Yamaha P70 - No Line Outputs

[tone]

I was checking out a Yamaha P70 the other day. Liked it very much, but
noticed it has no line outs and I'd like to do some good quality
recording with it.

Anyone know if the 1/8 headphone output would be sufficent for
recording. Hate to pay a few hundred bucks more for the next model up
just for output jacks.

Tone

[SSMusic]

Check out Casio PX110 Privia .
I tried on in the store and liked the action better
than my P-80.
--
Serge Stodolnik.
Production Music for Film/advertisement/production
libraries/multimedia/web sites.
http://www.subverted.com

Post by tone
I was checking out a Yamaha P70 the other day. Liked it very much, but
noticed it has no line outs and I'd like to do some good quality
recording with it.
Anyone know if the 1/8 headphone output would be sufficent for
recording. Hate to pay a few hundred bucks more for the next model up
just for output jacks.
Tone

[Pete]

Post by SSMusic
Check out Casio PX110 Privia .
I tried on in the store and liked the action better
than my P-80.

But *it* doesn't have line-out either! [as I just noted in another post]
You need to go to the PX-310 (which I did) to get line-out.

-- Pete --

Post by SSMusic

Post by tone
I was checking out a Yamaha P70 the other day. Liked it very much, but
noticed it has no line outs and I'd like to do some good quality
recording with it.
Anyone know if the 1/8 headphone output would be sufficent for
recording. Hate to pay a few hundred bucks more for the next model up
just for output jacks.
Tone

[David Bruce Murray]

Post by tone
I was checking out a Yamaha P70 the other day. Liked it very much, but
noticed it has no line outs and I'd like to do some good quality
recording with it.
Anyone know if the 1/8 headphone output would be sufficent for
recording. Hate to pay a few hundred bucks more for the next model up
just for output jacks.

I've yet to see the 1/8 headphone output I would want to rely on for
recording or performance purposes. It can get the job done in a very basic
way, but the difference is more than just the size of the hole.

[Marc Sabatella]

Post by tone
I was checking out a Yamaha P70 the other day. Liked it very much, but
noticed it has no line outs and I'd like to do some good quality
recording with it.

That seems *incredibly* unlikely to me. There might not be RCA-type
jacks - that would uncommon in a keyboard designed for professional
use - but the thing would be completely useless without 1/4" outputs.
That's how it would get hooked up to a keyboard amp in live performance,
and these are also where you would take your line from in recording.

---------------
Marc Sabatella
***@outsideshore.com

Music, art, & educational materials
Featuring "A Jazz Improvisation Primer"
http://www.outsideshore.com/

[tone]

<< That seems *incredibly* unlikely to me. >>

I agree with you. Hard to believe, but unfortunately it's true. They
lost a potential sale to me.

You can check the specs. at this page (which also includes a pdf.
manual)
http://www.musiciansbuy.com/mb/item.asp?ic=p70kit

[David Bruce Murray]

Post by Marc Sabatella
That seems *incredibly* unlikely to me. There might not be RCA-type
jacks - that would uncommon in a keyboard designed for professional use -
but the thing would be completely useless without 1/4" outputs.

I don't think it's designed for professional use...more like something a
piano student might buy in lieu of an acoustic or a more accomplished
pianist might settle for in order to save space in a cramped apartment. I've
yet to see a keyboard listing for less than $1000 that I'd call professional
quality...of course, I haven't played the P70 yet, so it may sound and feel
good enough. I notice they've at least left off the cheesy beatbox and auto
chord "features." Also, the number of sounds are limited to ten vs. many
consumer keyboards which try to impress you by having 100 sounds or more.
This makes me assume the ten included sounds are probably pretty good.

However, the polyphony is only 32 notes...not much if you're playing a gliss
or using the pedal very much.

Professional level or not, 1/4 inch outputs do seem like a pretty basic
feature that should be included on a keyboard listing for $799. I guess they
felt it was worth saving less than $5/unit in production costs by leaving
off the 1/4 inch outputs and forcing the consumer to rely on the built-in
speaker/headphone output combination.

So whether it's intended for pro or con(sumer), leaving off 1/4 inch outputs
was a dumb move on the part of Yamaha.

[Greg Guarino]

On Mon, 27 Mar 2006 20:22:58 GMT, "David Bruce Murray"

Post by David Bruce Murray
So whether it's intended for pro or con(sumer), leaving off 1/4 inch outputs
was a dumb move on the part of Yamaha.

There's no reason that a company couldn't make a headphone output
serve as an acceptable line output, electronically that is. It's
mostly a matter of it being able to put out a more current for the
headphones.

That said, I would never want to rely on an 1/8" stereo jack for
repeated cycles of plugging and unplugging. The location makes it
doubly bad (it's on the front of the unit). I'd be willing to bet that
the plug would get bent or sheared off entirely before too long,
possibly destroying the internal jack in the process. Furthermore,
you'd almost certainly need an adapter plus a couple of cables to plug
into an amp at all; I doubt that 1/8" stereo to two 1/4" mono (and 20'
long) is a cable you can just buy. This means being extra diligent
about keeping spares of your oddball cable setup, as you won't be able
to borrow a cable from some other member of the group, or buy one
easily in a pinch.

Like David said (but more succinctly): A dumb move.

Greg Guarino

[Tim Roberts]

Post by David Bruce Murray
However, the polyphony is only 32 notes...not much if you're playing a gliss
or using the pedal very much.

I can confirm this. I have had a Yamaha Clavinova for 15 years now. It
looks so much like a standard spinet that many people don't realize it is
digital until they spot the power LED.

I like it very much, especially with a couple of add-on MIDI modules, but
it only has 32-note polyphony. Most of the time, I don't notice it, but
there are several pieces where I can really tell. That big, long gliss at
the end of Rhapsody in Blue really suffers, as does the chimes section in
Great Gates of Kiev in Pictures at an Exhbition.

[t***@aol.com]

Post by tone
I was checking out a Yamaha P70 the other day. Liked it very much, but
noticed it has no line outs and I'd like to do some good quality
recording with it.
Anyone know if the 1/8 headphone output would be sufficent for
recording. Hate to pay a few hundred bucks more for the next model up
just for output jacks.
Tone

That's interesting. I read that the Yamaha P-70 replaced the P-60, but
the P-60 has the 1/4 output jacks. They should've buit the 1/4 into
the P-70. Sounds more like they did a downgrade with the model
replacement.

[m***@gmail.com]

Don't worry about it. 1/8" jack will work fine for your purposes. Spend
the extra money on a used MIDI sound module, e.g. Roland Sound Canvas,
JV-1080, etc., to add much-needed voices. They will have 1/4" line outs
if that's important to you.