Yamaha Reface

[Stab Frenzy]

I don't think they use regular sized keys anymore because the age of the progrock/hammond keyboardist is long gone. Artists more or less use keyboards to trigger arpeggiators and sequencers more than play 6 finger keyboard chops.

And the only players who do those things are well into their 50's and 60's nowadays. You don't need a 6 octave fullsized keyboard to play a 3 note arp pattern. All the manufacturers have realized this.

I think this is the dumbest thing that's ever been posted on VSE, congratulations!

Manufacturers bring out synths with mini keys because they sell really well. That's all, no other reason, they just sell really well and the companies like to make money.

[coastalscrub]

It looks like there won't be knobby FM...

[Broadwave]

I don't think they use regular sized keys anymore because the age of the progrock/hammond keyboardist is long gone. Artists more or less use keyboards to trigger arpeggiators and sequencers more than play 6 finger keyboard chops.

That's a surprisingly limited view considering your gear list...

I'm pretty sure there are quite a few (and not necessarily OLD) keyboard players out there that actually play LIVE with as many fingers/thumbs as they can muster... and have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with "progrock/hammond" players.

[Bitexion]

And why do they sell well? Because the general public aren't vintage synth enthusiasts who wish everything was like it was in 1982.

[Broadwave]

Actually, I'm going to apologize, Bitexion. I think I may have taken your post the wrong way.

I seem to have read it as a rant against us keyboard players who DON'T trigger arp/samples etc. and still need a "proper" keyboard when we play live... Oooops!

[Bitexion]

Nah it was never a rant against you guys Just the way I see things these days, with everyone releasing those minikey keyboards. There must be a demand for them or noone would do it.

[ItsMeOnly]

Holy f**k h**l. I think I get it: it's in the name - Reface is a docking station for a set of interchangable synth modules with their own interfaces. You can see drawbar, DX like FM ("looks familiar" note), VA.

[meatballfulton]

The weird thing for me is the combo organ. Unless it also emulates a B3 (which the old YC series most certainly did not) I don't see any demand.

The CP, OK but how many people wanted a 37 key piano? Maybe some of the people who bought this Korg:



Well we will know in few days what is really going on.

[Hybrid88]

It looks like there won't be knobby FM...

Yeah bugger, think you're right.

Why is the CS white? I'm not seeing how that makes sense, unless it's actually trying to be a GX-1.

This is all rather strange, but I'm glad Yamaha are actually still making synths regardless of how successful these turn out to be.

[haj]

I'm already very disappointed... by the looks of the thing. except it makes drastically unique or new sound, which I think is very unlikely..

[Solyaris]

My distaste for minikeys aside, I'm very confused by the DX synth. There can't be a soul out there that wants a knob-less FM synth, and no one is missing the presets of the DX7. I probably would have even set aside my prejudice against mini-keys for a knobby FM synth and gladly bought one. Furthermore didn't Yamaha ask people "what do you want", and didn't everyone say "a knobby FM synth". I swear when I scrolled through the dialogue that was the overaching theme in the responses.

[Duskyfarer]

There can't be a soul out there that wants a knob-less FM synth, and no one is missing the presets of the DX7.

Well, are you trying to say I have no soul or that I can't be as a whole? I do miss some of the presets and I don't care for the knobs on an FM synth. I think the "subtractive" guys do need the knobs or a filter or whatever that reminds them of a subtractive synth. I don't.

Furthermore didn't Yamaha ask people "what do you want", and didn't everyone say "a knobby FM synth".

I participated in the survey and I didn't say that. I said keep it simple and powerful like the first DX7. If Reface is indeed fully programmable and capable of all the DX sounds as a minimum, it will be like coming home to me.

[moremagic]

a new dx7 with an esq 1 style interface, but with rotary knobs instead of softbuttons, would be amazing. being able to edit most of an envelopes parameters at once would be very interesting, as would adding a page or 2 of custom knob configurations to each patch

[Zamise]

I would of been surprised if Yam did scaled down keys. I don't think they ever put out a synth with actual mini sized keys, have they? Not counting their porta-synth line. They do have mini-keys but they are pads or buttons not piano keys. I really like their staggered button mini-key layouts similar to real piano keys, and their extra functionalities, as opposed to ones that are straight or in a row of buttons or a 4x4 grid etc.. Strangely, I don't like min-key piano keyboards and I don't even play them really, I use them mostly for sequencing and programming more so than arping or playing like a piano. I just don't like mini-key keyboards for any logical reason if they are supposed to be on a professional looking/feeling piece of kit. I don't mind them at all on toys or starter synths. They are like a sad compromise between button mini-keys and full keys. I don't know, anyhow, I''m not not too excited about ReFace. I guess I'm just glad to see Yamaha trying something sort of new in the syth arena. They have really harped on their historical stuff lately since it is a milestone anniversary and all this year for them. This thing, Reface, falls in the same line of thinking, however it would be nice if they could start looking in a forward direction again with developing non-workstation hardware based synths and sequencers.

[salwa]

I don't think they ever put out a synth with actual mini sized keys, have they?

Yes, DX 100.