Topic: Firmware update for sx series...a dream?

[Simone1972]

Will Yamaha ever release a firmware 2.0 like It was done for Genos?
Maybe a little more wave memory (the portion that stores the pre-installed espansion packs), the accent and unison style features.....
Is this a dream? Maybe

Regards

[DaPaleRider]

I don't think so, but they should be.
I believe that the life expectancy of Yamaha keyboards is too short. According to Yamaha then. These products should be supported for about eight years or at least until a successor appears. But they are not.

[BogdanH]

I'm pretty sure that there would be no firmware update. If keyboard works "as advertised", then there's no need for update -that's Yamaha's philosophy since ever. Genos was a one time exception which, in my opinion, was made because of other reasons (competition).
In short: what we get at the time of buying, that's what we will end with.

Bogdan

[DerekA]

I agree with Bogdan.

We have got used to expecting that digital devices will receive endless free updates, because that's what happens on our PCs and phones. But there's no entitlement to updates.

[DaPaleRider]

Well there is. I am a member of IdeaScale at two Yamaha groups. One for Arranger Keyboards and the other for Synthesizers. And especially with the Arranger Keyboards, there are plenty of ideas and messages for Yamaha Enigneer to get started with. There are some really good ideas that can be improved or incorporated with a software update.

But yes, unfortunately it is what it is. I think all manufacturers work this way. The manufacturer determines when a product is finished and free of errors and then stops further development of the software.
Even though there are still plenty of errors to be resolved, unfortunately the customer does not decide.

[pjd]

A well-managed manufacturer will roll the cost of developing updates into the asking price. Engineers need to feed their families while we wait for new models.  Genos has sufficient cost margin to cover a few updates; lower cost SX series models, not so much.

All the best -- pj

[Danny1972]

I suspect that the more updates given to an existing model, the less stuff they'll put into the new model, or at the very least a longer wait for one.

[DaPaleRider]

I suspect that the more updates given to an existing model, the less stuff they'll put into the new model, or at the very least a longer wait for one.

Yep that is how the market works. I choose for more updates.

[cliffordleo1965]

We need updates

It will help us better performance

[DerekA]

We need updates
It will help us better performance

Yamaha, on the other hand, need you to buy a new keyboard from them

[mikf]

Clifford…. I would love to know just one example of a software update that would improve your performance, because I don’t hear many performances on this forum that would be noticeably improved by a software update
Mike

[badpenguin]

I don't think so, but they should be.
I believe that the life expectancy of Yamaha keyboards is too short. According to Yamaha then. These products should be supported for about eight years or at least until a successor appears. But they are not.

Does Roland and Korg have better support for their users?

[BogdanH]

Does Roland and Korg have better support for their users?

From what I can read on internet, the answer is no. Pretty much all keyboard companies manage updates the same way: only if it's necessary.
And my general impression is, Yamaha owners can find more info and resources -thanks to this very forum!

Bogdan

[Amwilburn]

I don't think so, but they should be.
I believe that the life expectancy of Yamaha keyboards is too short. According to Yamaha then. These products should be supported for about eight years or at least until a successor appears. But they are not.

They actually *are*.... usually the successor appears within 2-4 years. the Genos was extra supported through Covid for 6 years (and likewise, the Korg PA4x was supported for 7). As for Roland, once upon a time they rolled out a new version of the Fantom more often than once per year! (which of course, was excessive, and they've now brought it down to the more reasonable 3-4 years)

I'm not sure why you think they're not being supported until the successor..? My s970 was supported from 2015 until the sx900 launched in 2019, and then even a bit past. (The psrs975 was the same exact chipset, and used the final OS update for the s970, so it never received any updates, but was also supported a bit past 2019)

Mark

[BogdanH]

hi Mark,
I'm only following the update history for some of recent Yamaha arrangers (say, since about 2015) and of course, it's quite possible that I missed something.
Support basically means a guarantee that the product will work according to specifications. And if few years later turns out that (in rare circumstances) something doesn't work properly, then that will be fixed with firmware. That's also why we can usually only read "improved stability" when some new firmware is released.

But I can't remember a single case where firmware would bring additional feature -Genos1 was the only exception.
Let's take seamless-sound-transition issue as an example... even if that would finally be solved by firmware, I wouldn't see it as added feature. It would actually be a fix needed since day one -because that's how it's supposed to work.

Don't get me wrong, I don't complain... I mean, there's nowhere written "more features will come in future" and so I don't even expect that.

Bogdan

[mikf]

I think that is what ‘support’ means, - fix obvious faults. Some companies do enhance products via firmware or software updates, but that has been rare - pretty much non-existent-  with Yamaha keyboards.
Mike

[Christopher Fernandes]

Clifford…. I would love to know just one example of a software update that would improve your performance, because I don’t hear many performances on this forum that would be noticeably improved by a software update
Mike

The Yamaha SX600 which is a supposed lower variant of the SX series launched with features like Unison and Accent feature and also came with a few new to SX styles. SX700 and SX900 being a more expensive and flagship version of the SX series doesn't have it yet? Not fair to those owners, right? Additional styles and features that need no extra hardware button(s) can be added by a simple software update. I still secretly hope Yamaha sends out an update with these features and styles for the SX700/900.

[Divemaster]

When we all go to buy our keyboards, we should, as sensible buyers, have already done our homework as to what we are buying. No?

I don't know about anyone else, but when thinking of buying something, whether it's a new power tool, or a TV or certainly a car or a TOTL keyboard, I always want to find out everything I can about whatever it is I'm buying BEFORE I buy it.

With a keyboard.... What it does, does it have the features I'm wanting, how much will it cost, including speakers, cables and all the rest of it.

So, why, having made my decision, based on a test drive, or a test play, and laid down my cash should I have any right to expect the manufacturer to keep providing me with things that I haven't paid for?

Sorry, but this is the real world. If you've bought on impulse, or not done said homework, bluntly, more fool you! It's called Buyers Remorse, and it's commonplace. Get real folks... You gets what you paid for. That's business!

Keith.

[Pityus]

In the case of a possible update, I would be happy if one chord could be modified afterwards in the Chord Looper function.
It's a problem for me when I have to play long and complicated chords and then only have to correct one in the middle.
Since this is not possible, you have to do it all over again.
Unfortunately, I'm not an experienced musician, so I often mess up the chords.

[cliffordleo1965]

Does Roland and Korg have better support for their users?

2nd update made beter direct tempo control with corsor


Edit: Reply text moved out of quote by overover

[rodrigo.b]

Will Yamaha ever release a firmware 2.0 like It was done for Genos?
Maybe a little more wave memory (the portion that stores the pre-installed espansion packs), the accent and unison style features.....
Is this a dream? Maybe

Regards

Probably as always the “new firmware” with a few new functions will be called SX 910 or something like that

[Amwilburn]

Will Yamaha ever release a firmware 2.0 like It was done for Genos?
Maybe a little more wave memory (the portion that stores the pre-installed espansion packs), the accent and unison style features.....
Is this a dream? Maybe

Regards

Someone else asked this as soon as the GEnos2.0 OS was released. And the answer back then was already "no".

Genos is the exception. No other Yamaha arranger had that sort of functionality added.
Do Korg and Roland support theirs more? No. Although the PA4x went through something similar, where they cleverly expanded the 400mb flash ram for samples into 1.5 Gb (how? Not by compression. By storing the *beginning* of each sample in the original 400 mb, and using 1.1GB of the hard drive as the tail end of the sample)

Both the Genos 1 and Pa4x were TOTLAs, and both had hard drives (G1 was 58GB ssd, Pa4x I can't remember; I think it was 32GB SSD combined with an HDD platter?)  the point being that none of the PSRsx (or indeed, the Korg PA1000,700) have hard drives, so it's difficult to add a whole lot other than bug fixes.

Now, having said all that, Yamaha has significantly expanded the use of the CP88 (used the reserved space for OS updates to include 2 killer piano samples, incl a Steinway); and while Yamaha has now made all the remaining expansion packs free, Nord have always had their  library of sounds to choose from. You can even uninstall piano sounds you weren't using to make space for a much larger, and more detailed piano sample. But these are all pro-keys; indeed Yamaha's own Montage saw the addition of a really nice Bosendorfer patch. For Home keyboards, the Genos still remains the unique example of product support

Mark