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I own two of these and plan to buy a third unit. I bought the first when it was released in 1997 and that was after minimal auditioning at my local store, infact I had about 10mins while I was waiting for them to put the sale through! The feature list on the initial Yamaha brochure was enough to blow me away totally and I was sold on it before I even tried it.
I can honestly say that despite having various plugins and software for my PC, I actually never use them as the MU100R has pretty much everything you could ever need, especially if you add additional expansion cards like I have done. I have added the DX (DX7 synth), AN (AN1x synth) to the existing VL (wind and string virtual modeling) instrument and VH (vocal harmony) boards and I plan to buy the DR (drums) and AP (acoustic piano) when I can.
I have used the MU100R in different roles on each of my projects. Using Cubase and a homemade mixer map I can FULLY automate my digital multitrack audio tracks via the A/D inputs and all with FX etc. The ease with which you can have a MIDI automation track runnning alongside your other instrument tracks in a song is superb. Adding individual FX or track changes with a simple System Exclusive data command is childs play - infact it was only after buying the MU100R that I finally understood Sys Exc. The MU100R can show you the code to use on the front display and the rest can be found in the user manual.
I find the FX incredibly useful for adding the finishing touches to vocal tracks, by using the onboard licensed Aurel Exciter and some fully parametric EQ, reverb etc. The guitar overdrive sounds are pretty useable for a digital unit, and don't end up being harsh and brittle like many other models out there. The rest of the FX are very good indeed and work as you would hope.
The sonic palette of this beast is astonishing but the highlights are the incredible virtual modeling of the VL board, and when this is incorporated into the Performance multi-channel presets with the onboard samples you can achieve some breathtaking swirling, evolving sounds. The 20MB of waveform samples that makeup the the 1500+ presets are on the whole excellent and realistic. As with most GM based synths they need a bit of work to bring them fully to life but many work fine with little or no effort.
The MU100R is so easy to use once you have understood the basic interface concept. I suppose some may miss having a numeric pad of buttons to call up a preset number instantly, but the jog wheel does a fairly good job. The display is large and detailed with some fun icons to brighten things up.
If I had both the time and the inclination I could sit here typing a lot more about how superb the MU100R is, but the bottom line is that this is a monster of a machine that takes up a single rackspace and packs in so much power and flexability, that it will become your Swiss Army knife of your studio.....it really is THAT amazing!
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