TG300B mode

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Revision as of 19:40, 25 August 2024 by Hikari no yume (talk | contribs) (move euphemism discussion to its own section)
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TG300B mode is a feature on some Yamaha XG devices that provides unofficial Roland GS compatibility.

Yamaha do not document what GS features are supported beyond the list of patches. In testing, it seems to support a substantial number of GS System Exclusive messages, among others:

  • GS Reset (switches to TG300B mode)[1]
  • Editing the reverb and chorus (type, rate, delay, feedback level, etc)[1]
  • Per-part controller mappings, including LFOs[1]
  • Per-part voice editing (e.g. adjusting filter cutoff)[1]
  • Drum setup editing (e.g. reverb level for drums)[1]

Like the Roland SC-55, the patch set for TG300B mode includes Roland CM-64 compatibility banks. Unlike the SC-55, many XG devices also offer a specific CM-64-compatible mode (C/M mode).

Name

The name refers to the Yamaha TG300's similar "GM-B" mode, but this is a euphemism, presumably to avoid infringing on Roland's GS trademark. Yamaha's own manuals admit it "may not be able to play back TG300-specific song data with complete accuracy", but it is compatible with "MIDI data designed for other computer music tone generators".[2] Also, whereas the TG300's GM-B mode only attempted to be compatible with the Roland SC-55,[3] the TG300B mode provides compatibility with newer Sound Canvas devices, e.g. the Yamaha MU80 TG300B patch list looks more like the Roland SC-88's.[4]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Tested by hikari_no_yume on a Yamaha CBX-K1XG.
  2. Yamaha MU80 Owner's Manual, page 34. Identical wording can be found in many other MU-series manuals.
  3. This is suggested by comparing the patches in the TG300's Sound List & MIDI Data manual to the SC-55's.
  4. Compare the patch list on page "7-10" onwards of the Roland SC-88 Owner's Manual to the patch list on page 32 onwards of the Yamaha MU80 Sound List & MIDI Data manual.

See also