Brand New Tyros 2 Review

The Yamaha Tyros is Yamaha's flagship keyboard and as such has won numerous awards all around the world
The Tyros 2 is the second in the Tyros range and looks very similar to the original Tyros 1. The screen layout and button styles are all very similar and it is easy to see that the two are related. The sleek silver finish and stylish design sets the keyboard apart from the competition.
The large adjustable screen gives the performer a real view of what is going on - with all information about tempo, voices etc easily displayed in full colour.
The keyboard has 61 notes Initial touch/After touch, 128 notes of polyphony which offers a good response and allows complete expressive control.
The control panel is well laid out and the buttons are laid out in a way that is logical. If you want to press a style break, the button is just above your left hand, making all real time changes very easy and quick.
Of course the keyboard has every facility imaginable, giving the musician the ability to create and sound or style they wish.

The Tyros 2 has 2 USB1 connectors which allow you to add storage devices such as a USB stick. Sadly the keyboard does not support USB2 which considering the age of the instrument is a downright shame - I hope the development team at Yamaha take note of this and ensure that any future top end arranger keyboards have the latest up to date connections. The USB connection on the rear of the keyboard allows you to connect the T2 to a home computer, allowing you to edit the voices via your own PC. Sadly this facility is not supported for Apple Macintosh computer users. There is a USB driver for the mac, but sadly there is no voice editing software.

The keyboard is a bit step forward from the Tyros 1, as it features a fantastic digital audio sequencer. Unlike midi recorders, this also allows you to record audio into the keyboard. Instruments such as guitar, bass and even vocals can be recorded into the Tyros, giving this keyboard the edge over other arranger keyboards on the market.
So far there has been a lot of feedback from Tyros owners complaining that the sound of the keyboard is relatively flat compared tot he Tyros 1. The answer is to adjust the EQ via the screen and set the treble and bass to your own taste. Even with the EQ adjusted we would recommend that you look at an alternative to the speaker pack which is available. The speakers are flat and lifeless, but we will discuss that at the end of this review.

The voices of the Tyros 2 are described as a big step forward in voicing technology, and they are good, but in my view they are not far enough removed from those of the Tyros 1. Of course you get th enew Super Articulation voices, but you also get the whole voicing section from Tyros 1. In our view, if you are spending £3000 on a keyboard, you should at least get £3000's worth of new ideas and voices, not just the same old in a new case with a few new voices.
Don't get me wrong, this keyboard is impressive, and in our view, the best keyboard to date, but we are talking value for money and at this moment in time, im not sure that this keyboard offers 100% value.
The Super Articulation voices offer the player real control and realism. Sadly the voices on the keyboard can be a little confusing. Pressing a key in the wrong way can give you a surprise, and it takes some time to work out how to get the voices sounding in the right way. This new technology means that you can add instrument effects, such as breath, fret noise etc... the keyboard really adds realism to sounds.
The keyboard has 58 live voices, 39 cool voices, 23 sweet voices, 18 mega voices, 6 SFX kits and 23 drum kits, 9 of which are brand new drum sets. The thing that sets these styles apart from the competition is the fact that the backings use the live and super articulated voices - making the backings are realistic as the voices themselves.
The keyboard has 357 pro styles and 43 session styles. The session styles are supposed to simulate a real live band and it is safe to say that they do exactly that. Sadly a lot the backings are the same as the Tyros 1 and this is where i would say the keyboard is not 100% value.

The Tyros 2 allows 3 parts in the right hand and one left hand button. Lots of arrangers that are on the market now allow 2 voices on the lower and maybe the new version will have this, but until then you will have to be content with just one. You are able to split the keyboard anywhere and store this setting in one of the many registration banks
The on board effects unit gives the Tyros 2 the ability to go from great to stunning - simply add a little reverb to the piano sound and you will be in heaven - the sound is just fantastic.

The OTS button gives the keyboard a very powerful too. Simply choose the style that you want and press the OTS and you are away, the keyboard sets itself up and in minutes you are able to play any style of music you wish without having to worry about getting the voicing right. This is pretty much a basic facility now on top end arrangers and it is even starting to appear on lower end keyboards.
The keyboard has a wide range of fingering modes - which can be chosen to suit the way you play chords. The best feature on the keyboard is the ON BASS facility which dictates that the lowest note played in the left hand acts as that bass note. This allows you to create great bass lines which are realistic.
Moving back to the style section - Each backing has 3 into's and 3 endings, 4 fills, 4 main variations and there is also the break button.
The keyboard features a multi-pad section which adds little extra frills and twiddly bits to your backings. Whilst playing live you can hit a button and add features such as glissando pianos, harp, brass stabs etc.

One huge let down with the tyros 2 is the fact that the keyboard does NOT come with a hard drive. Instead you are left to find your own that works with the keyboard and then you are expected to fit it. Now, a mid sized hard drive is around £50 so why they couldn't have fitted this keyboard with one is beyond us. Sadly there are no samples included with the keyboard, despite having the ability to load aiff samples.
But then again, this leads me onto the next niggle. The keyboard has the ability to have 1gig of sample memory installed, but have yamaha done this as standard - NO. Instead they have left you to fiddle around trying to get memory that will work and then you have the worry of fitting it correctly. In our view a top of the range arranger keyboard should have this fitted as standard - but clearly this is not the case.

The keyboard takes technology to a new level with the addition of a internet connection. You can connect your keyboard by broadband and download midi files and styles from the Yamaha IDC website.

To summarise the T2 is a fantastic keyboard, but if you own a Tyros 1 keyboard then you might not find the Tyros 2 a big enough jump forward for you, and may well be better waiting for Tyros 3. Then again, if your a technology freak and like to have the latest gadgets, then this is certainly something new to play with.

Marks out of 10, the Tyros 2 receives 7

Tyros 2 good and bad points
For: Lightweight, great keyboard feel, super articulated voices are out of this world and the digital audio recording facility is the best thing since sliced bread.

Against: Some of the styles are too close to the Tyros 1, the keyboard shape is difficult to handle, paintwork can come off after taking the arranger out on lots of concerts. The loading time of samples is incredibly slow. Lack of USB2. There are lots of small things that in an arranger if this ilk should have been sorted or better researched before release.
Price anywhere from £1950 to £3000 depending on where you shop.