YDS - 150 vs. Real Saxophones

The last months I've been a part of the development team behind this groundbreaking instrument! Thanks for the support and trust from Yamaha Music!
You guys asked for a comparison video between the sax-sounds on the YDS and real saxophones. Here is a demonstration back to back, using Yamaha horns and the YDS.
In this video I am playing on our V1.0 prototype, but the finished product will have the same design and feel. Let me know your thoughts or questions and I will respond as best as I can!
Later I will post a video of the hardware & specifications to the instrument
Make sure to hit the subscribe button to be notified when I post new content about the YDS

[@zacheyea]

This was the best advertisement

[@joseperazza2221]

YDS is awesome. For me, the bari sax sound was the best. It sounded very real. This could be the best instrument to use it as a back up or even as a real instrument to play with. Very serious about getting one, specially for the baritone sax sound and the variety of sounds it can make, including soprano, alto, and tenor sax as well.

[@MexSax]

Agree, the bari sounds is quite amazing, very close to the real sax. I have soprano, tenor and alto, this Yamaha could make a perfect fit for the missing bari sax !

[@spencerbode]

Yamaha needs to pay you big bucks for this

[@vroomoon]

That Bari sound is actually pretty on point.

[@jrgenlundkarlsen8921]

Agreed!

[@flutethyagu]

Baritone Sax 🎷 sounds so real, definitely better than the aerophone and EWIs.

[@cggambill]

Wore out my WX-11. Two years ago suffered some damage to facial muscles after playing for 60 years. (The same Selmer Mark VI for that 60 yrs.) Think I just found my soul again.

[@Antwanaltmanmusic]

Ok, I’m a Sax player who’s not a fan of digital sax sounds, BUT you just sold me!!! Good job!

[@etpslick100]

That’s the BEST DEMO so far. Put some time into it, you’ll make great music with it. I want one so I can learn how to play sax and I can play with HEADPHONES in my apartment. Nice job Yamaha.😌👍🏾

[@medicareplanningwithjohnde8751]

I watched several videos on the YDS-150, informative but this video showing side by side on a music style I love like this sold me. I placed my order today. Thanks Jorgen and Yamaha. You earned whatever they are paying you. I love the other video you did in which you placed the settings of the sound at the left of the screen so we could match it when we get ours and use your sound as a bench mark until we are familiar enough with adjust it ourselves. Great job.

[@psyentist88]

I just bought an YDS 150 and this video had a big impact on my choice, thank you for it. The instrument is almost as good as it looks like, so far I really love it (except the octave key).

[@user-lt3bt7nj8j]

Could I ask you if there is something wrong with the octave key?

[@psyentist88]

@@user-lt3bt7nj8j Wouldnt say wrong, it works, but it is mechanically quite different from what you are used to on a real saxophone. Its more like a button on a printer or on your tv controller, so you need to get used to it and press it with an adequate pressure in the right direction. Its less forgiving than a normal octave key on a real saxophone as it has only two states, so you either open the "hole", or it remains closed entirely and the note is played accordingly.

[@rebeccakumi5369]

This is exactly what I needed to see and hear! Very cool!

[@lux4us]

Best video / review so far on the YDS-150. Appreciate you have posted this one. I'm hooked on this technology and will certainly purchase the Yamaha. Already have the Roland Aerophone AE-10, which I enjoy very much. The YDS does better on the virtual sax sound.

[@wynnchang]

this is actually such a bop. I love ur sound. u just got a sub

[@jrgenlundkarlsen8921]

Thanks man!!

[@Scale_Slotcars_Latvia]

So everybody is saying it sounds like a sync keyboard ...well Doh ! It's bloody electronic what do they expect and they say it sounds like a keyboard well Doh ! When is the last time they held a piano keyboard in this position and stuck it in their mouth ....? It's a perfect silent practice instrument that can be plugged into an amp and pc or other audio equipment and has keys in the same position as a saxophone . Perfect for apartment dwellers etc and that's what I like about it ...but of course it's a traditional sax for me until I learn and improve but will be looking at one of these in the future .thank you for the post !

[@shamanbeartwo3819]

How does it get plugged into an amp? I thought it only had micro USB out. And I thought amps used line input.

[@Scale_Slotcars_Latvia]

@@shamanbeartwo3819 lots of ways to do it .you need to study how online

[@shamanbeartwo3819]

@@Scale_Slotcars_Latvia - :)) Well, I did study recording engineering in college and one of my teachers even used to work for Yamaha back in the day when he made them a cute little DX7 but I don't see any way to hook it into a audio interface or a mixing board or a guitar amp, etc. I'm more accustomed to working with XLR or line input or midi out. I looked up this sax at the Yamaha site and I see how I can plug it into a phone/laptop but again, not familiar and the spec sheet is pretty lame and no one has given much demonstration on connecting it.

[@flrn84791]

@@shamanbeartwo3819 There is a mini jack output... What exactly do you find lame on the spec sheet?

[@AnYiPapa]

It's very explosive and very rhythmic. I hope to hear some styles that express warmth, softness and lyricism. This is an indispensable part of the saxophone sound.

[@DanielMartinez-rv6su]

There's supposedly over 70 different tones and styles to select from

[@RandyResnick]

The best sounds are flute and harmonica. The baritone is tolerable. The rest require heave effects like echo to use in music (IMO).

[@mytacofellapart4811]

Let me just first say that this was one GROOVY track!!! Thank you for that! That thing sounds brilliant. Also, thank you for just reviewing how it sounds.. I don't need the talking. Just play the damn thing, and you certainly did! Bravo, Hermano!

[@AsrielKujo]

So well edited! This is 10million sub editing level man!

[@jimstead1002]

At 80+ y.o.a. and although I still have my alto, tenor and baritone saxes - on a gig the digital version is preferred.

[@behari5]

At 80 y.o plus most of us would be glad we could see the phone to comment on what we could still hear

[@jimstead1002]

Music is the food of l o v e, I still enjoy my playing too!

[@cptcooc2]

Love it yes I bought this instrument because I had a stroke back in April and I'm rather limited emboucher wise. I now go about an hour and a half before I'm squeaking. This solves this problem when in December I will be playing out at the kettles for the Salvation Army for up to 10 hours at a time. It looks and sounds like a real sax in my case the Soprano Sax. I'm anxious to see how it will fair with rechargeable batteries or how many batteries I will need to get through a day but yes I believe it solved my problem.

[@joanneleblanc6095]

super funky and love the comparison!

[@IvanIvanov-fv8ry]

i love the way it looks, i really want to get one and the only thing to keep me away is lack of pitch control with the mouth peace... i hope that they will make some kind of bite/pressure sensor for it so vibrato and pitch bending could be done with it... it`s still amazing lol

[@davidmilbradt7556]

pitch bending is controlled with a button near the right thumb. It can be eased up or down a half step (or more if you program it that way). It's FANTASTIC.

[@franciscoballesterosmusica3216]

Buenísimo, estupenda grabación!👏👏👏

[@glasscoeeocssalg]

I have a Roland Aerophone AE-10 for about 2 month now and was looking to get a Selmer series lll soprano to go with my tenor and alto but after hear this Yamaha YDS-150 I decide wait on the on soprano and I pre-order Yamaha instead can't wait for the shipping date to arrive. Thanks for the music review for the comparison.

[@sandykastanos5028]

that was awesome loved it could you do more comparos the same way with the funky tunes you just used i am blown away

[@ob2411]

Wow! amazing talent right there🔥

[@saxworldwide]

Nice! Sounds great!

[@jrgenlundkarlsen8921]

Thank you so much! Would be cool to do an colab with the YDS one day?!

[@michaelrodriguez7301]

Damn someone should transcribe this, sounds great!

[@orlandocaison3352]

Impressive talent!

[@torilsusegg9572]

Excellent and really fun performance!!!

[@PeterPrism]

This thing is fantastic

[@lewchaney2138]

Very cool demo.

[@jazzsaxboy]

Great job. Thanks for posting. Picking mine up tomorrow.🎷😁

[@jrgenlundkarlsen8921]

Congrats with your new instrument!

[@rheeslane9529]

The baritone sound on this unit is legit!

[@landsmeerinbeeld3106]

As a player on the WX11 I have a great interest in this instrument. You do a great job for Yamaha! Haha! Groeten uit Landsmeer, Joost

[@jrgenhernborg5624]

Dæven, Jørgen!! Det her er så dope bro! Når jeg konfirmeres til sommern kommer jeg garantert til å kjøpe meg en sånn! For et instrument🤩🔥

[@jaysee27]

A debate about an Acoustic sax (aka "Real Sax") vs. Electronic Sax? Sounds like the argument about which one is better between an acoustic guitar vs. electric guitar. Two different instruments. I think both have room in the music world. Very cool video. I like the old school sampled background jam from 1975, "Do it any way you wanna; People's choice". Timeless! By the way, one criticism of this video: It is way to short!! Man, you were jammin' ! You should record a longer version for download. i would buy it!

[@alejandrogodoyenrich9567]

Genio total, un Maestro!

[@lucibus6990]

really very nice . Bravissimo !!

[@AustinGao]

Bro never thought i'd find such a jam from an engadget review article

[@thecock2786]

really good mate!

[@BabyMoney216]

You killed that playa!!!🔥🔥🔥👍

[@JUNIOR-cl4ol]

YDS is very good but the real Sax still has the edge... Look forward to getting a YDS though

[@cmg6765]

Well of course it has the edge lol, I'm sure the acoustic guitar had the edge over the electric for many years, and in certain scenarios it still does. Look at this as them paving the way for the future rather than trying to compete with what you already know.

[@StevenHorton]

These two guys are agreeing ^

[@dominicstocker5144]

@@cmg6765 it what scenarios do they still have the edge?

[@gregorywonderlike9852]

Nice playing! Do you think that there will be a pro version of this instrument within the next year?

[@flrn84791]

@@gregorywonderlike9852 Why, this is not pro enough for you?

[@ZachCalin_]

I plan to get the digital sax for practicing but nothing will ever replace a real sax

[@raindogtube]

Awesome!!

[@chingkheimutum4376]

Wow amazing

[@ssssuwkky1913]

OMG THIS IS SO COOOOOOOOL🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@auron6]

Man this is so spicy!

[@lucasbardellasax]

Great!!!!! Very amazing!!!!

[@williammc5113]

That was awsome.

[@WW_SHTFF_WW]

Wow...you got it!

[@ryangjewell]

The digital bari sounds much better than the other digital saxes to me for some reason

[@chupacabra7224]

Most beautiful demonstration of the Yamaha no faff no BS no I think I don't think.well done brother. Subscribe

[@christosax5454]

gotta subscribe you damn... absolutely phantastic

[@frankzona9867]

good demo. I've had a Yamaha WX7 for decades. This maybe a good followup. I've been waiting for Yamaha to come up with a synth with onboard voices. The sax voices aren't very convincing but to me that's not what it's for. Not replace a sax but to give sax players new voices. I would use it for quiet practice time or whenever gigs come back as an additional instrument for the stage.

[@stephenruggieri]

Frank, if you invest a little more money in a tone generator or VST instrument packs, the instrument jumps leaps and bounds. I had a WX5 from patch man music with a yamaha tone generator and it was awesome to play live through a PA system!!!!

[@MITSaxophoneEnsemble]

Bravo !

[@RonWylie-gk5lc]

Amazing

[@bobpremecz5429]

Getting closer, but real saxophones still not in danger of being replaced.

[@jasonshuler8762]

I've just purchased one. It's arriving tomorrow. I had to go this route. Due to dental work I haven't been able to play a regular sax for 7 years or longer. My fake front teeth could not stand up to the vibration of the mouthpiece. I can finally play a sax again without having to worry about my teeth coming loose. I'm excited!!!

[@peteryoung9991]

Bravo!!!

[@arnouddegraaff2556]

Sounds Good!! Great job.Can you make the digital saxophone wireless? is there a transmitter/reciever for it?

[@DeonGeorgeHarison]

Awesome

[@dziva6301]

Great comparision video buddy. I also got a YDS150, awesome thing 😆 Can u pls tell me which voices u used in this video? Many thx for that 👍

[@ChoDoiGodot]

awesome

[@paulfairchild3461]

I’m impressed .get plenty of bang for your buck 👍

[@beaubrewer11]

I’m dying to know what is the make and model of that Baritone Saxophone? Such a gorgeous tone!

[@Valero7]

GREAT! sounds like what I want: An Electronic Sax! If I wanted to sound like a REAL Sax, well I already have one!

[@shamanbeartwo3819]

:) If you want an "electronic sax", put a mic on yours and try running it through something like Guitar Rig Pro with some old school funk/wah wah pedals and amps.

[@thomasmiller4710]

Hey Jorgen, American man Thomas Miller here! This demo is one of my top jams. Watched this about 50 times now, no lie, and I was wondering what mouthpiece you are using on the alto? I am primarily an alto player myself, and I have only just started really getting into playing altissimo notes in performance context. What I have now is pretty good, and I know that over 80 percent of the note is player based not equipment, but any thoughts you have would be very welcome!

[@Chirpysemperboy]

YDS sounds good for basic play, but if you want to have some more effects, then the just go with the instruments.

[@seanwhite7671]

1:13 the lick

[@jy.saxofun]

Perfection. 🙂

[@user-vq4jt6nk4z]

カッコいい！俺もこれ買って練習しよ

[@ReinerSax]

Great men Great job i love it 👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌😎😎😎😎😎😎✔🌹

[@ankokunokayoubi]

dude this is my earworm now

[@linconclass]

What plugins did you use to simulate the timbre of the saxphones? Or did you just edit and create your own timbres? I want to invest in this instrument, but I'm still afraid because what I see most are videos showing other sounds. don't focus on the sax. Yours was the first and best so far, but I would still like to know more about the saxophones in it and the timbre possibilities. Could you help us with this?

[@Tobsen_Toby]

Whats that baritone saxophone? I have never seen a baritone in a design like that one. Great video!

[@stephenruggieri]

Hi Jogen, can you describe the key action and resistance on the YDS. the yamaha wx5's were great instruments, best on the market, but their fingering had no spring back, making them difficult to play fast .

[@jrgenlundkarlsen8921]

The keys are awesome. Big shoutout to the design team for making it very responsive and easy to play.

[@andreasbahl9816]

after several years Yamaha is back to midi wind .... I had a WX-5 , unfortentally not work any more. This YDS looks awesome and sounds great. The only drawback is no lip sensor - what you feel for your playing ... you miss lip pressure action with the YDS?

[@yn9074]

めっちゃ素敵😍

[@ThePowerchimp]

Can the YDS-150 be played in Alto/Tenor configuration? Can an accoustic neck-bend and mouthpiece fit to it?

[@GaryBadger]

Nice work. Definitely prefer the real sax.

[@TheNutella59]

Hi sir, thank you for the video ! I have a question : is it possible to put a backing track (from a computer for example) + the yds150 (while i'm playing) at the same time in my headphones ? Sorry, this is probably a dumb question but i have to know before i consider buying it ^^.

[@rjones1357]

I have not seen it featured much in the YDS videos so far but the instrument has an Aux-In socket. The manual for the YDS is on the Yamaha web site. My guess is you will get both the instrument sound and the Aux-In sound through the headphones or if you do not have the headphones plugged in, the instrument speaker.

[@TamiRussaz]

Hi Everyone! Does the Yamaha YDS allow for backing tracks while playing the sax through Bluetooth headphones? If so, how? Thanks in advance for your help :) I want to be able to hear both the backing tracks and my playing without disturbing my family when I practice.

[@garethsanders-swales1462]

Are these the built in sounds ...if so impressed!

[@romelvasquez7306]

Nada supera el sonido de los instrumentos reales.

[@fyahvibration0109]

But the study Is 👎👎👎😔😔😠😠

[@Mateosax]

Concuerdo contigo, pero un electrófono nunca viene mal, los instrumentos reales hacen mucho ruido y al vivir con vecinos pues renta más un electrófono, te pones cascos y ya, pero obviamente, como tu dices, nada supera el sonido de los instrumentos reales.

[@aaronheckscher1231]

Which horns did you play ? The baritone comparison was quite close to my ears.

[@espressojunkie6210]

@ Jørgen Lund Karlsen ^^Shame on you.^^ You are the reason that i have startet with playing saxophone. I've bought the YDS-150 and i love it. After one month i can already play 11 notes. Thanks again for the presentation of the YDS-150. You are a great saxophone player. Live long and prosper.

[@flutethyagu]

Is the fingerings are same as sax? Sounds really good, I can't tell the difference between the two

[@jazzysteph0509]

Nice comparison demo also wondering what’s that nice remix song is it home made ? Or I can find it somewhere ?

[@richiesasquire3341]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/imTHmXumqt2Libs

[@tomkent4656]

Great for recording, but lacks that "edge" for live work.

[@thesilverfox9185]

Will the YDS work as midi controller in ableton?

[@tonyharrison9117]

Has anyone compared the Yamaha YDS 150 to the Roland Aerophone AE30? I think the AE30 has more realistic sounds but I don't know if it is worth another $500.

[@alfisher8939]

Hey Jorgen, Just way too cool man. Are you using the built-in sounds for those voices and if so which ones or did you tweak this with the App. Once you tweak with the App, can you save to YDS-150 directly? Thanks

[@user-zt3dv5cl4b]

Very good questions.

[@flrn84791]

The tweaks you make with the app are automatically saved to the sax.

[@gregevans2885]

Which tenor and Bari voices are these? Are these stock sounds or edited? Just got a yds 150 and would love to know which voice selection these are. Thanks!

[@Frank-Ros]

beautifully done Whose song is that you're playing with?

[@franlobatoruiz4289]

What setup do you used un tenor sax.? Thank

[@ryanharris4938]

I love the idea of the YDS. Comparing tenor, the tenor sounds more like a synth. The bari is almost identical. The alto sounds fake. Now if you were to record with just the YDS, it would be great.

[@flrn84791]

Which tenor, which alto? There are about a dozen sounds for each.

[@jrgenhernborg5624]

I agree! I think the fx tenor and alto sax sounds the most realistic for these two. With baritone its the same for me!

[@sol19539]

Thank you for your video. I want to learn the sax, and am leaning towards this digital instrument as it would give me the option of playing both tenor and alto.. rather then needing to choose between buying either a traditional Yam. tenor or alto (which is a very hard choice as I can see the beauty in both). Would you recommend this for a complete beginner to practice on, or better to just get the real thing? Also, with this instrument, can I listen to a song and play along, all via headphones?

[@aliceinwonderland8314]

As some who plays alto sax along with other reed instruments, I reckon you'd be able to learn fingering, breathing and tonguing on it, but learning correct embouchure (mouth shape) would be extremely difficult as this sax can't sense it. If you want to learn the basics of correct embouchure with a digital sax, you'll want to take off the mouth piece and just play the mouth piece separately (you'll need to replace the plastic reed provided with an actual reed to do that). It'll be noisy and sound a bit annoying, but its a very common exercise for learning basic embouchure. How much I'd recommend it to a complete beginner greatly depends on what your goals are and how well you want to be able to play a normal sax. If you don't transition to playing a normal sax (cos you don't necessary have to transition) I'd recommend it; if you do want to transition to playing a normal sax, I'd recommend it with the warning that your embouchure and tuning will not be as developed as the other skills.

[@E-flat]

@@aliceinwonderland8314 Well said!

[@jbatu234]

Can you actually do vibrato trough the mouthpiece or its all prerecorded vibrato on longer notes? Can you also pronounce the attack (staccato) of the note or no matter how you blow the attack will sound the same? Im just kinda wondering how much of what i can do on a real sax can i do on one of these

[@micahgoodman2303]

It has a key for vibrato and I believe it senses the air you put into it

[@woodandwinds]

What model of bari sax is that?

[@rfwrap]

Damn. ❤🎉❤

[@romainhoareau6514]

hey ! ijust want to know what type of mouthpiece do you play with on the alto sax ?