Yamaha today announced YC OS v1.1, a free OS update for its YC Series Stage Keyboards that adds new features and more Voices.

New to the YC Series in OS v1.1 are acoustic and electric piano Voices:

• The Nashville C3 is sampled from a grand piano that is small in size, but huge in character and used on countless recordings in Nashville. The piano was recorded at the Yamaha Entertainment Group studios in Nashville and processed with analog tape to provide distinctive “vibe.”
• With Live CF3, Yamaha answers a request from pop and Gospel musicians to bring back a powerful grand piano Voice from previous instruments. Live CF3 provides another variation of this powerful grand piano sound.
• The first of two new electric piano Voices is 73 Rd Studio, a rendition of the famous “suitcase” electric tine piano. Its tone is smooth, mellow and well suited for playing accompaniment in jazz, ballads, R&B and more.
• ‘The brighter 74 Rd Stage is ideal for solos and syncopated rhythm parts.

Eight new Live Sets — multi-part setups that can be stored and recalled with the touch of a button — are also included that show case the new Voices.

YC OS v1.1 also makes improvements to pitch modulation characteristics across the board, including the ability to store the initial modulation amount as part of a Live Set and the relocation of modulation depth and speed to a more intuitive home in the “Sound” settings menu.

Last but not least, pressing the Enter button while in the Settings menus “backs up” to the previous page, instead of returning all the way to the display’s home screen, making adjusting settings easier.

“YC OS v1.1 is a direct response to feedback we’ve received from our users,” says Yamaha’s Nate Tschetter. “By listening to our customers, we make great keyboard instruments even better.”

Pricing and Availability

Yamaha YC OS v1.1 is a free download and will be available beginning January 14, 2021.