I had one of these for years, after buying it new around 1999-2000. I regret selling it. I wrote the entire soundtrack to a friend's 15 minute short film on one of these (except for some overdubbed guitars.) It's an amazingly capable device for its size. I remember sitting in Miami traffic, one hand on the wheel, the other on the QY70, writing music. (Yeah, yeah... I was in college, and it wasn't the only stupid thing I did at the time.)
Right after I bought my QY20 (around 1994 I think) I was in Miami Beach and was programming up stuff while sitting at the News Cafe while all the people walked by. Of course, Miami in 94 was very different than what it is now though in any case it was a great environment in which to create. More than a few people stopped to ask me what I was doing as at the time the QY20 looked like one of those tricorders off of Star Trek.
In 1998 I watched an interview with Bjork in which she said that she composed a lot of the songs from Debut, Post, and Homogenic on a QY20 and later QY70. She carried it with her everywhere. I don't think it got much use on the final album cuts, but I bought a QY70 the next day and love it. I saw Tricky later that year and saw that it was his instrument on stage. It has the same powerful AWM2 tone generator that Yamaha put into their high end keyboards in that era. By messing with the onboard effects you make this thing sound great. Back in the day, there was Yamaha XG software that would let you externally control parameters like filters, the five knobs for each of the effects, hidden LFOs and such, to create really powerful performances. The support for this is pretty much dead now. You need a proprietary cable, computer with a serial port, and software that doesn't run on modern computers. Is there anyone around who is able to do this still?
I looked for that cable for so long I get bored and find and MPC1000. I think i will use again my qy70, piano sounded great and was very small (veery important to me!)
You do not need this serial port cable. There are many cheap (sub 30€) MIDI-USB cables. I bought one on amazon for 15€ and it allows me to send/dump SysEx to from my PC. You can also use it with a hardware MIDI controller with KNOBS :) Yeeeeeee
I got mine for about 30 dollars from a second hand store - didn't really know what it was back then but really liked the design. Lovin it ever since. Great music you're making on it !
Btw in song mode you can just freeform record on the 16 channels and ignore the patterns completely, so you're not actually stuck in stone in terms of songwriting
There's something inspiring about the 90's Yamaha sequencer workflow that nobody has really come close to. The QY700 is still front and centre of my setup.
What is your setup? To me QY 700 is overbearing as and too complex. I had some fun running ableton from QY 700 in ext mode, but it's just too slow in comparison.
@@micindir4213 the qy runs a deepmind 12d,roland tr8s, blofeld, typhoon, pro 1, wasp minilogue xd and both of the modal 8m units plus a couple of td-3's just slaved to clock. Depending on what I'm up to there's a few others that get added onto the second midi out (akai miniak, deepmind 6, korg opsix, modwave and wavestate and various old yamaha pss units). It's a very flexible unit, but there is a learning curve. I find it easier than the qy70/100 because the screen and extra buttons speed things up a lot.
@@squishmusic FPF and FUF are really good albums that just scream fun. The three albums that follow have their own sound but cannot compare to the QY-driven first albums
Very well written song. Nice to see that instead of some open-ended jam like I do all the time in my videos. 😀. Years ago I used the Qy20 to do a couple of albums. It was amazing and the Qy70 adds effects so it sounds even better. BTW-you can connect a midi controller and control filter cutoff and effects sends etc in real time.
I really like this thing! I plan to pick one up some time soon. I also really appreciated that you demonstrated how to use the qy70 and even went as far as making a song with vocals! Not many RUclipsrs would do such a thing. Subscribed
Great demo of the QY70! Another stupid party trick of the QY70 is that you can set the fingered zone of the keyboard input and use it as a sort of derpy arranger workstation where you can easily write your own styles. However I just mainly use it because it's a strong sequencer in a tiny package. Using it with CV.OCD also yields great results with eurorack and legacy synths.
I actually think is the feature squarepusher used throughout the years. His music is refreshingly diatonic (sometimes hehe) and in large part it is because you program you dank acid line and play your arranger chords to make this acid line follow your progression. It's actually incredibly intuitive to program chord changes too! And it's a great learning tool overall.
I used it as a scratchpad whilst I was on train journeys. People must've thought I was weird jamming on this silver box and headphones. But why not? Plug it into the power socket under the seat and start playing away to pass the journey time. Lately, I've simply hooked it up to a controller keyboard and it just does the job. The sounds can be adapted to suit your taste. Don't just stick with the default values. There's some decent reverb in there, and the cutoff and reso works well. Steep learning curve though.
Love the composition, it's got an 80s sitcom theme to it 👍🏾 Its that little motif and the retro sounds 👏🏾 I got a more basic version, think it's the qy10. This is really useful thanks for sharing 🙏🏾
Some thoughts: 1. Referring to the Qy70 as ‘vintage’ makes me feel old. 2. I have a Qy100 and it’s pretty handy, but no must-have features over the 70. 3. Freezepop 4. SmartMedia cards are expensive these days. 5. Freezepop!
Very nice song. Nice voice. I love your name. I talk, in the third person, quite a bit. So I appreciate that. Thank you, Josh is making music. Heath isn't right now, he can't find his Dreadbox PSU, meh🎵🎶🎵
I totally just came her to see how representative of my baby the video was and how much love it was gettin'. Gotta say I'm pretty pleased. And YAH, the little gameboy lookalike can really rock! Especially if you got a midi controller handy, so you can abuse its Mac Demarco-ey vibrato and change its speed by sending it mystical NRPNS. And "just one?" insert effect can really run the mile for ya, as it got NASTY modulation effects (phasers, choruses and whatnot), nice harmonic enrichers (dist.) and crazy-ass reverbs. The way I see it, Yamaha isn't really a bad tempered guy, they just don't talk much. Just like the DX7 had a tiny screen, the QY70 gives you none of the titty-twisting you can do with a Roland MC, but it can really help you out if you wanna modify velocity post-hoc or change the rhythm of your stuff. And it actually records CC! Talk about products (that reflect the technological zeitgeist of their years) with personality. The only gripe I have it's that the cute little buttons eventually lose their conductive paint, so my first QY has a few "deaf" spots. But, hey, this is a product that has greatly outlived its obsolescense projections. Luckily, I got a new one and I'm hoping to nab a roll of copper tape to see if I can brig the old one back to life. Oh, BTW, this german guy really saw the potential of the thing back in the day, and his site can be helpful to neophytes like meself: www.studio4all.de/htmle/main92.html#xgprgxgpart02
Thats really interesting you wrote about the copper tape/conductive. My first QY has some sticky/buttons, not contacting. I have a better unit. But I would like to 'fix' this sticky button thing...can you advise? :)
@@squishmusic AFAIK, it's a matter of cutting the adhesive copper tape to size and placing it on the little black conductive paint dots that have worn out. There's also some people out there using a conductive paint specifically designed for TV controller repair. I ain't got around to do it yet, though. If ya try any of dem solutions and have positive results, lmk :)
If ya cant find copper tape, ive fixed quite a few keyboards with a pencil, just rub some graphite on the contacts Best to use a softer pencil, like a 2B
Great video really shows how great this workstation was/ is. Had one 95-2007 dropped it onto a tiled floor, that was the end of that. But now I have a complete studio so it was gateway gear. 🎧🎹🎹🎹🎧
Good Job Man, ...nice composing!!! I got the QY-100 its the same, but it has a Guitar Input and Amp Sim, you can't Rec. the Guitar But you can compose Songs too... What i think what is the best on this Maschines, the 600+ Phrases of Intos, Verse, fill's and outos... ...its nice for jaming around... And the "E-Guitar" Phrases in my opinion one of the best i ever heard!!! When you use them to trigger external "VSTi" in a computer DAW, you get good results! For the iPad is a APP out Simulate the QY-70 and QY-100 / Yamaha Mobile Sequencer
I had the QY20 - I bought it new when it was first launched. It was quite innovative for the time and it formed the basis of lots of compositions. Yea, it was a bit tedious doing programming but I got good at it and could sequence quite rapidly.
Very cool! It's funny how (since making this video) my feelings on the QY-70 have become that I think it feels like something out of an 80s or 90s sci-fi movie. It's so feature-laden, but with the drawbacks of being an earlier take at portable musical production. It would fit right into Total Recall or Alien.
@@JoshIsMakingMusic The QY20 was also marketed as a practice tool which made sense given that you could mute out specific instruments. And given how easy it was to enter chords, you could program up a section over which to practice (or perform). I later also used the MIDI out from the QY20 to drive some of the EMU modules (e.g. Proteus, Orbit) which had much better sounds. Even using the built in QY20 patterns with a pro level sound module made it sound great (for the time). Hardware sequencers were still quite popular then (Alesis had the MMT-8) and they were quite reliable although tedious because of the screen sizes.
Just got one from Japan to UK. Wanted it since I had a go of a friends in about 1999. Bit fiddly, spent ages and still baffled how to adjust individual drums volume and make custom kits but Ill get there. Thanks for sharing 🙂😎👍❤️
Very enjoyable presentation Josh. I wish there was more information available about the QY series of sequencers available on the internet. I feel I learned something and was very impressed with the song (I assume) you wrote. Best regards!
I have had mine for years and years and it is the one synth I will never get rid of. The sequencer alone is so far beyond most current step sequencers etc that it is ridiculous. Complete multipart melodic lines can be either stepped in or real time played in with resolution that maintains timing nuances. I have used it as a composing tool, synthesizer and sound module for midi guitar controller and as a controller for my other synths. The pitched percussion sounds and piano are particularly good and useful for me. I may have to pick up a QY100 at some point!
Can you edit individual notes after recording? I was waiting for you to do that to correct a mistake rather than just undoing & recording the whole thing again.
Hello!! So, I just purchased a qy70, and after few experimentations, the memory is now full. I wanted to know how can I find the data filer program compatible with my mac 10.13? or how do you export your songs data please?
I'm not 100% sure (I've too many Yamaha MU devices!) so 'Google' it, but once this is plugged into a PC with the correct Yamaha software, I think you get access to a Yamaha QS300 and you can 'mess' with the built in voices (ADSR, for pitch and envelope etc). The MU10 definitely has a QS330 inside but My MU1000 doesn't.
Nice review. Doesn't it automatically switch to section b when you choose the ab fill around 2:55. One limitation of the Qy100 is they removed the Groove quanitize and you only have swing.
@@JoshIsMakingMusic it's OK, just needs more practice. You catch notes adequately and have nice timbre to your voice, so don't be to shy about it- you can develop decent 80's - 90's type of vocal if you put effort in it
The band Freezepop pretty much made all their early to mid-era music on this thing. They even had a song called "I am not your Gameboy" about people thinking their music had a Nintendo sound. They use that metronome countdown in their cover of the Jem theme song too.
I'd say it is, though it doesn't have the same singular focus that something like the Volca FM or Keys have. The QY70 is more of a Swiss army knife than a specialized tool.
I'd say it's very well rounded, you can do drums, percussion,pads, bass, strings, effects. And it also has a proper song mode that he didn't really touch on. With song mode you have 8 more tracks you can improvise on for the whole track. It also has a crazy reharmonization system that can be controlled real time. This device is a real sleeper.
@@intnrmri Song mode is 16 tracks. You can then record the pattern loops (1-8 tracks) in song mode so you have 24 tracks. You will run out of polyphony/notes before you do tracks :D
Just picked one up and it works fine (gotta replace the backup battery and the battery cover foam since the batteries are a little rattly. Still has the screen peely cover thing from the 90s tho!) but is the dark grey paint on the back of yours kinda.... chalky feeling? Like there's a layer of fine grit on it? I've tried to wipe it off but can't seem to and I'm a little afraid of hitting it with anything stronger.
I have always wanted one of these might bite the bullet. My favorite process is working with general midi on a PC and then using it like a coloring book and making it gnarly on my synths. Having a mobile unit to do this would be great. I love the polite tone of this things instruments. This was the info I needed, thanks for this vid!!
Ok I just got one and I'm excited! Q: Is it possible to change presets (voices) while playing along, ie in real time, to a song or pattern? eg you want to see 'which organ sound fits', so you play different ones, while listening to the music?
Ive had one since '99 and I have STILL not made a YT tutorial series for it! :D But you beat me to it...well you BEAT me (CAPS= pun now intended!) to the love letter part! :P
9:56 I have heard/read that the QY70 sounds are better/nicer/more retro/warmer etc than the 100. I confess I have never heard a 100 :D ...and sorry (I meant) the music in the tutorial was cheesy. Now I just reached the end song (Y) - have no shame on your singing Sir. =) Subbed hoping to see some more QY vidz
Very cool! I'm excited to see that tutorial series. I agree that a sampler on the QY70 would rock, but when the built-in sounds are this good, the lack of sampling doesn't sting too much.
I have a QR70 & I stll don't understand the differences with a QY10 (except for the sampling, less styles, and different ergonomics). I'll listen to your songs!
I'm a Film composer Independent Films I make more than 60 commercials and like 24 Films with the QY70 I mean it !!! I have the QY100 but is not the same definitely Guys !!!
@@NEWYORKERhector1 such a cool job! Very envious! And I believe it. The QY-70 has such an "agreeable" sound to it, i doubt it'll ever be out of fashion.
@@majorfierce The 100 has updated sounds and has the smart media card for midi storage as well as a mike line input the 70 is or was a the smaller version of it no 909 sounds like they updated those sounds on the 100
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
I had one of these for years, after buying it new around 1999-2000. I regret selling it. I wrote the entire soundtrack to a friend's 15 minute short film on one of these (except for some overdubbed guitars.) It's an amazingly capable device for its size. I remember sitting in Miami traffic, one hand on the wheel, the other on the QY70, writing music. (Yeah, yeah... I was in college, and it wasn't the only stupid thing I did at the time.)
Right after I bought my QY20 (around 1994 I think) I was in Miami Beach and was programming up stuff while sitting at the News Cafe while all the people walked by. Of course, Miami in 94 was very different than what it is now though in any case it was a great environment in which to create. More than a few people stopped to ask me what I was doing as at the time the QY20 looked like one of those tricorders off of Star Trek.
The QY70 is the best kept secret in music tech history. In the right hands. Masterpieces can be made anywhere on this beauty.
Its a fooking DAW with VSTs and fits in (a big ass) pocket!
That Japanese city pop beat was FIRE!
In 1998 I watched an interview with Bjork in which she said that she composed a lot of the songs from Debut, Post, and Homogenic on a QY20 and later QY70. She carried it with her everywhere. I don't think it got much use on the final album cuts, but I bought a QY70 the next day and love it. I saw Tricky later that year and saw that it was his instrument on stage. It has the same powerful AWM2 tone generator that Yamaha put into their high end keyboards in that era. By messing with the onboard effects you make this thing sound great. Back in the day, there was Yamaha XG software that would let you externally control parameters like filters, the five knobs for each of the effects, hidden LFOs and such, to create really powerful performances. The support for this is pretty much dead now. You need a proprietary cable, computer with a serial port, and software that doesn't run on modern computers. Is there anyone around who is able to do this still?
I looked for that cable for so long I get bored and find and MPC1000. I think i will use again my qy70, piano sounded great and was very small (veery important to me!)
You do not need this serial port cable. There are many cheap (sub 30€) MIDI-USB cables. I bought one on amazon for 15€ and it allows me to send/dump SysEx to from my PC. You can also use it with a hardware MIDI controller with KNOBS :) Yeeeeeee
@@squishmusic agree. I wrote some songs on it, then I exported the midi to Cubase, using a midi cable connected to my computer soundcard.
ruclips.net/video/4NLIBGGu8ZA/видео.html
A out 9mins in on this
ruclips.net/video/MICdN3-vKh8/видео.html
And here with a four track at home
The QY70 is a great unit. I use it in almost all my songs.
I got mine for about 30 dollars from a second hand store - didn't really know what it was back then but really liked the design. Lovin it ever since.
Great music you're making on it !
It's such a special and unique device. And thank you so much!
Thats CHEAP! Prices are going up. I bought as 2nd as backup last year 80€
Btw in song mode you can just freeform record on the 16 channels and ignore the patterns completely, so you're not actually stuck in stone in terms of songwriting
^^this :)
Amazing demo of this!! Been looking up videos on the QY70 lately, really glad to have found yours!! 😃🐀
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it! The QY70 is so rad, haha.
There's something inspiring about the 90's Yamaha sequencer workflow that nobody has really come close to.
The QY700 is still front and centre of my setup.
What is your setup? To me QY 700 is overbearing as and too complex. I had some fun running ableton from QY 700 in ext mode, but it's just too slow in comparison.
@@micindir4213 the qy runs a deepmind 12d,roland tr8s, blofeld, typhoon, pro 1, wasp minilogue xd and both of the modal 8m units plus a couple of td-3's just slaved to clock. Depending on what I'm up to there's a few others that get added onto the second midi out (akai miniak, deepmind 6, korg opsix, modwave and wavestate and various old yamaha pss units). It's a very flexible unit, but there is a learning curve.
I find it easier than the qy70/100 because the screen and extra buttons speed things up a lot.
Freezepop Forever and Fancy Ultra Fresh are perfect examples of QY70 heavy albums by Freezepop
I knew of FP but not FUF - will ecoute ;)
@@squishmusic FPF and FUF are really good albums that just scream fun. The three albums that follow have their own sound but cannot compare to the QY-driven first albums
Very well written song. Nice to see that instead of some open-ended jam like I do all the time in my videos. 😀. Years ago I used the Qy20 to do a couple of albums. It was amazing and the Qy70 adds effects so it sounds even better. BTW-you can connect a midi controller and control filter cutoff and effects sends etc in real time.
You can nowadays even configure an iOS MIDI app to control over usb/midi :)
I really like this thing! I plan to pick one up some time soon. I also really appreciated that you demonstrated how to use the qy70 and even went as far as making a song with vocals! Not many RUclipsrs would do such a thing. Subscribed
Thanks so much! I hope you have tons of fun with yours!
I agree 👍💯
This is wild. Very entertaining, thanks for sharing!
I'm looking for something like this ..I was thinking it doesn't sound like a Yamaha then I heard the gun shots brought me right to the DJ x
My buddy had one of these back in the day, and I was always jealous of him! :) thank you for this really information video. Appreciate your time.
Thanks! It must've been cool getting to see the QY70 when it was new. Glad you enjoyed it!
Great demo of the QY70! Another stupid party trick of the QY70 is that you can set the fingered zone of the keyboard input and use it as a sort of derpy arranger workstation where you can easily write your own styles. However I just mainly use it because it's a strong sequencer in a tiny package. Using it with CV.OCD also yields great results with eurorack and legacy synths.
I actually think is the feature squarepusher used throughout the years. His music is refreshingly diatonic (sometimes hehe) and in large part it is because you program you dank acid line and play your arranger chords to make this acid line follow your progression. It's actually incredibly intuitive to program chord changes too! And it's a great learning tool overall.
can you explain this to a noob in more detail? Thanks
this has made me feel so nostalgic. ps i love your song
@@kend8537 thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed! 😁
I'm still using teh softsynth on widows 10......Still sounds awesome after so many years.
This tune reminds me of "Prom Night" by Anamanaguchi. The chord progress and melody share some and I really dig that.
I used it as a scratchpad whilst I was on train journeys. People must've thought I was weird jamming on this silver box and headphones. But why not? Plug it into the power socket under the seat and start playing away to pass the journey time.
Lately, I've simply hooked it up to a controller keyboard and it just does the job. The sounds can be adapted to suit your taste. Don't just stick with the default values. There's some decent reverb in there, and the cutoff and reso works well.
Steep learning curve though.
In 2000 I was living in Rome. I wrote 24 songs on my QY70, most were composed on the Metro. I still use it for live trance and ambience pieces.
Love the composition, it's got an 80s sitcom theme to it 👍🏾 Its that little motif and the retro sounds 👏🏾 I got a more basic version, think it's the qy10. This is really useful thanks for sharing 🙏🏾
Some thoughts:
1. Referring to the Qy70 as ‘vintage’ makes me feel old.
2. I have a Qy100 and it’s pretty handy, but no must-have features over the 70.
3. Freezepop
4. SmartMedia cards are expensive these days.
5. Freezepop!
Very nice song. Nice voice. I love your name. I talk, in the third person, quite a bit. So I appreciate that. Thank you, Josh is making music. Heath isn't right now, he can't find his Dreadbox PSU, meh🎵🎶🎵
Well....I just found another piece of gear I "need." Great demo. Like your tracks too.
I've had a qy70 for almosr a year and I'm hard pressed to think of any of my music gear that I use more
That track was really nice my dude. I may get one of these boxes
I made plenty of Beats with this in the 90s. plan i pulling it out soon.
Nice to get an honest review like his from someone who's used a device and knows its pros and cons.
Good work, liked and subscribed :-)
I totally just came her to see how representative of my baby the video was and how much love it was gettin'. Gotta say I'm pretty pleased. And YAH, the little gameboy lookalike can really rock! Especially if you got a midi controller handy, so you can abuse its Mac Demarco-ey vibrato and change its speed by sending it mystical NRPNS. And "just one?" insert effect can really run the mile for ya, as it got NASTY modulation effects (phasers, choruses and whatnot), nice harmonic enrichers (dist.) and crazy-ass reverbs.
The way I see it, Yamaha isn't really a bad tempered guy, they just don't talk much. Just like the DX7 had a tiny screen, the QY70 gives you none of the titty-twisting you can do with a Roland MC, but it can really help you out if you wanna modify velocity post-hoc or change the rhythm of your stuff. And it actually records CC! Talk about products (that reflect the technological zeitgeist of their years) with personality.
The only gripe I have it's that the cute little buttons eventually lose their conductive paint, so my first QY has a few "deaf" spots. But, hey, this is a product that has greatly outlived its obsolescense projections. Luckily, I got a new one and I'm hoping to nab a roll of copper tape to see if I can brig the old one back to life.
Oh, BTW, this german guy really saw the potential of the thing back in the day, and his site can be helpful to neophytes like meself:
www.studio4all.de/htmle/main92.html#xgprgxgpart02
Thats really interesting you wrote about the copper tape/conductive. My first QY has some sticky/buttons, not contacting. I have a better unit. But I would like to 'fix' this sticky button thing...can you advise? :)
@@squishmusic AFAIK, it's a matter of cutting the adhesive copper tape to size and placing it on the little black conductive paint dots that have worn out. There's also some people out there using a conductive paint specifically designed for TV controller repair. I ain't got around to do it yet, though. If ya try any of dem solutions and have positive results, lmk :)
If ya cant find copper tape, ive fixed quite a few keyboards with a pencil, just rub some graphite on the contacts
Best to use a softer pencil, like a 2B
waht kinda midi keybaord are you using with this ?
@@grunntalll any midi CC capable one shudd work. I find (NRPN capable) Novation controllers work best. Insta tweakability.
Great video really shows how great this workstation was/ is. Had one 95-2007 dropped it onto a tiled floor, that was the end of that. But now I have a complete studio so it was gateway gear. 🎧🎹🎹🎹🎧
Good Job Man, ...nice composing!!!
I got the QY-100 its the same, but it has a Guitar Input and Amp Sim, you can't Rec. the Guitar
But you can compose Songs too...
What i think what is the best on this Maschines, the 600+ Phrases of Intos, Verse, fill's and outos...
...its nice for jaming around...
And the "E-Guitar" Phrases in my opinion one of the best i ever heard!!!
When you use them to trigger external "VSTi" in a computer DAW, you get good results!
For the iPad is a APP out Simulate the QY-70 and QY-100 / Yamaha Mobile Sequencer
I had the QY20 - I bought it new when it was first launched. It was quite innovative for the time and it formed the basis of lots of compositions. Yea, it was a bit tedious doing programming but I got good at it and could sequence quite rapidly.
Very cool! It's funny how (since making this video) my feelings on the QY-70 have become that I think it feels like something out of an 80s or 90s sci-fi movie. It's so feature-laden, but with the drawbacks of being an earlier take at portable musical production. It would fit right into Total Recall or Alien.
@@JoshIsMakingMusic The QY20 was also marketed as a practice tool which made sense given that you could mute out specific instruments. And given how easy it was to enter chords, you could program up a section over which to practice (or perform). I later also used the MIDI out from the QY20 to drive some of the EMU modules (e.g. Proteus, Orbit) which had much better sounds. Even using the built in QY20 patterns with a pro level sound module made it sound great (for the time). Hardware sequencers were still quite popular then (Alesis had the MMT-8) and they were quite reliable although tedious because of the screen sizes.
Thanks Josh for introducing me to this unit.
Just got one from Japan to UK. Wanted it since I had a go of a friends in about 1999. Bit fiddly, spent ages and still baffled how to adjust individual drums volume and make custom kits but Ill get there. Thanks for sharing 🙂😎👍❤️
I never use the pattern mode to make songs on it , I make long tracks and use the track mute function to bring in parts
I had one, way back ... was not able to use it ;) Björk was my inspiration ...
Very enjoyable presentation Josh. I wish there was more information available about the QY series of sequencers available on the internet. I feel I learned something and was very impressed with the song (I assume) you wrote. Best regards!
Maybe I missed it but would love more videos of you making tracks with this! (and other cool gear like the deluge!) those tracks were super dope!
Wow. This is exactly the kind of device I've been looking for. Just found one on Ebay for a little over $100. Thanks for the review! Subbed
Ylva Trax has some great jams that include the QY70.
There’s a backlight mod but no videos on it
Great review and song!!
Thank you! 😁
I have had mine for years and years and it is the one synth I will never get rid of. The sequencer alone is so far beyond most current step sequencers etc that it is ridiculous. Complete multipart melodic lines can be either stepped in or real time played in with resolution that maintains timing nuances. I have used it as a composing tool, synthesizer and sound module for midi guitar controller and as a controller for my other synths. The pitched percussion sounds and piano are particularly good and useful for me. I may have to pick up a QY100 at some point!
I still have one of these the key buttons are totally worn out on it.
What about setting frequency to specific like 432hz?
Anyway great review and device.
Must get one now.
City Pop goes hard!
This is exactly what i need for my Sound setup 😮
Awesome. Great voice
Your song last song is a banger dude!!!
Can you edit individual notes after recording? I was waiting for you to do that to correct a mistake rather than just undoing & recording the whole thing again.
Outstanding video! Thank you.
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)
Goated video, Goated music
@@sacceur6392 thank you! 🐐
very listenable and nostalgic
Thank you! 😁
Awesome
Thank you! It's exciting to get a comment from a RUclipsr I'm a fan of!
@@JoshIsMakingMusic QY70 on the way cause of this vid :D Keep it up
@@JAdeWii_ thank you, and that's so rad that you're getting one! Excited to hear what you make with it!
How many songs you can save? Really nice video, i love the city pop beat!
Hello!! So, I just purchased a qy70, and after few experimentations, the memory is now full. I wanted to know how can I find the data filer program compatible with my mac 10.13? or how do you export your songs data please?
i can't believe we have (nearly) the same setup (qy 70, deluge)
the qy is the ONLY groovebox I kept when I got my deluge
The QY-70's just got some kinda charm that other grooveboxes can't quite match.
can you make a sample pack of this?
Great demo. Also, what is that piece of gear on the right?
I'm not 100% sure (I've too many Yamaha MU devices!) so 'Google' it, but once this is plugged into a PC with the correct Yamaha software, I think you get access to a Yamaha QS300 and you can 'mess' with the built in voices (ADSR, for pitch and envelope etc). The MU10 definitely has a QS330 inside but My MU1000 doesn't.
Freezepop is also a great band that relied heavily on the QYs for their soind
Nice review. Doesn't it automatically switch to section b when you choose the ab fill around 2:55.
One limitation of the Qy100 is they removed the Groove quanitize and you only have swing.
Theres somethong called play fx which is actually a collection of différent groove quantizations
@@shawnhoward7997 looks like it's been reduced on the q100 though.
Can it be used as external midi controller? Like, send pattern info?
That final track is lit! You should work on vocal confidence and you'll be fine.
Yes i think it can sequence up to 16 midi tracks. Plus it has a nice groove setting.
@@daviddavid9694 that makes it decent extrnal sequencer on a budget then.
@@foxholeartist thanks for both the praise and advice! Singing has always been one of my weaker points, haha.
@@JoshIsMakingMusic it's OK, just needs more practice. You catch notes adequately and have nice timbre to your voice, so don't be to shy about it- you can develop decent 80's - 90's type of vocal if you put effort in it
Hey what is that piece of gear to the right of the QY? the one with the stylus. Been looking for that piece forever and i need to know the name
It's a Stylophone Gen-X1!
@@JoshIsMakingMusic thanks man !!
Does it have the MULTI MODE (recording 16 midi channels in the same time) like the QY100. Thanks
I’ve never even heard of this thing. Definitely has early Nintendo music vibes.
The band Freezepop pretty much made all their early to mid-era music on this thing. They even had a song called "I am not your Gameboy" about people thinking their music had a Nintendo sound.
They use that metronome countdown in their cover of the Jem theme song too.
Amazing tutorial! Really thinking about grabbing one of these now. Dumb question: can u sync an arpeggiated analog synth to it?
Thanks! And it's got a midi out so if your synth has a midi in, you should be able to sync them.
@@JoshIsMakingMusic I figured. Thank you for the response!
More feature packed than many Volcas?!
I'd say it is, though it doesn't have the same singular focus that something like the Volca FM or Keys have. The QY70 is more of a Swiss army knife than a specialized tool.
I'd say it's very well rounded, you can do drums, percussion,pads, bass, strings, effects. And it also has a proper song mode that he didn't really touch on. With song mode you have 8 more tracks you can improvise on for the whole track. It also has a crazy reharmonization system that can be controlled real time. This device is a real sleeper.
@@intnrmri Song mode is 16 tracks. You can then record the pattern loops (1-8 tracks) in song mode so you have 24 tracks. You will run out of polyphony/notes before you do tracks :D
Just picked one up and it works fine (gotta replace the backup battery and the battery cover foam since the batteries are a little rattly. Still has the screen peely cover thing from the 90s tho!) but is the dark grey paint on the back of yours kinda.... chalky feeling? Like there's a layer of fine grit on it? I've tried to wipe it off but can't seem to and I'm a little afraid of hitting it with anything stronger.
I’d like to request more QY70 content, please
I have plans for videos for a bit but I will add that to the list!
THANK YOU SO MUCH !
Great video!
I love ur song so much ❤
I have always wanted one of these might bite the bullet. My favorite process is working with general midi on a PC and then using it like a coloring book and making it gnarly on my synths. Having a mobile unit to do this would be great. I love the polite tone of this things instruments. This was the info I needed, thanks for this vid!!
Glad you enjoyed it! The QY-70 is really great, I've still got it in my studio. There really isn't much like it.
I used general midi for composing for so many years:D then putting the midi to better sounding synths
So like you write the music on PC and send it to synths to choose the right sounds and then record it back to PC? can i hear your work somewhere ?
I could hear David Bowie doing a song like this... nice job man.
That's high praise, thank you!
Sounds like another video game track :)
Ok I just got one and I'm excited! Q: Is it possible to change presets (voices) while playing along, ie in real time, to a song or pattern? eg you want to see 'which organ sound fits', so you play different ones, while listening to the music?
yes of course. but by now youve probably figured it out
@@grunntalll yea, thanks. You go to the 'mixer screen', and move the cursor to the voice parameter.
which one to recommend QY 10 , 17 or 100?!
I can recommend the 70! And I think the 100 is the same but adds some features for guitar running through it?
The song reminds me of "The Lotus Eaters" but I can't even tell you why. 😀
T remember, back in the days, after this Björk beach scene, everybody looked for this magic box !
Inspired!!!!
Thank you!
Oh wow getting this ASAP lmao
It's such a fun little box.
Ive had one since '99 and I have STILL not made a YT tutorial series for it! :D But you beat me to it...well you BEAT me (CAPS= pun now intended!) to the love letter part! :P
9:56 I have heard/read that the QY70 sounds are better/nicer/more retro/warmer etc than the 100. I confess I have never heard a 100 :D
...and sorry (I meant) the music in the tutorial was cheesy. Now I just reached the end song (Y) - have no shame on your singing Sir. =)
Subbed hoping to see some more QY vidz
Very cool! I'm excited to see that tutorial series. I agree that a sampler on the QY70 would rock, but when the built-in sounds are this good, the lack of sampling doesn't sting too much.
@@JoshIsMakingMusic There's always the SU-10/200 which pairs nicely with the QY's
I have a QR70 & I stll don't understand the differences with a QY10 (except for the sampling, less styles, and different ergonomics). I'll listen to your songs!
@@mkiswatoo neither the QY70 or QY10 have sampling. You'll need the SU10, SU200 or SU700 for sampling grooveboxes.
Funny how old Yamahas have insane amounts of polyphony when modern ones by most brands have like 8
Thank you!
It was and still is the Gameyboy for mushcians
Anyone else recognize that drum beat he demos around 0:50? lmao
I'm a Film composer Independent Films I make more than 60 commercials and like 24 Films with the QY70 I mean it !!! I have the QY100 but is not the same definitely Guys !!!
@@NEWYORKERhector1 such a cool job! Very envious! And I believe it. The QY-70 has such an "agreeable" sound to it, i doubt it'll ever be out of fashion.
where can i hear your work???
I paid 60.00 uk for mine 5 years ago , I will never sell it
It is not a groove box its a true sequencer sound mod
I have both
I love it I have it and I have the qy 100
Yeah, it's great!
@@JoshIsMakingMusic I have had mine since 1997 the 100 was giving to me
do you have a preference of the qy100 over the qy70? what do you like about it? i'm trying to decide between the two
@@majorfierce The 100 has updated sounds and has the smart media card for midi storage as well as a mike line input
the 70 is or was a the smaller version of it no 909 sounds like they updated those sounds on the 100
Mine is awesome 👍
They rock!
Makaveli the Don was made with a qy70.
where did you hear this?
Sounds like a vintage game 🤭🤣😅🗣️🤔🤔
Make breakcore
This guys review sucks that device is more powerful then some of todays software
You have a lot of potentional. Try Nofap and your voice will be more steady. Try Keto and you'll lose the weight.
in five minutes they will be $775 on reverb.