Cloudschatze wrote:

carlostex wrote:

Later high end MU modules are 100% GS compatible, like the MU2000EX:

This is actually true of any of the cards/units with the TG300B mode; the MU2000EX just officially recognizes that same GS support as such.

I could swear that the MU2000EX GS mode sounds much much closer to a real Sound Canvas than my MU80 TG300B mode...

deemster wrote:

Regarding the Fat Seal: Interesting, i had never heard of it before. So its basicly a seal you can earn if your card has the right 'tone' as the composers intended. Which cards have this seal?

Sort-of. It's mostly just a certification that the instruments use volume envelope settings similar to those of the Sound Canvas.

Here's one of the last Fat Labs webpage archives, which provides the list of recommended products, and describes the testing purposes and criteria:
https://web.archive.org/web/20051217081518/ht … com/flrecom.htm

carlostex wrote:

I could swear that the MU2000EX GS mode sounds much much closer to a real Sound Canvas than my MU80 TG300B mode...

If the various TG300B voice listings are any indication, it's probably reasonable to assume that Yamaha tweaked the TG300B mode along the course of the MU product line, similar to how Roland's own SC-8850 and SC-55 are also both "100% GS compatible," despite their tonal and programmatic differences. The "EX" update is described in Yamaha's own documentation as being a purely cosmetic change to the already-present TG300B mode, though there is some discrepancy on this point that probably merits an actual comparison.

Cloudschatze wrote:

carlostex wrote:

I could swear that the MU2000EX GS mode sounds much much closer to a real Sound Canvas than my MU80 TG300B mode...

If the various TG300B voice listings are any indication, it's probably reasonable to assume that Yamaha tweaked the TG300B mode along the course of the MU product line, similar to how Roland's own SC-8850 and SC-55 are also both "100% GS compatible," despite their tonal and programmatic differences. The "EX" update is described in Yamaha's own documentation as being a purely cosmetic change to the already-present TG300B mode, though there is some discrepancy on this point that probably merits an actual comparison.

I just put my MU15 to the test and it does sound more like my MU80 and less like the MU2000EX in the video i posted before. The MU2000EX seems to sound closer to a true Sound Canvas, so it could be later MU series units had its TG300B mode changed.
Anyway if Yamaha's own documentation describes the EX firmware upgrade as just a cosmetic change then there's no reason for further speculation, and maybe i'm just "hearing things" which makes me feel kinda embarassed. A musician with a bad ear. 😢