Question about Yamaha sample memory and updates

[OrpheusNY]

So, I"ve had a CP-88 for about six months and have been really enjoying it. I"ve also done all the OS updates, which has added substantially to the onboard sound palette.

 

The original spec had 57 sounds: 10 piano, 14 e-piano and 33 sub (all others). As of OS 1.4 there are 106 sounds onboard- 14 piano, 19 e-piano, and 73 sub. Nearly double the raw number, although I imagine the sub samples take less memory than the pianos and e-pianos, so the storage demand hasn"t anywhere near doubled.

 

Does anybody know, or care to guess, whether Yamaha originally shipped this board with a significant chunk of the onboard memory capacity just empty? Is there any chance that the existing samples are -or may at some point be- getting compressed to make room for the new blood when the OS is updated?

 

I"m used to the Nord model where the user has more control over which sounds get what chunk of memory devoted to them and updating is mostly not an all-or-nothing proposition. My ears aren"t telling me anything"s being sacrificed sonically to add new sounds, but I also don"t really understand how there will continue to be memory left for new sounds much longer. Maybe they will just stop the updates when they run out? It"s a mystery.

 

Not complaining, just wondering.

[AnotherScott]

Maybe they will just stop the updates when they run out?

That's what I'd expect. I suppose they could eventually come out with a mechanism by which you can pick and choose which to load, whether individually, or from a selection of pre-assembled sets, but that does get complicated, as people can end up with Live Sets that stop working if they change the underlying sound sets.

[ChazKeys]

I remember talk about the amount of memory and it was suggested it was probably 2Gb. If so there is still 600 Mb more than enough room for another couple of updates - maybe squeeze in 2 more APs and additional EPs and sub sounds. Nord Stage has 2Gb for pianos. If anyone has kept the earlier updates it would be possible to workout how much the new pianos are using. Also the YC has the same APs and EPs and they need to keep refreshing that so I reckon they might do both at the same time. It"s usually a long wait between sample updates though.

[OrpheusNY]

It"s usually a long wait between sample updates though.

 

Only 9 months between OS 1.3 and 1.4. Nord, on the other hand, hasn"t had a significant sample release since the White Grand in June 2019 (unless I missed something) which doesn"t make the existing library any less useful, of course, but they were on a roll there for a while with upgrades to their existing instruments.

[ChazKeys]

It"s usually a long wait between sample updates though.

 

Only 9 months between OS 1.3 and 1.4. Nord, on the other hand, hasn"t had a significant sample release since the White Grand in June 2019 (unless I missed something) which doesn"t make the existing library any less useful, of course, but they were on a roll there for a while with upgrades to their existing instruments.

 

They have been rolling out APs consistently over the years but it's been a long long time since there were any Rhodes, Wurly and Clav updates

[ChazKeys]

So for reference:

 

CP73/8:

OS1.3 = 1.48Gb

OS1.4 = 1.56Gb

 

80 Mb larger but the update includes the Nashville C3 and the Live CF3 - so some optimisation going on as I'm sure those pianos would take up more space than 80Mb. So assuming 2 Gb flash there is a bout 400Mb left for new stuff

 

YC61/73/88:

OS1.1 = 1.1Gb

 

If these have 2Gb of flash then I'm sure they will get all the missing pianos (SU7 Upright, Imperial, CF3) from the CP and more. 1.1 has added Nashville, Live CF3 and the 2 missing Rhodes EPs that were in the CP. So I would expect an update by summer.

[OrpheusNY]

Thanks.