Yamaha S90 ES - page 13

Basic instructions

Owner’s Manual

Basic instructions

Voices—the basic building blocks of the S90 ES

Voices—created in the Voice mode—are the basic sonic building blocks for the other modes of the S90

ES. The Performance and Multi programs are made up of different Voices, used together for speciﬁc

performance or song recording applications. The S90 ES features an exceptionally wide variety of preset

Voices for playing in virtually any musical style. Try searching through the Voices to ﬁnd your favorites.

Once you’ve explored them and feel comfortable with them, try branching out creatively and use the

editing features to make your own original Voices.

Combine several Voices to create a Performance or Multi

To play several different Voices together simultaneously, select a Performance. To use the S90 ES as a

multi-timbral tone generator with your sequencer, select a Multi. The S90 ES contains a full set of specially

programmed 128 Performances and 64 Multis. With the help of the Multis, the S90 ES can be used to play

back MIDI song ﬁles from a connected USB device.

Master mode—Create a master keyboard setup or instantly call up

your desired programs

The Master mode lets you register your favorite Voices, Performances, and Multis together into easy-to-

select Master programs. No matter what mode is used—Voice, Performance or Multi—you can have it

instantly and automatically selected when you call up the appropriate Master.

The Master mode can also be used to divide the keyboard into four sections—each with its own Voice—

just as if you were playing four different MIDI keyboards.

Convenient remote control of your computer software

The panel of the S90 ES also serves as a convenient control surface for your computer music system. Use

the buttons and sliders to control the audio mixer and sequencer transport functions in your MIDI/audio

software. This highly intuitive approach gives you hands-on control over your virtual studio—a level of

control that a keyboard and mouse can’t match. These features are available for any computer sequence

software and Multi Part Editor software (Page 77) compatible with the Remote Control function.

Global settings and data backup

While the Voice, Performance, and Multi modes provide controls for using and editing the programs of the

S90 ES, the Utility mode is the place where you make overall settings for the instrument—for example,

adjusting the transpose and ﬁne tuning controls, or switching between MIDI and USB operation. You can

also archive your important S90 ES data to a USB storage device for safe-keeping.

Selecting a preset Voice Page 30

Creating a new Voice Page 44

Selecting a preset Performance Page 34

Creating a new Performance Page 36, 53

Creating music using a Multi and your computer Page 70

Playing back a MIDI ﬁle Page 96

Making Master mode settings Page 90

Remote-controlling the software Page 77

Making global system settings Page 163

Backing up important data Page 126

This concludes our short guide to the basic operations and functions of the S90 ES. Enjoy the dynamic,

authentic sounds of the instrument as you continue to play it and create music on it. Make sure to follow the

references above and go on to explore some of the other exciting and powerful features of the S90 ES.