New Yamaha TNR-i Synthesizer Raises The Question – Does Hardware Matter Anymore?

Does hardware matter anymore?

That’s the question raised by Yamaha TNR-i – a software version of the Yamaha Tenori On synthesizer.

The iOS version of the Tenori On, according to Yamaha, a ‘faithful duplication of the TENORI-ON concept and its design and interface, which were developed under the supervision of Toshio Iwai.’

But the TNR-i is priced at a fraction of the hardware – £11.99, or about $20. The Tenori On Orange sells for about $700.

There are a lots of benefits to dedicated hardware. But for a lot of users, a $500 iPad with a $20 app is going to be a compelling alternative.

Check out the demo and the specs and let us know what you think. Does dedicated hardware matter for a synth like the Tenori On? And when does hardware make more sense than software?

Yamaha TNR-i Overview

TNR-i can produce 16 types of sounds at the same time (16 layers), and it can remember up to 16 song patterns produced using those sounds (16 blocks). By switching between song patterns in real time, you can produce a rich variety of musical expressions.

There are six different types of performance modes that you can select for each layer. You can make elaborate music by combining different modes.

  • In score mode, the most fundamental of the modes, you can arrange sounds horizontally (temporally) and vertically (by pitch).
  • In random mode, the sounds that you arrange are not just played in order—the melody and rhythm constantly change as twists are added.
  • In draw mode, you can perform music by tracing your finger across the buttons as if drawing a picture.
  • In bounce mode, the glowing lights are like bouncing balls that produce sound when they fall.
  • In push mode, you can continuously change the sound as you perform.
  • In solo mode, you can adjust the speed of repetition and the pitch.

If you are connected to a network, you can also participate in TNR-i sessions with distant players. Up to four people can connect to each other over a network. You can also jam wirelessly with hardware Tenori-On synths.

Note: Yamaha TNR-i is currently available in the UK App Store.

45 thoughts on “New Yamaha TNR-i Synthesizer Raises The Question – Does Hardware Matter Anymore?”

  2. Of course it does matter. But the pad is hardware. Just, like, one big button. The question should be 'does your computer matter anymore?' Or your friends.

    Yamaha weighed in; Should it benefit, with this cheaper version, at the cost of killing the legacy of it's own product? Of course it should and did.

    It's just a shame that, on the horizon, there will be a landfill, bristling with malfunctioning Tenori-on, and all those lost integrated patterns that had been such a joy to punch in.

  3. I think the hardware instrument will always have a place, I got my tenori-on sitting in my studio, plugged into my midi setup, midi clock pedal and few synth and connected to my computer midi for more synth control.

    There is something about using tactile device, that really feel more like playing. I think multi touch interface are great don't get me wrong, but it really feel good to be standing in your studio and plaing from multiple interface, from keyboard to push button to knobs and slider, that the multi touch screen cannot really offer. I might just be getting old though …

  4. I think the hardware instrument will always have a place, I got my tenori-on sitting in my studio, plugged into my midi setup, midi clock pedal and few synth and connected to my computer midi for more synth control.

    There is something about using tactile device, that really feel more like playing. I think multi touch interface are great don't get me wrong, but it really feel good to be standing in my studio and playing from multiple interface, from keyboard to push button to knobs and slider, that the multi touch screen cannot really offer. I might just be getting old though …

  5. This like the fallacious MPC vs Maschine debate, having multiple options is a win for everybody. The more that the big name companies venture into the iOS market will only result in better, more professional spec apps. I applaud KORG and Yamaha for their releases and await more stuff like this in the future.

  6. it is like seeing the days again when everyone was loading every pirated software they could get on their machines. It will be amusing to see what is produced regards finished trax. To me its all kids stuff and gimmiks. I would imagine that's where the money is with kids. Musicians (however talented !!) will need instruments, not software sad unreliable imitations. What the phrase, you can't polish a turd, but you can roll one in glitter. How sparkly the ipad looks.
    It amsued me that the I pad is not velocity sensitive. How comical is that. My korg z1 is twelve years old and that xy pad is…………..not everyone falls for macs lame crap.

  8. Oh apple, you have done a new product yet again! 😀 kinda strange to say does hardware matter anymore, after all, with out it a synthesizer is nothing more than a tiny app with a price that will continue to grow! Sorry to sayy but Apple is like Shiva, he created a really cool thing, now its taking over all others that matter. 🙁

    1. This new app looks like a lot of fun…

      Hardware does matter, just not as much as it used to.

      A great preamp will always be needed. A great interface too. No software will replace the mojo you get from a vintage synth or an analog delay…

      I think the future of instruments will gravitate towards hybridization; UA cards, SSL duende, Acces virus, NI maschine, Muse receptor, etc…

      I wouldn't go so far as to say hardware is dead… it's just evolving. The whole iPad thing is strange to me because in one way it really is new and exciting; on the other hand, I feel we are going backwards (less compatibility, less power, less focus on sound "quality").

    2. This a site about synthesis. More stuff that falls in this category is released than hardware or VST's, so Synthtopia reports on it. A lot of people here on some real kill the messenger stuff.

  9. I understand your point about how digital tech can lead to crappy, mailed in music. But you're sounding like things that are tech based and not traditional instruments have no reason to exist. Believe me, I don't own any of this stuff because I'm a moron attracted to shiny things. I actually loathe Apple as a company personally, but the iOS devices afford me the chance to do a little music when I'm traveling so I'm happy to use them.

    Yes it is a shame that velocity sensitivity is not in the mix, but we will need to wait for the next round of touchscreen tech to go mass market for that. The only other option is to adapt the mini piezo sensor technology that the SP1200 used to get around the same issue, by using the in-built mic, hardly elegant so no one's really doing it.

    I'm sorry but posts like yours take me back to growing up in the 80's when every drum machine and sampler was the the end of the world to a lot of traditional instrument players.

  10. This is precisely why the OP-1 is a totally overpriced piece of SHIT.

    Someone's going to come along (maybe the TE lads, lol) and simply do an iPad version.

    It's going to sound exactly the fucking same.

    It's going to have the same features.

    It's going to sell for $9.99.

    And I'll be able to use any of my full size keyboards plugged in via USB.

    lol.

  11. Every piece of custom equipment already "is" a computer. So moving the software portion to a more affordable, and in many cases more powerful platform of common hardware is not only good sense, it's inevitable in any industry.

  12. Tenori on is not velocity sensitive, If yamaha had made the tenori with a touch screen rather than buttons originally so that it looked something like an iPad but did nothing else and had yamaha on the case, everyone would have called it an instrument.

  13. Wow, you are so bitter about the OP-1, it's hilarious.

    It's all about the interface. some people would rather work with a touchscreen, or a laptop, some people like working with buttons and dials. What works for one person wont necessarily work for another. I, personally, would much rather buy an OP-1 (given the spare cash on hand) than play with a software emulation of it on iOS or PC, because it looks well thought out, tangible, and instantaneous. The same goes for the Tenori-On. It's cool that they've released it, but given the choice, i'd rather have the physical device in my studio.

    Also, just because something is posted on this site doesn't mean that Synthhead thinks everyone must have these things or they aren't cool/relevant/whatever, i would imagine it's just because they think they are cool things worth looking at in the realm of music, hardware, software, production, performance, etc. Or maybe it does, who am i to say, and why would I care? This site is an endless source of cool stuff to look at and hear. I don't like everything, but it's all interesting anyway.

  17. Most synths are equipped with microcontroller and therefore can be considered as computer controlled devices, some them as computers. There are also a number of pure analog synths, which don't have any common with computers.

    Maybe I misunderstood something, but word "every" does not fit in this context well.

  18. I have the iPad 2. It is a great tool. I will put Morph Wiz on it when it is released (despite the stupid name). That will do more than a Korg MicroSampler for far less cash.

    Is the iPad going to kill off development in hardware? Why yes. yes it will. It has already put the Lemur in to the dustbin of history. I suspect more things will follow and many products will be discussed at the Big 3 and Alesis but will never go past the "that would be cool but…" stage. Nobody is going to spend time and money making products that you can replace with a 5 dollar app.

    What about calculators? I download a free app that does what a TI scientific calculator can do. I also put the new Horizon synth on there last night. It sounds excellent as software goes, costs 5 bucks and it can go anywhere. We are not at the serious professional level yet, but I normally use hardware for that. The iPad becomes just another sound module in the arsenal.

  19. In my previous comment I typed Morph Wiz when I meant Sample Wiz.

    Sample Wiz sounds like a urine testing kit of some sort.

  20. While a lot of readers are still turned off by the iPad music app trend – the iPad Tenori On seems like a 'win' for everybody.

    You can try the Tenori On platform relatively inexpensively – and if you prefer hardware, you've got two options.

    I wouldn't be surprised if this actually ends up increasing their hardware sales……

  22. Come on iPad haters!

    With all that money I would have spent to Tenori-On… I now have same functionality in one box, which can be also used to watch porn.

  23. "Also, just because something is posted on this site doesn't mean that Synthhead thinks everyone must have these things…."

    Hitting the nail on the head there.

    The point is to post the most interesting news for people interested in synthesis and electronic music.

    But we are synth freaks, so it's no surprise that we get into the gear news as much as anybody else…..

  26. They didn't release the original one in the US until about a year after it came out in Japan and the UK. So it would seem they are going to great lengths to duplicate the experience of the original hardware!

    I'm not sure what the real reason is. They released a few other CoreMIDI controller-type apps yesterday that have been repeatedly appearing and disappearing from the US store, which is weird. They might be holding the Tenori-On app back for Thursday afternoon for a big promo from Apple, that's the only thing I can think of.

    Meanwhile, I'm left refreshing the store every half hour…

  27. I would like it to be wifi to mox6, but I think not
    some people will miss the knobs on the ipad version though

    I can buy it and control my tenori-on with it, remotly, but why? wifi?

  31. It's just a headline to draw attention like any other. But I fully agree with your points that we are fortunate to have both options. The unfortunate nature of the internet seems to foster the notion that everyone has to pick a side. The reality of it is whatever tools you choose nowadays you're winning. Old and new can co-exist just fine.

  32. Hardware generally does have thicker sound as digital is always is written to exact specs of the programmers even with some "random" probabilities written in. Analog usually has harmonics that weren't intended but are picked up by the human ear.

  35. It is a pity it isn't available in Australia. Anyone know if Yamaha will be selling this outside of EU and Japan ?

  36. I just sold my Tenori-On, but have all of my block files on an SD card. it would be nice to have the ability to import those into this app!

  37. I got it in US bought through UK app store with a UK itunes card fooling my ipad into thinking it was in the UK. I miss the Advanced mode cmon yamaha schmucks like you could not have enabled this. Oh well I guess I will have to have both versions. I like both for different reasons. I like an all in one solution, but there is something about having the actual hardware. Wireless midi is problematic. I will leave the hardware in the studio and take the ipad version to play with on the road…plus plus not to mention now I have two for the less than the price of one since I got the hard version from guitar center for 760 dollars. You can import the files to the app, only if they are not done in advanced mode, read the instructions.

  39. I got it in US bought through UK app store with a UK itunes card fooling my ipad into thinking it was in the UK. I miss the Advanced mode cmon yamaha schmucks like you could not have enabled this. Oh well I guess I will have to have both versions. I like both for different reasons. I like an all in one solution but the hardware version wired is more stable for the studio. The app is more laggy and hickuppy. Wireless is cool only when it works reliably. At least people xan try out the tenori this way. They might even boost their hardware sales when people actually find out what this is capable of. There is no other interface as neat, fun, or cool as a real tool for the fool with no school.

  40. exactly the same,
    minus advanced mode
    minus user voices
    minus midi in/out ( when not near your computer)
    so for me its less portable
    plus the hardware doesnt have all these colours

  41. "Musicians" are a dying breed, and I couldn't be happier. All the lessons and training amount to a bunch af bull**** session hacks that churn out the same uninspired scales and riffs, over and over again. __All the "pros" who talk down musical "toys" are the same clowns who offer up mannerist regurgi-tunes with "crack production values". Who CARES? I'd rather hear something expressive, recorded on a Fisher-Price cassette recorder, than some done-to-death, hi-gloss "pro" sounds.

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