Starting June 30, Yamaha Premium packs, expansions will be free

[ckobu]

@Bachus - you're right. Celtic wasn't free, at least I don't think he was. This is a screenshot I was able to capture while the web was running. Maybe something other than this will be free, we'll see.

[EileenL]

They did say all packs so there a lot more to show up.

[rodrigo.b]

I can't add to the cart the saxophones pack

[elad770]

Eileen,

I really want to believe that you are right because if this is ALL they had to give us I would again be disappointed. Their message: "All Premium packs, styles, and voices" built up a completely different expectation from what they actually give away. Most of these packs were free or already circulating in the community. Nothing to brag about! I know you are saying that some people will find them useful but for most of the users who are in this thread, this will be disrespectful to our intelligence. I really, really hope I'm wrong and they will release additional content.

Plus, I don't know if others experienced this but I added all the products to the cart - checked out and nothing happened. The order says pending and didn't receive any link to download. Does anyone already downloaded anything?

[LaHawk]

Once Again, unless something has changed in the last 24 hours, and as per my phone call to MusicSoft, she stated "Only Yamaha produced Packs will be free" If it doesn't have the Yamaha logo, it's not free. 

[elad770]

There's still a very good chance that I'm wrong because everyone is getting information from https://shop.usa.yamaha.com/
In this website, only few packs like previously stated in the picture above are shared. This is where I got my information from.
But Yamahamusicsoft is down which indicates that they are no finished yet! This still gives me hope that many more downloads will be available! Fingers crossed

[elad770]

It only takes a little patience for the web to work. These are Free Packs that we will be able to download.

I think or at least want to think that you are mistaken
The Yamahamusicsoft is down for a long time and the information we are getting from other Yamaha sites might not be accurate.
I think there will be much more for us to download

[DerekA]

Once Again, unless something has changed in the last 24 hours, and as per my phone call to MusicSoft, she stated "Only Yamaha produced Packs will be free" If it doesn't have the Yamaha logo, it's not free.

The site's a bit of a pig's ear at the moment. Many packs  - Yahama and third party - are are not showing up at all. Some Yamaha branded ones are $0, but others are not. Placing an order gives a promise of an EMail (which hasn't turned up yet). The Pack List links don't work.

You've dropped the ball here Yamaha .... pushed into launching before it was actually ready?

[JohnS (Ugawoga)]

Hi

The site was always slow and it does not surprise me  what is happening.
It needs a bigger server to cope.

[Joe H]

I think or at least want to think that you are mistaken
The Yamahamusicsoft is down for a long time and the information we are getting from other Yamaha sites might not be accurate.
I think there will be much more for us to download

Don't count on it. Those of us who have been around for awhile know how Yamaha does business.  This is just a marketing strategy.  Those packs have been offer for free in the past.  Yamaha can't offer 3rd party packs for free.  And the best sellers?  Why should they give them away when people will pay for them?

Your whole concept of open architecture won't work for arranger keyboards as it does for cell phones.  The phone apps are mostly links to websites (bookmarks) or searches for price comparisons on certain products. Yamaha goes through extra efforts to protect the keyboard Operating System. If 3rd party developers were allowed to make "add-ons" it wouldn't be long before the OS would be totally corrupted BIG TIME.

In fact, Yamaha goes through a great lengths to build certain filters (non-native MIDI messages including MSB-LSB-PC that are not used by the keyboard) into the OS to prevent the keyboard from malfunctioning. Another message that is filtered is CC64 Sustain in style Parts.  That is why the keyboards are so reliable. I'm not talking about bugs fixes in the OS... there will always be those. It's the nature of software.



Joe H

[Gill]

Site is up now, but.....

NOTICE TO MUSICSOFT CUSTOMERS
Please note that some product categories and features are currently disabled while we improve the MusicSoft site experience. We appreciate your patience and expect the site to be fully functional in the next 1-2 weeks. If you have any questions, please contact Yamaha Online Customer Support.

There are currently10 regional packs listed for free, like Italy, Europe, Celtic, Latin, etc.  I "bought" several of them.  Not an immediate download apparently.  Waiting on email.

Note that filtering for zero priced items doesn't work.  Just sort by price and the free ones will come to the top.

I'm not sure these are newly free. Seems like I remember some of these were already free, but not positive of that. 

Update - never did get the promised email, but the packs did appear in my library.  Cool!

[Esa]

Who knows that the page is not a scam with phishing logos ?

regards Esa

[SeaGtGruff]

A lot of companies-- especially technical companies-- have their employees working remotely from home, so delays and snafus are pretty much par for the course right now.

[andy_v]

If you go to
https://shop.usa.yamaha.com/en/downloadables/sound-expansion-library.html?product_list_order=price
there are currently 10 packs listed for $0.00. One of them is the "premium" Celtic pack.
So I ordered them and they've just appeared in my account library 

[Bachus]

A lot of companies-- especially technical companies-- have their employees working remotely from home, so delays and snafus are pretty much par for the course right now.

Thats a bad excuse for software upgrades...
Everything is remotely accesible..

I found that working from home is more efficient
No one disturbing me..  allows me to produce more in a shorter time..

[JohnS (Ugawoga)]

Does anyone know the reason why Yamaha is doing this??

It to me means  1-- Yamaha are closing the Arranger keyboards market down like Technics
                           2-- New keyboard on horizon with different format. Maybe a Montage with styles!!

                             3- Maybe they are being nice !! HOPE!! I cannot see this with a business.
The Great Sea Gruff says a lot now working from home ,so it all must be costing money just to do this.
Something is going on ?? behind the scenes.
Like i said "magic comes with a price"

[EileenL]

I don't think there is anything sinister going on. The site has long needed an update so why not now.
Yamaha has not produced any large packs now for a while the site is full of third party packs.
Probably Yamaha want to concentrate more on there keyboards than produce packs. Some of these voices like the Sax are on Genos now and they just gave us more on the free pack for version 2.

[Pino]

Eileen is probably right and what further packs can they concentrate on, they have already done the country specific packs and we already have the best of the western music on our keyboards already so they may have run out of road on the pack business,
The same goes for the voices, we probably have the best already and they can see that the future is "making our own voices" through sampling or maybe they just didn't make any money from it.

I am surprised that Yamaha, a top Japanese company could not get their act together and get this small website together on time, I'm looking at YAMAHA as, if they say 12 o'clock on the 30th, then it will be exactly on time. There shouldn't be any excuses for this, just not good enough.

I see their keyboard in the same way, they make a good keyboard, we are able to record our songs in midi, but not able to do small edits to the songs, I mean what's going on with the company,  there are small apps on the App Store that can edit Midi and WAV for just a few $ and the other fact is that they own Steinberg, one of the biggest music software producers in the world.

Maybe there's a bit of a 'shake up' going on right now.

Pino

[PhotoDoc05]

I just tried the shop.usa  link, and was quickly able to add 20 expansion packs that I see listed for free. I'm not sure, but it appears the order will be delivered by UPS? I printed an order confirmation, status is "PENDING", and it says Yamaha will send an email but I haven't received one just yet.

Some of the items have the same names, but different SKU  -- for example, SA2 Trombone listed twice, with YCJ-VP02-VG, and YCJ-VP02-G1.
With an SX-900, will I be able to even use either of these items?  Since they are SA2 voices?
Thanks, Jerry

[hans1966]

Hi Pino, you are right that Yamaha may be looking in the other direction.

The musicsoft website is definitely too slow.

I am very upset since I have wasted all afternoon trying to download only 2 expansion packs, and when it seems that the download is going to be completed, the download starts again, it seems like a loop that does not finish.

Seeing that I was not successful with my 2 packages I decided to log out for today.
Tomorrow we will see if there is luck, otherwise I forget the matter.
Hans

[hans1966]

I just tried the shop.usa  link, and was quickly able to add 20 expansion packs that I see listed for free. I'm not sure, but it appears the order will be delivered by UPS? I printed an order confirmation, status is "PENDING", and it says Yamaha will send an email but I haven't received one just yet.

Some of the items have the same names, but different SKU  -- for example, SA2 Trombone listed twice, with YCJ-VP02-VG, and YCJ-VP02-G1.
With an SX-900, will I be able to even use either of these items?  Since they are SA2 voices?
Thanks, Jerry




Hi Jerry, as far as I know, the premium packages that have SA2 voices are exclusive to Tyros 5 and Genos.
Therefore they are not compatible with SX900.
Regards. Hans

[PhotoDoc05]

Hi Jerry, as far as I know, the premium packages that have SA2 voices are exclusive to Tyros 5 and Genos.
Therefore they are not compatible with SX900.
Regards. Hans


OK Hans, thanks, I suspected that would be the case, just wanted to be sure.  Well, I didn't realize it, but I checked my account, and all 20 items were in My Library, and available for download!  The US site is really fast and responsive, I could get download speeds of 250Mbps solidly, and less than 10 minutes to download all of them.
Regards, Jerry

[Dromeus]

A question to the european users here that formerly logged into https://eu.yamahamusicsoft.com/. Can you log into the new site using your old credentials?

[entertain70]

A question to the european users here that formerly logged into https://eu.yamahamusicsoft.com/. Can you log into the new site using your old credentials?

Yes, it works. It asks you to update your informations.

[Esa]

SCHEDULED SITE MAINTENANCE
Scheduled website maintenance.
Yamaha MusicSoft is currently down while we upgrade the site.
Please check back soon.

I tried to sign in ...

regard Esa

[Stijn]

Some of the downloaded packs have files with an SME extension, like this one: Choir_Vocals_Genos.sme

How to deal with this kind of file? There is a txt file with a key, what application is used to unpack it?

Stijn

[Dromeus]

Yes, it works. It asks you to update your informations.

Interesting. In a second try I got to the page for updating my personal information. Upon sending my updates I get the message "error creating account". Nontheless I received a welcome e-mail "Thank you for registration". But the website doesn't let me sign in. In fact any attempt to navigate elsewhere in the shop.usa.yamaha.com domain - e.g. the "contact us" page to inform Yamaha about my problem - is impossible. I'm stuck in the "update personal information" page.

Must say this is the kind of user "experience" that I don't like too much...

[chesterkins]

Likewise MIchael  same experience    Stuck with Update Personal Info page

[yammy]

Hai, me too. What's happening?

[EileenL]

Have the same problem. As this is an American site it asks for a ZIP Code which we do not use in UK.