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Guess why it's called the Tenori-on Orange...

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Premiered back in 2005, Yamaha's Tenori-on, designed in collaboration with Toshio Iwai, represented a breakthrough in its approach to sound production and sequencing. Its 16x16 matrix of playable LEDs lets users create intricate, multitimbral performances using the internal sounds, or over MIDI to any sound source desired via 'buttons of light'.

A simple press of any LED triggers a note and the internal sequencer does the rest, playing single notes or chords as the step sequencer cycles round. The concept has proved popular, particularly for performers keen to draw attention to the unit. Bill Bailey famously featured a Tenori-on on his comedy tour and the unit also features prominently in Little Boots' live sets and her Remedy video.

Fast-forward five years and Tenori-on Orange now greets us. With most of the original's functions carried over, this represents a more economical way to get your hands and fingers on Yamaha's concept, but there are some crucial differences between this and the original (now dubbed the TNR-W) so it's well worth a second and closer look.

What's new?

The principal differences between Tenori-on Orange and its big brother are physical. Whereas the original Tenori-on features a brushed aluminium construction, its sibling uses a tough white plastic surround instead. Perhaps more significantly, the new unit features no battery power option, with mains power instead supplied via a bundled wall-wart that connects, somewhat inconveniently, via the front bottom left hand corner.

Also, as a cost-cutting measure, the rear LEDs from the back panel have been removed, leaving a blank white panel in their place. While these LEDs aren't 'active' on the original Tenori-on and simply reflect the pattern playing, they do represent an eye-catching performance element that is lost on the new unit.

On the upside, Tenori-on Orange gets its name from the new LEDs which ditch the original 'white' lights in favour of orange ones instead. These are really pleasing on the eye and show up nicely.

"The principal differences between Tenori-on Orange and its big brother are physical."

The sound engine at the heart of Tenori-on remains the same - 253 AWM2 generated tones (including 14 drum kits), capable of producing 32 notes of polyphony, with the option to add reverb and chorus to each of the multitimbral layers within a sequence.

Additionally, Tenori-on can play back user samples of up to 0.97 seconds in length (saved to the rear-mounted SD card) or can output its sequences via MIDI. On this subject, improvements have been made courtesy of the recent firmware Version 2.0 update.