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Chris’s Simple 3-Step Way to Enjoy the MODX M Keyboards (Especially for Genos & PSR-SX Players)

Apr 01, 2026
4 min read

There’s a moment I see quite often in the showroom.

Someone sits down at a Yamaha MODX M for the first time… and you can almost feel the hesitation. Not because they don’t like it, but because there’s clearly a lot going on. Buttons, options, depth. It doesn’t immediately invite you in the same way something like a Yamaha Genos might.

Over time, I’ve found myself coming back to a really simple 3-step way of getting people into it. No manuals, no deep diving, just a straightforward way to start enjoying what the keyboard can do almosst straight away.

You can see exactly what I mean in the video below.


Step 1: Start with a Live Set

Think of a Live Set as a starting point rather than something you need to build.

It’s not just a single sound. It’s more like a musical idea ready to go. Almost like a buffet of what the keyboard can do, all laid out in front of you.

You don’t need to understand how it’s been put together. You just pick one and start playing.


Step 2: Use the Super Knob

This is where things really start to open up.

Right there on the front panel is the Super Knob. Big, obvious, and inviting you to try it.

As you turn it, the sound begins to evolve. Filters open up, textures shift, and suddenly what you’re playing feels more alive.

And the interesting part is that it behaves differently depending on the Live Set you’ve chosen.

So you’re not just controlling the sound. You’re discovering it.

This is usually the moment where people smile.


Step 3: Press the Scene Buttons

Then we take it one step further.

The Scene buttons give you instant variations of what you’re already playing. Different layers, different moods, different directions.

You press one and the sound shifts. Press another and it takes you somewhere else entirely.

No effort, no setup. Just exploration.


Where It All Comes Together

I remember one customer in particular.

He’d been looking at arranger keyboards, but felt like they might box him in a bit. Too structured. Too polished. He didn’t want introductions and endings. He just wanted to sit down, play a few notes, and see where it took him.

So I showed him this exact approach.

We kept the playing really simple. Just a few notes, maybe a held chord. Nothing clever.

Then we added the Super Knob. Then the Scenes.

And you could see it straight away.

That slightly cautious look turned into a smile. Then a bit of laughter. That moment of “I didn’t expect that… but I love it.”

Because what the MODX M does so well is meet you halfway.

Even if your playing is very simple, it responds. It fills the room. It can sound cinematic without you really trying. And more than that, it nudges you into ideas you might not have gone looking for yourself.

He ended up ordering a Yamaha MODX M7 there and then.

Featured in this article


You Don’t Need to Know Everything

There’s a lot more inside these keyboards. Sequencing, sound design, deeper editing.

But you don’t need any of that to get started.

If you stick to:

You can sit down from scratch and just play.

And not just play, but enjoy it.


Thinking About an Upgrade?

If this has sparked something and you’re wondering what it would cost to move over to a MODX M, we can help.

We offer part exchange across the UK mainland, and we handle both delivery and collection with our own team.

Just enter your details in the form below and our team will be in touch with a personalised upgrade quotation.

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Chris Hammond
Chris Hammond
Manager at ePianos
Chris handles all of our ePianos marketing, and is responsible for the creation and production of the majority of our product videos. Chris is also one of our top blog writers, having extensive knowledge of keyboard instruments, years of experience in musical instrument retail, and a background in live performance and composition.
chrisonpiano
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Tyros Tipsters Bonus Content for Tyros 5

Here's what we offer when you select the option to include our Bonus Content...
We update the firmware so that your Yamaha Tyros 5 is running on the latest version

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We are pleased to be able to offer interest-free finance on selected products through Novuna Personal Finance, for a limited period only.

This offer is available on purchases of:

  • Brand New Yamaha Genos 2
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Get in touch to request a remote 0% finance application with or without a part-exchange using the form below:



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Available Bonus Content for SX720

Here's what we offer when you select the option to include our Bonus Content...
  • Latest Firmware
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  • 234 extra styles from Tyros 5
  • 600 registrations
  • 2673 song setups
  • Video showing where all the key features are
...and when you select the option to include our GenosTipsters Guide
  • We include our GenosTipsters guide (digital version) worth £99, featuring over 3 hours of video and 200 pages of written accompaniment.

Disclaimer – a proportion of this content is made available freely by Yamaha, for those fully competent and confident with using the required software to install it via computer.

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  • Latest Firmware
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  • 234 extra styles from Tyros 5
  • 600 registrations
  • 4096 song setups
  • Video showing where all the key features are
...and when you select the option to include our GenosTipsters Guide
  • We include our GenosTipsters guide (digital version) worth £99, featuring over 3 hours of video and 200 pages of written accompaniment.

Disclaimer – a proportion of this content is made available freely by Yamaha, for those fully competent and confident with using the required software to install it via computer.

Genos Tipsters Bonus Content for SX900

Here's what we offer when you select the option to include our Bonus Content...
  • Latest Firmware
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  • 234 T5 styles
  • 600 registrations
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  • 15 Playlists with 2287 song set-ups
  • Video showing where all the key features are
...and when you select the option to include our GenosTipsters Guide
  • We include our GenosTipsters guide (digital version) worth £99, featuring over 3 hours of video and 200 pages of written accompaniment.

Disclaimer – a proportion of this content is made available freely by Yamaha, for those fully competent and confident with using the required software to install it via computer.

Available Bonus Content for SX920

Here's what we offer when you select the option to include our Bonus Content...
  • Latest Firmware
  • 25 Expansion packs which include 780 voices and 540 backing styles
  • 234 extra styles from Tyros 5
  • 600 registrations
  • 4256 song setups including 136 ‘Decades’ registrations
  • Video showing where all the key features are
...and when you select the option to include our GenosTipsters Guide
  • We include our GenosTipsters guide (digital version) worth £99, featuring over 3 hours of video and 200 pages of written accompaniment.

Disclaimer – a proportion of this content is made available freely by Yamaha, for those fully competent and confident with using the required software to install it via computer.

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Bonus Content for Korg Pa5X

Here's what we include when you select the option to add our Bonus Content...

  • Korg Bonus Styles (Taken from the Bonusware downloads on Korg UK website) – 450 styles
  • Korg Pa2x Internal Styles converted to 5x – 419 styles, all complete with 4 x Keyboard Sets
  • Korg Pa3x Internal Styles converted to 5x – 486 styles, all complete with 4 x Keyboard Sets
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Available Bonus Content for Genos 2

Here's what we offer when you select the option to include our Bonus Content:

  • Latest Firmware
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  • 234 extra styles from Tyros 5
  • 816 registrations
  • 4256 song setups including 160 ‘Decades’ registrations
  • Video showing where all the key features are

Some of the best parts of our Bonus Content option are the 1,721 new extra voices and 1,148 new extra styles included across 52 expansion packs. These packs are quite complex to upload and, whilst free to obtain, we pride ourselves on getting them into your keyboard for you — something many dealers shy away from purely because of the time it takes to get them uploaded.

...and when you select the option to include our GenosTipsters Guide:

  • We include our GenosTipsters guide (digital version) worth £99, featuring over 3 hours of video and 200 pages of written accompaniment.

Disclaimer – a proportion of this content is made available freely by Yamaha, for those fully competent and confident with using the required software to install it via computer.