Yamaha PSR8000 Keyboard
July 11, 1997
The PSR8000, the flagship of Yamaha's portable keyboard line will be introduced by Yamaha Corporation of America at Summer NAMM. "Incredible power and innovation best describe this keyboard," states Jim Presley, marketing manager, Portable Keyboard Department, Audio, Guitar & Synthesizer Division.
The PSR8000 is a 61-key, touch sensitive, 64-note polyphonic, XG, General MIDI (GM) keyboard. MIDI In and Out, Sustain Out, a To Host port, Audio Out, Pitch Bend and Mod Wheels are included. This instrument was designed for the professional, gigging musician, the serious hobbyist, or anyone who loves to play and sing music.
The list of professional and "never before available in any type of keyboard" features continue with an optional hard drive, SIMMs expandable wave RAM, after touch, multiple pedal control outputs, a To Host port, and a 3.5-in. disk drive with "Style File" and "Disk Orchestra" compatibility (enabling access to a huge library of songs on disk).
The stunning sound quality is due, in part, to the Yamaha Advanced Wave Memory (AWM) tone generation, Yamaha's XG MIDI compatibility, a newly designed bass reflex sound system, and an enhanced multi-efffect DSP.
Yamaha's XG MIDI format, never before available in a portable keyboard, is backwards compatible with GM (General MIDI) but adds a super set of voices and controls for audio, effects and more, resulting in unparalleled lifelike sound reproduction.
The To Host port enables direct connection to the serial port of a PC or Macintosh without the need of a MIDI interface card or box. A simple cable from the keyboard to the serial port is all the hardware that is needed. The PSR8000 opens a world of music, educational, and creative possibilities to the more than thirty million U.S. households with personal computers, and is especially important for laptop users, who are becoming a larger part of the total computer market, where the addition of cards may not be an option. Much attention has been paid to ease of use, with a larger, icon-based, back-lit display. All user interfaces have been completely redesigned, taking the PSR8000 to a new level of user-friendliness.
Add the new Yamaha Easy Operation System (EOS) and Virtual Arranger (VA) for even more ease of use with professional results. EOS represents a major step forward in simplified operation of tasks that were once complex. Where functions like recording once took multiple steps, EOS has reduced the task to one-button simplicity.
The Yamaha auto accompaniment is world renowned for its styles being natural, musically correct, and a joy to play. Virtual Arranger, a new innovation from Yamaha, adds more than a simple variation of style the user plays. It will add riffs, phrases, chord changes, and other embellishments appropriate for that style, making users sound even more professional.
Innovations continue with a microphone input for vocals which links up with an internal vocal harmonizer, enabling the user to literally sing harmony with himself (herself) in real time. The innovation of "LY" (Lyrics) is helpful if remembering words is a problem. "LY" will scroll the words across the large, backlit display, in time to the music, functioning as a comprehensive karaoke system.
If voice enhancement is required, reverb can be added using the built-in multi-effects processor. World famous for its Yamaha DSP technology, and the stunning performance and capabilities of the PSR8000 in one complete package, will enable professionals to rethink the way they make music. The amazing innovations of the PSR8000 will make those who only listen to music, think about the possibility of making music themselves.
The PSR8000, at a SRP under $4000, complements a complete line of new portable keyboards being introduced at Summer NAMM, including the PSR230, PSR330, PSR530, PSR630 and the PSR730. For more information, visit their web site at www.yamaha.com. |
