Yamaha,

This is what you need to pack into your Tyros II to make it a hit amongst gigging and studio musicians. I am going to list the features in order of priority.

1. Keyboard Touch:

Use the same 88 natural wooden keys with weights and interlocking levers that you housed inside the CVP-309. You got this thing just right. Do not cut corners by downgrading to a plastic GH3 design of the CVP-307. This is your trump card. No one in the industry can match this feel. Include some spare keys and make it easy to be user replaceable. Pros play hard and occasionally crack keys. Throw in an instructional DVD.

2. Grand Piano Sample:

Include that 54MB Grand Piano Sample from the CVP-309. This sounds better than the one in the P250. A convincing piano sample is a must.

3. Portability:

I understand this intricate system of levers takes up a lot of depth. It cannot be housed inside an S90 casing. On the other hand it does not have to be as bulky or heavy as the P250. There is no need to use a wooden case. Cut down on weight by using a honeycombed metal bracing. Cut down on bulk by removing the speakers from the P250. It does not need to have any on-board speakers or amplification or your fancy iAFC room correction tools.

No need for a polished piano black finish. The aesthetics of an S90 will do just fine. No need for a CVP-309 style fluid damped sexy lid that closes down ever so softly and slowly. A dust cover will suffice.

4. User Interface:

Retain the user interface and panel styling of the CVP-309. It looks classy in black. Thank you for not including disco lights. Change the LCD to a flip up display. Move the 5 EQ sliders on the P250 and change them into 8 long and thin sliders under the center flip-up LCD screen. Make them user-assignable to behave as drawbars, data-entry, volume, pan, EQ, etc. This will be a big improvement over the up/down buttons you have. Include a MIDI panic/GM Reset button on the front panel.

Add the Pitch and Mod wheels of the P250, but change the design to make it into a single combination X-Y control like the one Korg provides on the Triton Extreme. Include the ribbon control too.

Try to experiment if you could combine the Alpha Dial with a Track Ball. It is possible to get very creative. For example, rolling the track ball horizontally from left to right could make you jump to the next parameter, while rolling it vertically up and down could change the value of that selected parameter. The track ball makes a nice mouse substitute while connected to the internet.

Allow layers and splits across 4 overlapping sizable zones. A master controller must have this.

5. Styles:

Use the stock styles of the Tyros and PSR3000 but please add some new ones with more complex variations. Steal Stephen Kay – Mr. StyleMaker Extraordinaire from Korg and get the job done right.

6. Connectivity:

Drop the Smart Media slot. This was a lame move. The industry is standardizing on the SD media. SD has won. Include an SD memory card slot and 2 USB-2.0 ports. And don’t forget an mLAN port. This is your invention – and a damn good protocol. Add in a 40GB hard drive. Place the headphone jack in the front left like the P250, not concealed under the bottom like the CVP-309.

7. Standard Accessories:

Include the 3 sustain pedals of the CVP-309 and throw in the FC7 volume expression pedal as standard accessories. Include a clamp holder on the back for a mike boom for the singer. Copy the mike contraption design from the Apex Plus AX-48BP. Include a gooseneck lamp. Make sure the power supply is internal with built-in voltage protection.

8. Keyboard Stand:

It would be nice to include 4 telescopic aluminum legs that either fold inside the case or can be screwed in place. Saves you from carrying an Ultimate Apex.

So there you have it. By combining the ingredients you already have in the P250, Tyros, S90 and CVP-309, you can make a truly professional Tyros II.

Release this at a street price of $3495, and you have a Pa1XPRO killer in your hands.

Tapas

Wow .... don't want MUCH, huh?

Uncle Dave,

Sure I can dream, can’t I! It’s the holiday season after all…hoping Santa to perform a miracle :-)

Tapas

Keep the weight down to 40 lbs (or less).
Do include speakers, though 60 watts per side is a definite overkill for a portable instrument.

No, I don't need a fully weighted keyboard - let those who do use a dedicated controller, and 88 keys is probably too much. A nice big screen visible in sunlight is highly desirable. To get ahead of the competition, provide a breath controller input like DX7's, so that a player can add expression to reproduction of wind instrument sounds (saxes, clarinets, flutes, etc.)

256 note polyphony with loads of wave ROM will be very useful, as will be the ability to load externally generated samples.

mLan port will be great, and so will be the addition of a high-capacity non-volatile storage media, like SD or Compact Flash cards. Also the ability to play MP3 files.

Studio musicians are not the main market for this keyboard - they can use external controllers (or CVP309), and additional sound sources for extra polyphony. A well-rounded PORTABLE instrument will be primarily targeting all the one man band and small combo performers, who travel between their gigs, and need to quickly set up/break down, and carry their own gear around.

Alex,

Have you tried the feel of the CVP-309 keys? It is pure bliss.
But…I am willing to compromise for 76 semi-weighted keys. I agree with the rest of your points.

Tapas

Excellent! I think if Yamaha made the Tyros II with 256 note 'true' Polyphony they will sell a ton of them for that reason and that reason alone. Nobody, and I mean "NOBODY", has a 256 note polyphony portable Arranger keyboard on the market! Sure Yamaha has the CVP 307/309 but try lugging them to Gigs. Yikes!! They are NOT portable as we all know. Plus the CVP 307 and 309 DON'T have 256 (true) polyphony but instead have 128 + 128. NOT 256 across the board!


It would be revolutionary!! Yamaha could take it over the top with a 256 note polyphony Tyros II!

Loads of WAV ROM too!! The Tyros has 96 MB of wav rom. Just think if the Tyros II had 250 MB of wav rom!! Droves of people would buy it for that 'accomplishment' alone IMO! It would have the largest wav rom of ANY other Keyboard on the market - Arranger or otherwise! Another head turner and curiosity getter I would venture to say.

If they don't give the Tyros II 256 note polyphony out of the Box, let them give it to us with the addition of PLG expansion Boards! But give it none the less. You'll make the Tyros II a "guaranteed" winner if you do IMHO. That being of course - is if the sounds excel in 'every' department and the added wav rom isn't just 'taking up' space. But 256 note 'true' polyphony is a winner in and of itself...

Best regards,
Mike

[This message has been edited by keybplayer (edited 12-14-2004).]

1. A footswitch idea: Create a buildable footswitch solution. Interlocking footswitches that plug into a 10 input footswitch controller made specifically for the Tyros II and other new Yamaha keyboards. This would be much better for most people than the unweildy MFC-10. Some people might need 4 footswitches and no pedals. Others might want 3 pedals and two footswitches. Interlocking footswitches and pedals that can be plugged into a controller unit would solve everything.

2. The inexpensive Casio PX series of keyboards shows that a decent piano feel can be achieved without much weight and without much price. I think that the techology that's in the CVP-309 piano would cost too much and weigh too much.

3. How about a fingering mode for acoustic guitar voices where four or more keys on the keybed are dedicated to 1) full strum up, 2) full strum down, 3) partial strum up, and 4) partial strum down. The chord of the strum would be determined by left hand fingering. The speed of the strum would be determined by the tempo of the style being played.

4. Input for wind controller is a great idea.

5. Software to get into nitty gritty tweaking of voices would be fun. Make this compatible with popular sequencing softwares.

6. Real time groove control and real time style assembly

7. In style assembly, the ability to choose more than one part and/or more than one section to be assigned to another style.

8. A screen designed by Yamaha (or another manufacturer) that would rest on the music rest that would plug into the keyboard and could access lyrics and sheet music stored on a hard drive or SD card.

9. Ability to link MFD entries to registrations and not just styles.

10. Lightweight but good sounding speakers like those on the PSR3000.

Just some thoughts.

Beakybird

yamaha could make a portable version of the 307 or 309 NOW,just supply it without the furniture and speakers,this would put it at the top of all portable arrangers,the market is certainly there for it,mike

Yes a portable CVP without keys with only
a touchscreen ( with virtual keys).
No buttons at all.