by David Lindsay, Yamaha

The PSR-2100/1100 and (PSR-2000/1000) can record Songs with up to 16 separate Channels (tracks), each Channel using a different Voice. There are two different methods for recording; Quick Recording for recording a Song in one or two takes, and Multi Recording for recording multiple Channels by as little as one Channel at a time.

Quick Recording

In the SONG section of the front panel:

1. Press and hold [REC], then press [TOP] to create a new Song.
2. Release the buttons, then select a Style and Voice.
3. Press and hold [REC], then press the Track buttons above it for the Tracks (Channels) which are to be recorded. You can record the style [Style], left-hand voice [L], and/or right-hand voice [R].
4. Release the buttons, then play the keyboard to start your recording.
5. When you are done with your song, press [REC] to stop recording.
6. To play the Song and listen to your results, press [TOP], then [START/STOP].
7. To stop the Song, press [START/STOP] again.

Multi Recording

Perhaps, with only two hands, you can't quite play all the parts you want to play in real time. A second solution is to record one part only. Then return to the top of the song and while the one part is playing, add another part to the song. You can continue in this process building up instruments one by one.

Here are the steps. In the SONG section of the front panel:

Step 1: Press and hold [REC], then press [TOP] to create a new Song.

Step 2: Select a desired Voice or Style to be recorded. You might want to test it out and set the voice volume as you want it.

Step 3: To select a Channel for recording, press the CHANNEL ON/OFF button until you see the 16 channels displayed. Pressing that button alternates between showing you the 8 accompaniment parts and the 16 channels. When you see the 16 channels, simultaneously hold the [REC] button while pressing the [1] - [8] buttons at the bottom of the main screen. If you used Quick Record initially, Tracks 1 and 2 may be used up with the right and left-hand voice. OK, select track 3 to add another voice. The selected Channel will display REC in the screen.

Step 4: Once you select a channel, a PART screen pops up and allows you to select a part to record (MAIN, LAYER, LEFT, PAD1, PAD2, PAD3, PAD4, ...). Use the [C] and [D] buttons to move up and down through the choices to pick the part you are going to record. To add a vibraphone, you can set up your MAIN voice as Vibraphone, select channel 3, and then pick MAIN for your part. Now start the song and add those vibes to the song wherever you want.

Step 5: To record multiple Channels/Parts simultaneously, repeat steps 2 – 4. Each time, just add another instrument.

Step 6: To start recording, begin playing the keyboard, or press the silver [START/STOP] button in the SONG section of the front panel.

NOTE: When recording Auto Accompaniment Parts from a Style, it is a good idea to turn ON the [INTRO] button and [SYNC. START] button first (red LED illuminates on both), and then play the chords for the Style to trigger the recording. This way the Song will have a more professional sounding introduction.

Step 7. To stop recording, press the [REC] button. If recording a Style, the [ENDING/rit.] button can also be used for a professional sounding ending.

Step 8: Play back the recording:

• Press the [TOP] button.
• Press the silver [START/STOP] button to start the Song.
• Press the silver [START/STOP] button again to stop the Song.

Step 9: To record additional Parts, repeat steps 2 – 8.

Saving Your Song

When you turn off your keyboard, that beautiful recording will disappear. If you want to save your effort, you need to save your song, either in the USER area or on a Floppy Disk. If you look at the MAIN screen in the SONG window, you will see that the current song is called "NewSong". To save your "new song", press [A] to open the SONG Screen then press [NEXT] to move to the USER area. (You could press [NEXT] again to move to the FLOPPY DISK area.) If you are looking at the USER or FLOPPY DISK areas, you will see that the SAVE option [6] is now available. Select that option. You will be given an opportunity to "name" your song. You should name your song. The song title would be an appropriate name. Now you can shut your keyboard off and when you come back to it, that song you recorded is still in the USER area or on the Floppy Disk. Just load it in and press [START/STOP] to hear it again.

Try It Out!

You don't have to save your efforts. You can just experiment to see how to do this recording. You don't have to record a whole song when you're learning. Just start the REC and add 8 bars of a melody. Then go to the TOP, pick another voice and channel, start again and add some more to your song. Stop the recording; go back to the top; and listen to the results. You can practice as much as you want. It won't hurt the keyboard and you don't have to save anything. When you begin to feel comfortable using Quick Record or recording individual parts using the Multi-Record method, then you can think about actually recording a "finished" song.