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Yamaha YC88 I'm hooked!!


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General assessment... gigged with the YC88 last night for the first time & it exceeded my expectations! AP's & EPs sit nicely in a mix and stand out as needed, the strings & brass worked good after some tweaking. Of course the organ was great in the band mix which surprised me because I really wasn't all that impressed with it by itself. The Soundman was pouring on the compliments on how good the new keyboard sounded!

I've been using the Korg Kronos 7, great sounds but a hefty 47lbs. became a pain to schlep to gigs. Plus the onboard sequencer is too much for my needs in a cover band. Then I was using the Nord Stage 3 HA 76, good sounds but still not quite what I craved & the hammer action was blah.

The YC88 checked all the boxes for me, not perfect (what is?) but at 40 lbs. it's a powerful well thought out board. Was looking for something lightweight yet high end gigging sounds to replace the NS3 HA76...

I found it IMHO. ;-)

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The action is just what I wanted not too heavy but not too light. I also have a Roland RD2000 that I use for practicing at home (too heavy for gigging ) and it reminds me of that. Owned the Nord Stage 3 88 A couple of years ago and to me it"s not a true hammer action. It"s all subjective but for me the action on the YC 88 feels like an old friend.
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Timely thread, so thanks. I've started looking around at "what's next" for a good weighted stage board. Like you, I never warmed to the Nord Stage weighted actions. The Nord Piano is sweet though. Nice to hear it has a classic Yammie weighted action. Actually, there's a lot to like about this board (on paper) and a few things to dislike.

 

There's one particular feature driving me to Yamaha products, and that's better iPad integration. I like that I can feed iPad audio over USB to the YC88 and, while there appears to be a level control, the manual tells me it's buried under three levels of menus. I probably can wire basic volume levels via the preset, but I'd like performance-time adjustment of levels. Hopefully I can map iPad volume to an unused YC88 knob via CC and KeyStage.

 

Anything that you can share about this combination? Thanks

Want to make your band better?  Check out "A Guide To Starting (Or Improving!) Your Own Local Band"

 

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cphollis,

Haven't worked with that combination yet although having the connection "to host" is nice, still getting used to the basics as I've only had it a week. I'd like to see more layer options & less restriction on splits.

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. I'd like to see more layer options & less restriction on splits.

 

Me too! I just got an YC61 and I"m really digging it this far. More control over splits and layers is what it needs, to be able to set key ranges instead of mere splits of the internal sounds. This thing alone is killer, with a sound module or laptop it would be great to have more zoning abilities.

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I'd like to see more layer options & less restriction on splits.

 

Me too! I just got an YC61 and I"m really digging it this far. More control over splits and layers is what it needs, to be able to set key ranges instead of mere splits of the internal sounds.

OTOH, the totally flexible key ranges of the Montage/MODX is part of what makes it more complicated to do splits than on the CP/YC. And when they tried to implement both kinds of approaches on the same board, as on the MOX/MOXF which had a quick 2-way split button and then menus for further definable key ranges, they managed to create what was probably the single most complicated split architecture I'd ever seen on any board (i.e. if you started with the simple split, and then wanted to finesse or build on it afterwards). For whatever reason, Yamaha interfaces have often been convoluted, and so I think the key to a simple interface on a board from Yamaha is not having it try to do too much! Really, for a "simple operation" board, I think being able to have separate sounds for your left and right hand addresses the most common need. The ability to have other chunks of keys defined with some third sound you can quickly get to is the kind of thing I don't mind seeing reserved for the more menu-driven workstation-style boards... and in fact is something I'd personally find of little use on a board that had only 61 keys to begin with. That said, if you must have it, the YC61's MIDI zoning will let you create those splits using external sounds from an iPhone or whatever.

 

with a sound module or laptop it would be great to have more zoning abilities.

Again, I think I'd be pretty happy with 4, especially having only 61 keys. Plus there's already quite a bit of menu scrolling to set the parameters for just 4 zones!

 

I know, it's tempting to envision a do-everything board that operates like a simple board, but the goals are just at odds. People already complain that the newer Nord Electros aren't as simple as the old ones. I think the YC succeeds at letting most people easily and quickly do most of what they'd expect to be able to do out of it, probably without having to read the manual.

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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I have been playing the YC 88 over A couple of weeks now and I"m really enjoying the sounds on it, of course for the organ purist there can be some modifications to make the organ stand out a little more realistically but that"s being very picky. The Hammond SK pro I think has it right on a couple of areas which if the YC picked up on could definitely be the leader of the pack. The Hammond has four layers and splits anywhere on the board. More specifically adding an extra third layer to the non-Organ section will really improve the system.
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More specifically adding an extra third layer to the non-Organ section will really improve the system.

It will probably be some years before we might see a whole new redsigned YC model. In terms of how to accomplish something like that using the current model, though, the YC does have that extensive Master Keyboard section, which would let you add, not just one additional layered sound (from something like an iPhone/iPad or or other external device), but four! The one disappointment I have with this feature, though, is that there are no real-time volume controls for these sounds.

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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I agree, it may be years before we see some Basic modifications like adding an extra layer option or it could be in the next OS in a few months⦠who knows. I really do enjoy the sounds on the YC88 and the keyboard action and I"ll admit the Hammond definitely looks tempting, possibly as a second-tier?
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or it could be in the next OS in a few months⦠who knows.

I have a hard time imagining they could turn it from a 3-sound at a time board to a 4-sound at a time board with a software update. But also, I don't really see how the front panel and basic operating procedure of the board as it stands could accomodate it. For example, the Keys section has a toggle switch to enable section A, and a toggle switch to enable section B. How would you toggle on a section C, in a way that's sensible and consistent with the overall operation of the board? Nah. ;-)

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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or it could be in the next OS in a few months⦠who knows.

I have a hard time imagining they could turn it from a 3-sound at a time board to a 4-sound at a time board with a software update. But also, I don't really see how the front panel and basic operating procedure of the board as it stands could accomodate it. For example, the Keys section has a toggle switch to enable section A, and a toggle switch to enable section B. How would you toggle on a section C, in a way that's sensible and consistent with the overall operation of the board? Nah. ;-)

Yes I agree. The 88/73 CPs are after all stage pianos and I think they will just provide occasional sound updates. I expect another couple of acoustic/electric pianos if there is room and hopefully lots more Sub sounds. Apart from minor tweaks to the OS can"t see Yamaha devoting much more development time to them. The CP88 seems well regarded and there is not much competition if you want a weighted 73.

 

Maybe once everyone is gigging again dealers might start shifting a few more stage pianos.

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Hmmm, so maybe for a more utility stage keyboard that does cover band duties Hammond might be the way to go. Just don"t know the hammer action on their 73⦠And I"m sure an 88 is in the works if they follow the 'trend'.
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Hmmm, so maybe for a more utility stage keyboard that does cover band duties Hammond might be the way to go. Just don"t know the hammer action on their 73⦠And I"m sure an 88 is in the works if they follow the 'trend'.

Yes might be. If you need organ then the CP is out. Unless you want to use an iPad running B3-X or VB3m.

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YC88 arrived yesterday & yep, it rules.

Today, discovered the assignable expression pedal option for iOS volume. Happy about that.

Have not used AUM yet, but thinking I could assign lower draw bars to control faders in that. We"ll see.

 

Was not able to get sustain pedal working when playing organ on external keyboard. Figure there"s a way & will try again sometime.

Love the action, which was my main incentive.

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I have been playing the YC 88 over A couple of weeks now and I"m really enjoying the sounds on it, of course for the organ purist there can be some modifications to make the organ stand out a little more realistically but that"s being very picky. The Hammond SK pro I think has it right on a couple of areas which if the YC picked up on could definitely be the leader of the pack. The Hammond has four layers and splits anywhere on the board. More specifically adding an extra third layer to the non-Organ section will really improve the system.

Isn't that graded hammer action weird for organ? They are promoting it as "Yamaha"s Amazing Organ-focused Stage Piano".

The fact there's a Highway To Hell and only a Stairway To Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers

 

People only say "It's a free country" when they're doing something shitty-Demetri Martin

 

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Isn't that graded hammer action weird for organ? They are promoting it as "Yamaha"s Amazing Organ-focused Stage Piano".
It is a bit weird, but I suspect Yamaha saw the success of the Nord Stage and copied the "one sprung and two hammer" lineup.

 

Cheers, Mike.

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The Nord Stage hammer action boards allow you to use high trigger for organ, so even though the keys are weighted you can to some extent skate across the keys without having to depress them. It doesn't erase the difference between unweighted and weighted, but it helps. Yamaha by contrast doesn't have high trigger on any YC board, not even the 61!

 

I think it comes down to how serious your organ chops need to be. I can think of a lot of cover band situations I've been in where it really doesn't matter. The audience wants to hear organ where it's supposed to be, but no one is expecting a virtuoso organ experience.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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The YC88 hammer action isn't too heavy (you can adjust to taste) so to play organ isn't really an issue if it's mainly for cover band duties which meets my needs. Now if you're looking for a more "waterfall organ" action experience where organ plays a more central role then yes it's not the right board for organ ( FWIW, I sold my NS3 HA76 to get the YC88, for me it was the right move).
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Nope, not able to run the volume pedal on the organ & strings simultaneously. Either it's not doable or I'm not doing something right.

You should be able to this out of the box with very little adjustment. By default the expression pedal will control all the CP sections so the strings should respond to the volume pedal plugged into FC1. I wouldn"t use volume pedal to control the USB volume, if that"s what you are doing. I just leave it set on about 80 and forget about it.

 

I"m guessing your organ on the iPad is on Midi channel 1? I am also assuming FC1 is set to CC #11 which is the default. So I just use one of the Zones for organ. You need to switch the Mode SW on which enables Master keyboard functions - it will then display MST. You should also enable Advanced mode as this will give you an extended menu of options for each zone.

 

Zone 1 by default transmits on Channel 1 but the CP global channel by default is also 1 - so you should change the CP to a different channel - 5 or higher, [General settings, Midi Control]

 

The expression pedal should now control both. But you can also disable it for the strings or even set the min/max range.

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The Nord Stage hammer action boards allow you to use high trigger for organ, so even though the keys are weighted you can to some extent skate across the keys without having to depress them. It doesn't erase the difference between unweighted and weighted, but it helps. Yamaha by contrast doesn't have high trigger on any YC board, not even the 61!

.

It still baffles me why Yamaha and other manufacturers don"t employ the high trigger option on products that feature organ, especially in the case of the YC. The programming required to detect and process the high trig is simple. Roland use it on the VR09 etc.

 

Do Kurzweil or Korg have high trig options. Clearly not something you would expect to find on the CP range or any digital pianos where the focus is mainly piano.

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The programming required to detect and process the high trig is simple. Roland use it on the VR09 etc.
I'm always hesitant to say something like that. When it comes to programming and engineering, the only people who say things are simple are the people who don't have to do it. ;-) Check the thread at https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/3079537/and look at some of the posts from Jan 21 to see some of the discussion about possible complications of implementing high trigger. There's also some interesting reading around June 21-22 at https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/3049860

 

Do Kurzweil or Korg have high trig options.

Coinidentally, discussed in some detail at the links referenced above.

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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The programming required to detect and process the high trig is simple. Roland use it on the VR09 etc.
I'm always hesitant to say something like that. When it comes to programming and engineering, the only people who say things are simple are the people who don't have to do it. ;-) Check the thread at https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/3079537/and look at some of the posts from Jan 21 to see some of the discussion about possible complications of implementing high trigger. There's also some interesting reading around June 21-22 at https://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/3049860

Yes that"s a fair point. But the software routines that do the scanning are straightforward it"s the mechanical designs of the keyboard that make it difficult or even impossible to implement high trig. So that"s a design choice the manufacturer makes. Nord and Roland have long line of organcentric boards and no surprise they support high trig. I have a feeling Yamaha have missed a trick with the YC and the mechanics of the keyboard may not even support high trigger. So firmware can"t fix that.

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Thanks ChazKeys for the tips, still not happening for me but never say never. :)

The more I play the YC88 the more it reminds me of one my favorite hammer actions on a DP... the RD800. I find myself being inspired by this board just by the action alone, this is a great utility gigging tool & digging deeper...

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