Yamaha S70 XS, Brochure & Specs

Sounds That Satisfy

The S70 XS/S90 XS has a host of other features that live performers will 

appreciate—such as the combo input jack that accepts both mic and 

instrument input. Simply plug in a microphone or guitar, tweak the INPUT 

GAIN knob (while checking the convenient PEAK lamp), and you're all set! 

Plus, you can use the Control Knobs to finely adjust the volume and even 

directly apply reverb or chorus to the sound.

In the heat of live performance, the last thing you want is to have to search 

for a much-needed panel control—or worse yet press the wrong button and 

get a rude, unexpected sound change.  That's why all the panel controls of 

the S70 XS/S90 XS have been designed and positioned for optimum, intuitive 

operation, especially for live performance.  For example, you can quickly select 

a Part, turn it on/off, set  Arpeggio on/off, switch Arpeggio Hold—all done 

easily  with the top panel controls—and instantly tweak important sound 

parameters like reverb, filter and sustain via the Knobs and Sliders.  And to 

prevent that dreaded sound change, there's a convenient Panel Lock button 

that instantly disables (or enables) 

the panel controls.

If you've got a USB memory stick or thumb drive, you can plug it into the S70 XS/S90 XS 

and record your performance as audio data.  This remarkable feature lets you instantly 

capture what you play on the keyboard—including arpeggio playback—to your USB device.  

If you've connected a microphone or guitar, you can even record your singing or playing 

as well. You can also record audio directly to the internal flash memory (192 MB) built 

into the instrument, without the need of a memory stick.

And keep in mind that anything you've recorded to the memory stick, even audio files created 

on your computer, can be played back on the S70 XS/S90 XS—which means you can create 

your own custom audio backing tracks and perform along with them on the S70 XS/S90 

XS. For example, you can create a basic song track beforehand, then sing and solo over it 

during your performance. Or add guitar parts and vocal harmonies to be played back 

with your live performance. There's also a useful Song Chain function that lets you 

string together separate recordings and create a convenient 

backing track “set list” for your gigs.

The S70 XS/S90 XS is a perfect companion for your computer music production system, 

too, serving both as a master keyboard and a full-function, multi-timbral tone generator.  

With the DAW Remote function and its 50 different control templates, you get amazingly 

easy, intuitive control over your main DAW software and VST instruments—directly from 

the panel controls! Special Remote Editor software lets you change and organize these 

templates.

Cubase AI---a powerful and versatile audio/MIDI sequencer---is included with the 

instrument, giving you complete music production capabilities right out of the box. 

And for editing the S70 XS/S90 XS from your computer, there's the S90 XS Voice Editor. 

This provides convenient, comprehensive control over absolutely all the sounds, 

settings and functions of the S70 XS/S90 XS.

The best musical instruments start with top-quality sounds, and the S70 XS/S90 XS delivers 

all that—and more. The S Series features all the Voices, Performances, arps and Virtual 

Circuit Modeling effects found on the flagship MOTIF XS Music Production Synthesizer. 

Plus we've added a huge 142 megabytes dedicated exclusively to high-quality piano waveforms, 

for a total of 456 MB of instrument samples.

Foremost among these new piano sounds are the new samples taken from Yamaha's 

world-renowned S6 concert grand piano. These fully capture the richly textured sound of 

that wonderfully expressive instrument, and provide a warm concert grand piano sound 

unavailable on any other keyboard. For variation, the MOTIF XS piano based on a Yamaha 

CFIIIS is also available.

Conventional keyboards in the past had their sounds designed primarily for the listener. 

This time, however, our development team set out to primarily satisfy the player instead. 

We reasoned that when the performer hears and experiences the best possible sound, the 

performance would be the best possible, too! The result? The S70 XS/S90 XS is a genuine 

musician's instrument, one that truly inspires and stimulates the live performer as well as 

the music creator and arranger.

The best musical instruments start with top-quality sounds, and the S70 XS/S90 XS delivers 

all that—and more.  Featuring a huge 142 megabytes dedicated to just high-quality piano 

waveforms, including many newly sampled sounds, these instruments also include a vast 

variety of stellar Voices directly derived from the flagship MOTIF XS Music Production 

Synthesizer, for total of 456 MB of instrument samples.

Foremost among these piano sounds are the new samples taken from Yamaha's world-

renowned S6 concert grand piano.  These fully capture the warm, richly textured sound of 

that wonderfully expressive instrument, and provide a luscious concert grand piano sound 

unavailable on any other keyboard. 

Conventional keyboards in the past had their sounds designed primarily for the listener.  

This time, however, our development team set out to primarily satisfy the player instead.  

We reasoned that when the performer hears and experiences the best possible sound, the 

performance would be the best possible, too!  The result?  The S70 XS/S90 XS is a genuine 

musician's instrument, one that truly inspires and stimulates the live performer as well as 

the music creator and arranger.

Streamline Your Performance

Ideal for Live Performers

Recording Direct to USB Memory

Computer Control

The S70 XS/S90 XS also lets you quickly and conveniently create 

your own custom Performances, with the amazingly fast and easy 

Performance Creator feature. It's never been easier to select a 

Voice, then quickly program Layers and Splits—even assigning a Drum Voice complete 

with arps to create your perfect Performance. 

Let's say that you're playing a piano Voice and you want to layer a string sound on top 

of it. Simply press the [LAYER] button, then select the desired Voice category and Voice, 

and store your new Performance—just a few button presses and you're there!

The S70 XS/S90 XS gives you comprehensive, easy-to-use controls 

for your Performances as well—such as Octave and Transpose 

buttons for quickly changing the pitch, and a Tap Tempo button 

that lets you easily change the tempo of Arpeggio or MIDI sequence playback on the fly. 

You can assign virtually any parameter on the instrument to one of the Assignable Function 

buttons (using the S90 XS Voice Editor) and switch the parameter as you play—for example, 

turning specific sound elements of a Voice on or off. Moreover, the instrument lets you 

route a click sound to one of the assignable outputs. 

With this you could let your drummer hear just the click 

sound and lock into your Arpeggio or MIDI playback.