Hi,

The only people who know this, are not gonna tell it… 😉

However, I posted the idea for more choir voices in the CP series last week in Ideascale.

https://yamahasynth.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Voice-request-suggestion-choirs/282561-45978

I also posted some other ideas. Feel free to check them out and give them an upvote. 😀

When I bought my CP88, I was doubting between CP, RD2000 and SV-2.

Voice quality, overall interface and keybed+action convinced me for CP. I think it’s the best stage piano I ever owned.

Thanks. I'll check out Ideascale - wasn't aware of the existence of that until your post 🙂

So the relative dearth of voices in the CP doesn't hinder you?

Did you consider the Korg Grandstage at all? I too considered the SV-2; simply stunning-looking machine (I wish more companies cared more for the aesthetics) but hobbled by the fact you have to use software to set up layers/splits!

Yes, I considered the SV-2. I think it was mainly because of the appealing demos I saw on YouTube. 😮 😀 I also liked the fact there’s a speaker version (made me think of my good old Yamaha P250…).

The action on the SV-2 is (more or less) the same as the Nord Stage 2 EX and the Korg Grandstage I used to own. Fine, not special. I thought I’d like the interface, but I really missed a simple display (to see where I am). And then, like you mentioned, the fact you have to connect it to a laptop to split and layer, is really stupid (I think).

I didn’t have the chance to try the RD2000 back then, but the CP88 really ticked all those boxes the SV-2 left open. And when I just got it, I didn’t miss all these Other sounds. But yeah, some “basic stage piano sounds” are still missing out. Not because you really need them for gigs (in my case), but you just love to play with them from time to time. I love that the updates come with new voices (keep them coming Yamaha!).

Also, remember the CP88 had a 4-zone MIDI controller function. So if you have, say, an iPhone/iPad, you can get your other choir voices or whatever from there, and call them up with Live Sets, either by themselves, or split/layered with native CP sounds.

Good point, Scott! Just buy the appropriate usb cable and connect it to your iOS device - provided you have one of course. I do use this sometimes, especially in combination with Mellotron apps.

I also have a reface YC connected to my CP at all times, to compensate for the "lack" of good organ sounds.

The fact that you can save the MIDI settings in live sets makes it plausible for me to actually use the CP as a “master”.

But I have to admit that nevertheless it would have been nice if you had everything on board. That would save a lot of "hassle". Then again, if you need all this functionality all the time, you’d be better off with another board, like the MODX/MONTAGE series or a Nord Stage series.

The best thing about the CP is that is so simple and intuitive: you sit, you play. And under the hood (read: less intuitively) it has quite the amount of functionality one would expect from a stage piano.

Thanks guys.

I'm trepidatious about connecting external devices and relying on those for missing voices, but that's just me. It feels like I'm compensating for shortcomings (again, shortcomings in my subjective opinion only) and rather than one product you then have a gestalt, combi-product formed of different devices,each drawing power. The eco warrior in me also dislikes that approach for the fact that each device is drawing power.

That said, the iOS connectivity thing is cool. I wish Yamaha would release an Android version of SoundMondo while we're talking mobile devices; that's a baffling omission, effectively ignoring half the world's mobile users, but perhaps there's some technical reason I'm not aware of.

I actually had a MODX8. It's a stunning machine, the action is much worse than the CP/RD if you're coming at it from a pianist point of view, and of course its immense power is almost entirely buried in menus rather than the immediacy a stage piano offers, hence my move to a stage piano (I sold the MODX a few months ago.)

Despite all that's been said, I find it really odd Yamaha didn't include more voices. Surely they have all these voices in a central database and could have put more in with little effort or impact on the unit price. This is evidenced by the fact they're supplementing the voices with additions via OS updates; why not just include them to start with?

Anyway, thanks again, and let's hope Yamaha keep upping the voices count!