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I did a thing. New Yammy YC61


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So...... while I mentioned last week I was ordering the new Jupiter X, it really isn"t what I need/want for my rig.

 

I, instead, got the new Yamaha YC61

 

 

hJ7mqt.jpg

 

Quick overview thoughts with detailed review later:

 

Easy to just plug in and start playing. I navigated around the panel just fine

 

The drawbars are solid and have that nice 'detent' click.

 

This is my first waterfall keys in forever. Right away, I was doing the smears and rakes that always made me think I was going to break a key on the MODX or VR09.

 

Built solidly. Metal. No wall wart!

 

I"ve been playing it for a couple days and finally exploring its depth.

One thing cool: you can get seriously deep with its capabilities as a controller.

I"ve been playing some Arturia synths with it.

 

More on all that later.

 

Glad I made this purchase

 

I also looked at the Electro 6D, but no mod or pitch made that a non starter

 

Last, the Soundmondo from Yamaha is cool.

It"s where you can share sounds/setups and instantly audition them on the board. Like it. Save it. If not, move on

Bonus: scrolling thru Soundmondo last night, I found a ton of cool organ settings from the most reverend Katsunori UJII!

 

Okay back to playing. As I start setting it up for my live rig, I"ll comment on that as well.

(Funny this lets me have more control of VSTs than my MODX

David

Gig Rig:Casio Privia PX-5S | Yamaha MODX+ 6 | MacBook Pro 14" M1| Mainstage

 

 

 

 

 

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Yamaha often does a good job of implementing controller functionality in their instruments. The Electros have this tight and springy feeling action - how does the YC61 compare? Would you say it"s a nice option for organ, piano and synth timbres?

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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The controller capabilities are very strong, and with IOS connectivity, it can be easily expanded beyond its native sounds.

 

if you like the VR09 but just wish it was better, this is it.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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The Electros have this tight and springy feeling action - how does the YC61 compare? Would you say it"s a nice option for organ, piano and synth timbres?

 

The YC61 is a lot less 'tight and springy' than the Nord Electro keyboard. IMHO, it feels much 'smoother' for want of a better word..... Good for piano as well as organ. Selectable sensitivity as well...

 

No 'high trigger' for organ at the moment ... whether Yamaha will (or can?) change that in a firmware update time will tell?

 

I think the most urgent firmware update requirement is to improve the rotary speaker 'fast' sim. It's not good at present...

 

Nice board overall though, in my opinion...

Yamaha - YC61 - P105 - MOX6 - HC2 -- Neo Vent 2
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This is what I love about this forum: when regular gigging guys you know (well, not know, but you kinda get to know someone's online profile) and trust get their hands on a board and are ready to give honest feedback. Much more valuable than YouTube videos IMO. Between this thread and the other guys on the YC61 thread I'm finding the input hugely valuable.

 

As a fellow Mainstage convert who has an eye on this as a possible Electro 4 replacement, I'm looking particularly forward to hearing your thoughts David.

Hammond SKX

Mainstage 3

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Yeah, while I have no real need for the YC61 (though a board with a pitch or mod wheel would be kind of nice at this point, I realize), I've been enjoying seeing what Yamaha's latest creations have to offer. Looking forward to hearing more about what you do with it! In the meantime I'll dream of a CP88 sometime down the line.

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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if you like the VR09 but just wish it was better, this is it.

I think that's a nice sum-up. You do unfortunately lose the VA synth, but in pretty much every other way, it seems like a better implementation of the concept.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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if you like the VR09 but just wish it was better, this is it.

I think that's a nice sum-up. You do unfortunately lose the VA synth, but in pretty much every other way, it seems like a better implementation of the concept.

 

I've said it once and I'll say it again; if Yammy manage to add a full editable FM synth to this (even in an app) it could fly off the shelves.

Hammond SKX

Mainstage 3

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What I find really interesting is the development it took to implement the ways you can use the YC61 to control eternal (VST or Hardware)

 

First, the fact that you can make the drawbars send CC# and not SYSEX is huge to me.... something Roland refused/refuses to do on the VR-09. Don't get me wrong I think the VR-09 is great, but not in my live rig.

 

Then, if you want to use some of the knobs to send CC# out, in "Advanced SW On" mode, any section that is off (organ, keys A/B, effects) will send out CC from their knobs.

Best of all, all of these can be saved per Live Set (which is how you use the YC61)

 

Yes, it will take some menu diving and time to get set up, but that's nothing new to me since I use Mainstage and/or Gig Perfomer. Lots of set up :)

David

Gig Rig:Casio Privia PX-5S | Yamaha MODX+ 6 | MacBook Pro 14" M1| Mainstage

 

 

 

 

 

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I've said it once and I'll say it again; if Yammy manage to add a full editable FM synth to this (even in an app) it could fly off the shelves.

Except almost no one understands FM programming. ;-)

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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True, however, having the ability for sound designers to edit will open the door to loading third party sounds.

That said, there are already a ton of FM patches that can probably be easily adapted for the YC61.

Yamaha should make them available for the YC61 and open up import of the patches.

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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I've said it once and I'll say it again; if Yammy manage to add a full editable FM synth to this (even in an app) it could fly off the shelves.

Except almost no one understands FM programming. ;-)

 

LOL, as a MODX owner I can testify to the truth of that.

Hammond SKX

Mainstage 3

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Former User of a TX7 and a pair of TX81Zs. I got pretty good at buying and loading patches from cassette tape. ð.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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Former User of a TX7 and a pair of TX81Zs. I got pretty good at buying and loading patches from cassette tape. ð.

 

Yeah, after having to learn to program an old Yamaha REV7 and MEP4 in ancient Sanskrit back in the day, this stuff is EASY :)

David

Gig Rig:Casio Privia PX-5S | Yamaha MODX+ 6 | MacBook Pro 14" M1| Mainstage

 

 

 

 

 

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I am intrigued to see one of these in person and sadly missed NAMM this year. Last year (or maybe year before?) I was very impressed with the CP 73 and 88. One of those might make it onto my wish list. Then there's the Jupiter-X. So many shiny objects!

 

Congrats on the new board and keep us posted on how it works for you!

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For those who have taken the YC-61 plunge, and those that are thinking about it seriously there are actually two threads on:

https://yamahasynth.ideascale.com/

requesting the import of DX7 patches into the YC-61's FM engine.

 

If it's a feature you'd like to see, consider joining the community and thumbing up the topics.

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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Regarding the Leslie sim in the YC61:

 

I find it to be okay; not great, but okay. In my current gig, anytime I use the organ, the rest of the band is playing full out as well.

Even so, I can tell especially when playing high notes with the rotors set to fast.

 

Then it hit me :hitt:

 

I have this awesome plugin from iKMultimeida,,,, the T-RackS 5 Leslie.

 

I had to adjust the routing on my Focusrite 18i20 so the audio input came back thru the DAW playback outputs.

 

YC61 is set to Local Off

I'm using Gig Performer. I simply set a MIDI input block (YC61) and connect it to a MIDI Output block (YC61)

Then from the Audio Input Block, go out thru the Leslie block, then to the Output block

(a lot easier and quicker than it sound to set up)

 

With the YC61 Leslie sim shut off completely, I now use the T-RackS Leslie. WOW!!!!

 

As Dave has asked me to do, I'm going to start collating all my notes, and create an in depth review for the review subsection here. I'll provide some audio samples as well.

 

I will also keep notes and do post on how I will use the YC61 with Gig Performer, just as I did when I used my old MOXF then MODX

 

Screen Shot of Gig Performer

6dkGw4.jpg

David

Gig Rig:Casio Privia PX-5S | Yamaha MODX+ 6 | MacBook Pro 14" M1| Mainstage

 

 

 

 

 

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Very cool, David! I look forward to hearing your review demo of the YC61 through the TR5 Leslie/Classic EQ.

 

Very impressed with the YC61 demos so far; it appears to be well designed for the live player. If I didn't have three years invested in the Stage 3, 76 I'd definitely look at the YC61. It seems similarly flexible. Thinking that Yamaha would make a serious dent in the single keyboard gigging market with a YC73/76 model.

'Someday, we'll look back on these days and laugh; likely a maniacal laugh from our padded cells, but a laugh nonetheless' - Mr. Boffo.

 

We need a barfing cat emoticon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Just for reference, how low are you able to get the buffers/latency in gig performer? Does it behave similar to Mainstage/Logic? like maybe 128?, 64? can you get to 32 with it?

 

Since I can never hear or feel a difference below 128, that's usually where I stop.

 

I'll run some tests and see how far I can bring it down before things go haywire (glitches CPU overload, etc)

David

Gig Rig:Casio Privia PX-5S | Yamaha MODX+ 6 | MacBook Pro 14" M1| Mainstage

 

 

 

 

 

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Then it hit me :hitt:

 

I have this awesome plugin from iKMultimeida,,,, the T-RackS 5 Leslie.

Have you considered going all the way with their B3X? I wonder how much of an improvement that could be over the native YC61 organ sound.

 

One of the knocks on organ VSTs is that often boards that support high trigger for their internal organ sound don't support it externally, but YC61 doesn't have it internally anyway, so no loss there. ;-) Actually, I seem to remember reading that B3X (or *some* VST?) can make use of velocity to alter triggering timing of the 9 contacts (kind of along the lines of the Hammond XK5, though that makes use of multiple sensors), maybe someone can confrim.

 

If you set up a YC61 Live Set with a particular drawbar registration AND a MIDI Program Change to a B3X patch with the identical drawbar registration, I would think that recalling that preset would allow you to hear the B3X sound while the YC61's LEDs still indicate the correct drawbar positions, which would be pretty cool. (Though you'd have to turn the volume down on the YC61's organ section to not actually hear both organs! Hopefully either that knob doesn't send MIDI volume or it can be routed/filtered in such a way as to not be an issue.)

 

Very impressed with the YC61 demos so far; it appears to be well designed for the live player. If I didn't have three years invested in the Stage 3, 76 I'd definitely look at the YC61. It seems similarly flexible. Thinking that Yamaha would make a serious dent in the single keyboard gigging market with a YC73/76 model.
I agree. As I said elsewhere...

 

While we're largely seeing this as a Nord Electro alternative, it actually even competes with the Nord Stage 3, to some extent, in that it has a number of features that Nord users get only when upgrading from the Electro to the Stage. It's missing the knobby VA synth from the Stage, but it does have some of the most useful parts of it that are missing from the Electro: pitch and modulation controls, monophonic synth mode with portamento, filter sweep. It also has the ability to split/layer sounds without one of the sounds having to be a piano or organ, and it has control over external MIDI zones. This is a lot of why Nord folks choose a Stage over an Electro. The big missing things besides the complete VA synth are the aftertouch, more than 61 keys, more flexible output routing and the custom sample loading. If you don't need those, in a way, functionally, this is reasonably close to a Stage for a whole lot less (while also including some things even the Nord does not, like multisampled non-piano instruments, completely adjustable split point, 4 MIDI zones instead of 2). Though of course your opinions of their actual sounds would remain a big variable.

 

Since I can never hear or feel a difference below 128, that's usually where I stop

Same here, though my VST use has still not been so extensive.

Maybe this is the best place for a shameless plug! Our now not-so-new new video at https://youtu.be/3ZRC3b4p4EI is a 40 minute adaptation of T. S. Eliot's "Prufrock" - check it out! And hopefully I'll have something new here this year. ;-)

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Theoretically @ 48k, 128 with an audio interface is approximately 9.5ms, so pretty good - similar to being 7-9 feet away from your speaker. You would better notice or feel latency (lower or higher) in headphones off the interface. 64 theoretically only shaves it down to app. 6.5ms. Not a big difference, but maybe worth it since we"re all adding latency when using stage monitoring. If you"re using in ear monitors then lighter load on PC is better. But if your hardware can do it easily, why not.

Yamaha CP88, Casio PX-560

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Theoretically @ 48k, 128 with an audio interface is approximately 9.5ms, so pretty good - similar to being 7-9 feet away from your speaker. You would better notice or feel latency (lower or higher) in headphones off the interface. 64 theoretically only shaves it down to app. 6.5ms. Not a big difference, but maybe worth it since we"re all adding latency when using stage monitoring. If you"re using in ear monitors then lighter load on PC is better. But if your hardware can do it easily, why not.

 

Yes, I know all this :)

 

I've been running the basic setup so long, that I've just left the settings alone in my audio i/o at the point they sound fine to me.

David

Gig Rig:Casio Privia PX-5S | Yamaha MODX+ 6 | MacBook Pro 14" M1| Mainstage

 

 

 

 

 

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Just for reference, how low are you able to get the buffers/latency in gig performer? Does it behave similar to Mainstage/Logic? like maybe 128?, 64? can you get to 32 with it?

 

Since I can never hear or feel a difference below 128, that's usually where I stop.

 

 

 

If you play with a metronome probably you'll feel the difference

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I have this awesome plugin from iKMultimeida,,,, the T-RackS 5 Leslie.

 

I had to adjust the routing on my Focusrite 18i20 so the audio input came back thru the DAW playback outputs.

 

YC61 is set to Local Off

I'm using Gig Performer. I simply set a MIDI input block (YC61) and connect it to a MIDI Output block (YC61)

Then from the Audio Input Block, go out thru the Leslie block, then to the Output block

(a lot easier and quicker than it sound to set up)

 

Got me thinking too and I set this up using Cantabile today, Definitely sounds better than the YC Leslie sim IMO. Of course, if you have a layered/split setting, everything gets the IK Leslie treatment. All the more reason to hope that Yamaha gives us a way in an OS update to allow the different engines to be easily hard panned so you can run organ to one side and everything else to the other. I posted that suggestion on Ideascale a couple months ago. Would be good if they coupled that with a good mono piano voice....or even better, if they improve the YC Leslie sim.

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