Yamaha 2008 Annual Report Download - page 43

41Annual Report 2008
In addition, Yamaha conducts most of its product design in-
house at the Product Design Laboratory, which holds two Design
Studios in Tokyo and London. Yamaha continually works to bol-
ster its structure with a view to being a leader in high-quality prod-
uct design with a fresh, cutting-edge feel to it.
R&D Achievements
TENORI-ONTM
TENORI-ON is a revolutionary new digital musical instrument
with a unique interface which allows even someone with no
knowledge of music to compose and play music intuitively and
visually. In 2002 Yamaha began collaborating with Toshio Iwai,
an internationally renowned media artist, to develop a new type
of digital musical instrument, and later succeeded in developing
TENORI-ON through combining Mr. Iwai’s creativity and Yamaha’s
digital musical instrument technology.
Even before the product was officially released, it won the
Interaction Design Prize (the Minister’s Prize from the Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan) at the 2005 Good Design
Awards. During fiscal 2008 it was selected as one of the “25 Most
Innovative Products of the Year” by PC World magazine in the
U.S. It was also nominated for
the “Brit Insurance Design of
the Year Awards,” sponsored
by London’s Design Museum,
in the product category,
thereby receiving tremendous
critical acclaim.
VOCALOIDTM
VOCALOID is a vocal synthesizing software program, launched in
2003, which creates genuine-sounding computer-generated vocals.
A songwriter simply inputs the melody and words to their PC, and
the computer generates the vocal track. The software draws upon
an extensive database of actual vocal recordings, referred to as the
“vocal library,” in order to generate the sounds. Since it preserves
the acoustic properties of the human voice, the computer-gener-
ated tracks sound identical to real vocalists. VOCALOID applies a
synthesizing method based on signal processing technology in a
frequency domain Yamaha developed through years of research
into signal processing technology in music and human voices.
During fiscal 2008, Crypton Future Media,
Inc. released a software program named
Hatsune Miku, which it developed using this
technology under license from Yamaha.
The product has been extremely well
received, and is earning acclaim for the
Company’s technology.
Yamaha’s Wood Reforming Technology for Acoustic Guitars
Acoustic Resonance Enhancement (A.R.E.) is a technology
which Yamaha developed to alter the resonant qualities of wood.
The technology was derived from the Company’s basic materials
research conducted on the properties of wood, a basic compo-
nent in a wide range of musical instruments. By carefully
controlling the temperature, humidity and pressure, which affect
the micro-structure of wood, the molecular properties of the
wood can actually be manipulated to match the ideal acoustic
conditions of the wood in an instrument that has been played for
decades. The process uses no harmful chemicals, and is there-
fore environmentally friendly. Guitars which are made using this
technology have superior resonance and vibration characteris-
tics, sustaining tones in the low- and mid-ranges while delivering
increased high-range response and shorter delay after the
attack. This gives the guitars clearer notes with no discordant
harmonic overtones and a warm, “vintage” sound quality.
Acoustic Design in Refurbishing Waseda University’s
“Okuma Auditorium”
Though the Company’s main business focuses on musical
instruments, Yamaha is well aware of the fact that the instru-
ments themselves contribute only one dimension of an acoustic
field. For musical instruments to sound impressive in a large
space, such as a concert hall, the architectural and acoustic
design of any amplification system must also be carefully consid-
ered. Over the past 20 years Yamaha has supervised more than
200 projects to build music venues, including the refurbishment
of older halls, offering sound design assistance to create an ideal
acoustic environment. Yamaha has earned a strong reputation
for acoustic design by carefully studying, analyzing and testing
the architectural structure and electrical acoustic design of each
venue and trying to design an optimal acoustic space to match
these characteristics.
In supervising the remodeling project for Waseda University’s
“Okuma Auditorium,” Yamaha took great care to preserve the
historical character of the hall while trying to modernize the
building, in an effort to match the original design and acoustic
qualities as closely as possible. To accomplish this, it was nec-
essary to repair the materials used in the walls and ceilings,
redesign the audience seating and floor sections, and also
replace the electrical sound system. In addition to replacing the
entire sound system with digital equipment, Yamaha redesigned
the speakers to best match
the acoustic qualities of an
indoor performance hall, giving
it a more natural-sounding
volume and clarity.
Copyright © 2007 Crypton Future Media, Inc.
Waseda University’s “Okuma Auditorium”
Acoustic spectrum measurements through the use of A.R.E.
Harmonic pattern
of current L-series guitars
Harmonic patterns of the new
L-series guitars, with A.R.E.
Enhanced mid- to high-range response
Enhanced low- and mid-range sustain
an increased power level
Increased high-range decay