Yamaha PSS-480 - Part 2: The Music Station

[@Gluttonite]

Love me those older keyboards. Couldn't afford them as a kid so now I buy up as many different models as possible.

[@theothertonydutch]

Make demos! I'll subscribe! :D

[@-VCO-]

Back in the early eBay days, I managed to build up a collection of those old Casio ROM Packs, along with a few units that can play them, which I still own up to this day.

[@lyleandres1510]

@Felipe Braylen yea, I have been using instaflixxer for months myself :)

[@jamalfinnley4135]

@Felipe Braylen Yea, been using InstaFlixxer for months myself :D

[@arv4434]

Same here.

[@balazstorok9265]

i am simply unable to get used to producing videos of this quality in series. Those carefully selected spotless color backgrounds for every single synths, the sound quality, the lighting, the content... Mind blowing!

[@Medniex]

Right! The composition and lighting is so clean it feels almost rendered in 3D. Or maybe it is... In that case, kudos for super realistic hands animation :D

[@StatsGod]

And yes so simple, making it seem effortless.

[@inthefade]

It is clearly a PASSION project. This guy absolutely loves these Keyboards.

[@0601989m]

WOW. Your videos are truly astounding on many levels: artistic, communicative, visual, technical, consistent, educational, entertaining; to name a few. The fact you published the first of this series just a week after my 480 arrived is simply icing on the cake. If there's anyone at the top of my list of artists / producers to support, it has to be you. Keep up the excellent work sir!!!!!

[@frogpr1nce411]

OK... as of the first video, you have had me amazed. I have owned a Yamaha PSS-480 ever since I walked into our local K-Mart and plopped down my saved paper route money for it in 1987.... and I didn't know or appreciate half of what it could do or be used to achieve. I found your PSS-480 songs on SoundCloud several years ago, was amazed, bought the album, got the downloads. So awesome to look for you on KZbin and get to see all this! Words don't do it justice, man, this is just straight-up awesome talent. Gonna start playing around with everything you've covered and see what I can come up with on my own today.

[@chrisjackson3750]

Your work is unparalleled 👏, without your expertise 99% of users will only use 1% of these instruments capabilities 😁 , very entertaining and informative 🎹🎹🎹🎹🎹

[@thailifemark]

not only are you very knowledgeable about the specifics of producing sound, but you're a great musician!

[@junema9924]

My mind is blown, you always show the best these keyboard arranger functions have to offer. I need to start learning how to do this with my 480!

[@alexgplatas]

My father bought me one pss480 back in the 80's. Unfortunatly , we sold it 'cause I never learned to use it. A couple of years , I went to this fleetmarket,and bought the only one left. Very useful. It works so great.

[@kimthompson5871]

This simply is the best video out there of the features of this keyboard .

[@regortex3364]

10/10 I’ve been jamming on the PSS units for about 2 years, my faves are the 480 and the 36. Excellent work hear, incredibly thorough and well produced. The narration is ridiculously good.

[@squishmusic]

Im pretty sure the x80 and the psr-36 use the same soundchip (YM3420), but the PSR-36 sounds fuller/warmer to me.

[@lo-firobotboy7112]

MY favorites are also the 480 and 36. I made the mistake of selling my PSR-36, regretted it, then spent the next 6 months looking for a replacement.

[@talahamut8242]

I was blown away by how "real" the drums sounded on it back then! :P

[@2K8Si]

This was my first synth that I got back in 1989. I still have it to this day. I spent endless hours just playing with the synthesizer portion and making custom sounds. But something I never really incorporated into my songs, was the accompaniment. Wow. These videos are a very impressive demonstration of it's capability. I had no idea it was this powerful/flexible! Not only did these videos take me back, they made me feel a little proud that I selected a such a unique synth in my youth. One that (these days) has a nice 'vintage' FM sound to it. After watching your videos, I am very likely going to head out to my garage and dust off this old piece of music tech and mess around with it. Thank you for these awesome videos!

[@pianokeyjoe]

My good sir! You did a great job in explaining all the features and showcasing the power of this little beast! Thankyou!. I did all my pro work with this keyboard when I was a teen back in the early 1990s and it was my only keyboard! Kudos on a job well done!!

[@MarkoProximo]

You can clearly hear the “Funk 3” style in Queen’s “Invisible Man” around 3:50. Not sure if they used this exact model, but definitely something from that era.

[@alexey7459]

For sure was either this one or the 680.

[@Syntheus]

Got one of these arriving today. Can't wait.

[@Windowserrorsong]

You made this little keyboard sound SO GOOD. An absolute vibe.

[@xdendordx]

Coming back to this video after getting a Behringer neutron to finally crack into the sequencer functions of this keyboard and I've gotta say, its a fantastic pairing. The neutron is a great monosynth in its own right and the PSS works well as a handy midi controller thanks to the full-size ports at the back - still blessing the guys at yamaha who decided to chuck midi functions into a toy piano in the 80s! A big plus is being able to push audio through the neutron's input jack, so that means when I'm done recording analog basslines with the neutron I can switch to the PSS and have the polyphony to play smooth FM pads and process the yamaha's sound with the neutron's lush analog filter along with resonance, LFO, overdrive, and delay. Hell, even the 480 drum loops can sound like a gritty daft punk beat with enough modulation haha. I haven't touched the sequencer in the 480 since owning it as I found it easier to push midi into it using FL studio and a usb cable, however getting the neutron made me decide to try the fully "dawless" looping experience and this video is a great reference. I found running two seperate melody banks through a mono synth gives very cool portamento effects - perfect for some TB-303 style slides. :)) Once again big thanks for putting together the PSS 480 video series, still can't believe I managed to snag the 1980's equivalent of a Korg volca FM crossed with an Arturia keystep for only £20! PS. Your video on the behringer CAT was a fun watch too, although I went with the neutron because of the patchbay. Would recommend taking a look at that synth if you haven't yet, might not be exactly "toy keyboard video" material but I'm certain you'd have fun with it if you got your hands on one.

[@marcbrasse747]

My special recomendation: The PSR-36. Ful size keys, MIDI and a "programmable" synth as well. OK, you can't save sounds and it's editing is not stepless but if you tweak the hell out of it in real time it can even sound like a PPG 360 Wavecomputer! :-)

[@KingGameReview]

I picked one of these up over the weekend at a flea market and your videos (especially this one) have really helped me learn how these functions work.

[@MattGreerMusic]

Funk 3 was my absolute jam of jams when I was a kid on this thing.

[@gabrielflorinrobciuc2772]

Hello there, Mission accomplished! There are 3 weeks since I've just got a PSS 480,! Wow! It works just fine, it's in good condition and I love it so, so much!

[@RothmanHarv]

This is really helpful! I've never bothered with any of the custom stuff because I just couldn't figure it out. Time to plug it back in and use this video as a manual.

[@KeenOnKeys]

Yes! Mission accomplished!

[@JS-by7wd]

I fell in love with synthesizers after using CV-rack, and my quest for more has led to guitar lessons and a serviced PSS-480 is on it's way (thank you Reverb seller!). It was this series that sold me on the 480, I cannot thank you enough for showing me such a wonderful keyboard! I know I can begin creating right away, and learn keys as I go. Thank you Friend!

[@JendrossekSip]

Yes, more love for the PSS-480. It's really a great machine. You showed a combination of things i did not know yet. The FM functionality is a thing by itself already but also the midi functionality and programmable options are great. The custom drummer is also great. I think the options and complexity are way beyond a 'toy' keyboard, i start to wonder if they just added the speakers to disguise it. I have checked other keyboards in the same category from many brands but i cannot find anything that is comparable except for other PSS models. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

[@PhreaSpirit]

Love these cheesy sounds. So easy to get lost exploring old synths! 🎹🎶

[@MajorSeventh]

Pretty amazing amount of music you got out of that thing.

[@inthefade]

Can someone just hire this guy to make the soundtrack to an epic 90s-style JRPG finally?! This is dream music for a game like that.

[@paulkovax8542]

That Smalltown Boy cover is so good :)

[@StatsGod]

Yup right after the video I went to watch the video twice.

[@kgbstudio]

that melody in 32:52 .... excellent video as usual, makes me inspired to make some stuff with my pss680

[@taylorsmaid]

Beautiful synth, I'm in love with it

[@jdxijames]

I've still got my 480. Still amazing fun.

[@kuhpfau]

I'm soo excited what you will bring in the third episode!

[@SubtractiveMoves]

Im about to pick up 2 of them from one seller for 55$ today. Thank you so so so much for the videos😊

[@h2o1969]

This series is really awesome for this synth. I actually picked up one of these so I can play around with it, and that was after just the first video. Well done sir. I am excited to explore this instrument.

[@lukakoprivica]

You're a genius... It would be a huge honour to meet you. Your videos are mind blowing...

[@JozeatTxb]

Superb video 👌 One thing these keyboards were especially good at (among so many other) ,is REAL TIME /AD LIB style live performance, tracking and mixing!. For instance the separate melody lines can drop in or out on cue: randomly in the mix, and typically the entire song can be "re-phrased" in real time this way.. Found this particularly vital for those live performances where the lead singer improvises the song randomly - restarting sections, repeating/free-looping the melodie/bassline, crowd enganements/breaks,etc, completely off from the present arrangement. The sequence being so free-ended, you could also play the song unbroken for literally hours on end (no memory run out isses). Very few other keyboards I know do this ( real-time) song sequencing his way or so effectively, except some high end synths (via ,muli-pads etc).

[@MitchM-r1s]

@ Keen On Keys I like how this keyboard has 100 rhythm styles plus a feature that allows you to program your own rhythm pattern. In that respect, it can be used as a drum machine.

[@alexsouthgate7551]

So ready for part 3 :)

[@vhm14u2c]

Didn’t know about midi sync clock. Wonderful presentation, and thanks for sharing.

[@musk771]

Your video is superlative. Back in time I had a PSS-680, when I started my passion for keyboards, synth and organs, but I used it just about 1% its capabilities. These mini keyboards were masterpieces. I have a PSS-790 now and I love the styles, I notice you able to control the chords from an external keyboard. Please tell me how to do this, I tried to drive the accompaniment section of my 790 from an external master keyboard but no luck, I can just get the lead (melody) sounds. Thanks in advance.

[@KeenOnKeys]

I simply connected both keyboards via Midi. Default Midi mode 00. Of course the chord mode has to be selected. But that's it.

[@musk771]

@@KeenOnKeys Thanks for your tip. I remember I did exactly same, but only the right hand section were transmitted, not any chord section. Probably the 790 has something different in its midi implememntation, but I will try again. So, Mode 00 and just activating Fingered (od S.F.) to turn on the styles, I should be able to drive all the keyboard remotely, right?

[@KeenOnKeys]

@@musk771 yes. I can't remember if I changed the transmit channel on my master keyboard. Maybe that's something you should try.

[@5argetech56]

I have a lot of love for PSS-480.. My first Midi Keyboard! That had full 16 channel control! It was why I always put my drums on channel 16 from the standard channel 10..

[@dexx2233]

Great video! You are a master on these classic retro keyboards ;)

[@Lachlant1984]

I normally don't recognise the songs you play when you demonstrate these keyboards, but when you demonstrated the techno rock 1 beat, I immediately recognised Small Town Boy, I love that song.

[@KeenOnKeys]

You can't recognize most of the examples, because they are usually just improvised little bits.

[@Lachlant1984]

@@KeenOnKeys Oh, I wasn't sure what they were.

[@Lachlant1984]

@@KeenOnKeys Your improvisations are very good.

[@Medniex]

Awesome video as always! Can't wait for the part III. After watching this video I downloaded the manual again to finally learn all the MIDI implementations for real. I need to figure out how to reach for the custom sound banks in that multi timbral mode to control my custom made drum patches. I recently acquired QY70 and I had an idea that it would make an interesting combo to program those custom drum patches using that MIDI sequencer. Also that external clock function was a real eye-opener moment for me. And I thought that it has something wrong with MIDI feature being old and slipping out :D

[@squishmusic]

I also have a QY70 and want to run MIDI into my 580 to use as a 16part soundmodule (ok 12 then given the note limits). Let me know if you find a way the 5-synth voices can be accessed in this MIDI mode.

[@_OopsieDaisies]

I just got a 480 and I've watched all 3 videos you've made on this keyboard a couple times while taking notes. I never knew how to use FM synthesis or what all the parameters meant/did but now I'm having so much fun (even more than I would have if I had just gone in blind which still would have been lots and lots :] )

[@dj2bklyn]

wow alot of features for such an old synth

[@arindamdas936]

This was my first synth on which I had spent years learning the basics of music theory. Unfortunately I had to sell it off to buy a higher model as I cudnt afford both. Regret to this day. Will really like to buy another one if I can lay my hands on one.

[@Mind-your-own-beeswax]

Class. I should try some of this stuff on my 680

[@jagrankadiwana]

Hello listen‼️ Plz define about this adaptor 🙏🙏

[@justovision]

Always epic.

[@matteochiesabass]

Thank You for your videos!

[@BitsAndTips]

Cool, as always! Great job! 👏👏👏

[@acidjack]

got yesterday an pss 480 for ultra cheap. thanks for this great videos

[@FixerUK]

I would love to see one of these in depth guides for the Yamaha DJX PSR-D1.

[@jdxijames]

Had a PSR D1 at the end of last year for a month. Found it one of the worse things I have used. Got rid. A loss of £5.

[@sssyntax]

You are an excellent keyboard player!

[@daveknight1775]

Love the music!!!

[@U014B]

0:26 I thought you were using the 480 to MIDI-control Kontakt or something right here, and I already watched this video when it came out.

[@KeenOnKeys]

The Midi part starts at 31:10

[@tetkiktedavi1674]

Part 1 showed this model sounds great. Part 2 showed that it is....hey...a groovebox!!!

[@mootpoint7053]

OMFG he busted out "Bronski Beat" at 6:20! Love that sh*t!

[@Cesarsound1]

I had one brand new in 1990 and sell it in 90s. As this keyboard is rare now, I bought a Roland JD-Xi to miss the nostalgia.

[@elektroboots1670]

i had the model above with the coulored drum pads - i knew it sent midi out but never used it to its potentiol or knew it did that much

[@dianafridabtmfrid923]

Thank uu so much fr this video!!!

[@inthefade]

I'm still trying to figure out the multitimbral mode. In the manual it seems like they cut off some important instructions, or something. I'm trying to use an external MIDI sequencer to send a unison signal to MIDI channels 1-12, but I cannot figure out how to actually have different voices on each of those MIDI channels, and then how to manipulate the voices on each of those channels. It is all very unclear, but it is probably just a matter of playing around to figure it out! I love the dirty sound from this thing. It is totally unique in my setup.

[@inthefade]

Duuuude the Blue Monday bass riff... We need that whole song with a Speak-N-Spell or something on vocals.

[@koronaentertainment5474]

I have one. It's cool stuff!

[@YOURFISHINGCHANNEL]

Hi , my rhythm control buttons are not working , just cleaned the inside but not responding, any ideas?

[@whooligan1000]

Cool vid. Very informative. I love the Casiotone and Portasound keyboards, they all seem to have their own unique features. Any plans on looking at the PSS-470/570?

[@KeenOnKeys]

Yes, I have the 460 and 570. But I will do a couple of other videos first.

[@squishmusic]

@@KeenOnKeys I wish someone would make a MIDI-retrofit kit for these!

[@ucupi]

yep it's my first keyboard...had a music lesson practice exam played bon jovi born to be my baby

[@SAerror1]

When does the album drop for this one? I can't wait! :)

[@Borockful]

Have you heard of the Casio Rapman ? It's a really funny, fun, and unique keyboard. Doing a video on it would be cool !

[@KeenOnKeys]

Yeah, I heard about the rapman. He's lying here on the shelf and is already very impatient. But he will have to wait a bit.

[@ianfuller2641]

Great video how do you hard factory reset this keyboard is there a key combination you do

[@KeenOnKeys]

Hold down the normal and fingered mode buttons and turn it on.

[@dinogoldie9716]

I know this is a long shot but I thought I'd ask. Is there documentation out there breaking down the configuration/parameters for PSS480 patches? I want to remake some of these patches on a latterday FM synthbut the PSS480 only shows settings for 5 or so parameters and there's clearly more going on under the hood (e.g. ratio locking, velocity sensitivity, time scaling etc). I'm particularly interested in recreating the steel drum, vibraphone and musical saw patches. So any links to how to set up those patches is gratefully received. Thanks.

[@KeenOnKeys]

Watch the third part of the series.

[@EALESKER]

Hi, Very interesting that Yamaha, and how you play it!!. Can you do a review of the Casio MT-750 please?. Good job!

[@KeenOnKeys]

I have one here, but it will take quite a while. Maybe next year.

[@alexsouthgate7551]

Hi thanks for the great video. I'd like to know if it's possible to adjust volumes of accompaniment or drums etc?

[@KeenOnKeys]

No, there's just a volume control for the Melody

[@alexsouthgate7551]

@@KeenOnKeys Thanks for the reply - I now have the pss-480 and it's a lot of fun! Watching your Pt 2 now :)

[@ricardodelabarral2535]

Podrías hacer un video que expliques las conexiones midi y como lo configuras , por favor

[@cheapnoise9014]

Amazing video as always. Could you please review a sampling keyboard?

[@KeenOnKeys]

Yes, but it will take a bit.

[@robfriedrich2822]

One of the first PSSS with PCM drums, but short drums. Well, the Toms has longer samples, than at the PSR 70.

[@arcadeuk]

Ooh my first keyboard when I was a kid

[@imlxh7126]

32:52 WAIT YOU CAN. YOU CAN FAKE AN ACID SOUND ON THAT THING?? omg if you did deeper sound design tutorials with this thing i would LOVE to watch em

[@KeenOnKeys]

That's was a Midi out example, the sounds are coming from other devices

[@imlxh7126]

@@KeenOnKeys OHHHHH sorry i'm dumb haha

[@DjForceWonderz]

why does my pss 580 play monophonic in daws...any idea pls help

[@Katmat87]

Thanks for this amazing video series, just got a 480 and love it. But I cant figure out how to set different voices/banks to each midi channel so I can control it from a separate sequencer? I'm not sure which midi mode I should be in. Very confusing, if anyone has any tips it would be much appreciated!

[@Katmat87]

Managed to figure this out in case anyone was wondering. You have to send a program change message from the sequencer to set the voice per channel. You can’t do it on the keyboard itself.

[@Nomo_Popo]

Impressive imo

[@dexterpedroche]

This is the ultimate 8-bit game soundtrack workstation.

[@FungleFunTime]

16bit?

[@zach3360]

Please tell me how I connect this to my Macbook Pro. I was thinking of getting the USB-C midi adaptor interface thing for $20 but then how do I get audio from it? Another cord?

[@KeenOnKeys]

Connect the headphone output to your audio interface. For more details watch my PSS-A50 Midi video.

[@chassy]

I wanted to sell mine. Now, I'm not sure... hahaha!

[@djpopcorns]

6:25 oooo i recognize that song!

[@imlxh7126]

whoa, this "heavy metal" pattern sounds a decent bit more like metal (well, cheesy 80s hair metal) than it does on my pss-390, where it sounds...mostly like "you may be right" by billy joel

[@imlxh7126]

ohhh i see the difference now. the 480 drummer is riding that open hi-hat

[@MrBenMcLean]

I kind of understand what the accompaniment features do, but what I don't understand is what they'd be used for besides demoing the keyboard. What would people use this feature for? I mean like where, under what circumstances?

[@KeenOnKeys]

If you have nothing else for example, or if you simply like how it sounds.

[@johns.5030]

Great video! One aspect that doesn't make sense to me is how to assign specific voices for each receiving channel? Like if I'm using a DAW to output tracks to my 480, I can set the specific channel for each track, but how do I assign different voices for the receiving channels? For example, let's say I want to assign Channel 1 as Sitar, and Channel 2 as Glockenspiel. I can't seem to figure this out. (currently using a 680, which is very similar to the 480).

[@KeenOnKeys]

Each DAW usually has a way to send program changes for each midi track. This is the easiest way. You can also change the instruments on the PSS-480, but this is a bit more confusing and the settings are not saved with the project. Check out my PSS-A50 MIDI video for more details.

[@johns.5030]

@@KeenOnKeys Thanks for the info! I actually discovered that Ableton Live was the problem. It for some reason doesn't play nicely with the 480. However, if I use Logic Pro, it works perfect for both Midi In and Midi Out.

[@alexsouthgate7551]

I have pss-780 which has a high noisefloor (lots of hiss). Also a pss-290 which is nice and quiet. Could anyone tell me if the pss-480 is noisy please?

[@alexsouthgate7551]

I'm going to reply to my own question - the pss480 is a little noisy but not as bad as the pss-780 I owned. The pss-290 I owned was the most quiet. The pss-480 noisefloor is acceptable, the pss-780 was unacceptable to me.

[@imlxh7126]

3:02 meeeeeeetrooooooopoliiiiiis

[@csuhaitibor4339]

99 mod program changed 100-105 the sounbank

[@kretzschMusic]

Wonder what you'd do with a casio ct301 or similar models!

[@Elpomberitoo]

How do i change the tempo of the drums

[@gabrielflorinrobciuc2772]

Hello there, I just watched all those 3 videos about Yamaha PSS 480 keyboard, especially this one, for at least 4 times, and I'm really out of words! Wow! Awesome! Now, let me ask you the following: At the minute of 12:30, you just talked about the reggae style, which sounds really great, but the theme you've just approached, is entirely mindblowing for me, so, I really love that! The melody at 32:52, is at least the same too. So, my first question to you is this: do you already have such an entire song with the theme and the chord progression provided in this video for the reggae style? If yes, how can I find, for example, this song only? Where can I listen and/or even purchasing it, or such album which contains this, and, than, - the melody at the minute of 32:52 in this video and even the other themes you just performed here? Otherwise, which kind of drum machine did you use for the song at 32:52? How about the other sounds in this song? Are they from the main set of sounds on the PSS 480? Or are there such patches you've probably created for this keyboard? Thanks in advance for your reply and I wish you all the best!

[@KeenOnKeys]

The only songs I've completed so far are on my PSS-480 Album which you can listen to on Bandcamp. Maybe I will finish some more songs in combination with a PSS-780 video next year. The sounds you hear in this video were all made with the PSS-480, except for the midi out examples. The small piece at 32:52 is such a midi example, I think I used the EZDrummer for that, but I can't remember what I used for the other sounds.

[@gabrielflorinrobciuc2772]

@@KeenOnKeys Hello again, I just found your PSS 480 album, listened and purchased it. I really like it! Now, back to the main subject. So: because I like that reggae style theme at12:30, which you just gave us as an example, I tried to play it for myself on my Casio CTX 3000 keyboard, but with no success. I didn't caught it correctly from the first listening, especially the bass line. ☺ after listening the 12:30 reggae theme example for the second, the third and even the forth time, I think I understood how, especially, the bass line sounds. Now, my Casio is somehow professional, has so many sounds, has more drumsets, has probably style editor or style creator, and I really like that, although it doesn't have fm synth. So, now, - I just found a Yamaha PSR 3500 in my country, and I just bought it from a guy which published such announcement on a classifieds website. I just find out that Yamaha PSR 3500 was released in 1989. I have it since 3 years, but I don't know too much about how to get the most out of it. If possible, and, of course, if you have one, a full review and a tutorial for the Yamaha PSR 3500, will be so much appreciated. Thanks and have all the best!

[@KeenOnKeys]

@@gabrielflorinrobciuc2772 If I ever find one cheap, I will certainly make a review about it. Especially the roll bar looks interesting.

[@gabrielflorinrobciuc2772]

@@KeenOnKeys The Yamaha PSR 3500 has, not just one single roll bar, but two. That second roll bar, by default, can be used for such secondary volume control, or for vibrato. Otherwise, I don't know if it would be used for other sound parameters. So, it's just the only thing I found out about that roll bar and even about other it's extra features.

[@Lachlant1984]

Did Bronski Beat use this keyboard in Smalltown Boy?

[@KeenOnKeys]

I don't think so. The song was released 4 years earlier than this keyboard.

[@mastercylinder1939]

Hooray!

[@henrikgustav2294]

32:55 it sounds great

[@zamboleon86]

my pss 480 forgets the custom drummer and synth banks if i stop using it for a while, is that normal? or do I have an old keyboard with Alzheimer's?

[@alexiscayer4110]

I found one at a thrift shop for 24 cdn$, what a steal. Works fine but has a single broken key. I looked it up on ebay but I'm quite confused as to where i could replace it.