VL stands for 'Virtual Lead', indicating that the VL7 was developed as a melodic keyboard instrument with the capability of interpreting the subtle nuances of a performance utilizing a method Yamaha calls their 'Virtual Acoustic Synthesizer' or computer modeling.

The overall computer physical model in the VL7 consists of three main blocks: the Instrument, controllers, and modifiers. The key block is the instrument, since this is where the fundamental tone or timbre of the sound is defined. Woodwinds, brass, and string instruments for the VL7 are provided in the form of pre-programmed voices.

The controller parameters determine how the instrument 'plays' and can be assigned to any of the external controllers used with the VL7 such as breath controller, foot controller, panel sliders, etc. The modifiers are related to the sound producing instrument model and have an effect on the final sound. The VL7 also has an effects section with reverb, modulation, distortion, and speaker simulators, and a 49 note velocity & aftertouch keyboard. There are 128 RAM voice locations and a 3.5' DS/HD disk drive for storage.