Effects & Sound Shaping

The Mixer, the effect monitor windows, and Performance Mode are full of words like reverb, chorus, and EFX. You do not need to know any of it to enjoy a file, the synth handles it all. But if you have ever wondered what these controls actually do, here is the plain-English version.

Reverb#

Reverb is the sense of space. It is the sound of a room, a hall, or a cathedral around the music, the countless tiny reflections that tell your ears how big the space is. A little makes things feel natural; a lot makes them feel distant and grand. Turn it right down and the sound becomes dry, as if played in a tiny padded room.

The GS Reverb window, set to Type: Hall 1, with rotary knobs for Level, Character, Pre-LPF, Time, Delay FB and Pre Delay Time, and a row of blue Channel Sends bars (CC#91) across the 16 channels.

Chorus#

Chorus thickens and widens a sound. It mixes in a slightly delayed, slightly out-of-tune copy of the instrument, so one voice starts to sound like several playing together. It is what gives strings their shimmer and an electric piano its lush, wide feel.

Delay (echo)#

Delay is exactly what it sounds like: echoes. The sound repeats, each repeat a little quieter than the last, until it fades away. Short delays add a slap or bounce; longer ones create rhythmic, trailing echoes.

Brightness#

Brightness is the tone control, technically a filter on the high frequencies. Turn it up and the sound is crisp and present; turn it down and it becomes soft, dark, and mellow, as if a blanket has been draped over it. It is one of the quickest ways to make an instrument sit forward or tuck into the background.

EQ (equalisation)#

EQ shapes the tone by frequency band, letting you boost or cut the bass, the middle, or the treble independently. Think of it as the bass and treble knobs on a hi-fi, with a bit more precision.

Pan#

Pan sets an instrument's left-to-right position in the stereo image, from hard left, through centre, to hard right. Spreading instruments across the stereo field is what stops a busy arrangement sounding like everything is squashed into one spot.

Sends and inserts (two ways effects are applied)#

This is the idea that ties the effect windows together. There are two ways a synth applies an effect:

Send effects (reverb, chorus, and on XG, variation) are shared. There is one reverb for the whole song, and each channel "sends" some of itself to it. The send level is how much of that channel you hear with reverb on it. This is why the reverb and chorus windows show a row of per-channel bars.
Insertion effects are wired directly into a single part, affecting only that one instrument. Roland calls this EFX; Yamaha calls it Insertion. It is how you put, say, a distortion or a rotary speaker on one instrument without touching the rest.

Variation (Yamaha XG)#

On XG synths, variation is a third, flexible effect slot alongside reverb and chorus. It can be many different things (a phaser, a tremolo, a rotary speaker, another delay, and more), and it can work either as a shared send or as an insertion effect on one part.

Performance controls (modulation, sustain, and friends)#

Modulation (vibrato), pitch bend, velocity, and sustain are performance controls rather than effects, but they shape the sound just as much. They have their own home in Channels, Ports & Controls.

Where you will meet these#

The Mixer sets each channel's volume, pan, brightness, and reverb / chorus / variation send levels.
The GS & XG Effect Monitors show and adjust every parameter of these effects in detail.
Performance Mode gives you reverb, chorus, and a sustain toggle as you play.