Yamaha S03 Keyboard

With chorus and reverb. AWM2 tone generator.

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customer reviews

Rate and Review This Product:

89 People rated this product : * * * * * * * * * * 8 out of 10

3 People wrote reviews

* * * * * * * * * * 3 out of 10

"where's the fun?"

Feature:
this product i purchased was just the basics, i already have foot controls,i use this keyboard as the main board for my music production, all the features on this keyboard are impressive.

Quality:
inside this keyboard their must be billions of components the average musician can't even begin to conceive, i am happy with the quality of this machine but wish is user-friendly.

Value:
i think you spend too much money for a keyboard that is wrapped up in jibberish only the late great thinkers of our century can follow.

Desirability:
what do think that has to do with it, even if it was shaped like a lollipop as long as a four year old can operate it,technically if the engineer has burn-out from meeting deadlines you loose all concept of practicality.

Sound:
i went to a music store where i heard the so3 for the first time, i knew i had to have this keyboard, every dynamic of sound was a thrill to hear especially for what i wanted to do with it, it took me 6 months to get it but now the time is here and i am happy to say i own one.

Ease of Use:
now for all serious purposes, this is one of the worst set of instructions in their manuels yamaha has ever devised, i spend hours reading the steps to get started and with no effect,i get frustrated with the writers who put this together, i am not a holder of any kind of electronic degree, but you almost have to be a rocket scientist to operate this keyboard.

Support:
goodluck trying to find support, it appears the only positive thing about support is someone on the other communications line is breathing because they seem to send you to another link where all you see a page and nobody live to relay your problems.

Overall:
i just want to get my music production going so i can make a living, although i have thought about casio product, yamaha has been disappointing to me when it comes to sensible and fun, i feel like an idiot if i havew to go the a music store to ask how do you operate this keyboard,

Submitted: 7/5/2007

Style of Music: style is what you make of it

* * * * * * * * * * 7 out of 10

"Is anything better at this price?"

Feature:
It's missing aftertouch...

Quality:
They cut some corners... plastic cabinet, lightweight pitch & mod benders, surface mount external jacks (like the power jack, which was broken on the used one I bought. I wish these companies would stop doing that. I know it's cheap, but it's not built to last). The action is mushy, but it's OK for what I'm using it for.

Value:
Excellent value for the money.

Sound:
Sounds are terrific... I am adding this to my rig that includes two QS series synths and it does some things VERY well.

Ease of Use:
You couldn't ask for an easier interface.

Support:
Don't know.

Overall:
If you need a passle of high quality patches that are quick to get to, this is not a bad choice.

Submitted: 11/17/2006

Style of Music: Whatever people will buy

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About This Product!
Description
Docs
Introducing the newest and most portable member of Yamaha's S Series synthesizers - the S03. Whether you're an aspiring artist, a performing keyboardist, or you simply want to try your hand at making music, the S03 is just the keyboard for you. Bridging the gap between professional sound quality and affordability, it gives you over 700 incredible voices, including many sounds from Yamaha's top-of-the-line S80 synthesizer.

It also features full XG/GM compatibility, 64 notes of polyphony, 16 multi parts, and complete synthesizer editing capability. There's even a "To Host" serial interface that lets you connect it directly to your Windows¬ or Macintosh¬ computer.

Over 700 Incredible Voices
Never before has a keyboard this affordable offered so many high-quality sounds. Packed into the S03's huge waveform memory (equivalent to 25MB in linear 16-bit conversion) is a complete range of voices for virtually any style of music. All the essentials, including an exhaustive selection of stunning grand pianos, punchy basses, ultra expressive solo and ensemble strings, and more, are included - many of which have been taken from Yamaha's acclaimed S-80 and S-30 professional synthesizers.

But that's not all. There's also a vast collection of breathtaking synthesizer textures and avant-garde sounds suitable for anything from movie soundtracks to dance music. And because the S03 features 64 notes of polyphony, you can play long sustaining passages and rich multi-layered chords without worrying about notes cutting off.

Quick Access to the Sounds You Want
Although the S03 is loaded with hundreds of high-quality voices, finding the one you want is quick and easy. Simply press the Category Search button and select an instrument type, such piano, organ, bass, or strings. The S03 will locate all the related factory voices, allowing you to browse through them one at a time. Perfect for when you need to quickly find a particular sound on stage, or for comparing the different voices within an instrument category.

Full XG Compatibility
General MIDI (GM) is a standardized set of synthesizer voices and MIDI parameters that allows song data to be exchanged with other GM-compatible devices, regardless of the manufacturer. Although quite useful, the GM standard has a relatively limited number of instruments and voice parameters, which in turn limits the expressiveness and variety of music that can be created with it. Yamaha's XG standard, however, addresses these shortcomings by providing more voices (480 + 12 drum kits), more effects, better dynamics, and greater control over MIDI parameters - all this, while retaining full compatibility with the original GM standard. Because the S03 is fully XG compatible, you can be assured that GM MIDI song files will sound their absolute best.

High-Quality Digital Effects
Just as important as the waveforms themselves, a high-quality effects processor is an essential part of a synthesizer's voice architecture. And Yamaha - a world leader in digital effects processing technology - has equipped the S03 with rich reverb and chorus effects as well as a wide selection of variation effects such as delays and distortions. A total of 64 different effect types are available.

Large Easy-To-See Display
Unlike the small 2-line displays used in most competing keyboards, the S03's custom backlit LCD screen makes it easy to see the names of voices and other parameters at a glance.

Technical Info

Keyboard: 61 Key/Initial Touch

Tone Generator: AWM2

Multi-timbres: 16

Polyphony: 64 Notes

Reverb: 11

Chorus: 11

Variation: 42

XG Bank Voices: Normal: 480, Drum Kits 20

Preset bank: Normal: 128

User Bank: Normal: 128, Drum Kits: 2

User Multi: 32

Controllers: Pitch Bend Wheel, Modulation Wheel, Master Volume Slider

Output: L/MONO, R (1/4 in. Jack)

Foot Controller input

Foot Switch input

MIDI: In/Out/Thru

To Host: 1 (Mini Din)

Dimensions (W x D x H): 38-1/4 x 11-1/4 x 3-1/4 in. (976 x 285 x 87mm)

Weight: 12.56 lbs. (5.7 kg)

Free downloadable Voice Editor availible.
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