I have the YC61 + CP88 and this is as close to the perfect gigging rig that I’ve used. Love these boards and hope Yamaha keep improving them with future firmware updates 😊
That is my goal as well. I’m a CP fan for years. The CP 88 is the first step, then the YC 61. Using the YC sounds or incorporating other iPad apps or VSTs is simply ideal.
I love my YC 88 it has alot of incredible sounds and the organ part is amazing. I gigged with a B3 back in the 70s great organ, I wished the YC 88 was around back then. I can finally go to with one board now
I bought an YC73 ten days ago. Programming drawbars to drive your Hammond VST is extremely easy. I use GigPerformer (strongly suggested) as VST host on a MacBookPro. It has a midi monitor. So moving your physical drawbars you get on screen the CC number used by Yamaha keyboard. Then you can map those CC to control Hammond 3BX. It's a job of 3 minutes... I don't know on iPad but I think B3X can do exactly the same
I watched several of your previous vids before ordering my YC61 in November. Kudos for this great “year later” update. FWIW, I use my YC in a two board setup w/the Yammie on the top, hammer weight 88 controller (old Alesis Q8.1 (Fatar)) on the bottom. I’ve created several live sets that are killer for my work. Good stuff! Thus far, I’ve only used mine for studio work and practice. Like you, a “heavy” player of acoustic pianos in my youth (uprights, grands) but also Rhodes, Wurly, B3 and early synths. For my current gig, I play more organ than piano but for me, feel is critical for Piano/EP!! As happy as I am with the setup, it’s a lot of “stuff” to move around so I’ve thought about trading the 61 for the 88 and ditching the 48lb 88 but concerned about losing too much of organ feel. PS - agree that the 5-pin MIDI out, USB/iOS integration, and the easy per patch tweaking of sounds are all killer features of the YC series!
I greatly appreciate your videos on the YC88. I own one and I’m very happy with it. You have provided me some valuable insight into the YC’s functionality. I always seem to relate with what you share. Thx!
Super useful info in this video that a lot of other ones haven't even mentioned in passing, such as plugging in an iPad and having midi go one way and audio come back the other way on a single cable, so neat! Awesome video, thanks! :)
I’ve had the YC61 for awhile now, and it’s become the desert island keeper; if I had to sell all but one, the YC stays. I’ll soon try out the iOS integration for myself to add a little extra flavor, but regardless, there seems to be much more under the hood than I expected. I appreciate the various videos you’ve put out demonstrating some of the lesser known features of this amazingly versatile board.
steve, thanks for your in depth coverage of the YC. I bought the YC61 sight-unseen, largely because of how you went under the hood... and clearly demonstrate how this board checks all the boxes. This is an amazing board. For B3 sounds, I use the E2 narrow band comp/EQ to cut the 2K frequencies (quite aggressively) .... and I use the master EQ to boost 250-280 hz to fatten the low mids. Having recorded A100s and B3s through L145s and L122s, I can say that with this tweak, the YC just sounds perfect. My hope is that Yamaha puts a detailed EQ into the rotary speaker section (with a better out-of-the-box setting) in a future update in order to free up the FX section.... and also for the keyboardists who may not have the technical know-how. I'm curious to know if you also use the E2 on organ sounds...
Heh Daniel, great suggestion! Im using the Narrow band EQ to cut the same frees but your right, I really wish Yamaha would add a bit more comprehensive EQ as an FX to free up the Master EQ. The wide and narrow bands work great but it would be nice to have at least a 3-4 band to zero in on specific frequencies for sure!
If you want to charge it as well then you have to use a powered hub. Although, my iPad battery is pretty robust, many times longer than any gig, service, or session for sure.
Thanks for the vid. I found it very helpful. My MOFX 61 acts as my audio interface and I assumed the YC would do the same. Maybe a future firmware update can fix this? Perhaps this is a hardware limitation. Either way, the YC is a winner in terms of ease of use for live playing. 61 vs 73 keys is the final decision in my case. I’m really looking forward to leaving menu diving behind and just playing great sounds.
Very interesting, but may I ask, if you keep a full 19’ rack hooked up to the YC, what is it the YC is NOT providing you with ? Asking this since I’m moving from a master keyboard and a racky style of set-up to an all-in-one keyboard and the said master keyboard. I ruled out Nord for its sheer price, but I’m still considering the YC-73 against a fully-fledged workstation, most likely a Fantom-6 or 7.
The external rack has more to do with the specific gig and less to do with the keyboard's ability. On the gig that used the rack, I was the music director for a large theater production that had all the shows sound FX and off stage ambient cues loaded into sampler modules. This was everything from additional vocals to foley and even music tracks. All of these were controlled from the different YC88 zones on different MIDI channels in real time as the actors cues came up for each scene.
I'm waiting on my YC 61 to be delivered. I did dig how Nord did the crossfade on split points. But the YC background noise giving the Leslie horn that air sound, seems like the best. You do an amazing job on your reviews. I had a CP 88. I'm a wimp. Too heavy especially cramming in 2 solo gigs a day.
They have been surprisingly durable considering all the outdoor stuff I have used it in, dirt, wind, and even light rain once, ugh! lol Having a good case is mandatory.
My only fit to throw is that the midi recording is set to 44.1KHZ and there is no way to change it. I ended up hi-jacking a protools project to 44.1KHZ instead of 48KHZ and it cannot be changed without calling support.
Hey Steve, Love your update!! i bought a YC 61 a year ago, i love it, but my Roland KC 600 Keyboard amp doesn't really do it justice. What Speaker system do you use? I've been really struggling, especially with acoustic piano sounds live. any help would be greatly appreciated.... Thanks,,,,David
Can the three sound parts (organ and key a and key b) be mapped to different MIDI Channels and set to “Local Off” independently? I would love to use the YC’s Piano and EPiano sounds via MIDI from my (sound wise outdated) Korg SV1 (I still love its hammer keybed) and play the organ on the YC61 waterfall keybed.
While each sound engine can be set to respond to internal or external or off MIDI info, the YC series is not truly multitimbral like a sound module would be. However, the onboard Master keyboard zones functions can do all that easily in the other direction. Using the YC as the Master, you have up to 4 fully programable zones of ext MIDI control.
@@Featherlightstudio thanks for the quick and helpful response. I wonder if multimode would be an interesting feature to be implemented in an upcoming firmware update. Should not be too difficult to program… so far it looks like the YC will have to replace the SV1 then (in this case, YC61 with waterfall keybed is not an option).
If you change a patch while you're trying to sustain notes on the previous patch, does it cut off the sound as soon as the new patch is loaded? That drives me nuts. The Korg Kronos and new Nord Stage 4 are the only boards (I'm aware of) that allow you to keto sustaining notes through a patch change.
The YC is wonderful in that regard. You can have complex layers going with the hold pedal and switch to another Live Set and there is no cut off in sound just like the Nord.
Hi, thank you for the in depth video. Can I ask what your experience is with taking this keyboard in the car and/or on flights? I'm having trouble deciding between this and the yc73 because of portability issue! Thanks.
Well, like all keyboards in this category (fully weighted/graded action) its a bit heavy for sure, but they all are ( Roland, Nord, Kurzweil) Thats also what makes them fun to play. However, the 28lb YC73 is considerably lighter than the 41lb YC88, add about 20lbs more with a Gator style case ( much more with an ATA case) and things get heavy quick if your touring or flying.
Great video! Hey I just started playing in a band, and looking for a stage keyboard that will be a bit more versatile than my P-125 and was looking at the new CK series (much less $ than the YC); you mentioned DI boxes aren't needed since you have XLR - when do I need a DI box if I have L/R 1/4" line outs? Does the DI just clean up the signal for a long cable since it's balanced? (Sorry, newbie here)
Heh Tony, yeah the D.I. box converts Hi-Z signal (1/4 inch cable, guitar cable, ect) to a balanced lower Ohm signal that can travel greater distance with low noise, unlike 1/4 cables. The CK isn't really a cheaper YC, its not the same audio engines. Its actually a bigger version of the 'Reface' line. Great value for sure but not part of the YC stuff.
@@Featherlightstudio Cool thanks for that! So with my old guy band ;) I've been back and forth between my P-125 piano and my PSR-EW425 keyboard; the 125 is far better for piano stuff, but the PSR has alot more choice for organ patches, rotary knobs etc. I just tried the CK61 in store it has some new Yamaha "FSB" action that felt much more "piano playable" than the 425. That would still be a pretty big upgrade for me wouldn't it? (Take the place of the 125 and the PSR?)
@@islandtony5009 Oh definitely, far more sounds in the library and the Key Bed is matched for themPlus the hands on control of the voice parameters is so much faster than hunting through layers of menus at a gig!
Thanks for this video, I've been having some trouble getting a good live piano out of my YC. This video was helpful on so many levels. One Thing- What amp do you use live for your YC?
I use a 1u space stereo line mixer with a 1u space stereo 15 band graphic EQ inside a rack and then that output goes to (2) 12 inch powered monitors for my on stage live rig.
This is awesome, thank you so much for putting these vids together. So what’s your verdict on playing organ on it? I play on acoustic pianos most of the time and am looking to add organ to the mix. So, YC88 looks great to me. I doubt I will get to a point where I need that super fast retrigger you demonstrated but you never know. Do you feel satisfied playing organ on this, or do you ever feel like you had a faster / lighter keybed for it? I like the idea of having one keyboard in my setup, but don’t want to find myself wishing I had gotten a CP88 + dedicated organ board instead.
Im a piano player that mostly that wanted to add organ to my live setup without adding another controller and the YC88 has been the perfect for me but I'm a pretty heavy handed player. If you play mostly organ, the 61 has the better keybed for sure.
Its actually not a iPad stand at all, its just the top tier of my Ultimate Support Apex stand and the rubber pads on the top of the bracket hold it in place pretty well. If I was bouncing around more, I might have to get a more secure mount
Thank you for this review. I am currently in a Rock ‘n’ Roll band and I am playing a Roland VR 730. I kind of have a love-hate relationship with this keyboard and I’m looking to upgrade. I have considered the Yamaha YC series. Since I am a piano player at heart, I was considering the YC 88, however, I was not crazy about the 40 pound plus weight of this keyboard. I was strongly considering the YC 73, but I am wondering if I would like the keybed and action of this model. Can you please give me your thoughts and recommendations regarding the comparison between the YC 73 and YC 88 in terms of the keybed, action, and playability?
Both the YC88 and the 73 are surprising playable from a piano players point of view and I didn't really get that until I played both side by side in a music store. If there is anyway you do that, it really helps to narrow down your search. Obviously the YC88 is geared towards piano players, with the graded key bed but the YC73 is still pretty solid feeling and covers a lot more ground when playing other sounds.
@@Featherlightstudio Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, there is no local music store that carries these keyboards. In my band, I play a fair amount of organ and electric piano so the YC 73 may be better for that. But since I’m a piano player at heart, I just didn’t know how much I would like the action of the YC73. I know that I’m not that crazy about the semi weighted action of the Roland VR730.
@@jhn1987 yeah, thankfully the YC73 is NOT semi-weighted. It nicely weighted and balanced and has a familiar Rhodes style feel to it, semi weighted is much too light to play convincing piano on for sure!
@@jhn1987 Oh, the YC73 is definitely not as bad as the Roland VR730. The Roland has the same semi-weighted keybed as the YC61. ( great for Organ...sucks for everything else ) The YC73 has a very nice weighted and balanced key bed, awesome for acoustic and electric pianos.
"Add something creative to the world, it could really use it." Great final words! and great video. Would you still recommend it to someone looking to buy one? Or would you recommend waiting potentially for a new version of it?
@@markgutierrez9295 The YC lineup is still selling incredibly well for Yamaha so if they have a updated model in the works, I would guess the y would wait till the sales slump a bit. But who knows.
I'm digging mine. One thing... I wish I could go directly from one Live Set to another Live Set on another bank without stepping thru banks. Or am I missing something? Wish list... my Kawai MP7SE has a dedicated input for a 3 pedal unit... sustain, sost & soft.. I don't use it all that often, but when I do it's awesome. Speaking of sustain pedal...the manual says you can use an FC3 pedal, but I can't seem to find documentation that the YC will respond to half-pedaling. Anybody know? Thanks in advance.
@@skipeb3 you can turn the dial encoder while your Live Set is selected to enter Live Set View. From there you can scroll to the Live Set you want and then press Enter to select it.
@@Featherlightstudio Yeah, thanks. I got that. It's not quite the same as having a numeric keypad to go straight from one bank to another without doing any scrolling. Pressing the up/down buttons while in that scroll mode helps...jumps to the next bank. Whatever... it's not a perfect world. Still digging the YC big time. Thanks for the great vids, btw...
I love your YC videos! How do you keep track of which page a specific live sound is stored on during a gig? I use an iPad on top of the YC to see which pages and live set numbers correspond to the desired sound. On my other keyboard (Montage), I can easily read from the large display which sounds are assigned to each song. I'd love to hear how you manage with a smaller display on stage.
KISS - Keep it simple stupid! I love how you've simplified your keyboard rig down to just one keyboard that can do it all! I've done the same thing with my Yamaha Montage 8 (would love to get the M8x someday). I just have 1 keyboard that does it all, including any customized sequencing(via Pro Tools-DAW), ARPs, sample libraries, etc. I used to have two synths in the past, but I love the simplicity of using just a single keyboard that can do everything that 10 keyboards could do. If I had to choose, I'd take the YC (OS 1.3) over the Nord Stage 4 any day of the week. The price value on the YC is much better, since it's literally $1000's of dollars less. The YC's Hamburg Steinway can be tweaked to sound every bit as good as the White Grand Steinway on the Nord, plus the CFX, C7, Imperial, etc on the YC are awesome ... Yamaha are on par with the Nord and other high end sample based pianos they way they sample, the quality of their pianos. The YC organs are on par as well. If anything, I find they sound more natural like an actual B3 than the Nord.
Hi I have the YC 61 and Modx6+ I am looking for a good gigging sound system with power and clarity , I am using a key largo and would like to output the keyboards in stereo , I have a pair of Yamaha dxr 10 s but they sound very boxy no clarity even after eq from the YC - Can I ask what speaker system You are using or what would You reccomend ??? - There are so many options out there and I'm baffled at this stage - We would be playing medium to large gigs - Thank You
I feel your frustration. I tried a bunch as well and found in the end that powered speakers in general were pretty hard to use unless they had at least a 3 band EQ built into them. Problem is not many do anymore. Mostly 'sound contours' or presets which rarely give you enough control over your live sound. This is why I also use a 15 band stereo EQ in my keys rack BEFORE the signal goes out to my 2 powered monitors. Much more control.
What do you use for amplification for the YC on stage? I assume some kind of stereo arrangement. What do you recommend? Thank you for your great and helpful videos.
Heh Rick, I use 2 Mackie thumps in front of me left and right of the YC88. I have a small 3 space rack before the Mackie's that has a mixer, dual EQ, and Mic pre as the Mackie's are my on stage vocal monitors. This way everything is self contained and I dont need to depend on the sound crew for my personal sound.
Hello teacher, please, I need your help, I just bought a yamaha cp88 and I like it a lot, but I have a big problem, I want to use it as a usb midi controller, in Cubase to play kontakt vsts, I am not selecting it as a usb output , because I have my monitors connected to another audio interface, I'm only interested in the cp88 keys, my problem is that when I play, the vsts sound very low in volume, I can't play loud. try changing the keyboard sensitivity to the other options but no change please i have until tomorrow to return the cp88 to the store where i bought it my question is cant change the key sensitivity if i am using the cp88 as usb host midi controller, without selecting it as audio? Please, if you can help me and can you tell me if it is possible to do it, how do I do it? or if you can confirm that it is not possible, I return it to the store tomorrow. I do not want to lose my money. please. thank you very much anyway
YC88 owner here, it's great. Only downside I can think, the organ sounds are not amazing. Once I got the Hammond SK Pro, there was no comparison on organ sounds. But as far as piano's, EPs, strings, even a lot of synths surprisingly, and stuff like flute, the YC88 is a beast. The weighted keys shine for this. The A/B engines are amazing. And I just learned more features from another video on this channel, about how to 'lock' the effects in place, as you cycle through presets, which sounds amazing and kind of Nord-ish
There seems to be a real lack of waterfall key midi controllers. I have the yc88. Any recommendations for a 61 key controller that would be a good choice for organ smears etc to use as a second tier?
Great review thanks! I have the CP88 so decided to go with YC73 for a change of keybed and size. Curious if you’ve tried the YC73? It’s lovely with acoustic pianos, perfect for electric pianos, and just good enough for organ. Seems like a gigging keyboardists dream! 30lb keyboard of doom….lol. Great video.
Thanks Andrew, The YC73 was my first choice but then I demo'ed all three at a music store and the YC88 won me over from a piano players perspective. But It was a tough choice, the YC73 is a much better balance for covering all types of keyboard sounds.
Its a great, affordable option for sure. If you liked the ReFace line, you'll love them, its the ReFace engines in a full size weighted board with a bit larger library. You dont get the YC series sounds and organ engines but the ReFace organs are pretty good already.
It is for sure a serious keyboard…but I have to admit that the piano sound of Nord is much better…and the touch on the Nord Grant ( Kawai) is the best one!
Not really…😂 a good sound like a good wine is a good sound! It is well know that Nord as the best piano sound…Yamaha are not even close to this White Grand XL sound!
That line is getting fuzzier now as some voices are the same but the CP series is way more Pianist focused as an overall instrument and the YC series is more stage performance focused.
I use 'Mellowsound' from Fingerlabs on iPad and it integrates seamlessly with the YC88 with nothing but a USB cable. It has every Mellotron sound you could ever dream of, is incredibly realistic ( much more flexible than the Nord versions ) and the base version is FREE.
@@thefallingpi341 they’re nice, but they don’t really sound like a Mellotron, to be honest. I would always use some Mellotron app on iOS, also to get more of the sounds like choirs and stuff.
I have the YC61 + CP88 and this is as close to the perfect gigging rig that I’ve used. Love these boards and hope Yamaha keep improving them with future firmware updates 😊
That's a great set up. You've got the weighted action for pianos and EPs and the unweighted action for the organ and synth sounds.
I have a similar set up. I have the CP88 and the nord electro 6D 73 keys.
That is my goal as well. I’m a CP fan for years. The CP 88 is the first step, then the YC 61. Using the YC sounds or incorporating other iPad apps or VSTs is simply ideal.
I love my YC 88 it has alot of incredible sounds and the organ part is amazing. I gigged with a B3 back in the 70s great organ, I wished the YC 88 was around back then. I can finally go to with one board now
I bought an YC73 ten days ago. Programming drawbars to drive your Hammond VST is extremely easy. I use GigPerformer (strongly suggested) as VST host on a MacBookPro. It has a midi monitor. So moving your physical drawbars you get on screen the CC number used by Yamaha keyboard. Then you can map those CC to control Hammond 3BX. It's a job of 3 minutes... I don't know on iPad but I think B3X can do exactly the same
Awesome and thank you for the helpful info!!
I watched several of your previous vids before ordering my YC61 in November. Kudos for this great “year later” update. FWIW, I use my YC in a two board setup w/the Yammie on the top, hammer weight 88 controller (old Alesis Q8.1 (Fatar)) on the bottom. I’ve created several live sets that are killer for my work. Good stuff! Thus far, I’ve only used mine for studio work and practice. Like you, a “heavy” player of acoustic pianos in my youth (uprights, grands) but also Rhodes, Wurly, B3 and early synths. For my current gig, I play more organ than piano but for me, feel is critical for Piano/EP!! As happy as I am with the setup, it’s a lot of “stuff” to move around so I’ve thought about trading the 61 for the 88 and ditching the 48lb 88 but concerned about losing too much of organ feel. PS - agree that the 5-pin MIDI out, USB/iOS integration, and the easy per patch tweaking of sounds are all killer features of the YC series!
I greatly appreciate your videos on the YC88. I own one and I’m very happy with it. You have provided me some valuable insight into the YC’s functionality. I always seem to relate with what you share. Thx!
I own a kawai mp7se, i love it! One day hopefully i can afford one of those you have! Love you playing!
Thank you for this great review! I own Modx7+ and since a few weeks YC61 - I am in love!!!❤
Super useful info in this video that a lot of other ones haven't even mentioned in passing, such as plugging in an iPad and having midi go one way and audio come back the other way on a single cable, so neat! Awesome video, thanks! :)
Great insights and review. I'm looking to upgrade my keyboard, and your insights have confirmed my decision to move to a YC 88. Thanks!
Thank you for the update. Looking for my first full sized keyboard and so far this looks to be the winner.
Love that review I’ve been using the 73 key for a couple of months and agree with you
I’ve had the YC61 for awhile now, and it’s become the desert island keeper; if I had to sell all but one, the YC stays. I’ll soon try out the iOS integration for myself to add a little extra flavor, but regardless, there seems to be much more under the hood than I expected. I appreciate the various videos you’ve put out demonstrating some of the lesser known features of this amazingly versatile board.
and what about the key trigger point with the YC61 waterfall keybed?
steve, thanks for your in depth coverage of the YC. I bought the YC61 sight-unseen, largely because of how you went under the hood... and clearly demonstrate how this board checks all the boxes. This is an amazing board. For B3 sounds, I use the E2 narrow band comp/EQ to cut the 2K frequencies (quite aggressively) .... and I use the master EQ to boost 250-280 hz to fatten the low mids. Having recorded A100s and B3s through L145s and L122s, I can say that with this tweak, the YC just sounds perfect. My hope is that Yamaha puts a detailed EQ into the rotary speaker section (with a better out-of-the-box setting) in a future update in order to free up the FX section.... and also for the keyboardists who may not have the technical know-how. I'm curious to know if you also use the E2 on organ sounds...
Heh Daniel, great suggestion! Im using the Narrow band EQ to cut the same frees but your right, I really wish Yamaha would add a bit more comprehensive EQ as an FX to free up the Master EQ. The wide and narrow bands work great but it would be nice to have at least a 3-4 band to zero in on specific frequencies for sure!
Excellent review very informative, answered many questions!
Great review !! 5:40 Can you use that single cable to transfer midi, audio and charge at the same time or do you use a USB hub on the iPad ?
If you want to charge it as well then you have to use a powered hub. Although, my iPad battery is pretty robust, many times longer than any gig, service, or session for sure.
Your videos are amazingly helpful for music lovers.thanks
Thanks for the vid. I found it very helpful. My MOFX 61 acts as my audio interface and I assumed the YC would do the same. Maybe a future firmware update can fix this? Perhaps this is a hardware limitation. Either way, the YC is a winner in terms of ease of use for live playing. 61 vs 73 keys is the final decision in my case. I’m really looking forward to leaving menu diving behind and just playing great sounds.
Very interesting, but may I ask, if you keep a full 19’ rack hooked up to the YC, what is it the YC is NOT providing you with ? Asking this since I’m moving from a master keyboard and a racky style of set-up to an all-in-one keyboard and the said master keyboard. I ruled out Nord for its sheer price, but I’m still considering the YC-73 against a fully-fledged workstation, most likely a Fantom-6 or 7.
The external rack has more to do with the specific gig and less to do with the keyboard's ability. On the gig that used the rack, I was the music director for a large theater production that had all the shows sound FX and off stage ambient cues loaded into sampler modules. This was everything from additional vocals to foley and even music tracks. All of these were controlled from the different YC88 zones on different MIDI channels in real time as the actors cues came up for each scene.
Hey Man, thanx for the great insight! That helps a lot!
Spot on review - really agree with your wish list too. Glad you highlighted the iOS integration as a killer feature.
Hey look at the bright side, if they do the real improvements, it will be on the yc88+!! Then you’ll feel exactly how modx users feel since the modx+
I'm waiting on my YC 61 to be delivered. I did dig how Nord did the crossfade on split points. But the YC background noise giving the Leslie horn that air sound, seems like the best. You do an amazing job on your reviews. I had a CP 88. I'm a wimp. Too heavy especially cramming in 2 solo gigs a day.
Thank you for the video. How have you found the physical reliability of the 88, knobs, switches et al?
They have been surprisingly durable considering all the outdoor stuff I have used it in, dirt, wind, and even light rain once, ugh! lol Having a good case is mandatory.
My only fit to throw is that the midi recording is set to 44.1KHZ and there is no way to change it. I ended up hi-jacking a protools project to 44.1KHZ instead of 48KHZ and it cannot be changed without calling support.
Hey Steve, Love your update!! i bought a YC 61 a year ago, i love it, but my Roland KC 600 Keyboard amp doesn't really do it justice. What Speaker system do you use? I've been really struggling, especially with acoustic piano sounds live. any help would be greatly appreciated.... Thanks,,,,David
Funny you should say that, My live sound rig is the next video I'm working on!
@@Featherlightstudio Great< I can't wait!!
Can the three sound parts (organ and key a and key b) be mapped to different MIDI Channels and set to “Local Off” independently? I would love to use the YC’s Piano and EPiano sounds via MIDI from my (sound wise outdated) Korg SV1 (I still love its hammer keybed) and play the organ on the YC61 waterfall keybed.
While each sound engine can be set to respond to internal or external or off MIDI info, the YC series is not truly multitimbral like a sound module would be. However, the onboard Master keyboard zones functions can do all that easily in the other direction. Using the YC as the Master, you have up to 4 fully programable zones of ext MIDI control.
@@Featherlightstudio thanks for the quick and helpful response. I wonder if multimode would be an interesting feature to be implemented in an upcoming firmware update. Should not be too difficult to program… so far it looks like the YC will have to replace the SV1 then (in this case, YC61 with waterfall keybed is not an option).
Thank you-
Very informative and entertaining. Love your reviews and presentations. 🎧🎹
If you change a patch while you're trying to sustain notes on the previous patch, does it cut off the sound as soon as the new patch is loaded? That drives me nuts. The Korg Kronos and new Nord Stage 4 are the only boards (I'm aware of) that allow you to keto sustaining notes through a patch change.
The YC is wonderful in that regard. You can have complex layers going with the hold pedal and switch to another Live Set and there is no cut off in sound just like the Nord.
Hi, thank you for the in depth video. Can I ask what your experience is with taking this keyboard in the car and/or on flights? I'm having trouble deciding between this and the yc73 because of portability issue! Thanks.
Well, like all keyboards in this category (fully weighted/graded action) its a bit heavy for sure, but they all are ( Roland, Nord, Kurzweil) Thats also what makes them fun to play. However, the 28lb YC73 is considerably lighter than the 41lb YC88, add about 20lbs more with a Gator style case ( much more with an ATA case) and things get heavy quick if your touring or flying.
Thank you!@@Featherlightstudio
Great video! Hey I just started playing in a band, and looking for a stage keyboard that will be a bit more versatile than my P-125 and was looking at the new CK series (much less $ than the YC); you mentioned DI boxes aren't needed since you have XLR - when do I need a DI box if I have L/R 1/4" line outs? Does the DI just clean up the signal for a long cable since it's balanced? (Sorry, newbie here)
Heh Tony, yeah the D.I. box converts Hi-Z signal (1/4 inch cable, guitar cable, ect) to a balanced lower Ohm signal that can travel greater distance with low noise, unlike 1/4 cables. The CK isn't really a cheaper YC, its not the same audio engines. Its actually a bigger version of the 'Reface' line. Great value for sure but not part of the YC stuff.
@@Featherlightstudio Cool thanks for that! So with my old guy band ;) I've been back and forth between my P-125 piano and my PSR-EW425 keyboard; the 125 is far better for piano stuff, but the PSR has alot more choice for organ patches, rotary knobs etc. I just tried the CK61 in store it has some new Yamaha "FSB" action that felt much more "piano playable" than the 425. That would still be a pretty big upgrade for me wouldn't it? (Take the place of the 125 and the PSR?)
@@islandtony5009 Oh definitely, far more sounds in the library and the Key Bed is matched for themPlus the hands on control of the voice parameters is so much faster than hunting through layers of menus at a gig!
@@Featherlightstudio Thanks so much!
Thanks for this video, I've been having some trouble getting a good live piano out of my YC. This video was helpful on so many levels. One Thing- What amp do you use live for your YC?
I use a 1u space stereo line mixer with a 1u space stereo 15 band graphic EQ inside a rack and then that output goes to (2) 12 inch powered monitors for my on stage live rig.
This is awesome, thank you so much for putting these vids together. So what’s your verdict on playing organ on it? I play on acoustic pianos most of the time and am looking to add organ to the mix. So, YC88 looks great to me. I doubt I will get to a point where I need that super fast retrigger you demonstrated but you never know. Do you feel satisfied playing organ on this, or do you ever feel like you had a faster / lighter keybed for it? I like the idea of having one keyboard in my setup, but don’t want to find myself wishing I had gotten a CP88 + dedicated organ board instead.
Im a piano player that mostly that wanted to add organ to my live setup without adding another controller and the YC88 has been the perfect for me but I'm a pretty heavy handed player. If you play mostly organ, the 61 has the better keybed for sure.
Great video as always! Can I ask what that stand is that you have for your ipad? I have an ipad pro I wanna connect. Can you send the link by chance?
Its actually not a iPad stand at all, its just the top tier of my Ultimate Support Apex stand and the rubber pads on the top of the bracket hold it in place pretty well. If I was bouncing around more, I might have to get a more secure mount
Great video! Very rich review with de kind of information that only you could found when exist an important time using the keyboard. Thanks!
Hello. Can we turn off that dirty sound present in all organ sounds? To get more clean sound like b3 Nord.
Of course, just disable the cabinet simulations and the Pre Drive. Jazz trio clean.
Thank you for this review. I am currently in a Rock ‘n’ Roll band and I am playing a Roland VR 730. I kind of have a love-hate relationship with this keyboard and I’m looking to upgrade. I have considered the Yamaha YC series. Since I am a piano player at heart, I was considering the YC 88, however, I was not crazy about the 40 pound plus weight of this keyboard. I was strongly considering the YC 73, but I am wondering if I would like the keybed and action of this model. Can you please give me your thoughts and recommendations regarding the comparison between the YC 73 and YC 88 in terms of the keybed, action, and playability?
Both the YC88 and the 73 are surprising playable from a piano players point of view and I didn't really get that until I played both side by side in a music store. If there is anyway you do that, it really helps to narrow down your search. Obviously the YC88 is geared towards piano players, with the graded key bed but the YC73 is still pretty solid feeling and covers a lot more ground when playing other sounds.
@@Featherlightstudio Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, there is no local music store that carries these keyboards. In my band, I play a fair amount of organ and electric piano so the YC 73 may be better for that. But since I’m a piano player at heart, I just didn’t know how much I would like the action of the YC73. I know that I’m not that crazy about the semi weighted action of the Roland VR730.
@@jhn1987 yeah, thankfully the YC73 is NOT semi-weighted. It nicely weighted and balanced and has a familiar Rhodes style feel to it, semi weighted is much too light to play convincing piano on for sure!
@@jhn1987 Oh, the YC73 is definitely not as bad as the Roland VR730. The Roland has the same semi-weighted keybed as the YC61. ( great for Organ...sucks for everything else ) The YC73 has a very nice weighted and balanced key bed, awesome for acoustic and electric pianos.
@@Featherlightstudio Thanks for your insights on this. I’m really thinking about buying the YC73.
"Add something creative to the world, it could really use it." Great final words! and great video. Would you still recommend it to someone looking to buy one? Or would you recommend waiting potentially for a new version of it?
@@markgutierrez9295 The YC lineup is still selling incredibly well for Yamaha so if they have a updated model in the works, I would guess the y would wait till the sales slump a bit. But who knows.
I'm digging mine. One thing... I wish I could go directly from one Live Set to another Live Set on another bank without stepping thru banks. Or am I missing something?
Wish list... my Kawai MP7SE has a dedicated input for a 3 pedal unit... sustain, sost & soft.. I don't use it all that often, but when I do it's awesome.
Speaking of sustain pedal...the manual says you can use an FC3 pedal, but I can't seem to find documentation that the YC will respond to half-pedaling. Anybody know?
Thanks in advance.
@@skipeb3 you can turn the dial encoder while your Live Set is selected to enter Live Set View. From there you can scroll to the Live Set you want and then press Enter to select it.
@@Featherlightstudio Yeah, thanks. I got that. It's not quite the same as having a numeric keypad to go straight from one bank to another without doing any scrolling.
Pressing the up/down buttons while in that scroll mode helps...jumps to the next bank.
Whatever... it's not a perfect world. Still digging the YC big time.
Thanks for the great vids, btw...
I love your YC videos! How do you keep track of which page a specific live sound is stored on during a gig? I use an iPad on top of the YC to see which pages and live set numbers correspond to the desired sound. On my other keyboard (Montage), I can easily read from the large display which sounds are assigned to each song. I'd love to hear how you manage with a smaller display on stage.
I have the Live set sound printed on each of our set list songs along with the key.
@@Featherlightstudio Thank you very much!!
With the XLR outputs, do you just use standard mic cables?
Yes, I just go straight to front of house with regular XLR Mic cables, works great for me and the soundman.
@@Featherlightstudio with the XLR outs on the back of the YC, do you use one or both when you go to front of house?
@@michaeldavis5106 Definitely both. I want the full stereo filed to be included in the FOH send.
@@Featherlightstudio Okay thanks. I am thinking about geting a YC 88, and I just had some questions before I made my disition.
KISS - Keep it simple stupid! I love how you've simplified your keyboard rig down to just one keyboard that can do it all! I've done the same thing with my Yamaha Montage 8 (would love to get the M8x someday). I just have 1 keyboard that does it all, including any customized sequencing(via Pro Tools-DAW), ARPs, sample libraries, etc.
I used to have two synths in the past, but I love the simplicity of using just a single keyboard that can do everything that 10 keyboards could do.
If I had to choose, I'd take the YC (OS 1.3) over the Nord Stage 4 any day of the week. The price value on the YC is much better, since it's literally $1000's of dollars less. The YC's Hamburg Steinway can be tweaked to sound every bit as good as the White Grand Steinway on the Nord, plus the CFX, C7, Imperial, etc on the YC are awesome ... Yamaha are on par with the Nord and other high end sample based pianos they way they sample, the quality of their pianos. The YC organs are on par as well. If anything, I find they sound more natural like an actual B3 than the Nord.
Great video Steve!
Heh Matt, thanks man.
Hi I have the YC 61 and Modx6+ I am looking for a good gigging sound system with power and clarity , I am using a key largo and would like to output the keyboards in stereo , I have a pair of Yamaha dxr 10 s but they sound very boxy no clarity even after eq from the YC - Can I ask what speaker system You are using or what would You reccomend ??? - There are so many options out there and I'm baffled at this stage - We would be playing medium to large gigs - Thank You
I feel your frustration. I tried a bunch as well and found in the end that powered speakers in general were pretty hard to use unless they had at least a 3 band EQ built into them. Problem is not many do anymore. Mostly 'sound contours' or presets which rarely give you enough control over your live sound. This is why I also use a 15 band stereo EQ in my keys rack BEFORE the signal goes out to my 2 powered monitors. Much more control.
@@Featherlightstudio Thinking about the qsc k 12.2 they have adjustable EQ
@@DazLane123 Keep us posted, QSC makes a solid and dependable speaker
Will do thanks
@@Featherlightstudio
Brilliant
What do you use for amplification for the YC on stage? I assume some kind of stereo arrangement. What do you recommend? Thank you for your great and helpful videos.
Heh Rick, I use 2 Mackie thumps in front of me left and right of the YC88. I have a small 3 space rack before the Mackie's that has a mixer, dual EQ, and Mic pre as the Mackie's are my on stage vocal monitors. This way everything is self contained and I dont need to depend on the sound crew for my personal sound.
Hello teacher, please, I need your help, I just bought a yamaha cp88 and I like it a lot, but I have a big problem, I want to use it as a usb midi controller, in Cubase to play kontakt vsts, I am not selecting it as a usb output , because I have my monitors connected to another audio interface, I'm only interested in the cp88 keys, my problem is that when I play, the vsts sound very low in volume, I can't play loud. try changing the keyboard sensitivity to the other options but no change please i have until tomorrow to return the cp88 to the store where i bought it my question is cant change the key sensitivity if i am using the cp88 as usb host midi controller, without selecting it as audio? Please, if you can help me and can you tell me if it is possible to do it, how do I do it? or if you can confirm that it is not possible, I return it to the store tomorrow. I do not want to lose my money. please. thank you very much anyway
You're a bloody fantastic demonstrator and player! Keep up the great work buddy!
YC88 owner here, it's great. Only downside I can think, the organ sounds are not amazing. Once I got the Hammond SK Pro, there was no comparison on organ sounds. But as far as piano's, EPs, strings, even a lot of synths surprisingly, and stuff like flute, the YC88 is a beast. The weighted keys shine for this. The A/B engines are amazing.
And I just learned more features from another video on this channel, about how to 'lock' the effects in place, as you cycle through presets, which sounds amazing and kind of Nord-ish
There seems to be a real lack of waterfall key midi controllers. I have the yc88. Any recommendations for a 61 key controller that would be a good choice for organ smears etc to use as a second tier?
I agree, could definitely use more waterfall controller options!
Great review thanks! I have the CP88 so decided to go with YC73 for a change of keybed and size. Curious if you’ve tried the YC73? It’s lovely with acoustic pianos, perfect for electric pianos, and just good enough for organ. Seems like a gigging keyboardists dream! 30lb keyboard of doom….lol. Great video.
Thanks Andrew, The YC73 was my first choice but then I demo'ed all three at a music store and the YC88 won me over from a piano players perspective. But It was a tough choice, the YC73 is a much better balance for covering all types of keyboard sounds.
I went for the YC73, much more giggable, has the lighter touch high key trigger point for organ sounds too.
Any thoughts on the new CK line?
Its a great, affordable option for sure. If you liked the ReFace line, you'll love them, its the ReFace engines in a full size weighted board with a bit larger library. You dont get the YC series sounds and organ engines but the ReFace organs are pretty good already.
Great Vid
It should be LAW all Keyboards should have reverb, delay, and XLR OUTS!!
lol
It is for sure a serious keyboard…but I have to admit that the piano sound of Nord is much better…and the touch on the Nord Grant ( Kawai) is the best one!
Piano sounds are like judging wine, everyone has they're favorites lol
Not really…😂 a good sound like a good wine is a good sound! It is well know that Nord as the best piano sound…Yamaha are not even close to this White Grand XL sound!
Best YAMAHA YC88 review I have seen so far? Anyone better? Let me know.
Which is better piano
Yamaha cp88 or yamaha YC88?
That line is getting fuzzier now as some voices are the same but the CP series is way more Pianist focused as an overall instrument and the YC series is more stage performance focused.
Hey- top ~ have a good day~🌟
Does this thing have a rotary effect?
Yes
have youplayed a real b3
I owned my A-100 for 24 years until we relocated our studio from Los Angeles to Oregon and had to sell it along with the 122. Killed me to do it.
Cons: “NO MELLOTRON SOUNDS!”
I use 'Mellowsound' from Fingerlabs on iPad and it integrates seamlessly with the YC88 with nothing but a USB cable. It has every Mellotron sound you could ever dream of, is incredibly realistic ( much more flexible than the Nord versions ) and the base version is FREE.
I have YC61 it does have Mellotron strings patch
@@marktaylorp they are “realistics” as the Nord ones?
it has "tape strings" and "tape flute"
@@thefallingpi341 they’re nice, but they don’t really sound like a Mellotron, to be honest. I would always use some Mellotron app on iOS, also to get more of the sounds like choirs and stuff.
The only decent piano action on nords imo is on the Nord Grand...The action on the stage and the piano are awful...This is where Yamaha has Nord beat
“Nord” .