Yamaha PSR340AD 61-Note Portable Electronic Keyboard with AC Adapter

by Yamaha

Product Features

• Choose from a wide range of digital effects
• Floppy disk drive loads songs in multiple formats
• Includes realistic grand piano sound, over 200 voices, plus 10 drum kits
• Automatically configures keyboard parameters
• Comes with Yamaha education suite--great for beginners

Product Details

Product Manual [4.44mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 32.9 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00004YAHG
• Item model number: PRS340AD
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #132,409 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Yamaha's PSR340AD is jam-packed with features, like a built-in sequencer, a disk drive on which original songs can be saved, 100 accompaniments (on an included floppy disk), and more than 200 voices. The voice bank on the PSR340AD contains 100 panel voices, 10 drum kits, and 128 General MIDI voices. The inclusion of the General MIDI voices means that the PSR340AD will correctly play General MIDI files (a standard of most of the MIDI files in educational software and of those available on the Internet). Add an accompaniment to the voice that you are already playing and suddenly you are controlling a whole music ensemble. The keyboard also has a dual mode, in which two voices can be combined, and a split mode, in which one voice can be assigned to the upper half of the keyboard and another voice to the lower half.

You can set some effects for the voices such as eight types of reverb, four types of chorus, and 26 types of harmony. The PSR340AD can, of course, be connected to a computer via MIDI cables (sold separately), which can record musical performances from the keyboard and then play them back using the synthesizer's instrument voices. The sequencer allows you to record an original song. It works very much like a multi-track cassette recorder; you can first record one instrument, say a bass, then you can add another instrument like a guitar while listening to your first track. If the guitar track is not quite right, then you can record it again without changing the bass part. This sequencer allows you to record music in real time or record it in step time, the virtual equivalent of writing parts down on paper.

The best feature of the PSR340AD is the built-in floppy drive. The drive accepts standard 3.5-inch computer floppy disks. Disks can contain MIDI files downloaded from the Internet or purchased from Yamaha, Yamaha created accompaniments, and user composed songs.

A couple of tools on the PSR340AD will help you play chords on your own. If you can play the root of the chord, the "Smart" tool will play the rest. The "EZ Chord" tool allows you to program a series of chords-then you just have to play one key to trigger each of the chords. If you decide that you are ready to learn how chords are constructed, you can use the "Dictionary" tool, which will map out the parts of the chord on the staff display.

On the whole we liked the PSR340AD, but the keys are a bit flimsy-you definitely do not want to play them too hard. Two hundred and thirty-eight voices seem like a lot, but if you are a serious MIDI musician, you will be yearning for more. For the price though, the PSR340AD is a fantastic buy. Items such as built-in speakers, a headphone jack, and a jack for a foot sustain pedal are also included. The keyboard can be powered either by an AC adapter or batteries, and it can also be connected to a stereo or amplifier. With a weight of just a little over 17 pounds, the PSR340AD is easily portable. --Chris Fresolone Pros:

• Built-in sequencer
• Built-in floppy drive
• General MIDI compatible
• Touch sensitive keys
• Useful chord tools
• Many features included for the price

Cons:

• Only 238 voices
• Keys are a little flimsy

Amazon.com Product Description

Yamaha's PSR-340AD opens up new musical possibilities, incorporating advanced features and dynamic sounds often unavailable in comparable keyboards. Among its more than 200 sounds and digital effects, Yamaha includes a robust stereo-sampled grand piano sound and an extensive offering of MIDI voice sets.

The PSR-340AD includes a floppy disk drive that lets you write and arrange songs and then save them to disk. If you don't want to bother setting up your recording system, you can just record it to disk while you play. An easy one-touch recording option makes it a snap. You can also purchase MIDI song files for playback on the PSR-340AD; one disk holds a lot of titles. With the backlit LCD, you just select the displayed title for playing.

Yamaha's automatic accompaniment feature can be enabled or disabled at any time. The portable grand feature turns it off to let you play in full keyboard mode, as though you were at a real piano. In addition, the PSR350 features a built-in metronome for practice sessions.

Yamaha's unique Education Suite software offers a chord dictionary that displays the chord currently played. It also gives instruction for playing chords. The Smart Chord option lets beginners use just one finger to play musically correct chords. PSR-340AD owners can go to Yamaha's online music software site at www.yamahamusicsoft.com to choose from a wide selection of MIDI files for purchase.

The PSR-340AD comes with a music stand and sample disk. A built-in headphone jack grants private listening. With just six D batteries (not included), this keyboard becomes portable, or you can use the included AC adapter for home play.

Yamaha provides a one-year warranty on parts and 90 days on labor.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PSR340, December 28, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Yamaha PSR340AD 61-Note Portable Electronic Keyboard with AC Adapter (Electronics)

The keyboard performs flawlessly although I am having a problem interfacing with my computer. I believe this is a software problem with my computer and no fault of the keyboard. I would recommend this keyboard.