Was here a few years ago. This is an observational post, let me make it clear, I am a Yamaha Corporate fan and I love their products and happily have many of them throughout their ranges.
Here are my frustrations from the three years of being an owner of an SX900 and what could be done to make it even better.
In 2020 was a keyboard novice, I knew nothing about the brands or their models but what I am / is / was, a sound engineer who knew what instruments sounded like and had got a new job creating ideas for musical scores.
I needed something to give me ideas for sound and arrangement possibilities that I could turn into scores. I had no intention to play publically. That’s the background and with the help of ePianos I chose the SX900 (I didn’t have enough space for the Genos or I would have chosen that)
In the subsequent years of intermittent employment (that’s the nature of Freelance work) I had access for a year to an ELS02X the same as my colleague in the USA, this was great as I was a fan of 826ASKA in Japan and it was her that got me interested in these arrangers.
I tried to make the 900 a two manual machine (didn’t like split keyboards at all) by buying the Keystation 61mk3 as the best match for touch, size and midi interfaces.
However although I have tried and tried to master the 900’s many levels of menus I have twice in an intense recording sessions been very close to chucking the 900 out the window.
Dear Yamaha
Who would design a black body with black buttons with dark grey lettering? Which is often used in the dark.
The Tyros5, Genos and now the SX600 have much easier buttons to see their state, and, , find them.
Who would design a touch screen that doesn’t tip up so a seated person can see it?
Who would design a menu system that needs a degree in computer software to understand it
(I also build computers so am familiar with menus and logic, just not yours)
Who would design a menu for freezing functions that doesn’t? or at least not Live control of pedals.
As an instrument the 900 is superb, the sounds, the styles the keyboard are a joy to use and listen too
But
As soon as I want to set it up for the way I want to use it, I get lost in the menus and the entire key tapping that demands.
Yamaha, you do need to design a menu system that deals with the setup of how the 900 is to be used and a SEPARATE menu for the musical sounds choices, that doesn’t alter you’re playing settings
Please Yamaha I’m sure that the 900 is coming up for redesign, try to make it a keyboard for musicians not computer operators.
