61 KEY Portable Keyboard with Touch sensitive Keys

Editorial Review
Performance assistant technology is a feature from Yamaha that guarantees that you can't play a wrong melody note or chord. There are many tools in this keyboard that make it easy to be a power user from the first day you own the keyboard. The keyboard selects an appropriate voice for the right hand melody, the correct musical style and the correct tempo. One Touch Setting (OTS) provides you with a recommended voice with effects for each style. Set the keyboard up just the way you like and take a digital snapshot by memorizing it to one of the Registration buttons. Load and save up to 16 Registrations to User memory. The Registration buttons are conveniently located just above the keyboard. You can change the arrangement of songs by simply pressing the Easy Song Arranger button, allowing you to re-mix any MIDI file.
The YPT-400 comes with 30 built-in songs plus 70 more on an included CD-ROM and an interactive lesson system, divided into left and right hand parts, for learning them. The songs are separated into left and right hand parts, providing 7 levels of lessons plus a convenient chord dictionary. Performance Assistant - Allows you to play along with any built-in song regardless of your level of ability Easy Song Arranger - Allows you to play back songs in 150 unique accompaniment styles Music Database - Sets up over 250 songs On-Board Sequencer - Records 5 Songs / 6 Tracks 2-Way Speaker System with a Bass Boost System Flash ROM - Download songs from the Internet, Store up to 99 songs (max) PC Connectivity - USB MIDI Songs 30 + 70 on CD-ROM + 5 user songs Polyphony - 32-note max 135 Auto Accompaniment Styles Variations Intro, Main A/B, Ending, Fill-in x 2 Interface - USB MIDI In/Out, USB Song Transfer Auxiliary Jack Phones, DC in, footswitch 12 cm x 2 + 3 cm x 2 Speakers, 3W + 3W Amplifier Dimensions - Width 37.5 x Depth 15.25 x Height 5.75 inch (952 x 388 x 146 mm)
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Customer Reviews

Good sound for the price, but not USB-MIDI class-compliant

2007-04-29
I recently purchased a Yamaha YPT-400 keyboard (retail), and the first thing I noted after opening the box was that it didn't come with a power-adapter. I was disappointed about this.

After gathering up some batteries and playing with it for a while, I did find it to have good sound quality for the price, and I also liked the two control-knobs (that is, sound-wise, but I don't like their feel). The playability is overall - pretty good (though the keys aren't weighted, but that's understandable for the price).

A couple of days after I got the keyboard, my USB cables came in so that I could hook it up to the computers... But then I learned the truth, and that's that it's not USB-MIDI class-compliant, meaning that you have to use their proprietary drivers. The problem is that their drivers are not just simple drivers - and have a license-agreement which I find unacceptable. This is very upsetting to me, especially being that using it with my computers was an essential goal. I will now need to purchase something that is USB-MIDI class-compliant - when I can afford it.

To sum it up: Had I known, I wouldn't have bought it.

Good features but compromise with quality

2006-11-20
This item from Yamaha is ofcourse a great. It has got lot of features which were the part of old work station. One can compose complete music on this. Some features like 5 tracks user song, pitch benk makes it perfect. But i feels there has been a compromise on the quality of the hardware. The controls on the panel look old fasioned.

Yamaha Electric Keyboard

2008-07-19
This was a gift for our grandson's 16th birthday. By all reports from him, it is an excellent purchase.

great except touch sensitive keys not sensitive enough

2008-06-30
I am an adult who took piano for a year as a kid and am now taking lessons again. This keyboard has been great for me, as it is small and has good sound. I appreciate that I can plug in earphones or turn the volume way down if I don't want everyone else to have to listen to me practicing. Except for the built in metronome, I have not used any of the extra "features" and honestly would prefer that there just be fewer buttons, but that's a silly complaint. The one thing that really bothers me is that the touch sensitive feature isn't as responsive as I would like. The idea is that just like a piano if you push a key hard it plays loud, and if you push it softly it plays quietly. I don't have experience with other keyboards, but when I play on a real piano at my lesson, it is so much easier to play quietly or loudly when I want to. I am definitely glad that I got the one with touch sensitive keys rather than a cheaper one, but I don't know if other keyboards might have better control.

Amazing Keyboard

2007-11-29
An amazing keyboard for it's price!!! The Grand Feature feels awesome!!! I bought this for my husband for Christmas, unfortunatley it arrived in the manufacturers box, so surprise spoiled. Not Amazon's Fault! Anyway,
he hasn't been able to stop playing since it arrived. The clear sound, sounds like it is connected to an amp.. Amazing features! Great item to own for it's price!!!! Definately recomend this product!!!

download specs misleading

2007-11-23
I bought a YPT-400. I wanted primarily to play along with downloaded songs. When I got to the 12th downloaded song it would not take the 13th song. After back and forth with Yamaha, apparently I was out of memory, making the specs and also the specs re downloaded songs here and in the manual misleading at best. Otherwise, it is a great instrument for the price.

Best price-performance-features incl. USB-MIDI, General MIDI

2007-08-02
Yamaha YPT-400 has USB-MIDI

I bought the Yamaha YPT-400 too and using a regular USB cable I was able to:
(a) add/subtract songs (.mid files) from a WinXP computer.
(b) use the USB-MIDI feature...play the PYT-400 as a MIDI keyboard & play/record on computer using any 3rd party MIDI software (I used Voyetra Teach Me Piano Deluxe).
- the USB-MIDI keyboard is seen as "Yamaha Portatone-1" using "General MIDI" by such MIDI software on the computer.

I used USB driver included on CD-ROM (all USB devices need a driver whether it's provided via Microsoft or directly from manufacturer) and also the newer USB driver version available free for download at some yamaha site (just google for "yamaha ypt 400 usb driver").