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  • Amazon Alexa on MusicCast

    Amazon Alexa-enabled devices — including Echo, Dot, Tap and Show — can now control key functions of any MusicCast product using voice commands. Discover a new, exciting way to control music and entertainment experiences in your home.

  • More Ways to Take Control, Hands-Free

    Yamaha offers two Alexa skills that work hand-in-hand to give you a wide range of voice command possibilities, allowing you to control either a single MusicCast product or a whole MusicCast system.

  • MusicCast Smart Home skill

    Lets you use standardized Alexa commands for the most commonly-used control functions.

    abdvbkajdbvajkbdvklabdvbadbvabjkd skill

    Goes beyond the basics, giving you enhanced control of unique MusicCast functions with custom commands.

  • Function

    MusicCast Smart Home skill -common commands-

    MusicCast skill -custom commands-

  • Power on/off

    "Alexa, turn on the Kitchen."

    "Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn on the Kitchen." "Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn off all rooms."

  • Volume up/down

    "Alexa, volume up in the Kitchen."

    "Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn volume up in the Kitchen." "Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn the group volume down in the Kitchen"

  • Volume settings

    "Alexa, set volume to 30 in the Kitchen."

    "Alexa, ask MusicCast to set volume to 30 in the Kitchen." "Alexa, ask MusicCast to set group volume to 30 in the Kitchen."

  • Play/Pause/Stop

    "Alexa, pause in the Kitchen."

    "Alexa, ask MusicCast to pause in the Kitchen."

  • Next/Previous

    "Alexa, next in the Kitchen."

    "Alexa, ask MusicCast to skip song in the Kitchen."

  • Mute/Unmute

    "Alexa, mute the Kitchen."

    "Alexa, ask MusicCast to mute the Kitchen." "Alexa, ask MusicCast to mute all rooms."

  • Input selection

    "Alexa, select HDMI 1 in the Living Room."

    "Alexa, ask MusicCast to switch input to HDMI 1 in the Living Room."

  • Room Linking

    -

    "Alexa, ask MusicCast to link the Kitchen with the Living Room." "Alexa, ask MusicCast to link the Kitchen with all rooms."

  • MusicCast Playlists/Favorites

    -

    "Alexa, ask MusicCast to play Favorite 1 in the Kitchen."

  • Disklavier Piano Controls　

    -

    "Alexa, ask MusicCast to play 'Angel' on the piano."

  • Yamaha will be adding more Alexa control features in 2018, including the ability to play a specific artist, album or song from select streaming services.

Control a Yamaha Disklavier Piano

Imagine "playing" a piano just by talking to it. With a Yamaha Disklavier ENSPIRE™ connected to a MusicCast system, the MusicCast skill lets you control your piano with your voice and have it play music not only in the living room, but throughout the whole home. It’s truly magical.

  • How to Get Started

    Ready to try it out? First make sure you’ve got all of the parts you’ll need, then download the Setup Manual for step-by-step instructions. You’ll be up and running in no time!

  • What you’ll need:

    - Any MusicCast product

    - Any Amazon Echo product

    - Yamaha MusicCast app

    - Amazon Alexa app

  • A Few Helpful Tips

    Using Amazon Alexa to voice control MusicCast products is amazingly powerful and it keeps getting better. Still, it can be helpful to know what to expect and ways to improve your experience, especially if you’re new to voice control. Here are some tips.

Place Your Echo Carefully

It’s recommended to put a little space between your Echo and your speaker or sound bar, and to place it where it can pick up your voice. When you have music or TV sound playing, this gives your Echo a better chance of hearing the "Alexa" wake word and your voice commands.

Watch Your Words

While Alexa is very good at handling natural language, certain words or phrasing may not be recognized as a command by the MusicCast skills. Also, ambient noises can sometimes cause a problem. If it seems that Alexa keeps hearing you incorrectly, you can watch what Alexa heard in the Alexa app (Menu > Settings > History).

Use Default MusicCast Room Names

It is recommended that you use the default room names vs. customized room names in the MusicCast app, as the default room names may be more easily recognized. If the default room names conflict with the names of other smart devices in your home, it may be necessary to modify the names of the other devices.

Set Up Your MusicCast Favorites and Playlists

In 2018, Yamaha will add the ability to play a specific artist, album or song from select streaming services. In the meantime, you can recall favorites or playlists that you have set up in the MusicCast app. Take a few minutes to set up the ones you use most often.

Alexa + MusicCast Full Commands

Following are the currently supported commands for each of the two available skills:

MusicCast Smart Home skill

- Alexa, turn on the [Room Name].

- Alexa, turn off the [Room Name].

- Alexa, play in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, pause in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, resume in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, stop the [Room Name].

- Alexa, next in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, previous in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, set volume to [30] in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, volume up in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, volume down in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, mute the [Room Name].

- Alexa, unmute the [Room Name].

- Alexa, switch input to [HDMI1] in the [Room Name].

MusicCast skill

Power on/off

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn on the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn off the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn off all rooms.

Play/Pause/Stop

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to play in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to pause in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to stop in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to stop all rooms.

Play MusicCast Favorites/Playlists/Recents

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to play [Favorite x] in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to play [Playlist x] in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to play Recents in the [Room Name].

Volume control

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to set volume to [30] in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to set group volume to [30] in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn up the volume in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn down the volume in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn up the group volume in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn down the group volume in the [Room Name].

Mute/Unmute

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to mute the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to unmute the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to mute all rooms.

Next/Previous (Skip/Back)

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to skip song in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to play previous song in the [Room Name].

Repeat/Shuffle

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to shuffle all songs in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn shuffle off in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to repeat one song in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to repeat all songs in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn off repeat in the [Room Name].

Input Selection

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to switch input to [HDMI1] in the [Room Name].

Room Linking/Unlinking

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to link the [Room Name] with the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to unlink the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to link the [Room Name] with all rooms.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to unlink all rooms.

Sleep Timer

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to set sleep timer for [30, 60, 90, 120] minutes in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to cancel the sleep timer in the [Room Name].

Now Playing

- Alexa, ask MusicCast what's playing in the [Room Name].

Disklavier ENSPIRE Controls

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to play the piano.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to stop the piano.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to skip the piano.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to play previous song on the piano.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to play [song name] on the piano.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to play the piano in Acoustic mode.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to play the piano in Quiet mode.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn up the volume on the piano.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn down the volume on the piano.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn on the piano.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn off the piano.

User Information

- Alexa, ask MusicCast for my user id.

How to Bluetooth Pair Echo with a MusicCast Device

1. Open the Alexa app and select Settings.

2. Select Echo / Echo Dot / Echo Show and then select Bluetooth > Pair a New Device to enter pairing mode. Put MusicCast device in pairing standby. Your MusicCast device will appear in the list of available.

3. Select the MusicCast device. The Echo connects the speaker and Alexa and tells you if the connection is successful.

Note: When Echo is Bluetooth-connected to a MusicCast device, you hear the sound only through the MusicCast device. It is easy to connect or disconnect them by simply saying "Alexa, Connect" or "Alexa, Disconnect."

How to Make a Wired Connection from Echo Dot to a MusicCast Device

1. Connect an audio cable between Echo Dot and an analog input on a MusicCast device

2. In the MusicCast app, select the input. If desired, you can rename the input name to "Echo Dot" in the MusicCast app under Settings > Room Settings > Edit Sources.

Note: When Echo Dot is wired to a MusicCast device, you hear the sound only through the MusicCast device and only when the correct input is selected.

MusicCast + Alexa FAQs

What is Amazon Alexa?

Alexa is Amazon’s cloud-based voice service. You can talk to Alexa to play music, hear the news, check weather, control smart home devices and more. Alexa is built into many Amazon products, including all of its Echo devices, Fire TV devices and Alexa-enabled devices from other companies.

Which MusicCast products can be controlled with Alexa?

All MusicCast models can be controlled with Alexa using the MusicCast Smart Home skill and/or the MusicCast skill. It is necessary to have the latest firmware loaded on your MusicCast products and to have the latest version of the MusicCast app on a compatible smart device.

Which Alexa products can be used to voice control MusicCast products?

All Alexa-enabled products with a microphone should be able to voice-control MusicCast products. This includes Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Plus, Echo Show, Echo Spot, Echo Look, Amazon Tap, Amazon Fire TV and Amazon Fire HD Tablets – as well as on many devices from other companies.

How do I setup Alexa to work with MusicCast?

To get started with Alexa on MusicCast, you’ll need to have your Echo and MusicCast products installed with Wi-Fi® access and both the Alexa app and MusicCast app need to be loaded on your smart device.

What is the difference between the MusicCast Smart Home skill and the MusicCast skill?

The MusicCast Smart Home skill supports the most common, everyday voice commands you would use to control a single MusicCast AV receiver, sound bar, wireless speaker or Hi-Fi receiver. These basic commands include power on/off, volume control, play/pause/skip/previous, mute/unmute and input selection. This skill supports simple, Alexa-standardized commands such as "Alexa, volume up in the Kitchen."

The MusicCast skill goes beyond the basics, giving you enhanced control of unique MusicCast functions such as room linking, multiple room control, playback of MusicCast Favorites/Playlists and more. The commands are customized for MusicCast such as, "Alexa, ask MusicCast to link the Kitchen with the Living Room."

What voice commands can I use with Alexa to control MusicCast?

Following are the currently supported commands for each of the two available skills:

MusicCast Smart Home skill

- Alexa, turn on the [Room Name].

- Alexa, turn off the [Room Name].

- Alexa, play in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, pause in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, resume in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, stop the [Room Name].

- Alexa, next in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, previous in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, set volume to [30] in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, volume up in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, volume down in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, mute the [Room Name].

- Alexa, unmute the [Room Name].

- Alexa, switch input to [HDMI1] in the [Room Name].

MusicCast skill

Power on/off

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn on the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn off the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn off all rooms.

Play/Pause/Stop

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to play in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to pause in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to stop in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to stop all rooms.

Play MusicCast Favorites/Playlists/Recents

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to play [Favorite x] in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to play [Playlist x] in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to play Recents in the [Room Name].

Volume control

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to set volume to [30] in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to set group volume to [30] in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn up the volume in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn down the volume in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn up the group volume in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn down the group volume in the [Room Name].

Mute/Unmute

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to mute the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to unmute the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to mute all rooms.

Next/Previous (Skip/Back)

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to skip song in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to play previous song in the [Room Name].

Repeat/Shuffle

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to shuffle all songs in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn shuffle off in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to repeat one song in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to repeat all songs in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn off repeat in the [Room Name].

Input Selection

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to switch input to [HDMI1] in the [Room Name].

Room Linking/Unlinking

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to link the [Room Name] with the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to unlink the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to link the [Room Name] with all rooms.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to unlink all rooms.

Sleep Timer

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to set sleep timer for [30, 60, 90, 120] minutes in the [Room Name].

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to cancel the sleep timer in the [Room Name].

Now Playing

- Alexa, ask MusicCast what's playing in the [Room Name].

Disklavier ENSPIRE Controls

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to play the piano.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to stop the piano.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to skip the piano.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to play previous song on the piano.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to play [song name] on the piano.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to play the piano in Acoustic mode.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to play the piano in Quiet mode.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn up the volume on the piano.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn down the volume on the piano.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn on the piano.

- Alexa, ask MusicCast to turn off the piano.

User Information

- Alexa, ask MusicCast for my user id.

What languages do the MusicCast skills support?

At this time, the skills support English in the United States.

Why do the MusicCast skills for Alexa use a volume range of 0-100 instead of 0-10?

Providing a range of 0-100 allows you to have greater control of the volume level you really want. This is especially helpful for audio systems where a small adjustment makes a noticeable difference, such as when a high-power AV receiver is used with high-sensitivity speakers.

Can I request a specific artist, album or song using Alexa?

In 2018, Yamaha will be adding the ability to select a specific artist, album or song from select streaming services. In the meantime, it is possible to set up Playlists and Favorites in the MusicCast app and recall those using Alexa voice commands.

Also, it is currently possible to use an Echo/Dot as a source for a MusicCast product connected via Bluetooth (all MusicCast products support a Bluetooth input). When an Echo is used as a source, you can request a specific artist, album or song just as you would when using it as a standalone device. MusicCast lets you redistribute a Bluetooth stream to multiple MusicCast products for simultaneous playback if desired.
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