Hi Dave,
Congratulations, so far so good by the sound of things.

Let me preface by saying - there may be many hidden assignments available to the buttons that I haven't gotten to yet. This is a sort of "triage" assessment.

Things I like:
1) you can assign the real time knobs to be volume for any number of sounds/styles/songs. I chose #1 to be songs, bass and drums, and #2 to be keyboard sounds
... make for easy subtle changes during a song. Balancing is easier this way.
2) you can tell the knobs to control the volume/EQ of the "aux in" input, so I may not need a separate mixer for my iPad tracks. TBD
3) The guitar based sounds (esp. w/overdive) are great. Don Mason has used these for years, but I'm the new kid on the block with guitar sounds as a rhythm instrument.
4) Mixer/FX/EQ section is very easy to navigate. Always was, and I missed that. The key feel kept me from enjoying this feature for a long time.
5) It's not the Tyros/Genos keybed, but it IS much more playable than previous PSR offerings. In fact, I predict most players will be comfortable with this.
6) I like the "load next" in the song player. Korg doesn't do this, but to be fair - the dual player in the Korg is way better. Still - with a slight workaround, this is good.

Things I don't like:
1) The Leslie sim is terrible. Like Donny said - it's all or nothing, and actually changes the volume of the sound when pushed. Unless there's a buried menu item that addresses this - it's unusable for me (by no means a deal breaker. You can use the aux outs, and route to an outboard piece if organ is your priority)
2) I haven't used a sustain pedal yet, but I remember lots of sounds that don't respond to the pedal (organs, strings) in past years - I hope this is a settable parameter. I like all my RH sounds to sustain to free up my hands to perform other navigational tasks.

So.... 6 to 2 - not a bad start, huh?

Dave right now I am border line on my way back to FEDEX for a return....
I've seen enough....another record set....2 arrangers returned in one week

Dave, loving your impressions and all very positive Have you tried the scat voices yet? I remember you posting a video commenting how you liked them. It's fantastic to finally see them in a PSR and it's one of the main reasons why I got an SX900. It really is a beautiful keyboard.

WOAH NELLY! Take it out of the box. You CAN access way more than 99 files at a time in the song player, and the Leslie sim INSERT effect works like a charm.
You gotta keep diggin'. Want me to send you my tootsie rolls, so you'll feel better?
I have a folder open with 350 titles all available to play. Works perfect.

Hi Dave,
Yep, one has to keep digging.
I nearly freaked when mine first arrived , no fade in/fade out button, I use fade out a lot. I took a deep breath, and thought there’s no way they could leave something like that out, turns out it was assignable to the buttons under the screen.

First time in years I’ve opened a manual, don’t want to miss any of the features. Haha

Too late Dave it's Gone and yes I told them about the missing
Mary janes and Tootsie rolls.....they were agast!!

Donny, I know you know your way around the Yamaha OS, at least have a fair degree offmastery. However, there is no way you could have gone through all the new features, sounds, styles, etc in the short period of time that you had the board - it just ain't possible.

If my health were not shot to Hell, I would have the SX-900 in my studio and sitting down next to the owners manual. Yep, I am one of those individuals that actually takes the time to go through every page of the owners manual and other manuals to learn the minute details of the keyboard's features and how to make it perform flawlessly. This cannot be done in a couple hours of a day. It takes weeks and sometimes months to accomplish.

IMHO, judging by the demos I've seen and statements from other owners, Yamaha has hit another home run with the SX-900. I sincerely think you have jumped the gun sending this wonderful arranger keyboard back for a refund.

So the big question is: What's next? Inquiring minds wish to know. Gonna fill a 12-ounce glass with ice cubes and cover them with some Jim Bean Honey Bourbon, then sit down with my aging S-950 and work on a song.

Good luck,

Gary

I'm Tootsie Rolls and Smarties.

Good idea Gary I need a drink now....

Honestly keep your s950 for many reasons..