, such as a GR__, and even voice, into the input of the SY, you get some really innovative sounds. The coolest use of such a mixer, would be if it was midi controllable as well, so a patch could include any or all of the aux sends, as input, to the SY. Probably best done with a laptop, using USB out.
Can't wait!

hippietim

I'm thinking my GT-001 will be a great companion to this.

Bill Ruppert

I agree100%!
The GT-001 is a wonderful little box.
It will be a great match.
Quote from: hippietim on June 10, 2015, 06:51:14 PM
I'm thinking my GT-001 will be a great companion to this.

deadpoet

FYI I've gotten an email back from the tech support guy that sent me the (dutch) manual last week. "They're working on it, it has a little delay.."


The ES-8 switcher got postponed (in Europe) as well - Thomann shifted the shipping date back a month. My GAS is having a bad time but I'd rather have a product that's 100% than a rushed release.



Herwig
Freelance bass player, music teacher, sound engineer, pedal junkie

Elantric

QuoteThe ES-8 switcher got postponed (in Europe) as well - Thomann shifted the shipping date back a month. My GAS is having a bad time but I'd rather have a product that's 100% than a rushed release.

I heard a rumor Boss is replacing the  ES-8 foot switch status LEDs with RGB Color LEDS. Thus the delay.

yamex5

Quote from: thebrushwithin on June 09, 2015, 02:27:28 PM
Well, I am hoping the other manuals will show an ADSR envelope for each oscillator, because, unless it is in the AMP section, which has little info, there are none, apparent to me. I hope I am wrong, missed it, or whatever, because that is a deal breaker from my perspective, if there are 0 envelope generators.
...

I agree, without EG's, it's not much of a synth. And not just for the Amp section, but for the filter as well.  ;)
Important also are the modulation capabilities.

Surprising is the fact that it does not support midi out to control other synths.
I read in a Boss PDF that they are using DSPs to analyze the fundamentals for resynthesis. If you've gone that far, it's child's play to spit out the midi start, stop and pitch info.
Of course, given that they are supporting pitch bend and a major selling point is the low latency, the hundreds of midi messages for pitch bend and slurs would slow the beast down, so I guess I can see the rationale.

One thing they could do is add a connector and tee the content to a ancillary accessory with a processor whose only job is to convert and spit out the midi messages. It might cost another $100 or so, but it would be worth it.

Rhcole

There is no announced SY-500. It is being discussed only as a plausible future product.

Paresh

Re using it with a GT-001, what would be the most effective set up - A/B switch, FX loop, series, or parallel? Sorry if this is a dumb question.
paresh

Frankster

Quote from: Paresh on June 20, 2015, 02:32:11 PM
Re using it with a GT-001, what would be the most effective set up - A/B switch, FX loop, series, or parallel? Sorry if this is a dumb question.

See the thread on I/O options

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=14603.0

deadpoet

Hi guys,


I've just checked the JP site and all manuals are online...

http://jp.boss.info/support/by_product/sy-300/owners_manuals/


anyone know how to translate this?


(dutch site still has the one manual and the error)


Herwig
Freelance bass player, music teacher, sound engineer, pedal junkie

Elantric

Fresh from Roland Canada

SY-300 Owners Manual 
http://cdn.roland.com/assets/media/pdf/SY-300_e01_W.pdf


SY-300 Parameter Guide 
http://cdn.roland.com/assets/media/pdf/SY-300_ParamGuide_e02.pdf


SY-300 Complete MIDI Implementation
http://cdn.roland.com/assets/media/pdf/SY-300_MIDI_Imple_e01.pdf



Boss SY-300 PARAMETER GUIDE


















































Elantric


gumtown

It appears contradictory to the Japanese midi implementation chart.
The Japanese one says X to note and velocity
Free "GR-55 FloorBoard" editor software from https://sourceforge.net/projects/grfloorboard/

Elantric

Of the two, I trust the Japanese version is the more accurate version ;)
http://lib.roland.co.jp/support/jp/manuals/res/63206057/SY-300_MIDI_Imple_j01.pdf



Japanese SY-300 MIDI spec


vs








I thought this was too good to be true (seems we already found the  1st "bug" in the Boss SY-300 English documentation)

And I predict it will be weeks before we find these Boss SY-300 docs here:
http://www.bossus.com/support/owners_manuals/n_s