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QY100 System Overview: What It Is and What It Does
complex musical structures and rich textures. Of course you can also use
just two or three tracks for simpler arrangements. If you’re a guitar player,
for example, you might only need to create a drum and bass track to play
along with.
The sequencer tracks can be recorded in real time using the
“replace” or “overdub” recording mode. When you use the “replace”
mode anything you use will replace (overwrite) any material that was previ-
ously on the same section of the track being recorded. The “overdub”
mode, on the other hand, lets you add new material to a previously-
recorded track without erasing the previous data. This lets you build up a
track bit by bit without having to play the entire part all at once. Another
option is the “step” record mode in which you can enter notes one at a
time to create extremely fast or complex passages that would be difficult to
record in real time. The “step” mode is also useful for adding finishing
touches to tracks recorded in real time. Finally, there’s a “multi” record
mode in which all 16 sequencer tracks tracks can be recorded simulta-
neously — a great feature for transferring MIDI data to the QY100 from
another sequencer.
8 Accompaniment Tracks
The QY100 accompaniment tracks are what make it a versatile but
surprisingly easy-to-use accompaniment machine. Rather than recording
individual notes or chords as on the “sequencer” tracks described above,
accompaniments are produced by specifying a sequence of “patterns” to
be played (we will take a brief look at patterns — in the “Instant Accompa-
niment” section on page 53). In addition to 128 preset accompaniment
“styles”, each with 6 variation “patterns” (for details about styles and pat-
terns, see page 53), the QY100 provides memory for up to 64 original
styles that you can record yourself. Chord changes are programmed simply
by entering the name of the chord (you can do this via the micro-keyboard
simply by pressing the appropriate key), and you can specify the bass note
for the chord as well as syncopated chord timing for maximum versatility in
creating accompaniments for any type of music. The entire accompaniment
is automatically re-harmonized to match the chords you specify. What all
this means is that you can put together great-sounding accompaniments in
a fraction of the time it would take using a conventional sequencer, so you
spend less time programming and more time creating and playing.