Frequently Asked Questions
for PSRs, CVPs, and Tyros
Updated August 5, 2012. FAQs compiled by Michael P. Bedesem from responses to email queries and forum posts. Special thanks to Frank J. Blecha who assisted with the formatting and to the many authors, identified where known, who have contributed material.Please report errors, suggestions and omissions to mpb@sover.net
OTHER
H.1 - What programs are available to edit midi files. REVISED!
H.2 - What to do if Cakewalk does not work with an installed Instrument Definition File.
H.3 - Where can I find PSR Instrument definition files.
H.4 - Sometimes I don't seem to be able to change a voice in Cakewalk.
H.6 - How to record voices when recording to Cakewalk
H.7 - Eliminating Cakewalk pauses while playing a PSR midi
H.8 - Why does the style sound change when Cakewalk is turned on.
H.9 - Configuring Windows for Style Files.
H.10 - How to prevent Cakewalk from removing lyrics after saving.
H.11 - What is Midi and How should I make use of it with the PSRs.
H.12 - Preventing Cakewalk from disabling styles and the keyboard on the PSRs/Tyros.
H.13 - Tutorial on adding lyrics to a midi using PSRUTI.
H.14 - How to display lyrics on the PSR-3000 when only a style is used.
H.15 - Cakewalk does not play the portamento events in PSR midi.
H.16 - Why MidiPlayer/MidiDatabase do not always display the instrument and style used in a PSR midi
H.17 - Why files made in Cakewalk sometimes display "drums" as the song name in earlier PSR displays
H.18 - Problem in Tyros from a track cloned in Sonar.
H.20 - Files saved in Sonar sometimes do not change voices properly.
H.22 - Where can I go to request Yamaha support ?.
H.25 - How to use Proteus VX as a sound module for Yamaha styles.
H.27 - What is a good notation program.
H.28 - When using a sequencer, why do some midis play only a piano.
H.30 - PC programs for audio files.
H.31 - Using the PSR with a PC Sequencer.
H.32 - Setting up MFC10 with TYROS 3.
H.33 - NEW! Why using a registration to setup voices in a sequencer does not work.
H.34 - NEW! Where to get Yamaha manuals.
H.35 - NEW! Where find tutorial videos.
OTHER
H.1 - REVISED! What programs are available to edit midi files
These are programs that edit midi files. There are several programs in general use:
- MixMaster and PSRUTI are both Yamaha friendly and are free.
- Cakewalk is a popular purchased product. Home Studio is adequate if you are not doing any audio recording, otherwise Cakewalks Pro/Sonar.
- PowerTracks is cheaper than other sequencers.
H.2 - What to do if Cakewalk does not work with an installed Instrument Definition File
Check that the Bank Select Method is set to Normal. To view or change in Cakewalk, double click the Bank column.
H.3 - Where can I find PSR Instrument definition files
PSR 140 -
PSR-8000/9000/Tyros 1-4:
H.4 - Sometimes I don't seem to be able to change a voice in Cakewalk
Cakewalk displays voice changes in measure 1 in the Track View boxes, and voice changes in any other measure after measure 1 in the list view. You need to look in both places.
H.6 - How to record voices when recording to Cakewalk
To setup the voices and effects on Cakewalk, etc, here are the choices:
- Use Multi Record to make a brief midi on the PSR with the channels setup as you want and then load this into Cakewalk via floppy and use it as a template for recording.
- Use Voicefile Revoicing function of the program PSRUTI to edit a template midi file:
- Make a Dummy midi in Cakewalk by New/16 ChMultiTrack Source, add one note to each channel (so PSRUTI can edit it) and save as MidiType 0 file called Dummy.mid. You can also download such a template file (MultiTrackMidi.zip) from http://psrtutorial.com/MB/zips/MultiTrackMidi.zip
- Open Dummy. mid in PSRUTI 7.5 and do VoiceFile Revoicing for all the tracks that you intend to use. This requires a collection of voice edit files of the preset voices. This can be created with Save in Tyros/Tyros 2 or via Sound Creator. Save your revoiced file as ProjectName.mid
- Open ProjectName in Cakewalk and do your recording from the Tyros.
Alternatively, you could do the recording first using just the standard voice selections (with no DSP) and then take the file to PSRUTI later to edit the voices, but you would not hear the final sound during the recording process.
- For Cakewalk recording, depress the PSR keyboard buttons for the voices etc that you want. If you are recording using Main, this will output on Channel 1. You will need to redirect this data to the correct track at Cakewalk or modify the Function/Midi/Edit/Transmit setting so the PSR sends Ch1 on the desired track.
Ton Martens [tonmartens@hotmail.com] has explored this method extensively. Here is his summary of the procedure:
"I select the voices while Cakewalk records. Usually that happens at the beginning of the track in a separate small clip. For each track (midi-channel) I reserve 2 (or more) bars before the music starts in order to preserve room for these registrations. Only thing to remember is, that if a new track (midichannel) with its own specific voice (with DSP) has to be recorded, the Tyros needs to be 'reset' to default. I do that with a sysex bank. After that the Tyros is clean of settings. Then, it's important to record the voice-setting after the last already recorded voice setting.
Let's say that track 1 plays back at MIDI-1 and at bar 1-2 it has the voice-setting recorded. This voice-setting sets a DSP for that voice; If I want to record track 2 with another voice, this voice-setting has to be recorded AFTER bar 1-2, for instance at 1-3. The reason for this is: The Tyros keyboard automatically selects an empty DSP block for a new selected voice. It starts from top to bottom. DSP 5 (mixer) is the highest selectable voice DSP (6 is for mike). When the Tyros has been 'reset', all DSP block are de-selected (not assigned to a voice). The first voice which uses a DSP will use DSP-5, The second voice will use DSP-4, and so on.
This is how the Tyros selects it's DSP's on the fly. However, when RECORDING this to midi (Cakewalk), the actual recorded SYSEX assigns the requested DSP to the midi-channel that has been transmitted by the Tyros. That's why the Tyros' transmit channel has to be the same as the channel you want to record, because the Tyros uses this 'transmit channel' to alter the sysex message for the dsp settings. So cakewalk receives a sysex message which says that DSP-5 gets mapped the voice at MIDI-ch-1. Since selecting a second voice (track 2, midi-ch-2) on Tyros will select the highest DSP number available, the second voice will get DSP-4. But only because DSP5 is used by the first voice. So you set the Tyros to transmit at midi-2, sysex messages for voices will be mapped to midi-2. Reset the tyros (default voices and DSP's clear), start recording cakewalk: Wait until all previous recorded voice-setting have been played back, and then press the voice on the Tyros. Since the playback of track one will assign DSP-5 to midi-1, the next recorded voice setting will be assigned to midi-2 (DSP-4). If you would record the voice-setting to early (before track 1 had played back the voice-setting), DSP-5 would still be empty, and selecting the voice for your second channel would (also) be assigned to DSP-5. That way the 2 tracks would conflict with each other, and just one of them (the latest recorded one) would have a DSP on it.
For all this to work:
Tyros:
- Midi: Use Right1 to send to Midi channels. So use the Tyros Right1 panel settings and Right1-mixer settings to select and set voices and parameters. Disable other parts to transmit.
- let it transmit the actual channel you want to record. Normally this wouldn't be important, but since Tyros maps SYSEX-messages to the transmitted channel, it's necessary for DSP and EQ-settings for a voice;
- enable it to send and receive SYSEX
- before you want to record a new voice-setting, search the voice on Tyros which you want. Then (at the voice screen) move up a directory and select a XG or GM voice. The reason for this I explain later;
- at Cakawalk playback the 'reset' sysex to clear midi-channels and voice setting on the tyros;
- start recording a new track at Cakewalk, make sure your registration comes after the last already recorded registration.
- at the right moment, press the Tyros' voice button (panel). Since you selected a neutral XG/GM voice before, pressing the voice panel-button will instantly set the right voice and transmits a Sysex with all parameters for that voice to cakewalk.
- Cakewalk needs to loop sysex messages. (options)
Smart thing to do is to keep voice-settings at separate clips in Cakewalk, which occupy the first 2 bars or so. These small clips only contain the voice settings for that track. That way, you can re-record your playing over and over again without having to think of the voice-settings anymore, since these are in the small clips at the beginning of the tracks.
A reset-sysex can be created by recording an empty sequence on Tyros and move that (midi-file) to Cakewalk. It contains the sysex messages which clear the channels and resets the voices to default. If you want I can mail you mine, but I think you use Tyros2 which might be assigned differently.
Pitfall: When recording a voice-setting on a Cakewalk channel, you get "one chance". If you, by accident, record and select the wrong voice, you have to go back to the point where you selected an neutral XG/GM voice and cleared the Tyros. Then try again. If you don't go back to this point, the Tyros has a DSP assigned to the last recorded midi channel (of the wrong recording), so a NEXT voice setting will again occupy an empty DSP. So when trying to select (and record) voices over and over again, all DSP's will get used up and assigned to the current midi (Tyros-transmit) - channel. You might workaround this by disabling sysex-looping in Cakewalk."
H.7 - Eliminating Cakewalk pauses while playing a PSR midi
The problem appears in Cakewalk Pro Audio 8 and Sonar 3 at the location of the transmittal of sysex banks that control the effect sends. I suspect that these are locations where the midi author might have changed settings via a registration as they are sometime accompanied by changes to the style section etc.
You can eliminate the problem by placing the command "SysxSendDelayMsecs=0" in Cakewalk's TTSSEQ.ini file using Notepad. I placed it immediately following the other sysex parameters in the Options section. You need to save the ini file and restart Cakewalk for the change to take effect.
Normally Cakewalk transmits a 1/18 sec delay following each sysex to allow the synth time to digest it. Since the PSR does not include any delay between these messages when it writes them to the midi file, it seems logical that it assumes that it can process them between midi tics and that specifying no delay is acceptable.
H.8 - Why does the style sound change when Cakewalk is turned on
This is due to Cakewalk's echoing the commands back to the instrument.
To eliminate the problem:
- In Cakewalk Pro Audio: Tools/Program Options/ MidiInput set Echo to none.
- In Sonar: Options/Global/General uncheck the Echo box.
H.9 - Configuring Windows for Style Files
Periodically users report problems trying to access, view, rename or save style/midi/voice files. To eliminate these problems, go to Windows Explorer/ Tools/Folder Options/View Tab and confirm the following settings:
'Hide extensions for known file types' is unchecked.
'Display the content of system folders' is checked.
'Show hidden files and folders' is checked.
H.10 - How to prevent Cakewalk from removing lyrics after saving
Cakewalk, when saving a lyric, treats a space as the end of a line. If the space leads, the line is blank; if the space occurs after a word, the remainder of the line is removed.
To prevent this from happening, use the Preferences/ Replace Space with Underscore in MidiPlayer to fix the file before editing and saving it in Cakewalk.
H.11 - What is Midi and How should I make use of it with the PSRs
What it is: Midi is a file, command and electrical transmission format that was developed by a committee made up of manufacturers in the early 80's so that computers can talk to musical instruments. There is a formal standard but it always lags technology and applications. As a consequence, each manufacturer makes their own additions which create some translation problems (XG voices, GS handclap notes, Yamaha Specific Sysex Events such as Chord Events, Midi lyrics vs. Karaoke lyrics are examples).
The format of the midi file is basically simple: It is a binary file with a header with housekeeping info such as the length of the file, what format (type 1 or 0), the resolution (number of ticks/ quarter note). After the header are track areas that have the commands. A Type 0 file has all data in one track; a type 1 file has the data for each midi channel in its own track. Each command in a track has three components: the delay time before the command is to be executed, a code saying what type of command it is, and the command itself. Basically, it is one long list of things to be done in sequence after the specified delay.
There are three types of commands:
- MetaEvents which convey general information such as copyright, lyrics, tempo, time & key signature. These apply to all channels and there is no channel number. The delay positions when these events occur, e.g. when to change tempo.
- Sysex Events which are used to provide instrument control such a master pitch, DSP settings, etc.
- Midi Events which turn individual keyboard notes (defined by a number from 0 to 127; C2=48, etc) on or off (the delay time to the off event defines a notes duration), define after touch and pitch wheel changes, change instrument controls and change the voices. Midi Events always have midi channel number associated with them.
You can see what these events look like by opening any style or midi in MidiPlayer and then click on MidiData. The program translates a lot of the codes that are actually used in the binary file into their English meaning so you can see what is happening.
You really do not need to know anything about the midi electrical transmission. A piece of "driver" software in the PC takes the command and sends it to the instrument that either acts on it immediately (when playing a song over midi) or stores its away to be played locally (as when you download midi files- Tyros only). The same driver receives any midi events that the instrument sends. Generally, whenever you key or play a midi stored on the PSR, the midi events that are generating the control or sound locally are sent out the midi cable. What gets sent or received is determined by the Function/Midi/Edit transmit and receive settings on the instrument.
What can be confusing is that the midi standard is being used in so many ways by many different elements of these instruments. For instance: the midi file structure and commands are used to define songs, styles, voice edit files, OTS files, and multipads.
And inside the PSR there are several midi devices:
- the keyboard whose settings can be controlled and whose output is sent locally and over the midi cable,
- a 16 channel midi song player,
- an 8 channel style player triggered by midi data from the left side of the keyboard,
- a 4 channel multipad player,
- and the midi tone generator whose voices, DSP etc are determined by midi commands, and which responds to midi commands from the cable, the keyboard, and the three local midi players.
Uses of Midi for PSR users: Before the arrangers, midi was the only way users had of setting up their instruments, playing multiple tone sources, or recording the output. The fact that every piece of equipment and software was different meant that the users had to understand the commands in detail simply to sort out the communication and compatibility issues. Now, the integration is done by the same within the instrument and most the functions are covered and well integrated.
Places where midi knowledge is still useful whenever the instrument or the files have to interface with other hardware or software. For example:
- Recording to sequencers and other software not specifically designed for use with PSRs
- Post recording editing or mixing on the PC
- Determining how to reproduce a sound used on by a recorded midi
- Diagnosing problems when midis, recorded on or for other instruments, are used with PSR
- Explaining strange sounds, timing problems etc on midis that you record
- Setting up accessories (midi pedals)
- Adjust note durations in multipads and home made styles
H.12 - Preventing Cakewalk from disabling styles and the keyboard on the PSRs/Tyros
Several people have complained that editing a file in Cakewalk can disable the Tyros2, requiring a power Off-power On sequence.
The problem is due to Cakewalk automatically issuing a Local Off messages for the style/right/left keyboard voices. To correct, add SendLocalOff= 0 and SendLocalOn=1 to the [Options] section of Cakewalk's/ Sonar's TTSSEQ.ini file.
Note: This does not seem to work in the T3. The Local on is set to off regardless, and Sonar does not seem to be able to restore it to On. The current workaround is to go to Function/ Midi and manually change the local settings to On.
H.13 - Tutorial on adding lyrics to a midi using PSRUTI
H.14 - How to display lyrics on the PSR-3000 when only a style is used
I recorded a blank midi file with only one track and no volume and added the lyrics of a song thru the PSRUTI program into the midi.
Now when I want to see the lyrics while playing a style file, I simply start that midi and see the lyrics on screen. If the tempo is not correct, pause the midi and simply forward it for each page of display. (from Anand Maloo)
H.15 - Cakewalk does not play the portamento events in PSR midi.
It appears to be due to how Cakewalk writes out the note on and off.
Taken from StyleDump, this data from the PSR works:
ID Delay Measure Ch Type Command
000667 0 2:03:540 1 Midi Event Note On - C 6 - velocity: 99
000671 1300 2:03:1840 1 Midi Event Note On - E 6 - velocity: 93
000676 0 2:03:1840 1 Midi Event Note On - C 6 - velocity: 0
000680 3160 3:01:1160 1 Midi Event Note On - E 6 - velocity: 0
But after CW saves it, the note off event of the C6 is now before the Note On of the E6. This loses the portamento:
ID Delay Measure Ch Type Command
000632 2055 2:03:135 1 Midi Event Note On - C 6 - velocity: 99
000637 325 2:03:460 1 Midi Event Note On - C 6 - velocity: 0
000641 0 2:03:460 1 Midi Event Note On - E 6 - velocity: 93
000644 790 3:01:290 1 Midi Event Note On - E 6 - velocity: 0
I reversed the order of the C6 and E6 in the attachment and all is normal. I am not aware of any setting in Cakewalk that addresses this issue.
H.16 - Why MidiPlayer/ MidiDatabase do not always display the instrument and style used in a PSR midi
The Yamaha command that the PSR/Tyros includes to indicate the instrument & style is only recorded when Quick Record is used.
Even then, if the file is later saved in a non Yamaha friendly sequencer/editor/player, 'sequencer specific' commands (e.g. instrument & style, chord events) may be removed.
H.17 - Why files made in Cakewalk sometimes display "drums" as the song name in earlier PSR displays
In Cakewalk, and other sequencers that save type 1 midis, it is possible to assign a name to each of the 16 tracks. It seems that in some early PSR, any track names in a type 1 version of the files replaced the internal name on the display. Since "drums" was often the last name, that is what would display.
H.18 - Problem in Tyros from a track cloned in Sonar
When you clone a track in Sonar, you cannot save it normally and use it on the Tyros, the Tyros will not see it.
What need to be done is: After cloning the track, highlight the new track and right click it, Click on property and change the channel of the track to a free channel, "SAVE AS" midi 0. (author unknown)
H.20 - Files saved in Sonar sometimes do not change voices properly
Users sometimes are surprised that, after editing and saving a style or midi in Sonar, voice changes do not occur for a few notes.
The reason for this is that Sonar can reorganize the position of midi events with the same time position when the file is loaded. E.g if the original file contains four midi events at time 001:001.001 : Program Change , Note C , Note E, Note G, after loading in to Sonar these might be reordered as: Note C , Note E, Note G, Program Change. Since the C chord comes before the program change, the chord will sound with the existing voice and not the new voice.
The workaround is to make sure that voice changes are set to occur at an earlier MBT (one tick is sufficient) than the first notes.
H.22 - Where can I go to request Yamaha support ?
Contact your local Customer Service office, your dealer or http://www.global.yamaha.com/support/contact.php
H.25 - How to use Proteus VX as a sound module for Yamaha styles.
- Yamaha styles call for voices that belong to particular bank and a voice number, as most know. Drum kits are no different. Yamaha has most Drum Kits in Bank:127. They have other fewer ones, like ArabicKit in Bank:126 or so. But even that could work with this method or variation, if so desired. Drum Kit with Program number = 0 is the most used, probably. It is called in Yamaha "Standard DrumKit-1". (In Yamaha territory, number 1 is often used instead of the number 0).
- The MIDI way to call a voice is by the sequence of three statements: [CC-0 and its value], [CC-32 and its value], and [PrgNumber and its value]. Thus, Controller-0 and its value, Controller-32 and its value relate to the "bank" number. Now, how they relate is part of the issue. However, CC-0 is said to carry the value of the MSB, while CC-32 is said to carry the LSB of the bank; while Prg-Value determines the actual voice in that bank.
- The "conventional formula" to calculate the bank number from that information is:
BankNumber = (Value of CC-0 * 128) + Value of CC-32.
Cakewalk puts the formula as BankNumber = [MSB * 128] + [LSB] - When I saw the actual MIDI data that a Yamaha style sends to call for a DrumKit, it sends for DrumKit1 the following values: [CC-0 = 127], [CC-32 = 0], and [Prg = 0]. Therefore, by that "conventional" formula, the Yamaha bank number for Drum kits is actually 16256 and NOT 127, as viewed in Yamaha territory. Yamaha XG sound modules obviously do not use that formula nor care for it. But others do, such as Cakewalk, and, as found (though not documented) Proteus VX ALSO uses that formula.
- When we say "uses that formula" it means that the Proteus VX sound module is PROGRAMMED to figure out a Bank Number and pick a voice with that BankNumber and Prog number (not just as we use the formula to "know" for whatever reason).
- However voices in Proteus VX CAN NOT take the value calculated of "16256" because the range of values that it accepts is (0 - 128). And THAT's because many sound module makers assume that 128 banks was more than enough. Yamaha uses another formula (or just picks the value of CC-0 as the Bank number and their XG sound modules are programmed to be OK).
Now, in practical terms: - THERE IS NO WAY that a voice in Proteus can take the value 16256 for bank number, and we don't want change that value in the style (but it can be done but is not too practical to change every style. It's best if the sound module "is compatible").
- We set Proteus VX to play in the Stand-Alone mode and we use MIDI-Yoke and MIDI-Ox for that. How-to and why may vary, and that's a separate issue.
- We then pick a Drum-Kit of Proteus VX and assign it a Bank value of 127 and a Prog value of 0. So that for the chosen Proteus VX drum kit we have Bank:127 and Prog:0. We chose the DrumKit by audition so that it sound as close to StanardKit-1. Personally, by audition, I chose Proteus VX DrumKit-3 to match Yamaha StandardKit-1. But anyone can be chosen.
- Now, because Proteus VX plays through MIDI-Yoke and MIDI-Ox connections, we create a MIDI-map in the MIDI-Ox facility. There are other way, but the easiest so far, that works, was to have a MIDI-map that:
For Channel-10, when CC-0 value is 127 it gets changed to 0
For Channel-10, when CC-32 value is 0 it gets changed to 127
(the patch or Prg number is not touched at all). - In actual way, in MIDI-Ox, the MIDI-map looks like this:
Inputs Outputs
------------------------------------------------------------
10 Ctrl 0 0 * 127 | * * * * * 0
10 Ctrl 0 32 * 0 | * * * * * 127
-------------------------------------------------------------
Of course there may be better ways of mapping the idea. But this one is OK here for now. - Now, for DrumKits other than Yamaha StandardKit-1, go ahead and assign them Bank:127 and a Prog:value so that Prog:value number is the same as that of the Yamaha-Kit that you want to match. Example: DrumKit-2 would be Bank:127 Prg:2; RoomKit would be Bank:127 Prog:3, and so forth. But you do only the ones you want to, and this can best be done on an as need, on-going basis, rather than want to define all drum kits a-priori.
- DrumKits of Proteus VX are best chosen by audition. Also, the same voice or drumkit can be in a proteus-vx set more than once, as long as they have a different value for Bank: and/or Prog:number. This means that Proteus Kit-03 can have more than one identity if so wished. Many, many styles can be matched by maybe four or so kits, unless one plays many many genders of music.
- It's also possible to make a MIDI-map that no matter what drum prog number is called, Proteus VX always responds with a single kit (a-la GM). With such map, for instance, one could have a kit with Prg:0 be the only one that plays all styles.
- Keep in mind that, depending where one looks, Yamaha voices and drum kit numbers may be 0 or 1 for the Prog. Number.
- A good way to see a Style's voice numbers, and DrumKit number and MSB and LSB is using "Style Revoicer", a free software found in the web (Highly recommended) for this and other things.
- Be aware that perfect-matches of voices of sound modules are not the norm, and even more so, for drum-kits. You have to audition and decide.
- But this ideas can be good for those, for example, who want to play drums only with ProteusVX since some sound modules can have weak sounding drums. VX drums are SAMPLED, by the way. The actual sounds can additionally be tweaked with effects, filters, and so forth, in Proteus VX.
- Of course, some of these ideas can also apply to modules other than VX that are not XG compatible, even possibly drum machines, other brand modules such as Roland, Korg, or whatever, with the proper variations of course.
- (You can audition DrumKits while a style is playing ProteusVX by putting any Kit (no matter what its Prog or bank number is, into Channel-10, with mouse and clicks). That way you can assign drumkits to match AFTER audition). It is VERY easy to change Bank and Prog numbers in Proteus VX for voices and drums. VX is totally interactive in real time, and as you all know, a Style keeps playing and playing by itself once it's going, till stopped.
Note: If you want to assign voices other than drum kits in Proteus VX, the BankNumber to put in Proteus VX is the value of the LSB of the Yamaha style. You can see that value when the Style is inspected with the Style Revoicer software mentioned above.
Also, some of the things here may or may not apply to styles from the newer more sophisticated Tyros, similar, and beyond that may use special banks or techniques.
from Babotas on PsrTutorial
Back to top....
H.26 - Yamaha's Copyright
As defined by Yamaha's chief corporate legal counsel and their USA attorney, Yamaha will not extend their copyright claim to include your use of any of their copyrighted styles in your personal musical creations. So if you create a big hit song using one of their styles, Yamaha will not sue you.
If another keyboard manufacturer incorporated Yamaha's styles in their arranger, Yamaha would use their copyright to sue them and enjoin them from that practice. Yamaha has asserted its' copyright ownership to inhibit the exchange (some of their newer internal styles and styles they sell individually and in packages) and publication of styles on the web.
(From Bob Gelman on the Yahoo song/ styles group)
H.27 - What is a good notation program
The products of Notation Software are often mentioned. And there is a free trial.
H.28 - When using a sequencer, why do some midis play only a piano
Some midis use sysex events instead of program change events to change voices. Many programs do not recognize these and treat the file if it had no voice assignments, which defaults to the piano voice.
To convert the file, load the midi into the PSR/Tyros, and save it to a new filename.
H.29 - How to edit NRPN's
NRPN stands for "Non Registered Parameter Number" as opposed to RPN for "Registered Parameter Number." RPN are those numbers identified by the MIDI Standard that will evoke the same response from every MIDI device designed to use them. NRPN numbers, on the other hand, can be used for any purpose a manufacturer wants in their devices. This can be a problem when the numbers of one manufacturer are used in a MIDI file run on another manufacturers MIDI device. All sorts of problems can crop up, such as locking up the keyboard, strange sound settings or crazy undesired responses to button pushes on the keyboard. To learn more about dealing with NRPN's, go to
(From Bill Grosse on PSRTutorial)
H.30 - PC programs for audio files.
Wav to MP3:
Midi to Wav:
Audio recording/editing:
H.31 - Using the PSR with a PC Sequencer.
- Install the USB driver. Get it and instructions from: http://music.yamaha.com/products/downloads.html productId=574052&hierarchy_id=20021_20023_16277
- In Function/Midi, select All Parts. This sends the keyboard midi data( Right/ Left voices, Pads, Arrangement) out to the sequencer and accepts the sequencer's output as inputs to the 16 channel midi player. You can see the channel numbers for the keyboard data by selecting the Transmit tab in Function/Midi/ All Parts/Edit.
- If you are getting double(or more) notes, it is because the data you are sending to the sequencer is being sent out back to the PSR. To prevent this, set local to Off in Function/Midi/All Parts/Edit/System tab.
- Now comes the hard part. When you play a right hand voice, it does not send the Yamaha voice specifications ( Voice, effects, etc) ahead of the data. If you use the sequencer to specify the voice (using the MSB & LSB Bank select and Program Change numbers (note that the program change numbers in the manual is one larger than what you have to send to the PSR, i.e. Acoustic piano is Program Change =000, but it will be listed as 001 in the manual), you will select the voice but not any effects. Thus this sound maybe different from the voice you play on the PSR directly. Here are several possible solutions:
- Make a template midi on the PSR by doing a Multi Record with the channels/voices you intend to use with at least one note in all channels. Then load this as the starting midi for the sequencer. This midi will have all the voices set properly. In the sequencer, you can move this data, minus the recorded notes, to measure one of your midi and it will serve as a setup midi. If the sequencer insists on sending its own voice setup data, place this data at the end of the measure.
- Before recording a channel, record the voice specifications. You can do this by starting the sequencer and selecting the voice (it has to be different from what is there) or executing a Registration that has the voice data included; this is quicker and less prone to error.
- You can try to record a bulk dump of the voice and effect data. This is messy. See: http://www.heikoplate.de/mambo/index.php option=com_content&task=view&id=431&Itemid=63
- You can try to setup the voices and effects in the sequencer. The voice, reverb, chorus and variation (system effect) are easy. Controlling the Yamaha DSPs is not. Since the PSR does not have a DSP for each midi channel, the instrument assigns them. You will need to do something similar from the sequencer. In addition, many of the preset voices use other commands to modify the sound. These can be viewed and replicated, but it is a lot of work.
- There is one other setting that you might need to adjust. That is the source of the midi clock. This might need selection in the sequencer and the PSR in Function/Midi/ All Parts/Edit/ System tab. I would not worry about it to start.
If you are new to recording, you might want to investigate the Quick Record and Multi Record facilities first before you get involved with all the above issues. The PSR's Song Creator is quite powerful, and you will spend a lot more time making music.
H.32 - Setting up MFC10 with TYROS 3
MFC10 setup:
- Set the 2 switches in the back of MFC10 to 'NORMAL' and 'MIDI'.
- To RESET MFC10 use STEP "A". IF YOU HAVE DATA TO KEEP USE STEP "B".
- Step "A": PRESS [MEMORY EDIT AND FC EDIT] SIMULTANEOUSLY WHILE PRESSING START. HOLD UNTIL SCREEN FINISHES (ABOUT 5 SECONDS).
- Step "B" TURN ON THE MFC-10 TURN (F) BUTTON ON!
- Connect cable from Tyros 'MIDI B OUT' to the MFC10 'MIDI IN'. Disconnect cable from Tyros 'MIDI B IN'.
Setting up Tyros3 MIDI Template for MFC10:
- Turn ON the TYROS > Function > 'MIDI' > 'All Parts' > Edit / choose settings for Pedal 1 and the ten (F) function buttons.
- Disconnect cable from Tyros 'MIDI B OUT' to the MFC10 'MIDI IN'. Connect cable from MFC10 'MIDI OUT' to Tyros 'MIDI B IN'.
- Press 'I': Send MFC10 SETUP
- Press EXIT > press TAB go to USER > EDIT > and SAVE template under new name.
(Johannes)
H.33 - NEW! Why using a registration to setup voices in a sequencer does not work
When a registration button is pushed, the registration only outputs the instrument settings that have changed. It is not a full listing of the keyboard settings.
In contrast, when a midi is recorded on the instrument, the instrument records all the keyboard settings in measure 1, and echos them in the midi output, when the Stop & Rec buttons are pressed.
So if you record on Sonar and at the same time record on the instrument and always push Stop & Rec at the beginning after starting Sonar, you will be OK.
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H.34 - NEW! Where to get Yamaha manuals
Most recent products have three manuals: Operators Manual, Reference Manual and a Data List Manual.
Get them all here:
H.35 - NEW! Where find tutorial videos
This is a list compiled by Joe Waters with many hours of videos - also for some other Yamaha keyboards:
(Kurt)
Here is a playlist with tutorial videos for the PSR-S910:
Also some searches: