It's now about 6 weeks that I have my keyboard, the Yamaha PSR-e413. The keyboard has some cool functions, like accompaniment features (called styles), which are actually MIDI files containing some instrumentation banks, so it feels like you're part of a playing band. If you do have a Yamaha PSR, you can find some additional styles for your keyboard here.


I have been following keyboard lessons since a week of 4, and I'm making quite some progress. 'Mull of Kintyre' does however stays difficult to play, even after several training sessions.


I have been searching to some ways to extend the possibilities of the keyboard, so I could have some more synthesizer features. Therefore, I've been testing some demos of software synthesizers and audio equalizers. Cubase and Cakewalk are big names in the music producing industry, but the first had troubles identifying my keyboard, while the latter experienced quite some audio lag and stutter. Both were quite too extended for my demand, however. It was only until I looked at Reason 4, till I really found what I was looking for : a true audio synth giving me the possibility of using my gear as a master keyboard, controlling the tracks with a sound of my liking. Reason has unlimited audio modification possibilities, truely an incredible program.