Tyros 5 Memory Expansion - alternatives?

[Dumpster]

A couple of quick questions please, Google is confusing me with it's answers so it's time I asked the professionals.

Are there alternatives to the memory expansion boards for the Tyros 5? The Yamaha product seems phenominaly overpriced for 1Gb storage. Are there adaptors to use other types of memory, or alternative brands that are as good?

Also, can you add voices to the Tyros 5 without a memory expansion? I have the Tyros communicating wirelessly with the PC and the Expansion Manager software, but as far as I can see, there's no way to add new voices, only styles and pads etc.

Many thanks.

 

[anotherscott]

AFAIK, the only company besides Yamaha that makes a compatible memory card is Mutec. It's a bit less expensive, and they also make a version with more memory than what Yamaha offers. But it is inherently a more expensive kind of memory than what most stuff uses. It's NOR flash which operates more like RAM than like disk storage, except it also maintains its contents the way storage does.

If you're connected to a computer, you should be able to use the Tyros to trigger sounds from VSTs running on the computer to expand your sound palette.

 

[b3maniac]

The Yamaha M1024M modules are expensive, and the same cards are used by the Tyros 4/5 and some of the Motif series boards. I purchased two of the FL1024M (1GB) boards from an Ebay seller in Germany late last year. They were the best deal around at about $157 each. I just checked and they do not have them listed anymore. The best deal I could find today was $139 for a 512M board at a mega retailer in Indiana. Only one company made an aftermarket card (MUTEC) but apparently no long produce them. I was never able to find any of the MUTEC cards (neither new or used) being sold anywhere. There are plenty of Japanese sellers for the Yamaha cards but they have really high prices. [Note: I initially went through my Yamaha dealer and tried to get I GB cards, but the rep was not able to fufil my request, ergo my worldwide search. ] I don't have a Tyros, but my MOXF boards require the memory board to add new voices which are sample based. I expect that is also the case with the Tyros, but I am advising that you should check the Tyros manual for yourself and understand what you gain by adding memory. YMMV Don aka B3maniac

 

[Dumpster]

Thank you both for your information. This is good stuff. I'd like to try connecting it to the PC and using VST plugins. I've never done this before, is there a free or inexpensive software solution to give that a try?

Thanks again.