Yamaha YDS-120 Digital Saxophone Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 พ.ค. 2024
- #bettersax #saxophone #yamaha
Jay Metcalf reviews the Yamaha YDS-120 Wind Synth/digital saxophone.
Yamaha YDS-120 Wind Synth geni.us/D6rk
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Love your videos. Really do miss playing Sax. Been some time since I last played but your videos have inspired me to want to play again. I will be sure to continue watching and supporting your great videos. Happy New Year.
The wx5 is the beast . Had it for 15 years and it does everything you need it to Dom plus it takes multiple drops and never broke!
I own one. It's really fantastic instrument. Thanks for video!!!
I have the 150 and it works very well for me. No problems with the responsiveness (I fixed that in the app). In any case, thx for the honest review.
Excellent review. I would have bought the YDS 120 but Yamaha didn't release it down under. (probably to protect sales of the YDS 150). Decided to purchase the Travel sax 2 which I have now discovered is better in every department except price. The fact that it also has rollers on the pinky keys is a bonus.
Thanks for the review. I’m currently looking at the Akai Ewi 5000.
Thank you for the review. It would be interesting to see a comparison between this and the Emeo digital saxophone.
Lack of lip/bite sensor is a deal killer for me. The WX5 had it, as do most other serious wind controllers such as Akai and Roland. Don’t understand why they left that out.
Hi Jay, any thoughts about wind synths for live work? EWI was once the go to, but is there something better these days? I'm looking for synth type sounds - I've no keyboard technique so gonna have to be a wind synth. Thanks!
당연한 지적 정말 통쾌하게 지적해 주셨습니다 yds-120에 추가 기능이 업그레이드 된다면 곡관키드와 같이 당장 주문하겠습니다.
Thank you for your review. Can you please advise whether you can tongue on the yds120? So that I can do staccato and legato tonguing
I play the older YDS ever day. Have no problems with responsiveness. It is a great instrument because you can, at the same time, hear your backing track and yourself and also be silent, not bothering anyone you live with. With headphones, it does sound 85% like a sax. One of the great things...you pick it up and play...you don't worry about the (fake) reed (real sax, 1/5th of my time was spent fussing with getting a good reed). Plugs right into a huge amp, if you are playing a gig...but bring extra batteries like Jay The Man mentioned...the batteries don't last well. My iPad (with all the backing tracks) plugs into the Roland stereo and the sax plugs into the same Roland, and the headphones plug into the same Roland, and the sound is really quite good. Way easier to hit low notes, low B, low C#, low B flat, quickly than with a real sax. Bonus..built in instruments in C.....this is amazing...you have soprano and tenor in B flat, and alto and Barri in E flat, but also have synthesizer like sounds in C, and so if you are working full time and don't have a chance to transpose before you arrive, just switch to the C instruments, including the flute! If you have a problem with the responsiveness do a ""RESET" back to factory settings and you are jamming again. Major drawback....you can't bend a note like you can on a real sax, and so you can't every really play the sax on this instrument, but you can practice on it when you have limited time (again, no reed to fuss with).
other reviews about saids the yds is that it doesn't have a bit sensor, but does it have breath controller for use with kontakt plugins? such a sample modeling?
Nice reviews
Guess I'll have to wait for Yamaha to incorporate your suggestions into the next model before I consider another digital sax. I still have my trusting WX7 and array of tone generators, all nicely stored in a closet...so 1990s . Yamaha could make a great practice/performance digital sax if they wanted to. The market is there.
Great review! Thanks.
My most-likely use for such a machine, would be what I use my WX-11 for: Expressive MIDI performance into my DAW. That, more than as a soundless practice instrument.
Any comments on how it works for that purpose?
I've played a WX-11 for many years. Excellent response, playability, and connection over wire to VLM70 (or wireless MIDI adaptor) make it a really fun performance instrument. Why did they stop making instruments like that? 😢
Why can't any modern controller have sounds even half as good as VL70M!
Great Question, I still enjoy my WX 5.
Yes! Yes! I don't see why Yamaha couldn't make some simple upgrades to modern technology. I traded in my WX-11/VLM70 for a Roland AE-30. I'm not saying that the Roland is always better but it is more playable. I loved my Yamaha but it didn't keep up with the benefits of new technology.
I was gonna say exactly the same!! Been playing WX5 25 years and from all the reviews of EWI’s that i’ve seen, nothing comes close to it, and that’s not just Yamaha products. Just gotta make sure you have a lifetime supply of spare octave keys.
Very good review. Thank you. Very helpful. I'm a big believer in the integrity of Yamaha. I look forward to their next version sax. Some of the dropped features were a clear mistake. I have had 7+ of their acoustic guitars, and a P15 (?) digital piano, just perfect and fabulous blessing and gift for us. I've given my A Series and Red Label Yamaha acoustic guitars to my local Guitars-for-Vets, they sell them and buy multiple Yamaha FG/FS 800's to 830's for their guitar graduates. I'll always get a graduation picture and beautiful note, so great!
Hi Jay. i put on a Yamaha 4C alto
mouthpiece with a plastic reed, i think this feels much better than playing it with the recorder mouthpiece that came with it, have you tried changing the mouthpiece to see if its a better feeling when playing....
Thank you for great video explanation.
Please, i need your help...
I just recently purchased a Yamaha YDS-120, and I cannot understand why all the keys on the saxophone, such as the upper and lower side keys, do not sound? The instruction manual doesn't say anything about how to activate it. Please explain what I have to do to make the whole saxaphone sound like a regular analogue brass saxaphone.
I was trying to change settings so many times - changing fingering, some keys wich was silent - work, another keys, which was was working - silent.
In terms of buttons feeling, is there a substantial difference with the Roland AE-10 you’ve already reviewed? I have this latter, and I use it for practice by night, and I’m wondering if the Yamaha can give me and added value in terms of level of simulation (the real sax). What’s your opinion about? Should I switch toward the Yamaha? Thank you in advance!
I repeat here the same comment on the other YDS 150 video. Looking for a digital sax I saw Jay's review of YDS 150 and thought "Oh my gosh, is it possible that Yamaha made such a bad and unplayable instrument? Let's try it".
Well, four months ago I spent all my afternoon in a music store playing Yamaha YDS 150 and thought... *but which instrument did Better Sax play for his review?*
I usually play a tenor sax, and after 20 minutes I was completely at ease on this digital sax. Okay, you need some time to get used to it, but it's normal.
The ergonomic of *Yamaha YDS 150 is just perfect* , the *keys respond immediately and without hesitations* both on lower and higher register, the range of *sounds pretty good* . Wait, this is not an acustic sax, which of course I prefer, this is a wind synthesizer, so the sound must be judged for what it is. It's not a professional instrument, but *makes its work excellently* .
*Who is it for?* Professionals who wants to play in gigs? Absolutely not. It's for musicians who need an *affordable instrument* that act as an acustic sax (but can't substitute it, of course) *to play at anytime* , with or whithout headphones, and *need to exercise or learn new melodies or bring it together during a travel thanks to its low weight* (1 kg).
*After my long test I decided to buy one and I'm still completely satisfied with YDS 150 that I play every day* .
*Yamaha's products are just uncomparable for their quality with Travel Sax* , that at the same price of YDS 150 has a really bad sound and uncomfortable ergonomic due to its excessively short lenght.
*On this second instrument Yamaha didn't fix anything because on YDS 150 there was nothing to fix* .
Take a Yamaha, YDS 150 or 120, but take a Yamaha.
Totally agree
Yeah ok, but how does it compare to the wx-5 / vl70m? I'm particularly interested in the quality of the sounds and the breath and reed pressure response.
Nice review. You can get a line-out to bluetooth adapter very cheaply. I haven't tested those, but I suppose you could wire up something like to the instrument to be able to use your bluetooth headphones.
I have the YDS-150 and recently bought a YDS-120. I agree that the 120 is a better choice. I don't miss the Bluetooth that much and have no squeaky keys. Don't bother with batteries since they don't last very long. Just connect your phone charger. Something great about the app is you can transpose the User voices to play in the key of C, or any other key.
I own the YDS-150 and have been pleased with it. Agreed that it could have used more R+D before releasing it but there are work arounds. Off the shelf with no adjustments on the app would be disappointing but do more research on the tools the app offers to customize the sound and your first review wouldn't be quite so critical of the sounds possible. Of course the on board sounds are a starting place but I went through all, chose 7 sounds then adjusted each of them on the app and use 3 regularly through my guitar effects pedal with some delay and reverb and they sound pretty convincing, especially when you are playing with others. The touch sensitivity is adjustable on the app and although not perfect and I have to be aware of a few keys that I have to press harder on, for all the other benefits the YDS 150 is still a good tool, not meant to replace a real sax. I place a small self-stick pad over the octave key so it is easier to engage. I appreciate your views, courses and opinion, but it doesn't matter to me that the brass bell is cosmetic or that the mouthpiece and reed aren't really needed. People that see it comment that it is some kind of a sax or clarinet or something which I think is a good thing. Regarding your issue with no rechargeable batteries, I just bought a pack of 8 when I first got the 150 so I always have a backup set charged, not a problem. Overall, I never would afford to have a baritone, tenor and soprano and a wooden flute in my budget and ease of having them in one small case nor could I practice at any hour and not annoy my family or neighbors. It needs improvement but still a wonderful tool with these adjustments.
Hi John - can you tell me which guitar effects pedals you use? I too perform with my YDS and for many of the same reasons you mention, I don't play my acoustic saxes any more at all! I want to use some guitar effects to get the sax sounds to be more "convincing" as you mention! Thanks in advance for your comments! Please read what I just posted above (today is 1/8/24) to Jay... let me know your thoughts!
Hi I had this before but I found is very difficult to add some extra fingering notes on the app special if you does the Eb 5 fingering like thw WX5 has before you can do the D, E,F,F# but when you try to do the Eb everythings goes down I try to rwach yamaha to tell from this issue but they never listen may be you can check it , if you need some pictures i can send you
Thanks and very nice all you do
Nice to see Yamaha listening to their critics! You always make very useful videos for us saxophonists, Jay!
It's interesting to see the trend of wind controllers as a practice tool. I always found the beauty in these instruments as something to legitimately perform on with increased technical and sonic range, much like the electric guitar to the acoustic guitar.
I personally hope we see more wind controllers that focus on a performance and production first mindset rather than just some gimmick to use as a practice tool or whatever.
Is this the best digital sax yet, or would you choose another like the Roland ones? I've played years when I was younger and would like to start playing again after 15 years.
Aesthetic wise, I love the bell. Also showed to people who has no idea with saxophone, they all chose the 150.
I got the YDS-150 when it was first launched and the main problem I have with it is the temperamental/intermittent 8ve 'key' and the fact the closed standing keys (front F, high F, F, E, Eb, D, Side C and Bb, G#, chromatic F#, low Eb and low C#) only sound when the keys reach their full travel instead of at the beginning of their travel, so they do have to be fully depressed to sound their respective notes. Although that would require the contacts to be placed under the key feet which would sense their release, but that would be more costly to make.
Also the soft case that comes with them exerts undue pressure on the main action keywork which causes several notes not to work at all, unless you leave it out for the rubber strip under the keywork to recover (or take it apart, peel off the rubber strips and refit them). You'd have thought that as Yamaha make some of the best fitted cases for their instruments, they'd have made a much better fitting case for this - even a hard plastic case like a melodica case that supports and cushions the instrument where needed and leaves good room for all the sticky-outy keywork and other delicate bits.
Plus the well known fact the mouthpiece is just a gimmick and has no lip pressure sensor like the Roland AE-10 and also the Yamaha WX7 from the '80s had. I wish I could get the app to work, but I seem to always get the short straw where this sort of technology goes - had they offered a similar thing to be run off a laptop like the Roland to make updates or an onboard programme to change the settings, then that would be better as not all of us are tech savvy and sometimes things like apps don't always work on our mobiles and we're also just too old and tired for all that shit when all we want is something that can be reasoned with instead of fought against. And that's why I like working on actual saxophones as problems can be solved with common sense and mechanical reasoning as well as a screwdriver.
I'm glad they made the improvements. I have the 150 and it is fine for me, I didn't encounter all the problems Jay did. I strongly agree with Jay on the rechargeable battery feature. For the money, I would have purchased the 120 if it was available at the time...do they accept trades 😁.
eneloop baterries are rechargeable and they last for 4-5 hours or even more
Thank You for such great video as always! Now after watching this video i would your honest opinion....compared the new yam. 120..? To the Roland Aerophone ae-30 Pro. Which you like better. ?? I do own the Roland aerophone ae-30 Pro and the Roland aerophone ae-10. Like you very well said its great for practice. Even though the Roland aerophone ae-30 Pro. With an external Speaker sounds incredibly good compared to the Roland ae- 10. But i would appreciate your thoughts on this matter. Thank you as always. You have help me so much with your tutorials and much of you devices you have like the gadget to fix Reeds. Its my go to when i am playing with wooden reed . Thanks Again A+ review!!
thanks a lot, Jay. My name is Helder, from Brazil, and here is not possible to buy Travel Sax 2 😢 I have an doubt about YDS 120: is possible to practice tongue dynamics? Staccato, ghost notes, for exemple
Hi there, thanks for the review. I don't see why exchangable BATTERIES are a problem though. There are rechargable AAA-batteries around. You can just have two sets of those and circulate them. I am even strongly in favor of interchangable ones in contrary to built in batteries which often sadly make many modern products unnecessarily obsolete after the end of the batterie's life. I consider interchangable batteries as a HUGE plus in favor of the Yamaha YDS-120. Best wishes to Southern France and Yamaha who hopefully reads this :)
Not sure if you could use a small blue tooth transmitter which plugs in to the 9mm jack and then simply pair to it. I use a similar transmitter when flying to plug into aircraft 9mm socket and then connect to my BT headphones. Transmitter cost is between £20-£30 so may be a possible option.
I'm looking for a practice sax for my son (Christmas gift) that has roommates that work an opposite shift. I want to buy him something that will last. Is this the one to buy or should I spend a bit more and get something better? If so, what do you all recommend. He isn't a professional, just plays for fun and will be joining the unpaid city band for the summer.
My girlfriend really wants to learn the saxophone and we can’t have a real one due to noise issues so Im eager to purchase this one. Is this a good one to purchase to learn and play around with? She played instruments when she was very young and wants to learn the sax (it’s been a life long goal for her). Any suggestions or other tips is greatly appreciated! Thank you
Looks like a great device, but I wonder if there is a way to clean it from the inside manually, or if there is some built-in internal filter to clean the dirt. Otherwise, such devices probably won't last long.
No problems with the key response on my YDS-150 have you tried to change the settings? I found the Yamaha a much better practice silent sax than the Roland AE05 (and AE10) mainly because the Yamaha keys feels like a real sax (in fact the plastic keys work better than metal somehow...).
Yeah...that bell was silly and I've removed it from the body - still, for nearly half the price I'd bought the 120...as I don't use much the bluetooth funcion.
Which one is the grey and teal one at 4:58?
Can it be used in a DAW like Logic Pro X?
Hey Jay, thanks for the honest and objective review! This couldn't have come at a better time as I recently started looking for an EWI for both home practice and possible live performance. In your opinion, which EWI is the best bridge between home-practice and live performance capabilities? I had a Roland Aerophone Mini, and really liked the idea behind it, but found myself a little disappointed at the functionality / setup - granted it's priced accordingly. Please advise, there's so many out there and it can be intimidating to make that kind of investment without feeling like you've done proper due diligence. Thanks in advance and keep making the great videos!!
I think Akai and Yamaha and Roland should make their wind instrument look much more like a real brass sax, the way that Emeo (Israel brand ) does. Although the Emeo is missing the bell part.
(im a alto sax player) i want a quiet/travel sax, caus i live in a apartment, so which is the best sax for me. im a beginer, i know a lot of my notes, and the probably hardest riff i know is careless whisper. im looking for something affordable, but not a plastic flute. lmk what i should do! im looking for smth easy and smoothe to play, i want mine to mimic as best as possible the weight and feel of your average sax.
At that price, I’d buy a wireless pickup for my soprano and plug it into what effect I wanted to use. Thanks for the honest critique!
When will you post the Yamaha factory tour Jay?
Yamaha did a little master stroke by halving the price, very competitive for a practice sax.
An honest company wants criticism, not lip service.
Why do some say this EWI isn’t for professional gigs but others are? What’s the difference?
Thanks Can I play quarter tunes as well as Arabic songs?
Can you use it as a midi controller?
Great review as always ;) I am looking for a practice-tool for the night time. I dont travel with it and want to ask wich of the two is more comfortable to play: the travel sax 2 or the yds 120?
Thanks and best regards
They feel identical under the fingers. The 120 will be a bit lighter though.
@@bettersax thank you for the fast respond :) then I would go with the yds 120 and safe a few bugs ;)
Las dos opciones son bizarras !!!
Where could we purchase sax that style
one thing I am curious about is why the YDS-120 seems to have these wild volume fluctuations as you play it.
Hey Jay, at this point you have quite a few "practice sax synth" reviews under your belt. Would you be able to do a ranking or a buyer's guide?
planning on it soon.
@@bettersax Amazing
Wowza
1:12 IN A SENTIMENTAL MOOD!!! I am almost certain it's Sonny Rollins Cover!
I think you can change the key response in the app
Thank you for the video. I'm planning to start learning sax and i'm really interested in getting an electronic one. Would you recommend it for a total beginner learning from scratch?
Any electronic practice sax will only teach you which keys to press when playing. Playing a real instrument is very different. The biggest challenges are breath control, embouchure, shaping your oral cavity to get the purest tones and correct intonation. None of these instruments will teach you about that. This can be a useful practice instrument to learn fingerings for songs but that is all. If you start on this, you will be surprised (in a bad way) if you pick up a real sax and try to play it.
Jay, I’m interested in getting a practice sax for playing in situations where a regular horn isn’t a good choice. You’ve got solid reviews for both the YDS120 and the Travel Sax 2. If you had to pick one of the two, which would you pick?
Travelsax2 definitely. Use the BetterSax code to get the accessory pack free when you order from their site it makes it even better.
@@bettersax thank you!
@@bettersax just did 😎
Can you explain how I can record the sound of the saxophone? I would like to connect it directly to my Macbook and record videos.
since it has a headphone output, you can use an audio interface or mixer with your computer to record it and other sources. There are many to choose from so some research will be needed to help you find a device that works for you.
You said the mouthpiece is "improved" but not explicitly whether the new model has a bite / embouchre dynamic built into it?
I liked the brassy bell, even if it's only aesthetic - gives it context! I think the bell also amplified the little speaker in the end? I could be wrong on that.
Feels like Yamaha only made minor tweaks and did whatever they could to make the price lower, not the experience better. (shave off bell, drop bluetooth)
I have an yds-150 and I want say more improvements for their product: 1. Bring the wire system to electricity with the product due to posibility of burn the sax with innapropiate transformator that the users should not have to know. 2. Improve the sound speaker, it's so bad, any phone have It better. 3. Put the speaker in the bell. 4. Improve the response of the Keys. 5. Allow the chance of put batteries. 6. The reed doesn't vibrate, then I have problems with my real mouthpiece in my real yts-280. 7. It's imposible to clean inside. 8. Bring a female - female wire for the sound. 9. Increase the long of the handle of the case. 10. A harder case for protection. Sorry for my english, from Spain.
AAA Eneloop rechargeable batteries would fix one of the problems.... I've used Eneloops for many years in my cameras and flashes (primarily AA but AAA too). Haven't bought any for years, and I think much better than a proprietary size.
This would fit in if someone wanted a different voice or effect. Just to break up the ordinary sax thing. The drawbacks can be dealt with. Rechargeable AAA batteries for example. With the reduced price, I might get one of these.
I saw Sonny Rollins in the 70’s play some interesting stuff live on an early electronic sax device. It was okay, nice diversion.
In fact, rechargeable 3A batteries are a far better design than proprietary rechargeable batteries, that cost you a fortune whenever they need replacement - and they often do!
Its good that Yamaha listens to critics and sort of incorporate them into product improvement in future products..........but...........why they do not bring in guys like you into the design process at development is beyond my comprehension. It would be sooooo easy to pay you and four or four more other guys like you to Japan at development stage, pay you for the assessment and incorporate the improvements , that is really hard to understand why they do not do it .
it can go down lower that low a???
if i want to learn saxophone from 0, better buy the digital one or the original one? and what brand is the best for beginner?
Original, buy a used Selmer or Yamaha. Theres so many aspects that you can only get on the real deal.
Please explain how to do vibrato with YDS120?
No
Rechargeable batteries in that size are very common, I'd rather have those than trying to find the correct oddball batteries 5 yrs from now. Like you said they could have done a better job of getting it to sound more like a real sax, but maybe they feel if they did that folks won't buy their real saxs? LOL! Thanks for the review!
I have had the YDS-150 for exactly one year and have had no problems whatsoever with the response behavior. I have made all the right settings for me in the app. Maybe you had a defective instrument. I play a tenor and alto saxophone and you're right, the sounds don't come close to a real saxophone but sound really good if you record the YDS with a stereo cable in a DAW and treat it with effects and equalizer. I think the baritone and tenor saxophones sound very real on the YDS. The alto and soprano don't really. If you are not a saxophonist but would like to have a saxophone in your song, the YDS is the first choice. Sampled sounds from a keyboard can't compete with that.
Sax is my 1st ax, I went brass in band, but stayed with Sax for night club and entertainment gigs. I wish someone would start remaking the C melody sax again. Mine was stolen many years ago in the middle 70s. I love your videos.
Its a shame Yamaha didn't bring their acclaimed Physical modeling to this device. You can still find the PlG- 50-VL cards and the MU 70Lm but i'd love to see them give this technology another try.. I just found there are kits on eBay to add a full bell and a swan neck which turn the YDS-120 into a very passible sax.
Seems like it would me more useful as a live instrument if it was a midi controller and not just a sax with built-in synth voices. Thanks for the honest review!
If you have a computer and a DAW you can. Just use the USB connection. The DAW will recognize it. Use any of the thousands of Plug-in voices you want.
It has a midi controller setting. You just need to plug it in or figure out a way to get it working with bluetooth.
If anyone for whatever reason would go on stage with an electronic wind instrument (will they sound better than the keyboard?), why would they want to use anything else than an electronic practice tool with a midi connector (like the travelsax)?
Because it may look shinier or they need something heavy to keep them from shaking?
My stage experience is very small, but I really would like to know.
I love my Roland AE-30. I have no interest whatsoever in the "realistic" SuperNatural sounds but the ZEN Core sound engine is great for proper synth sounds. Now I've got to grips with programming it I am getting my kind of synth sounds and with the motion controls, the pressure sensitive thumb pad, etc. it's a very expressive performance instrument. It's also great for controlling hardware synths because I can configure it to send almost any MIDI CCs to do much more than simply play the notes.
It sounds every bit as good as a keyboard - despite the best efforts of my piano teacher, at my age I will never be able to play on a keyboard what I can play on a wind synth.
I'm not gigging it yet but I am putting together a set in preparation for doing that.
@@oldunclemick Right, pitching is a point.
Why the F remove Bluetooth? It's basically free to implement
Much trash being said here about the 150. The sounds are not bad especially the baritone sound is amazing (perfect with headphones ). For me personally the brass is a win. Gives the esax a bit of class. I am surprised that he didnt mention the octave key which is my only real critisism. At the end of the day what really matters is how does it make you feel playing it and I must say that when I start I can't stop playing! 😊 well done yamaha!
Useful review, brother: thanks much.
I'm thinking: Use Eneloop RECHARGEABLE AAA batteries?
Request, our esteemed guru: would you consider putting together a New Year's 'best wind synth' TH-cam edition? I can't nowadays easily get a pristine Lyricon (dang it); however for 2024 would love to get 'THE Best' wind controller for travel, synth module control, DAW-Windows/Android use, etc.
Thanks for what you do, man.
-Tony, Japan (loved your vid, visiting Yanagisawa 'factory', here).
Thanks, planning a big comparison video, not sure when exactly though..
I don't know, but I just have no desire whatsoever to purchase a digital saxophone. Any digital woodwind instrument is an instant turnoff for me. But Jay does a great job reviewing it, of course🤗👍
Agreed... but would you purchase a kit that allowed you to use your regular instrument silently, for practice purposes?
Imagine an electronic mouthpiece that fits in the instrument you already own. It converts your breath input into a signal voltage/MIDI velocity, then immediately dumps the air out, so your instrument remains silent.
Imagine sensors that you add to the tone holes of your instrument. The sensor outputs gets combines with the mouthpiece output, into a brain box that synthesizes a sound, or makes a MIDI signal to send somewhere else...
Personally, I don't like the sound of digital wind instruments, but I do think there is a huge market for silent practice instruments that feel exactly like your regular instrument (because they ARE your regular instrument).
The technology hasn't improved enough for me.
@@hxhdfjifzirstc894I've thought about this a bit and concluded that sensors on all the toneholes/keys would probably be too inconvenient to take on and off the instrument / would possibly get in the way of playing it regularly
It seems that the Yamaha guys fell back to the WX5 good old midi saxophone of old: use of standard AAA batteries, no bluetooth, keys are more similar to a real saxophone but the feelings seems to be "old school".
In the end, I as well will stuck to my Travel Sax2.
Having that low-A is such a selling point for me though!
The app also only works with the lastest versions of Android, for my phone that was 4 years old it simply didn't allow it to even install. I had to upgrade my phone just to find that the app is well, barely useful.
I assume that another of the flaws in the YDS-150 has not been addressed: the inability to turn vibrato off (on the voices that have it). I had the 150 but eventually sold it; I just wasn't using it that much.
Personally, I didn't think the sax sounds were terrible, especially played through a decent external speaker. I used a Bose mini SoundLink for that. The real problem with the sounds is that they aren't layered. Played at full volume they sound okay. But when you back off and play softly, the timbre doesn't change, and the result is utterly unconvincing. I think there's no real excuse for this anymore. Digital sounds have come a long way, and Yamaha has the resources to get this right. If they're going to market a device as a digital sax (and they don't really market it as just a practice horn), they'd do better to have fewer voices, but to make those voices more expressive.
Again assuming that the sound bank is the same as the 150, it seemed crazy to me that they included Pan Flute and Shakuhachi, but no standard Western concert flute.
I also thought the pitch bend should be settable to less than a semitone. But it was the always-on vibrato that couldn't be configured that really got to me. I'd sometimes play the clean tenor voice and add breath vibrato/tremolo, but that just didn't sound right. I'd have been okay if the app let you set the amount of delay before vibrato begins, and vibrato frequency, but it didn't. I assume the 120 doesn't either.
I didn't have any issues with key response on the 150. Lucky, I guess. If I were going to drop $500 on another digital wind instrument, I think I'd try the Robkoo R1, not this.
Hi Jay i read you can change the key response with the app... i take it that dont work so well y you review,,,,
after watching your review a few times i decided to buy one, will be here on Monday looking forward to seeing how it played against my Roland ae-20 and my EWI solo....
@@billreed1889 Would love to hear your thoughts comparing the 3 instruments
the roland and the ewi solo sound better but the Yamaha keys are more like the real thing and i like playing the Yamaha best out the three... @@robbiehague8352
I guess you could just plug in a small power bank and that would solve the battery issue.
Thanks Jay!
I bought one of these, before this review. I’m happy with it. It’s a quiet practice sax.
My complaints are the same as yours. I find key response on mine to be great. The new price point really sold me too. You’re right, the Travel Sax is awesome, better, but I can’t at the moment justify the extra $400 for that.
This 120 is awesome to me just by the fact that I can practice/play more when I can’t be noisy at home or work lunch break.
Hi Jay - since you are an "influencer" and obviously have a louder voice with Yamaha than I ever would, please impress on them the following from someone that actually shelled out the $$ for a Yamaha digital sax (YDS150): 1) use AA batteries not AAA batteries, or better yet, make it rechargeable... I am an engineer and did a study on energy density and AA batteries have almost double the energy density of AAA's... that is, pound for pound, they provide much more energy per weight than AAA batteries, so they are much better choice for flying drones... same concept applies for digital saxophones; 2) Like it or not, I PERFORM with my digital saxophones, not just practice when I can't use the "real thing"... I stopped using the "Real" saxes years ago for various reasons, not the least of which my weak embouchure (I play mostly stringed instruments when performing), the squeaks from a dry reed when the sax sits between songs, the slight "out of pitch", the inability to change key without changing fingering, etc. I know all digital saxophones still have a long way to go to challenge an acoustic sax, but think about it: the first jet airplanes were no match for the best prop planes when they came out... folks didn't like electric guitars when they came out since they didn't "sound much like a real guitar"; digital pianos didn't match a real acoustic piano when they came out - they still don't, but think about how many performers use them instead of an actual stringed piano - especially touring musicians. With that being said, please tell Yamaha to add more Octave keys (up and down) to give the instrument more range... even if I can use "palm keys" to get the desired note, its usually faster to just press a higher octave key - like I can with my Roland AE-10... same for going down the scale... more low octave keys please!!! 3) Yes to Bluetooth - much better to have an instrument with "wireless" capability - especially when performing with it. 4) Have some microphone or sensor in the mouthpiece so I can "hum" while blowing to create the common "growl" sound... I don't want that feature on the "joystick" as its too hard to separate the growl from the pitch bend when you want one or the other. 5) improve the keying response - as you mentioned; 6) since I perform with my YDS150, I like the "useless brass bell" at the end... it is more appealing to the audience than a "plastic blob" with buttons on it. Also since I perform, I don't mind the "real" mouthpiece/ligature/reed on the YDS150, nor do I mind the added length/weight since its still WAY smaller/lighter than my Alto or Tenor sax. OK - enough for now... thank you for another great video and your awesome insight and thoughts, and please on these comments to Yamaha!
For those prices….. I rather buy me a BETTER SAX saxophone!!!!
Maybe but a digital sax is more about noise levels. A Better sax won't be quiet
I had to sell my acoustic saxophone after somebody complained to the council (I wasn't playing it in the middle of the night or anything but I'm a piano teacher so I couldn't risk them putting any restrictions on me playing instruments in general), so I've been looking at these digital instruments with interest because it's that or nothing.
Just bought it ! It’s a brilliant performance/ practise instrument -check out yds playing Mission Impossible to marvel at its capability . Also midi output works great .
@@lain9719 I have seen those and I would love to have one, but I think the cheapest one I found was 7k and I do not have 7k. I did get one of those mutes that's basically a big plastic case covering the whole saxophone (they're about £400 new but I found one on eBay for £150), it worked very well in terms of sound reduction but it was really bulky and awkward to use regularly and took up a lot of space in the music room.
you could probably make a room out of old mattresses, tacky looking, but super effective
i wish i could make all rhe sounds in c. untransposed
Better Sax - please can you do a video interview with Baptiste Herbin, the best alto player alive
Yes coming very soon.
I had an electrician friend modify the battery system to take a rechargable large cell Li-po battery instead lol
They modeled after The EMEO
...and still no bite sensor? A few bucks in components and not a huge development cost for the difference it would make to the product. After two years the bite sensor on my AE-30 has shown me I was right to have that as a must-have. A pity because I'm a Yamaha fan (I own more Yamaha products than from any other single manufacturer) and if the YDS-120 had been available back then with a bite sensor I would probably have bought it over the Roland [edit: ... because the AE-30 required significant additional budget approval from the family CFO].
Litttt
Nice for a practice horn when you have to be quiet but the lack of MIDI connection doesn't make it as versatile.
For anyone looking to solve the lack of bluetooth, you can buy a little bluetooth receiver that plugs into the headphone jack. A clunky workaround for sure, but it would work.
That doesn't make it a midi controller though unfortunately
@@g.hanson It is a midi controller. Just connect to your computer through the USB port if you have a DAW. 😎
After watching this video, I was thinking new 120 to practice in silence due to neighbor who won't allow even 45 mins a day. I got lucky. A used yds 150 to practice in silence & bluetooth to play with arrangements I am practicing.
The original Casio keyboard also comes to mind. $99.99 😮🎶🎵🎷
alto sax mouthpiece by Yamaha how much tnx
I'm absolutely amazed at the fact that after 30 plus years of developing these MIDI/digital saxophones, they still can't get them to be better than this. I bought my first wind controller back in 1990. It was a WX11. I replaced it with a WX5 which I still have and at some point bought an Akai 4000S, which I sold last year. None of these have been truly satisfying and quite frankly just a big let down. The original Akai S1000 was the best one as far as I'm concerned and yt, still garbage at the end of the day.
I’ve always felt that the WX5 was the best Yamaha made. I also had the Akai 4000s and sold it. Still own an AKAI1000 and 2 WX5s. The WXs are still easier to play imo. The biggest upgrade is always to find good patches.
@@garyhonor4220Yip..... I agree ! I play one ,and was anxiously awaiting a new Yamaha controller , but we just got these P.O.S. YDS models 😜... No vibrato control in the read is a JOKE ! If you wanna hear some of the stuff I recorded , you can hear a few tunes on my channel.....Don't listen while driving or operating heavy machinery , though ! 😜