There has been some discussion regarding SMF MIDI file playback on the Tyros 4 not sounding very good. I took an SMF, revoiced it with T4 voices/drums and sung along to it (without any correction - lol).

Let me know your thoughts....
http://www.al-giordano.com/music/Sexy Eyes.mp3

Regards,
Al

Al,

I couldn't get the link to work.

Gary

Al..no workie,
Lee S.

kbrkr


I really enjoyed that !! Well done. I just love it when people actually just play their instruments and let us know why they love what they have.

And you play really well mate !!

Al, very nice work, I enjoyed the tune Must be the air in Tampa that agrees with you.

I agree with Tony. I gotta' migrate south where the temperature is closer to my age.

Thanks Al,

Gary

I hear ya Gary ... I want to be somewhere the temperature is actually HIGHER than my golf handicap !!! ...
t.

Sounds good Al ... but just as a clarification ... that was an SMF correct? ... did you play over it? ...
thnx,
t.

Definitly a SMF Tony ...
I have the same one....
I thought the revoice was a bit thin in the Bass & Drums for sure on my studio monitors.

Al, first of all, congratulations on getting Tyros 4.

Though I don't use nor tried playing a SMF on my Tyros4, good to hear that, with a little re voicing, they can sound pretty decent. Nice vocal delivery but your mic trim (too hot) is distorting, especially bad around: 1:13.

Al, anxious now to hear more thoughts and perhaps a review from you on Tyros 4.

PS: Tony, I believe Al is demonstrating 'revoiced' SMF playback, with himself singing along to it only (not playing keyboard).

Agreed...looking at the file in Sound Forge shows clipping when you sing.



But hey, I liked what I heard. Sounds like you had fun with it.


-mike

Al,
I put on my great headphones...and listened carefully....T4 backing sounds were excellant.
You have a great voice as well! ( I looked past the obvious clipping).
Sure wish I had a voice like that.

Thanks for sharing it
Lee S.

Very nice performance, Al. Is there some sort of phase or compression going on? Maybe it's the clipping.

Great voice. Good sound. Thanks for sharing this.
DonM

One of my "oldies but goodies" favorites.


R.

Hey..thanks for all the comments everyone. I just got back from attending my son's wedding in New York. What an emotional roller coaster that was. Anyway...

I have noticed LOT's of clipping with the new T4 Harmonizer. If I don't set the gain high enough, the vocals seem to disappear from the mix. It's just another one of those issues I'm having with the overall volume balance on the T4. I don't remember having this much trouble on the T1 or T2???
I always attribute these issues with my own competency on the keyboard first and then experiment with different settings. On the T4, I find I'm doing much more experimentation than usual.

Anyone else?

So they changed the VH to so called VH2 & now more problems....if thats the case these problems will trickle down to
the S-series units also... if this is the case between the VH2 & Volume drop reported issues that is a definite DEAL BREAKER for me ...
I wouldn't even consider buying one unless its totally fixed. This should have been corrected way before it's rushed release. Why do WE have to be the guinea pigs all the time? I'm so glad I waited.
KORG please save us from all this.

[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 12-20-2010).]

Most of the time (not always) problems with mic settings, particularly when singing with MIDI files, the problem is twofold. More often than not the MIDI file volume is abnormally high. Consequently, the person singing cranks up the input volume of the keyboard's vocal processor until it distorts.

It really is not the keyboard's fault that distortion occurs. You would have the same distortion problem with any sound system that is overdriven. The problem can readily be solved by downloading Michael Bedesem's MIDI Player II program, which will adjust the MIDI file's volume level to normal levels, thus allowing you to set the keyboard's mic volume to normal levels. You will find Michael's program at http://www.psrtutorial.com/MB/midiplayer.html It's a great program, and I forgot to mention it is free.

Good Luck,

Gary

Al,

First and foremost, what mic are you using? And, have you went into the mic settings, adjusted all the parameters, EQs, etc..., set the trim pot on the back of the keyboard, adjusted the mic slider and set the mic effects through the mixing console?

Experimentation with the new keyboard is a GOOD thing. For the better part of five years I continued to discover things that I never knew existed within the OS of the keyboard. Unfortunately, much of this cannot be found in the user manual(s) of any keyboard. It's not a Yamaha problem--it's a problem associated with all electronic devices in production today. Every time you turn on the keyboard, particularly a new model, it's another learning experience. Fortunately, there are forums such as the Synthzone, PSR-Tutorial and a few others where answers to complex questions can be answered by some very knowledgeable individuals.

Good Luck,

Gary

I don't have a T4...bt, there should be 2 settings
One for the trim or pre-amp gain
The other for the actual volume of tht track (At least I know te Korg I have works this way).

Distortion would be from overdriving the Per-amp not the track volume.

???
Lee S.

Hi Lee, I completely agree. Interestingly enough on earlier Yamaha arranger models (aka: Tyros2), Yamaha included:

1) mic trim knob (back of keyboard)
2) mic input vol knob (on top of keyboard)
3) mic track vol (via LCD screen)

Yamaha Tyros 4 no longer has got that mic trim knob on the back of the keyboard, so one must rely on the mic input knob alone to monitor the signal input (using peak light indicator) boosting the signal as high as possible without letting the peak light indicator go red. Once that is done, the mic volume level can be raised/lowered on the LCD Screen without resulting in distortion.

I've discovered the mic distortion problem may be partly due to the brand/model mic used. It's important to use a mic that's got a hot signal output. Over the years, I tested several and found EV and Sennheiser dynamic mics to deliver higher output than others. I've had good success with the EV757 and now the Sennheiser e935. Utilizing a high signal output mic means not having to turn up the KB's mic gain knob (knob on top of the keyboard) as high to get a good strong signal, preventing preamp distortion. Once this is adjusted, I use the volume slider to control the 'mic volume' shown in the LCD screen. Raising and lowering the mic volume up/down in the LCD now does not result in distortion.

Scott,

We frequent agree on many things, but this is one the few things we don't agree on.

Keep in mind the PSR-3000 does not have a separate mic volume knob on the top of the keyboard--it doesn't need one. And, from my perspective, neither does the T4 or any other keyboard.

My outlook on this is a bit different, but it seems to work very well for me. Once I've set the trim pot on the back of the keyboard to the 12 O'clock position, and the electronic mic volume slider to 85, using the Crown CM-311A mic, I'm ready to go. My vocal to style volume ratio is perfect--regardless of the style I select.

Now, if the crowd noise increases, which is sometimes the case, I NEVER touch the keyboard's master volume or the mic slider. Instead, I gently nudge the master volume of the Bose L1 Compact enough to compensate for the crowd noise. More often than not, a tiny nudge on the Bose is all that's necessary.

My reasoning behind this is the delicate balance between the keyboard's output and the Bose input is constantly being maintained. There's no chance of overdriving the Bose input and causing distortion. I can crank the L1 Compact's output as high as needed, enough to blow out the windows if necessary and my vocal to style volume ratio will still remain the same.

Changing those volume ratios can lead to a disastrous outcome. I've been to places where the vocalist completely overpowers the accompaniment to the point where you want to scream "Turn down the mic a$$hole. I've seen other situations where the drummer should be placed in a sound-proof room because he's slamming the drums so hard that he's popping drumsticks. When I was playing in a 5-piece country band we had a lead guitarist who was incredible, but as the night progressed he would crank up his guitar volume to the point it would make your ears bleed. You couldn't hear any other instrument, let alone hear the vocalist. The point I'm trying to make is there needs to be a good balance between the vocal and instrument volumes. Once that balance is set, there's no reason to change either. That's why amps and mixers have a maser volume control.

Gary

Gar, re-read my post and you'll find that we're actually pretty much in full agreement on this issue. My explanation was regarding the 'initial' mic vol setup of the critical balance between mic volume & the keyboard output (style & panel voice volume). Once made, like you, I pretty much leave it alone, and use the PA's volume knob to raise or lower the volume.