Behind the Synth: VL1 Retrospective with Manny Fernandez

The introduction of the VL1 Virtual Acoustic Synthesizer at the NAMM show in 1994 blew minds. With a brand new tone generation system called Virtual Acoustic Synthesis, the VL1 tone generator simulates the physical mechanism by which wind, string and other instruments produce sound. The VL1 set new standards for expressiveness and redefined what a synthesizer could be. 

Manny Fernandez was part of the core sound design team for VL1 and we knew he had a lot of stories and sounds to share. He spent 4 hours in the Synth Space with Nate discussing the development process, the team of Yamaha engineers (including legendary Toshi “Dr. K” Kunimoto), the technology of Virtual Acoustic – and he played some of his favorite sounds. Check out this special 4 part episdoe of Behind the Synth podcast below:

Want to share your comments/thoughts? Join the conversation on the Forum here.