P-S500 features piano sounds captured from the flagship Yamaha CFX concert grand and the famed Viennese Bösendorfer Imperial grand. These piano samples put two of the world’s finest and most prominent concert grand pianos at your fingertips.

Binaural sampling is a method of sampling in which special microphones are placed on a mannequin’s head in the same positions as the pianist’s ears to capture piano sounds the way that they sound in reality.

We chose this method to create the ambience and full, natural resonance of acoustic pianos in the P-S500. This makes pianists feel as though they are sitting at a grand piano even when they play with headphones on. The experience is so pleasant that they forget they are wearing headphones, no matter how long they continue to play.

In a grand piano, strings and sounds resonate throughout the entire body of the instrument producing a rich reverberation that envelops the listener in sound. Not only are the strings you are playing vibrating, but other strings ring as a reaction to ones you play. This is one reason the piano sound is so complex and rich.

This phenomena is reproduced perfectly in the P-S500 through Virtual Resonance Modeling (VRM) which calculates the various states of the strings for each of the 88 notes on the keyboard from one instant to the next. As a result, the P-S500 reflects the limitless number of factors inherent in playing an acoustic piano such as which keys are pressed, the strength with which the keys are played and pedal timing.

The Yamaha Graded Hammer Standard (GHS) keyboard features a weighted action with heavier touch in the low end and lighter touch in the high end, just like the hammers inside an acoustic piano. Great for the aspiring pianist, practicing on the GHS action builds the proper finger technique and strength for when the time comes to perform on an acoustic piano.

The P-S500 is equipped with 660 varied, high-quality Voices including stunning pianos, electric pianos, organs, brass, strings, percussion, and more. From breathy saxophones to ringing guitars and warm, resonant strings, the P-S500 impressively replicates sounds down to the finest nuances. Thanks to acclaimed Super Articulation technology, the distinctive characteristics of each instrument are reproduced in incredible detail as you play.

Accompaniment and rhythmic backing patterns (called ”Styles”) covering a wide range of musical genres, including pop, jazz, and many more, lets you single-handedly recreate the sound of a full band or orchestra.

The P-S500 lets you record your own performances in two different formats: audio and MIDI. Audio recording allows you to capture your playing conventionally, which you can then play back on your smart device. MIDI recording, on the other hand, lets you record up to 16 tracks, with separate left- and right-hand parts or complex multi-instrumental arrangements.

Since a microphone can be connected to the P-S500, you can enjoy singing along with your keyboard performance or along with Song playback. Moreover, you can apply various studio-quality effects such as chorus to your singing voice, and even cancel the vocal part on audio recordings—letting you sing along with (or instead of!) your favorite artists and groups, and enjoy performing even more.

Smart Pianist App supports not only wired connection but also wireless connection with the optional UD-WL01 Wi-Fi USB wireless LAN adaptor.