Hello all,

So did anybody try the following midi file from the Tyros on their own keyboard or their favorite midi playing software?
http://tv-sela.bei.t-online.de/tyros/midi/

I did...On my WK8. It played, if that is what you want to call it. Most of the registers were blank meaning no instruments were at those bank settings but fortunately the keyboard reverts back to the first bank registers so something gets played. I goofed around with it for awhile to see if I could doctor-it up but it wasn't even close to the demo.
http://tv-sela.bei.t-online.de/tyros/

Looking at the midi file in Calkwalk, I will assume that the mega voice tracks are #12 and #13. #12 being a 12-string guitar (?) and #13 the fret noises (again ?) and lots and lots of control events. I've got some fret noises in the Sound Effects register but again, nothing even came close to the demo.

Levels were way out of whack too, really low except for Track 1, the steel guitar solo track. The 3 drum-stick clicks heard in the beginning did not match a single drum kit I have (and what does the WK8 have, 20 to 30 different kits?). Calkwalk shows the 3 events as G#2's being played (triggered). Most of my drumkits use G2 for the sticks...So does my midi mapper in my computer.

I suppose they made the first two banks general midi compliant, than stuck all the new stuff in banks farther below. I guess I still like the idea of using your best sounding registers in the first two banks, giving you good sounding midi files too.

I listened to the mp3 demo again and without a doubt, Yamaha engineers have figured out some way of working in that 'little elfin magic' to the sounds. Can't wait to play it and hear for myself.

mike

Mike: Here's the scoop. The BIG plus about Yamaha created midi songs (.mid) are that they are automatically GM midi compatible so will readily play on your computer soundcard or thru an external GM sound module or keyboard without any file conversion needed. The limitation is that the sound quality you get thru a GM sound module is only as good as the sound quality of the GM soundcard/device/keyboard you're playing it thru.

When this same file (.mid) is played on the Tyros itself, it maps the sounds to the Tyros specific (non-GM) instruments that were originally intended. For example, the song you mention includes the new exeptional mega (guitar) voices of Tyros.

The MP3 version sounds better because you're hearing the new Guitar mega voices and not just your computer's GM guitar soundcard. Still, because the MP3 format is a highly compressed, it important to remember that the song will sound even MUCH better when heard in CD Quality uncompressed WAV file format or directly LIVE thru the Tyros itself.

Hope that helped answer your questions.

Scott