Post by Henry on Oct 9, 2018 13:59:54 GMT
A brief prehistory:
Back in the 80s and early 90s, there were literally dozens of different computer platforms around, all capable of interfacing with MIDI instruments in one way or another. To cover these platforms with a single software product would be practically impossible for any manufacturer, so Yamaha and others instead relied on third party developers. More often than not, the software you got with your MIDI instrument would include a "light" version of an existing sequencer, typically preconfigured to show the patch names and settings of the instrument in question.
During this period, Yamaha had deals for Steinberg's Cubase, C-Lab's Creator (later to evolve into Notator and Logic) and Passport's Traxx to cater for different budgets and platforms. For beginners, Yamaha sold product bundles labelled "Hello Music", which included everything you needed (tone generator, MIDI keyboard, speakers etc.) apart from the computer itself.
As the IBM PC and Microsoft's Windows OS matured into something people also used at home, most of the other computer platforms were gradually displaced (only Apple's MacIntosh would survive in the long run). Software thus became big business, and Yamaha at some point found it feasible to establish their own software department. The XGworks series of sequencers for the Windows 95 platform later emerged from this investment; No doubt a move to promote and support Yamaha's XG specification and instruments.
XGworks versions:
| XGworks V1 (1996) | XGworks V1 had the same Graphical User Interface as later versions, and was also equipped with rudimentary audio playback/recording capabilities. Editor Plug-in support was introduced with the v1.05 update. |
| XGworks V2 (1997) | This major update was mainly distributed with the SW1000XG audio/MIDI card on the western hemisphere, and included a Plug-in to control the card's audio mixer. A patch to allow proper function under Windows 2000/XP was later offered. |
| XGworks V3 (1998) | This was the only XGworks version to be retailed as a boxed product outside of Japan, and the only version also ported to Apple's MacOS platform. It was later patched for Windows 2000/XP. |
| XGworks V4 (1999) | The non-DOS Windows NT4 operating system was gaining popularity among professionals, and XGworks was reworked into a 4th version for compatibility. While it leveraged some of NT's advances, it was no huge upgrade over V3 in terms of features. Like the first two versions, it wasn't marketed outside of Japan. |
DTM:
The combination of a PC and compact, affordable MIDI keyboards and sound modules became popular among hobbyists. In Japan, this was referred to as DTM (Desktop Music), and that market saw a boom during the nineties. The XGworks sequencer mainly targeted this crowd, together with the TG- and MU- series sound modules. When XGworks became available, the "Hello Music" equipment bundles would include a copy.
The DTM market had started to dry up around the turn of the millennium, as computers were now powerful enough to handle most signal processing in software. The hardware sound modules were largely replaced by various types of software instruments. At this time, Yamaha's software synthesizers were system level drivers, that used Windows' own audio infrastructure, but had to be run in the background and not inside the sequencer.
Beyond XGworks:
Although XGworks was excellent for MIDI, it never had much in terms of audio capabilities. In order to incorporate the latest technologies, Yamaha decided to start from scratch for the upcoming WinXP platform. Opting for a modular approach, to better be able to tailor the software to different instruments/equipment/specifications, this resulted in the SOL (2001) sequencer. Mostly rebuilt from the ground-up, SOL ("Sequence Object Linking") kept many of the MIDI tools known from XGworks, and also kept compatibility with *.xws files. Although the GUI was overhauled, those familiar to XGworks would still be able to open and work on their old XGworks projects in SOL, while facing a gentle learning curve.
Major advancements were made on the audio side, though: Whereas XGworks had been bound by Windows' internal audio subsystem, SOL finally got its own separate audio engine and mixer, which lifted it firmly into the territory of modern DAWs. Among other things, this enabled the sequencer to host virtual instrument plugins. A VST plugin version of the earlier S-YXG50 software synthesizer (basically equivalent to the MU10/DB50XG) was included for good measure. Support for industry-standard WDM and ASIO driver modes ensured that low-latency recording and playback of your audio tracks were also possible.
SOL was distributed on a set of two CD-ROMs, and carried a price tag of ¥39.800 at launch, which would be roughly $325 back then. A lower-budget sibling, with a couple of SOL's software modules and audio effects taken out, was named XGworks ST ("SOL Technology") and retailed at ¥29.800. Both of these products were restricted to the Japanese market.
A third sibling would also appear in the entry-level SQ01, where all but the most necessary software modules had been stripped away. It shipped as a freebie with various Yamaha instruments worldwide, such as the original Motif workstations, and the software was only available on CD-ROM as a spare part for these instruments. Unlike its bigger brethren, SQ01 was supplied with English documentation, however only for the included software components.
These three sequencers share the very same foundation, and the software modules that make up the functional differences are actually interchangeable between the three. All three specs followed the same update cycle, and reached Version 2 in 2003. Pricing for the retail versions had been reduced significantly by this time. The final V2.09 updates were released in 2006, and any further development was halted at this time. Yamaha had by then aquired Steinberg, who again would begin supplying "lite" versions of Cubase for Yamaha's products, and the circle was thus closed.
Technology overview:
| SOL (2001) | XGworks ST (2001) | SQ01 (2001) | XGworks 4 (1999) | XGworks 3 (1998) | |
| Operating system | Windows 98/Me/2000/XP | Windows 98/Me/2000/XP | Windows 98/Me/2000/XP | Windows 95/NT | Windows 95/Mac OS8 |
| ASIO/WDM/MME driver support | o / o / o | o / o / o | o / o / o | - / - / o | - / - / o |
| VST/VSTi support | o / o | o / o | o / o | - / - | - / - |
| DMO*/DXi support | o / - | o / - | o / - | - / - | - / - |
| OPT support | o | o | o | - | - |
| XGworks plugin support | - | - | - | o | o |
| *.yws / *.xws file support | Native / read-only | Native / read-only | Native / read-only | - / Native | - / Native |
| *.wav / *.mp3 file mixdown | via Audio mixer module | via Audio mixer module | via Audio mixer module (.wav only) | - / - | - / - |
| Number of tracks | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 100 (+ chord/style track) | 100 (+ chord/style track) |
| Number of simultaneous MIDI inputs | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 1 | 1 |
| Number of simultaneous MIDI outputs | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 6 |
| Number of simultaneous audio inputs | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 1 stereo | 1 stereo |
| Number of simultaneous audio outputs | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | 6 stereo |
| MIDI resolution | 960 ppq | 960 ppq | 960 ppq | 480 ppq | 480 ppq |
| Max audio resolution | 32 bit/96 kHz | 32 bit/96 kHz | 32 bit/96 kHz | 16 bit/44.1 kHz | 16 bit/44.1 kHz |
| Master Track view | o | o | o | o | o |
| List view | o | o | o | o | o |
| Piano Roll view | o | o | o | o | o |
| Staff view | o | o | - | o | o |
| Drum view | o | o | - | o | o |
| MIDI mixer | o | o | o | o | o |
| Audio mixer | 128 ch w/4 inserts, 4 send, 4 bus, 4 aux | 8 ch w/2 inserts, 1 send | included w/Motif and 01X | Windows sound system, SW1000XG (plugin) | Windows sound system, SW1000XG (plugin) |
| Audio effects | 20 types 40 algorithms | 13 types 30 algorithms | 13 types 30 algorithms | - | - |
| Mixing automation | o | o | o | - | - |
| Soft Synth Rack | o | o | included w/Motif and 01X | - | - |
Guitar Arranger / Pitch Bend editor | optional download | optional download | optional download | o / - | o / - |
| XG Editor | included on disc | o | included w/S08 | o | o |
| AutoArrange | o | o | included w/S90 | o | o |
| AutoArticulation | o | o | - | - | - |
| Voice-to-Score R | o | o | - | o | o |
| TimeSlice | o | - | - | - | - |
| TimeStretch | o | - | - | - | - |
| Yamaha VST suite (Pitch Fix, Vocal Rack, Final Master) | o | o | - | - | - |
| S-YXG50 VSTi | o | o | - | - | - |
| Documentation | Help files and manual in Japanese | Help files and manual in Japanese | Help files and manual in English | Help files and manual in Japanese | Help files and manual in English |
It is worth noting that, although SOL/XGworks ST/SQ01 allow for real-time processing of audio tracks via DMO*/VST plugins, there are no built-in tools to manually edit the actual audio recordings (wave files) within the sequencer. In order to trim wave data, mute silent sections, etc. (the latter can also be achieved with automation), you'll have to use an external editor. This is why Yamaha included the good old TWE (Tiny Wave Editor), that also accompanied XGworks.
* The DMO audio plugin format (DirectMedia Object) was based on the now-antiquated DirectX 8 framework. These plugins are not working properly on later operating systems (effect is applied to signal, but GUI won't open for editing), although they probably will on a WinXP system.
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