Hi,

PSR 2000 Review

PSR 2000 has the same box as PSR 740 with very small modifications. The colour is aluminium while the back is clear gray. The display of 2000, indeed has other pro looking. It has contrast/light adjusting. The overall dimensions are the same as 740 and the weight is similar.

The CPU seems to be quicker than 740 and this is a real improvement.

The voices are quite equal to 740 less the additional ones. Eg.: the sweet pan flute is superb. Also the cool and live voices. Cool Voices are: Electric Guitar and an E. piano voice.
The styles are quite similar to 740 or 9000. There is not a limit to user’s styles. The amount of user memory is enough for more than regular 20 user's styles. The major improvement for me, it's the direct disk style playing. We introduce a disk full of styles and in 2 seconds the list is available. We choose a style and in 2 seconds it is playing without to stop playing the previous one. Generally, at the end of actual style measure playing, begin to play the new we have chosen. However, only user’s styles stored in the user memory can be used in the Registration Memory; this is, a style on a disk can not be called by the Registration Memory.

The Registration Memory also is different from 740. Now, there is not a fixed number of Banks. It’s similar to the Explorer of Windows. We create Forders and sub-folders until the limit of the flash memory that is still not used. Total user’s memory is 580 KBy.
Though styles have 3 Intros and 3 Endings, in the Registration Memory we can not to store which Intro / Ending we want to use in that song.

The speaker system is loader than 740 (more powerful). We can hear the difference of the speaker’s improvement by going from 6W to 12W per speaker. Though, as our ear is logarithmic, to double the power does not give us the double sensation of power. Only one quarter more of sensation. Is it enough to a small venue? It depends on the ambient noise. At my home 12 W x 2 is too much.
I can't say that 2000 sounds better than PSR 740, unless the more power.

It was informed by Yamaha that the PSR-2000 Operative System is not on a chip. The Operating System, like in the 9000, will get future updates from Yamaha, which will be available, online.

The Operative System permits to make a lot of things more than 740. Now effects, vocal harmonizer and other features have a lot of programmable parameters. The equalizer is with parametric buttons (level and frequency). There are user effects, two split points, sustain pedal individually on/off for the 3 voices (main, layer, left), Bar and Beat indication during songs and styles playback on the display using numbers; eg. beat 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4 repetitively.... and two LED’s, one for songs and other for styles; this one, is red in the first beat and green in the others beats.
The Mic has now a 3 band equalizer, a noise gate and a compressor all editable.

Other nice feature is the possibility to synchronise a style with a song playback - we can mute accompaniment song tracks and use instead, a style we play along to the song playing.
The Harmony works with all style parts, while in 740, the harmony/echo doesn’t work during IntroB / Ending B.

Recording step by step songs and styles, cut, copy and paste features, it's other big improvement, with event list editing.

A nice feature is the possibility to create styles mixing parts of others styles:eg. Main A track 9 from style 1; Main B track 9 from style 2; track 10 from style 4; track 11 from style 5 and so on.

The parameters to change Organ Flutes are the same as 740 but 2000 has 10 preset organ flutes. We can edit any using Sound Creator (also in real time if necessary without interruptions by the CPU ) and save the new voice in the user or disk memory without limits in number of them. The same for any other panel voice we can edit and save.

There is a Music Finder that can store up to 2500 song titles. For each title we can store the appropriated panel settings (style, voices, tempo, effects, etc). It's like an OTS for songs. We choose a song to play, from a list and the panel settings are called. We can store our songs panel settings, though there are hundreds of factory songs presets. This is not a database for songs. There are no Midi songs, others than the Demo songs, inside PSR 2000.

With the Score feature we can see, the score, lyrics and chords at the same time in the same display. We can choose the tracks to see. In the score, when a song is playing, there is a jumping point ball, moving along the beats and measures. With the lyrics we can see only that, while with Score we can see both.

There are more commands that we can assign to the pedals than on PSR 740. Eg.: to change Main A, B, C, D, Fills, etc, of styles can be made using pedals.

It's missing the direct Groove function and 2 DSP Variation buttons – there is only one, that we can assign to the intended voice (there are 3 on 740). On 2000 we can use the Groove but it’s necessary to store the style in the user or disk memory to use it with the programmable groove. It seems that is equal to 9000.

The DSP(s) are 7 as on 740. DSP1 is for styles and songs. DSP 2, 3, 4 for Right, Layer and Left voices. DSP Mic for Talk Mic functions. Reverb and Chorus as System DSPs. The news is that DSP4 is used to Vocal Harmonizer when this is On with the Effect On. This is, the DSP Mic is only to Talk Mic function, not for Vocal Harmony.

The pads are similar to 740. Some are equal and some are new; (there are some on 740, that there are not on 2000). On 2000 there are 54x4 preset Pads. Some are Chord Match and others also have the Repeat function along with the style playing as on 740. When creating Pads we can turn ON or OFF the Chord match and Repeat functions for the created pad.
A news about Pads is that when recording a song, we can also record in it, any pad.

The Owner’s manual makes no reference to MFC-10 MIDI pedal and I have no one to test. However, I have built a MIDI pedal to 740 using System Exclusive Messages to control Style parts change and the messages of 2000 for that are equal to 740.

Regards
Carlos Rodrigues



[This message has been edited by Rodrigues (edited 10-19-2001).]

Carlos,
Thank you for this comprehensive review! We are still waiting for our first PSR2000's to arrive here in the US. Yamaha has informed me that the keyboards are in fact here in California but are going through quality control inspections before shipping begins.
I was especially interested in learning about the ability to play styles in sync while playing back a midi file song. If I underestand correctly, I can play a song, mute say the drum track (track 10) and instead use the keyboards style track (drums) to play in real time with the song, giving me the ability to add fills and variations where I might like them? This would be a great feature!
Thanks Again,
George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California

Carlos,

Thanks for your great review. I need to know how another user is finding this keyboard, and if it's worth it, before I get mine (already ordered it!) I was going to email you privately, but I think any new thing you find about this keyboard, please post in this thread. I am grateful, thanks again.

Angelo

Carlos,

Thanks for your review.

Does Yamaha PSR-2000 support Yamaha MFC-10 MIDI pedal? On PSR9000/9000 Pro there is a template for using MFC-10 MIDI pedal. Does this template exist on PSR-2000?

Thanks,

Paul Ip
from Texas

thanks, carlos, for your review. But.. what about pads? are they as 740?
Thanks

Hi Carlos,
Man that was a great review of the 2000.
I can hardly wait till I get mine! But you answered several questions today for me! Carlos I hope you don't mind but I cut and pasted your review over on the PK forum I wanted them to see it too.
Again Carlos Thanks,
Nobby

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Hi Carlos,
Thanks for the highly informative review. I was inclining towards the PSR1000, but with all these great features in PSR2000 I might consider that one a little more seriously. Especially the Score feature, which I didn't really think much off. But it might help me to learn to read music after all.

Sincerely
benz

Hi,

A news about PSR 2000 Pads is that, when recording a song, we can also record in it any Pad.

Carlos Rodrigues

[This message has been edited by Rodrigues (edited 10-19-2001).]

George, every day we keep expecting the PSR2000's to start showing up in this country, but so far, nothing. How much testing do they require? Can you get any more information from you contacts at Yamaha?

Yamaha informs me that some units will be going out today. I hope he's right!
George Kaye