The 13 things I wanted on the next PSR yamaha keyboard

[Enildo]

Hello everyone!

The 13 things I wanted on the next PSR yamaha keyboard:

01. Recording style tracks with the sustain pedal
02. Saving custom Drum Setup Kits
03. CASM section in Style Creator
04. Lyrics / Text in .PDF or .Doc format with colorful letters
05. Half Bar Fill physical button without the need to use Assignable buttons, freeing them for other uses.
06. The return of the physical Fade in / out button
07. The return of the video output (preferably HDMI) without the need for adapters
08. 04 buttons (knobs) Live Control
09. In the "Speaker" function, in addition to the "Headphone Switch, On and Off selections," the "Internal speakers only" function. In this case, they would cut all the keyboard outputs
10. The possibility of recording S.Art voices on MultiPads
11. Editable Arpeggio function
12. Vocal Harmony On / Off indicator light on the panel
13. Two microphone inputs with independent Mic Setting / Vocal Harmony controls

Enildo

[hans1966]

Hello Enildo, very good points.  I would add another three points. continuing the list: 14. possibility of direct sampling on the keyboard. 15. In the "Song Creator" possibility to copy specific bars or measures from one channel to another channel. 16. Replacement of the power adapter by power cord. Best regards. Hans

[Enildo]

Hello Enildo, very good points.  I would add another three points. continuing the list: 14. possibility of direct sampling on the keyboard. 15. In the "Song Creator" possibility to copy specific bars or measures from one channel to another channel. 16. Replacement of the power adapter by power cord. Best regards. Hans

Hi Hans!

Thank you for your help, You brought good points!

Enildo

[Luis Carlos GM]

Interesting points. I want to add another.
17: Add accessibility functions: Since that keyboards now uses touch screens, for a blind (visually impaired) person like me, and also low vision persons, it could be impossible to navigate between the options of the keyboard. For this case I want a screen reading and magnifying functionality to the keyboard to have more access to their settings.

[Enildo]

Interesting points. I want to add another.
17: Add accessibility functions: Since that keyboards now uses touch screens, for a blind (visually impaired) person like me, and also low vision persons, it could be impossible to navigate between the options of the keyboard. For this case I want a screen reading and magnifying functionality to the keyboard to have more access to their settings.

Thanks for the contribution Luís Carlos, you included a super important suggestion,
although yamaha has already put an accessibility program on its SX and Genos lines, but it needs to improve and evolve.

Enildo

[blackpool]

I am very happy with everything apart from aftertouch

I think the SX models are the best PSR's ever produced and the midrange 700 is just the best 'bang for buck' in the arranger/workstation market in my view.

With respect......E models are never going to offer the same spec as SX's in the lineup of PSR's ....They are at a different price point
Keith

[Joe H]

Sustain on all style Parts is a no no... that will cause all kinds of problems I'm sure (that's why it is not possible now).

But I would welcome

A. - An improved noise-free key bed with After Touch
B. - A CASM Editor in Style Creator (but StyleMagic has a good one already along with a good Drum Editor)
C. - An Arpeggiator Editor to create User Arpeggios
D. - Return of the physical Fade In / Fade Out button

Joe H

[hans1966]

Very good point Joe H., I would add as an additional and no less important point 18. or 19, possibility of a piano roll editor, in "Song Creator" and "Style Creator". Hans

[mixermixer]

I'd like to add to the list an improved response time on the touchscreen, I've tested the SX900 and it reacts slowly IMO. Also it could be only me and I've said this before, but I would like to bring back the "Ballad" category; currently its mushed in the Pop & Rock, some in Country, others in some other category. I found that I can navigate better without the search function by going to my downloaded T4 styles that I have in a USB and browse via folders, but that's because I'm accustomed to the old UI before the touch and I mentally know where certain styles are based in their page location (muscle memory)... and hey, the SX900 does full voicing of the T4 factory styles, took them 10 years for the trickle down lol

/rant

[EileenL]

I find the touch screen as quick as my I pad. No problems at all.
As to styles why not find the ones you use a lot and save then to favourites. Then always easy to find by just pressing Favourite button

[overover]

I'd like to add to the list an improved response time on the touchscreen, I've tested the SX900 and it reacts slowly IMO. ...

Hi mixermixer,

you can go to [Menu] > [Utility] > [Touch Screen/Display] and switch off the "Transition Effect" (on page 2/2). This makes the display changes faster.


Best regards,
Chris

[Moontom]

curious if the new SX line allows for MIDI multi-tracking and then looping the results. this is a huge problem w/ the Genos....how these sophisticated instruments lack that basic capability is beyond me.

[bernamato]

I add:
the direct on disk reading instruments and other voices to be used on each track styles
This technology is old. Why will not implement it in 2021?

[hans1966]

Hi Jeff, I'm also looking forward to a major update for my SX900.
For example: in "Song Creator" you can implement more event editing tools such as: piano roll, copy of specific measures from one channel to another, and / or copy by instrument blocks (channels or tracks) with specific measures to other channels or tracks.

possibility of direct data transfer from the keyboard to the computer, and vice versa through the USB HOST port, without the need to install a driver.

for me these tools are essential,
since I like to work musical arrangements from the keyboard without the need for external software.
greetings. Hans

[mhack]

EXCELLENT! I REALLY LIKE THE CHOICES. Light for harmony and fade in/out control my favorites.
Hack

[hans1966]

Another interesting point for a future update is the implementation of a multitrack audio recorder, with editing functions such as:
overdub, punch, cut, and insert.  (The latter for pads, arpeggiators, and effects).

they are just my suggestions.


regards

[mikf]

You can't make good multi track recordings without a final mix facility ie able to move volumes on every track in real time as you make a final mix. It's a really basic function missing from ALL these arrangers. Nobody ever lists it in these "wants" lists, but IMHO it is a really important function that is always missing.
Mike

[hans1966]

Hi Mike, I agree with you.

A good multitrack recorder should carry a good mixer where you can make adjustments such as: volumes, equalizer, effects, panning, and compressor.

We hope that Yamaha will take these suggestions into account either in an upcoming software update, or in future models.


regards


Hans

[EileenL]

That is why a lot of us record in midi first as it allows you to edit before recording to Audio.

[mikf]

Eileen
It doesn't let you do a final mix, whether you record to midi or not. Multi track mixing is not an edit technique the keyboard supports. It's the process you always see sound engineers typically performing as they sit at the big multi track recording desk moving the sliders around in real time to get channel volumes exactly right at every point as they make the final mix.
Of course I can do it by feeding to audacity and using the onboard mixer to control every midi channel volume in real time. But the keyboard is quite capable of making audio recording, so I shouldn't have to use audacity. You  need to be able to do a mix onboard without using external software. It's no big deal if all you are doing is recording a typical arranger performance, but for sophisticated multi track recording it is essential.
Mike

[Toril S]

If you balance the style and voices before making a multi track recording it will not sound any worse than a quick recording. But I agree, it needs a mixer.

[mikf]

Toril
That's not how it works on a multi track. You typically record track at a time, so when you record one track all the others may not yet be recorded. So no matter how good you are, there will still be certain parts where you want to back off some parts, bring others up, fade some sections in, others out etc etc. You always end up making adjustments in real time as you listen to the totality not just to get a good well balanced recording, but to get the whole arrangement to sound the way you want. It's one of the most important steps in making a complicated multi track arrangement.
Mike

[DrakeM]

You just need to use Audacity to mix the tracks ONE at time. You know it is a free program to go download, right?

Once you make your MIDI file of your song on your keyboard, you can then make a WAV of EACH for the tracks parts by itself.   
Then import the all those WAV files into Audacity and mix them to your hearts content. With Audacity you can mix each whole track at once OR a small section of each of the tracks in any size.

What you are wanting is already available FREE. 

I have thought about doing my song performances that way BUT that would not be what the performance would really sound like using the STYLE out on a gig. That is why I spend hours MIXING the style on my keyboard with my mic vocals at ONE content setting. Then go back and listen to the recordings weeks and months later and ideas for licks and riffs sometimes occur to me to add to the performance.

Regards
Drake

[DrakeM]

12. Vocal Harmony On / Off indicator light on the panel
13. Two microphone inputs with independent Mic Setting / Vocal Harmony controls

Just a couple tips I use to eliminate these two issues you seem to have listed.

(12 ) That is what a "registration" is used for. It "lights" up when it is ON or OFF.
(13)  You can set up registrations as I do to engage the "back up harmony" and then OFF using them. You can use more that ONE registration to perform a song if needed. 

If you want to Fade in and out on your song recordings just use Audacity (it's a free program).  But don't ever use it playing LIVE for crying out loud, end the song like a real band would ... TAG the dare thing.

[mikf]

Drake
I know all about audacity. And of course I can also do this with digital multi track recorders and mixers, all of which I have done in the past. There are plenty of alternative ways to skin the cat. I just believe the keyboard should have this function. It has nearly everything you need to do quite sophisticated multi track midi recording on board - except a mixing facility. This seems a basic need to me. I had this discussion with a Yamaha keyboard tech and he agreed it was something they need to address.
And cost or free is not a driver for quite a lot of people. Convenience is. I have a CVP, which is a very neat self contained piece of furniture that sits well in a nice room. I have no need or desire to have that littered with wires running everywhere, computers and other hardware.
Mike

[hans1966]

Hi Mike, I agree with you.

Perhaps the other colleagues do not understand the complexity of an orchestral composition with voices included.

For example, in addition to making all the necessary MIDI adjustments, such as: control changes for certain parts of the song (volume, modulation, sustain, effects) to make it sound as dynamic as possible (including the ability to play difficult passages with sounds that have articulation) multitrack audio recording is also needed, for the following reasons.

1. make the final mix. this includes: volume, external effects, external equalization, external compression, normalization and mastering.


2. If in addition to the MIDI arrangement, external instruments are required (guitars, violins, brass, external synthesizer) and also male and female singers each singing their soloist part and then en bloc (3,4, or 6 voices)

then a multi-channel mixer / recorder keyboard with a minimum of 16 tracks is required with the functions described above, in addition to automation, and scene recording.


With such a keyboard, you don't need external software to record your best arrangement, no matter how complex.

this is just my opinion.


regards


Hans

[DrakeM]

Well, have Yamaha stick that sort of thing on the Genos line but not on the SX series of keyboards.

I don't want to pay extra for something that is free already. 

Regards
Drake

[mikf]

Drake - don't worry, Yamaha will recover all the software development costs from CVP and Genos buyers. Then they can throw it in the next model down a couple of years later at almost no cost. That's their normal modus operandi. LOL.
Mike

[DrakeM]

Alright, now that works for me.

[Enildo]

Hello everyone!

The 13 things I wanted on the next PSR yamaha keyboard:

01. Recording style tracks with the sustain pedal
02. Saving custom Drum Setup Kits
03. CASM section in Style Creator
04. Lyrics / Text in .PDF or .Doc format with colorful letters
05. Half Bar Fill physical button without the need to use Assignable buttons, freeing them for other uses.
06. The return of the physical Fade in / out button
07. The return of the video output (preferably HDMI) without the need for adapters
08. 04 buttons (knobs) Live Control
09. In the "Speaker" function, in addition to the "Headphone Switch, On and Off selections," the "Internal speakers only" function. In this case, they would cut all the keyboard outputs
10. The possibility of recording S.Art voices on MultiPads
11. Editable Arpeggio function
12. Vocal Harmony On / Off indicator light on the panel
13. Two microphone inputs with independent Mic Setting / Vocal Harmony controls

Enildo

I continue with my 13 wishes, + the Piano hall and MultTrack Editor suggested by Hans.
Drake, I already use VH with the registers, but it would be very important that when it is activated, it shows on the led panel as "ON" and deactivated as "OFF".
This would be resolved in the current SX900, with just a software update.
Maybe Yamaha will put some of those wishes in the SX910!

Regards,
Enildo