Yamaha PSR

61 Key Arranger Workstation
High end synth sounds, internal speakers,
AC Power in,
1/4" MIC input jack, AUX IN
L, R Audio OUT, MIDI, 2 Foot Pedals IN
USB to device, USB to host
pitch bend and modulation wheels,
solid, hefty 25lb 6oz


UTILIZATION

This workstation/arranger has many features which makes for a lot of capabilities like pre-loaded drum loops in many styles, 2 layers upper keyboard, play-in record your own songs, much more. So that makes it more time consuming to learn if you are a arranger/workstation novice. It's supplied with a clear manual at a elementary user level, and more depth findable at Yamaha web site.

I've used it only a couple of days, so many bells and whistles I've not learned, but it seems to have about everything, including high quality sounds* for all the instruments you could think of.

*But pay attention to my problem with high C and C# Grand Piano, and various other instruments.


OVERALL OPINION

But on my first S950 (before I returned it) middle Ab was dead. I returned it for a new one (no hassle at the dealer) but on my second S950, when playing it as a grand piano voice, I noticed that high C and C# did not resonate like its neighbor keys. The two tones sound like a dull plink (a choked off sound), that quits early, a bit damped. I believe each tone in the scale has 2 or more tone generators for this Yamaha product. For high C and C#, they must have a defective or poorly adjusted tone generator. It's a tone generator (or sampling) quality problem because if I transpose a few half steps, the key (white or black keys) will change according to the half steps transposed. Since the problem moves up or down the physical keyboard, the problem is not with the white and black keys or their contacts. I tried to return it, but dealer didn't hear the choked damping as I did. It's a bit subtle and not measurable, but it's extremely bothersome on such a highly-used melody keys as the C tone above middle C and its C# neighbor. We tried another keyboard in the store which had the same disease to a lesser extent (my opinion). The quibble is easily missed by many customers since they typically use it with a million things going on loudly at once, and this plink sound would not be noticed.

I have just tried S950 at one of my friend's house, he just bought it new. It sounds way worst than s750, let alone any korg arranger. Even korg's pa500 will blow it out of water.
I dont understand, after psr 3000, yamaha kept on declining-stage in quality. I bought a psr s710, and it developed a fault and then i had to sale it. I remember i never played it more than one hour continuously because after that its sounds starts to give headache. I bought pa500, and i never want to take my fingers off it.
Strangely, the new s950 my friend bought has developed a habit of automatically shifting pitch low to high, resetting to factory didnt help.

The PSR-510 is a keyboard that I got in mid-90's, I think as a birthday gift. There were LOTS of buttons on its panel (!!!) but although it looked difficult for me (I was a preteen at the time), I could learn how to use it real fast. The user manual helped me a lot. I quickly learned how to combine sounds, make music through the 5-track recorder, and even create my very own styles.
About the sounds: there were 128 of them. Yep, it was one of the first GM Level-1 fully-compatible arranger keyboards. Most sounds were pretty decent for a 1993 mid-level instrument.
If I could find a "new" (because it's not new anymore, of course), well-mantained and fully functional PSR-510 today, I'd get it without thinking too much, although I own a much more complex keyboard set today, but it doesn't matter. The PSR-510 is a synonim of nostalgy to me.

This is a keyboard that can be described as an "all-in-one". If you're still studying music or if you're a music teacher, it's a good learning tool. If you're a composer, it has lots of features that help you on the composing process. If you're a band keyboard player, it has the Registration Memory, that stores all kinds of panel configs. If you like to use softsynths and/or software sequencers like SONAR and Cubase, it has a USB to Host port and a "PC Mode" to help. I think it could also have the conventional 5-prong DIN MIDI ports if you'd like to control sound modules, but modules are being outdated anyway.