Could somebody who has used the PSR-740 and has a lot of patience please answer the following Q's for me?

I bought the 740 after three years of loving the 510. But so far I'm finding the 740 very hard to deal with. The main thing is Registration Memory -- I used to love hitting "record" and then being able to change the settings DURING RECORDING with the touch of a button. On the 740, the registration memory is inexplicably disabled during recording.

Secondly, there seems to be but two options in recording -- either record all the same instrumentation all the way through a song, or add each instrument one by one. Since I rarely use the same instruments throughout an entire arrangement, it looks like I'll have to add them individually... but then the keyboard requires me to punch in the chord changes ALL OVER AGAIN instead of following the original ones... in short, A PAIN.

Also, say I want a two-measure piano intro accompaniment, and then have the string accompaniment kick in on the third measure. So I record two measures of piano, hit stop, then try to pick up with measure #3 using piano & string accompaniment -- the keyboard WON'T LET ME. As far as it's concerned, the song ends with measure #2. Does this mean I have to record piano all the way through to the end (without mistakes, by the way, since the editing function doesn't work on accompaniment, only on the melody tracks), then come back and record the strings beginning with measure #3? This seems like a big undertaking, and again the 510 was much simpler in this area.

This is just the tip of the iceburg. The recording process just isn't user-friendly at all on the 740, and I'm thinking about getting my money back unless someone can tell me where I'm making a mistake.

Thanks...

First help:
At page 93 (owner's manual) at the NOTE we can read:

Using Registration Memory (page 62) can make your recording sessions much more efficient.....

Now, I need to try make your example.
Surely, it is possible as there are lot of users that use the Song Recording feature.

Regards
Carlos Rodrigues

I don't have the manual in front of me, but it also says that while using the record function, the Registration Memory FREEZES, allowing you only to change the voice you are playing, but not the settings of the accompaniment at all. Whatever accompaniment you start recording with, you are stuck with throughout the entire song, unlike my 510 which allowed you to change all kinds of accompaniment settings using the Registration Memory WHILE RECORDING.

Again, I feel like I must be overlooking something, because I cannot for the life of me figure out why Yamaha would remove such necessary features from older models while making a new one.

Yamaha giveth, Yamaha taketh away. Throughout the history of Arranger Keyboards, that has been a recurring problem. The 510 was a really neat keyboard and had some capabilities they left out of the newer series.
On the subject of the 510, there is a style in there, #47, that I used to played "Bo Diddly" with. Can anybody convert that to Style File format?
Thanks,
Don

Hi Wakko

Excuse me, do you intend use more than one style during your recording session !? As you can use the 4 main's and 4 Fill's and 2 Intros/Endings of the same style to record a song, I'm confused about what you intend.

The frezze function is precisely to avoide change the style during recording, as we need change the voices and related parameters.

For more complex recording may be the use of e.g. Cakewalk software, connected to 740 (it's possible) is more suitable. I use it.

Give me more topics about your needs. May be we find a solution, as also we must consider other very important features of 740 mainly the high quality voices and 5 DSP's to improve the song recording quality.

Regards
Carlos Rodrigues

Here's what I'm saying:

Sometimes, while recording accompaniment, I'll start a song with, say: bass, piano, and drums. Then let's say at the bridge of the song, I want all those to stop momentarily for a short string section accompaniment. Then after the bridge is over, I want the bass, piano, and drums to resume.

Well, the 740 won't let me. The bass and piano, once started and stopped, cannot be restarted again later in the arrangement without erasing what came before. And the drums are even worse -- if you want them at all, they have to play throughout THE ENTIRE SONG.

I'm beginning to think I'll have to resign myself to the task of muting certain instruments when it comes time to record the songs onto tape. It's just a shame, because that means I'll never be able to hit "play" on the keyboard and hear the arrangement all the way through the way I intended it without muting and unmuting instruments throughout playback.

What a hassle, and in this respect the 510 was worlds better than the 740.

Hi Wakko

I have tested your problem and indeed you are right.

I think that Yamaha intentionaly take off some features
of the 740 in order to make the difference to the top level
keyboards like 8000 and 9000. But doing this, I agree that
it is very stupid from Yamaha taking off some elementary
and essential features.

But, may be these tricks can help to solve some of your problems:
1 – Change the Fingered mode to Finger 1.
So, if you play 3 close keys (e.g. F, F#, G), only rhythms tracks
9 and 10 will continue playing. The others will stop until you
play a new correct chord. This is to make one type of break.
2 – We can prepare the style you choose for your song
recording, in order to make what you intend:
- Using the style recording feature, you can clear some tracks at
Main A, clear others at Main B or C or D, Fill’s,
Intros and Endings, as you like. In same cases you would
like the record same additional tracks to a style part to better
match your song. Also you can clear all tracks in a part
(e. g. at Count Intro) to use on Auto accompaniment as a silent
break when recording.
After you will use this style (e. g. 161) on Auto accompaniment.
3 - Now, as you can use all the 12 parts including Intros or Endings
in the middle of the song during the recording, use the Style parts
buttons according the plan you have in mind to the song you are recording.
4 - During the record, only use the Registration memories to quickly change
voices, effects and other related parameters.

I hope this is of some help

Best Regards
Carlos Rodrigues

Hi

Also we can make breaks using the foot pedals

Regards
Carlos Rodrigues