Vagabond Synth Nerd’s Journal Vol. 195 - Synth Nerd’s Gear Buying Guide and Live Gear Report Part 2

In the previous article, I gave an additional report on my YC61, starting with a live recording of the band. The sound of the YC61 recorded live was even better than the impression I had heard in the studio as a Hammond organ simulation equipment. As a result, I consider the YC61 to be a hit for me.

Yamaha / YC61 Stage Keyboard

■ What is the Process for Actually Purchasing a Keyboard Instrument?

When purchasing a keyboard, you may be wondering how it actually sounds.
The homepages of musical instrument makers are filled with manuscripts that emphasize the good points of the instruments in question. It is only natural. However, users want to know the true nature of the instrument, including its shortcomings.

When I purchase a piece of equipment, I read the manufacturer's website and check the specifications. I also visit a music store to check the sound of the actual instrument. However, this is not the actual sound in the studio, but rather the sound at a lower volume than normal. Since the sound is monitored at a low volume, it is very difficult to determine the true level of the sound.
But it is not possible to take the instruments to a live venue to check the sound. And it is almost impossible to get a true sense of how the sound will sound in a band, since it depends on the musical form and the balance of the output levels.

One of the reasons I decided to purchase the YC61 was because I heard a clerk at a certain music store play a certain genre of music, and his comment that the sound came through well. I am of the opinion that the comments of actual users are more persuasive.

The best thing to do may be to go to a live music club that plays the kind of music you are interested in and listen to the sound of musicians using the instruments you want and their impressions of using them.

I had been thinking about buying a Yamaha DX7II and a Roland D-50 (both great synthesizers) and was curious about the actual sound. I wanted to know what would happen when I detuned the sound by having two sound sources. Also, as for the D-50, I did not know what the sound of a mixture of digital and analog systems would be like.

Yamaha DX7IID (cited from Yamaha HP)

Roland D-50, public domain (from Wikipedia)

So I went to a live house in Roppongi to listen to keyboardist Soichi Noriki's session and was able to confirm the sound. Mr. Noliki was playing with a DX7IIFD and a D-50 stacked on top of each other. The sound that Mr. Noliki was producing was so wonderful that it became a major factor in my decision to purchase the product.

DX7II for the electric piano system and D-50 for the lead and pad systems, this combination is now the standard for AOR, J-pop, etc. It has long been the bass setting on my own keyboard as well.

And the fact that sounds that could only be produced by the combination of these two synthesizers can now be easily produced by a single YC61, is an episode that shows the progress of the times.

It would be nice if we had an environment where we could check the sound in this way, but that would be quite a challenge. It is even more difficult if you want to compare instruments of the same sound. I hope this report will be of help to you in such cases.

I used to have a Nord Electro 4D, an organ simulator similar to the YC61. I liked the organ sound, and I could even do splits on the organ sounds. However, I could not split the synth sounds and the organ sounds. Other than that, it lacked a pitch bend wheel and a modulation wheel, and the other Rose-type sounds were not to my liking.

The YC61, on the other hand, had both Hammond and Rose-type sounds that I liked, as well as my favorite FM sound sources. It also has a full range of synth sounds, and the pads sound great. You can also split the piano and synth sounds and do pitch bends. The keys are easy to play, so I decided to switch to the YC61, and here I am.

In a sense, music equipment is all about good sound output. If there are two or three sounds that you like, you can usually get a good sound out of that instrument. You just have to trust your own ears to make that decision.
Generally, the higher the price, the better the sound. I recommend that you buy the more expensive one, especially for keyboard instruments such as synthesizers, even if it is a bit overwhelming.

■ Surprising Presence of AWM2 Sound Source

As an addendum to the features, there is one more impressive episode with the YC61. That is the sound quality of the AWM (Advanced Wave Memory) 2 sampling sound source installed in the YC61.

Originally, I am not a big fan of sampled instruments, so I do not have a sampled instrument main synthesizer.

I have also used the sampled Fender Rose piano type sound installed on the YC61 in a live performance, and I am happy to report that it sounded very clear.
My perception of sampled sound as “a sound with little presence and poor quality” has been successfully dispelled.

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