Yamaha P120 Manual

							21P-120/P-120S
19
The Effect
To select an effect type press the [EFFECT] button a few times until 
the indicator corresponding to the desired type lights (the indicators 
light in sequence each time the [EFFECT] button is pressed). No effect 
is produced when all indicators are off.
OFF
No effect is selected when no EFFECT indicator is lit.
CHORUS
Shimmering, broadening effect
PHASER
Adds a sweeping effect to the sound.
TREMOLO
Tremolo effect
DELAY
Echo effect 
• The default effect type (including OFF) and depth settings are different for 
each voice.
Adjusting Effect Depth........................................
Effect depth can be individually adjusted for the selected voice 
by using the [–/NO] and [+/YES] buttons while holding the 
[EFFECT] button. The depth range is from 0 through 20 (the 
current depth setting appears on the LED display while the 
[EFFECT] button is held). A setting of “0” produces no effect, 
while a setting of “20” produces maximum effect depth. Press the 
[–/NO] and [+/YES] buttons simultaneously while holding 
the [EFFECT] button to recall the default setting for the current 
voice (the default depth settings are different for each voice).The [EFFECT] button allows you to select one of the effects that can give your 
sound greater depth and animation.
NOTE 
						

							22P-120/P-120S
20
Transposition Brilliance
For a brighter or “sharper” tone, slide the control towards the 
BRIGHT position. For a “rounder” more mellow tone, slide the control 
towards the MELLOW position.
• When the BRILLIANCE is set to BRIGHT, the overall sound will be slightly 
louder. If the MASTER VOLUME is set at a high level the sound may 
become distorted. If so, lower the MASTER VOLUME level.
This control can be used to change the tonality or “timbre” of the sound output. 
The control range is from MELLOW to BRIGHT. 
NOTE
Use the [–/NO] and [+/YES] button while holding the [TRANS-
POSE] button to transpose down or up as required. The transposition 
range is from “–12” (down one octave) through “0” (normal pitch) to 
“12” (up one octave). The amount of transposition appears on the LED 
display while the [TRANSPOSE] button is held. The default transpose 
setting is “0”.
The [TRANSPOSE] button indicator remains lit when a transpose 
setting other than “0” is selected. Every time the [TRANSPOSE] button 
is pressed after that switches the transpose ON/OFF.
•  Notes below and above the A-1 … C7 range of the P-120/P-120S sound 
one octave higher and lower, respectively.
The P-120/P-120S’s TRANSPOSE function makes it possible to shift the pitch 
of the entire keyboard up or down in semitone intervals up to a maximum of 12 
semitones (i.e. a maximum of one octave up or down). “Transposing” the pitch of 
the P-120/P-120S keyboard facilitates playing in difficult key signatures, and you 
can easily match the pitch of the keyboard to the range of a singer or other instru-
mentalist.
NOTE 
						

							23P-120/P-120S
21
Touch Sensitivity
To select a touch sensitivity type press the [TOUCH] button a few 
times until the indicator corresponding to the desired type lights (the 
indicators light in sequence each time the [TOUCH] button is pressed).
HARD
The HARD setting requires the keys to be played quite hard to produce 
maximum loudness.
MEDIUM
The MEDIUM setting produces a fairly “standard” keyboard response. 
This is the initial factory default setting.
SOFT
The SOFT setting  allows maximum loudness to be produced with rela-
tively light key pressure.
FIXED (no indicator lit)
All notes are produced at the same volume no matter how hard the key-
board is played. 
When the FIXED type is selected, the volume of notes played in the 
FIXED mode can be set by using the [–/NO] and [+/YES] buttons 
while the [TOUCH] button is held (the current volume level appears on 
the display). The volume range is from 1 through 127. The default setting 
is 64.
•  This setting does not change the weight of the keyboard.
•  The touch sensitivity type and volume set in the FIXED mode will become 
the common setting for all voices. However, the touch sensitivity settings 
may have little or no effect with certain voices which are not normally 
responsive to keyboard dynamics (Refer to the “Voice Descriptions” on 
page 45).
Four different types of keyboard touch sensitivity — HARD, MEDIUM, SOFT 
or FIXED — can be selected to match different playing styles and preferences. 
NOTE 
						

							24P-120/P-120S
22
Tuning
Tuning Up.....................................................................
Z
To tune up (raise pitch), hold the A-1 and B-1 keys simultaneously.
XPress any key between C3 and B3. Each time a key in this range is 
pressed the pitch is increased by approximately 0.2 Hz.
The [–/NO] and [+/YES] buttons can also be used to tune down 
or up, respectively, in approximately 1 Hz increments. Press the [–/
NO] and [+/YES] buttons simultaneously to recall standard 
tuning (A3 = 440 Hz).
CRelease the A-1 and B-1 keys.
Tuning Down................................................................
Z
To tune down (lower pitch), hold the A-1 and A#-1 keys simulta-
neously.
XPress any key between C3 and B3. Each time a key in this range is 
pressed the pitch is decreased by approximately 0.2 Hz.
The [–/NO] and [+/YES] buttons can also be used to tune down 
or up, respectively, in approximately 1 Hz increments. Press the [–/
NO] and [+/YES] buttons simultaneously to recall standard 
tuning (A3 = 440 Hz).
CRelease the A-1 and A#-1 keys.
To Restore Standard Pitch..........................................
Z
To restore the default pitch (A3 = 440 Hz), hold the A-1, A#-1 and 
B-1 keys simultaneously.
XPress any key between C3 and B3.
(Pressing once will restore the keyboard to standard pitch, regard-
less of the amount of pitch adjustment.)
CRelease  the A-1, A#-1 and B-1 keys.
In terms of “Hertz”, the overall tuning range is from 427.0 Hz to 453.0 Hz. 
The current tuning setting is shown on the LED display while the tuning is 
being adjusted. Tenths of a Hertz are indicated on the LED display by the 
appearance and position of one or two dots, as in the following example:
• An alternative tuning method is available in the Function mode — page 31.
Tuning makes it possible to adjust the pitch of the P-120/P-120S over a 427.0 
Hz … 453.0 Hz (corresponding to the A3 note’s Hz) range in approximately 0.2 
Hertz intervals. Pitch control is useful for tuning the P-120/P-120S to match other 
instruments or recorded music.
Display Value
440440.0
4.
40440.2
44.
0440.4
440.440.6
4.
40.440.8
C3B3A-1B-1
A-1A#-1C3B3
A-1B-1A#-1C3B3
NOTE 
						

							25P-120/P-120S
23
The Metronome & Tempo Control
The metronome sound is alternately turned on and off by pressing the 
METRONOME [START/STOP] button. When on, the beat indicator 
flashes at the current tempo.
Metronome Time  Signature.................................
The time signature (beat) of the metronome can be set by using 
the [–/NO] and [+/YES] buttons while holding the METRO-
NOME [START/STOP] button. You can set the beat to 0, 2, 3, 4, 
5 or 6 (the current setting appears on the LED display while the 
METRONOME [START/STOP] button is held). Press the [–/
NO] and [+/YES] buttons simultaneously while holding the 
METRONOME [START/STOP] button to recall the default set-
ting “0” (no accent).
Metronome Volume  Function..............................
The volume of the metronome sound can be adjusted via the 
Metronome Volume function in the Function mode—page 36.
The tempo of the metronome and user song recorder playback (the 
recorder is described in the next section) can be set from 32 to 280 beats 
per minute by using the [TEMPO/FUNCTION# , ] buttons (when 
the [TEMPO/FUNCTION #] button’s [TEMPO] indicator is lit). The 
selected tempo will appear on the LED display while in the normal play 
mode and while the [TEMPO/FUNCTION# , ] buttons are being 
used to adjust the tempo in the recording/playback mode. The default 
tempo (120 or the recorded song tempo when the recorder contains data 
and the playback track indicator is lit) can be recalled by simultaneously 
pressing the [] and [] buttons.
• If the [TEMPO/FUNCTION#] button’s [FUNCTION#] indicator is lit, press 
the [TEMPO/FUNCTION#] button to light the [TEMPO] indicator.
The P-120/P-120S built-in metronome is a convenient feature for practice, and 
it can also provide a solid rhythmic guide when recording with the User Song 
Recorder feature, described in the next section.
The Metronome
Beat indicator
Tempo Control
NOTE 
						

							26P-120/P-120S
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Using the User Song Recorder
Select a Song For Recording..............................
Press the [USER 1/2/3] button to select a song for recording. 
The indicator of the selected song will light. (A song is not 
selected if none of the indicators are lit.)
• When in the demo song mode, the [USER 1/2/3] button can not 
be used to select a song.
Make All Necessary Initial Settings...................
Before actually beginning to record, select the voice you want 
to record with (or voices if you will be using the dual or split 
mode). You might also want to set the volume and tempo controls.
• If you want to change the tempo, time signature, reverb type, or 
effect type when re-recording a track or when recording to another 
track, do so after entering the record ready mode (step 3).
Engage the Record Ready Mode........................
Press the [REC] button to engage the record ready mode 
(recording does not actually start yet). The record ready mode can 
be disengaged before recording by pressing the [REC] button a 
second time.The ability to record and play back what you’ve played on the P-120/P-120S 
keyboard can be an effective practice aid. You can, for example, record just the 
left-hand part, and then practice the right-hand part while playing back the 
recorded left-hand part. Or, since you can record up to two tracks separately, you 
could record the left- and right-hand parts separately, or record both parts of a 
duet and hear how they sound when played back. The P-120/P-120S’s two-track 
Song Recorder allows the recording of three User Songs.
The user song recorder actually records the following data:
 Entire Song
 Tempo     Time signature (beat)     Reverb type (including OFF)
 Effect type (including OFF)
 Individual Tracks
 Notes played  Voice selection Voice variation
 Dual mode voices Split mode voices 
 Pedal Operation (sustain, soft, sostenuto, expression) Effect depth
 Reverb depth Dual balance (F3) Dual detune (F3)
 Dual octave shift (F3) Split balance (F4) Split octave shift (F4)
Recording
1
NOTE
2
NOTE
3 
						

							Using the User Song Recorder
27P-120/P-120S
25
Select the Record Track......................................
When the record mode is engaged in the previous step, the last-
recorded track will automatically be selected for recording and its 
indicator — i.e. the [TRACK 1] or [TRACK 2] button indicator 
— will glow red. If you want to record on a different track, press 
the appropriate track button so that its indicator glows red.
• The indicator of a track containing previously recorded data will 
glow green (unless the track is turned off as described below). 
When recording, the previously recorded data on the track not 
being recorded will be played back so you can play along with the 
previously recorded track. If you don’t want to hear the previously 
recorded track as you record (when you want to record a song dif-
ferent from what you recorded on the previous track etc.,), press 
the playback track button before pressing the [REC] button (step 
2, above) so that its indicator goes out.
• If a user song ([USER 1/2/3]) is not selected (the lamp is not lit), 
pressing the [REC] button will result in the [USER 1] song’s 
[TRACK 1] being selected and the record ready mode engaged. 
At this time, [TRACK 2] playback will be turned off if the track con-
tains data.
• Recording on a track which already contains data (the indicator 
glows green) will erase all previous data on that track.
• When the record mode is engaged the amount of memory avail-
able for recording will be shown on the LED display in approxi-
mate kilobytes (starting at “47”), and the rightmost dot on the LED 
display will flash at the current METRONOME tempo setting.
Start Recording....................................................
Recording will begin automatically as soon as you play a note 
on the keyboard or press the SONG [START/STOP] button. The 
current measure number will appear on the display while record-
ing.
• The AUX pedal can be assigned to start and stop recording via 
the “AUX PEDAL Mode” function described on page 35.
• If the metronome was on when you started recording, you’ll be 
able to keep time with the metronome while recording, but the 
metronome sound will not be recorded.
• You can record up to a maximum of about 10,000 notes on the P-
120/P-120S depending on pedal usage and other factors. The 
record track indicator will begin to flash when recorder memory is 
almost full. If the memory becomes full during recording, “ FUL” 
will appear on the display and recording will stop automatically. 
(All recorded data up to that point will be retained.)
Stop Recording....................................................
Press either the [REC] or SONG [START/STOP] button to 
stop recording.
The indicator of the recorded track will glow green to indicate 
that it now contains data.
4
NOTE
5
NOTE
6 
						

							Using the User Song Recorder
28P-120/P-120S
26
Changing the Initial Settings..............................
The initial voice, tempo, time signature, reverb type, reverb 
depth, effect type and effect depth settings made in step 2 of the 
recording procedure are actually recorded by the P-120/P-120S. 
These initial settings can be changed after the recording is fin-
ished by pressing the [REC] button to engage the record ready 
mode, pressing the appropriate track button, making the required 
changes, and then pressing the [REC] button again to exit from 
the record ready mode and register the changes. 
If you do this, be careful not to press the SONG [START/
STOP] button or a key on the keyboard, either of which will start 
recording and erase all previous recorded data on the selected 
track. 
It is possible to cancel the operation even after changes have 
been made: change tracks and then press the [REC] button to exit 
from the record mode.
Erasing a Single Track.........................................
All data can be erased from either of the recorder’s tracks by 
engaging the record mode, selecting the track you want to erase, 
and then pressing the SONG [START/STOP] button twice with-
out recording any data.
To playback what you’ve recorded, first make sure that the song you 
want to playback is selected by pressing the [USER 1/2/3] button to 
select the song for playback. The selected song indicator will light. (A 
song is not selected if none of the indicators are lit.) Next, make sure 
that the green track indicators of the tracks you want to play are lit. If 
not, press the corresponding track button(s) so that they are lit. Then 
press the SONG [START/STOP] button. Playback starts from the 
beginning of the recorded data, and will stop automatically at the end of 
the recorded data. You can also stop playback at any time by pressing 
the SONG [START/STOP] button. 
To mute a track so that it doesn’t play back, press the corresponding 
track button so that its indicator goes out (press again to turn the track 
back on).
The current measure number appears on the display during playback.
Press twice.
Playback 
						

							Using the User Song Recorder
29P-120/P-120S
27
• When in the demo song mode, the [USER 1/2/3] button can not be used 
to select a song.
• It is possible to play along on the keyboard during playback. In this case, 
the playback voice and the voice you play on the keyboard are not the 
same. The playback voice is the voice that was set when the data was 
recorded. The voice you play on the keyboard is the voice that is selected 
on the panel.
• The playback volume and tempo can be adjusted by using the [MASTER 
VOLUME] control and [TEMPO/FUNCTION# 
,] buttons (press both 
[TEMPO/FUNCTION# ,] buttons simultaneously to recall the default 
tempo).
• All user song recorder data will be retained in memory for about one week 
after the power is turned off. If you want to keep your recorded data for 
longer periods, turn the power on for a few minutes at least once a week. 
It is also possible to store it to an external MIDI storage device such as the 
Yamaha MIDI Data Filer MDF3 by using the Bulk Data Dump function 
described on page 39. 
• If the metronome is being used during playback, the metronome will auto-
matically stop when playback is stopped.
• During recorder playback, the volume of a track which is turned off will 
always be “0” (i.e. the “Preset Song Part Cancel Volume” function — page 
36 — only affects preset song playback.
• The playback data is not transmitted via the MIDI OUT connector.
• Playback cannot be started when the recorder contains no data, or when 
both track buttons are off.
• If the REVERB type is changed via the panel controls during playback, 
both the playback and keyboard reverb effects will be changed.
• If the EFFECT type is changed via the panel controls during playback, the 
playback effect may be switched off in some cases.
Synchro Start.......................................................
When the Synchro Start function is engaged, recorder playback 
will begin automatically as soon as you start playing on the key-
board.
To engage the Synchro Start function press the SONG 
[START/STOP] button while holding a track button which is 
ON. The rightmost dot on the display will flash at the current 
tempo. (Repeat the previous operation to disengage the Syncro 
Start function.) Playback will then start as soon as you begin 
playing on the keyboard.
If you hold a track button which is OFF while pressing the 
SONG [START/STOP] button, that track will be turned ON and 
the Synchro Start mode will be engaged. 
AUX PEDAL Start/Stop........................................
The AUX PEDAL can be assigned to start and stop recorder 
playback via the “AUX PEDAL Mode” function described on 
page 35.  This is convenient for starting playback of the recorded 
part anytime after you have started playing.
NOTE 
						

							30P-120/P-120S
28
The Function Mode
To Select a Function............................................
Z
Press the [TEMPO/FUNCTION#] button so that its [FUNC-
TION#] indicator lights.
• Functions cannot be selected during demo/preset song mode or 
when the user song recorder is in operation.
XUse the [TEMPO/FUNCTION# , ] buttons to select the 
desired function from F1 through F9.
CIn the case of the Scale (F2), Dual Mode (F3), Split Mode 
(F4), Pedal Functions (F5), MIDI (F8), and Backup (F9) 
functions, you will have to press the [+/YES] button once 
to enter the respective sub-mode after the function has been 
selected, and then use the [TEMPO/FUNCTION# , ] 
buttons again to select the desired sub-function.
• The Dual or Split mode must be engaged before the F3 and F4 
functions can be selected, respectively. If the corresponding mode 
is not engaged, “ F3.
-” or “ F4.
-” will appear on the display and 
the corresponding sub-mode will not be available.
• The Dual mode can be engaged while in the Function mode, but 
the Function mode must be exited before the Split mode can be 
engaged.
VSet the function as required by using the [–/NO] and [+/
YES] buttons (see the individual function descriptions, 
below).
• After selecting the function, the current setting will be displayed 
when the [–/NO] or [+/YES] button is pressed for the first time.
BPress the [TEMPO/FUNCTION#] button so that its 
[TEMPO] indicator lights to exit from the function mode. The [TEMPO/FUNCTION#] button provides access to a range of functions 
that give the P-120/P-120S extraordinary versatility. The functions are catego-
rized in groups as follows:
F1 Tuning......................................................................... 31
F2 Scale............................................................................ 31
F3 Dual Mode Functions................................................. 32
F4 Split Mode Functions................................................. 33
F5 Pedal Functions......................................................... 35
F6 Metronome Volume.................................................... 36
F7 Preset Song Part Cancel Volume.............................. 36
F8 MIDI Functions........................................................... 37
F9 Backup Functions...................................................... 40
 Operation Example
Use [–/NO], [+/YES] Press [–/NO] or 
[+/YES] once
Use [TEMPO/FUNCTION# , ]
(sub-mode) Press [+/YES]
NOTE
NOTE
NOTE