Most of the operations are well explained in the owner's manual, but as I got deeper into the Tyros, I found the manual less than clear about song recording and creating my own Styles.Ĭonnecting the Tyros was a tad tricky because the rear-panel jacks are not labelled along the back edge of the top panel. There are plenty of buttons, though, so mastering the intricacies of the panel and the operating system takes time. The Intro, Main Variation, Break, and Ending buttons are laid out in a convenient row along the lower-left corner of the panel, making them easy to reach with your left hand. In no time at all, I was romping through “Sweet Georgia Brown,” soloing on piano over a full backup band, and inserting breaks and fills with abandon. The Tyros passed my “make great (if slightly cheesy) music without cracking the manual” test with flying colours.
The Tyros also offers a video output for a karaoke display, user-programmable accompaniment Styles, a tutorial mode in which song playback will follow the student, and lightning-fast left-hand chord sensing. A brief list of outstanding features includes some very realistic sampled instrument sounds, a mic input (with chord-smart vocal harmonization during song playback), and the most luxurious liquid crystal display I've ever seen in a synth.
As befits a flagship product, it's both pricey and powerful. The Tyros debuts the new generation of Yamaha's popular PSR line.
