Yamaha has launched the PSR E473

[rodrigo.b]

Hi everyone one, https://youtu.be/qMVhJLas8o8

[bysa77]

PAD Sampling!

[pjd]

I posted a quick set of bullet points at:

http://sandsoftwaresound.net/yamaha-psr-e473-and-psr-ew425/

No price information yet.

— pj

[SciNote]

Hey, Paul -- this is not criticism -- I just think you might want to know this so you can correct your website -- you have a few misspellings on that page.  You list filter cutoff as filter "curoff" twice in the section about the live control knobs, and you also refer to the PSR-EW425 as the PSR-SW425 when you said it has 12 watt amplifiers.

Beyond that, this keyboard looks like it has some very nice features with the two DSP slots, sample pads, and S.Art. Lite.  But I'll have to see and hear it to see how much of an advance it is.  And, I'll have to at least see the manual to see if it has some features that I've been wanting, such as having the sustain pedal affect both sides of a split keyboard and the availability of portamento.

[SciNote]

Here's another video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq6OG8NTa8c

This one talks about the DSP effects and the difference between DSP1 and DSP2.  From what I can tell, DSP1 is automatically assigned to the main voice for various sounds -- such as a distortion DSP being assigned to an electric guitar sound.  However, you can change those DSP settings, if you want (and I would hope that could be stored in a registration).

DSP2, however (and again, this is based on how I interpret this video), can be assigned to the whole keyboard or any specific part.  If this can be saved to a registration, this is intriguing.  You see, I like having some reverb on the drums.  Now, yes, this keyboard (and in fact, even the E453 and E463) can assign reverb to the style/drums.  The problem is that, unless you save the style to a registration, there is no way of saving that style/drum reverb setting.  Well, I do not use registrations to save styles -- I only use them for voice combinations.  That way, I can have a particular style playing for a song, then freely change registrations for different voices for different parts of the song without having the style and tempo change when I make these voice changes.

So, with the E453 and E463 (and, likely, also with that particular feature of the E473), each time I'd want to have reverb on the drums, I'd have to set that up.  And from what I remember when experimenting with this function, it resets to default (no style/drum reverb) not only just when the keyboard is turned on, but also when you select a new style, which means I'd need to go into the style reverb function and set this up before each and every song that I play, unless I play more than one song in a row with the same style.

If this DSP2 function on the E473 works the way I hope it will, then it should be possible to just set up various registrations to use DSP2 for the style part, and to have that DSP2 be a reverb or delay type of DSP.  Since this is a DSP feature, and not a style feature, I would hope that the registrations could save these DSP settings without having to save a style to a registration.  Therefore, if this is the case, then it should be possible to save multiple registrations with DSP2 set for the style/drums, and to be able to switch through these registrations and change the sounds (main, dual, split voices) without changing the style or its tempo.

Again, this is obviously speculation.  We'll have to check the manual when it becomes available.  To get reverb on the drums for my PSR-E433, I use an outboard reverb pedal, which, of course, adds reverb to the entire sound (including the main, dual, and split voices).  But I normally use reverb on the sounds, anyway.

[overover]

... Again, this is obviously speculation.  We'll have to check the manual when it becomes available. ...

Hi Bob the manuals are already available on the E473 product site:
>>> https://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/musical_instruments/keyboards/portable_keyboards/psr-e473/downloads.html#product-tabs

By the way, all Yamaha product videos can be found at the "Audio & Video" tab on the E473 product site:
>>> https://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/musical_instruments/keyboards/portable_keyboards/psr-e473/audio_video.html#product-tabs


Best regards,
Chris

[pjd]

Hey, Paul -- this is not criticism -- I just think you might want to know this so you can correct your website -- you have a few misspellings on that page.  You list filter cutoff as filter "curoff" twice in the section about the live control knobs, and you also refer to the PSR-EW425 as the PSR-SW425 when you said it has 12 watt amplifiers.

Hi Bob —

No offense taken! Thanks for the corrections.

I wrote that late last night before bed. Also, I need new reading glasses. No joke — I haven't gotten a new pair thanks to the pandemic. I can read music only in the best light! 

I'll make changes after morning coffee. 

Thanks, again — pj

Update: I put in some fixes and additional information: http://sandsoftwaresound.net/yamaha-psr-e473-and-psr-ew425/

[SciNote]

Hi Bob the manuals are already available on the E473 product site:
>>> https://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/musical_instruments/keyboards/portable_keyboards/psr-e473/downloads.html#product-tabs

By the way, all Yamaha product videos can be found at the "Audio & Video" tab on the E473 product site:
>>> https://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/musical_instruments/keyboards/portable_keyboards/psr-e473/audio_video.html#product-tabs


Best regards,
Chris

Great post!  I did a quick scan of the manual -- and Yamaha STILL has not provided the option to allow the sustain pedal to sustain the left part of a split keyboard!  Come on, Yamaha, what gives here?

And, I did a search (Ctrl-F) on that manual for the word "portamento" -- and nothing came up!  Seriously?  I'll have to check if any of the synth sounds have portamento built in, but I have my doubts.

[SciNote]

I've been looking at the manual and data list for the PSR-E473 and PSR-EW425, and here are my impressions, so far.  Keep in mind, these impressions are subject to change based on discovering more information and hearing the keyboards in a live setting.

First of all, my disappointments...

Same style engine as on the E433 (and maybe even further back) -- No dedicated drum fill button -- Cannot do fills without also changing the style part.  No improvement here in the past 10 years or more?

Same 6-track sequencer as on the E433 -- Still approx 19000 notes (which has been more than enough for me, but you'd still think there would be some advancement after nearly 10 years), still no editing capability.

Still not able to set the sustain pedal to also sustain the left side of a split keyboard.

Still no portamento (at least none that I could find in the manual) -- Even though Casio has had this since around 2018 for this type of keyboard and even though Yamaha includes it in the PSR-I500?

Still only 32 registrations.  Really?  Again, no improvement in nearly 10 years?


Some improvements...

64 note maximum polyphony.

An increased number of sounds -- though like in previous models, be aware that a certain number of these sounds are generated by automatically adding a pre-selected dual-voice sound, meaning that these tones cannot be combined with another tone using dual voice, because dual voice is already being used.

Hammond B3 type effects (key click and "leakage") for some of the organ sounds -- BUT ONLY ON THE EW425.  Similar organ sounds are available on the E473, but without the key click and leakage effects.  Why couldn't Yamaha put these effects on both keyboards?

Style freeze -- It has been possible to program in a style freeze to each individual registration -- at least on the E433 on up -- by simply making sure you select the "song" button before setting up and saving a registration.  This causes the registration to NOT save style data, and therefore let the currently playing style settings to continue after selecting such a registration.  Now, it appears you can save style data to a registration for when you want that feature, but then tell the keyboard to ignore the style data by simply turning on style freeze.  With style freeze on, you should get the same effect -- the ability to change registrations to change sounds during a song without suddenly changing the style and tempo.

Transpose freeze -- A long overdue function.  On these keyboards, the transpose setting is saved to a registration.  This means that if you're playing a song with a singer that needs to sing the song in a different key than the one you normally use, you could use the transpose function, but any time you select a different registration to change keyboard sounds while playing, you'd change the transposition setting again.  Now, it looks like you can set a transpose setting and then freeze it, so that you can then change registrations without changing the transpose function.

Direct buttons on the panel to shift the tone up or down an octave.


Some significantly interesting features...

The numerous DSP effects now available, the fact that there are two different slots/settings for DSP, and that the second one of those slots can be set to effect the whole keyboard or just a particular section, such as the style background.

S.Art Lite -- This has now been around for a while on the E373/EW310, so most of us know what it is, and it's now available here on the E473/E425.  The sustain pedal can be set to be an S.Art Lite activator, which would allow this feature to be used during two-handed playing.

Motion effects to alter the tone dynamically while playing.  It looks like this can be used to add modulation, thereby adding a feature that has been missing on these keyboards -- but it can also be used for various other effects, as well.

Sample pads -- It looks like this can give something similar to multi-pad functionality, depending on what kind of samples are stored in the pads.  As far as I can tell, the sample will not transpose based on the chord being played with the style.  And curiously, the manual states that using the samples uses notes in the available polyphony.  I would've thought that samples would have their dedicated memory separate from the polyphony of the normal sounds, but this does not appear to be the case.


So, I'm not sure how I feel about these keyboards.  After nearly 4 years since the previous model, I was hoping for improvements in things like the style engine, sequencer, and number of registrations available.  But it looks like there are a lot of sounds, effects, and DSP options.  The important things that cannot be determined by the manual, however, are the key feel and overall tone.  So, I'll have to wait until I can actually play these keyboards live to determine whether I'd want to buy one.

[pjd]

Hi Bob --

Why couldn't Yamaha put these effects on both keyboards?

Cue The O'Jays - For The Love of Money.  Product differentiation. Gotta justify the price delta between the E473 and EW425.

Motion effects to alter the tone dynamically while playing.

Coulda been done a long time ago. The motion effects are implemented via MIDI, just like the PSS-A50. The E473/EW425 motion effects are a superset of the A50.

Sample pads

This is one place where Yamaha is ahead of the new competing Casios.

key feel and overall tone

I agree with all of your previous posts about changes in the E-series keybeds. That's one of the main reasons that I sold off my E443.

All the best -- pj