There is a request for an option with narrower dynamic range (reduced touch/velocity sensitivity) at Ideascale, which is officially where they look to receive suggestions... you can go there and "vote up" that suggestion at https://yamahasynth.ideascale.com/a/dtd/Add-a-Narrow-Touch-curve-option/263867-45978

This falls in a "hard to please everyone" category. Previous Yamaha gear had what many thought was "too perfect" of a sound. I think looking through motifator - there's lots of discussion about this. The answer to this was to do sampling with more attention to providing character. I think this was achieved in the last generations - character meaning imperfections. Something along the lines of what you'd expect out of typical gear. Even gear that was fairly well regulated.

I can see how this could be a pendulum swing too far for some. I do agree that it would be nice to have some of the "old" Yamaha approach with some "sterile" Rd electric pianos in the mix. I think there's at least one demonstrated with the least flaws that does a pretty good job. Maybe EQ can help smooth out some of this. Still, I don't see huge harm - space allowing - to add a couple sterile EPs and pianos.

I can also say that studio monitors can do a lot for (and against) a sound. I really was frustrated by my S90XS when I brought it home and plugged it in to my system. What I heard in the store was so much better than I was able to get out of the board. The pianos had sections/regions that were unplayable. I went online and found lots of users with similar complaints. But I also knew it was night/day difference between the store and my studio. What I did was minimize the differences and bought the same monitors that were at the store. They happened to be Yamaha branded - so I thought this would provide a better fit. And - it sure did.

For all I know - you've got the "perfect" setup in your sound reinforcement. The same stuff the engineers used to bless the sound of the YC. But - maybe not. Perhaps that's a component working against you.

It would be interesting to learn what your sound reinforcement setup is (monitors, etc). I didn't see that detail here or in the video. Running mono or stereo? Brand/model of monitor(s)? etc. If the recording was done differently (direct in, etc - w/o monitors) then that detail would be helpful.

I'm not dismissing anything here - only letting you know from my personal experience that what's plugged into the outputs can make a big difference so it would be good to document that.

The one, only and primary task of the YC "stage board" is to replicate organ and keys accurately. If it doesn't then there's a big problem.

The YC doesn't have 1,000 different voices (as has been pointed out to me) so the 60-ish it does have should be near perfection in the year 2020-21.

However I think they just recycled the same old voices 10 times over and over and over.

Try the SKpro for a comparison. It has some additional characteristics and lots more functionality. I haven't micro-analyzed the samples however.

The YC doesn't have 1,000 different voices (as has been pointed out to me) so the 60-ish it does have

Not counting its organ sounds, the YC has 139 sounds.

Try the SKpro for a comparison. It has some additional characteristics and lots more functionality. I haven't micro-analyzed the samples however.

Not counting its organ or mono synth sounds, the SK Pro has, I believe, about 300 sounds. Though they are also more editable, and there are more total user locations into which you can save your customized sounds. It has some other nice features, too. Though you do lose some things relative to the YC as well, like the real-time effects controls. It's also a more complicated board to operate, and some people are drawn to the YC largely for its relative simplicity.

Oh yes I meant to type 160-ish but I think your number is more correct.

You can build custom SKpro voices up to 4 parts and then use those as a new voice in your set without losing capacity. It's much more versatile with in-depth editing.

I see it has an update I need to load. It's just more enjoyable than the YC but what's really super amazing is to compliment the organ (already fantastic) using a mono-synth nuance.

I could play with this feature endlessly. Brilliant idea to add it to this board. Once you've heard all the YC has to offer it does get boring fast.

I can only layer 3 voices on YC (one must be the organ) and that is pretty limited after a while. It still sounds good but nothing revolutionary.

If you loop the MIDI cable you can get 2 organs layered at once. Because it can only layer 3 voices that's why I thought it should contain at least double the 139-ish.

No doubt it's simplistic and probably too simplistic especially when the competition is getting clever and offering much more excitement. Or call it enchantment.

Still seems Yamaha just took the previous board and added the organ to it. No real engineering marvel with the YC. The only real YC enchantment are the lit draw bars which I like.

FM is nothing new except they used it to create the FM organ. Still no way to edit the FM engine & the limited platform makes that highly unlikely to happen.

Maybe, just maybe they designed an Easter Egg inside but knowing Yamaha and their "stage board" philosophy, I'm betting nothing significant can be added to it.

Their "expandability" claim is just for standard OS updates with a few new samples tossed in. Generally it's just a dead end board to be replaced by the next model using the same old samples from the last 10 boards and 1 or 2 other bell & whistles added to it yet again.

Sound like, instead of the YC61, you'd have preferred something more like a MODX6 with the organ engine added! Maybe in the future...

I'm a little fortunate because I can buy many boards for comparison (maybe that's a curse) but for many people they can or will only buy one to meet their primary need.

Once they realize more options are available in other competitor boards they will begin drifting away from Yamaha. Maybe I've just been here for way too long and grown really tired of the "Yamaha Way". Something else new and different is super refreshing.

Way too much Yamaha regurgitation and their system controls & logic is always so hard to follow. Good products but it's just getting old hearing the same sounds on the new boards while much more interesting stuff is coming out elsewhere.

If they can't stop the recycling and invent something revolutionary while still being 100% usable then I'll just keep looking elsewhere.

Nothing has changed much since the DX revolution and all those new technologies that were hitting us for a short while. I've been listening to classic rock lately with all those synths in the music and today it's not that much different.

Everything has a new twist or new wrapper/packaging or double/triple the memory etc. but it's still essentially just the same as it was back then only more of it.

Roland reinvented or resurrected the workstation with tons of free content. That was decently impressive whereas Yamaha chose to go away from the workstation.

Different philosophies. I suppose if you just go out and buy one board every10 years none of what I'm saying matters. I probably am expecting too much and what 95% of the population doesn't play the keys of any sort? I guess it is what it is and we should be happy companies are still making boards of any kind.

I'm not an organ guy but the SKpro has got me hooked and/or enchanted for the time being. It just has something magically fun going on.

Hi, I posted this discussion (started it with the request for consistent Rhodes voices and much less sensitive touch option).
Replier Jason above asked what kind of amps/speakers I use. For years, and several synths, I've used old Kenwood hifi stereo speakers with a woofer and tweeter in wood cabinets. Amp is a '70s unusually versatile Gibson G20 guitar amp with practically infinite bass and treble boost if wanted. Bodacious bass boost plus the Kenwoods is great for B3 organ bass sound and left hand bass guitar. After viewing my You Tube vid (recorded directly from YC 61 to digital recorder), linked in the post above, I struggle to comprehend that anyone could consider the demo'ed flaws as acceptable "character", and that a Rhodes sample free of such glaringly different sounding few notes in current YC samples would be "sterile". Notes of noticeably different volume levels in samples? Notes of sharply different timbres then neighboring notes? I'll take a consistent "sterile" (negative judgemental term) sample, with even volume notes and similar timbre to neighboring notes (not one muffled note surrounded by trebly notes); if such consistency is "sterile" to Jason, I still would much prefer the consistency. Fine Steinways and Yamaha acoustic grand pianos aren't sent out with clinker notes of different volume or timbre than neighboring notes. Factory new Rhodes electrics had even volume and timbre across the board. Clinkers appeared after years of hard use. Not desirable "character", to my ears. To me, there is plentiful "character" in the way all Rhodes notes respond to touch/velocity keystrikes. That "bark", the increase in upper harmonics when you play a note harder. That's factory fresh type Rhodes sound. A few sampled notes sprinkled in of sharply different volume or timbres isn't character, it's an annoying flaw to my ears. Bring on some consistent, even, what Jason calls "sterile" Rhodes samples. I call them clean, with plenty of character in the touch response changes in note sounds.

I don't have a YC - so I cannot speak directly about the EP sounds. My frame of reference is the Montage's EPs which I assume are very close to the current gen YC series.

My reference for older EPs is the Motif ES and EX5R.

I think you have a split of two camps. I do believe there are more players out there than me who prefer "character" (imperfections) in the sound. There would certainly also be plenty that feel strongly about a more "smooth" sound. There's space for both. If the YC doesn't present both or a combination of EQ, sound reinforcement, and preset can't get you there - then that certainly decreases the flexibility.

Even though I have my bias - I haven't dismissed your opinion. I can't do that - it's subjective. We're looking at the same painting and getting different impressions from it. Neither of us are wrong. It's not a right and wrong kind of thing.

That you don't dig the sound means perhaps try some tweaks (as I'm sure you've already started) to try to push the sound more into the zone of acceptability. The request for a different tine EP is reasonable. It may take some time for that to materialize, if ever. It's a bread-and-butter kind of request so it's more likely at materializing than other sounds.

Your sound reinforcement approach is very close to a setup I had a while back.

Someone was says something similar calling "imperfections" or what I call poor or lazy sampling as having "character". That sounds like marketing spin and BS straight from Yamaha.

Again if they create a board that does nothing (no workstation features or deep customization/creation, personal features or real expandability or massive content etc.) except organ and keys calling it a "stage board", then those few sounds that it does do need to be the best on the planet.

I enjoyed some of them but most were the same ole same ole Yamaha re-gifted samples.

Now if you don't own any other Yamaha boards than this might be fine. What made the YC61 nice is you could carry it anywhere.

I don't know if the other versions made any sense to manufacture. Very nice construction but again pretty boring after a month. I have the YC73.

I sit down and turn on my SKpro more often than my YC. YC wasn't outside the box thinking whatsoever, just adding the organ to the pervious version. The FM is nice but not very much of it.

Yes, now that I think about it the YC61 for around $1500 is a good deal but no more and for its portability. If you want a 73 keys with waterfall keys save up for the SKpro or find a resale or demo unit. It's a ton of fun.

There's no marketing BS here - I don't pull any punches. I have older gear that has less character and like the new EPs better. That's just my subject opinion. You're certainly entitled to a different one.

As a side note - the Montage's free Chick Corea set, to me, is an example of a more "perfect" EP. I don't connect to this as much as the newer EPs that I believe are seen as unfavorable here. None of us are incorrect for having our own opinions.

I do agree it would be best to have both approaches available.