YAMAHA PORTABLE GRAND DGX-230 (02) PDF Document

The panel logos on your YAMAHA PORTABLE GRAND DGX-230 indicate specific features and compatibilities:

GENERAL MIDI (GM System Level 1): This is an addition to the MIDI standard ensuring that any GM-compatible music data can be accurately played by any GM-compatible tone generator, regardless of the manufacturer. The GM mark is on all software and hardware that support GM System Level.

XGlite: This is a simplified version of Yamaha’s high-quality XG tone generation format. You can play back any XG song data using an XGlite tone generator, though some songs might play back differently due to the reduced set of control parameters and effects.

USB: This stands for Universal Serial Bus, a serial interface for connecting to a computer with peripheral devices. It allows for “hot swapping,” which means you can connect devices while the computer is powered on.

STYLE FILE: The Style File Format is Yamaha’s original format that uses a unique conversion system to provide high-quality automatic accompaniment based on a wide range of chord types.

To set up the music rest on your YAMAHA PORTABLE GRAND DGX-230, simply insert the music rest into the slots provided on the top panel of the instrument.

Follow these steps to power your YAMAHA PORTABLE GRAND DGX-230 with an AC adaptor:

1. Make sure that the [STANDBY/ON] switch of the instrument is set to STANDBY.

2. Connect the AC adaptor to the power supply jack on the instrument.

3. Plug the AC adaptor into an AC outlet.

Warning: Use only the specified adaptor (PA-150 or an equivalent recommended by Yamaha). Using other adaptors may cause irreparable damage to both the adaptor and the instrument.

Caution: Unplug the AC Power Adaptor when not using the instrument or during electrical storms.

Your YAMAHA PORTABLE GRAND DGX-230 requires six 1.5V “D” size, R20P (LR20) or equivalent batteries. Alkaline batteries are recommended. Follow these steps for installation:

1. Open the battery compartment cover located on the instrument’s bottom panel.

2. Insert the six new batteries, being careful to follow the polarity markings on the inside of the compartment.

3. Replace the compartment cover, making sure that it locks firmly in place.

Note: When battery power becomes too low for proper operation, replace all batteries. It is also recommended to save all important User data before removing batteries, as custom panel settings are lost.

Make all necessary connections BEFORE turning the power on.

Connecting Headphones (PHONES/OUTPUT Jack):

The speakers are automatically shut off when a plug is inserted into this jack. You can also use this jack as an external output to connect to an amplifier, stereo system, mixer, or other line-level audio device.

Connecting a Footswitch (SUSTAIN Jack):

Plug a Yamaha FC4 or FC5 footswitch into this jack to produce natural sustain as you play. This allows you to switch sustain on and off with your foot.

Connecting to a Computer (USB Terminal):

Connect the instrument’s USB terminal to the USB terminal of a computer using an AB type USB cable to transfer performance data and song files. You will need to:

1. First, ensure the instrument’s POWER switch is OFF, then connect the USB cable.

2. Install the USB-MIDI driver on your computer (instructions are provided in the manual).

1. Turn down the volume by turning the [MASTER VOLUME] control to the left.

2. Press the [STANDBY/ON] switch to turn the power on.

3. Press the [STANDBY/ON] switch again to turn the power OFF.

When the power is turned on, backup data from the flash memory is loaded. If no backup data exists, the instrument restores to initial factory defaults.

Caution: Even when the switch is in the “STANDBY” position, electricity is still flowing at a minimum level. When not using the instrument for a long time, unplug the AC power adaptor and/or remove the batteries.

This procedure selects the main voice you will play on the keyboard.

1. Press the [VOICE] button. The voice number and name will be displayed.

2. Select the voice you want to play. While watching the displayed voice name, rotate the dial. The available voices will be selected and displayed in sequence. The voice selected here becomes the main voice.

3. Play the keyboard.

You can also select a voice using the CATEGORY [◀] and [▶] buttons after pressing the [VOICE] button.

You can select a second voice (the “dual” voice) which will play in addition to the main voice.

1. Press the [DUAL ON/OFF] button. This turns the dual voice on or off. When turned on, the dual voice icon will appear in the display, and the currently selected dual voice will sound in addition to the main voice.

2. To change the dual voice, press and hold the [DUAL ON/OFF] button for longer than a second. “D.VOICE” appears in the display for a few seconds, then the currently selected dual voice will be displayed.

3. Select the desired dual voice. Rotate the dial until the voice you want to use is selected. The voice selected here becomes the dual voice.

In split mode, you can play different voices to the left and right of the keyboard “split point”. The main and dual voices play to the right, while the “split voice” plays to the left.

1. Press the [SPLIT ON/OFF] button. This turns the split voice on or off. When turned on, the split voice icon appears, and the currently selected split voice will sound to the left of the keyboard split point.

2. To change the split voice, press and hold the [SPLIT ON/OFF] button for longer than a second. “S.VOICE” appears for a few seconds, then the currently selected split voice is displayed.

3. Rotate the dial to select the desired split voice. This voice will play to the left of the split point.

4. Play the keyboard. Different voices will sound on either side of the split point.

When you just want to play piano, press the [PORTABLE GRAND] button. The “001 Grand Piano” voice will be selected. When this button is pressed, all settings other than touch sensitivity are turned off, including dual and split voices, so only the Grand Piano voice will play over the entire keyboard.

To play Drum Kits:

1. Press the [VOICE] button.

2. Use the dial to select a drum kit, for example, “117 Std.Kit1”.

3. Try out each key, including the black keys, to enjoy a variety of drum and percussion sounds. Each key produces the sound of a different instrument.

To play Sound Effects:

1. Press the [VOICE] button.

2. Use the dial to select a sound effect kit, for example, “128 SFX Kit2”.

3. Try out the various keys to hear sounds like a submarine, telephone bell, creaking door, and more. Some keys may not have assigned sound effects and will produce no sound.

Most styles include a rhythm part. You can listen to just the basic rhythm using percussion instruments only.

1. Press the [STYLE] button. The style number and name will appear in the display.

2. Select a style. Use the dial to select the style you want to use. A list of available styles is provided in the manual.

3. Press the [START/STOP] button. The style rhythm will start playing. Press the [START/STOP] button a second time to stop playback.

You can add bass and chord accompaniment to the basic rhythm for a full backing band effect.

1. Press the [STYLE] button and select the desired style.

2. Turn automatic accompaniment on by pressing the [ACMP ON/OFF] button. The area of the keyboard to the left of the split point becomes the “auto accompaniment region” for specifying chords.

3. Turn sync start on by pressing the [SYNC START] button. The sync start indicator will flash.

4. Play a left-hand chord to start the style. The bass and chord accompaniment will start playing as soon as you play a note in the auto accompaniment region. The instrument will recognize even a single note as a chord.

5. Play a variety of left-hand chords while playing a melody with your right hand.

6. Press the [START/STOP] button to stop style playback when you’re done.

The YAMAHA PORTABLE GRAND DGX-230 has a Multi Fingering function that automatically recognizes different chord types. After pressing the [ACMP ON/OFF] button, play chords in the accompaniment range (to the left of the split point). There are two ways to play:

Easy Chords: Play chords using only one, two, or three fingers.

• To play a major chord: Press the root note of the chord.
• To play a minor chord: Press the root note together with the nearest black key to the left of it.
• To play a seventh chord: Press the root note together with the nearest white key to the left of it.
• To play a minor seventh chord: Press the root note together with the nearest white and black keys to the left of it (three keys total).

Standard Chords: Play chords using normal fingerings. The instrument recognizes a wide variety of standard chord types. An example chart for “C” chords is available in the manual.

Follow these steps to listen to one of the internal songs:

1. Press the [SONG] button. The song number and name will be displayed.

2. Select a song. Use the dial to select the song you want to listen to. You can also play user-recorded songs or songs transferred from a computer this way.

3. Listen to the song. Press the [START/STOP] button to begin playback. You can stop playback at any time by pressing the [START/STOP] button again.

Song Transport Controls:

• [REW]: Press the fast reverse button to return to an earlier point in the song.
• [FF]: Press the fast forward button to skip ahead to a later point in the song.
• [PAUSE]: Press the pause button to pause playback.

You can also use the [DEMO] button to play Songs 001–008 in a repeating sequence.

This feature lets you play along with a song and sound like a great pianist, even if you play wrong notes. There are two types:

CHORD Type – Play with Both Hands:

1. Press the [P.A.T. ON/OFF] button to turn the feature on.

2. Press and hold the [P.A.T. ON/OFF] button for over a second, then use the dial to select the “CHORD” type.

3. Press the [SONG] button and select a song.

4. Press the [START/STOP] button. The song will begin.

5. Play on the keyboard. No matter what you play, the result will be musical and well-balanced. The notes you play will be corrected to match the song’s harmony.

CHD/FREE Type – Applying Chord Type to the Left Hand Only:

1. Press the [P.A.T. ON/OFF] button.

2. Press and hold the [P.A.T. ON/OFF] button, then use the dial to select the “CHD/FREE” type.

3. Select a song.

4. Press [START/STOP].

5. Play on the keyboard. The chord correction is applied only to the left-hand section of the keyboard, allowing you to easily play chords to support the melody you are playing with your right hand.

When the tempo of a song or style is too fast or too slow, you can change it as required.

1. Press the [TEMPO/TAP] button. The tempo display will appear.

2. Use the dial, the [+] and [-] buttons, or the [0] to [9] number buttons to set the tempo to anywhere from 011 to 280 quarter-note beats per minute.

To return to the song’s original tempo, simultaneously press the [+] and [-] buttons.

The lesson feature helps you learn to play songs. There are three practice methods.

Getting Started:

1. Select a song for your lesson by pressing the [SONG] button and rotating the dial.

2. Select the part you want to practice. Press the [R] button for a right-hand lesson, [L] for a left-hand lesson, or both simultaneously for a both-hands lesson.

Lesson 1 – Waiting:

Press the LESSON [START] button until “Waiting” appears. Play the note shown in the display. The song will wait until you play the correct note.

Lesson 2 – Your Tempo:

Press the LESSON [START] button until “YourTemp” appears. Song playback tempo will vary to match the speed you are playing. It will slow down when you play wrong notes, so you can learn at your own pace.

Lesson 3 – Minus One:

Press the LESSON [START] button until “MinusOne” appears. The song will play at the normal tempo, minus the part you have chosen to play. Play along while listening to the song.

After each lesson, your performance will be evaluated (OK, Good, Very Good, or Excellent). You can stop the lesson mode at any time by pressing the [START/STOP] button.

This feature helps you repeatedly practice a section you find difficult during a lesson.

Press the [REPEAT & LEARN] button during a lesson when you make a mistake. The song location will move back four measures from the point at which you pressed the button. After a one-measure count-in, playback will begin and continue up to the point where you pressed the button, then jump back four measures and begin again. This process will repeat, allowing you to practice the section until you get it right.

You can change the number of measures it jumps back by pressing a number button [1]–[9] during repeat playback.

The Music Database automatically selects the appropriate voice and style for the type of music you want to play.

1. Press the [MUSIC DATABASE] button. A Music Database list will appear in the display.

2. Select a Music Database. Referring to the list on the panel or in the manual, use the dial to select a database that matches the image of the song you intend to play.

3. Play the chords with your left hand and melody with your right. The selected style will start playing when you play a left-hand chord to the left of the split point.

Press the [START/STOP] button to stop playback.

The Easy Song Arranger feature lets you play a song with any other style, creating totally different arrangements.

1. Press the [EASY SONG ARRANGER] button. The song number and name will be displayed.

2. Select a Song. Use the dial to select the song you want to arrange.

3. Listen to the song by pressing the [START/STOP] button. Move to the next step while the song is playing.

4. Press the [EASY SONG ARRANGER] button again. The style number and name will be displayed.

5. Select a style. Rotate the dial and listen to how the song sounds with different styles. The song remains the same while only the style changes.

To change the song’s melody voice:

6. While the song is still playing, press the [VOICE] button and use the dial to select a different voice.

7. Press and hold the [VOICE] button for longer than a second. “SONG MELODY VOICE” appears on the display, and the voice you selected in step 6 becomes the song’s new melody voice.

You can record up to 5 of your own performances and save them as user songs 031 through 035. You can record a total of 6 tracks: 5 melody tracks and 1 style (chord) track.

1. Press the [SONG] button, then use the dial to select the user song number (031–035) you want to record to.

2. Select the track(s) you want to record to. While holding the [REC] button, press the melody track button [1]–[5] you want to record to. To record accompaniment as well, press the [A] button while holding [REC]. The selected tracks will flash in the display.

3. Recording will start when you play on the keyboard. You can also start recording by pressing the [START/STOP] button. The current measure number will be shown.

4. Stop recording by pressing the [START/STOP] or [REC] button.

To Play Back a User Song:

User songs are played back in the same way as regular songs. Press the [SONG] button, use the dial to select your user song (031–035), and press [START/STOP] to play.

Song Clear—Deleting an Entire User Song:

1. Press the [SONG] button, then select the user song (031–035) you want to clear.

2. Press and hold the SONG MEMORY [1] button for longer than a second while also holding the SONG MEMORY [A] button. A confirmation message (“ClrUser1 YES”) will appear.

3. Press the [+] button to confirm. You can cancel by pressing the [-] button.

4. Press the [+] button again to clear the song.

Track Clear—Deleting a Specified Track from a User Song:

1. Press the [SONG] button, then select the user song (031–035) you want to edit.

2. Press and hold the SONG MEMORY track button ([1]–[5], or [A]) corresponding to the track you want to clear for longer than a second. A confirmation message (“ClrTr1 YES”) will appear.

3. Press the [+] button to confirm or [-] to cancel.

4. Press the [+] button again to clear the track.

The following procedures erase backup data and restore initial default settings.

Backup Clear:

This clears data backed up to the internal flash memory, including panel user settings, registration memory, user songs, and style file 161.

To perform a Backup Clear, turn the power on by pressing the [STANDBY/ON] switch while holding the highest white key on the keyboard. The backed up data will be erased and the default values restored.

Flash Clear:

This clears song, style, and music database files that have been transferred to the internal flash memory from a computer.

To perform a Flash Clear, turn the power on by pressing the [STANDBY/ON] switch while simultaneously holding the highest white key on the keyboard and the three highest black keys.

Adding Harmony:

1. Press the [HARMONY ON/OFF] button to turn the feature on. This automatically selects an appropriate harmony type for the current main voice.

2. To select a different harmony type, press and hold the [HARMONY ON/OFF] button for over a second. “HarmType” appears, followed by the current harmony type. Use the dial to select a different type.

Adding Reverb:

1. Press the [FUNCTION] button.

2. Use the CATEGORY [◀] and [▶] buttons to select the “Reverb” item.

3. Use the dial to select a reverb type.

Adding Chorus:

1. Press the [FUNCTION] button.

2. Use the CATEGORY [◀] and [▶] buttons to select the “Chorus” item.

3. Use the dial to select a chorus type.

Start/Stop the Metronome:

Press the [METRONOME ON/OFF] button to turn the metronome on and start it. Press the button again to stop it.

Adjusting the Metronome Tempo:

1. Press the [TEMPO/TAP] button to call up the tempo setting.

2. Use the dial to select a tempo from 11 to 280.

Setting the Time Signature (Number of Beats per Measure and Beat Length):

1. Press and hold the [METRONOME ON/OFF] button for longer than a second to select the number of beats function “TimesigN”.

2. Use the dial to select the number of beats per measure (0 to 60). A chime will sound on the first beat.

3. Press the CATEGORY [▶] button to select the beat length function “TimesigD”.

4. Use the dial to select the beat length: 2 (half note), 4 (quarter note), 8 (eighth note), or 16 (16th note).

Adjusting the Metronome Volume:

1. Press the [FUNCTION] button.

2. Use the CATEGORY [◀] and [▶] buttons to select the “MtrVol” item.

3. Use the dial to set the metronome volume.

When touch response is on, you can adjust the keyboard’s sensitivity to dynamics in three steps.

1. Press the [FUNCTION] button.

2. Use the CATEGORY [◀] and [▶] buttons to select the “TouchSns” (Touch Sensitivity) item.

3. Use the dial to select a touch sensitivity setting between 1 and 3. Higher values produce greater (easier) volume variation in response to keyboard dynamics (i.e., greater sensitivity).

A setting of “4” results in a fixed touch response, with no level change no matter how hard or soft you play the keys.

Large Pitch Changes (Transpose):

The overall pitch can be shifted up or down by a maximum of 1 octave in semitone increments.

1. Press the [FUNCTION] button.

2. Use the CATEGORY [◀] and [▶] buttons to select the “Transpos” item.

3. Use the dial to set the transpose value between -12 and +12 as required.

Small Pitch Changes (Tuning):

The overall tuning can be shifted up or down by a maximum of 100 cents in 1-cent increments (100 cents = 1 semitone).

1. Press the [FUNCTION] button.

2. Use the CATEGORY [◀] and [▶] buttons to select the “Tuning” item.

3. Use the dial to set the tuning value between -100 and +100 as required.

The One Touch Setting feature automatically selects a well-balanced voice for you when you select a style or song.

1. Select voice number “000” by pressing the [VOICE] button and using the dial.

2. Select and play back any song.

3. Play the keyboard and remember the sound of the voice.

4. Use the dial to change songs, then play the keyboard again and listen to the voice. You should hear a different keyboard voice that is appropriate for the newly selected song.

The Registration Memory feature lets you save your favorite settings for easy recall. Up to 16 complete setups can be saved (8 banks of two setups each).

Saving to the Registration Memory:

1. Set the panel controls as required (select a voice, accompaniment style, etc.).

2. Press the [MEMORY/BANK] button. A bank number will appear in the display.

3. Use the dial or the [1]–[8] number buttons to select a bank number from 1 to 8.

4. Press the REGIST MEMORY [1] or [2] button while holding the [MEMORY/BANK] button to store the current panel settings to the specified registration memory. “Writing!” will appear on the screen.

Recalling a Registration Memory:

1. Press the [MEMORY/BANK] button. A bank number will appear.

2. Use the dial or the [1]–[8] number buttons to select the bank you want to recall.

3. Press the REGIST MEMORY button, [1] or [2], containing the settings you want to recall. The panel controls will be instantly set accordingly.

The Function settings provide access to detailed instrument parameters. To access them, press the [FUNCTION] button, use the CATEGORY buttons to find the setting, and use the dial or number buttons to adjust the value.