Yamaha’s v1.3 OS update for its YC series stage keyboards might be full of new features, but it turns out that many of them are inspired by instruments from the company’s past.
In response to requests from the Yamaha IdeaScale community there’s a new CP80 electric grand piano voice so that you can channel your inner Tony Banks/Phil Collins, and 16 classic DX7 sounds have been added, too (bass, brass and pad patches to be precise). Not every addition is retro, though; there are also 16 additional ‘modern’ FM sounds.
On the acoustic piano front there’s a new Hamburg Grand, while the fashionable Felt Piano from Yamaha’s CP series also makes an appearance.
There are other improvements, too. The FM organs get vibrato and chorus, the pan settings for each part can now be adjusted individually, and parts can now be linked for quick control over overall volume, tone, filter/EQ and effect settings (useful when you’ve set up splits and layers). Improvements have been made to the rotor speaker functionality, too.
The v1.3 OS update is compatible with all three YC keyboards (the YC61, YC73 and YC88) and can be downloaded now from the Yamaha website.
