Yamaha P-S500 digital piano thoughts and questions

[mindfulplayer]

I find the Yamaha P-S500 digital smart piano to be an interesting alternative to the SX and Genos arranger keyboards.

First, the pianos are higher quality on the P-S500.

Second, the S500's non-piano voices are on par with my SX900.

Third, if one does not require style editing controls, the style selection on the S500 is quite good.

Fourth, the Audio to Score and other features in the Smart Pianist seem quite nice.

Lastly, at first I thought using an iPad to have to always connect to the keyboard was going to be cumbersome. But the more I think about it, it gives you a larger screen, less panel buttons to deal with and you get a nice comfortable angle that a built-in keyboard screen can never offer.


Here are some of my questions for anyone who can answer:

-the data list shows the internal CFX & Bosendorfer pianos as not specified as VRM. but the Smart Pianist app list does specify them as VRM. Are the internal pianos VRM?

-can the Smart Pianist app voices, styles, features be used offline (no internet connection) and only use the USB cable connection? I am assuming internet connection is only required at initial setup to transfer all the voices and styles into the app?

-could there be a risk that future updates to Yamaha’s Smart Pianist app could make it not compatible with the P-S500, rendering the keyboard obsolete?

Rich

 

[amwilburn]

If you remember on PSRTutorial.com, I've been advocating for PS500 for a while; they're like the significantly upgraded version of DGX670 *except* no ability to download, create or edit styles (yet... it would all be optional in the GUI). Better keys, better speakers, and while the PS500 isn't *quite* as good as a PSRsx900 chipset, it *is* the same as the CVP705/CSP150/CSP170/PSRs970/975/sx700, so you're close!

They *were* VRM on the CSP150/CSP170 the PS500 is based on (it's a portable CSP150), and selecting on the PS500, it won't even let me select the non-vrm versions!

No internet needed. It literally uses your iPAd as a screen. Just plug it in and go (ok, you need internet to download the app in the first place, but other than that, no)

There is a risk that your ipad could be too old and future updates could render it incompatible with *your* iPad, but you can always get a new iPad (or iPhone)

Mark

---

www.youtube.com/MarkWilburnTLM/Videos
DX7, CLP300, PSR60, Roland E20, CVP309, PSRS970, Fender Strat, Ibanez SA262, Yamaha CG131, Fujiyama FC390, TUC-Kitty

 

[mindfulplayer]

If you remember on PSRTutorial.com, I've been advocating for PS500 for a while; they're like the significantly upgraded version of DGX670 *except* no ability to download, create or edit styles (yet... it would all be optional in the GUI). Better keys, better speakers, and while the PS500 isn't *quite* as good as a PSRsx900 chipset, it *is* the same as the CVP705/CSP150/CSP170/PSRs970/975/sx700, so you're close!

They *were* VRM on the CSP150/CSP170 the PS500 is based on (it's a portable CSP150), and selecting on the PS500, it won't even let me select the non-vrm versions!

No internet needed. It literally uses your iPAd as a screen. Just plug it in and go (ok, you need internet to download the app in the first place, but other than that, no)

There is a risk that your ipad could be too old and future updates could render it incompatible with *your* iPad, but you can always get a new iPad (or iPhone)

Mark

---

www.youtube.com/MarkWilburnTLM/Videos
DX7, CLP300, PSR60, Roland E20, CVP309, PSRS970, Fender Strat, Ibanez SA262, Yamaha CG131, Fujiyama FC390, TUC-Kitty

Mark,
Yes, we were discussing this one a few months ago in messaging on PSR Tutorial. Thanks for responding here.

I may be going away from auto-accompaniment arrangers and more towards digital pianos that have some accompaniment. I was comparing S500 vs. SX900 Data lists. S500 styles aren't too lacking but SX definitely has more. I was very happy to see they included one freeplay style on the S500, "On Broadway", at least I hope that one is freeplay on the S500.

SX has a few more orchestral voices the S500 doesn't have but it's not too lacking. S500 has a ton of the nice new age & synth pads from SX900 but it doesn't have "WarmVCFPad" which is a good sustaining pad.

Do you know if all those extra app-only accessible styles and voices are already in the S500? Or is the internet required to load them into the app when setting up for the first time?

The manual mentions lighting connector iPads but assuming the current USB-C iPads have no issues connecting with an adaptor.

Rich

 

[amwilburn]

The styles and sounds are already on the PS500, the app just acts as a screen (and also as a storage device, and an mp3 chord tracker). There's no internet required except to download the free app. USB c there *are* issues, but only insofar as you need to buy the official apple c to A cables (assuming your iPad comes with C to C?) but that's the only issue; once you have your cables, you're good to go.

The PS500's uses the same sound library as cvp705/csp170, which is nearly identical to PSR970/sx700, so the sx900 is actually still quite a bit more advanced. The PSRsx600 and the DGX670 are also nearly identical sound libraries (except they added a lot of latin/brasil specific sounds to the sx600)

Mark

---

www.youtube.com/MarkWilburnTLM/Videos
DX7, CLP300, PSR60, Roland E20, CVP309, PSRS970, Fender Strat, Ibanez SA262, Yamaha CG131, Fujiyama FC390, TUC-Kitty

 

[mindfulplayer]

The styles and sounds are already on the PS500, the app just acts as a screen (and also as a storage device, and an mp3 chord tracker). There's no internet required except to download the free app. USB c there *are* issues, but only insofar as you need to buy the official apple c to A cables (assuming your iPad comes with C to C?) but that's the only issue; once you have your cables, you're good to go.

The PS500's uses the same sound library as cvp705/csp170, which is nearly identical to PSR970/sx700, so the sx900 is actually still quite a bit more advanced. The PSRsx600 and the DGX670 are also nearly identical sound libraries (except they added a lot of latin/brasil specific sounds to the sx600)

Mark

---

www.youtube.com/MarkWilburnTLM/Videos
DX7, CLP300, PSR60, Roland E20, CVP309, PSRS970, Fender Strat, Ibanez SA262, Yamaha CG131, Fujiyama FC390, TUC-Kitty

Thanks! Will do some more evaluating before making a decision.

Rich