Check this area for free PSR/Tyros content like styles, expansion packs, voices, samples and audio files.

Expansion pack: ScatVoices

The ScatVoices expansion pack for Yamaha PSR-S750 and S950 arranger workstations is a set of voices suitable for jazz background and scat vocals. The expansion pack has five voices: DooLoops, GetLayeredUp, DatStuff, BopOnBop, and Dow2008 — all inspired by the (in)famous “jazz voices” found on many Roland keyboards. These voices are 100% original and are being distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. (More details below.)

The voices use and combine four sung syllables: DOO, DOT, BOP and DOW. The syllables are featured individually in DooLoops, DatStuff, BopOnPop and Dow2008. The DOOs are looped and sustain as long as keys are held. The other three syllables are short, one-shot vocal samples to be used in melody lines. Here is a short MP3 demo.

The GetLayeredUp voice combines all four syllables into a velocity-switched scat fest. You choose the syllable to be played by hitting the keys harder and softer. The sustainable DOOs provide a musical bed for chord and the short syllables provide scat-like expression. This voice depends quite heavily on your personal keyboard touch and touch sensitivity setting. You should expect to tweak and practice before getting a decent musical result. Please see the README for additional tips and details.

ScatVoices by Paul J. Drongowski is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

You are free to use this voice (even for commercial purposes) as long as you provide a link to http://sandsoftwaresound.net from your own web site AND/OR explicitly credit me in your creative work, e.g., “Scat samples/voice by Paul J. Drongowski”.

If you are curious about how I created the expansion pack voices and the samples, please see this post.

Multi-samples: ScatVoices

I’m providing the WAV multi-samples for ScatVoices in case you would like to create a new voice for your own synth workstation or software instrument. Please see the README file for more information about the multi-samples such as center keys, recommended key ranges, and so forth.

ScatVoice multi-samples by Paul J. Drongowski is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

You are free to use these samples (even for commercial purposes) as long as you provide a link to http://sandsoftwaresound.net from your own web site AND/OR explicitly credit me in your creative work, e.g., “Scat samples/voice by Paul J. Drongowski”.

Yamaha PSR-S950 styles

The latest Yamaha PSR and Tyros high-end arrangers use a new kind of arranger style called “audio styles.” The rhythm track in an audio style is an audio recording of a real drummer. Although the audio tracks have much greater nuance, Yamaha have placed restrictions on them — they cannot be copied to external media, they cannot be shared, they cannot be replaced by a new audio recording, etc. However, after a bunch of button pressing, the audio track in a style can be replaced with a MIDI rhythm track yielding a new style that can be copied, shared, and so forth.

My first audio to MIDI style conversion began with the “60sSuperGroup” audio style. I replaced the audio track with MIDI tracks, most of which were copied from the all MIDI style “60sVintageRock”. The new style is called “60sFabFour”.

The “DetroitSoul” style was converted from the PSR-S950 audio style “DetroitBeat”. Since many of the replacement MIDI rhythm parts were taken from the “Soul” style, it made sense to name the style “DetroitSoul”. ENDING 3, by the way, does not have rhythm parts on purpose. Sometimes, the right thing to do as a musician is lay out.

The “FunkPoppin” style was converted from the PSR-S950 R&B audio style titled “FunkPop”. It’s kind of a laid back funk style where the energy really builds from the A section to the D section. I didn’t copy the original OTS information, preferring to use instruments that better fit the new feel. Like all of these styles, it was developed and tested on the PSR-S950. YMMV on a different Yamaha arranger workstation.

The Yamaha MOX has a slew of arpeggio-based performances that are fun for jamming and practice. Many of the arpeggios were taken from the PSR/Tyros-series keyboards. The “SmoothItOver” style goes in the other direction. It is based on the MOX performance “Smooth It Over” and it, too, uses the original 70sDiscoFunk and GospelFunk styles. This is one funky, jazzy little number.