I use my keyboards for live gigging and seem to spend what limited time I have with them at home developing material for gigs which seldom gets much beyond finding the best style for a given song and maybe changing an OTS or tempo setting and that is about it as far as making changes goes. If I was in the business of creating recordings for albums, tv commercials, or other commercial endeavors I would probably want to have the ability to change everything if needed. For me, that is not a big issue on an arranger keyboard. Fact is, there are dozens of features my keyboards have that I never use or have a need to use. I will be a happy camper with my T5 is it truly does sound as good as the folks who have played one say it sounds.

Deane

Hi there,

Yamaha just published the update schedule for the expansion manager in the german yamaha forum.

The good new is there is a schedule.

The bad news is the waiting keeps going. Until summer 2014 at least ...

Even worse might be, that there will be "a conversion" necessary, what means some parameters are not fully compatible with Tyros5. And that means the concerned custom voices might (will) sound different.

klick here for update schedule expansion manager

There is an official declaration of Yamaha in german language as well (google translation below):

Rellingen, 6.Dezember 2013

Offizielle Mitteilung von Yamaha Music Europe an Tyros Kunden:

"Mit dem Tyros5 haben die Yamaha-Ingenieure ein außerordentliches Arranger Workstation Entertainer Keyboard mit starken Funktionen und herausragender Soundqualität entwickelt.

Ein wichtiges Ziel bei der Entwicklung des Tyros5 war es, ein einfach zu nutzendes Instrument zu realisieren. Als Teil dieser Philosophie und basierend auf die Rückmeldungen vieler Tyros-Kunden wurde entschieden, den Voice Creator und umfassende Editierfunktionen in eine externe Software-Applikation zu verlagern. Diese wird die Erstellung eigener Voices sowie die Editierung und Zusammenstellung eigener Klang-Bibliotheken erheblich effektiver gestalten als bei den bisherigen Tyros-
Modellen möglich war. Auch in Hinblick auf das ständig wachsende Angebot an Premium Software eröffnet die neue externe Softwarelösung erhebliche Vorteile, um die Optionen des Tyros5 zukunftsgerecht zu gestalten.

Die externe Softwarelösung heißt Yamaha Expansion Manager (YEM) und wurde in der YEM Version 1.0 zusammen mit dem Tyros5 im November 2013 vorgestellt.
Die erste Version des Yamaha Expansion Managers ermöglicht den einfachen Transfer von Premium Pack Inhalten zum Instrument. Sie bietet erstmals auch die Möglichkeit, individuelle Pack-Inhalte wie einzelne Voices oder Styles zu transferieren, was eine effiziente Ausnutzung der Tyros-Speicherstruktur zulässt.

Kunden, die bereits Tyros3 oder Tyros4 Premium Packs gekauft haben, können diese kostenlos als optimierte Tyros5 Packs von Ihrem Downloadshop-Konto abholen und per Yamaha Expansion Manager im Tyros5 installieren. Die erste Version des YEM bietet auch begrenzte Funktionen zur Voice-Konvertierung. Die Ergebnisse der Konvertierung hängen sehr stark von der Struktur und Komplexität der jeweiligen Tyros4-Daten ab.

Yamaha wird die Funktionen des YEM in naher Zukunft weiterentwickeln, um optimierte Voice-Konvertierung und Editierfunktionen sicherzustellen.

Yamaha freut sich über die zahlreichen Kommentare und Wünsche zum Voice-Transfer von Tyros4 zu Tyros5 und bedankt sich für diese hilfreichen und unterstützenden Hinweise. Test-Voices diverser Drittanbieter, z.B. PEMO, W.O.K u.a. werden geprüft und der Yamaha Expansion Manager wird zur bestmöglichen Kompatibilität aktualisiert. Aufgrund der neuen zukunftsorientierten Voice-Struktur im Tyros5 kann eine 100-prozentige Konvertierung aller Tyros4 Custom Voices derzeit (Stand Dezember
2013) nicht realisiert werden. Voice-Libraries, die auf eigenen Wavedaten basieren und direkt am Tyros4 erstellt wurden, sind bereits konvertierbar. Custom Voices, die mit Hilfe des externen Voice Editors am PC erstellt wurden, sind aufgrund der besonderen Struktur derzeit noch nicht konvertierbar, werden jedoch mit Verfügbarkeit weiterer Versionen bis zum Sommer 2014 auch für den Tyros5 ladbar sein. Ein umfassender Voice Editor mit Import von Daten verschiedener Yamaha-Plattformen ist angestrebt.
Der aktuelle Entwicklungsplan* zu weiteren YEM-Versionen: (*Änderungen vorbehalten)
Version Geplante Fertigstellung Funktionen

V1.01 Dezember 2013 Optimierter Custom Voice Import und Konvertierung

V1.10 Februar 2014 Support für MacOS
V2.00 Mai 2014 Umfassende Voice Edit Funktionen, Erstellung eigener Voices auf Basis von eigenen Samples

V2.10 Juli 2014 Custom Voice Konvertierung von Tyros4 Preset Voices, die
Tyros4 Preset Samples verwenden

Mit der Einführung des Yamaha Expansion Manager-Konzeptes möchte Yamaha neue Wege zur Nutzungdes Tyros5 aufzeigen. Kreative Soundgestaltung und effiziente Datenverwaltung werden einfacher, intuitiver und flexibler. Auch Software-Drittanbieter werden ihre individuellen Angebote effizienter erstellen und anbieten können. Yamaha lädt Sie herzlich ein, die Vision einer faszinierenden und flexiblen Zukunft mit Tyros5 zu teilen."

Google Translation:

"Rellingen, December 6, 2013

Official Notice of Yamaha Music Europe to Tyros customers :

With the Tyros5 the Yamaha engineers have an extraordinary Arranger Workstation Keyboard Entertainer developed with powerful features and outstanding sound quality.

An important goal in the development of Tyros5 was to implement an easy to use instrument. As part of this philosophy , and based on the feedback from many customers Tyros was decided to shift the Voice Creator and comprehensive editing in an external software application. This will make creating your own voices as well as the editing and compilation of your own sound libraries significantly more effective than with previous Tyros -
Models was possible. Also with regard to the ever-growing range of premium software opens the new external software solution considerable advantages in order to make the options of Tyros5 future needs.

The external software solution is the Yamaha Expansion Manager ( YEM ) and was presented in the YEM version 1.0 together with the Tyros5 in November 2013.
The first version of the Yamaha Expansion Manager allows easy transfer of premium content pack from the instrument. It also offers the opportunity to transfer individual pack contents as individual voices or styles , which allows an efficient utilization of the Tyros - memory structure for the first time .

Customers who have already purchased Tyros3 or Tyros4 Premium Packs , they can charge as optimized Tyros5 packs pick up from your download shop account and install manager in Tyros5 by Yamaha expansion. The first version of YEM also offers limited features for voice conversion. The results of the conversion are strongly dependent on the structure and complexity of the Tyros4 data.

Yamaha will continue to develop the capabilities of YEM in the near future to ensure optimized voice conversion and editing functions.

Yamaha is pleased with the many comments and requests for voice transfer from Tyros4 to Tyros5 and thanks for these helpful and supportive evidence . Test Voices of various third-party , such as Pemo , W.O.K et al be tested and the Yamaha Expansion Manager is updated to best compatibility. Due to the new future-oriented voice structure in Tyros5 a 100 percent conversion of all Tyros4 Custom Voices can currently (as of December
2013) will not be realized . Voice libraries, which are based on own data and Wave were created directly on the Tyros4 have been convertible. Custom voices that were created using the external Voice Editor on the PC , due to the particular structure is not yet convertible, however, will be loaded for the Tyros5 with availability of additional versions until the summer of 2014. A comprehensive Voice Editor with import of data from various Yamaha platforms is sought.
The current development plan * to further YEM versions : ( * subject to change )
Version Planned completion functions

V1.01 December 2013 Optimized Custom Voice import and conversion

V1.10 February 2014 Support for MacOS
V2.00 May 2014 Comprehensive Voice Edit features , create your own voices on the basis of own samples

V2.10 July 2014 Custom Voice conversion of Tyros4 Preset Voices
Using Tyros4 Preset Samples

With the introduction of the Yamaha Expansion Manager concept Yamaha wants new ways to Nutzungdes Tyros5 . Creative Sound design and efficient data management easier , more intuitive and flexible. Also, third-party software providers can create and provide their individual services more effectively . Yamaha cordially invites you to share the vision of a fascinating and flexible future with Tyros5 ."


Edith says: The expansion manager v1.01 is said to be released until the end of next week.

Also found out that T5 works with a totally new sample format which formthe same instruments is more then 4 times as large as T4 samples...

Only downside to that, with still only a 1 GB sized free ram for user stuff, it will only support a quarter of the stuff that T4 could hold...

For example there was an expansion pack of 106 MB for T4 that is over 450 MB for T5 when downloaded.

I am totally happy with my Tyros-3. Does more than enough for me. I'll wait and save thousands of dollars for the Tyros-8

You won't have to save for Tyros8, by that time you can sell either the B3 or C3

Got a possible buyer come to look at my T4 from your general "hood" he's coming from Taunton up to my office in Franklin.

I had a choice of waiting to buy the T5 76 after the editing software comes out in Summer ............................ or buy it now, get it sooner, and start playing on it asap (even though I'd prefer to have the editor now), and start checking out and familiarizing myself with the new features. I chose the latter. What's wrong with those two options? IMO, it's good to have that choice.

This actually and far from being a detriment, sounds great news from Yamaha. One thing we can all rest assured about is, if they say they'll do it, they will! And
Further to this, by making the pc editor, this could open the T to much bigger opportunities from 3rd party developers to expand the T in many different and numerous ways. All sounds great so far, can't wait to get my T5 shouldn't be too far off now.

All T5 owners should give a vote for Yamaha to make this sound creator.Even if they don't use it.As Robbo said , it opens up more abilities for 3rd party sound developers.And with new sounds everybody benefits.

Bachus is totally wrong in telling soundpacks need four times the space needed in a Tyros4. The difference is only a few Mb's.
To be honest I don't understand why he is interested in a Tyros5..... his questions, his opinions, his comments, conclusions etc.

I got the information from a welrespected forum member at psr tutorial..

Overhere

And you dont have to understand why i might be interested, thats only of my own concern.