Yamaha S-90

Well, I must say I've been scared of Yamaha's operating systems on keyboards for awhile, but since getting a Yamaha 01V mixer and conquering that, I thought I was up to the challenge. I must say that with a quick read through the manual, the operating system is very logical and well laid out. It is a whole world easier than what I saw on the S80 since the screen is larger and functions less cryptic. On a whole, you can do a whole heck of a lot so you can dive in as deep as you choose. If you want to simply playback the wonderful sounds, your golden.

This is hands down the best keyboard piano feel I've ever felt on a synth - case closed - its my nirvana!! I've been searching for feel like this for 20 years! I've owned over the past 15 years a Fatar Studio 88Plus (my favorite feel up to now), a Kurzweil PC-88, and most recently a Roland RD-700 - the S90 blows it all away. Though I did like the Roland initially, it didn't respond to actual playing as well as I'd wanted - plus the piano sounds in it are horrible in my opinion. This instrument actually plays like an instrument - responds to the pianos beautifully - and the triple-strike piano sound is amazing. When I bought the Roland, I wanted a Motif but didn't want to pay for all that useless on-board sequencing and sampling which I do through my computer hook up. The S90 is exactly what the doctor ordered! It even acts as a hardware remote control for Cubase and other sequencers - awesome!! 3 Expansion slots and MLAN capability should keep this board around for many years in my rig. In my opinion, the Yamaha S90 is what the Roland RD-700 wants to be when it grows up.

Triple-strike piano is beautiful and above all - playable in relation to the keyboard!! A wonderful sound and expressiveness - and I'm comparing this against my Gigastudio Gigapiano which has always been my favorite sampled piano - the triple strike piano - though not perfect and a bit dark (can be tweaked to death with EQ so no biggie) is the best I've heard on a keyboard and the importance of how it sounds in relation to the keyboard's action cannot be understated. The other sounds come from the Motif and are excellent. I particularly was impressed with the B3 organ sounds - and I use NI's B4 as a reference beyond the real thing. The S90 organs hold up and would be perfect on a gig - even recording within a mix. The electric pianos too are really nice - they overdo the effects on the default patches, but you can fix that as desired. Then there are all the great synth sounds, drums, basses, etc. - arpeggio settings are cool, let's see - its a Motif without the hype and extra weight and crap so that should sum up the quality of the sounds - its going to take me years to get bored with the default presets and I have 3 expansion slots as well!! sheesh!

Looks rock solid - its new so I can't tell. I don't like the particle board bottom (like the Roland had) but I guess manufacturers are doing this to lighten the load so we'll see how it holds up. I'd use it without backup on a gig now based on not being able to afford another - if I could I'd have one in each studio I work in!

They have good websites and a forum at www.sninety.com where I got most of my info before buying - people are helpful. I hear they are good. I'll give a high rating here because people should believe how good this keyboard is!

Again, I'd buy another without losing the first if I could afford it - simply stated the S90 is my weighted synth nirvana! Get one - get one now, and, no I don't work for Yamaha. I think this board is an instant classic and will be remembered for years to come...and its not the most expensive board you could buy so go now and buy 5!!

Factory presets sound excellent and are very useful. The manual could use more detail about editing.

I wish for more polyphony onboard but since it has 3 slots for adding more it's O.K.I like the built in fx. Programming is deep= lot of options.
The keyboard is a JOY to play. Unlike many other actions on the market like PA4/PA5 (Roland) it repeats well. It will not likely to break like my A90EX(w.PA4) did. The S80 and the RD7009(w.PA5) was also good but this one is the best action yet.

Souds are realistic easy to use very well set up for live or studio work. All sounds are refined and inspiring. The piano sample is as good as anything out there now perhaps the best .
I like the built in fx too. I played it through my Bose P.A. and the "balls" came out. Headphone (AKG240) or P.A. either way..... fun!
Connection to the sound is first rate. I'm impressed.

Yamaha has proved to be reiable over the years. I've had Korg, Roland, Sequential, Oberheim you name it.. I learned to trust Yamaha the most.

I've talked to them about the S80 and S30 models in the past. They are a little slow to repond and "not always on the ball".

I would have to replace this one if stolen. I love it and just can't seem to find faults with it ...yet (...I was looking hard).
I've been playing professionally for 27 years and the S90 is the the best keyboard I've ever had (and I did have many...)

I was able to change between voices after playing around with it a bit. I had to crack open the manual to find out how to play the demo songs. I haven't tried yet to change do any editing, but it will require more use of the manual.

It has everything I want, and more--far more abilities than I will use. The feel of the keys is superb. I compare it to my Yamaha Clavinova, which is great. The S-90 seems even better.

This is the highlight. This is the first criterion for choosing a synth unit; other features are gravy. Nothing can make up for poor sounds. I use almost exclusively the 'real' sounds, that is, voices mimicking real instruments. These, to my ears, are very accurate. The quantity of sounds available is surprising.

It's a heavy duty unit, very sturdy. It doesn't seem to have a weak spot.

I haven't had to deal with tech support for Yamaha.

I love it. I played many competitors, including multiple units from Yamaha, Korg, and Roland. I am convinced I got the finest stage piano available today. As far as the value, I don't think any keyboard I saw represents a fantastic value. I buy a lot of music gear, and in my opinion, keyboard/synth gear is overpriced compared to guitars and amps. But, relative to other similar products, I think it's worth every penny.

Actually compared to the S-80 this is more user friendly. In the S-90 you do not have the pages of menus of effects and what not. They have them right in a separate set of controls which is nice. The layout otherwise is pretty similair to the S-80

The action is a tad different than the S-80. I personally liked the S-80 a little more. The S-90 has an action that is the same no matter where you are on the keyboard. The S-90 still accepts the PGL boards which was cool. I took the one I had out (PGL-150PF)and loaded it into the S-90 first thing. The way you do it is actually easier than the S-80 was to load the card in. You still can accept Smart Media cards.

Most people probably have heard about the S-90 sound set as the same as the Motif so there are not many suprises here. You have the addition of the triple strike piano sample. Most people have complained about noise within their units but it seems to be isolated cases that people made more of than was neccesary. Certain units contained the problem and Yamaha offered to replace them. You can really have fun with the performance modes. I miss some of the internal sounds from the S-90 like "RT Rhodes". The patch "sweetness" comes in a close second. I have not worried about aftertouch and a lot effects so far.

Yamaha makes very Road worthy stuff. I think some of the manufactuers could learn a few things.

Never really had to deal with them but there is a site. www.sninety.com to help you with certain things.

I would definatley replace this if stolen just because it is lighter than the S-80 and still the same quality. I got it for such a steal as it was. This is a great stage instrument.

If you are experienced with synths and keyboards, this is as easy as any of the others. Yamaha's architecture can take a little longer to get used to than some others. But once you get a feel for it, it's a piece of cake.

Read below for feature list. Or go to sninety.com

The piano is tremendous. This unit features the same keybed as the Motif 8, and it is a perfect complement for the pianos. The EP's are standouts. It has typical strengths and weaknesses of Yamaha. But all the sounds from the Motif are here, plus the new piano. As everyone has said, this is a real keyboard player's keyboard.

Yamaha has been great. I've used their products for 21 years. Never had a Yamaha break down. Of course, I never owned a CS-80 either! ;-)

Their products have been so reliable, I've seldom dealt with the company. When I lived in So Cal, I called their plant in Buena Park a few times though. Seemed to be knowledgable and helpful.

I've also been playing professionally and buying keyboard gear for a long time - since 1976. I'll have to agree with Anonymous and let you know that Matt's review truly is way off base here. Maybe he was playing something else and mistook the S90 for it. Or perhaps, since he is new to keyboards, he mixed it up with something else. In any case, S90's are very solid, not plastic-y at all. Great keybed - same as Motif 8 according to Yamaha. It's a very pro piece and the absence of the sequencer and sampler are for a reason: Yamaha wanted to simply make the Motif 8 available to those who wanted the sounds but didn't need any more onboard sequencers or samplers. Excellent choices by Yamaha to keep the cost down. This piece matches up well with units like the Roland RD-700, but I believe is far better. I replaced my S80 with this. It is far superior, IMHO. Sorry Matt, not wanting to diss your opinion. But I think there's some inaccuracies there that could be misleading to some.

If you want a real player's piano w/ great EP's and other bread & butter sounds, as well as an excellent synth, this is by far your best value. I use it in conjunction with a Korg Triton, Roland XV-5080, Emu Proteus 2K, and several other older modules. The S90 and Triton are my primary sound sources, though. For live work, the combination of the two can't be beat.

If a stoneage man finds a remotecontroll for a TV he'd understand shit... Unless someone explains to him that by pressing the on button the TV turns on. Everything is "easy" when you know how. However, if you only want to play presets you won't need any manual to run this baby. It's easy browsing around. The patch editor is SWEET. Makes editing really easy if you know what youre doing. Many of the patches sound really good anyways but the possibilities are huge.

I'd say the big plus for the S90 would be the PLG cards and the keyboard action. The PLG cards enables you to plug in complete synthesizers such as the DX7 or the AN1x into the S90. The new synth gets completely integrated with the S90 so you can use the S90 voices and effects together with the DX7 plug in for instance. The keyboard action is something of the finest I've played. Artificial that is but it actually beats many accoustic pianos as well imo. I'm not sure how much minus I should give for the non-sampling feature, I prefer external. The non-sequencer however I'd say gives one minus.

The dynamic is extraordinary. You can play whatever you want to on this one. The response to the keys are amazing. Perfect 10.

Of course it's reliable!

Check www.sninety.com. Yamaha answers questions themselves on the forum.

I would buy it again, if I had the money. I checked all the synths out there before buying and this is the one that fitted my needs best. I've been playing piano for 10 years and must say I'm especially impressed by the finish of this product. It feels really solid and as I said the feedback is amazing. What I really like is the quality, warmth of the sound. I'm not talking about the presets now but the image picture. It's thick and warm. It is really inspiring to play this piece and I get ideas for songs from many of the presets. It's also fun just to play around with the voice editor without thinking and see what you end up having. :) Not always usefull though. If not a must-buy, this is a must-check-out.

Better than the average Yamaha operating system

This is a players instrument. It plays and feels like a real instrument. Not a workstation. The previous reviewer could not have playing one of these things.

All manufacturers keys have a certain sound quality.
This is typical Yamaha...excellent

Yamaha builds good stuff

Never had a problem with Yamaha

Just had to let everyone know that the previous review was way off.
I have been playing piano and synths for about 30 years and have about
60 in my collection. The keyboard action on the S90 is the pefect
blend of weighted and quick enough for detailed drum programing.
By the way, the keyboard is exactly the same as the Motif8.
All metal constuction...built like a tank.
I don't usually do this but I couldn't belive what I was reading.

I have been waiting for this board to come out, as I was in the market for my first synth and this seemed to have everything I wanted. It seemed as easy as the Motif 8, Roland XV-88 and Korg Triton Studio Pro

Go to www.yamahasynth.com for features, no sense in repeating things other people have already said

I only played this once, but all the sounds seemed fine, the key action seemed a little mushy compared to the other boards I tried.

The #1 reason for me NOT purchasing this board was the fact that it felt cheap. I dont know how other people have listed this as being built like a tank. The body is made of plastic, and when you are playing anything but with a soft touch you can hear the BODY rattle. I turned the volume down on the S90, Motif 8, Roland XV-88 and Korg Triton Studio Pro, and NONE of them except the S90 made these noises. This was enough to make me forget about getting the S90 even though it is priced really well. The Roland was next on my list but it does not have an onboard sequencer (understandably so, but I am one of those rare ones who wants it there), and the Triton was just way too expensive. I ended up taking a Yamaha Motif 8 which felt like it had a better key actoin, and built with more quality. I would normally blame the S90 for being loud as it was a floor model and who knows how much it was abused, but this board was only sitting on the floor for 4 days before I tried it. If it was going to fall apart that soon, how would it hold up in the long run?

Can't really say as I haven't tried. Support for the Motif seems good with their website www.motifator.com

If you have the money to get something more high end than the S90, then do so. I was extremely disappointed in this board's construction and feel. If you dont have the money to get something better, save up and wait. If you are going to drop around $2000 for a board that feels cheap, why not spend a little more on something you can feel confident in? That's what I did.

Bought this one a few days ago. Ease of use, hmmm. A typical Yamaha product, meaning that without the manual, you're not going to get anything done. Master Mode makes no sense at all. Software works, sort of, after you tweak it on a Mac, anyway. Patch editor doesn't really help in this case.

Good polyphony (64 voices). Great keyboard action. Effects OK. Expansion via 3 PLG slots and MLAN option (NOTE: MLAN is the only digital IO supported at this time. ($550 to get this and you need another $1200USD for a break out box to connect with anything not made by Yamaha at this time).

Also crippled Microtuning with 31 presets (same as Motif series). These microtuning presets are not useful. (Needless duplication as in same tuning applied to 12 pitches. I would just use Voice or Performance tuning to do the same thing.) Yamaha discontinued progammable microtuning in all their new keyboards, including PLG cards. A very poor design decision, but then again, it's Yamaha. Can you tell I'm a bit bitter. Try playing Gamelon or Arabic music on this keyboard (forget it).

Great sounds, of course. Great keyboard. Best piano style action in the business (One thing Yamaha does right.) Effects are pretty standard.

n/a Just bought it.

Forget it. It's Yamaha. You can get alot of support via INDEPENDENT support groups, for example www.sninety.com. But Yamaha doesn't listen to user feedback. If you're machine breaks, however, you're covered.

Well, I like this machine so far. The keyboard is great. Lots of inputs for pedals, breath control, etc. Fine sounds, especially via the PLG cards. But the lack of proper microtuning and overpriced digital connectivity are reason to perhaps consider a Korg.

I checked out the S90 at the Summer NAMM. The interface is identical to the Motif so it was easy to get around on. I have a Motif , but use Cubase for sequencing and sampling so the S90 makes sense to me

The S90 I was checking out had the new Percussion and Drums PLG cards in it which sounded killer. Three PLG slots, same action as the Motif 8 and all tghe features of Motif except no sampling and no sequencing ( you can store SMFs to a Smart Media card and play them back directly so you don't need to take a computer to the gig).

All my favorite Motif sounds plusa new piano. Three layers very expressive, the guy said it was the same piano as the S80 , but with three different velocity layers. It was really good for ballads and jazz stuff , but could also get bright if you hit hard. I really liked it , but pianos are amatter of personal taste so you have to check it for yourself.

Yamahas are always built like tanks. this one is non exception, but it was surprisingly light.

They already have a website dedicated to the S90 up and running months before the keyboard ships !! Cool

Looks like a logically addition to the Yamaha line up. Motif sounds,a weighted action 88 note synth and at a reasonable price. Looks nice too.