I just got it....loaded it up with my S900 files and I am on my way to tonight's gig. A quick 5 min preliminary tryout has me very happy...the NEW TFT screen is GREAT..BRIGHT..& very Clear at ANY Angle..YES!!! I can definitly hear the difference in clarity and little nuances in the styles regarding the Mega voices eg: guitars etc etc ...I A/B's a few with the S900 and there is a big difference. I will replace all user styles with the newer factory ones also as Larry suggested to get the better T3'ish sound.MP3 player sounds clear and LOUD!! OK Gotta run more to follow......

BTW I can't thank Frankie enough at Audioworks for everything also!!
http://www.audioworksct.com/



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 10-08-2009).]

Got mine from Frankie too, and I'm a real happy camper.

Good luck with your show.

Beakybird

Guys - Happy to hear y'all are in "Yammie Heaven"... keep us posted on your impressions. Have fun!

Randy

Does the piano sound any better? thanks

Congrats Donny! I know you must be very happy.

Joe

Donny is ALWAYS happy the first week or two...

Let's wait and see, shall we?

All the best to you Donny...I think you're really going to enjoy the S910.

I got mine around dinner time today.

Very pleased.

That's one of the best things about the S910... you can buy it and STILL afford to eat

Mind you, I could do with losing a few pounds... Do you think I ought to go on the 'Audya Diet'?

Donny Congratulations!

I know you have your questions answered now. Good luck with it.

I know I'm liking what I hear on the s910 and ditto on Frankieve at Audioworks.

I'm pretty impressed with the S910 so far...the Tyros2 styles all work in it without any revoicing (including the OTS)...the T3 styles are pretty good too, but need a tiny bit of tweaking.

The SA Rock Rotary and SA Jazz Rotary organs are identical to those in the Tyros3, and are my favorites....sound as good as Roland's VA organs, to my ears...about time.

It's sure got a lot of features for the price...I can even afford to buy a grocery now and again...before I quit drinking, 30 some years ago, there was so little food in the house, the mice left

Speaking of piano, I'm noticing that most of the T3 styles - and btw, there aren't that many styles unique to the T3 that weren't on the T2, and the T2 styles don't need any tweaking on the S910 - as I was saying, most of the T3 styles that have piano, when they're loaded into the S910, they revert to the GM piano, so you have to change that to the Live!Piano which sounds better.

Is the piano any better? I don't think so. It's the same piano, which sounds great in a mix, and pretty good all by itself. Evidently, the T3 has a better piano, otherwise the S900 wouldn't change it to the GM piano.

Beakybird

Have fun, Yamaha lovers

Yeah, the piano in the PSR-S910 is the same Live!Grand that's in the S900...I like it; it works very well for playing along with styles...I take a bit of the filter brightness down by -12 and it works nice with Jazz Ballads....rounds off the edge really nice.

No complaints about the piano from me.

I have been told that the keybed is still very ordinary, short keys and short throw. VERY synthy.

But feel is so subjective. What I don't understand is how some who profess to be such great keysmen, can actually put up with such crappy keybed actions...

Even the Audya, at $9000 (out here) has a keybed that is more "plasticky" than the SD1. At that price I would expect at least something like the G70/Pa2xpro keybeds.

The S910 (retailing here for around $3400), I have been told has a worse keybed than the PA800, and that even a couple of Casios are better too. Personally I cannot say, as I have not played one, but I have played the PA800 and to me its pretty ordinary.

So for me no matter HOW good it sounded, if the feel is wrong, the whole keyboard is wrong.

I have said this many times...I love the feel of the PSR's keybed...in fact, I prefer it over the Tyros...it works perfect for my needs...light, fast, and accurate.

I have a digital piano if that's what I want to play...the PSR series are unashamedly arrangers...and they do the job quite well for pros as well as amateurs or home players.

Key feel is very subjective and personal; so you will have many differing opinions.

I've never played a Korg arranger...they won't carry them in my area; but I have heard great things about the PA-800 from Uncle Dave and Zuki, and they are pros, so it must be pretty good.

Wow! $9000 for an Audya...and it's not even finished yet!



[This message has been edited by ianmcnll (edited 10-08-2009).]

You think you were poor? You could've come round my house and read the curtains.

Took the S910 on stage an hour after I opened the box and loading my files and took my White-Out and marked the Master volume knob notch and rear Vol pod.. I'd say it's 75% a S900...But that other 25% is worth the upgrade alone.

The display is without a doubt 200% better then the S900...viewable at any angle and crisp & clear, Yamaha listened!......graphics are a bit different as is icons & color schemes. I noticed also that on teh top border of the display where on the S900 you had Transpose +/- & Octave +/_ you now have on the S910 the Mp3 playing Time.........and they put the transpose/Octave info in the middle of the screen. The White buttons replaced the Black ones which were hard to see against the black display bezel....now it's easy to see & not make a mistake. Unit feels a pound or two lighter also. Key-feel seems a bit more resistant probably because it's new. But it has the same lightning fast action which I love to play..

All S900 info loaded without a hitch and played great.....I did notice some nice changes in style sounds on teh same styles I used in the S900 regarding the mega voices which is definitely an overall... improvement. I used the same EQ as my S900 and the drums on the S910 sound a bit more punchy as do the styles.

Mp3 player really is nice and plays clear and surprisingly loud. Easy to do a file search off your usb thumb drive also.

I also noticed that the factory OTS sounds are definitely better produced and really compliment the styles...especially the guitars.

Well thats it for now it's late I'll have more to report after I dig into it in the coming days.

Enjoy

Keyfeel... here we go again!

Let's put it this way... If Yamaha thought the PSR keybed was any good, they'd stick it on their Tyros and Motif lines..! Maybe on the Clavinova line too...

It's the cheapest keybed they make. Perfect for the 'home' user, who, apparently in Yamaha's viewpoint, don't need anything anywhere NEAR as good as their Motif or Tyros users.

No, it ain't the cheapest keybed they make ...and, as I said earlier, key feel will always be a personal choice.

If I wanted semi-weighted I'd get a Tyros, which has the best action by far of any arranger (IMO), but I like the fast and even touch of the PSR.

And besides...all light actions feel even lighter to those used to semi-weighted keybeds...you adjust after a bit...just like going from non-power steering, to powered.

Pros have no problem adjusting to different actions...guitar players do it all the time...some like the strings laying on the frets...some like them so high you could limbo under them.

You can't equate light with cheap or flimsy; not in this day and age...my PSR's have stood up to a lot of playing, far more that the usual home user, and maybe even more than most pros...and I'm, a piano player, so I'm not real gentle.

Some people, in duos, for instance, are lucky to have someone help them with their overweight arrangers...those who perform solo, don't have that luxury, so weight will be an important consideration....hence the popularity of the PSR line for pros.

Well, in my line of work, you end up playing just about everything... grand pianos, B3's, most synths, Rhodes, you name it. Of course you adjust to each... Doesn't mean you have to LIKE them, though

My needs on my overweight arranger are for it to basically cover ANY need, from solo (which I can manage quite well, thank you ) to full band, calling for B3 AND grand piano and everything in between. Thing about that is, to do them all well DOES take rather different actions. Rather than have to adjust my technique (which I really DO need for the real thing), I find an action that requires the least compromise to each different technique.

It's just that, in general, you don't tend to hear the PSR's praised SPECIFICALLY for its' great action. Whereas, while many disagree with the G70's styles or sounds (no accounting for taste ), many have praised it specifically for its' keybed. Of course tastes vary... but they tend towards a consensus

Well they have to say something good about it, or you'll wind up getting depressed, and we can't have that.

The G70 has a great action...there....happy?

Now, if they could just figure out how to make the equivalent of Yamaha's SA and Mega voices, and Korg's DNC, (and rumor has it that Casio are in the process of developing something similar...no kidding) and we'd all be thoroughly and utterly charmed, and finally Roland would be back in the game again...but they haven't so far.

Still, it has a great action.

And the piano and organ sounds are rather nice, too.

Now, can we get back on topic and let Donny express his excitement.



[This message has been edited by ianmcnll (edited 10-08-2009).]

....and just as many have complained about the excess weight, and dumped it for lighter equipment.

It's the perfect arranger for you, Diki, and that's peachy...but the consensus also says it weighs too much to be worth dragging around for it's nice keybed and fine piano sound.

Some things, no matter how good they seem to some, just aren't worth the hassle, for others.

Spot On Ian....personally I will always go by my rule of thumb.....I don't care what instrument anyone plays & enjoys...what I do care about is "what does it sounds like" when THEY Play it & I listen!

Donny

Are you using the S910 with the Bose L1 Compact?

I'm still using the PSR3000 and in the mono mode the piano is terrible. In stereo on a larger gig it sounds just OK to me.

I'm very interested in the piano sound especially in mono because a lot of my gigs are NH's "mono".

How good is the piano in the S910? Is it from the Tyros series?

Thanks.

Peter

Just to clarify my above comments to Diki, which were said with tongue firmly planted in cheek (hence the smileys).

I have the utmost respect for Diki and his choice in arrangers...he is no fool, and his wisdom on keyboards is vast, and he knows what he wants.

The G70, and it's sister, the E-80 (which I at one time seriously considered buying) are super instruments, and in spite of their age, are still very much contemporary arrangers.

Casio and Yamaha may have been responsible for home keyboards (arrangers) in the first place, but it was Roland that has been largely responsible for them growing up.

In 1988 or thereabouts, after Roland acquired the Italian keyboard firm, SIEL, the E-20 and it's brethren, took the arranger world by complete surprise, with their highly polished sounds and ultra-realistic "styles" (I think they coined that word, by the way).

It forced Yamaha and the others to re-think their arranger line, and of course, we all benefited.

Roland was, and still is a force to be reckoned with, and the release of the GW-8 and Prelude, shows that they can make lighter instruments that still have terrific sounds and features.

As I said earlier, my comments aren't meant to insult, as I'm sure Diki, and others who own Roland arrangers, are hopefully aware of, and only meant as jocular banter.

And yes, they have great actions...and yes, they weigh too much (the keyboards, that is)

Yes I use it with the BC...I personally love the sound as Piano is not my main sound use, I utilize many sounds when I play & sing. But I would suggest if your "MAINLY A PIANO" driven player...go with a stereo setup. This Piano phase topic has been discussed in debt....please do a search on SZ.

If you are going to use the Yamaha piano as your primary, right-hand instrument I suggest going to the PSR-Tutorial site and downloading the grand piano I created a couple years ago. I created the voice for use with a mono system when I first purchased the standard Bose L1. It has been downloaded hundreds of times and used by a large number of performers, both in the U.S. and U.K.. The sound is very full, rich and works extremely well with the new Bose L1 compact.

Good Luck,

Gary

Likewise, back atcha', Ian (and those that use PSR's)

There's MUCH about the Yamaha's that I only DREAM were on my Roland, Yamaha have taken a huge leap forward from the early days when Roland lead. Sadly, except in a few respects, Yamaha lead the way firmly.

BUT.... those few things are the ones I primarily value. Live 'in your face' sound, styles not so busy they allow you to really play, and an action that is comfortable and requires little adjustment to, no matter WHAT sound you use. Oh, and a killer piano!

But I would be happy to have the Mega guitars and basses, SA sounds, and many of the Yamaha OS touches (like replacing an SMF drums with arranger ones, etc.) on my G70. Of course, Roland are no more likely to do that than Yamaha are to change how they see what they think a good arranger should be...

And this is why I cry in the wilderness for a 'standardized' MIDI code for controlling arrangers. I would only be TOO happy to purchase an S910 to ADD it to the features I like in my G70. And, from reading between the lines, I am sure that, if it WERE possible to MIDI a GW-8L to an S910 and control them as one, Ian MIGHT get one of those. But neither of us is likely to drop our favorite arranger to gain what the other one has that is good...

Ian, if ever they ask you for feedback at Yamaha, tell them that if they want their sales to get even BETTER, allow the MIDI codes for variation/fill/intro/ending/performance#, etc. to be user defined... Then Korg, Roland, Ketron, Casio, whatever, can be hooked up and they play as ONE. That's a LOT of players there that would love to add what is good about the PSR's to what they already have.

Trust me, Roland don't give a DAMN about increasing their sales (pretty obvious over the past five years or so ), so it's going to have to come from Yamaha, I think.

Ian and I 'banter' quite a bit, but please, don't confuse it for lack of respect! Au contraire, mon frére!

Diki the Crippled

So to get back on topic.......today's gig 2nd with the S910 went very well....
I usually in my full setup have a laptop and mixer on my top tier of my Apex KB stand which would also create the needed shade for the S900 display screen below to see it brighter......on NH gigs I would where i dont use the LT/MXR I would just put my calender book across on it to shade the screen. Today on a High End Assisted living gig I only used one tier and DID NOT NEED to put anything on the top to see the S910's display...it was super bright and crystal clear.....yamaha got it right this time!! That feature alone is worth the price for me...

At the end of the show I always do
God Bless America for our veterans using the S900 US March style which I'm very used too playing it has a super intro..........everyone stood up and was ready to sing, but when I hit the first chord I hear a COMPLETLY DIFFERENT INTRO & ENDING!Which btw sounded fantastic.. .. the style was the same throughout...the OTS sounds were brighter fuller. A very pleasant surprise. I need to do more exploring to see what Yamaha has done to some of the Styles & OTS when I get a chance & make some switches fromn the S900 ones.... S910 so far, so good!



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 10-09-2009).]

And now perhaps you see the good of having a display that would show you what the chords and countdown an Intro or Ending have...

That is, if you actually play on them..!

Feel like a change one night? Feel like taking an untested (fully) arranger out on a gig? Feel like using a style you only half remember? Want to not look like that guy with his hands in his lap...?

C'mon, it's not a BAD idea...

does the PSR S910 have any new Synth sounds and pads?? or is it still the same as the PSR 3000 and S900 in that sound palette?

The S910 has dozens of new synth sounds. It's voice palette is similar to the Tyros 2. The S910 has about 250 more voices than the S900. A little over 30 are special voices (the ones that have ! in them). The rest are additional voices in all categories. There are some great voices among them, many of the synth sounds are featured in the styles, and many of the other voices are layered in the OTSs of certain styles.

Beakybird

One of the reason I like Roland arrangers is their ability to guess midi file chords, I mean from any midi file. Does the new S910 can guess chords now on any midi files?
Thanks

Jim,

Yamaha's operating system is such that you can press the Score button and look at the complete arrangement for any midi file. However, if the midi file was created on the S910 itself, then the keyboard will automatically select the style file and display the chords of the midi file on the main screen.

Gary

Last night after my gig i started to dig in a bit and take a closer look at the S910. I love the 1Mb increased storage over the S900 which lets me put more "onboard" user Styles & Reg info.Although you can put endless info on a USB thumb drive also externally. I use a Right angle USB drive so it doesn't stick out the back. Sonically I can hear the improvements as I went through the sound pallets, Organs, Accordions, Saxes & Guitars,Strings and yes the Drums really sound fantastic! If I'm not mistaken there are also a few NEW Multipads too. And that Display SCREEN is pure heaven to see on stage or at home. Little by little I'm making the S910 My Own, I'm very happy with what Yamaha has done to this point. With just a few user changes to the MFD in future S-series models to include Transpose, would certainly be another plus for MY Needs.



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 10-14-2009).]