Why Yamaha SHS-500 Sonogenic Keytar is DOOMED ☠️ from the Start? 

Do you like keytars or do you think they are mainly gimmicks? Do you think you will use the chord tracker app function to play long with?

So i actually like keytars for a strange reason... Personally, limiting my sounds and abilities -to an extent- makes me get creative. That being said, this keytar doesn't seem particular bad, but I'd like to know well priced alternatives. (I'm very set on having a keytar over a keyboard)

It is incredibly gimmicky and expensive, but if you want to play bass with a keyboard, this Sonogenic is still good to go

Very nice review. Do you have a video talking about your AX-7?

I think Yamaha could have made a pro version of PSS A 50. Using a small selection of sound set from E473. Instead of arranger function, keep the drum track, motion effect, more arpeggios, more drum kit and synth sound, usb audio in and out, a midi out, standard audio output, a drum track plus 4 midi looper tracks. Basically a portable music toy musician can actually play and compose songs easily. A cheaper Roland Jupiter XM without all the synth button.

Well I mean, you can just turn off the Jam-mode right? I mean if you just turn it off it’s prolly just a decent keytar?

It's really good not for the what the demos and critics describe (playing along, the mostly awful built in sounds etc.), but for just one thing: Wireless connection to many iPad and Mac sound apps. Use midi learn to affect their filters etc. Mix the audio output of the SHS with the sound from the iPad… That said, I bought mine for about 90 Euros second hand. But it's a lot cheaper new now than when it came out.

Thanks dude! Love your reviews!

Good day from Sydney! I have just paid $260 australia dollard for a brand-new SHS 500 before I come across your channel. I have owned a Roland Lucina keytar and a EA 7 keyboard before and somehow I still don't like the voices on them Roland products, that makes me come back to a much more user-friendly Yamaha psr s keyboard. Currently I'm happy with my old Psr s 900 even though it is dated. Thanks for your video review of this Yamaha keytar, as long as them voices come from those Yamaha psr e series like you said, I'm happy. Take care m8 during this pandemic. Best regards and cheers from Sydney. Anh

Excellent review Jeremy and excellent sentiments. Let’s keep music manned, not canned.

Do more keytar reviews

Can you disable or remap the jam button to something else?

I have to agree with you that it is a bit pricey but Yamaha instrument are generally pricey (at least in this part of the world). However, the SHS is a simple instrument (albeit pricey) but you are talking from your point of view as a musician. Not everyone is a musician. Granted the SHS is a simple (again, I might like to stress it is pricey) but if someone likes a simple instrument without having to scroll through 700+ sounds to find what they like, then so be it. In that sense, I don't think the SHS500 is as bad as you painted it. If it is the right tool for the job, then why not? If you are alright with the price, then go for it. I'm a jazz pianist for the pass 18 years, taught music for the pass 15 years, and am not teaching music in a British school...and I believed the SHS500 has helped me a lot

Very very valid points about1) the Jam app being available only on apple devices 😔. Was contemplating buying as a toy for the kids to jam along but we are on Android only. Thanks for the warning! And nice spot on the lack of organ sounds despite having a rotary effect. That is reali crazy. 😅

Great video and critique of this keyboard. You already know Roland makes the best keytars, like the one you have, even the smaller one, I forgot the model name, but even that is a more serious and capable full featured keyboard.

Jeremy can you consider a review on "home furniture pianos" like: Casio Celivano 650 and Yamaha CVP 701? Obviously, Casio is half the price, but it has only 10 user rhythms? I'm also worried about the sonic quality, it seems that Yamaha's are superior in this segment. Any suggestions?

Anyone who wants to make music has the RIGHT to make music, regardless of their ability!!!! This video is pure sour grapes. You're showing you're true colors Mr See. Not everyone can be Bach!!!!

Who’s here is because Jeremy is hitting 17k subcribers

What about the 300

30 years late. It'd have been a success during the Milli Vanilli craze.

It's has overdrive guitar r not

Портативность. Нет аналогов на рынке. Легко переносить.

🤗

I agree, Jeremy. I fear that if we lose the art of making music, we are doomed to a future filled with AI produced music without soul or skill.

Jiiijiiiijiiijiiijiijiiiijiijiiiijiijiii

Keytars are NOT gimmicks!!! Come on people!!! Of course this Is something only musicians understand (just keyboard players maybe...)

I don't think anybody here understand what is a Keytar.First of all its not a piano and its not a keyboard its a synthesizer and you play it with only one hand on the keys because again its not a piano.Now second thing the Yamaha shs-500 as a button called jam mode just don't use it and learn to really play the keytar without faking it.The sonogenic is far from being a good keytar but you can still learn on it if you don't cheat with the jam mode.

There is an android version as of 2022. Think they added android in 2021.

This thing and that E360 thing... Looks like Yamaha already decided to just focus on fooling dumbheads as its current low-end strategy in place. Yamaha, where are you headed to?

I feel even worse they made another Sonogenic SHS 300😢

And you know what I was playing doom and this popped up lol

Avoiding latency is the reason for a lot of your concerns. The combined latency I've measured using a Yamaha Bluetooth MIDI transmitter and iOS virtual insturments is around 20 m/s. The two android apps that I played with had closer to 250 m/s when playing the keyboard that's on screen. You'll find far fewer instrument apps for Android because of that. While the latency played through the iOS headphone jack is low, Bluetooth audio adds far more and would drive any player crazy listening to it chase up what they're playing. Great review, you're fair about what you're saying and people are voting with their wallet and not buying them. Amazon has this item, but there are NO reviews as of right now. If nobody has bought one from Amazon and reviewed it, then it's clearly not selling.

I had my eye on this keytar but now I'm thinking Alesis Vortex Wireless 2. It's basically a midi controller which I don't know how to use yet, I just play the piano, but it's the same price as sonogenic and it seems like it has some very cool tricks up its sleeve. Any advice?

Hi Jeremy. I love your channel and reviews. Do you recommend a keytar (any brand) for someone to play and sing on stage or in Church?

I found the biggest problem is there are 22 useless sounds. Only 8 sounds that are remotely acceptable. However, there is NO WAY to add the 10 sounds I wish I had. If YAMAHA would let customers delete the useless and add the usefull...that would make the SHS 500 so much better.

What's a good keytar at this price range?

me finding about this 10 min ago, "oh this is cool it comes with training app if i understand correctly" but nope its toy mode. From what i also honw whole 4 buttons were at least dedicated to it, on the neck of it, which doesn't leave much to rest of it. Its still a great looking keytar, but if i get it i probably would want another half off the price.

no lead guitar sounds no rich sounds still old feel i love only shape and colour ❤

Thanks you a lot !!!😮 RU-vid must give u a Nobel prize... 😅

Dude i know you are young but this is a keytar its a genuine musical instrument that was used in the 80s in rock music not a toys or something for people who can't play music.

If it has an aux port you can just get a ~20€ 3.5mm bluetooth adapter and bam its got bluetooth audio.

Is mine broken?? The volume sounds so low/quiet:0

I saw your video and I got shocked literally I was watching while I was delivering my credit card to the Yamaha dude in the shop, suddenly I stoped and ran away from the store. Can you tell me which is the best alternative for keytar beginners?

DOES NOT BLUETOOTH TO A PC!!! Be warned.

I like keytars but I don't know what Yamaha is trying to do with this.

For me it died bc no miku outside japan No miku No buy

my daughter is tone-deaf and she never plays any instrument. lately, she ask me to buy this for her.

Thanks for the review. But what a crap keytar is that?! The Yamaha SHS-500 Sonogenic was obviously designed solely to ripoff Apple hipsters with too much money. Wireless is a tool to toast brains - this product proves it again. The pretend-play feature was alread invented by Casio in early 80th, named the "Ony Key Play" (see Casio VL-Tone), but at least you had to type the melody by yourself into its sequencer (needs some skill) or buy their expensive rompack cartridges. Keytars are not useless, but their controls should be much more based on motion (shaking in different directions to modulate sounds, having additional D-Beam or theremin-like sensors and big ribbon/touch controller in the neck and below the key row, possibly sideways bendable keys like a Mixtur-Trautonium) and not just a standard home keyboard hardware squeezed into a misfit case. Look what makes e-guitars exciting to play and why keytars lack that. (Hence the rock band MUSE used a touchscreen inside an actual e-guitar to have a synth at their fingers.) A poor midi implementation is an absolute no-go for such an instrument, and for that price of course it should have many more sounds available with edit capabilities. The old SHS-10 was not perfect either, but at least it did not feel artificially crippled to fool customers. Here is some info about the SHS-500 midi implementation and an iPad app "MIDI Designer" that apparently can edit some sound parameters because the SHS-500 has a full GM tone generator with all standard voices built-in, those however need to be externally looped back through a local-off trick: sandsoftwaresound.net/tag/yamaha-shs-500/

I think this should be marketed as a cheap Keytar with reface mini keys... Maybe if it was named as Reface Keytar and concentrated more on midi controls.... Maybe one can dream

I think it's a BRILLIANT isntrument...for those who don't have time to go to a music academy and practise for decades, lol. I reading the manual I realised that one could make an own pad ttrack with chords, let the tracker render it and then you can endlessly improvise over your own chord without making a mistake! You still have to follow the rhytm BUT you will alway get the correct notes when you for example play arpeggios in Jam mode. I don't have this instrument but I would llike to have it...thank you, Yamaha! :-)

I like to use my shs 200 with my keyboard with midi it is the best out of all them I believe I like to play two handed and one handed its not really a gimmick and I think it's very fun to play

Have you checked out the Alesis Vortex Wireless 2 Keytar?

Hi Jeremy. Thank You for that review. Thinking of buy this but after what you said about it. I'll pass. Yamaha always makes great keyboards. I guess once and while they'll miss the mark and they forget about quality and choose quantity.

Is the keybed the same as SHS300? I just ordered the 300 because i found it on amazon at 99 eurosThank you salute from italy

TRASPOSE FUCTION.. IS AVAILABLE...???? IF NOT I WILL KICK IT FROM KOLKATA.....

Great Honest Review. It does belittle the work we musicians do to master our art. Quite a bit expensive for what you get.

I'm trying my luck on a used Roland Ax-7 on ebay but until then I can pick up a sonogenic so I have something to play on

Been having trouble trying to find good keytars any recommendations for beginners?

Please review Yamaha SHS 300 also

Welp... There goes $299 down the drain.. after watching a few of these reviews I'm beginning to regret buying this keytar..

Can it be used for studio purpose?

Im looking for a keytar and its rlly cheap but idk...

Wait there's? Midi? I will hunt those vocaloid shs to play with my haven't reach boss sy-1000

Is it ok to use it as auxillary Keyboard in the church ?

Yamaha........Why

Looking to buy digital keyboard-88, but am totally confused because I've been comparison shopping too much and brain fried. Want to keep price under $1200. Jeremy.....do you have any suggestions ? Any other suggestions are welcomed. Jeremy....give me your pick if you were buying.

I was very interested in this product, but thanks to this video, I've found some reasons why I should not buy SHS-500 (especially lack of organ voice). Thanks for the good contents. I've just subscribed. :-)

Jeremy, I only discovered your channel recently, but the more I see the more impressed I become. Your advice is always well-informed, always unbiased, always intelligent and clearly stated, and of course your skills are excellent. As for this "toy", at 50 bucks it might be worth buying as a party piece, but that's the limit. More generally while I have no personal use for them, I can see that a well-designed keytar could be useful as a live performance instrument with a band.

I now completely agree with your review, Jeremy. Apologies for the previous comment. I'm an idiot, what more can I say...?

Yamaha pa 130 pa 150

Great Info!

Jeremy, do you have a demo video for this?

Yahmah

I'm positive there are more weebs outside of japan who watch anime than people in japan who watch anime they should just market that vocaloid keyboard to these weebs.

Well whats your opinion about Roland - AX Edge - is it worth buying ? Thanks Jeremy for a lovely analysis about Yamaha SHS 500

Looks like fun to me! But no Android app. 😥

I just don't get the point of keytars I just find the consept dumb. Why doesn't Yamaha just put more focus on there DGX series one problem they still haven't solved with the DGX digital pianos is how to make that supposed portable" digital piano actually lightweight and portable. Somthing simple yet they still haven't done it.

Junk. Proper keyboardists should sit down to play their instrument correctly. Never stand and play a keyboard, it is not proper. Your music teacher would be very disappointed in you.