Yamaha PSR-EW400: I *thought* it was just a bigger PSR-E453!

...And it pretty much is, but you can't beat the luxury feel of this keyboard. It's just a joy to play and the speakers have mammoth output when compared to the (already perfectly nice) speakers on the PSR-E453. If you've got the extra couple of hundred dollars and you don't need battery power, then it's well worth it :)

[@jadenpina5420]

Great review! I love watching videos that relate to the Yamaha PsrE463.

[@kimthompson5871]

Another cool review and nice keyboard !

[@samueladams7193]

Question...With the built in rhythms and backing tracks Yamaha includes in this board (or any other board / manufacturer), can you compose an original song and copyright it using the Yamaha accompaniment, intros and endings without copyright infringement from Yamaha? In other words, can you freely use the intros, accompaniment, rhythms and endings in these type keyboards / workstations free and clear?

[@gearfacts]

This is a great question, and one we should all discuss. There is only one device manual I have EVER seen that made a clear statement that the preset rhythms could be used without permission (Roland PMA-5). Every other manual I've seen leaves the question unanswered. And then there's the question: What if we add effects, combine other elements and/or layer an entirely new song over minimal preset parts? Are we still unfairly exploiting Yamaha's music? And if so, to what extent? It's all a totally grey area. One thing I can say for sure is that if you use preset parts in a song and upload it to KZbin, then (unbelievably) other musicians will occasionally submit an official compaint that you have plagiarised *their* music. If you use elements of a demo tune, you will definitely get a complaint made against you. Presets, just sometimes. So that's one pitfall of using preset musical parts. A conspiracy theorist might suggest that the manufacturers are leaving themselves the option of persuing royalties in the event that one of us creates a massive hit song that features one of their beats or basslines. I guess the only sure way to be sure in this case is to contact Yamaha (and take a note of the converstaion time, date and content), but that's easier said than done. You could speak to your local Yamaha people I'd still be a little unsure of their ability to answer the question with certainty.

[@samueladams7193]

Found this in the owners manual: "About copyrights • Copying of the commercially available musical data including but not limited to MIDI data and/or audio data is strictly prohibited except for your personal use. • This product incorporates and bundles contents in which Yamaha owns copyrights or with respect to which Yamaha has license to use others' copyrights. Due to copyright laws and other relevant laws, you are NOT allowed to distribute media in which these contents are saved or recorded and remain virtually the same or very similar to those in the product. * The contents described above include a computer program, Accompaniment Style data, MIDI data, WAVE data, voice recording data, a score, score data, etc. * You are allowed to distribute medium in which your performance or music production using these contents is recorded, and the permission of Yamaha Corporation is not required in such cases."

[@basiliskollas4664]

the video is very nice, you approve the harmonium for professional use

[@robertoakira1]

Hi, which one should I choose? PSR E463 or PSR EW400? Thank you

[@gearfacts]

The PSR-E463 is available where you are? If so, I'd go for that one. If you really need 76 keys though, go for the EW400. I think the 463 will be much more exciting - I thought it hadn't been released yet...? Gearfacts

[@robertoakira1]

Hi, thanks for your reply. I was thinking about the sound quality of ew400, some people say that sound quality it's better on ewXXX model. And the ewXXX have Live Grand Piano, while on the E463 there is not. I dont need 76 keys, because i am beginner.

[@gearfacts]

Don't worry too much about sound quality. The fact is, they are both mid-range keyboards and the PCM sounds will always be medium-quality. People get too caught up in technical issues - Buy the one that makes you feel good when you play it :)

[@heroknaderi]

Still a fun keyboard 🎹

[@ChataCovers]

is there anything close to a wurltizer sound in this keyboard?

[@gearfacts]

Yes, there are lots f organ choices.

[@ChataCovers]

@@gearfacts yes I know there are organ choices. But wurlitzer sound is very unique. Can you tell me which setting that is ?

[@khaledsaid3206]

Hi Please how Can i display or vieow which achord I am pressing on, on ew400

[@isaactuscano7470]

What is the price of ew

[@mouradferrad3276]

350 Euro s

[@HubertEtAlice]

Hi, nice video. Some years back I had a PSR e433 which I liked a lot and I now have a DGX 650 which has better sound, much better keys, but no Live control knobs or arpeggiator unfortunately. I tried the PSR E453 in a shop and was really disgusted by the way the keys feel, just like a toy really. So I wondered why you think that the keys of the PSR EW 400 are better than the keys of the PSR E453, could you please give more details on that? By the way the PSR E463/EW410 do have the possibility to record wave files directly on an USB stick plugged into the USB to Device port of the keyboard, which really is a cool feature. Mind you, the PSR E453/EW400 already have USB Audio, which means for instance that you can directly record the keyboard output in a DAW on your computer or even on your iPad with GarageBand or Yamaha Audio Recorder for instance.

[@gearfacts]

Hi and thanks for your comment. I'm not all that incisive when it comes to evaluating keys to be honest, so there must have been a significant difference between the E453 and the EW400 for me to make a comment about it. I'm sure they were a bit more 'meaty' in their feel, but certainly not weighted or in any way similar to a piano. The width of the board was very nice, surprisingly freeing and pleasant. Thanks for watching Gearfacts :)

[@HubertEtAlice]

Gearfacts Thanks 😊

[@pianodon]

What's the difference between the PSR-EW400 and the PSR-EW410?? I'm not sure.

[@gearfacts]

The 410 has sampling, so it's a big difference!

[@giovannimanca5592]

Tutte le tastiere arranger entrylevel costano troppo.

[@Jadinandrews]

Hi could you please help me decide what to buy my wife? Roland Go:Keys, or the PSR-E453? She plays in the church band and wants to get into more modern synth sounds. The Roland looks like more fun to play, but the Yamaha looks a lot more professional with full sized outputs and better build quality.

[@gearfacts]

Yeah man I really want to review the Go:Keys ...I haven'y even seen one here in Australia yet, I think Roland is testing the market in the US first. It looks like a cracker of a unit with very similar specs to Yamaha's 453. Anyway I can't really give you sound advice having only tried one of them, but I strongly recommend you watch my video about things I DISLIKE about the Yamaha PSR-E453. It's a great keyboard with some very annoying flaws. I'd be tempted to take a chance on the Roland simply in the hope of avoiding these frustrations. Don't worry about the size of the outputs either, the sound quality will be the same. Hope that helps! Gearfacts

[@Jadinandrews]

Ah thanks for the reply mate, just watched that video. That LCD is a glaring issue, I had a Casio with a better display. A Casio calculator.. XD The Roland GO Keys is available here in South Africa, I'll have a look at it in store this weekend. But so far everything I read about it is very promising.

[@gearfacts]

Ok cool, let us know your impressions and what you end up choosing :) Gearfacts

[@charlesantzelevitch5146]

Where can I find recommendations for database and voice settings to use for specific songs on the Yamaha PSR-400EW keeyboard

[@gearfacts]

If Yamaha is like Casio there should be a massive forum on their website with all kinds of user patches and possibly some by the Yamaha pros :) Gearfacts

[@mrityunjaytripathi5588]

@@gearfacts In fact you get far more online resources for Yamaha than Casio. Casio doesn't have many apart from their official website.

[@shxxo8380]

I’m a beginner, I know like 3-5 songs but I don’t know which keyboard to buy. Do i really need 76 keys? I’m thinking of buying the psr-e453 or the psr-ew400.

[@gearfacts]

shxxo maybe buy a weighted keyboard instead? It sounds like you are quite serious :)

[@TheMg49]

Get the psr ew400 rather than the psr e453. Then, another step up would be to go to the dgx 660. I just got the ew400 and am very pleased with it. When I get back up to speed (say, in about a year or so) I'm gonna get the dgx 660, which should be adquate for at least a few more years. Then ... who knows. Good luck with your keyboard explorations.

[@samueladams7193]

If you modify a sound, say with filter, effects, yadda, yadda, yadda can you save the modified sound or do you loose it when you select another voice? Would be nice if it had after-touch on the keyboard but at this price, not a deal breaker

[@gearfacts]

Hi Samuel, yep you can save a sound exactly as you hear it using the one-touch recall buttons. I recommend watching the video I made about "things I dislike about the PSR-E453" though, as the recall buttons are discussed in that video. I agree about aftertouch but yeah it's a luxury that most of us can live without, and you can always create aftertouch-like actions in post production. Thanks for your comment and thanks for watching Gearfacts :)

[@samueladams7193]

Thanks for the info. I just ordered one of these baby's to replace my Casio WK 7500. Almost brought the newer WK 7600 but this one looks to be a lot better (although the sliders on the 7600 would be a nice addition to the EW). Also got the EW for less than the WK.

[@crystacarrillo3585]

How do you get it to stay on

[@gearfacts]

You can override the auto-off function in the function menu. Gearfacts

[@eyesontheprize6637]

Can't really hear the second guy. Unfortunate.

[@gearfacts]

He was a soft talker, like so many piano experts (I find!) :) #gearfacts

[@daryljoycortez376]

What is the difference between yamaha psr ew400 and ypg 235? Which is much better to buy?

[@simplymusical6503]

Daryl Joy Cortez psrew400 by far

[@mollies13]

You can buy dgx s970

[@wildbsc]

Good straight to the point review surprising how seven minutes passes so quickly. The screen looks a little small but there may be a way to plug in a larger one maybe? For transport will it fit on the back seat of the Austin seven I wonder? Regards.

[@gearfacts]

Thanks for your message. From what I’ve If Austin Sevens there’s a myriad of body styles so it’s hard to say if it would fit. It’s about 105cm long and about 40cm wide. Hope that helps and I’m glad the video was informative for you :)

[@TheMg49]

If the back seat of an Austin 7 is about 50 inches wide, then it will fit.

[@JAEZSC90]

Thanks for the review, it's strange that PSR-E453 doesn't include a power supply here in the US and sells for $279 and the PSR-EW400 does for only $20 more and sells for $299. Power Supply is another $15 - $20. I'm also torn between the Yamaha's and Casio WK 6600 which also sells for $299. Which would you recommend? I ask because I can't decide and not to put you on the spot, your opinion might help me since you seem to have access to both. I'm looking in terms of quality and ease of use. I already know what you "dislike" about the Yamaha's from your other video. So I cannot decide. lol.

[@gearfacts]

Hi there, I think the current model Yamahas sound better than the Casio models. You also get the dynamic controls with the Yamahas which is a great extra feature. I'm not disparaging Casio, they've got some great keyboards but this year the Y's are generally better. And got for the PSR-EW400 if battery power is not important for you. It has an extra octave. Hope that helps :) Gearfacts

[@JAEZSC90]

Thank you, I'm not that concerned with battery power, I want something that is a toy but not a toy sort of speak and that will last me for years. I want to be able to get some of the metal keyboard sounds from the 70's and 80's and Middle Eastern sounds that I like. I looked at the EW400 manual and it accepts D size batteries but either way it's not important. One deterrent that I'm concerned about that I think Casio has is the ability to edit styles, I honestly have not seen how that works and its benefit. I watched a video on EW400 the guy was playing Sultan's of Swing by Dire Straights, that sounded really good but if you can't edit styles how did he manage to get backing track into it? He also did a good job changing tones, I'm not very good at keyboards but I do thank you for your feedback. Sub'd and liked.

[@gearfacts]

Thanks again for your great comment, J. I didn't know that about the D batteries in the EW400, I should check my facts! The Sultans of Swing guy might have been playing to a midi file as a backing track. You can do that with both brands. But to sum up, I love the PSR-E453 and at present, it's my favourite home keyboard. Thanks for watching Gearfacts :)

[@JAEZSC90]

Well, it's your fault. I bought the EW400, I just need to learn how to use it.

[@---zl9tx]

Wow, oddly enough, im here cuz i also cant decide between the EW400 or Casio 6600 lol.. Whats ur thoughts on it?

[@TheMg49]

Nice review. I just got the ew400. Should do me well for at least a year or so. Then plan to get a dgx 660 or something like it. What do you think? Also, do you know how to record "audio", i.e., .wav files to a usb stick. The literature on the ew400 says that it can do this, but I'm having trouble figuring out how. (Of course, recording audio .wav files via the line out jacks on the keyboard to the line in jack on a computer, or via an external analog to digital converter to, say, a computer's usb port, is straightforwardly easy -- but I'm just curious if one can get .wav files, ie., "audio", onto a flash drive that plugs into the keyboard's usb "device" port.)

[@gearfacts]

Hi Thomas - I think the PSRE series can only 'convert' to .wav, not record to .wav. In other words, you can sequence a composition (including live controller movements) and then convert that sequence to .wav, ready to export to a computer. This is a better system if you can do it, as there is no digital/analog transfer at any stage. Your listeners won't know the difference though ;)

[@TheMg49]

Hi. Thanks for replying. My problem is that my desktop computer stopped working, and all I have to work with, until I get another computer with a line input jack, is an Asus laptop which has no line input jack (it can only record microphone via its combination 1/8 inch microphone/headphone jack). So, I either have to route the line-level signal coming through the 1/4 inch jacks on the keyboard through an analog to digital converter and then through one of the the laptop's usb ports, or if it's possible to record "audio" to a usb device then do that. (I'm taking "audio" as used by the writers of the keyboard's manual to mean .wav files, however that might not be what they're referring to. If you have any idea what they mean by "recording audio", then I'd be interested to learn it.) So far, it doesn't look like "audio", but only midi stuff, can be recorded to a usb device. Hence my original question to you regarding how one might record "audio" to a usb flash drive on the keyboard. I'm not familiar with the terms "sequence a composition" or "live controller movements". You indicate that the ew400 might be able to produce .wav files internally, however I see no mention of anything like that in the manual, though, yes, that would be nice. Besides standard midi files, there are ".usr" files*, but as far as I can tell those aren't audio files. So, it looks like as long as I'm using this laptop instead of a computer with a line in jack, then line level analog to digital conversion is necessary in order to record the music as audio .wav files via the laptop's usb inputs. *I found that the ".usr" extension has been used to refer to some sort of music data files, but haven't found any further explanation yet. I downloaded a flash movie player that was supposed to be able to open .usr files, but it gave me an error message when I tried to open the file.

[@gearfacts]

Hi there, you seem to be on the right track with all those comments. All I have to add is that 1. I couldn't find the bit about converting to audio (.wav) either, though I had it on good authority that it does have this capability. 2. "Audio" to my understanding does indeed mean actual waveform recording (.wav or similar). 3. "sequence data" and live controller movements are all stored within a midi file ("Midi stuff' as opposed to "Audio") and 4. ".usr" files are just records of how the keyboard was set up for any performance. This means all the rhythms settings, the main sound, the split point, pitch bend strength - all that kind of stuff. Hope that all helps to some extent. I'd get onto some Yamaha forums about that audio conversion question, and let me know if there's an answer! Gearfacts ps You could try recording audio to a small digital recorder like a Boss MicroBR or Tascam DP series (see my reviews of both). Then you can just port your .wav files into your PC.

[@TheMg49]

Hi Gearfacts. I can now say pretty definitively that one cannot utilize or convert a laptop combo headphone/microphone jack as or to a line in jack. The only way to record line level signals (ie., to record audio .wav files) to a laptop with a combo jack is to use one of its usb ports instead. Something as simple as Behringer's Line 2 USB (which is just dual mono 1/4 inch connectors, an analog to digital converter, and a usb connector) will work fine and only costs $20: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1250280-REG/behringer_line2usb_line_2_usb_stereo.html And of course, for more money then one can get a better setup, for example, an actual external sound card with a separate power source (to avoid possible problems with using the usb bus's power), a headphone jack, outputs for speakers, etc. Unfortunaltely, in order to record audio directly from the ew400 to .wav files without any analog to digital conversion, then it's necessary to have a line in jack on the computer one is recording to -- which almost all desktop computers have, but almost no laptops have -- or, in the case of recording to a flash drive plugged into the ew400's "usb device" port, then the ew400 would have to be able to generate audio files, ie. .wav files, internally, which it can't do. So ... I think that Yamaha's literature regarding the ew400's "audio" recording capabilities is somewhat misleading in this regard insofar as it refers to .usr files as "audio" files. If the "authority" you mentioned can offer a way that actual audio files can be recorded from the ew400 via either the "usb device" or "usb to host", then I'm certainly interested in learning about that. But I suspect that the "authority" might have been misled as well. Thanks for helping out with this Gearfacts. I think I learned something. Check out my tunes when you have time and give me some feedback.

[@arielbarrales2655]

jorge ramos el corrupto al principio del video

[@sabrinarishikesh137]

Hello! Could you please tell me whether psr 453 and psr ew 400s AC Adapter is the same?

[@gearfacts]

Yep, same adapter. Thanks for watching Gearfacts :)

[@siddhartkarki9151]

@@gearfacts bro can you tell me should i buy yamaha psrew400 or wk6600

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

Sounds like you are recording the speakers of the PSR through the microphone of your video camera??? IF yes, then the sound test is useless to us. The ONLY way to record a keyboard for demo is through the outputs, if no outputs then the headphones in stereo pair to the recorder. Mono recordings do not work for us either.

[@gearfacts]

I'm sorry I let you down.

[@gearfacts]

Of course you could always look at some of my 750 other videos where you'll find multiple demos of PSR series keyboards recorded via DAW.

[@KevinMillard68]

i have the same keyboard and i love it its awesome and money well spent

[@gearfacts]

Yep 100% agreed! Gearfacts

[@KevinMillard68]

:)

[@harolddasynth795]

Hi man,does this play standard mp3 and midi?thanks

[@gearfacts]

Yep it does. Thanks for watching Gearfacts :)

[@harolddasynth795]

Thanks man,i added this on my wishlist,thorn between this and Roland BK5,great review of the product,kudos!

[@dandaz3418]

Which keyboard is better, Psr e453 or Ew300??

[@gearfacts]

dan daz The EW. The 453 is the portable version.

[@dandaz3418]

Gearfacts thanks

[@5050rosa]

Quisiera saber tambien

[@gearfacts]

El EW. El 453 es la versión portátil.

[@mr.nebbercracker.9041]

how many keys?

[@gearfacts]

76 I think. Thanks for watching Gearfacts :)

[@tamasleskovics4100]

yamaha psr ew 300= yamaha psr e 363,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,yamaha psr ew 400= yamaha psr 453,,,,,,,,,,,61,,key,,,,,,,76 key,,,,,,

[@MarcoDGallego]

ew400 speakers are 12 watts each while 6 W on the e453

[@Popart-xh2fd]

The speakers are the same (12 cm bass reflex), the amplification is different (12 vs 6 watts)!