All of the Yamaha arranger keyboards come with "files" built right into the keyboard. Every one of the preset styles is, in fact, a style file. The Music Finder database is a file containing many Music Finder records. If you create and save your own registration bank, you have created a registration file. If you create and save a song, you have created a song file (often referred to as a "midi" file.)

The preset files are always available in the keyboard. But you can alter them using built-in functions of the keyboard and save the altered versions to user memory or to a USB drive or, for some keyboards, to an internal hard drive. Using the USB drive, or by connecting your keyboard directly to your personal computer (PC), you can also move these files to (or from) your PC.

One of the greatest advantages of these arranger keyboards is that, while they do have preset files immediately available, you are not restricted to the files that come with your keyboard. You can download, or purchase, a wide variety of files that you can then move to, and use, on your Yamaha. In addition, instead of using the, sometimes rather limited, functionality of the Yamaha to modify a file, you can move the file to your PC and modify the file there using more effective software designed specifically for the task. And this is where these PC-based utility programs come into play.

What Do These Programs Do?

There is an incredible variety of utility programs available for owners of Yamaha arranger keyboards. Below is a brief list of some of the capabilities available to you with these programs.

• Style Files - Programs are available for viewing the various internal parts of a style file, for playing the file on your PC, for changing the OTS in a style file, and for modifying the volume or tempo of a style file. Programs are available to rename style files or convert them for use on a different Yamaha keyboard. Programs will help you catalog and organize your style files, find duplicate files, and remove them if desired.
• Midi Files - Many programs are available to help you create, or edit, Midi files. You can revoice the instruments in a midi file, alter the volume or tempo, and remove mega voices if your keyboard doesn't support them. Some programs will let you use the midi file to create a style file. There are programs to help identify files with midi errors and programs to change the midi format used.
• Other Files - Utility programs are available to help you maintain your Music Finder database files, examine and change registraton files, create multipad files, identify preset voice information in your keyboard, and check file folder sizes for compatibility with your keyboard.

Section Organization

I have organized this section based on the source of the utility program. Recently, Yamaha has made available some conversion programs that are very useful for owners who purchase a newer keyboard and want to bring with them the files that they had developed on their previous keyboard. Historically, however, these utility programs have not come from Yamaha or any commercial source, but rather from individual talented keyboard owners who have created programs to solve problems they encountered and then made these programs freely available to other Yamaha keyboard owners. Each of these program authors have their own section where you will find a list of their programs and links that will take you to additional program information and download instructions.

• Michael Bedesem - Michael has created many popular programs such as MusicFinderView and MidiPlayer. Michael is retired now and no longer updating his programs. However, several of Michael's utilities are now supported by Etienne Volbragt and one is supported by Peter Wierzba. The remaining prgrams (FolderCheck, MidiPlayer, MFView, StyleDump) are still available here and these mayl be useful to many Yamaha owners.
• Murray Best - Murray originally wrote his Yamaha Registration Manager to manage his registrations, but he has expanded the program so that it could be enjoyed by other Yamaha owners as well. In the five years since Murray bought his Yamaha, he has learned a lot from and benefited from the advice received from our Yamaha community. He is providing this program as his opportunity to give back to that community. The PC-based Registration Manager allows you to edit your registration files and, very importantly, convert files designed on one keyboard for use on another model Yamaha.
• Heiko Plate - Heiko has developed among other programs the midifile utility PSRUTI, the midifile analyzer PSRMIDI and the registration editor PSRREG, three popular programs for Yamaha XG Keyboards. He has also authored several technical articles and various tips and tricks that visitors can download from his website hpmusic.
• Joe Maas - Joe originally developed the One-Man-Band program that, in effect, lets you use your PC instead of a keyboard to create your own midi songs. Over time, Joe has developed many more programs all of which focus on various aspects of working with and using midi files. The links on Joe's page will take you directly to his site where you can read more and download the program.
• Jørgen Sørensen - Jørgen is the web master for The Unofficial YAMAHA PSR Resource Site. This site has provided Yamaha keyboard owners with links to many, many internet sites with additional Yamaha files. But Jørgen is also a programmer and, over time, has developed many useful utility programs for working with style and midi files. The programs are written in Java or using the .Net Framework for Windows, both of which require adding additional software to your PC to enable the programs to run. Files are listed in three groups: utilities for style files, utilities for midi files, and other utilities. The links there take you to Jørgen's site where you can see screen shots and get download information. Note that the Java programs can run on Windows or Mac systems while the .Net programs are for Windows users only.
• Etienne Volbragt - Etienne assumed responsibility for four of Michael's utilities (MixMaster, PadMaker Midi, PadMaker Style and OpenText) and continues to update and expand their capabilities. You will find the latest versions of these utilities under the Volbragt tab.
• Peter Wierzba - Peter is the creator of the PSR Style Database and the PSR Midi Database. These two programs are used to help you catalog and keep track of your style and midi files. They are very useful and Peter has tried to keep pace with the introduction of new keyboards. There are a number of screen shots on this page that will give you a better idea of what the programs can do. The single link takes you to Peter's site where you can download the programs.
• Kim Winther - Kim is focusing on the development of registration file utilities. Every registration file contains 8 registrations that hold many parameters. These utilities help you edit registration files on your PC. They also help you take individual registrations from different files and use them to create a new registration bank file.

This page updated on July 6, 2020.

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