Yamaha today announced a new, budget version of it's innovative Tenori On music synthesizer – the Tenori On Orange, TRN-O.

The TRN-O is an entry-level version of the Tenori On, offering the same basic musical functionality, but using orange LEDs, stripping away the backlighting LEDs and using a basic white plastic case.

Surprisingly for a budget item, Yamaha did not announce the pricing for the new Tenori On Orange. The TRN-O is expected to be available in December.

Yamaha also confirmed a free forthcoming firmware update for Tenori-On customers, expected to be available in January. The update will address the syncing of Tenori-On to external DAW applications and offer an improved MIDI sync implementation.

According to Yamaha, the new Tenori-On 'Orange' offers the same levels of creative power as the original but has been made significantly more affordable. Yamaha has replaced the magnesium casing of the original with a heavy duty and durable plastic casing.

"We know everyone loves the concept and fresh approach of Tenori-On, however, as you'd expect we have received thousands of requests for a more affordable version," Yamaha's Peter Peck explains. "We therefore looked at many ways of reducing the price without compromising the all-important product concept or creative operating system. By removing the battery option and the back panel LED's and changing the chassis construction from the magnesium found on the original to a more affordable material we have achieved our goal of creating the more affordable Tenori-On 'Orange', bringing the full creative capability of Tenori-On to a much wider audience."

http://www.global.yamaha.com/tenori-on/features/