News
LIMS 09: Yamaha unveils new high-end synth line
Rob Hughes at ExCel, London Jun 12 2009, 10:52am
S90XS and S70XS are high-spec, high performance instruments aimed at the serious live keyboard player
Yamaha has unveiled the latest additions to its acclaimed and award-winning professional synthesizer lineup at the London International Music Show. The S90XS and the S70XS are both high-spec and high performance instruments, aimed at the serious live keyboard player.
The two new models share the same internal operating system, connectivity and sound engine and are only differentiated by their physical keyboard lengths. The S90XS features the full length 88-note balanced hammer action while the shorter S70XS features a more compact 76-note balanced hammer key bed, making it a practical, more easy to transport instrument.
Both models have a substantial 456 MB of onboard wave memory, which, at almost twice the size of many models, has allowed the Yamaha sound design team to create some of the most expressive and realistic sounds available in a professional music synthesizer. With 142 megabytes devoted exclusively to piano type waveforms, these include a vast collection of samples taken from Yamaha's very own S6 Handcrafted Concert Grand.
Both models have been developed in conjunction with live performance players and as a result feature a new Performance Creator function, which makes it simple to create layers and splits and removes the usual complexities of combining voices. New display modes make it simple to see the settings onstage and 16 illuminated performance control switches make intricate parameter changes a simple and risk-free operation, even in the dark. Four real-time knobs and faders add to the hands-on, uncomplicated interface, giving access to the most commonly used parameters during performance. A useful and sensible panel lock feature is also incorporated, preventing accidental changes during any animated performances.
New to these models is a valuable audio recording and playback feature. CD-quality audio data can easily be recorded to the internal flash memory or to external USB storage devices allowing players to instantly capture anything played on the keyboard along with audio sources connected to the quarter-inch or XLR Combo jack input. The internal virtual modeling effects section also makes it possible to apply high quality compression, reverb and other DSP effects (including a vocoder) to the mic input.
The new synths also integrate well with computers, featuring internal templates for the editing soft synths and hardware control of DAWs. A VST3 editor allows the S90XS and S70XS to appear and be controlled as VST instruments, so they could easily become the cornerstone of a computer-based composition environment.
Peter Peck, marketing manager for Music Production at Yamaha Music UK said: “We are delighted to be here at the London International Music Show with the world launch of the new S series music synthesizers. Over the years, the world's leading artists have played both our S series and Motifs onstage and we are pleased to have been able to learn from their operational experiences to help create these new instruments. By answering the needs of the professional performer, we believe that the synth player can now finally enjoy and be inspired by the performance rather than having to concentrate on modes, menus and multis.”
The new S90XS and S70XS will be available in the UK and Ireland from September 2009 with a targeted retail price of £2821 and £2717, including VAT, respectively. For further information visit www.yamahasynth.com.
