Yamaha PSR-SX900 not showing as ASIO audio device in Cubase Elements 12 (Mac)

Cubase
1

Hi,

I’m trying to optimize my workflow between my Yamaha PSR-SX900 and Cubase Elements 12 on Mac (Monterey), and I’m running into some confusion around USB audio vs MIDI.

Here’s my current setup:

  • Keyboard: Yamaha PSR-SX900

  • Audio Interface: Steinberg UR22C

  • DAW: Cubase Elements 12

  • Connection:

    • USB from Yamaha → Mac (for MIDI)

    • Audio cables (L/R) from Yamaha → UR22C (for audio recording)

What’s working:

  • Cubase detects the Yamaha as “Digital Keyboard Port 1” under MIDI devices

  • I can play MIDI from Cubase and hear it on the Yamaha

  • I can record audio via the UR22C inputs

What I’m trying to do:
I was hoping to simplify the setup by sending audio over USB directly from the PSR-SX900 into Cubase, instead of using line cables through the UR22C.

What I’ve done so far:

  • Installed Yamaha Steinberg USB Driver (v3.1.6 for macOS Monterey)

  • Confirmed the driver is installed on Mac

  • Checked Audio MIDI Setup, but I don’t see the Yamaha as an available audio device

  • In Cubase Studio Setup:

    • Yamaha shows under MIDI ports

    • But does NOT appear in the ASIO driver list

Questions:

  1. Does the PSR-SX900 actually support USB audio into Cubase as an ASIO device, or is it MIDI-only over USB?

  2. If it does support USB audio, what settings am I missing (on either the Yamaha or Mac)?

  3. Is there a specific USB mode or setting on the PSR-SX900 I need to enable? (I couldn’t find anything obvious under MIDI settings)

  4. Would upgrading to Cubase Elements 15 make any difference in detecting USB audio devices like this?

  5. Or is the correct/only reliable workflow to continue using audio cables via the UR22C?

Goal:
I want to capture the exact original Yamaha sound into Cubase with minimal tone change and the cleanest workflow possible.

Any guidance or confirmation using the PSR-SX900 with cubase (or similar Yamaha arranger keyboards) would be really helpful.

Thanks in advance!

2

Hi,

Yamaha only sends MIDI over USB, and does not function as a USB audio/ASIO interface on either Windows or Mac. The SX900’s USB‑to‑host port is MIDI‑only, so it does not appear in DAWs as an ASIO audio device.

3

Thanks Martin - do you think the workflow I currently adopt to convert to audio in cubase is the best approach. I find the original sounds of the Yamaha change when converted from midi to Audio in chase. I tried converting individual tracks in audio within Yamaha which is great but lining it up together in cubase later is a bit challenge - what might be an approach for me to get the same original Yamaha sounds as audio files in cubase ?

4

Hi,

What do you mean? I can imagine, that the Audio tracks are not perfectly in sync with the MIDI data in Cubase. But they should be perfectly in sync among each other. And I hope Yamaha exports all of them with the whole length (Bar 1), or am I wrong?

To answer my question, I would export the *.mid file, load it in the instrument and export in on the instrument.

5

Hello
There are several tutorials on YouTube
that explain how to manage external MIDI instruments with Cubase

How to Utilize External MIDI Instruments in Cubase | Q&A with Greg Ondo

6

For my setup with my Clavinova CVP303
To retrieve audio from the Clavinova

you need to go to Audio Connection > External Instruments

image
image1025×310 16.9 KB

then in MIDI device manager

and import the CVP303 XML file for you, the PSR-SX900

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image886×402 19.3 KB

In my case, I had to find a similar XML file to modify.
For you, I believe the file is already in Cubase.

image
image917×963 49.3 KB

7

other links

Adding an external hardware instrument in Cubase

Cubase Skills: External Instruments

All of this is a bit long and complicated to set up, but

this allows Cubase to recognize all the sounds on your PSR and to play multiple MIDI tracks and MIDI CCs.

8

@rdsouza1967 wrote that they are using Cubase Elements. The External Instrument feature you propose to use is not available in Cubase Elements.

1 Like
9

Oh sorry, I didn’t see it

10

Hi,

You would need to send MIDI Tracks and add Audio Tracks for every single MIDI Track.

But recording track by track in real time is very time-consuming. Therefore I would recommend to make an offline export in the instrument.

11

Thanks everyone, this is very helpful.

Just to confirm my understanding:

  • Since I’m using Cubase Elements 12 , I don’t have the External Instrument feature

  • And the Yamaha PSR-SX900 only sends MIDI over USB, not audio

So I won’t be able to use it as an ASIO audio device in Cubase.

@Martin — Is the external instrument feature non avaiability specific to cubase elements 12 only - is that for example available on cubase elements 15 ? also when you mentioned “offline export in the instrument,” do you mean exporting directly as aduio from the PSR-SX900 (using its audio recorder) instead of routing MIDI through Cubase and recording in real time? How might I be able to do this as individual tracks of a song I created on the PSR SX 900 so I can then import it in cubase and do the end mixing there ?

It seems like a much cleaner workflow for preserving the original Yamaha sound.

Are you able to share how does one export each track individually from the Yamaha and would they all line up as originally recorded on the timeline in cubase ?

Thanks again .

12

Hi,

No. This is Cubase Pro feature only for many years.

Yes, I mean direct record on the hardware. I’m not 100%, but I was under the impression you can just export the stems. Or am I wrong?

13

I dont beleive one simply export stems from the Yamaha PSR SX 900

14

Hi,

Unfortunately, there is no offline export on PSR-SX900. So you need to export it track by track, all of them in real-time. So it will be quite time-consuming.

Anyway, I would recommend to export it on the instrument. Why?
A) Everything is digital inside of the instrument. So you don’t get any analog noise.
B) Everything will be in sync with MIDI and you don’t have to do any kind of syncing.