How can I quickly switch on/off the "vocal harmony" function

[herb]

Hi , may I ask the question as above ...
In performance, we only need the "vocal harmony" function partially halfway playing the song. It will be a good thing to have a physical button for switching on/off the function but PX900 doesn't have such a button. Now I can make it happen though "Regidtration memory" only. Any better solution ?

=======
I then checked articles in the board and found solutions as following：

1. Assign it to an ASSIGNABLE button
2. Assign it to a Pedal (foot switch)

Thank you who posted them

[maarkr]

I use registrations for most all of my song styles. Save the reg with the harmony on, then save the next reg with the harmony off.

[kevin.dsouza]

You can map it to one of the assignable buttons just below the screen

[DrakeM]

I use registrations for most all of my song styles. Save the reg with the harmony on, then save the next reg with the harmony off.

I also use the Registration method.

I have slot #1 set up with the mic completely OFF (no sound at all).
Slot #2 is set up with No Reverb on the mic and the volume turned way up high. I use it to TALK to the audience, it makes it easy to get their attention.
Then at the other end of the Registration I have Slot #7 set up with just my voice and No Backup singer with about 17% reverb added (you got to have a bit on your mic).
Slot #8 has the Backup Singer with my Voice (again with reverb).   

I have over 30 different settings. Some with one singer as backup, two singers as backup, some are with men others have women. Then some have 17%, 25%, 40% and 50% of Reverb on the mic, it all depends on the song. 

A few setups use a third slot #6, there I use the Voice Doubler or the Male to Female harmony.

I always take the time to setup a custom style for each song to perform each tune. I never use a registration for that task, except in rare situations.

Regards
Drake

[CPAC]

Hi Drake,
I am just about to get either a used genos or more likely a SX900 but don't have it yet so I misunderstood your last post about setting up different harmony settings.  Your first sentence said, "I also use the registration method".  Your last sentence said, "I never use a registration for that task...".  I know you have a lot of experience performing and I hope to get into it one day.  I understand what you said about having different registrations with different mike/reverb settings.  I just got confused about what you meant at the end about taking the time to set up custom styles and not letting registrations do that.

Thanks,
Chris

[DrakeM]

Hello Chris

I never use a registration to control how the style is setup to sound. I always setup each STYLE so I can perform it using just the style and not a button on the registration. 

I use a registration to control the reverb mic settings and vocal harmony backup singers only.

Some keyboard players use the registration to setup up how the voices will sound in their styles. They sometimes have issues when moving on to the next keyboard or if they move the registration's location or the styles to another location, things get messed up and confusing at times. 

I take the time to setup each of the parts used in the style, the OTS and balance all the Mains of the style together for the perfect sound that I want to come out of my keyboard every time I perform the song.

For example when I set in at an open mic bar, I can simply plug in my keyboard to their PA system and tell them the turn off all the reverb in the channel I am plug into.

When I get a new keyboard, my styles will sound perfect the first time and every time I use them. No headaches, no problems, no worries.

[DrakeM]

I think the confusion is with the newer keyboards that no longer have the MUSIC FINDER as my S950 has. It is a handy feature that Yamaha has done away with for some unknown reason.

With the SX keyboard you will be stuck with using the registration to call up your custom song styles. You might use Slot #1 to save the intro you will use for the song. Then use Slots #7 and #8 to hold your mic settings.

I dread getting the SX keyboard knowing the Music Finder is now missing from the keyboards. I may wind up simply putting my styes in 20 folders with 16 styles (songs) in each of them. Then just select the style I want and referred to my lead sheet as to how the song starts, with an intro or one of the mains. That way the registrations I would still only use for Mic settings and controlling the backup singers.   

[Divemaster]

I think the confusion is with the newer keyboards that no longer have the MUSIC FINDER as my S950 has. It is a handy feature that Yamaha has done away with for some unknown reason.

With the SX keyboard you will be stuck with using the registration to call up your custom song styles. You might use Slot #1 to save the intro you will use for the song. Then use Slots #7 and #8 to hold your mic settings.

I dread getting the SX keyboard knowing the Music Finder is now missing from the keyboards. I may wind up simply putting my styes in 20 folders with 16 styles (songs) in each of them. Then just select the style I want and referred to my lead sheet as to how the song starts, with an intro or one of the mains. That way the registrations I would still only use for Mic settings and controlling the backup singers.

Hi Drake

You CAN actually have the Music Finder Database on your proposed new SX900.
It's just called PLAYLIST instead.

I've transferred all the Tyros models except T1, and also have several other TOTL keyboards on my regular memory stick.

You basically just put the relevant MFD file on a stick, and then put that into the SX. It then advises you that you can convert the file to a playlist.

Each mfd file takes 5/6 minutes to convert, but once done you then simply press the new (say T5) file,  followed by your playlist button, and it's all there just as before.

The ONLY thing you can't do, unlike the older models, is scroll through the list alphabetically except by using the Up Down buttons which can be a bit tiresome. There's no quick A_Z search function.

I have about 15 Playlists including your S950, G1 and G2 on my SX700. All play well.

Why so many.... Well because a lot of older songs are not on newer keyboards.

I'm sure you will  really like your SX when you get it.

MFD files are here to save you a search.

https://psrtutorial.com/sty/OF/musicfinder.html

Keith.

[DerekA]

I think the confusion is with the newer keyboards that no longer have the MUSIC FINDER as my S950 has. It is a handy feature that Yamaha has done away with for some unknown reason.

As Divemaster said, there is really nothing that MUSIC FINDER does which you can't do with PLAYLIST.

It's true that you have to prepare some custom registrations first, with the right style / voice / section preselected. But you can put those registrations anywhere you want in your USB / user drive, then link them to a PLAYLIST.

[overover]

... I never use a registration to control how the style is setup to sound. I always setup each STYLE so I can perform it using just the style and not a button on the registration. 

I use a registration to control the reverb mic settings and vocal harmony backup singers only. ...

Hi Keith and Derek,

Drake obviously only uses Registrations (normally just one) to switch the Mic Reverb and Vocal Harmony settings. This means that this registration is always active. He saves all other "voice-relevant" settings directly into his styles (which he calls up either directly or via the Music Finder).

This system is not possible if you work "normally" with registrations, i.e. use a registration bank for each song title or use the Playlist feature. Theoretically, you could assign (only) Mic/VH ON/OFF settings to a few registration buttons for each individual bank, but if you make later changes you would have to edit all reg banks (which of course is not particularly useful and is quite time-consuming).


Best regards,
Chris

[DerekA]

Selecting a playlist entry just activates a registration. There's nothing stopping you then calling up *another* registration on top of it to control other things, apart from the inconvenience of having to find it again from the list once you've selected the playlist entry.

[overover]

Selecting a playlist entry just activates a registration. There's nothing stopping you then calling up *another* registration on top of it to control other things, apart from the inconvenience of having to find it again from the list once you've selected the playlist entry.

Hi Derek,

That's exactly the problem: You can't have two registration banks active at the same time, you can only access them one after the other. If you use a registration bank with multiple registrations to play with a style (as Yamaha provides), it is very inconvenient to switch to another bank during the song to control, for example, vocal harmony on/off.

It would be ideal, as we suggested to Yamaha many years ago, if there were two independent instances of reg banks that could be active at the same time (one bank for normal playing and a global bank, e.g. for basic settings such as pedal settings or reverb/VH settings). Unfortunately, this request has not yet been taken up by Yamaha ...


Best regards,
Chris

[DerekA]

It would be ideal, as we suggested to Yamaha many years ago, if there were two independent instances of reg banks that could be active at the same time (one bank for normal playing and a global bank, e.g. for basic settings such as pedal settings or reverb/VH settings). Unfortunately, this request has not yet been taken up by Yamaha ...

Yes, I can see how this would be useful.

[DrakeM]

As Divemaster said, there is really nothing that MUSIC FINDER does which you can't do with PLAYLIST.

Like I have stated a couple times already here on the forum, a registration can't do the most important stuff that an actual gigging player uses (or should be using) with regards to the MF.

Using the PLAYLIST is fine if you are sitting at home and entertaining yourself. You have all the time in the world to hunt for a song in your list and then the lead sheet. The MF is for use during a live show.

Well, for just one thing .... you can't embed a CODE into the Playlist and have 16 songs  that you want to do in your first set appear.

Two ...  as already pointed out in this thread, you can not scroll quickly through the list of your 450+ songs to find the song you were just requested to play on the fly. Keep in mind the MF jumps by letter groups A, B, C, D, ...Z (not one song at a time).

Three .. You have found the REQUESTED song style using the MF, but where is the LEAD SHEET? You go to the EDIT tab of the MF and there you can read the CODE you used to organize your songs by SET NUMBER. You grab your song book of 450+ lead sheets and flip to set #18 and quickly flip through 16 sheets to get your music. SIMPLE and fast.

Four.... MF can be coded to show what key you need to transpose into to sing the song.

Five ... the MF calls up the Intro to start the song in and can instantly advance to the first Main to be played. The Playlist might be able to do this but as a performing singer this would take one more slot in the registration that your mic preset up is using for the song. You will have to also set everyone of your 450+ registrations with the INTRO and 5 to 6 mic settings you will be using for that song. That is insane to have to do that.

The biggest mistake Yamaha made was dropping the MF for the Playlist misfunction, if you are performing LIVE. 

Drake

[Lacko]

Hi Drake,

MobileSheetsPro is the application, which can solve at least 3 or 4 (maybe all 5) your points at once. When your tablet with MSP is connected to keyboard, by tapping on a song name you can display lead sheet on tablet and set keyboard to start that song. You have library with 450+ songs, but can prepare many different setlists for individual performances. Library is divided by letters A, B, C, ... Z, so you can see your songs beginning by any letter sorted alphabetically. You can even display that song (lead sheet or lyrics) to other musicians/singers playing/singing with you, if they have tablet/phone with MSP.
Just an idea

Lacko

[DerekA]

I get your point Drake.

But the registration called up by the playlist can also be linked to a text file. You can put your lead sheet details in that, together with any special performance notes you may want to have along with the song. Surely that's a good thing for a gigging player?

[DrakeM]

A cheap Lenovo Tab M9 will me cost $99 with a screen size of 8.5" x 5.5" ( I currently use one paper 8.5"x11" for most songs)
The app is $15

ADD the MF back to the keyboard and up the price by $100.
That screen is too small but I think larger screens are available but I am sure they cost even more. It's ridiculous to have to go this route when the device was already a part of the keyboard.

Linking to a text? The screen on the keyboard is only about 20 lines, my lead sheets would take 3 pages on average. I have my hands busy now flipping the Mains and VH2 on & off. Adding flipping the lead sheet page 2 extra times when I can see it all on a 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper (crazy).

When I upgrade my keyboard, I plan to use ONE sheet of paper with all the song titles with a folder number (set number) next to it. It will be easy to get to that folder and open it and see 16 song titles to find the one I want to play for a song request.

As for starting the song I have noted which intro I use on all my lead sheets. When creating my custom songs, I start by grabbing a style and then changing out the various parts as I find them. I generally do not delete the unused Intros and Endings from the style, but it would seem I should take the time to clean the styles up and remove them to eliminate the possibility of selecting the wrong one by accident before getting a new keyboard.

[mhack]

I use a footswitch. Thanks.

[Lacko]

I use automatic scrolling. It is hands and foot-free.

Lacko