Hi Everybody. OK, I've been spending a good amount of time lately playing & experimenting around with and customizing my PSR2000 to meet my specific live performance requirements. The 2000 really offers a lot of flexiblity to configure it to your individual tastes. In the process of my exploration, I have discovered a couple of things that aren't covered in the owner's maunal. I thought you guys might like to hear how I setup my keyboard, as well as let you in on a few tips that I discovered thru trial and error. I spend a few days trying to figure out the the most efficient way to organize and manage song/style data. The PSR2000 unfortunately has only 580kb of total onboard user storage space. This amount only holds about 20 styles so I immediately realized that storing a lot of customized styles is out of the question. Well, here's my solution to the PSR2000's small 580kb storage space.

I discovered that the best way to configure the PSR2000 is to store your song configurations in the the Music Finder database. It will hold up to 2500 song file records, certainly sufficient to meet the demands of any pro performing artist. I took the song files which came with the keyboard and saved them to the favorites list (about 150 of the 450 total). I then created a custom Registration Bank file of some of my favorite instrument voice setups. On the PSR2000 I typically play in fingered mode (full chord recognition including rootless chords) in split mode with the split at F#2. I nearly always have BOTH the Left and Main voice parts activiated. This way, my left hand comping rhythm will always be heard as well as played, while the right hand plays the same or another instrument voice. If both Left and Main are set to acoustic piano, this gives me the opportunity to play right hand solos down to and including the SAME octave the left hand (left of split point) plays. This really is a cool device which allow you to create some interesting sounding closed harmonies and contrapuntal lines (in the same octave) between both hands . Ok, back to setting up those custom instrument files. My goal is to be able to play my custom instrument voicing setups along with the pre-configured Music Finder song file styles without having to create more USER files. To do this, I needed to create a Registstration Bank setup which ONLY saves my customized select Main, Layer & Left instrument voices, and then use the Registsration Memory's freeze function to freeze the parts I don't want changed when using this Registration Memory with one of Yamaha's pre-arranged factory styles. Thru all this, I discovered something rather surprising. Apparently, the Main & Layered voice parts are saved in a different place than the Left voice part. The Main & Layered voices are stored as a 'voice' parameter while the Left voice is stored as part of the 'style' itself. This is important to know because when configuring my custom Registration Memory's 'instrument voice setup' and wanting to store the Left Part voice configuration as well, both the 'style' and 'voice' parameters need to be checked in the Registration Memory save window. Before playing a Music Finder song file, you first need to load & activate this custom Registsration and then hit the Freeze button. In setting up the freeze parameters, I check the 'style' which in effect locks in the LEFT part instrument(s) I have set up in Registration Memory. Now I can select any Music Finder song and be able to either play the preset instrument voices (OTS: 1-4) or switch to my custom instrument setups (Reg 1-8). If you want to allow the LEFT part to sound as it was setup in OTS, just uncheck the 'style' box in the Freeze parameters setup window. Using this setup method, I only need a few custom 'instrument setup' registration banks and thus save a lot valuable USER storage space for loading a few of those dynamite 'custom styles'. With this, I already have over 150 customized songs at my fingertips (via Music Finder's powerful search criteria). I'll be quickly adding more in the days ahead. In addition to this, I also use the Yamaha MFC10 10 pedal foot controller to trigger the : Main A,B,C,D parts (with optional fills), intros (2), endings (2), and start/stop. Though the MFC10 is a bit large, it's indispensible in allowing you to easily add spontaneous fills at key spots in a song. This just is not easily possible to do this with your hand (finger) while playing (with both hands) with the Left part sound on (with left hold off). I only wished the multi-pads could be triggered from a foot pedal too. Believe me, I've let Yamaha know about my disappointment over this. Still, I continue to juggle playing with hitting the multi-pad button every now and then to create a spontaneous manual cymbal or tom hit now and then. It really gives the performance the added realism which makes music magical. BTW, I forgot to mention, the MFC10 foot controller also has cool lights which illuminate the foot pedal numbers: easy to see on stage.

Lastly, I had previously complained that the ACMP & Sync Start/Stop were not activiated (red light off) at startup. Funny, now everytime I startup the keyboard, they're ON now. I had thought there was no way to program the status of these buttons at startup. Am I was wrong? Anybody have any idea where these startup parameters are stored? I'm baffled now.

OK, I've spilled the beans about how I use the PSR2000, now I'm waiting to hear how others of you set your's up to best meet YOUR playing requirements.

- Scott
http://scottyee.com

Very interesting Scott.
I've just been sort of turning mine on, selecting a style and playing it.
Maybe I was waiting for you to spend all that time figuring out the details!
I never used the Music Finder on the 9000, but I think that with the 2000 it will be better than fooling with so many Registrations.
Now to find the time. I'm leaving again in a few minutes and will be back home either late Thursday or Friday.
I will have some time to play with the 2000 in my motel room tonight, unless I decide to do something silly, such as sleep.
DonM

Scott, Great information. I have been working with the PSR2000 for over 3 weeks now and was trying to determine how I was going to set this up for live performance. I'm glad I waited. The MFD looks like the way to go. Thanks

Rick L>

I can so relate to your post about just turning it on and playing Don. That's basically what I've done with my wk8. I really admire people like Scott though who can dig in and find out things about a keyboard that the designers probably didn't know. Keep up the great work Scott. If I ever get a psr2000 I might not even need the owners manual.

You hardly need the owners manual with the 2000. But I was already used to the Yamaha way of doing things.
I have set up a couple of Regisistration Banks, but they operate a little differently than the 9000 did, so I really think Scott's method might be the best for me.
It would be a little quicker than selecting a style, then voices, then tempo, etc.
Usually when I get a new keyboard, I make myself play it without registration so that I'll learn more about it.
Later,
Don

As an entertainer, I like to have song 'templates' ready to go at the 'drop of the hat'. This is particularly important for a tightly crafted set or in a piano bar type situation when there are lots of audience requests. You want to keep the audience focussed. There is nothing worse than unexpected down time, which will quickly kill the energy of the room. Our job as entertainer/musicians is not only to orchestrate the music, but orchestrate the mood of the room as well.

Gee, I am printing all these messages out from Scott and others so I can try some of this stuff out!

I have been reading the manual and it doesn't sound as interesting as Scotts tricks and tips!

I should be getting my PSR2000 tomorrow! I hope! If I am even able to turn it on a play a style when I get it, I will be
happy!

-Linda


[This message has been edited by LindaFus (edited 11-28-2001).]

Thanks for Sharing your findings Scotty. I have ordered a PRS 2000, based largely on this groups comments about it.

I made the leap from a PSR 5700 to a 9000 two years ago and was thrilled with it, (until my back went out). Now I use the 740, keeping the 9000 for those "special jobs" when I can afford a roady or I know there is going to be some "muscle" present.

With all the holiday gigs in progress now, learning the 2000 may have to be put on a back burner...but I am really looking forward to it.

Now... where the heck is that UPS truck?

Scott

I was interested in one of your comments about being able to play with the right hand down below the split point without anything weird happening. I had been curious as to how a piano player could access that important octave from middle C down without triggering accompaniment changes.

I had a question about this: If you played in split mode and transposed the upper section down an octave - but used the same sound sample for both sides - #1 - could you do that and #2 what would happen if you were holding a note (as part of a chord) in the left hand and ended up restriking the same note in the right hand (because of the transposing) - would it continue as part of the sustained note or register for only as long as you held it down??

thanks
Mike H

Mike: Ok, here's the scoop -

With the split point set at F#2. I set the octave pitch of G2 (the note right of the split point) to begin at the same octave pitch as the the note G1 (left sound). This thus lets me play in the same octave pitch range in BOTH the right and left hands.

With my left hand (fingered mode: full chord recognition of 3 notes or more), I first trigger the auto-accomp. chord, and then can play melodic fills (either single note or two note intervals). In fingered mode you can play any 1 or 2 note voicings in the auto accomp area and it will NOT change the auto acoomp. harmony. Because the right of split lowest octave notes are the same pitch as the notes of the left hand part, you can play 1 or 2 note fills in the left hand while playing other notes with the same octave pitches, but using your right hand playing in the right of split area. This allows you to create harmonic and melodic ideas difficult to achieve otherwise. I hope this makes sense.