Hello,

I just have connected my Yamaha P85 with my soundcard so I can record my tracks.

I realised that although my volume is on the maximum the recorded sound is low. I have to increase it by 6db using cooledit to make it sound normal.

Is it normal?
If yes, is there any hardware device that can be used to amplify the sound?

Thanks

Assuming that you have the wires plugged in their proper places, go to: start/programs/accessories/entertainment/volume control. This controls the volume levels for play and record on your sound card.

As I already mentioned those are to the maximum possible value. I'm not a begginer on the computer world. This is my job

any help? please

I believe the line-out level utilised by portable digital pianos such as the P85 is intended for use with keyboard amplifiers/speakers, rather than consumer level amplifiers and home theatre applications.

Some manufacturers such as Roland allow the line-out level to be adjusted for different purposes using system settings, however I doubt this is the case for your Yamaha.

Boosting the recording in software is arguably the 'cleanest' way to increase volume, perhaps followed by a filter to reduce any signal noise that creeps in. However if you have access to a keyboard amplifier, it may also be worth attempting to record this pre-boosted signal.

The other option of course, is to recording from the headphone jack, experimenting with different playback levels from the P85 and recording levels on the PC.

In theory, the line-out + post-amplify process that you are currently pursuing should provide the cleanest recording, however it may be worthwhile experimenting with the above alternatives, just in case.

Good luck!

James
x

Hey George_K,

Your post piqued my interest. I looked up the User's Guide for the Yamaha P-85 on line. I don't see a "line out" output, just MIDI OUT and two Phone jacks.

Is that right?

It's possible your using the Phone output to drive the "line in" on the sound card. I see you're familiar with computers, so you may already know that the one is not designed to do the other. But it should be doable.

If this is the situation, there are two possibilities.

1) We're overdriving the sound cards input amp into distortion...try turning the volume down, and
2) Although it's not likely, the input stage of the sound card may have been damaged.

If the output level of your piano is low it's better to amplify the signal before you record it, improving signal to noise ratio. Using software to add "gain" to a low level recorded signal also increases the noise proportionaly.

I'm shooting in the dark here, but I thought I'd toss these ideas your way.

By the way, a typical "line out" signal has a constant level and is not adjustable by the volume knob.

l's dad

The outputs on the P85 are headphone outputs which means that a) they're stereo,(same as most souncard inputs) so make sure the cable you're using is a stereo cable, b)the output level is OK for 0Dbu, which should be plenty (if not too much) for recording purposes, and c) the output level is[/b] affected by the volume control.

Try playing the piano into your computer and monitor the sound from the computer. Increase the volume on the piano until you get some slight distortion. At this point, you're overdriving the input, so back the volume on the piano off a little until the distortion dissapears. This is the maximum level you can feed into your soundcard and gives you the best S/N ratio.
Whether you are running a live PA or recording, the golden rule is to keep the signal as high as possible, starting from the sound source, and only use the last volume control in the chain(Master on a mixer or Record level in a recording situation) to control the final volume.

Hello,

I'm very very disappointed with the recording output of the Yamaha P85. Although I love the natural keyboard and the sound it produces I can really enjoy it ONLY with my Sennheiser HD 555 headphones.

Indeed, it has headphone out only but Yamaha claims that this stero headphone output can be used as Line out too, that's why it has 2 headphone outputs, not only one.

Also I bought Yamaha HS80M studio speakers (active) and the quality is very bad. I'm not sure if its the Yamaha HS80M or the keyboard output.

The only thing that I like till now is my headphones and when I record to computer, amplify and then listen with my computer speakers (Logitech X230).

Damn yamaha I'm so disappointed

I still find it odd that you would have to amplify the recording. A headphone out is usually a pre-amplified signal capable of driving small speakers.

I compared the headphone out on my fp-7 to the output jack on the rear and the headphone jack really put out a strong signal compared to the output jack.

Hello,

this is a recorded demo from Yamaha P85. Full volume on the keyboard. Full volume on the sound card mixer.

Sound Blaster USB and Cool Record Edit Pro software.

The recording is:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/vws0fa

can you please have a look and tell me if it's my idea?