What is the anticipated release date for the Yamaha Genos 2?

The Yamaha Genos was released in October of 2017.

What would be the 3 most important enhancements or new features that would appeal to current Genos owners?

Tapas, Ver 2.0 came out in November 2019 for the Genos update; so I am guessing you are aluding to a Genos "2" being a replacement revamped keyboard - like a Genos X2 maybe to diferentiate it from the Tyros line of 2,3,4 and 5.

If so, I hope they do continue with the current arranger TOTL machine and see that it is a great option for those who GIG at home and record their great music for online consumption, as this world is still upside down. The arranger keyboards can still hold their own in many forms and in many formates, we just have to adapt.

Allan

The Genos is a hugely comprehensive instrument so are you sure you have you used all of its capabilities, or are you just hoping a new version will make you sound better, if so then you will be disappointed as it’s the player that makes the performance not the instrument. (Practice, Practice, Practice, it is a lot cheaper than buying a new instrument and will allow you to sound more fantastic then any new instrument will)

Bill

Assuming the Genos uses .sty files - there are literally thousands of song specific style files freely available on the internet.

One small improvement that might be welcome in the Yamaha’s OS is the ability to name each of the chord sequencer’s eight sections in the body of the graphic to select it rather than tiny text above the selection area.

Big print with ‘Verse’, ‘Chorus’, ‘Solo’ etc. would make it a LOT easier to remember which section does what when gigging.

Yamaha always show the area as having chords displayed, but there’s not enough room for that if the sequence is more than a couple of bars long. Which they usually are. Allow the user to select what gets displayed, the feature gets MUCH easier to operate.

I think, as general arranger sales decline, and Covid decimates the employment opportunities for musicians that can afford a high ticket keyboard like the Genos or PA4X etc., we are going to see a wholesale change to the pace of new development.

This might present an opportunity for arranger manufacturers to focus on OS updates as a selling point, and to work on secure content delivery, as in new style packs and sounds that can’t be traded around to bring in revenue while new hardware is developed.

The days of Yamaha churning out a new model little different from the last every three years is likely over. The Genos/SX900 models are a true generational change, and may represent a more five year+ path for R&D between models. That certainly seems to be the trend at Korg...

There are definitely OS improvements that the Genos could benefit from. But I am hard pressed to think of a hardware one it needs. 256 voices, 28 insert effects, it’s a generation ahead of Korg’s 128 voices and 4 inserts.

As long as Yamaha keep churning out new Style Packs and sound expansions and work on a few tweaks to the OS and make sure they can’t be pirated, I doubt anyone will stop buying the current hardware...

Thank you everyone for your valuable input.

Yes, I agree the Yamaha Genos is a trailblazer in the world of arrangers. Yamaha has stood behind their customers with the latest Genos OS 2.0 update.

This feature rich and incredibly capable instrument will continue to inspire their owners for years to come.

What would be your thoughts in adding new capabilities in a future release of the Genos line?


I will give you two examples.


Example 1:

How about including all the Arpeggios from the Yamaha MONTAGE?

You can create Arpeggios with up to 8 simultaneous parts. There are 10,239 factory presets.

https://usa.yamaha.com/products/music_production/synthesizers/montage/specs.html



Example 2:

How about adding the ability to control pitch via Horizontal Touch?

This is a feature found on Yamaha’s Electone STAGEA ELS-02C.

This is explained on Page-43 of the Owner’s Manual.

https://asia-latinamerica-mea.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/7/1087307/els02_en_om_e0.pdf

You can control the pitch by holding down a key and moving it laterally side to side.

Alex Payler demos this feature as he plays the James Bond Theme on the ELS-02C at the 1min 21sec mark.

https://youtu.be/CRHW1LtD804?t=79

Here are a couple of inspiring performances by aki-Electone on this fine instrument.


You Raise Me Up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN74-uIwqQ8


Winter Games / David Foster
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8AgbtE4cUg


Here is another jaw dropping rendition of Star Wars on the Yamaha ELS-02C by 826aska.

https://youtu.be/2ordemYEdMg?t=37


Why is the Horizontal Touch important?

Well, your right hand is playing the upper keyboard. Your left hand is playing the lower keyboard. Your right foot is controlling the expression pedal and your left foot is playing the bass pedals.

Having a pitch bend/modulation wheel would not be practical in an ELS-02C.

The Yamaha Genos has a Joystick. You can control the pitch with this.

However, what happens when you decide to combine the Genos with an 88-key piano action keyboard, say the Yamaha MONTAGE 8?

I personally like the Roland RD-700GX for its superb piano action that includes key escapement.

So, now you have dual manuals. You have the best of both worlds. You have fast synth action on the top manual while being able to enjoy a dedicated 88-note weighted piano action on the lower manual.

Here is where Horizontal Touch comes in handy when both your hands are occupied.

The Yamaha Electone ELS-02C is not sold in the US. It can be imported from Japan for about $10,000.

https://www.tarotrade.com/shop/electone-1/brand-new-stagea-els-02c-custom-detail

Of course it will...6 grand worth ????

I was talking to a major retailer and asked the same question. He said they have good contacts at Yamaha and due to the current market conditions, he was told 2-3 years before they would release a new model.
He said sales were still good on the current Genos model.

Don’t need a Genos 2 all of the requested updates can b achieved by updates generally. The bigger question is if Roland and Korg can come up with a better unit.