Yamaha P-515 club

nhanzero · 2021-10-04T10:57:09+00:00

Just got here from PW, I do feel this place is much more elegant, and because I want to tell the world about my new beauty also!

RIP

HZPiano In this context, I do not consider any AvantGrand or Novus hybrid; investments of such amounts should go (in my little world!) to proper instruments. That would mean acoustic piano 😋 and/or acoustic double bass 😋.

I totally agree that the price of new hybrid pianos is hard to justify for anybody who has not any constraints stopping them from purchasing an acoustic. On the other hand (at least here in the USA) it's possible to get a hybrid of previous generation at more reasonable price (still high, but comparable to say the Concert Artist digital, rather than a good acoustic). For example, I bought, owned and then sold an NU1, contributing in my way to that market. If it weren't for my space/family limitations (can't have three pianos) and intentions to build my own (see below), I would have kept it. At its used price it was a great instrument, even with its own small (for me) problems.

Of course the other option which yours truly broken record continues to mention is Cybrid/Mybrid, which is part of the reason I sold the NU1. @JayKominek just yesterday made some additional push to the github repo (which I haven't examined yet) which should make that option one step closer for everybody. Obviously that mean procuring an old acoustic anyway, but IIRC one of you Europeans mentioned that as not as an impossible option as it was decades ago when I lived there.

CyberGene

Hybrids are for people who need the real action but can’t afford to play a loud acoustic instrument and/or can’t accommodate a big grand piano. Unfortunately that’s exactly my case 😕 I would’ve paid even more for it just because I had no choice. BTW, with the N1X I haven’t had a single moment of hesitation whether I need it for the last two years. It’s been one of the best purchases in my life because it not only fulfills all my current needs (and falls within the mentioned living space/noise limitations) but also brings me an everyday joy. I haven’t experienced that with any other piano or thing I’ve purchased, including real estate, cars, electronics, gizmos, etc. I just love it so much ❤️ It could’ve been better of course, e.g. have VST-level of samples, but even now I find it sufficient. I haven’t recorded recently, only practice, which is why I only use the internal CFX sound and while in a direct comparison with Garritan CFX it falls short in lushness, it’s nevertheless a very playable sound (more so than Garritan CFX) that is extremely satisfying and “good enough” for everything except for polished show-off recordings. I think the internal sound engine when played through its keyboard is the next best thing to a real acoustic piano in terms of control over dynamics and learning how to improve the finest details in your playing.

HZPiano

CyberGene brings me an everyday joy. I haven’t experienced that with any other piano or thing I’ve purchased, including real estate, cars, electronics, gizmos, etc. I just love it so much ❤️

Essential factor. Now I do want one 😋. But out of my reach unfortunately.

Cheers and the happiest joy,

HZPiano

CyberGene I think the internal sound engine when played through its keyboard is the next best thing to a real acoustic piano in terms of control over dynamics and learning how to improve the finest details in your playing

Very appealing. I do need to go experience this in a store. On my first 'outdoor' piano exploration since a very long time (Covid and other factors having been prohibitive) I was -- after lovely acoustic experiences -- too exhausted so deliberately skipped a few departments.

Hope to be on a second and probably third such 'excursion' soon.

Cheers and happy proficiency carving,

HZPiano

RIP yours truly broken record continues to mention is Cybrid/Mybrid

So interesting -- interesting -- interesting…

I really shouldn't -- shouldn't -- shouldn't…

So nice -- nice -- nice…

Must resist -- resist -- resist…

😲

I do look forward to the outcomes of your build(s)! (Reckon it'll be on hold, just as your participation in the 'Clack is 😉).

Cheers and happy building,

Pete14

CyberGene It could’ve been better of course, e.g. have VST-level of samples, but even now I find it sufficient……..

I wonder how far away we are from the next-generation “hybrid.”

As you point out, the N1X is already a marvel of technology that also happens to be an instrument, but, as good as it is, it is only an ‘update’ to the original AG; granted, a substantial update, but not a full redesign.

It’s been around 13 years since the first AvantGrand, and back then Yamaha had no competition; today there’s the Novus, and who knows if Casio decides to go all the way with Bechstein, and, nine months later, a baby hybrid!

Sales-wise it seems like these hybrids have been a huge success for Yamaha, and I would assume they’d like to stay ahead of the competition, so yes, I eagerly look forward to Yamaha’s next hybrid, but just like CG, I love the current offering(s) and wouldn’t mind owning me an N1X. I’ve played it, and it is just a beauty of an instrument.

I am excited for the future of the hybrid; I just hope it doesn’t take them too long to deliver it…….2024?

CyberGene

HZPiano take in mind that I specifically mean that it’s the next best thing after an acoustic piano in emulating an acoustic piano 😀 To put that in perspective, I gave my Kawai ES7 to my mother in law, who’s a piano teacher. She recently said: it’s so easy to play well on that Kawai, it almost plays by itself. But I still prefer my upright. I think it summarizes things well. Digital pianos may play and feel better than an acoustic piano at first sight. But acoustic pianos have quirks that may give you some weird satisfaction that a digital cannot. I’m looking for a good analogy but I can’t find one. Maybe a classic sports car versus a modern everyday car. They have overlaps. And they have differences. And it’s not correct to ask which one is the better car. Better for what, for whom? 😉

HZPiano

CyberGene All spot-on, CG!

Cheers!

H💤

HZPiano

CyberGene

Last week I played a Schimmel 208 Grand. That one sure played itself, and I could see myself happy with it for years and years, very balanced sound and everything worked great. 1975, price just below an N3X (to mention something).

I also played a Blüthner 180 Grand (first-ever Blüthner I met, that super-made my week+!!). That one played great yet was a tad more challenging, but it truly stole my heart and actually moved me to tears! It sang the most beautiful and heartwarming of any piano I ever touched (including very, very expensive ones) so far. 1892(!), price just a tad above that N3X.

Anyway. Boy that was special.

Cheers and happy emotions,

H💤

[deleted]

I have a newby question about hooking a VST up to my P515. Am I supposed to be able to get the sound to go back through the DP speakers? If so, what are the settings supposed to be? So far the software registers the notes being played on the piano but no sound anywhere. I tried turning local control off and also the audio loopback but nothing….

Drew-r

[deleted]

Pete14 should be able to quickly cover all of the checkpoints & gotchas for getting VSTs sounding via USB to/thru the 515’s speakers but …. its way too late for today, it is already after 10 PM, past his bed time, in a van, down by a river. He’ll probably be back come sunup….. ifin his campfire doesn’t go out which means no hot coffee at sunup and therefore a prickly Pete until he fully wakes up.

Meantime, if your VST computer is Mac/iPad, it should be fairly straightforward but if Windows, at a minimum you need the Steinberg driver …. and possibly a shaman or other general purpose occultist to gett’er working. 😉 It looks like you’re computer is seeing MIDI data coming in from the DP but your computer should also show it’s USB port with some active audio devices that represent your DP.

https://usa.yamaha.com/support/updates/index.html?c=music_production&k=Yamaha+Steinberg+USB

[deleted]

Drew-r Much obliged for the response. Turns out it was something as simple as making sure a volume slider isn't set to zero. duh!

Drew-r

[deleted]

Okay, good.

Do tell. I don’t do VSTs , which makes me more newby’er than you in this case but curious nonetheless; which slider …. the 515 has a USB audio slider?

Pete14

Drew-r Pete14 should be able to quickly cover all of the checkpoints & gotchas for getting VSTs sounding via USB to/thru the 515’s speakers but …. its way too late for today, it is already after 10 PM, past his bed time, in a van, down by a river. He’ll probably be back come sunup….. ifin his campfire doesn’t go out which means no hot coffee at sunup and therefore a prickly Pete until he fully wakes up.

Well done, Drew-r!

It’s good to know that newbie (questions) are given our full attention even if it comes down to “I’m not getting any sound; should I raise the volume slider?”

For those of you cutting corners and mistreating newbies, know that ‘somebody’s watching you’; and even after I hit the sack, I have a little bird that keeps an eye on you and informs me of everything going on ‘round here when I’m away.

[deleted]

Drew-r no not exactly - notice how I used the word “like” - TBH I’m not exactly sure what I did I to get it to function. I was fiddling with so many controls. I was able to do it twice so whatever I did worked.

Drew-r

[deleted]

Understood …. sort of 🙂….. at the least i can understand that if you got whatever volume control issue working to your satisfaction, you are probably content to continue on as though the matter is resolved.

For me, i continue to be baffled with Yamaha’s combined logic - the scattered way (painfully illogical IMO) they write owner’s manuals plus the way they nest numerous features/functions within a given model’s config/menu tree. IMO, any literate person with a given model owner’s manual who does not have the model in front of them, should be able to figure out how to operate all the basic functions and at least some of the advanced functions just by reading / comprehending the manual. I regularly have difficulty with this. Worse, ive seen time and again other literate people who posses both the DP and it’s manual but still have difficulty figuring out functions/settings across the range from simple to complex; volume controls among them.

Best i can tell, p515 has one physical/mechanical volume control - Master Slider - on the top panel, but has so many different logical / config volume controls nesting all over the system menu, i can not accurately name/number all of them, but this list seems to start with IAC and branches out all over the place from there. On the one hand, this makes me somewhat glad i do not have a yami model in front of me but on the other hand, i sort of think i’d like to have one BUT am somewhat reluctant to go there 😬

[deleted]

It’s a little less confusing when you are actually using the p515 although I do agree the manual could be written better. My particular problem was with the actual software I was using not really understanding it. But the fog is lifting…

[deleted]

I have a question - hopefully there's an easy answer. I'm able to record using Audacity with my PC tablet hooked up to my P515 using a MIDI to USB type C connector. But i seems I can only record the onboard voices. Once I hook up my VST, Audacity doesn't get the signal. In order to hear the VST through my piano speakers, I have local control turned off on my P515. Seems like Audacity only receives a signal if local control is set to on, but then it gets the onboard voices from the P515 and not the sound of the VST. Do i need to scrap Audacity and use something else? Or is there a solution?

thanks

DPPianoPhil

[deleted]

I think you need Audio Loopback to be on, so that sound sent to your DP from the VST can be turned around to the device using Audacity to record it. The problem that Audio Loopback off is fighting is that there could be a loop damaging to the hardware, if sound sent to the DP and then returned by the DP to the originating device is then returned again by that device to the DP, causing as you can see in a real loop (like one of these analog feedback loops that produce a high screeching sound).

So, if you do enable Audio Loopback to be on, make sure the device is not rerouting the incoming sound back to the DP. Audacity won't do that (if you select the proper output port for monitoring to be on the device itself, or disable monitoring altogether), but your VST might, I don't know, I still don't do VSTs, lol!

[deleted]

DPPianoPhil Thanks - however, if I leave loopback on, then what I end up recording is the onboard Yamaha CFX voice and not the VST voice, which is the problem I'm trying to solve

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