The 9000 boasts a stunning 126
notes of polyphony and a startling array of new sounds with 16 bit sampling technology.
New stereo sampled Live Voices bring a new dimension to Yamaha’s sounds giving
a very accurate reproduction as they have a more natural presence, resonance and vibrato.
Also included are live drum kits with longer sample times to achieve a natural sounding
decay. The drums are even equipped with four samples per note, each set at a different
velocity making each drum sound even more realistic. Cool Voices are the natural
continuation of these new and better samples, only this time for electric instruments such
as electric guitars and jazz organs. Sweet Voices are the third new set of sounds
and again feature longer sample times for more accurate reproduction. Here you’ll
find such voices as trombones, saxes and pan flutes. Of course there are the normal voices
which when added to the others give a stunning 32MB of on board sound memories. This is
over two and a half times more than any previous models.
Styles have been revamped on the
new instrument and there are over a hundred each with 4 variations, 3 intro’s, 3
endings, 4 fills and 1 break fill. In addition there are 4 one touch settings for each
style, all of which can be customised to your requirements. Possibly more important is the
inclusion of Flash styles. For those of you not familiar with them the principle is
simple. These are memory locations that your favourite commercial or self programmed
rhythms can be stored on a permanent basis without having to reload them from disk. 120
locations have been given and the rhythms all sit underneath their own button and are nice
and easy to get at.
I mentioned the quality of the vocal harmoniser in the 740 review.
The 9000's facilities are even further extended and have the benefits of 84 effects
including noise gates, compressor and even a 3 band EQ. Talking of effects, the 9000's
array is impressive to say the least. 12 blocks of simultaneous DSP’s. The list is to
long too go through, suffice to say there are 164 presets.
No matter the quality of whats in
a keyboard, it will only sound as good as its speakers. Powered by a 56 watt amplifier,
the new speaker system has two speakers and a bass port on each side, each located in a
wooden surround. This might account for the weight of the instrument. Be warned its not
light, weighing in at 22.5 Kg (50lbs to you and me).
Now I really didn’t like the
sound sampler on the 8000 and I haven’t had the chance to try this one yet but watch
this space and I’ll let you know if its any good. It does look promising and even if
you have no joy in sampling, the instrument will load AIFF and WAV files. This will mean
you can load files from your computer and there’s hundreds of them on the Web. IMB of
memory is fitted as standard but this can be extended with two 32MB SIMMs to a total of
65MB. This will give a replay time of nearly 13 minutes.
Yamaha have really gone to town
with memory on this keyboard. The onboard music database gives over 600 settings. Wait for
it though, there is over 500 panel memories. This is easily more than any other instrument
that I am aware of on the market. Has loading disks on stage become a thing of the past?
They have also provided enough memory for a 38,000 note sequencer, which when used with
the onboard automated mixer, should provide stunning results. Two band EQ of each of the
29 parts, five band master EQ with gain, band width and frequency control, 7 blocks of DSP
effects, volume, panning and even the ability to control external devices, make this a
very powerful tool.
There are a few
other very notable tricks this keyboard is capable of. Video Out gives the ability
to put Karaoke lyrics from your midi files onto a telly, Dual Midi In and Out ports give
32 channel capability. A PC keyboard Interface allows control from a standard PC. Four
individual audio output sockets allow you to split sections of the keyboard or even the
mic, allowing control from an external amp. Send/return outputs give even more flexibility
as mixed signals can then be sent back through the 9000's speakers. An optional hard drive
(well priced) and a footswitch controller are also welcome and needed facilities.
Personally speaking, if I have a
reservation about this new product, its the availability of additional styles. Now it has
to be said that I have a vested interest here, but that aside speaking purely as a gigging
musician, the styles are good but I need more and different ones. Yamaha’s style
system is harder to program than some of the others on the market and that may bring some
limitations. However when all’s said and done, I can’t wait to get my grubby
little mits on the PSR 9000. If it lives up to its promises (and it should), Yamaha could
well have their hands on a major winner. Check it out, this deserves serious
consideration.
