good job, I was torn about this keyboard , I actually bought and returned twice before deciding to finally keep it. The phrase recorder is limited and tricky to get the timing down. the effects menu is a mess.Yet still it has a tendency to grow on you . It is fun and passing the time on it is surprisingly entertaining .You get to make your own backing tracks that is a novel idea and unique in this price and size . I'm glad I kept it. By the way I also have the other two new Pss keyboards the E-30 and F-30 they are all unique in their own way. thanks again
I use it as a fun, frictionless device for tinkering around and as a MIDI controller when traveling. I use the CME WIDI USB Host device to make it work for that use case. Thanks for the video.
I can tell you who it is for....It is for those people who want to practice on the piano on the fly at work or on the bus or plane or at a park bench...at least that is how I use it .....
Just get the F30 for that - more sounds, and cheaper. Only get the A50 if you need it to double as your only MIDI controller, too … otherwise, there are better alternatives with more features.
This is a nice keyboard for the price, size, sounds, effects, battery power, portability, reface key action to take with you. They have FL Studio for about $15 US for Android, so it would be great to keep in the car trunk, or backpack to play and do stuff without taking up lots of room like sitting in your car.
SO true. I mean they've got the patents, the blueprints, everything they need right there, and a thirsty market. I don't know why they don't do remakes, maybe with a few extra features, like just a delay circuit or something :) #gearfacts
Amazing video. I find this on fun to play with. So small i can toss in in a suitcase or backpack and travel with it. If yamaha added styles too it would have made it even funner. Still I enjoyed it. I might get one of these inthe futire.
It would be col if Yamaha did the same thing with their VSS series, dont't you think. An easy to use sampler that would cust 100000$ less than a VSS30. Very good video, really informative.
Old video, I know, but could you please tell me if this keyboard would work with a midi usb host to control other gear without a computer? Has this been attempted? Every video says it can only connect to a computer.
Not really. This is more like a secondary keyboard for live performances. I suggest something with full-size keys like a Casio CT-S300 or one of the lower Yamaha PSR-E models.
I just got this . Great sounds but it’s indeed missing a few features . For one a real dedicated rhythm knob , as well as changing sounds on the fly during performance . Layering sounds in record mode is a challenge to say the least !
Hmm it is pretty good for the price and I like the way they haven’t made it look like a kids toy. But as someone in categories 2 and 3 of the four mentioned in the vid I don’t think this is much use. I am looking for something as small as possible to take on stage to occasionally use for non guitar sounds. But this just doesn’t cut it sound-wise. There is a reason the micro Korg or the Yamaha reface series are £300 more expensive and you can totally hear the difference. I have tried out the reface series in the shop... the keys are a bit small but the sounds are v high quality. This just has that plasticky cheap sound.
Hey dude, you seem to know a lot about this stuff and I see you reply to most comments. I need help. I bought this to learn how to play piano, but in turn started messing around with making beats and music production etc. I’ve been using it as a MIDI controller as of recent, but I was wondering if there was any way of actually sending the audio that the keyboard is playing into a daw? I know I could just record what’s being played through the speaker but I don’t have proper recording equipment and would lose a lot of sound quality. I really want to use the presets on this keyboard. Being limited to something like this is so much more inspiring than having unlimited vsts at my disposal.
I really agree with that final comment - Limitations stimulate creativity! To answer your question though, unfortunately it has no decoder to transfer your sounds directly to the computer (many of Yamaha's bigger PSR-E models have one, and a lot of synths do too). For cheap, basic audio recording I recommend Behringer's UCA-222. Should only be about $30 and they do a great job. Here's my demo of that one: ruclips.net/video/f9CwfUdc4bU/видео.html Hope that helps :)
Gearfacts Thank you for the fast reply. I watched your video and that looks like what I need. Just to be clear, that will work on the PSS-A50? I bought some cable that supposedly did the same thing about a week ago and it didn’t work. I assume that’s because of the “decoder” the keyboard is lacking.
I'm new into the world of keyboard I been doing a research so I think that this keyboard look quite interesting but I wanted to know if the quality of the keyboard is durable or easy to break. I'm living in India and very far to a place where I can go and check for myself. So need done help yo decide, thanks
@@gearfacts here in India I play an harmonium, it has 41 keys and the size of them are small, I also have small hands. Also wanted to ask if you know any kind of forum where I can ask about MIDI and use of this instrument. I don't have computer, only my Android mobile, thanks for your quick answer, regards from India!!🙏
@@atulkrsnadas185 Hmmm I really don't know, Atul. It only has a USB socket, I'm more experienced with the old round MIDI sockets. All I can suggest is search Google
For professionals it's only good for playing while traveling. Recently I saw a instagram post of Jacon Collier playing with PSS-A50 in a jam session while on a road.
Then i guess itd be good for a guitarist wanting to spend less than 100 bucks for some cool sounds. Maybe play over the recording. And super lightweight and if you break it ur not out too much money. I almost bought it until i saw there wasnt some of my favorite instruments on it. Thanks for bringing that up. Its easy to see whats there but not many people pay attention to whats NOT there until youre stuck with it later.
Instead of having just a couple of voices and a bunch of arpeggios, Yamaha should have made it a mini DJX. In this form the PSS-A50 is useless for each of the customer groups.
It's not really useless though. I'm looking at getting this as my first Keyboard, but it has the ability to operate in conjunction with DAW's like FL studio, which is great for me as it ticks portability, the ability to learn piano keys and also the fact I can use it to make music in FL studio.
Can I add one pro to professional musicians A guitar player without a piano player You could have this on a stand and break up the monotony with a piano or synth solo
I know, I'm going against the grain. But rather than this hybrid, the PSS-F30 is better, much more fun and easier to use. Arpeggio, touch and effects are unimportant for paying twice as much. Personal opinion of course.
It would be good as all in one low-cost alternative to reface series, because it has the same, great keybed and form factor. The concept of a 3-octave mobile velocity sensitive keyboard with integrated speakers, battery or usb power is great. The main cons of Yamaha PSS-50 for me are: 1) noisy phones output - makes it useless for recordings 2) one weak speaker instead of two - 30 years old Yamaha keyboards have stronger stereo speakers) 3) no classic, analog volume control 4) useless "home keyboard" voices instead of synths. Hope they will fix it in next series.
Have both A-50 and F-30. The A-50 is a poor synth with limited sounds. Its only true value is an excellent arpeggiator. Limited midi. The F-30, deemed a kiddie synth, is actually a full sound-spectrum synth with super high quality sounds, that record well . But no arp nor midi. I rarely use the A-50. I frequently use the F-30. In any case. you cant find either as production stopped and the used market is surprisngly small, for millions of units sold.
@@keyhoarder For some reason I thought the s200 was velocity sensitive. I still don't see the point in the PSS-A50. If you're that cash strapped, buy something used.
A category worth mentioning...Songwriters...
Instant access to chords/notes anytime of day virtually anywhere. When a misical idea strikes its there
Good point :-)
They should have combined f30 and this in the A50 at the price of A50 that machine would have sold like hot pizza
good job, I was torn about this keyboard , I actually bought and returned twice before deciding to finally keep it. The phrase recorder is limited and tricky to get the timing down. the effects menu is a mess.Yet still it has a tendency to grow on you . It is fun and passing the time on it is surprisingly entertaining .You get to make your own backing tracks that is a novel idea and unique in this price and size . I'm glad I kept it. By the way I also have the other two new Pss keyboards the E-30 and F-30 they are all unique in their own way. thanks again
Wow the music store must get nervous when they see you coming ;) #gearfacts
I use it as a fun, frictionless device for tinkering around and as a MIDI controller when traveling. I use the CME WIDI USB Host device to make it work for that use case. Thanks for the video.
I can tell you who it is for....It is for those people who want to practice on the piano on the fly at work or on the bus or plane or at a park bench...at least that is how I use it .....
Good point! :) #gearfacts
Just get the F30 for that - more sounds, and cheaper.
Only get the A50 if you need it to double as your only MIDI controller, too … otherwise, there are better alternatives with more features.
I think you missed a group. Professionals still wants to play when they just woke up, watching tv, travelling.
That is true!
This is a nice keyboard for the price, size, sounds, effects, battery power, portability, reface key action to take with you. They have FL Studio for about $15 US for Android, so it would be great to keep in the car trunk, or backpack to play and do stuff without taking up lots of room like sitting in your car.
brilliant! Thanks for your words🙂
My pleasure Firdaus :) #gearfacts
pity they don't revive the keyboards like the pss790 or pss51 with this sound source, xg lite and the like.
SO true. I mean they've got the patents, the blueprints, everything they need right there, and a thirsty market. I don't know why they don't do remakes, maybe with a few extra features, like just a delay circuit or something :) #gearfacts
Amazing video. I find this on fun to play with. So small i can toss in in a suitcase or backpack and travel with it. If yamaha added styles too it would have made it even funner. Still I enjoyed it. I might get one of these inthe futire.
Yeah it's a great little tool. Largely overlooked by the keyboard-playing community :/
It would be col if Yamaha did the same thing with their VSS series, dont't you think. An easy to use sampler that would cust 100000$ less than a VSS30. Very good video, really informative.
I'm glad you liked the video, and yep I've got 1001 idea I'd like to share with Yamaha....
LUV IT...
This thing rocks.
Please notice the software image stabilization on a camera mounted on a wobly table being shaken by a keyboard player. Thank me.
I like the effect :)
Old video, I know, but could you please tell me if this keyboard would work with a midi usb host to control other gear without a computer? Has this been attempted? Every video says it can only connect to a computer.
The other videos are correct (sadly), it has no way to connect directly to other gear.
Hi! Gearfacts guy.. Always interesting! It work with battery only? Thanks!
Hi Maria, you can use a power adapter with it - has to be purchased separately though
Could you tell me the width size of a white key in inch or cm?
I don't have this keyboard anymore sorry. I think mini keys are a standard size though, it should be on Google.
Via the headphone socket could this be played through a pa speaker system without a laptop?
Yes.
Hi, i am a beginner and want to learn keyboard (entry to intermediate level). do you think this keyboard will suffice the requirment?
Not really. This is more like a secondary keyboard for live performances. I suggest something with full-size keys like a Casio CT-S300 or one of the lower Yamaha PSR-E models.
I just got this . Great sounds but it’s indeed missing a few features . For one a real dedicated rhythm knob , as well as changing sounds on the fly during performance . Layering sounds in record mode is a challenge to say the least !
I agree. It seems to reach out far in some ways, and fall quite short in others :/ G.
Gearfacts exactly
Is there one like this but that you think "it's perfect"?
@ I’m not really sure , that’s a tough one . So many good ones ‘
@@kimthompson5871 Don't mind, thanks anyway. I ordered this one last night. It seems good enough for the price.
Hmm it is pretty good for the price and I like the way they haven’t made it look like a kids toy. But as someone in categories 2 and 3 of the four mentioned in the vid I don’t think this is much use. I am looking for something as small as possible to take on stage to occasionally use for non guitar sounds. But this just doesn’t cut it sound-wise. There is a reason the micro Korg or the Yamaha reface series are £300 more expensive and you can totally hear the difference. I have tried out the reface series in the shop... the keys are a bit small but the sounds are v high quality. This just has that plasticky cheap sound.
Agreed. There are plenty of second-hand microsynths that can do much more.
How will we transpose up and down in pss a50
There's a button on the front panel for quick octave shift, not sure about transpose though. Manual available online
Hey dude, you seem to know a lot about this stuff and I see you reply to most comments. I need help. I bought this to learn how to play piano, but in turn started messing around with making beats and music production etc. I’ve been using it as a MIDI controller as of recent, but I was wondering if there was any way of actually sending the audio that the keyboard is playing into a daw? I know I could just record what’s being played through the speaker but I don’t have proper recording equipment and would lose a lot of sound quality. I really want to use the presets on this keyboard. Being limited to something like this is so much more inspiring than having unlimited vsts at my disposal.
I really agree with that final comment - Limitations stimulate creativity! To answer your question though, unfortunately it has no decoder to transfer your sounds directly to the computer (many of Yamaha's bigger PSR-E models have one, and a lot of synths do too). For cheap, basic audio recording I recommend Behringer's UCA-222. Should only be about $30 and they do a great job. Here's my demo of that one: ruclips.net/video/f9CwfUdc4bU/видео.html
Hope that helps :)
Gearfacts Thank you for the fast reply. I watched your video and that looks like what I need. Just to be clear, that will work on the PSS-A50? I bought some cable that supposedly did the same thing about a week ago and it didn’t work. I assume that’s because of the “decoder” the keyboard is lacking.
@@noraee1910 Try Local Control Setting ON/OFF
Tiny correction: it *does* have MIDI
Oh really? You mean USB midi or an old-school DIN socket?
The PSS-A50 is also multi-timbral!
It's a god keyboard, but it just needed to be a GREAT keyboard and it would have been a keeper :/
I'm new into the world of keyboard I been doing a research so I think that this keyboard look quite interesting but I wanted to know if the quality of the keyboard is durable or easy to break. I'm living in India and very far to a place where I can go and check for myself. So need done help yo decide, thanks
Hi Ahul, Yes it's very durable. The only think I don't like about it is the small keys. otherwise, great keyboard with nice sounds and fun features.
@@gearfacts here in India I play an harmonium, it has 41 keys and the size of them are small, I also have small hands.
Also wanted to ask if you know any kind of forum where I can ask about MIDI and use of this instrument. I don't have computer, only my Android mobile, thanks for your quick answer, regards from India!!🙏
@@atulkrsnadas185 Hmmm I really don't know, Atul. It only has a USB socket, I'm more experienced with the old round MIDI sockets. All I can suggest is search Google
@@gearfacts thanks I been looking in Google, thanks.
Does it have split option please?
Unfortunately not 😢
Can you store the songs made?
So long ago, I can't remember. The manual can be found by googling "Yamaha PSS-A50 PDF", hope that helps :)
When to buy! Obsolite enough to score mine for 75 usd.
Bargain :)
unusual one but nice ..
Thanks for watching my video, Kasper :) #gearfacts
For professionals it's only good for playing while traveling. Recently I saw a instagram post of Jacon Collier playing with PSS-A50 in a jam session while on a road.
Yes, it's not an all-round professional tool.
Can you put guitar pedals infront of it?
I guess that'd be possible, yep
Then i guess itd be good for a guitarist wanting to spend less than 100 bucks for some cool sounds. Maybe play over the recording. And super lightweight and if you break it ur not out too much money. I almost bought it until i saw there wasnt some of my favorite instruments on it. Thanks for bringing that up. Its easy to see whats there but not many people pay attention to whats NOT there until youre stuck with it later.
@@cam-inf-4w5 Yeah it's a weird bit of gear but undeniably interesting.
How much is it?
About $US150 I think
J'ai un YAMAHA Arius YDP-164 mais je viens d'acheter un PSS A-50 pour pouvoir jouer partout.
Il a beaucoup de puissance pour quelque chose de si petit et si facile :) Gearfacts
Instead of having just a couple of voices and a bunch of arpeggios, Yamaha should have made it a mini DJX. In this form the PSS-A50 is useless for each of the customer groups.
Miniature DJX - Brilliant idea!
It's not really useless though. I'm looking at getting this as my first Keyboard, but it has the ability to operate in conjunction with DAW's like FL studio, which is great for me as it ticks portability, the ability to learn piano keys and also the fact I can use it to make music in FL studio.
@@BrucieMagik.. aah really? so it can work with my Daw as a master controller keyboard?
Aba Pai
Can I add one pro to professional musicians
A guitar player without a piano player
You could have this on a stand and break up the monotony with a piano or synth solo
True 👍
I know, I'm going against the grain. But rather than this hybrid, the PSS-F30 is better, much more fun and easier to use. Arpeggio, touch and effects are unimportant for paying twice as much. Personal opinion of course.
Could well be true, I never got review the F30. Neither model was released here in Australia so I was lucky to get a glimpse of just one of them.
It would be good as all in one low-cost alternative to reface series, because it has the same, great keybed and form factor. The concept of a 3-octave mobile velocity sensitive keyboard with integrated speakers, battery or usb power is great.
The main cons of Yamaha PSS-50 for me are:
1) noisy phones output - makes it useless for recordings
2) one weak speaker instead of two - 30 years old Yamaha keyboards have stronger stereo speakers)
3) no classic, analog volume control
4) useless "home keyboard" voices instead of synths.
Hope they will fix it in next series.
Yep, all fair comments there :) #gearfacts
Looper a reverb pedal.some deal and stuff for loop.jam recording is my plan.
Have both A-50 and F-30. The A-50 is a poor synth with limited sounds. Its only true value is an excellent arpeggiator. Limited midi. The F-30, deemed a kiddie synth, is actually a full sound-spectrum synth with super high quality sounds, that record well . But no arp nor midi. I rarely use the A-50. I frequently use the F-30. In any case. you cant find either as production stopped and the used market is surprisngly small, for millions of units sold.
Never officially retailed here in Australia. I must try to import an F30.
i thought he was elon musk at first
haha now that you mention it... the onset of middle age maybe?
Hmm, in my opinion this is a toy and there are better toys available for the money like Casio CT-S200.
Yeah those CT-S keyboards are quite fun :) #gearfacts
But it's totally different - more expensive, totally different form factor - 61 full size keys and no velocity.
@@keyhoarder For some reason I thought the s200 was velocity sensitive. I still don't see the point in the PSS-A50. If you're that cash strapped, buy something used.
@@jml7916 im not :)