Yamaha PSS-780 - the Portasound FM flagship
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- Опубликовано: 16 сен 2021
- Music: "Robot Coalition" (C) Copyright 2021 Alfonse
Download the track here: alfonse.bandcamp.com/album/once
Yamaha Portasound PSS-780 MusicStation FM keyboard (1989)
The PSS-780 almost identical to the PSS-680, aside from some different coloured pads and buttons, a few new rhythm patterns and a pointless re-numbering of all the voices, and it has the same sounds as the PSS-480 and 580, which were the next rung down in the product line.
The 780 has a 2 operator FM synth on board, which can be edited via the limited Digital Synthesizer parameters on the front panel. More than that, it also has Midi In, Out and Thru which gives you the capability to access even more parameters via MIDI SysEx messages; a number of editors exist to modify and build your own patches.
All sounds you hear in this track (other than the kick drum) come from the 780 and custom patches were made using Martin Tarenskeen's excellent PSS-780 panel for Ctrlr. ctrlr.martintarenskeen.nl
All the patches from this track and my other keyboard demos featuring the 580, 680 and 780 can be downloaded free from my website, www.alfonsemusic.com/synth-pa...
If anyone with a 680 or 780 is looking for a solution to that really invasive whining on the output, there's a video by James Bennett looking at the issue here: • 1989 Yamaha PSS780 - N... (Note - I have minimal ability with electronics, so haven't tried to replicate it, but it makes for an interesting video!)
Coloured dot pattern used in video: alex4d.com
ALFONSE
Store: alfonse.bandcamp.com
Twitter: / alfonsemusic
Instagram: / alfonsemusic
Soundcloud: / alfonsemusic 
Видеоклипы
It's comfortable to listen to. The robot that moves around finely is cute.
They are two of Tomy's Omnibot series that came out in the mid-1980s. The guy swivelling his head is Dingbot and Flipbot rotates his arms so he can get back up when he falls. I still have my Flipbot and Dustbot (a real vacuuming robot) from 1985.
This brings back so many memories. Had one when I was 13 and along with my Atari ST and a cracked copy of Pro24 it was my entry into a lifelong synth journey.
Yep, these keyboards were a gateway drug, for sure!
Finally found it again many many years later. My precious Yamaha PSS-780. I had this one as a teenager and had such a great time with it...exploring and exploring. Thanks for the beautiful demo! Oh, and by the way, it was my first ever keyboard.
Even though I have a MODX+ and a Pro 3 now, I still sorta miss my PSS 780. 61 key keyboard, small and light enough to bring anywhere with batteries and build-in speakers.
I bought a PSS-680 around end of April 2021. This video proves
what is possible with this keyboard. The synthesizer on this
keyboard is more powerful than many people realize.
It's true - took me a long time before I tried editing it via SysEx - whole new world!
I keep coming back to this. I love this sound.
keep doing what you do man this is extreme quality content
Thanks Tom!
Okay, today I had to make the last biz of the year as a Yamaha PSS-780. :-D Thanks for the video!
the legend returns! always a pleasure to see your videos on these amazing keyboard gems.
Cheers, John! Thanks for watching.
Just want to say you have phenomenal content here on your channel. I too love these kind of old keyboards so it's great to see them getting used to such good effect.
Cheers Matt! Glad you're liking the videos. They've been really enjoyable to make.
Thanks for the nostalgia. This was my first main keyboard in the late 80s. I loved using it to learn how to compose and arrange music. Many great memories with this little beauty. 🥰
Cool track as always Alfonse!
Thanks again!
I love your channel!! Cheers from Stockholm Sweden👍🏻🎵😀
Thanks very much. Skål from the UK! :)
Maybe one of your awesomest, Alfonse :) On maybe on of the awesomest home keyboards ever. To my shame, I never really tried out mine, but this track surely is an inspiration. Thaaaank you for the music!
PS. Oh hi robots!
Music and robots, that tried and tested combination... Thanks! :)
Great work man.... 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👍
Brawo Master !
great video as always. fantastic
Thanks :)
@@alfonsemusic what pedals do you recommend for the PSS 680/780? Also, do you recommend any for the 460 or 380? Love your use of them for your tracks!
Nice track!
It's crazy how much FM ground these boards cover.
Cheers Kenzie. It is! Got a lot out of using the SysEx editor. Next step is layering it up with another keyboard from the same series and doubling the operators.
@@alfonsemusic Yeah man, I'm sure this lovely slow softening of the synth strings is not a preset :)
Geil Mann.
Und fabelhafte Geräte sind das.
Another awesome job!
This synthesizer can generate good kick drums too.
Very true. There are a few cool drum sounds you can get out of it, but for some reason I decided to go with the Dr Rhythm...
@@alfonsemusic In case you need one more for the collection here's my take on a Bass Drum.
PSS780 Voice - 65
Attack - 30/59
Decay - 00/40
Freq - 00/01
Feedback -04
Modulation - 80
Total Level - 99
(Reverb off)
If Transpose is 0, tap the lowest G or A notes on the Keyboard.
@@MIK_F40 nice one!
Radical! 😎
I found one..a 780 ! In Japan. It's such a total 80s look with the colors and everything.
Nice. It was all my heart desired for a few months when I was a kid, the colours, the drum pads... but my parents wouldn't pay the extra, so I had to settle for a 580! :D
❤
I feel for the robots. They are looking for their master. 😭
No Robots were harmed or suffered emotional distress during the making of this video
That was the rich kid's thing. I remember the Yamaha catalog well. The drum pads and the colors were very promising.
Yeah, I really wanted this one, but my parents would only buy me the 580... 😆
That is a GOOD sound.. !! Makes me want to find one of these on ebay.
They're well worth it. Still some cheap ones to be found.
Epic track and so cool 🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯
:)
Superb👍👍👍👍♥️
Thanks Karen :)
🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️👍
I have the opportunity to procure one of these and I think you just sold me on it.
Cool, glad to be of service! It's worth it.
I had one of these, connected up to an Atari ST, but I barely used the sounds on it. I build a sampler from a kit published in ST Format magazine, and used Quartet software. Looking at this video, I probably should have made more use of the 780's sounds!
I had this keyboard when I was 16 years old :( nostalgia
I had the 580, but wished I had the 780...
JmJ style. Very good composition.
the arrangements and layers on your tracks is great and makes a great harmony, v easy on the ear. Is this theory or any tips on where to learn this? or is it all just practice practice practice
For me it's just years of experimenting and trying stuff out, backed with piano lessons as a kid. I've still been learning about effective arrangement while making these videos, to be honest, so it's all a process. If I spot any good arrangement tutorial videos out there, though, I'll try to post them somewhere
super
Nice to see new tunes and robot action again. Do you prefer this to the 480/580?
Cheers Chris. As a whole keyboard, yes I do prefer it - it was the one I really wanted as a kid, but my parents bought me the 580... But as a sound module, if not bothered about the drum pads, then it makes sense to have the slightly smaller case of the 580.
I preferred the790. It had awm voices and a vector synth.
I like them both, the PSS-790 is actually one of the keyboards I started out with 30 years ago and I agree at
that time the PSS-790 was better especially for music production as even in the early 90s having realistic
sounding piano, saxophones, basses, guitars... was pretty much an expectation. I bought the PSS-680 in 2021
which is the same as the PSS-780 with the main difference being that the buttons and pads on the PSS-680
are light blue, grey and black which I prefer even though I almost ended up with a PSS-780. The PSS-790 is still
better for sounds like piano and strings.
Great track, as usual 👏
I got curious when you said you used custom patches, how did you import them into the keyboard?
Typically by using a midi message program and a audio interface with midi I/O. Alfonse did provide a link to a application made specifically for editing the PSS-780 patch parameters. This will still require a midi enabled audio interface,
@pedro Yep, as @mad4400 says, I used a specific 'panel' someone made for Ctrlr (free software) that will interface with the 780 via MIDI. As long as you have the midi ports and cables to link up your computer it's very simple to edit and upload.
When I was at school a new music teacher announced the intention to offer keyboard/piano lessons. I was keen an badgered my parents to buy me a keyboard so I could learn. They bought me this but I never learnt anything on it because the school lessons never materialized so it went into the attic after a couple of years. As an adult I ended up giving it away to a friend's kids who probably got more use out of it. Tbh it was way more complicated than I needed but I remember the demo tune on it was awful, like some snazzy game show theme.
The demo for the almost identical PSS680 was a lot better - some kind of funk fusion thing that still sticks in my head. They changed it for the 780 for some reason and it wasn't good.
Is it multitimbral? How many channels does the sequencer have?
I have the same but I can't do anything
How to record the drum set, how to make the rhythm, please make a detailed video about arpecio, the keyboard is very clean, but I can't do anything, please help
You seem to know the perfect pedals to use. I've noticed the BOSS DD-7 in past videos. What pedals do you recommend for the PSS 480/680/780 line?
Thanks, but I really just use whatever I have, which at the moment is a DD7 (stereo delay is really good for anything mono like the 480 to add width and space) and a vintage Yamaha chorus pedal (same again in terms of adding width, and variable rate/ depth gives more options than the built-in stereo chorus on the 680/780). I also sometimes use a Sub n Up octaver on smaller keyboards that have no bass notes, and once or twice chucked a TS9 tubescreamer into the mix for some drive and harmonics.
@@alfonsemusic Awesome you're so open on how you create your sounds :)
Ouu jee...
How can I add this sounds to my rig? I have just bought it recently. Do I need a specific cable for that?
Hold on Alfonse. The PSS-780 supports sysex editing?! Others also?! This sounds absolutely wonderful. How nice! WOW. Good job.
It does, and the 480, 580, 680. Keen on Keys has the definitive guide to that...! ruclips.net/video/2TfpcAmaPGg/видео.html
did you do any mods to get a clean line out, or just crank the volume?
I cranked the volume and then used a denoiser plugin afterwards on some of the tracks where ugly noise was most prominent (and where denoising didn't affect the overall character of the sound much). Gating can be enough for some sounds. It's frustrating how common a noisy output is on this model.
I have a PSS790, what would you say is the biggest difference between them? I got the 780 for only $20 and the sounds sound more like samples, not in a bad way. I also have a PSS390 which sounds like an FM synth mostly, not realistic compared to the 790. Is the 780 a mix between them?
The 790 uses Yamaha's AWM tone generator, which was based on sampled waveforms, so is closer to the mark at sounding like other instruments. The 780 uses FM, which works best when you forget about trying to sound like a real piano, guitar, etc and just make synth sounds. The 780 allows you to modify the 2 FM operators via the front panel or more in-depth via MIDI SysEx.
Is there any difference between the pss 680 and 780? Exepted the design....
It has a few different rhythm/auto accompaniment patterns and the voices all got re-numbered, but otherwise it's cosmetic.
@@alfonsemusic THX for the info
Is it your own musick?
Yes, everything on the channel is my own music.
😁😁😁
I'm pretty mad. You are making me want to buy everything you demo.
😆 I know that feeling... Watching RUclips with one eye and browsing ebay with the other
😀😀😀
Más provechoso sería que explique todo lo que hace, como conecta, muchas veces el manual no te guía correctamente.
You might find some info that helps in Keen On Keys video on the PSS-480, as the 780 only has a few more features ruclips.net/video/86lEtq4Qn1Y/видео.html
@@alfonsemusic gracias
на этом аппарате так не сиграть сразу. Что вы людям голову морочите.Сведение и запись на комп в редакторе. Оно конечно все красиво, но не надо обнадеживать тех кто собрался покупать эти клавиши. Так не получится у них.