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The team at Yamaha have just released a brand new expansion pack for the Genos and PSR-SX series called “Back in Time”… and the best part is, it’s completely free. (Click here to visit Yamaha’s special webpage)
We’ve had a good play around with it here, and honestly, we think it’s great.
Interestingly, there’s been a bit of noise online from people saying it’s not modern enough. That it’s a bit dated. But for me, that completely misses the point.
This pack isn’t trying to be cutting-edge. It’s trying to take you somewhere.
I started playing back in 1979, and this pack genuinely takes me straight back. There’s something quite special about hearing these older-style voices and accompaniments coming through a modern instrument like a Genos or SX.
It reminds you just how far things have come, but also how good some of those original sounds really were.
My first job was in a keyboard shop at the age of 15 in 1982, and I spent hours playing instruments that used these kinds of sounds and styles. Every time a new Yamaha range came out, we’d say the same thing… “I don’t know how they can improve on this.”
And then they always did.
There’s a reason this kind of content still connects with people.
80s sounds are massive again. You only have to look at what Yamaha have done with the DX7 sounds inside Genos 2, or how Korg have brought back classics like the Polysix and ARP Odyssey.
These sounds aren’t outdated. They’re part of the DNA of modern music.
There are some really lovely touches in this pack.
They’re not trying to be hyper-realistic. They’re trying to capture a feel, and they do it well.
Some of the styles are genuinely great to play with, and others are just fun in a nostalgic way.
A few standouts for me:
What’s interesting is hearing these styles through a modern Genos system. The sound quality and speakers bring them to life in a way they never quite had back in the day.
Yamaha have also included 40 registrations, which is a really nice touch.
My favourite has to be Ain’t Misbehaving. It uses a jazz ballad style from the PSR5700 with a lovely piano and vibes combination, very George Shearing in character, with a mellow trumpet layered in.
There are also nods to:
And some classic demo-style setups like Girl from Ipanema and Wave.
If you’re new to this, Yamaha arranger keyboards have something called expansion memory. This allows you to load in extra voices, styles and registrations that weren’t included when the keyboard was first released.
Once installed, you can access them through the User section on your keyboard.
The packs themselves are free from Yamaha… but getting them onto your keyboard can be a bit of a process:
It’s doable, but not always straightforward.
This is exactly why we created our Bonus Content packages.
We take all of this complexity away and provide a ready-to-go setup, fully installed and organised, along with a huge amount of additional content that goes well beyond what Yamaha supply.
Here’s what we currently offer:
Latest Firmware v1.30
52 expansion packs with 1,684 voices and 1,471 styles
234 Tyros 5 styles
816 registrations
4256 song setups including 160 Decades registrations
DVD guide included
Latest Firmware v2.13
58 expansion packs with 1,822 voices and 1,334 styles
234 Tyros 5 styles
600 registrations
4096 song setups
DVD guide included
Latest Firmware v1.20
34 expansion packs with 929 voices and 730 styles
234 Tyros 5 styles
600 registrations
4256 song setups including 136 Decades registrations
DVD guide included
Latest Firmware v1.11
26 expansion packs with 846 voices and 602 styles
234 Tyros 5 styles
600 registrations
2287 song setups
DVD guide included
No related products found in ACF field: featuredprod
Latest Firmware v1.20
27 expansion packs with 637 voices and 460 styles
234 Tyros 5 styles
600 registrations
2673 song setups
DVD guide included
Latest Firmware v1.11
15 expansion packs with 413 voices and 243 styles
234 Tyros 5 styles
600 registrations
2174 song setups
DVD guide included
“Back in Time” won’t be for everyone.
But if you’ve been around Yamaha keyboards for a while, or you’ve got any affection for those earlier sounds and styles, there’s a lot to enjoy here.
It’s free, it’s fun, and it might just remind you why you started playing in the first place.
If this has got you inspired to move up to a newer model like a Genos or PSR-SX, we offer a really straightforward part-exchange service.
We’ll give you a fair valuation on your current instrument, and we can even handle delivery and collection with our own team.
If you’d like a quote, just get in touch and we’ll talk you through it.
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These items are sold on behalf of Yamaha, and are sent to us on a per-order basis, typically within 5-7 working days, unless an ETA is otherwise stated.
We'll contact you the moment your purchase arrives with us to organise delivery, based on your selected option.
Example products: Yamaha DGX670, Yamaha P-525, Yamaha YDP-S55, Yamaha Clavinova.
These items must be sent with a heavy-goods courier (typically APC or FedEx). On occasion, depending on which is fastest, we will drop-ship directly from Yamaha to your address via Dachser.
Tracking will be provided by the haulier, with a typical arrival time of 1-2 working days.
*If you have included the optional £180 "Yamaha Premium Service" home delivery & setup option offered on selected products, we will contact you regarding arrangements after purchase.
**The Yamaha CSP Series, Yamaha CVP905 & CVP909, Yamaha CLP875, 885 & 895GP, and Yamaha NU1Xa are all sold on behalf of Yamaha and arrive with us on a per-order basis. As soon as your piano has arrived, we will contact you to organise the appropriate dispatch method. ETA for stock is shown on the product page for those items.
***If you have included the optional £99 home delivery & setup option offered on selected products, we will send your details direct to the installation team, who will contact you within 48 hours to make arrangements.
Depending on which option is most appropriate, we will either contact you to discuss a bespoke ePianos delivery surcharge for goods we can’t package for a 3rd party courier, or otherwise dispatch goods via FedEx or APC.
If a courier is used, tracking will be provided by them directly, with a typical arrival time of 1-2 working days.
Example products: Yamaha PSR-SX920, Yamaha P-225, Yamaha NP-15.
These items will be sent via courier (typically APC or FedEx). On occasion, depending on which is fastest, we will drop-ship directly from Yamaha to your address via UPS or Parcelforce.
Tracking will be provided by the courier, with a typical arrival time of 1-2 working days.
Smaller items, such as books, discs, etc, will be dispatched via Royal Mail second class.
After purchase, you can download the file either from the order confirmation page or the "Downloads" tab in "My Account".
If you have selected the option to receive a pre-loaded USB stick, then this will be dispatched via Royal Mail.
We will contact you regarding any pre-ordered items, and let you know when they arrive so as to arrange delivery with you at a convenient time.
Used items can also be purchased using either of the following options (minimum loan amount of £250 after deposit):
Total amount payable: £893.32
Available finance options are displayed at checkout. Alternatively, please get in touch and we’ll be happy to discuss the options, or email a finance application to you. Find out more by clicking here
Our seasonal opening hours are as follows:
We are closed on all bank holidays, therefore the processing of sales and deliveries will be delayed.
For orders of any stock displaying a 7-10 day lead time, we will contact you as soon as the item arrives with us to schedule a delivery with you.
Occasionally, there may be availability issues with our suppliers, in which case we'll get in touch with you to see if you're happy to wait, or if you'd like to cancel the order and receive a full refund.
This is a special order "agency" item, and comes to us directly from Yamaha on a per-order basis.
It typically takes 7-10 days for this item to arrive with us, whereupon we'll contact you to discuss the arrangement of delivery.
For any pre-orders, we will contact you as soon as the item arrives with us to schedule a delivery with you, and update you with an ETA.
Occasionally, there may be availability issues with our suppliers, in which case we'll get in touch with you to see if you're happy to wait, or if you'd like to cancel the order and receive a full refund.
Comments:
One of these days I will get a Genos2, mainly for all the Yamaha registrations available, lacking on my Korg Pa5X 88 key.
i will keep the wonderful Korg as well, otherwise i will miss the tilting screen which has that great display with all the information you want for live music performances including 4 one touch settings & pad information. So no horrible surprises when you hit a button to load a forgotten sound/pad etc. And how about that seamless switching of sounds as well on the Korg? Also the easy to operate Song Book and Set Lists for live performances, no hunting about in numerous User Files for that long forgotten song, on the Pa5X it is in the Songbook!
That will do – keep up the good work, I read all your communications with interest.
Martin Brown in Angus, Scotland.
Hi Martin,
We really appreciate you taking the time to share that!
The Korg Pa5X 88 is a fantastic live board, and everything you’ve mentioned is exactly why so many players stick with it alongside something else.
At the same time, you’re absolutely right about the pull of the Yamaha Genos 2. The registrations system is incredibly powerful, and once you’ve built up (or tapped into) a good library, it can make moving between songs and setups really smooth in its own way.
Keeping both is a very sensible approach to be honest – you’d be covering all bases and getting the best of both worlds.
If you do decide to take the plunge at some point, you can always have a look here to get an idea of current pricing and options:
https://www.epianos.co.uk/genos-2-special-offer/
And thanks again for following along with everything we put out!
David,
I have a PSR SX 900 and a 920.
Would I need to buy both or would or just one, work on both?
Hi, great question 👍
Just to check, are you asking whether you’d need to buy two USBs to have the content on both your Yamaha PSR-SX900 and Yamaha PSR-SX920?
If so, you don’t need two – you can use the same USB on both instruments 👍
If you’d like to explore more tips and guides for getting the most out of your keyboards, have a look here:
https://www.epianos.co.uk/newsroom/