The MU2000EX was only for Japan. Consequently, the manual is only in Japanese.

I do have one, but I haven't experimented with this feature.

Try google translate on your phone while looking at the Japanese manual.

fitzpatr wrote:

The MU2000EX was only for Japan. Consequently, the manual is only in Japanese.

Interesting that the display shows everything in English but there is only a Japanese manual. 😕

Yamaha amazingly did not have any version of the MU2000 manual available for download. I suppose more digging for info on the internet is in order...

Congrats on the MU2000! I wonder if there are any considerations for PLG modules down the line? :3

Looking at the manual, there is mention of the record MIDI function on page 155, and going by the constant mentions of the memory card in the MU SEQ section it is located in, I assume it requires a SmartMedia card to be inserted into the unit for it to be used.

The manual is available in Japanese here as the PDF files. Only the first three PDFs listed (MU2000 取扱説明書 / MU2000 instruction manual, MU1000/MU2000 セットアップガイド / setup guide, and MU1000/MU2000 リストブック / instruments list) are needed. The manual for the EX is listed as a separate model entry, under MU2000 Extended Edition on the third column (even though the EX firmware on the 1000 and 2000 is user-flashable).

Fantastic module and makes all the older MUs rather pointless as you can switch between "MU100 Native" and "MU Basic"
for the basic GM sounds. Just be sure to use the digital toslink output, the analog out is the weakest part of the module.

As for the Sequencer, it will record one file in ram, but that is wiped on power down or on a new recording. You have to save
the files to SmartMedia. A single 128mg card should last you forever. You can access the card directly on PC using Yamaha CardFiler.
Free download on the Japanese site.

The Sequencer is the best reason to purchase the 2000 over the 1000. You can use setup folders and chains (play-lists) on the module
and use it as a self-contained MIDI-player.

In this old vid, it's playing everything directly off the SmartMedia card.
https://youtu.be/YsWiH-eKXK8

I highly recommend using Yamaha CardFiler. Windows XP and later have terrible SmartMedia support, they will corrupt your card.
With CardFiler Windows has no access to the card directly.

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

Great info you have there SuperDeadite! That gives me a big step in the right direction. It's great to hear that the sequencer feature is even better than I initially thought. Your youtube videos with your MU2000EX were one of the main reasons I had this unit on my buy list. I know it's going to sound great and I think I am going to have some fun with its features.

What's great about these later modules is that they are really easy to use.
This took all of 10 mins to put together.
1. Downloaded the standard GM MIDI file off the internet.
2. Substitute in the drum board.
3. Added a few tempo delays on some of the instruments.
And the result:
https://youtu.be/tYUfVYpgP4I

I really have no idea what I'm doing, and probably have only used about 2% of its true power. 🤣

SuperDeadite wrote:

https://youtu.be/tYUfVYpgP4I

What is that Yamaha software you are using in that video?

Yamaha SOL. (Sequencer Object Linking)
MIDI+Audio Workstation Software designed for professional use.
Full support for the 2000's exclusive features like the hardware Sampler.
It was sold stand alone, but also included in some of the higher end MU bundles,
such as "Hello! Music! 2000 AUDIO"
There was also SOL2 which added a few extra features.

SOL/SOL2 was only sold in Japan, and the manuals are Japanese, but the software itself does have full English.
A few years ago, you could get SOL on Amazon japan for about $5, but these days its gotten rare. Yahoo auctions is the only place it really shows up anymore.

You can see me play around with it here.
https://youtu.be/3Nvj3Ul4wYA

Hi guys, hope you don't mind me posting a power supply question here as I picked up one of these on ebay to kick off my Yamaha MIDI collection next to the Roland collection I've got going.

The person who shipped the unit to me replaced the power supply with another unit which supplies 24v1a DC (Positive polarity), it looks brand new. Having a look online the original PA-6 supplies 12v2a DC (Same Positive Polarity), my knowledge of power supplies is limited but gathering from my reading around; 24v1a is not the same as 12v2a and I could risk blowing up the unit.

Regarding replacement power supplies, would this be sufficient?
https://www.jaycar.com.au/switchmode-mains-ad … c-2-5a/p/MP3490

My MU2000EX just arrived at my local post office so I am heading over there hopefully tomorrow to get it. Among all the sound modules I have, the sellers sent a few power supplies that I found were questionable so I replaced them. I think when I looked into this unit the power specs were 12V 1A but I know that some of Yamaha's products come with 15V adapters but those units can easily use 12V from what I read. From what I understand the voltage is important but the amp rating can be higher. Personally, though I just prefer getting an adapter that matches the listed power requirements and not have any worries about volts or amps being too high.

OmegaUltima wrote:

Hi guys, hope you don't mind me posting a power supply question here as I picked up one of these on ebay to kick off my Yamaha M […]
Show full quote

Hi guys, hope you don't mind me posting a power supply question here as I picked up one of these on ebay to kick off my Yamaha MIDI collection next to the Roland collection I've got going.

The person who shipped the unit to me replaced the power supply with another unit which supplies 24v1a DC (Positive polarity), it looks brand new. Having a look online the original PA-6 supplies 12v2a DC (Same Positive Polarity), my knowledge of power supplies is limited but gathering from my reading around; 24v1a is not the same as 12v2a and I could risk blowing up the unit.

Regarding replacement power supplies, would this be sufficient?
https://www.jaycar.com.au/switchmode-mains-ad … c-2-5a/p/MP3490

As you have determined, the original power supply for the Yamaha MU2000 is the Yamaha PA-6, which supplies 12V, 2A, Positive centre. Hope that the seller did not try to use the provided one in the unit, as that could very easily destroy your MU2000.

The general guidelines are:
Voltage must be equal.
Amperage must be equal or higher.
Polarity must be correct.

That's my fear as well, I really hope they haven't been using the power supply with it. I'll have to test the unit sometime tonight. Thanks for the advice.

Just acquired my MU2000EX. The adapter I received was not the original one from Yamaha but it was the correct connector size, and polarity. The output of it is 12V 1A. Tried it with my MU2000EX and it works great with it so FYI you can get one with those specs.

The MU2000EX sounds awesome. Very happy with it!

By the way... does the MU2000EX have an internal battery that I should check? The seller made no mention of installing a new one in it.

1A should be plenty of power for running just the MU by itself. The unit will only draw what it needs.
However, if you start installing PLG boards, then more power is needed. The original 2A supply allows you
to install 3 PLGs and use everything at the same time.

SuperDeadite wrote:

1A should be plenty of power for running just the MU by itself. The unit will only draw what it needs.
However, if you start installing PLG boards, then more power is needed. The original 2A supply allows you
to install 3 PLGs and use everything at the same time.

Ah, that makes sense that the extra amps would be needed for the expansion boards.

Speaking of the expansion boards, I saw a video of a MU2000 with a PLG100-DX board which sounded great. Are these boards easy to use? Can I play a standard MIDI file and hear the features of the board in the song as it plays? Or is it much more complicated to use this item? I see they are expensive and I would consider buying it but if one needs to be a musical composer than I would probably not be able to use it if I acquired one. I would want it for some enhanced/special playback of an existing song if it could be used for that.

PLGs are really meant for music creation. I only have the PLG150-DR (drums) and it is the best for game use, as it's simply a matter of subbing in the drum kit of your choice. A bass drum is always a bass drum, just have to pick the one you like, and the DR board generally sounds better then the XG kits.

The DX is the guts of a DX7-II keyboard stuffed on a PLG board. It is real FM and great for making music, but FM and GM really have nothing in common. For serious music makers only.

SuperDeadite wrote:

PLGs are really meant for music creation. I only have the PLG150-DR (drums) and it is the best for game use, as it's simply a matter of subbing in the drum kit of your choice. A bass drum is always a bass drum, just have to pick the one you like, and the DR board generally sounds better then the XG kits.

The DX is the guts of a DX7-II keyboard stuffed on a PLG board. It is real FM and great for making music, but FM and GM really have nothing in common. For serious music makers only.

I had a suspicion that I would not be able to use the PLG100-DX. I wish I could easily use it somehow as I love the sound that it produces. 🙁

I saw your video on the PLG150-DR in your MU2000EX. Very nice little performance there. If it's easy to get those new drums subbed in than I will go ahead and buy one. They cost a lot less than the PLG100-DX.

Indeed, most of the PLG boards are really designed for music creation work, as they tend to add all sorts of synthesis methods (FM - DX, analog - AN, virtual acoustic - VL, formant - SG, even an XG board for stock MU sounds) to compatible modules and synthesisers. Additionally, when they are installed into the modules and set up with a receiving MIDI channel, that channel will be limited to either PLG or stock module output. Because of this and the varying nature of non-rhythm MIDI channels across MIDI files, I don't think the AP and PF piano boards are good for general listening (even if they sound leagues better than the stock MU pianos), but the DR is a good option in comparison.

Of course, given you are using a MU2000, I suppose you can use custom-made or third-party samples and DLS banks on the SmartMedia card to add even more potential for improved sounds with a simple bank switch, though the 4MiB memory limitation IIRC on the MU2000 is a thing to bear in mind. 😜

Yeah if you got the money, the PLGs are a lot of fun to play with. I always wanted the AN. They sound fantastic because Yamaha did not hold back on the hardware for them. For example the DR board has 32 polyphony and only 1 part. Compare that with an SC-55 which has 24 polyphony and has to divide that among 16 parts.