“How do I create a user style from scratch on my Yamaha PSR540?”
Creating a User Style from scratch is useful when the PSR540 does not have a built-in Auto Accompaniment that fits the style of music that you want to play. Creating a User Style from scratch is also useful to create custom drum accompaniments (a very underused feature of these awesome keyboards). The procedure is similar for many of the PSR keyboards, but we’ll address it for the 540 here.
1) Press the red [RECORD] button.
2) Press the [+] button until the screen displays ‘RecMenu=Style’.
3) Press the grey [NEXT] button. The screen will display ‘001 8Beat 1’.
4) Type a number from 107 – 109 to select a User Style. The screen will display ’10x UserStyle#’. If the User Style Memory is not clear proceed to step 5. Otherwise proceed to step 6.
TIP: As an example, if the screen displays ‘107 8 Beat 1′, this is an indication that the User Style Memory is NOT clear.
5) Clear the User Style Memory
a) Press the grey [NEXT] button.
b) Press the [+] or [-] button until the screen displays ‘Record Mode=Edit’.
c) Press the grey [NEXT] button.
d) Press the [+] or [-] button until the screen displays ‘Ed Menu=Clear’.
e) Press the grey [NEXT] button. The screen will display ‘Section=All Sect’.
f) Press the grey [NEXT] button. The screen will display ‘Clear OK?’.
g) Press the [+] button to confirm the clear operation. The screen will display ‘Completed’.
h) Press the grey [BACK] button 3 times and proceed to step 7.
6) Press the grey [NEXT] button.
7) Press the [+] or [-] button until the screen displays ‘Record Mode=Record’.
8) Press the grey [NEXT] button. The screen will display ‘Section=Main A’.
9) Press the [+] or [-] button to select one of the Accompaniment Sections, Main A, Main B, Intro, Fill A, Fill B and Ending.
10) Press the grey [NEXT] button. The screen will display ‘Rec Track=RhM’.
11) Press the [+] or [-] button to select one of the Accompaniment Tracks, ‘RhM’, ‘RhS’, ‘Bas’, ‘Ch1’, ‘Ch2’, ‘Pad’, ‘Ph1’ and ‘Ph2’.
12) Press the grey [NEXT] button. The screen will display ‘Rehearsal’.
NOTE: Style Tracks ‘Bas’, ‘Ch1’, ‘Ch2’, ‘Pad’, ‘Ph1’ and ‘Ph2’ must be played in the key of C Major 7 in order for the tracks to tranpose correctly when played as a PSR540 style. This means that the pattern must use only the chordal tones of C Major 7, (C, E, G and B). However, these tones can be combined from among various octaves.
13) If necessary, select the Voice or Drum Kit to use for the Recording.
a) Press the blue [VOICE R1] button.
b) Press the [+] or [-] button to select the voice or drum kit or type in the number of the voice or drum kit on the numeric keypad.
c) Press the blue [EXIT] button. The screen will display ‘Rehearsal’.
14) If necessary, activate the Metronome.
a) Press the blue [FUNCTION] button.
b) Press the [+] or [-] button until the screen displays ‘F4 Utility’.
c) Press the grey [NEXT] button.
d) Press the [+] or [-] button until the screen displays ‘Utility=Metronom’.
e) Press the grey [NEXT] button.
f) Press the [+] button to activate the Metronome. The screen will display ‘Metronome=On’.
g) Press the blue [EXIT] button. The screen will display ‘Rehearsal’.
15) Press the grey [SYNC START] button. The Metronome will start to tick (only if step 14 was executed). Start playing the style pattern at any time. Recording will begin on the first note.
16) Press the [START/STOP] button when finished.
17) Proceed to one of the optional steps below, steps 18, 19 or 20.
18) Save the User Style.
TIP: Save continuously as the style develops to each satisfactory level.
a) Press the grey [BACK] button 4 times.
b) Press the [+] button.
c) If necessary, press the [+] or [-] button to select a User Styles, 107 – 109.
d) Press the grey [NEXT] button.
e) Press the [+] button to confirm the save operation.
NOTE: If any changes are done to the style at this point, they can be undone because the style as it is now is saved to memory.
f) Press the blue [EXIT] button to finish recording or press the grey [NEXT] button and proceed to step 6 to continue recording.
19) Undo changes to the User Style.
NOTE: Undo will clear all changes since the last Save was done.
a) Press the grey [BACK] button 4 times. The screen will display ‘Store OK?’.
b) Press the [-] button. The screen will display the current Style, ‘xxx UserStylex’.
c) Press the grey [NEXT] button.
d) Press the blue [EXIT] button to finish recording or proceed to step 6 to continue recording.
20) Quantize a recorded Track of the User Style.
a) Press the grey [BACK] button 3 times.
b) Press the [+] or [-] button until the screen displays ‘RecordMode=Edit’.
c) Press the grey [NEXT] button.
d) Press the [+] or [-] button until the screen displays ‘Ed Menu=Quantize’.
e) Press the grey [NEXT] button.
f) Press the [+] or [-] button to select one of the Style sections, ‘Main A’, ‘Main B’, ‘Intro’, ‘Fill A’, ‘Fill B’ and ‘Ending’.
g) Press the grey [NEXT] button.
h) Press the [+] or [-] button to select one of the Accompaniment Tracks, ‘RhM’, ‘RhS’, ‘Bas’, ‘Ch1’, ‘Ch2’, ‘Pad’, ‘Ph1’ and ‘Ph2’.
i) Press the grey [NEXT] button.
j) Press the [+] or [-] button to select a Quantize value, ‘1/4’, ‘1/6’, ‘1/8’, ‘1/12’, ‘1/16’, ‘1/24’ or ‘1/32’.
k) Press the grey [NEXT] button. The screen will display ‘Quantize OK?’.
TIP: Select the value that is the same as the amount of timing error in the pattern. If the smallest amount of error is a 16th note time duration, then quantize using the value ‘1/16’.
l) Press the [-] button to cancel or press the [+] button to confirm the Quantize operation. The screen will display ‘Completed’.
m) Press the grey [BACK] button 4 times.
n) Press the [+] or [-] button until the screen displays ‘RecordMode=Record’.
o) Press the grey [NEXT] button until the screen displays ‘Rehearsal’.
p) Press the red [START/STOP] button to hear the changes of the Quantize operation.
1] If the changes are OK proceed to step 18
2] If the changes are not OK proceed to step 19