I had an opportunity to try a PSR 3000 yesterday for the first time. I particularly wanted to hear the mega voices.
However, when I used them, there seemed to be a lot of silent notes... I would only get a response from a key here and there.
Was I doing something wrong or was there something wrong with the keyboard?

Sunny,
The megavoices are multiple layered sounds that respond differently with different velocities. They are intended for use with sequencers and backing tracks and not for live play. It's almost impossible to play them manually. There's nothing wrong with the kb - it's designed that way.

Fortunately, most of the samples used in mega voices are also used in the preset XG voices (i.e. Panel Voices). They will play normally.

To hear the MegaVoices at their best, just play styles that use them.

Regards,

Michael

Thanks, Dave... Guess I will just have to study up more on this. I know that these mega voices have been given a lot of hype.
What are the comments of those on here who have used them?
Gerry

Mike, you beat me to the draw by 1 minute... thanks for your input also.
Gerry

Mega voices add a lot of legitimacy to the styles and definitely make a noiceable improvement. Unfortunately Megavoices are not designed to be played live and a lot of people feel misled when they find out megavoices are for styles and midi sequences only.

I think for arranger keyboards the Megavoices are not at all over-hyped and really help get away from the canned MIDI sound.

Megavoices are also a wonderful asset for anyone who is up for making their own styles. I'm sure it would take a lot of work to get incredible results; but the capability is definitely there.

While you can not play MegaVoices, you can convert midis (and styles) to use them.

Programs such as MidiPlayer change the voice and rescale the velocities etc, but do not add the sound effect tracks (fret noise, etc)

MegaEnhancer by Yamaha does the conversion and does include some effects (I am not sure if it does it for all MegaVoices or only some). It only works with mid files, but you can use StyleMaker to use it with styles.

Regards,

Michael

Wooh...Wait a minute....Help me out here.

I have never owned a Yamaha, and I am completly lost with this Mega voice stuff.

...Not for live play...
..Just play styles that use them...
..For styles and midi sequences only...
...While you can not play MegaVoices, you can convert midis (and styles) to use them

Can't Play Them ?! ??!! What ??? Uh ??

Excuse me, but I have been a Technics owner for quite a while now. With a Technics, I can play any sound at any time. If I purchase the PSR3000, are you telling me I can't simiarly use all the built in voices?

I'm starting to get it though. Yamaha has put a lot of stock in midi files, while Technics is more live recording/sequencing.

I suppose I need some Yamaha lessons, but I do know that Midis are not my favorite format.

Larry



[This message has been edited by lahawk (edited 09-03-2004).]

Larry:

MegaVoices are different than regular voices. They vary depending upon the velocity used and the note. This is the way that Yamaha is able to get different samples to be triggered from the same program specification.

An example:

Steel Guitar

C-B5: velocity= 1-20 is Open Soft, 21-40 is Open Medium, 41-60 is Open Hard, 61-75 is Dead, 76-90 is Mute, 91-105 is Hammer, 106-120 is Slide, 121-127 is Harmonics.

C6-B7: all velocities, strum noise
C8-G8: all valocities, fret noise

That is quite a lot of guitar to be available to one midi program change specification.

Now, while a live player can control the note pitch with ease, restricting the velocity to a narrow range is almost impossible. Therefore, playing these voices(in the megavoice formmat) live is not really an option. But Yamaha makes up for it by using the same samples in the Preset voices. They are very similar overall, but do not contain the effects such as fret noise, etc.

Many users have reactions similar to yours-"why can't they be used everywhere". The answer is "They are too complex". Yamaha could have hidden them from the users and only called them for their own styles and midis, but, to their credit, they did not.

Instead, they made them fully available on the instrument for use in style generation (the PSRs have a pattern copy function that works well with them) and have recently introduced a PC program (MegaEnhancer) that will incorporate them in a midi (with some of the sound effects included).

Confusing- yes, a notable technical advance- absolutely. If they had been able to perform the MegaEnhancer function in the PSR whenever a megavoice was specified, and made the PC version available with the Tyros introduction, then this issue would never have developed. But it has come later, outside the instrument, and with little user education.

The cutting edge of technology is often not comfortable. In this case, in my opinion, the minor inconveniences caused by the megavoice implementation issues are worth it.


Regards,

Michael


[This message has been edited by Michael P. Bedesem (edited 09-03-2004).]