Yamaha Genos VS Tyros: What Are The Differences?

The Yamaha Genos workstation keyboard was announced a few weeks ago as the replacement for the Tyros series. Many were anticipating a Tyros 6, but instead of building on a previous model, it looks like Yamaha have decided to start from scratch with the Genos and create an entirely new product. We don’t have all the details or spec yet, but from the looks of it, the Yamaha Genos looks like it will still very much cater for the Tyros fans, as well as a new generation of players.

Yamaha have released a few teaser videos featuring the Genos and we have watched them over and over again to see what info we can gather. Whilst we don’t have full specs, we’ve put together a list of features that we’ve deduced from the videos (plus a touch of speculation) to see what the differences are between the Genos and the old Tyros.

The general feel that we’ve gotten from the videos is that the Yamaha Genos looks like it’s aimed just as much at songwriters, producers and composers, as it is performers. We expect it to do all the tricks the Tyros did, and we’ve no doubt that Tyros players will love it but, the Genos looks perhaps a touch more contemporary. From the videos, it looks like it’s going to be a huge asset to any studio – the sound quality of the Tyros was astounding so we assume the Genos will be just as good, if not better. What look like assignable knobs and sliders will surely make writing and arranging songs and compositions in real time much easier.

Touch screen AND buttons – The video of Alex Christensen in the studio shows him using a touch screen display so unlike the Tyros keyboards, it looks like the Yamaha Genos will have a touch screen display. That doesn’t mean to say it’s entirely touch screen – it still has buttons and knobs, so Tyros users will still feel a level of familiarity. The knobs and sliders look like they’re assignable too – this would make arranging a whole load of instruments around you and your song easier.

76 keys – The first video showed a pair of hands playing the keyboard, whilst never fully showing the instrument – judging from the scale, we think that the Genos will come with 76 keys.

Pitch/mod wheels – Whilst it’s not clear in the video, the traditional pitch and modulation wheels from the Tyros series look like they’ve been replaced by something else – some sort of joystick or ball perhaps?

Connectivity – There’s a quick shot of the back of the Yamaha Genos in the first video and it looks like it’s got a lot of connectivity options. We can’t see clearly what these are but we reckon it’ll have all the USB/MIDI/line ins and outs that you could want.

Shape and size – The Genos looks quite a bit different to the Tyros, particularly in terms of its shape. It looks sleeker, with more smoother, rounded edges – maybe easier to transport?