Hi Uli
Very nice of you to confirm the latest FW 1.20 will now allow us to load and play audio styles right from a USB. I am usually just a step behind you, as I explore all the latest improvements. As usual, Yamaha pretty much stays on their update schedule, whether past YEM updates or latest Premium Pack Conversion schedule.
I am a real proponent for Yamaha's Audio Styles, originally found on the PSR-S790 arranger model, then 40 or so introduced on the Tyros 5. The advantages to Audio styles are that the audio drum track sounds real because it is real audio recording of the drummer with all the nuances, natural ambience, feel and energy of the live session drummer. Perhaps the best technology in a hardware keyboard to get realistic styles. As good as the new Genos Revo drum kits are, side-by-side, the Audio styles still sound more real to me than the Revo version equivalent.
Disadvantages are, limited tempo range and the Audio drum part cannot be edited. On both the Tyros 5 and the Genos, you can still add a DSP through the reverb block. Meaning, you can add some reverb effects if you want to the audio drum track to maybe better match the reverb on the other MIDI style parts. Even with these limitations, I simply love using these audio styles for the few songs they fit and maybe a few more songs if I modify and reassemble style parts from other styles in Style Creator.
Yamaha made available the PSR-s790 specific audio styles as Premium Audio style packs to purchase for the Tyros 5. I purchased the Pop&Rock and Swing&World Audio Style packs for my Tyros 5 a while back. Limitations were, I was only able to load 5 or 6 of these Audio Styles at a time to my Tyros 5 and any modifications made in Style Creator could only be saved to the User Drive. Another issue was, I could not share these modified audio style saves to my backup Tyros 5.
Now with the Genos, "all" limitations have been removed. Audio styles can now be shared or transferred by USB stick. The Genos FW 1.20 now allows this, plus no restriction on the number of expansion audio styles loaded to your Genos at a time. Even my old Tyros 5 expansion Audio style packs load to expansion via the YEM and sound exactly the same on the Genos as on my Tyros 5. I am still wait for updated Genos versions of my Pop&Rock and Swing&World Audio Style packs as indicated to be made available in March. Most likely updated OTS voices and style voices/DSPs for the Genos. Also that audio glitch issue has been corrected on the audio drum parts with the latest firmware update.
All Genos owners can download the Tyros 5 factory Audio styles for your Genos here:
https://ca.yamaha.com/en/products/contents/keyboards/downloads/content_data/index.html?k=&c=keyboards&l=enThey use up YEM memory, but once installed to your Genos and copied over to the User Drive, the Audio Styles still work if you then uncheck or remove the audio style packs from your YEM. This was the best I could hope for and thank you Yamaha. It appears Yamaha abandoned the Audio Style technology, for reasons described above, but for dozens still compatible it is great I can continue using them with my Genos and continue modifying them and simply copy them to my backup Genos. Definitely, Yamaha's decision to use the Revo wave-cycling technology and just better the SA, Mega voice quality/selection was the way to go, especially for editing. Audio guitar or bass style parts, though supremely real, are too limited, cannot edit, and the repetition would bore you to death and use up a lot of memory.
I don't think any Genos owners will even need to purchase any of the four available purchased Audio Style expansion packs (the PSR-s790 ones), because they can now be shared freely. Yamaha probably doesn't care because they abandoned the technology and these styles are only the factory arranger versions anyway. I still think they are worth copying over to your Genos. Styles, Styles, Styles are the key to any arranger.
Marcus
