FCC INFORMATION (U.S.A) 1. IMPORTANT NOTICE : DO NOT MODIFY THIS UNIT! This product, when installed as indicated in the instructions contained in this manual, meets FCC requirements. Modifications not expressly approved by Yamaha may void your authority, granted by the FCC, to use the product. 2. IMPORTANT: When connecting this product to accessories and/or another product use only high quality shielded cables. Cable/s supplied with this product MUST be used. Follow all installation instructions.
SPECIAL MESSAGE SECTION This product utilizes batteries or an external power supply (adapter). DO NOT connect this product to any power supply or adapter other than one described in the manual, on the name plate, or specifically recommended by Yamaha. WARNING: Do not place this product in a position where anyone could walk on, trip over, or roll anything over power or connecting cords of any kind.
Welcome to the P50-m Congratulations and thank you for purchasing the Yamaha P50-m Piano Tone Generator! The P50-m is an advanced tone generator with piano and other keyboard Voices. It provides exceptionally realistic and high-quality piano Voices — with complete 32-note polyphony — when connected to a MIDI keyboard or when used with a sequencer or computer. Reverb and Chorus effects are also built into the Voices for a rich, natural sound.
Unpacking Your P50-m package should include the items listed below. Make sure that you have them all. Also, write down the serial number of your P50-m in the box below, for future reference. • P50-m Serial No.
Table of Contents Welcome to the P50-m ......................................................................................................... i Unpacking ............................................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents ................................................................................................................. iii How to Use This Manual .................................................................
How to Use This Manual You are probably eager to play your new P50-m Piano Tone Generator right away, rather than have to read through a lot of instructions before you can even get a sound out of it. However, to get the most out of your P50-m, we strongly suggest that you read the following sections in the order given: 1) Precautions This gives you important information on how to care for your new P50-m, how to avoid damaging it, and how to ensure long-term, reliable operation.
Precautions Your P50-m will give you years of reliable service if you follow the simple precautions below: ■ LOCATION Keep the instrument away from locations where it is likely to be exposed to high temperatures (such as direct sunlight) or humidity. Also avoid locations which are subject to excessive dust accumulation or vibration which could cause mechanical damage. ■ USE THE CORRECT POWER ADAPTOR Use only the recommended PA-3B or PA-1207 Power Adaptor for supplying power to the instrument.
■ ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE Avoid using the unit near televisions, radios or other equipment generating electromagnetic fields. Proximity to such equipment may cause the unit to malfunction, and may generate interference noise in the other appliance as well. ■ DO NOT OPEN THE CASE OR TRY REPAIRING THE INSTRUMENT YOURSELF The instrument contains no user-serviceable parts. Never open the case or tamper with the internal circuitry in any way, since doing so may result in damage to the instrument.
The Controls of the P50-m Front Panel 1 2 3 4 5 1 POWER/VOL control Pressing this turns the power on and off. Turning it adjusts the overall volume of the P50-m. 2 PHONES jack For connection to a set of stereo headphones (mini-pin). 3 VOICE SELECT button For selection of the internal Voices. (See page 9.) Also for changing the Program Change Table setting. (See page 18.) TONE Controls 4 BRIGHT button For adjusting the brightness of the selected Voice. (See page 11.
6 8 7 9 10 11 12 TUNE Controls 6 MASTER TUNE button For adjusting the overall fine tuning of the instrument. (See page 14.) Also used with the NOTE SHIFT button for playing the Demo song. (See page 7.) 7 NOTE SHIFT button For changing the key transposition setting of the instrument. (See page 15.) Also used with the MASTER TUNE button for playing the Demo song. (See page 7.) UTILITY Controls 8 TOUCH button For changing the touch (velocity) response of the instrument. (See page 16.
Rear Panel 2 1 3 1 MIDI OUT/IN terminals For connection to other MIDI devices, such as a MIDI keyboard, tone generator, sequencer, or to a computer that has a MIDI interface. (See pages 4–6 for more information on MIDI connections.) 2 DC IN jack For connection to the PA-3B AC power adaptor. 3 OUTPUT R, L/MONO jacks (Right, Left/Mono) For connection to a stereo amplifier/speaker system. When using a mono system, connect it to the L/MONO jack.
Setting Up and Playing Your P50-m In this section, you’ll learn how to set up the P50-m for use with a MIDI keyboard. You’ll also learn how to set it up for use with a computer or sequencer and a second tone generator. Finally, you’ll learn how to play the Demo song and hear the realistic and dynamic Voices of the P50-m. What You’ll Need ❏ The P50-m and the included power adaptor. ❏ A MIDI keyboard, electronic piano, or any instrument that can output MIDI data.
• Do not attempt to use an AC adaptor other than the PA-3B or PA-1207. The use of an incompatible adaptor may result in irreparable damage to the P50-m, and even pose a serious shock hazard. • Be sure to disconnect the power adaptor from the outlet when the P50-m is not in use.
Using in Larger MIDI Systems The P50-m is equipped with MIDI IN and OUT terminals, allowing you to use it in any MIDI system. In the system example shown below, the P50-m is connected to both a computer and another tone generator. Here, the computer (with sequencer or other music software) plays back song data using the Voices of the P50-m and the connected tone generator.
Powering Up 1. If you haven’t done so already, press the POWER/VOL control on the P50-m. 2. 3. Turn on the power of your MIDI keyboard. 4. Finally, set the volume control on the P50-m to about the midway position initially (you can raise it later if needed), and set the volume on the amplifier to a suitable level. Make sure that all volume controls (on the P50-m and the connected amplifier) are turned down. Then, turn on the power of your amplifier speaker system.
Playing all Demo Songs With the power off, simultaneously hold down the MASTER TUNE and NOTE SHIFT buttons and turn the power on. Hold down Push (power off) Hold down Demo song number 1 (for Voice 01) starts playing immediately and is followed by the other Demo songs in succession. Playback of all songs repeats indefinitely until stopped (by pressing any panel button). (The LEDs and lamps flash in a pattern during playback.) Using the All Demo Play mode resets the P50-m to the original factory settings.
Operation Guide Voice Controls Selecting a Voice The P50-m has 28 different piano and other keyboard Voices. (See list on page 30.) These can be selected either from the panel controls or remotely from a connected MIDI device. Range: 1. 01 — 29 Press the SELECT button. Lamp lights. 2. Use the DATA dial to change the Voice number. Voice number (program number) Play this new Voice from the connected keyboard (or other device). Try selecting other Voices and playing them as well.
S e l e c t i n g Vo i c e s F r o m Yo u r M I D I Keyboard You can also select Voices remotely from a connected MIDI keyboard. Though the actual operation may differ depending on the keyboard used, the general procedure is the same. (Refer to the owner’s manual of your instrument for specific instructions.) 1. Make sure that your keyboard is set up to send Program Change messages. 2. Use your keyboard’s panel controls to select a program.
Tone Controls The Tone controls of the P50-m, BRIGHT and REVERB SEND, let you adjust the sound of individual Voices. Brightness (BRIGHT) determines the tonal quality of the Voice, while Reverb Send determines how much Reverb effect is applied to the selected Voice. Both of these controls let you make independent settings for different Voices, and all settings are automatically saved as they are made.
Changing the Reverb Send for a Voice The higher the value, the greater the amount of Reverb sound. A value of 0 results in a completely “dry” Voice sound. Range: 1. 000 — 127 Press the REVERB SEND button. Lamp lights. 2. Use the DATA dial to change the Reverb Send setting. Reverb Send setting for the currently selected Voice.
3-Band EQ Sliders The P50-m features 3-band EQ sliders on the panel. These are convenient for real-time adjustment of the overall timbre of the sound over three separate frequency bands. Range: –12 — 12 dB (for each frequency range: LOW, MID, HIGH) For stereo Voices (see page 26), the MID slider has no effect.
Tune Controls The Tune controls of the P50-m, MASTER TUNE and NOTE SHIFT, let you adjust the overall pitch of the instrument. Master Tune lets you make fine adjustments to the tuning, while Note Shift lets you change the key transposition of the instrument. Both of these controls affect all Voices, and the settings are automatically saved as they are made. Changing the Master Tune Setting Master Tune is especially useful for adjusting the pitch of the P50-m when playing with other instruments.
Changing the Note Shift Setting Note Shift is especially useful for instantly transposing the key of the P50-m. The normal setting is 00. Range: 1. –12 — 12 semitones (–/+ one octave) Press the NOTE SHIFT button. Lamp lights. 2. Use the DATA dial to change the Note Shift setting. Note Shift setting.
Utility Controls The Utility controls, TOUCH and MIDI CH (Channel), let you access some of the other important functions of the P50-m. Changing the Touch Sensitivity This function lets you determine how the volume of the P50-m’s Voices respond to your playing touch (velocity). Eight different Touch Sensitivity settings (or curves) are available, letting you tailor the response to your own preference. Settings: 1 — 8 1. Press the TOUCH button. Lamp lights. 2.
The Normal (1) setting provides standard touch response. Easy 1 to 3 allow you to produce a reasonably high volume with a soft, light touch (low velocities). Hard 1 and 2 produce high volume only with a hard, strong touch (high velocities). Cross 1 and 2 produce nearly the same volume no matter how soft or hard the touch. Changing the MIDI Receive Channel In order to properly use the P50-m with another MIDI device, the MIDI channels on both machines must match.