Experts: Yamaha PSR-S710 seq'd via QY300

[dogsbollocks]

Hi guys, I have been trying for some time now to get my Yamaha PSR-S710 sequenced externally with the older QY300 (which works fine). After reading relevant sections of the PSR-keyboard's owner & reference manuals, several times, not for the life of me I can find where to assign voices or create voice patches (combi's on the Korg M1). I just want to make simple channel to channel-track voice patches / Registrations?, accross the 16 midi channels. I am finding this so called 'reference' manual incomprehensive and unintuitive in places and just can't seem to figure out if I should be looking at the Registrations or Mixer chapter to accomplish this. Any help will be most appreciated!

 

[Skipp]

I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to do...

Do you want to create a 16 track combi on the PSR? Because you can't do that.
PSR line is a series of arrangers that don't have Combis as such.

Combis (performances as Yamaha calls them) are reserved for workstation keyboards only).

On the other hand - if you're trying to create a song on th s710... I'm not even sure
if you can do that by one track at a time. I think (someone correct me please if I'm wrong) the only way to create songs (MIDI files) on the lower-midrange PSR keyboards
is by using the built in styles - cause the recorder records those tracks.

 

[dogsbollocks]

Skipp, thank you so much for confirming this. Tha is exactly what I wanted to do. I feel like such an idiot with this keyboard quagmire!! Why don't these tech-selling dipsticks at the music stores ascertain first what you want to accomplish with a keyboard before letting you walk off 'happy' with your purchase? Damn!! And only today at another local music store I asked a chap who tells me I should be looking at a Yamaha Workstation, like the M6, instead of my Arranger, (for the same price as this s710) to midi-sequence internally/externally.

I am extremely happy with the range of Voices the instrument offers but now having to contemplate yet a second keyboard exchange is just downright taking tha mickey!! What a Royal pain in you know where.. First I got a Casio WK500, took it home and found out there's no midi connectors (they told me it can connect to midi with a computer) so I assumed it would be ok without checking the instrument. I took it back and got this PSR-S710. And now THIS!!!! Arrrrrgggghhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks anyway Skipp.

 

[Skipp]

M6? You mean the MM6?

No - you don't want that. That one's even worse. It's HALF arranger and HALF a workstation that lacks features from both worlds.

If you bought the S710 recently, try to exchange it for the MO6. I think you'll be more then happy with that one. (see the link in my sig)

 

[dogsbollocks]

Ahhh... Yes. I definately heard the guy say "M6" but true, he certainly meant the "M06". I only glanced at it quick on my way out with a new 2488neo. I feel like a right burk having to think about going back for a 2nd keyb exchange, now 7 weeks after my S710 purchase.

Does this M06 offer all of the brilliant acoustic sounds like the s710? Voices like; Grand/Electric Pianos, Accordions, beautiful Hawaian Aloha 'slide' guitar, all those realistic Saxes n horns, Orch Strings etc? I just want to sequence and syncronize those types of 'big band' instruments. I am not too concerned with all the fancy synthesis and mindboggling array of buttons and controls. As long as I can sequence individual intruments without all the right-hand/left-hand autoaccomp fussy stuff... I'd be more than happy.

 

[Skipp]

It's MO6 not M06 (it's a letter, not a zero hehe), and yea - it does have all those sounds,
and they sound even better.

The MO has all the sounds from the flagship workstation Motif ES and you can load
every sound from/for the Motif into the MO. Plus, you have almost infinite options
when tweaking sounds.

Each sound can have up to 4 different parts - meaning you can get much more realistic sounds via velocity switching, or just making it more complex.

Apart from sounds, you can split/layer/combine up to 4 sounds in a performance.
So you can use 4 sounds - each of which can have up to 4 parts.

And there's a great pattern/song mode where you can use/mix/record up to 16 parts at once.

 

[dogsbollocks]

Hey thanks Skipp. My internet was down after storms here. I'll definately go check it out at my local store. Ah yes, let me get it right; ok.. the [M 'Oh' 6]. haha As long as I don't have to sacrifice the fabulous range of preset voices in the PSR-S710 and I can sequence 16 individual voices to 16 individual midi track/channels, I'd be happy to accomodate the exchange for MO6. All the extra layering/tweaking/combinations is just bonus controls for me. I am up to now still discovering more great sound FX in the psr-s710, and I am still reluctant to give it up for the sounds alone.

Cheers guy. Or should that be Piano-Girl?

 

[Skipp]

Well, the "sweet"/"cool" voices that the PSR series have are not in the workstation line, but you get better voices IMO.

The megavoices are still there though. Anyway - the worst case scenario is that the MO will sound the same as the s710 - just remember - workstations do NOT have styles on board.

Here's a video of a simple pattern on the motif (the interface and the workflow is exactly the same as the MO)

 

[dogsbollocks]

Hmmm That's gonna be a huge gamble for me without those 'realistic' s710 voices. But I like what I see here. That geezer has got some serious groovin' goin on there. Is that you by any chance? Much of my music is based on groove elements too. I will have to check in store for a live demo tomorrow. Thanks anyway.

 

[Skipp]

Nah, not me.

But the "sweet/cool" voices in the PSR series are not all that realistic if you take a better look. For example the sweet flute - it's just a bit of extra programming that
loops the vibrato on the sample.

And like I already said - there really is no way a midrange PSR can sound better then the workstation that has the exact same sound engine as the flagship workstation.

In any case - you go and check the keyboard out. If anyone you know has the Motif ES - you can try that one out since they sound the same.

Yamaha now basically has sounds from all the motif line in a derivation of a synth.

Motif classic voices in the MM6/8
Motif ES voices in the MO6/8

Hopefully now that the XF is out, they will release a stripped down version of the XS... Maybe something like the MO-S

 

[dogsbollocks]

Yesterday I had a 3 hour tuning-in/rumage in the keyboard dept and I understand that the MO6 will sequence they way I want. But to tell you the truth I found that it contains the biggest baddest library of mostly synthetic si-fi and trance sounds more suited to garage, house, techno, trip-hop. I could only find two naff-sounding Accordions compared to 6 very realistic german, french and blues ones on my PSR-S710. A few of the acoustic voices were ok but it was just taking forever to get through the library man. Having to trawl thru 40 plus to find 1 ok-ish voice is just tedious work. Phew! Besides a couple of excellent videos from your link, Skipp, most of the other vids are focused on house/trance type compositions. And I have watched tons of them on the tube.

I also had a look at a Korg M50, less a hundred bucks, with an easy to use voice/sequencer setup interface, which seemed to contain a bit more realistic voices than the MO6, a niffty little touch screen, but I couldn't find a window for editing macro midi note data. The slightly longer keys do have a better semi keyb-piano feel and action to them on this M50 though.

Trouble is whilst I need good sequencing tools, I do not want to compromise the 'big-band' type orchestral sounds that my underclassed S710 'arranger' affords, and this may mean that I'll just have to put up with its dodgy 2-track recorder (so-called sequencer) and find a way, or just record straight to multitrack. I am not a keyboardist/pianist per say, but know enough to compose and produce chorded riffs, melodies etc. So sequencing is a necessary perfection process tool for me.

Question: Is there a way of migrating/copying certain sounds in the PSR to the MO6?

 

[Skipp]

You're missing a point here...

Even though, initially, the MO6 has "r'n'b/trance" oriented sounds, you CAN load every single Motif ES sound into it - therefore - all of the Motif's "missing" voices.

The sample ROM is exactly the same (175mb).

On the other hand, the M50 does have a great touchscreen display and it's very
easy to navigate once you get used to it.

It should have the 16 track sequencer like the M3 if i'm not mistaking, and
that has to be one of the most easiest sequencers I've ever used on a keyboard!

Plus - it's compatible with the M3 (original - not expanded) voices since they
share the same basic ROM. Apart from a terrible piano sound (but that's just me),
and not-so-great-guitars - the M50 wins over the MO - then again
it's newer, and a derivate of the M3.

Also, the MO has 4 sounds in a combi, while the M50 has 16 (but
each sound on the MO can be made out of 4 parts, unlike the ones on the M50
that have 2)

The keyboard of the same age and rank from Korg would be the TR if compared
to the MO, and MO wipes that one in every aspect if you ask me.

Oh... and no... I don't think there's a way of copying sounds from the PSR onto the MO.

Just one more thing to add... Yamaha workstation keyboards are NOT as "easy"
to navigate as the PSR series...

It's not because they're complicated - it's because they offer much, MUCH more
when it comes to sound tweaking.