Yamaha Psr s 670 as a midi controler

[Danielfer_88]

Hello. I'm new on this forum. I would like to know if some of you could help me with some queries I have about my keyboard.

I bought it to be able to compose and record ideas. According to the videos online, the keyboard can record up to 16 tracks in a multitrack session, but I have been having problems understanding the system. I have been able to record up to 4 tracks together, from the fifth track I record, I the keyboard doesn't play the tracks when I press play. It only plays the fist four tracks recorded. If someone can explain why this is happening and how I can solve it, I will be very thankful.



In the meantime, I thought I could plug it into my computer and use it as a midi controler for a recording software. This unit doesn't have a midi port. But I've heard you can still use the usb port to connect it to a computer. Has anyone been able to do this? What cable should I buy? What software is best for this purpose?
Thanks in advance.

 

[b3maniac]

If you don't get an answer here I would suggest this group: https://yamahamusicians.com/forum/ Good luck.

 

[SeaGtGruff]

I'm not sure about the problem recording on the keyboard itself, unless maybe you're trying to record everything at the same time and there are only three keyboard parts that can be played at the same time-- Right1, Right2, and Left. You can record additional tracks using those same keyboard parts on other channels, but you'd also have to be careful that you weren't overwriting the original recorded tracks.

Yes, you can also connect the keyboard to a computer and use a DAW to record as many audio tracks as the DAW will allow per project. (Different DAWs may have different restrictions as to how many tracks a project can have.) You would want to use a standard USB 2.0 cable to connect the keyboard to the computer-- the kind of USB cable that is sometimes referred to as a "printer cable" on the packaging, although it can also be used with any USB device that has "full size" USB ports on it (as opposed to the smaller-sized USB ports that a lot of modern mobile devices have).

EDIT -- Note that you should stick to USB 2.0 cables which are no longer than 3 meters longs, at least I think that's the recommended maximum length; the manual for your keyboard should say.

 

[Danielfer_88]

Thanks a lot for your answer. I think the manual needs more explanations because it doesn't explain how to do the process you mentioned. Or I'm simply too dumb to understand.

I simply press play and the track number button to record the tracks, and, as I said, I can onoy play back the first 4 tracks.

Regarding the type of cable, thanks a lot for the info. So, I simply connect the keyboard to the computer through the midi port and the DAW will automatically recognize the device?


As you can clearly see, I have no idea how to do these things, but I am willing to learn and get the most out of my devices.

 

[SeaGtGruff]

I think the computer should recognize the keyboard without needing a driver, because the PSR-S670 should be "class compliant" such that it doesn't need a driver. But if you do find that you need a driver, there are drivers for Windows or macOS on the Yamaha website.

Note that the keyboard won't be listed as "PSR-S670"; instead, it will probably be listed as "Digital Keyboard" or something like that.

Also, the USB cable will let you transmit MIDI data back and forth between the keyboard and the computer, but if you want to record the keyboard's audio then you'll need to use an audio cable to connect them.

 

[Danielfer_88]

Awesome! Thanks a lot once again. Very thorough answers. I really appreciate this information. I hope this thread is useful for anyone else who needs it