Keyboards don't save settings. Why not?

[joblake326]

Why is that keyboards don't save settings when you shut off power? Just bought a Yamaha EZ300. It's like every other keyboard that I've used. Shut the power off and on and it goes back to the default voice. Maybe it's just me, but it's a pain. Yeah I know you can store presets.
Speaking of which, the EZ300 has lighted keys for learning and I wanted to shut them off. So I went to settings and shut them off. I assumed that this setting would stick. Nope. Shut it off and on and the lights are back. WTH?

 

[Biggles]

Welcome

Function memory number 037 will turn lights on and off

To save your settings for a specific song the resultant setting is called a Registration.

The manual will detail how to save and use Registrations.

But being a Yamaha manual it will be coear as mud to read in which case you will find plenty of tutorials start on Yamaha’s own website for your keyboard, don’t worry if it does not make sense all keyboard manuals are written the same way.

EZ-300 - Videos - Yamaha - Other European Countries

europe.yamaha.com

 

[happyrat1]

If you're willing to spend $2000 plus on a decent workstation, you'll find that feature, the ability to save powerup configuration, more common.

Gary

 

[Biggles]

BTW
Most keyboards especially arrangers and DP’s load a default sound (usually their best piano) on start up, it is what it is.

Its a £300 keyboard so setting expectations lower will be more realistic outcome for you

It is not a cut down version of a £3700 Genos, it is a starter keyboard.

 

[Rayblewit]

If you're willing to spend $2000 plus on a decent workstation, you'll find that feature, the ability to save powerup configuration, more common.

Sub $1000 will do it . . The mid range workstations have that feature. Mine (bought 2nd hand) cost roughly $600 (as new ) has shut down / reboot memory as an automatic feature.

 

[happyrat1]

It's ALWAYS a tradeoff between price and features on a keyboard.

You have kiddie keyboards like the LK series or the Casio SA-76 at one end and you have the Kronos and Fantoms at the other end of the spectrum.

The more you are willing to pay the more features you will get.

Non volatile memory adds significantly to the design and programming costs of a board and the more you pay the more you can save.

If you really want to get a feel for playing a keyboard on the cheap, I'd suggest one of these:

Amazon.com

I sit with one in my lap in front of the TV just to keep my ear and my fingers in tune during my downtime. No worries about saving settings. It has only one setting.

Gary

 

[joblake326]

It's ALWAYS a tradeoff between price and features on a keyboard.

You have kiddie keyboards like the LK series or the Casio SA-76 at one end and you have the Kronos and Fantoms at the other end of the spectrum.

The more you are willing to pay the more features you will get.

Non volatile memory adds significantly to the design and programming costs of a board and the more you pay the more you can save.

If you really want to get a feel for playing a keyboard on the cheap, I'd suggest one of these:

Amazon.com

I sit with one in my lap in front of the TV just to keep my ear and my fingers in tune during my downtime. No worries about saving settings. It has only one setting.

Gary

Thanks everyone for all the help. Please excuse my rambling...
I guess the most accurate statement is that "it is what it is". It's certainly not enough of a deal breaker to upgrade to a $1000+ keyboard. I'm just using it to help with my music theory learning for my bass and guitar, 2 more instruments that I'm also trying to learn. My biggest struggle on all 3 instruments is my technique. I don't spend nearly enough time practicing. But I'm fascinated by all the theory stuff and would be happy to be strong in the theory department and so-so in the playing. I'm a retired 65 year old hardware/software designer. I cut my teeth back in the 70's at a company called DeltaLab. We designed the first digital audio processors based on delta modulation. We went head to head with Lexicon and MXR who used PCM a/d converters. 1976-1987 was a fun time. Just about all of us were musicians including the president. I played drums so I knew nothing about theory but I had a pretty good ear. We made digital reverbs, pitch shifters, chorus/flangers. For a 20 something year old kid, it was cool to hear the effects that I/we designed used on songs by the likes of Donna Summer, Christopher Cross and others that I can't remember. I've been a drummer since I was 8 yrs old. I didn't play at all after I got married in '80. I started playing again at a church in 2007. It was a Roland I think. At home I have a Yamaha DTX502. Love it.
I know. Way TMI.
All this to say, I know electronics like the back of my hand and it literally costs nothing to save settings when powering down. It's just a software routine. Everything for the past 30 years has been based on nonvolatile memory (NVM), meaning that when data is written to memory it physically changes the properties of the memory chip, and this data holds with or without power. Now "back in my day", it was very different. Chips couldn't retain data without power. So you had to have all these chips always powered or they'd "lose their brains". This meant battery backup which DID add cost. Today? It's just a marketing decision. Anyway, thanks for all the help and letting this old guy bloviate ; )

 

[happyrat1]

One rule as immutable as Godwin's Law or Moore's Law is that "Keyboard hardware design is always at least ten years behind computer state-of-the-art."

At least it's taken us that long to get up to Gigs of NVRAM compared to Megs of NVRAM a decade ago.

Application always lags development in this industry and with production runs in the thousands instead of the millions it hasn't always attracted the best people when it comes to innovating designs.

You have to realize that a run of 100,000 units of any given model is the equivalent of a platinum record in the industry. Usually production runs are limited to a few thousand units and by the time those have been released they are already designing the next generation.

Gary