Hi all,

I have had the PSR-2100 now for almost a week and I am very pleased with it. I have posted some specifications on the PSR-2100 on the yamaha-psr-styles group at Yahoo, and I thought that there might be some people here who are also interessed in this. First the styles that are in PSR-2100 but not in PSR-2000 and then a list of the Live!, Sweet! and Cool! voices.

Pop&Rock:
- BubblegumPop
- JazzPop
Ballad:
- ClassicPianoBallad
- R&B Ballad
Swing&Jazz:
- DixieJazz
- MediumJazz
- TapDanceSwing
Dance:
- Ibiza2003
- RetroPop
- DreamDance
Ballroom:
- VienneseWaltz 2
- SchlagerBeat
- SchlagerPop
- SchlagerRock
- SchlagerAlp
- SchlagerRumba
Latin:
- Cumbia
March&Waltz:
- OrchMarch
- OrchWaltz
- MariachiWaltz
- PupPiano
- ChildrensMarch
- Santa'sSwing

Live!:
GrandPiano, Harpsichord, GrandHarpsi, Nylon Guitar, ClassicGtr, HyperBrass, PopBrass, OctaveBrass, Strings, Allergo, Orchestra, Gospel

Cool!:
E.Piano, Elec.Organ, JazzOrgan, Jazz Guitar, Elec.Gtr, Jazz SolGt

Sweet!:
Harmonica, Mandolin, Trumpet, Trombone, MutedTrump, FlugelHorn, TenorSax, AltoSax, SopranoSax, Clarinet, Flute, PanFlute, Oboe, Violin

There was also a question on the USB-connection and beside being a MIDI-connection, Yamaha includes a CD with a File Utility program that you run on your computer. You can see the contents of the various USER-directories (styles, multipads, songs etc) and transfer files to and from the keyboard. The communication is however very slow. About 1.5 - 2.5 kB per second. It is almost as quick to put several files on a floppy and play the styles from the diskdrive.

If you have any further questions I'd be happy to answer them the best as I can (I'm learning new things about this great keyboard every day).

With best regards,
/David

Lucky You David! We won't start seing PSR2100 in the USA until July. Where do you live? I've been told that they are available in Japan now but don't know where else they've been shipped to.
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California

I live in Sweden. My previous keyboard was a Roland E-56 so this is a huge improvement for me in all aspects. I'm not a performer, I just play for fun. /David

Can you compare it to the PSR2000?
What features/voices/styles etc. do you consider to be better/worse then the PSR2000.
Starkeeper

Starkeeper, I'm sorry but I have only played the PSR-2000 on a few occations in the music store. I'm in no position to compare them. /David

David, I have in your same situation: Having a Roland E, and thinking to go to 2100.

I would like you to compare 2100 piano voice with your Roland E-56 piano voice. Roland always had great pianos, usually richer and deeper than Yamaha (Yamahas pìano more brillant).

And how Roland styles converted for Yamaha play in your new 2100?

Hello.................I have a PSR2000 and cannot afford a PSR2100 right now. If someone would send me all the styles that are exclusive to the PSR2100 I can convert them to work on the PSR2000. I imagine the PSR21000 uses some of it's new voices in the new styles. I'm certain I could substitute acceptable PSR2000 panel or XG voices. I would share these with the whole group. Thanks --charley

Hi David

Can you tell from the manual if one can use a hard drive to store styles and actually play them from the hard drive or is that just to load the user styles etc?

A factory rep told me that the 2100 won't take an internal or external hard drive, but sometimes they don't always have all the answers and it seems like one should be able to hook up an external hard drive, I know I wouldn't hesitate to buy one if it had that feature.

Best

Scott Langholff

Scott, I am sorry to inform you that the PSR 2100 cannot and will not be able to use an external Hard Drive. It is basically a PSR 2000 with twice the Wav Rom supposedly, more User Memory space supposedly, with a USB "slow I might add" interface, with more Sweet!, Live!, and Cool! voices and 23 additional internal Styles. Beyond that I think their identical in every other way. Of course there might be some minute differences, but nothing major I would estimate. PS: For the PSR 2100 to be able to use an external Hard Drive device, it (the PSR 2100) would need to have a USB 2.0 Firewire or SCSI interface which it does NOT.

Sorry to burst your bubble Scott. I too was expecting much more from the PSR 2100 and was sadly dissapointed with the resultant outcome. The two or three redeeming factors of the PSR 2100 imo are the greater .Wav Rom samples per voice, the greater User Memory, plus I am sure it sounds as good if not slightly better than the PSR 2000 "because of the greater .Wav Rom samples per voice". We shall know more about how it sounds when someone can actually compare it with greater depth and accuracy to the PSR 2000, Tyros, 9000 Pro, etc. I am glad David is finding it to his liking and it is probably an excellent Keyboard but when it comes to comparing it to the PSR 2000 it's almost like comparing twin brothers or sisters. There is most likely not going to be much distinction between them in my opinion. Also it is hard to justify an upgrade to the PSR 2100 imo if you already own the PSR 2000. That is unless of course the newly sampled Live! Grand Piano on the PSR 2100 is out of this world and if the other internal Voices are leaps and bounds better than the PSR 2000 which I doubt very seriously.

Best regards,
Mike

[This message has been edited by Idatrod (edited 05-27-2003).]

Congratulations, David. Given that you are 8 hours away from us in Chicago, we should be getting the PSR2100 in 8 hours.

Dear Scott,

The reason why I purchased the HDM is that I was told by Yamaha that the PSR2100 would not have any additional file storage.

I'm going to be upgrading from the PSR2000 to the PSR2100 for the following reasons:

1. I want the improvements in sound albeit not really major.
2. The two PSR2000s I own have been played on quite a lot, and I would like to start with two new keyboards that are more roadworthy for all the gigging I do.
3. It's a tax write off anyway.

I look forward to toying around with the new voices and matching the new styles to an expanded repertoire.

tracknet:
I plugged my headphones in both keyboards to try to compare the two (E-56 and PSR-2100). It's hard to compare, but my personal taste is that the Yamaha has a better piano voice. With other instruments the difference is bigger. I personally play a lot of organ sounds and here the difference i huge. I havn't converted any styles from the Roland keyboard and I probably won't since it has no disk drive. I'm not even sure it can be done (maybe to play the styles and record them on the computer and then edit them in some way).

Scott:
The USB-connection does not allow you to play styles that resides on the computer harddrive directly from the keyboard. The File Utility program that run on the computer is only for transfering styles, songs etc. to and from the USER-areas on the keyboard. Also there is no way to connect an internal or external harddrive that I'm aware of (no mentioning of this in the manual).

Regards,
/David

I was told by my Yamaha rep that PSR2100's will be shipping very soon , like next week .

Dano

Charley,
What you are asking for is illegal.
Starkeeper

Illegal? I'm not trying to sell anything............just editing a midi file.

What about all of the Tyros styles that were converted to 2K............or PSR740, or whatever. Are all these files I have downloaded freely illegal?

Even if I have to go into a music store or borrow a PSR2100, I'm gonna load a few floppys and do with them what I please. I believe most PSR2000 owners would love to have some more new styles to play. What difference does it make where they came from.............Tyros, PSR9000, PSR8000, or even another make.......................I've converted hundreds of style files to play on my 2K and share them freely with anyone who wants them. Why do they put style editors on these new machines anyway?

Charley,
You want proprietary Yamaha created Style files (not MIDI files). You can edit your own style files and share them, or downloaded created styles, but you can't exchange Yamaha Created Style files, as they are proprietary (this is according to Yamaha). You should not exchange PSR9000, PSR8000, Tyros, etc. Yamaha created style files. I would imagine that Yamaha's thinking is that you might upgrade to a PSR2100 to get the new styles. If you can download them for free, that incentive anyways, is taken away. I have problems with this marketing technique, as well. Why buy a whole new board; with new speakers, new amplifier, new keybed, new o/s, just to get new styles. The PSR2100 has new styles, more storage, and USB. This should be an upgrade to the PSR2000 not a whole new keyboard.
Starkeeper

If Yamaha marketing offered an upgrade to PSR2000 owners, it would keep the Ekco keyboard manufacture out of the arranger market
Starkeeper

Well...........I'm not going to name names, but there are a few style websites that offer nothing BUT those proprietary styles you mention. Hundreds of members are doing things illegally every day.........poo poo!

Some kind soul sent me some new styles yesterday evening. They loaded perfectly into the 2000 needing no conversion or volume balance adjustments. Of course the 2000 automatically substitutes an appropriate XG voice when the original style uses a exclusive panel voice. Many of the styles just use XG voices.......and the OTS settings work great too! Very nice files!


[This message has been edited by rattley (edited 05-29-2003).]

Dear David,

Did the keyboard come with a style disk?

Beakybird

Dear David, I have three little questions for you, the first 2100 owner in the forum

I would like to know if the quality of the PSR2100 voices is similar than identical PSR2000 voices (in that case, PSR2100 has more Mb only because it has a few new voices) or they are better (in that case, the more Mb are for all the voices, identical and new ones).

Does "grand piano" voice remain in PSR2100 in addition to the new "live grand piano"?. If so, do you really think "live grand piano" is better?

About styles, after a long time playing roland styles, do you think yamaha styles are better (richer, varied, deeper...) than your old Roland ones?




[This message has been edited by tracknet (edited 06-02-2003).]