Title link takes you to the Global website with everything finally up - videos, mp3s, interviews and more.Sent my way via Robert who had the following to say about it:
"Now I've read through the manual and am impressed. The Tenori-on looks more useful than most of us thought it would be. It's not THE ULTIMATE SEQUENCER, but I don't think anyone expected it to be. It has better sequencer specs than I thought it would and some interesting UI implementations that other sequencers would have a hard time duplicating. I think the demo mp3s they've posted so far don't do justice to the
possibilities of the Tenori-on. The big disappointment is the onboard sounds are just a rompler selection and don't appear editable. But the RM1x is this way, great sequencer with boring sounds. I always thought of it as a sketchpad where I would replace all the sounds with my own once I worked out the song. The Tenori-ON looks the same way.I can think of a bunch of features I'd like to see on the sequencer, but maybe those will come via a software update.
Is it worth 500 pounds? It's really going to depend on the end user.
Some people already compose in the way the Tenori is laid out and they'll probably jump right on it. Is it worth $500? If Yamaha can sell it for $500 they'll sell DX-7 quantities.
A feature not previously mentioned that may really tip the scales for some is the 'Interior mode' where you can set up your Tenori to be a fancy clock that plays songs. Really. I'm not making that up. That's the feature that says 'I'm Japanese-designed!'"
isnt it funny how a brand newish type of electronic instrument is released and most of us are more excited about the Pro 08
ReplyDeleteI think that's because we have a reference point (previous SCI synths) for the P'08. You know it's going to be good. Yamaha releases such a wide range of products from the brilliant to the ridiculous we don't know what we'll be getting with something so new. Is it really new or just more hype? I didn't even read a Roland V-Synth review for two years becasue I thought it was just more hype. Now that I have one I think their hype actually undersold the potential.
ReplyDeleteThe more I see about it, now with more details finally yes thanks, the more it looks like something that will be more useable rather than just a gimmicky device. Also, I'm not going to discount its internal sounds just yet only because it has an AWM2 Rom based Tone Generator.
ReplyDeleteAnd you can add your own sounds. Synthesize away on your other synths and then import them in. Did anyone find more info on the MIDI out? It's not clear if you can use it to control external synths and if so, how. I only found the reference to connecting multiple TENORI-ONs and hooking the output to a computer to record the MIDI out. What is it recording?
ReplyDeleteThe MIDI out does note on and off, velocity for note on and the following: Bank Select
ReplyDeleteMain Volume
Panpot
Expression
Effect Depth
It'd be nice to have assignable MIDI CC's or to be able to export the Tenori songs as Standard MIDI Files. Maybe Yamaha wanted a realtively simple feature set to start with so people weren't overwhelmed with possibilities. Hopefully those features and more will be added to a future OS update. (fingers crossed)
Yep, just d/led manual and I'm seeing very limited midi functionality too =(. No multiple channel velocity out, just master??? And yeah, voice editability is near null. Yamaha is going to have to improve or add some things before it makes it onto my GAS list. Such a promising platform, it could do a lot more I think, and will I hope. Been hoping for an RS9000 that might include something like a Tenori on it. I'm dreaming, I know.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a wonderfull new instrument. I hope Yamaha gets behind this and makes it a proper new platform/segment.
ReplyDeleteWay too over-priced... I hope Yamaha reduces the price and keeps making them instead of just dropping the idea once it doesn't sell for $1000 or so US.
ReplyDelete0.95 sec max sample time per sample is a joke. You won't get much beyond that annoying beeps they have so far produced in each and every video. Wonder what's the problem with programming some decent beats and melodies to show the practical usability... The blinking in some of the modes would be getting on my nerves after a while too, hopefully there is a way to reduce the distracting light effects.
ReplyDeleteI've been following this instrument for awhile and I 'm underwhelmed. It's a nice grid sequencer with pretty lights. The layer feature IS interesting but, c'mon it's a sequencer!
ReplyDelete...and the price - 599 Pounds Sterling = $1200.00 - Even with the "Interior Decoration alarm clock feature," it's a Madness price for a sequencer in 2007.
Cut the price to $499 remove the internal sound set and it might be worth a look.
After reading the manual, I'm sorely tempted to create a virtual Tenori On with Max and add Monome support. There isn't anything there outside of what was shown in the demos. Now I know how it is all organized.
ReplyDelete£599 seems reasonable to me, but because the dollar is so weak at the moment I guess thats why they launched in the UK first.
ReplyDeleteI can't understand why they list record shops as stockists - WTF??? This thing is no DJ tool, and why did they have that ridiculous colour scheme in the manual?
Other than that it looks quite a nice toy, things like the small sampling time and lack of voice editing suit the user interface and will probably turn out to be strengths rather than weaknesses, the approach seems very much like Electroplankton V2.0, like a 21st century Triadex Muse.
Seems like a solution in search of a problem.
ReplyDeleteDepending on what the price ends up being here, I would buy one. It seems like something I would totally be into.
ReplyDeleteWell, the price has been announced. It will be somewhere between $1000 and $1200 in the US. So the question is, will you still buy it at this price?
ReplyDeleteWhere are you getting this price from? A US launch hasn't even been announced yet as far as I know, and I wouldn't go by the exchange rate. I'm betting it will sell for significantly less...probably around $800 or so.
ReplyDelete