BUENA PARK, Calif. — Bobby Freeman, organist for the Arizona Diamondbacks, has a new toy – a Tyros2 – which means that fans at Chase Field are in for an enhanced experience. Freeman's new supercharged keyboard gives him the capacity to create and instantly access hundreds of unique sounds.

Bobby Freeman and his new toy at the ballpark – Photo courtesy of the Arizona Diamondbacks

"The fans' experience at the ballpark this season is not only going to be enjoyable, it will also be highly noticeable," said Freeman.

After the stadium undergoes a $1.5 million sound-system upgrade, scheduled for some time this season, the new equipment will amplify the keyboard with uncanny clarity.

"I asked the sound engineer if the bass goes down to 32db," said Freeman, a professional organist for 35 years. "He looked at me and said 'it'll go down to a dinosaur walk!'"

The Tyros2 creates amazingly realistic sounds, including the slide of a guitar-player's finger up a string and breaths taken by a saxophonist. "I was stunned by the voices and ease of operation, which includes a human factor," he said. "From the fret sounds to the brass shakes, sometimes I actually feel like I'm playing a real person."

In addition to his duties at Chase Field, Freeman makes over a hundred appearances at community institutions every year, including 40 school assemblies with team mascot D. Baxter the Bobcat and he promotes a summer reading program at a dozen local libraries with books and Tyros2 in hand.

Freeman, whose wife Charlene sings with him at gigs around Arizona, used to have to lug a heavy organ, bulky cabinets and multiple keyboards to do his stint as a one-man-band at senior dances and other performances. Now all he needs is his Tyros2.

"I was never really satisfied with the sounds I used to get," he said. "They never fit my needs. I compete with big bands and now the ballroom dancers keep telling me 'You sound exactly like a Big Band – even better.'"

For more information on Tyros2, write Yamaha Corporation of America, Pro Audio & Combo Division, Portable Keyboards, P.O. Box 6600, Buena Park, CA 90622-6600; telephone (714) 522-9011; or email infostation@yamaha.com.

About Yamaha
Yamaha Corporation of America manufactures a complete line of musical instruments, professional audio products, customer-driven support products and computer based products targeted at both the amateur and professional markets.