Visible Music Creation and Production, Yamaha Tenori-On Orange!
The Orange model of Yamaha's intuitive music creation device is a scaled down version of the original that is still part sequencer, part tone generator and part sampler but has a one sided LED touch screen 16x16 LED matrix display more for use in the studio and less for live applications. The idea of visual music creation provides incredible cutting edge electronic artists and even non-musicians another avenue to explore when composing music.
Tenori-on Orange has the same internal sounds and functions as the Tenori On White. It differs from the original by offering a white plastic casing with Orange LEDs on the front and none on the back and is powered from the AC adapter only - no batteries onboard.
Yamaha Tenori On Orange Features
- 6 Performance Modes
- Adjustable BPM (40 -240)
- Transpose Function (-7 to +8)
- Synchronized performance with two instruments
- Recording
- Tone Generator
- 32 Note Polyphony
- 253 Preset Voices (239 normal, 14 drum kit)
- 2 Effects Processors for Chorus and Reverb
- 3 Voice Sampling: 3 (16 samples per voice)
- Built in Stereo Speakers (1-watt output power)
- MIDI and Line Out/Headphone connections
- SD Memory Card compatible
- Powered by AC adapter
In collaboration with Media artist Toshio Iwai, Yamaha has designed the most visually intuitive musical instrument for the 21st century. Currently on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Tenori-on is both a musical instrument and a performance work of art.
Versatility
Play Tenori-On live with the built in sounds or connect the MIDI output to trigger sounds from your computer or your favorite MIDI enabled sound source. Nearly anyone can pick up the Tenori-On and start playing right away with little to no instruction. This unit is built for hard-core enthusiasts too, mastering this instrument can take lots of practice and patience sometimes even reading through the manual time and time again.
Modes
The Tenori On 16 x 16 LED button matrix is simultaneously a performance input controller and display. By operating and interacting with the LED buttons and the light they produce you gain access to the Tenori-On's numerous performance capabilities.
The Tenori-On provides six different performance and sound/light modes for broad performance versatility, and these modes can be combined and used simultaneously for rich, complex musical expression.
Layers
Tenori On layers can be thought of as performance parts or recording tracks. The Tenori On has a total of 16 layers. Separate notes and voices can be assigned to each layer, and all layers can be played together in synchronization.
The 16 layers are divided into six performance mode groups as shown in the illustration below. The six modes have different note entry methods and operation. Up to 16 layers created using different modes can be combined for rich, complex musical expression.
Blocks
Once complete set of 16 layers is called a block. The Tenori-On can store up to 16 programmed blocks (16-layer groups) in memory, and you can switch from block to block instantly during performance.
You could, for example, create a musical composition in one block, then copy that composition to another block and edit it to create a variation of the original composition. Or you can load a number of previously-created compositions into separate blocks from an SD Memory Card and switch between them to create variation during playback.