For anyone with a Yamaha P-155, I have a few questions I hope you can help me with:

1) What volume setting do you use when you practice? I want to keep my volume the same so I can work on my dynamics, but I am not sure what is the correct level.

2) Sometimes during practice I record with the metronome. Is there a way to set the time signature to 3 when recording? It always reverts back to 4 when I press the record button. I have no trouble with the metronome when I do not record.

3) Are there are settings that you have found to be more optimal than the defaults? I have been playing around with different stuff and curious if anyone has found something they like.

Thank you for you input.

1) I usually stick it around 50%, but mostly I use headphones

2) Sorry, no idea

3) I play around with it a lot, sometimes though settings can change without warning, especially during recording.. maybe a little bug. If you find yours doing this, power up with the furthers right key held down. This resets to default and clears bugs.. although this might clear User recordings (not built in ones tho!).

I don't have the same piano, so this is from my experience on another Yamaha. The metronome time signature resets to default every time I change the destination file. For example, if I am working with file U01, set the metronome to 3/4, then change to U02, the metronome resets to defaults and I have to change it again.

However, my default is no time signature, with no downbeat. I would assume yours should be also. I checked your manual and don't see the time signature marked as a setting that is saved when powered off, but I do see that your piano defaults to saving user settings. You may wish to reset to all defaults by holding down the far right key while powering on.

So, I believe your metronome should be resetting every time you change the destination for recording, but I do not know why it is choosing 4/4 instead of 0.

As for the volume, it would depend on the efficiency of your headphones or speakers. You have a 12 watt amplifier with 12cm speakers. I kept my 6 watt Arius (12cm speakers) at near maximum and it still wasn't loud enough. I would have kept it louder, but it got distorted beyond two notches from the max. My Clavinova (40 watt into 16cm) is pretty much always at two notches from max, and is rather loud. It does go to max without distortion, but I find that is a little too loud when paying forte.

Daniel, thank you. I have tried a number of things, been working on it for months actually. I just figured maybe someone knew a "trick" to get it to work. I can easily set it to 0 or 4, but I can not set it for a time signature 3/4 or 6/8, for instance. And again, it is only with the record function, it reverts right back to 4, even after I set it. It is not that big of a deal.

I was using my recording function quite a bit tonight and had this problem! I figured out what is causing it. If I press "record", then change any metronome settings before I play, the settings revert back after I am finished. The solution is to adjust the metronome settings first, then press record. Basically, the piano forgets any changes I make while recording is engaged.

I don't know if this will help you, but it consistently worked for me.

That is how I thought it should work. But for me, the tempo stays at what I set it at, but the time signature reverts right back to 4. It's either a bug, or just a P-155 issue. I really should contact Yamaha.

I am now having it happen to me with my latest attempt to record.

I start with a fresh user MIDI song. Default metronome is no downbeat. I record my song. No downbeat is heard while recording. Press stop to finish recording. Immediately play back song and turn on metronome, and it has reset to 4/4! The tempo setting stays correct.

However, I am able to consistency reproduce this. It only happens if I record with no downbeat. If I set the downbeat to anything other than zero before recording, the setting "sticks". It's as though the song requires a downbeat, even if you don't want it. I usually use a downbeat, which is why I never encountered it before.

I can't imagine this is intentional. I will send an email to Yamaha at some point to see what they have to say.

Thanks Daniel, I just emailed Yamaha with my issue.

I received a prompt response from Yamaha support.

With the Yamaha P-155 your only options for time signature, when using the metronome and record functions at the same time, are 0 and 4.

That's rather a poor show, isn't it? What if you want to do a Waltz? And if you happened to be a Dave Brubeck fan (not to mention Stravinsky & co), you should steer well clear of the P155.

I agree that not being able to set the time signature to 3 is rather odd - again, only when using the record button, otherwise you can.

BUT, the Yamaha P-155 is a solid board and this is not a deal breaker by any means. For $8 you can get a digital metronome.

yes - i'm joking, sort of. but really, the internal metronome is - or can be - vital for recordings with more than one track. it annoys me that on some sequencers or digital recorders, it can be quite difficult to change the time signatures. they assume we'll only ever want two or four timings.

But i'm genuinely surprised that you really can't change it on the p155, which as you say is a great digital piano. The programming for this facility would be negligible.

Of course you can do everything much more easily and flexibly using a computer and any number of recorders available (DAWs), some of them free.

Today I came up with an idea which turns out to be 13/4 (or four bars of 3/4 plus one of 1 over 4. If I'd only had a p155, I would have forgotten it by now.

....just looked on my piano - admittedly, it only does two weird timings - 5/4 and 7/4 (also 6/4 and 9/8 which are fairly rare)...but not 13/4 or 13/8. Pity!

That is rather odd. I am able to record with any time signature other than zero, and it is saved internally.

When you play back your recordings, are they always 4/4? I have a few I made with 2/4 and 3/4. If I turn on the metronome while they play, it is set appropriately.