The PSR1500 represents a huge step up in technology and sound for the entry-level position of Arranger Workstation products from Yamaha. Advanced features like USB "To Device" for connecting to the Internet and connecting peripheral storage devices like floppy disk drives or hard drives, modeled organ with nine virtual drawbars, a large display screen for score and lyrics, 96-note polyphony for dense sections of music, internal user memory for storing songs and other data, full XG and GM2 compatibility and 32 channels of MIDI via USB. Useful features like pitch bend plus a mod wheel, four sections to each accompaniment style with three dedicated Intro/Ending buttons, L/R input & output jacks, two assignable foot switch jacks, built-in help in six languages and SmartMedia for fast access to your data. That's powerful. That's Yamaha.
USB connectivity brings music directly to your keyboard
The PSR-1500 has 2 USB ports on the back, USB To Host and USB TO DEVICE.
USB TO HOST is plug and play simple for recording and playing back MIDI files, as well as transferring data to and from your computer.
USB TO DEVICE is for connecting optional peripheral USB storage devices like floppy disk drives, thumb drives and hard drives. USB TO DEVICE is also used for connecting the keyboard to the Internet using an optional USB-Ethernet or USB Wi-Fi adaptor. You'll need your computer to activate an account, but once that's done, you can browse through songs and styles and download music directly into your keyboard, play it, score it and learn it - no computer required. For the ultimate in user control, if the MIDI file is an XF file with embedded chord data, you can re-mix it. The keyboard will follow the chords in the song and replace appropriate tracks with auto accompaniment tracks like bass, drums, horns and guitar. For example, you can take a Rock song and convert it in real time to Latin, Jazz, Country or Hip Hop. This feature also adds accompaniment to interactive digital sheet music, which normally would only have the left and right piano parts (see Scorch XF at www.yamahamusicsoft.com). And with Yamaha's interactive Guide Mode, even a novice can learn to play their favorite music. Simply start a song, press Guide, and the keyboard highlights the notes on sheet music in the display screen and slows down or even waits for you to find the notes.
Bigger screens convey more information
There are many advantages to having a larger screen. For example, the ample 320 x 240 screen on the PSR-1500 is able to show you mixer settings at a glance, Internet information, the chords you are playing, what sounds are on the right and left side of the keyboard, what Style or MIDI file is currently playing, virtual drawbars, score and lyrics. The bottom line is that since it's your window into how the music is being created - you might as well make it a big one.
Modeled organ with virtual drawbars
For that great vintage organ sound, the Organ Flutes on the PSR-1500 use Modeling Technology - independently oscillating voices to simulate the rotating tone generation wheels found in classic organs. In true Yamaha fashion, you can select the organ type, control nine virtual drawbars (switch between 16' and 5 1/3'), rotary speed and type, percussive attack and length and vibrato on/off, depth and speed. Then, save your settings and recall your favorite organ voices with one button push.
SmartMedia™ offers high-capacity storage
For the utmost in simplicity, compatibility and portability, the PSR-1500 features SmartMedia storage (card optional), offering up to 128MB of high-speed access to songs, styles, registration memory and user voices. Unlike audio files, MIDI songs and styles are small files, allowing you to store literally hundreds of your favorite tunes on a card that is not much bigger than a postage stamp. For convenience, there are a couple of ways to get data to the card. You can connect the keyboard directly to your computer, using the USB jack on the back, and transfer songs and styles from your computer to the card. Or, if you don't plan on having the two devices in the same room, simply pick up a memory card reader for your computer from your favorite electronic supply store and transfer data that way. For those that have large collections of MIDI data on floppy disk, you can connect an optional USB floppy drive (like the Yamaha UD-FD01 shown at right) and transfer the data directly to a SmartMedia card.
A Keyboard with more Style
The PSR-1500 features Styles (accompaniment patterns) in a variety of different musical genres including Rock, Jazz, Latin, Country and Dance. As you play chords with your left hand, the selected Style will automatically provide drums, bass, guitar, strings, organ and horn parts. This is live playing at it's best. For even greater diversity, this keyboard is the first in the line to offer four sections to the built-in Styles. For example, you could use the A section for the Verse, B section for the Chorus, C for the Bridge and D for a Solo. In addition, each Style has three different Intros and Endings with dedicated panel buttons, and will automatically fill, if you like, between sections.
Sounds Good To Me
A keyboard can only sound as good as the speakers that reproduce its sound. The stereo speaker system in the PSR-1500 has been specially designed to faithfully reproduce the powerful dynamics and subtle overtones of the onboard voices and music styles. The keyboard comes with 791 voices and is 96-note polyphonic. Additional sound features include a selection of special samples called Sweet!, Live! and Cool! voices.
Sweet! Voices reproduce all the natural expression and vibrato of their respective acoustic instruments.
Cool! Voices feature long samples of electronically amplified instruments.
Live! Voices use stereo samples to ensure the most accurate reproduction of each instrument's natural presence, resonance and vibrato.
The PSR-1500 is compatible with commercially available song/style data including:
GM2 - General MIDI 2
XG - Yamaha Extended Voice Set
DOC - Yamaha Disk Orchestra Collection
SMF with lyrics - Standard MIDI File
KAR - Karaoke Files
XF - Songs with lyrics and/or chords
SFF - Yamaha Style Files
Ease of operation
There are many tools in the keyboard that make it easy to be a power user from the first day you own the keyboard.
Direct Access button: Press this button and the function you would like to adjust, for example pitch bend, and the LCD screen instantly takes you there. Saves wading through menus and sub-menus.
Music Finder: Complete keyboard setups by song title. The keyboard selects an appropriate voice for the right hand melody, the correct musical style and the correct tempo. Simply call up a song title and start playing.
Quick record: To record a song, just press the Record button. Recording starts as soon as you start playing the keyboard and will record everything you play - the Style, Left & Layer Voices and Multi pads - or a single track.
One Touch Setting (OTS): Provides you with a recommended voice with effects for each section of a Style (4 per style). Can be set to change automatically or you can select one of the four buttons. For example, on a jazz style, one OTS might be piano, the next jazz guitar with a little echo, the third sax with reverb and the forth might be piano and vibes layered.
Multi Pads: These four buttons change to match the genre of each Style (or you can change them yourself) and can be used to play a number of short pre-recorded rhythmic and melodic sequences that can be used to add impact and variety to your keyboard playing. Translation: MIDI-Loops.
Built-in Help: Help messages give you explanations and descriptions of the main functions and features found in the keyboard. Language choices include English, Japanese, German, French, Spanish or Italian.
Demo: In addition to the main demos showing some of the more advanced features found in the keyboard, there is also a short demo for every sound.
Mixing Console: To change voices, adjust levels, panning, transpose, tuning, pitch bend and effects on various tracks or parts that you play, simply press the Mixing Console button and make adjustments using graphical representations of rotary pots and faders.
Registration Memory: Set the keyboard up just the way you like and take a digital snapshot by memorizing it to one of the Registration buttons. Load and save banks of eight registrations to User memory, SmartMedia or USB device. The eight Registration buttons are conveniently located just above the keyboard.
Performance assistant technology: Guarantees that you can't play a wrong note. Here's how it works. Select an XF compatible song, press the Performance Assistant button and every note you play will fit the music. If you move up the keyboard, the pitch goes up. If you move down, the pitch goes down. Play a perfect arpeggio, or play chords in time with the music, or really go for it and play a solo. As long as performance assistant is "on", you're "on".
What does the PSR3000 have in addition to the features listed above?
• Mega Voice Technology
• Video out
• Microphone input with 3-part Vocal Harmony
• Color screen
• More Sweet!!, Live & Cool Voices
• 128 notes of polyphony (vs. 96 notes on the PSR-1500)
• More DSP effects and Simultaneous DSP Effects
Galaxy EP, Electric Piano, Electric Guitar, Rotor Organ, Full Rocker
Live! Voices
Orchestra
Sound Creator
Save to User Drive, USB Drive or SmartMedia - Unlimited *1
Organ Flutes
User Organ Flutes can be saved in any disk or user location
Nine footages using modeling technology
Voice Layer
Right1, Right2 (You can layer 2 voices at a time)
Voice Split
Lower1 (with hold function)
Effects
Reverb
35 Preset + 3 User
Chorus
30 Preset + 3 User
DSP1
183 Preset + 3 User
DSP 2 ~ 4
106 Preset + 10 User
Poly/Mono
Yes - Portamento Time is adjustable in Mono Mode
Harmony/Echo
17 Presets
Master EQ (5 Band)
5 Presets + 2 User
Part EQ (2 Band)
28 Parts (R1, R2, Left, Style x 8, Song x 16, Multi Pads)
Touch Response
Initial touch on/off
Tempo
5 ~ 500
Master Tuning
414.8 ~ 440Hz ~ 466.8
Scale Tuning
Equal Temperament, Pure Major, Pure Minor, Pythagorean, Mean-Tone, Werckmeister, Kirnberger, Arabic 1, 2
Transpose
-12 ~ 0 ~ 12 (Assignable Keyboard/Song/Master)
Upper Octave
-1, 0 +1
Part octave
-2, -1, 0, +1, +2
Real-time Controllers
Pitch Bend Wheel, Modulation Wheel
Auto Accompaniment
Preset Styles
190 Preset Styles in 11 Categories + User Category
Pro Styles: 176; Session Styles: 14
User Styles
Save to User Drive, USB Drive or SmartMedia - Unlimited *1
Disk Direct
Yes (Style will play direct from any drive - just like the Internal Styles)
Format
SFF (Style File Format)
Control
Accompaniment On/Off, OTS Link, Auto Fill in, Intro x 3, Fill In x 4, Break x 1, Main Sections x 4, Ending x 3, Fade In/Out, Tap Tempo, Sync Start, Sync Stop, Ritardando
Parts
8 Parts with full mixer control
Fingering Types
Single Finger, Multi Finger, Fingered, On Bass, Full Keyboard, AI (Artificial Intelligence) Fingered, AI Full Keyboard
Multi Pads
Controls: 4 Pads + Stop + Bank Select. Preset: 80 Banks x 4 Pads. User Programmable: Save to User Drive, USB Drive or Opt. SmartMedia - Unlimited *1
Quick Access Memory
One-Touch Setting
4 per Style - Fully Programmable
Music Finder
Over 1000 preset setups by song title, fully programmable
Registration Memory
8 Switches Banks + Freeze Function (Save to User Drive, USB Drive or Opt. SmartMedia - Unlimited *1)
Songs
Compatibility
General MIDI 2 (SMF 0,1) with Lyrics, XG, KAR, XF, Scorch, Tune 1000®
Selection
Quick Start mode plus Next Song mode
Number of Songs
Unlimited *1 - Save to User Drive, USB Drive or Opt. SmartMedia
Tracks
16 tracks internally. 32 tracks from computer over USB.
Recording
Quick Rec., Multi-track Rec., Step Rec., Song Editing
Capacity
Approx. 35,000 Notes
Lyric
Lyrics Display (For MIDI files that have lyrics)
Score
Zoom in/out, User can select which tracks to display; Note Name, Lyric & Chord Display On/Off, display key, quantize
Guide
Modes: Follow lights, Any Key, Karao-Key
Performance assistant technology
Yes. Works with XF files (songs with embedded chord information).
Disk Storage
User Drive
650 KB
SmartMedia Slot
SmartMedia Card Optional: 3.3 V, maximum 128 MB
USB Disk Drive
Optional floppy, thumb or hard drive via USB To Device jack
Connectivity
USB to Device
1 jack for optional Broadband Internet connection and connecting USB storage devices like floppy disk drives, thumb drives, hard drives and CD-ROM drives (read only). Maximum 2 storage devices at a time + broadband using a self-powered USB hub. *2
USB to Host
1 jack for MIDI x 2, Storage drive maintenance (copy, paste, rename, move etc.)
MIDI
MIDI In/Out
Foot Control - User Function Assignable
Foot Pedal 1 Default Sustain / 2 DSP Variation
Audio
Phones
Line Out R, L/L+R + Aux Out (RCA® Jacks) fixed R, L/L+R
Aux in R, L/L+R
Amplifier 12 W x 2
Speakers (12 cm + 5 cm) x 2
Power Supply
PA-300 (included)
Physical
Dimensions
38-5/16" x 15-11/16" x 6-5/16" (973 x 399 x 167 mm) Without Music Rest
Weight
22 lbs., 1 oz. (10 kg)
*1. Because the file is saved in the User Drive, optional USB Drive or SmartMedia, the maximum
number is limited according to the capacity of the drive and the maximum number of files and folders in a folder.
*2. Yamaha cannot guarantee operation of USB storage devices that you purchase.
Warranty Information:
Tech Support 714.522.9011 (Pro audio- 1 year parts and labor / Power amps & speakers- 3 years parts and labor / PSR keyboards- 1 year parts and 90 days on labor Pro keyboards- 1 year parts and 1 year labor Edrums- 1 year parts and 90 days on labor / Guitars / Acoustic- lifetime limited / Guitars/Electric- 1 year parts and 1 year labor) Yamaha Website PLEASE NOTE: We cannot ship Yamaha products outside the U.S. and its territories.
I had this psr 1500 keyboard about 6 months. It reminds me of a 1970's computer. I have spent about 100 hours trying to get the damn thing to work right. It is a mess to try to add files and work with. The registration memory either does not work or they lied about it in the instruction book. I am ready to put the damn thing in the garbage. I'll never buy another
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