While all three keyboards have relatively good vocal processors, the factory default settings are marginal at best for good quality vocal reproduction. The secret to providing your audiences with good to excellent quality vocals through the keyboard depends on several factors, the least of which is using a high quality microphone.

A super-cardiod pattern, dynamic microphone is the preferred device for most professional singers, with the Sennheiser 855 and Shure SM-58 leading the list of high-quality microphones with the least amount of feedback problems. By using these, or other brands of high-quality microphones, you’ll overcome many of the obstacles of achieving quality vocals using the keyboard’s processor.

One of the greatest features of the PSR series of keyboards is the Direct Access button. It allows the user to instantly access nearly every function of the keyboard with just a few button pushes. However, for the first setting, all you need to do is press the keyboard’s MIC SETTING to see the screen shown here.

Note that the MIC VOL setting (lower right-hand corner) is 127, which is the maximum. The volume control located on the back of the keyboard should be set at zero and slowly adjusted upward until the green Signal light is actuated while singing at normal levels.

Also, note the settings on the 3BAND EQ located at the top of the screen. This is important to achieve quality vocals without encountering feedback.

3BAND EQ	LOW	MID	HIGH
Hz	56	1.2k	8.0k
dB	-2	-4	+3

The COMPRESSOR is turned OFF because of the problems caused by vocal compression under normal circumstances. However, the NOISE GATE is turned ON.

Next, hold down the DIRECT ACCESS button and depress the EFFECT button. This will take you directly to the EFFECT tab of the MIXING CONSOLE for the PANEL PART:

Set the MIC ECHO at 25, then press the [F] button on the upper right side of the screen next to the word TYPE and you’ll see a new screen. Make the appropriate adjustments as seen on the screen pictured below:

Now press the [NEXT] button and tab over to the EQ settings tab. Press the [F] button next to EDIT and this will bring up the MASTER EQ EDIT screen shown below. Press [B] to move the selection to USER1. Now, adjust the sliders by using buttons [1] to [8] at the bottom of the screen to the same settings shown on the screen below:

Save these adjustments by pressing the [H] button next to STORE1.

Now hold down the DIRECT ACCESS button and press the MIC SETTING button and you’ll see the following screen:

Press the [F] button next to PARAMETER, followed by the [H] button next to USER EFFECT and select SAVE and save the information into USER1.

Now save the information into a registration file called SETUP. This can be saved in the keyboard’s memory, or better yet, save the information both to the keyboard’s memory, and also to a floppy disk—just to be safe. When saving the registration file, uncheck everything but the Mic setting. By doing this, you will only be loading the mic settings when this particular registration is loaded. Be sure, however, then when saving subsequent registration files that Mic Setting is unchecked or the information will be overwritten when those registrations are loaded into the keyboard’s memory.

Enjoy,
Gary Diamond

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This page updated on February 15, 2024 .