Is it possible to add new voices to the yamaha dgx 650?

SeaGtGruff

I meant to play that note!
Moderator
Joined
Jun 6, 2014
Messages
4,149
Reaction score
1,780
There's no way to load new voice waveforms into the DGX models, but you can go into the Function menu and tweak certain parameters of the existing voices, then save the settings as a Registration. Unfortunately, there are only a few parameters that you can change in the Function menu-- the Volume, Octave, Pan, Reverb Level, Chorus Level, and DSP Level of whichever part you're using to play a given voice (Main, Dual, or Split).

If you're using MIDI then you can also change the Attack Time, Release Time, Cutoff Frequency, and Resonance Level of the voices, but there's no way to do that on the keyboard itself and then save the new settings. If you have an iPad then you might want to check out the Sound Controller app from Yamaha, which lets you change those parameters "live" while you've got the iPad connected to the keyboard via its USB TO HOST port.

Another possibility is to connect the keyboard to an iPad or other tablet, laptop, or desktop computer via that USB TO HOST port, then use the keyboard as a MIDI controller to play virtual instruments.
 
Joined
Nov 3, 2018
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
What is the best affordable DAW I could use to compose with the keyboard as a MIDI controller? Is Cubase pretty good? I have Studio One with an audio box, and don't much care for it. I've seen this video and in the comments section the player tells someone what hardware and software he used. Would this be cheaper and more beneficial than buying a Korg Krome? I really don't wish to spend $1650 on something when I could spend less and get more.

 

happyrat1

Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
Joined
May 30, 2012
Messages
14,288
Reaction score
5,750
Location
GTA, Canada
Go to https://bandlab.com and download and install Bandlab Assistant. This will enable you to install a free copy of Cakewalk Platinum which they have made available to everyone at no charge.

This is one of the best DAW softwares of all time and there are some great tutorial videos on Youtube to get you up and running in no time.

This is the link for cakewalk

https://cakewalk.bandlab.com/

Gary ;)
 
Last edited:
Joined
Nov 3, 2018
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Go to https://bandlab.com and download and install Bandlab Assistant. This will enable you to install a free copy of Cakewalk Platinum which they have made available to everyone at no charge.

This is one of the best DAW softwares of all time and there are some great tutorial videos on Youtube to get you up and running in no time.

Gary ;)

Thank you. I'll definitely check it out. Are all the samples (I think that's the correct term? Right?) more realistic sounding?
 

happyrat1

Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
Joined
May 30, 2012
Messages
14,288
Reaction score
5,750
Location
GTA, Canada
In that case you might want to google Reaper or Music Maker as your DAW of choice.

Also the virtual instruments are sold separately. There are plenty of free ones out there though.

Just google "Free VSTI Plugins" and you will find hundreds of them.

Gary ;)
 

happyrat1

Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
Joined
May 30, 2012
Messages
14,288
Reaction score
5,750
Location
GTA, Canada
BTW, that's a live choir singing in that youtube clip. You'll never be able to duplicate those sounds with a keyboard alone.

Gary ;)
 
Joined
Nov 3, 2018
Messages
6
Reaction score
0
Okay, so we've discussed the free ones, but what about the ones I'd need to pay for? What about Cubase? And what would I need to use the Cubase software?
 

happyrat1

Destroyer of Eardrums!!!
Joined
May 30, 2012
Messages
14,288
Reaction score
5,750
Location
GTA, Canada
Try some free ones before you start blowing your wad on the expensive ones.

Then you'll have a better idea what you're talking about.

Gary ;)
 

SeaGtGruff

I meant to play that note!
Moderator
Joined
Jun 6, 2014
Messages
4,149
Reaction score
1,780
Most commercial DAWs have free trials so you can "test drive" them before you buy.

Commercial DAWs generally come in multiple versions, each one having different prices and capabilities as far as things like the number of audio and MIDI tracks you can use at once, the number of audio and MIDI connections you can use, the number of virtual instruments and effects included, whether certain features are enabled, etc. There may even be a free version having the lowest level of capabilities and features, or a bundled version that's included with certain audio or MIDI equipment.

Typically the free trial for a DAW will be the most expensive version, so if you try a DAW for free and like it then you should check to be sure that the capabilities and features you liked in the free trial will be available in the version that you're thinking of buying.

Cubase comes in three paid versions, plus two bundled versions. The two higher-priced paid versions require the use of a dongle, but the lowest-priced paid version does not-- you can use an eLicenser program instead. The free trial for Cubase is for the lowest-priced version so you won't need to buy a dongle just to try it out.

I have the lowest-priced paid version of Cubase (Elements), which I originally tried out for free. One thing you should beware of is that you might experience confusion on the part of the eLicenser if you try the free trial and then buy Cubase, because the license for the free trial will probably still be in the eLicenser and can come up by default, so when you start Cubase you might get a message that the license has expired or something like that (I forget the exact wording). All I had to do was select the other license that was displayed in the eLicenser. I've seen posts from people who had "nightmare" experiences with the eLicenser and Cubase Support when they updated to a newer version of Cubase and the eLicenser kept telling them that they didn't have a valid license, but I didn't have any trouble updating from version 8 to version 9, and I haven't updated to version 9.5 yet.

Anyway, Cubase is a very good DAW, although as is the case with most DAWs it has a learning curve. Cubase is made by Steinberg, and Steinberg is owned by Yamaha, so Cubase comes with a built-in understanding of many of Yamaha's keyboards (i.e., the "instrument patch files" that contain the MIDI information for each instrument's preset patches, available effects, and other features so you can select a given patch or effect or feature more easily without having to know and manually enter the MIDI messages yourself). This doesn't mean that Cubase has built-in patch files for all Yamaha keyboard models, but if it doesn't have one for your particular model then you can either create your own or import one that someone else created.

I have a number of free and paid DAWs installed on my desktop computer, although I've barely used most of them (I installed them to try to help different people who were having trouble doing something)-- and when I do use a DAW it's usually for playing virtual instruments rather than for recording, so I don't necessarily have a good working knowledge of the DAWs that I do use.

Of the DAWs I've tried, my favorite as far as playing virtual instruments is Acoustica Mixcraft, because I find it to be very simple to use for that purpose, and it's incredibly easy to create complex splits and layers involving a mixture of multiple virtual instruments and/or real instruments (e.g., keyboards connected to the computer), then save the setups for later recall if desired. It gets a lot of love from people who use it for recording, but there are also a lot of people who apparently don't consider it to be a "serious" DAW, so whether you love it or just have general disdain for it may depend on how sophisticated you need a DAW to be as far as its capabilities and features. For example, Avid Pro Tools is a highly-respected commercial DAW that's used by a lot of professional producers, but its user manual is literally well over 1000 pages long, so you almost need to take several in-depth university courses in how to use it! Acoustica Mixcraft can't compete with Avid Pro Tools in terms of capabilities and features, but it's also a lot simpler to use.

Before you choose to buy a DAW, one thing you might want to beware of is that not all DAWs support SysEx messages. SysEx (or "System Exclusive") is a type of MIDI message that allows different companies such as Yamaha, Roland, Korg, or Casio to define their own sets of MIDI instructions for their hardware and software. You may have heard of SysEx being used for doing "bulk dumps" of keyboards' memories to save the internal settings used for various patches, and then loading the bulk dumps at a later time to restore those patches when needed. However, SysEx is used for much more than that. For instance, Yamaha and other keyboard manufacturers use SysEx messages to select a particular reverb type, chorus type, or other DSP effects type, as well as to modify the technical parameters of those effects. On the other hand, an effect's "depth" or "send level" for a given MIDI channel is usually controlled by non-SysEx messages-- specifically, by Control Change channel messages.

In practical terms, what this means is that if you're using a DAW that doesn't support SysEx messages, what will happen is that when you import a MIDI file-- or stream MIDI data from your keyboard to the DAW so you can record it-- the DAW will most likely filter out any SysEx messages encountered. Consequently, you'll lose those messages which select the particular reverb type, chorus type, or other DSP effects type.

That may or may not be an issue for you.

For instance, if you're planning to stream (or sequence) the MIDI data from the DAW to the keyboard then you'll need to manually set the various effects types on the keyboard itself, so as long as you don't mind doing that then there's no problem.

But if you plan to record a song to a MIDI file on your keyboard, import the MIDI file into a DAW, make changes in the DAW and save them, then load the changed MIDI file back into your keyboard for playback, you'll want to get a DAW that supports SysEx messages.

Cubase, Cakewalk, REAPER, and Tracktion are examples of DAWs that do support SysEx.

Mixcraft, PreSonus Studio One, and Ableton Live are examples of DAWs that do not support SysEx. Note that Cockos (who make REAPER) have a free plug-in that includes the ability to work with SysEx messages, and you might be able to use that free plug-in with a DAW that doesn't support SysEx.

I definitely recommend trying out a number of different DAWs before you buy one to see how well you like each one and whether it can do the things you want it to-- as well as how easy it is for you to do those things-- because even though just about every DAW has the same basic functions, they can vary greatly from each other as far as how those functions are laid out, the steps you must go through to perform a given function, etc. They can also vary greatly in terms of visual appearance-- their graphical user interfaces, font sizes, color combinations, etc.-- and it's amazing how much the visual appearance can affect how much a given DAW attracts or repulses you. But make sure you test a DAW long enough to get past your knee-jerk reaction to its "sexy" or "ugly" appearance. :)
 
Last edited:

Ask a Question

Want to reply to this thread or ask your own question?

You'll need to choose a username for the site, which only take a couple of moments. After that, you can post your question and our members will help you out.

Ask a Question

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
14,481
Messages
90,269
Members
13,417
Latest member
Smitty D

Latest Threads

Top