Yamaha PSR1500 Arranger Workstation Digital Keyboard

YAMAHA Updated: 2007-10-03

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. To learn more about this feature, visit the Internet Direct Connection services page. 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. 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
PSR1500 ScreenThere 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
PSR3000 DrawbarsFor 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
Smartmedia CardFor 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. FDDOr, 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 StyleAccompaniment Section
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:
# XG Gold LogoGM2 – 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".