Brace Yourself For the Vintage Keyboard Premium Pack

Next month Yamaha will unveil the latest Premium Pack for the Tyros4, the Vintage Keyboard Pack. Adding a whole new set of electric piano and synth sounds, the Vintage Keyboard pack will be a real treat for fans of analog and early digital keyboard sounds. The vintage sounds included in the pack recreate instruments that have been heard in a variety of legendary recordings, by hundreds of popular artists, and with these sounds at your fingertips, you'll be able to create even more new legendary tracks.

Included in the pack are a variety of voices which simulate classic electronic piano sounds. The unique sounds of these pianos were a result of their particular construction, in which metal tines or reeds were struck by hammers, with the sound then amplified by electromagnetic pickups. In the Vintage Keyboard pack, Yamaha has created voices which masterfully emulate both the reed and tine variations of these 'electro-mechanical' electronic pianos.

In addition to the recreation of these well known electric piano sounds, this pack includes voices from two of Yamaha’s most popular keyboard models, the legendary Yamaha DX7 and the Yamaha CP80.

With these new sounds on the way, it's a perfect time to revisit some of the songs that made these vintage keyboards famous. Take a look below for some examples:

• Superstition - Stevie Wonder
  Superstition is one of the most instantly recognizable songs in pop music, and one of Stevie Wonder's biggest hit's of all time. This track features layers and layers of the "Funky Clav". You can believe in things you don't understand with this MIDI file.
• Boogie Oogie Oogie - A Taste of Honey
  Here's an example of the Funky Clav used outside of funk music. In the age of Disco, this song was a chart topper! Its walking bass line intertwined with the Clavinet is enough to make anyone want to Boogie Oogie Oogie till they just can't boogie no more!
• Hard Habit to Break - Chicago
  The Yamaha DX7 was the first synthesizer to receive commercial success, and acclaim from critics and musicians alike. Chicago built "Hard Habit to Break" around this vintage keyboard's classic sound, and now you can play along with your Yamaha keyboard.
• Summer in the City - The Lovin Spoonful
  The Lovin' Spoonful made good use of the electric piano on "Summer in the City". This vintage keyboard delivers a synthesized piano sound, mixed with overtones that sound similar to the harpsichord.
• Get Back - The Beatles and Billy Preston
  The Beatles' "Get Back" features a prominent electric piano line played by Billy Preston. The piano solo in this song is what contributed to the first ever songwriting credit outside the Beatles' three main songwriters, with a credit to Billy Preston himself.

The new Vintage Keyboard Pack follows up on the packs and voices released last year for the Tyros3. In addition to the forthcoming pack, the Euro and US Organs Pack, the Choir and Vocals Pack, as well as the SA2 Pan Flute and Trombone voices, are all now available in new versions for the Tyros4.

Keep your eyes peeled for more information about these new voices and packs in the coming weeks.

- Doug