Yamaha DJX-IIB Glossary

Glossary

Appendix

MIDI....................................................... Tips 97 - 100

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) allows elec-

tronic instruments of various types and manufacturers to

“communicate” with each other. At the most basic level,

MIDI allows you to play one instrument’s sounds from the

controls or keyboard of another instrument. More sophisti-

cated uses included synchronizing two or more instruments

together, exchanging data between compatible devices, or

having a whole studio’s worth of keyboards, synthesizers,

samplers, and rhythm machines controlled from a single

computer.

Naturally, the DJX-IIB is MIDI compatible, and can be used

effectively in any of the above scenarios. You can sync two

DJX-IIBs together (or the DJX-II), and have the bpm’s of

both machines lock for synchronized playback. With the

special Pattern Launcher software and a computer, you can

even load new and original Patterns to the DJX-IIB!

Part....................................... Tips 32 - 34, 79, 80, 87

The DJX-IIB Patterns contain up to eight separate instru-

ment Parts — each of which has its own special function

and sound within the rhythm. Speciﬁcally the Parts are:

Kick, Snare, Hi-Hat, Percussion, Bass, and Phrases 1 -3.

Depending on the Pattern, each Part may have a completely

different sound. For example, the Bass Part on one Pattern

might be an soft acoustic upright bass, while on another

Pattern it may be a buzzy synthesizer bass.

By using the powerful Part Mixer function with the Scratch

Pad (see Tips 32 - 34), you can change the arrangement of

the Parts on the ﬂy, as the Pattern is playing!

Pattern................Tips 1 - 6, 48 - 51, 59 - 62, 99, 100

Patterns are the basic building blocks of the DJX-IIB sound.

Each Pattern is a discrete musical/rhythmic passage, that

loops (or repeats) continuously. The Patterns contain dif-

ferent instrumental Parts — such as bass, kick drum, snare

drum, hi-hat, percussion, and (depending on the Pattern)

other pitched instruments such as guitar, organ, strings, etc.

Each main Pattern has ten Variations, which can be used

together for greater variety in performance.

Different Patterns have different lengths, but all are based

on four-beat lengths called “measures.” In other words, a

Pattern may be eight beats long (two measures) or sixteen

beats long ( four measures), but all Patterns cycle around a

basic count of “1-2-3-4.” The key to developing good

rhythm and using the Patterns musically involves knowing

this four-beat count and feeling it in your body!

scratch, scratching ......Tip 20 - 31, 44 - 47, 52 - 54,

76 - 80, 82, 83, 89, 92, 93

This comes from turntable playing, in which the DJ rocks

the record back and forth with the needle down, creating a

scratching-like noise. On the DJX-IIB, scratching is done

with the Scratch Pad.

Tap............................................... Tips 55, 56, 88, 96

The DJX-IIB has a convenient Tap function that allows you

to change or set the bpm of the instrument simply by tap-

ping out a steady rhythm on the BPM/TAP button. This

can be used to automatically start a Pattern at the tapped

speed, or it can be used to instantly change the bpm of a

currently playing Pattern.

Variation........................................ Tips 3, 48, 49, 89

Each of the 70 Patterns of the DJX-IIB actually contains ten

separate Patterns, called “Variations.” Each Variation, as its

name implies, is a different version of the basic Pattern

rhythm. There are two types of Variations, main and ﬁll-in.

Main Variations are used for the constant rhythm of the

music, while ﬁll-in Variations are usually used as dynamic

breaks and transitions. In general, the higher the Variation

number, the busier or more complex the rhythm becomes.