Revitalizing a Lofi Legend: The Yamaha QY70

[@RedMeansRecording]

CAT

[@yukesmusic]

If Riker & Kiwi have one thing in common, it's their insistance on being a part of the video.

[@RedMeansRecording]

@@yukesmusic they know who the real star is

[@christdolphin69]

why dont you just get it over with and transition already

[@metokyo4960]

Yeah, cat and gear is so unique... especially cat and modular... would love to see such arrangement 🎉

[@peacenzmiddleast]

This may just be the best walkthrough of a musical instrument I’ve ever seen on KZbin. You speak incredibly clearly. You don’t over explain or talk down to the viewer, yet you cover every bit of jargon. And of course it’s well filmed. Additionally the on screen charts are incredibly helpful! Pro tip you can polish those 90s era plastic screens with pretty simple abrasive compounds. Just look up a video of someone restoring an old game boy, same techniques can be applied to any screen from that era. It won’t make it brighter but it’ll clear up those scratches.

[@yukesmusic]

Thanks for the tip and the compliment! I'll certainly try more gear reviews in the future.

[@tuesss]

Exactly my thoughts, so thanks for writing them down :D I wish all gear I consider buying had video walkthroughs like this. I haven't tried any of those plastic polishing pastes myself yet, but a few weeks ago I saw Adam Savage's video about restoring some kind of old tape recorder where he was polishing a transparent plastic cover and the result was quite impressive so I'd definitely give it a chance.

[@fastideas1]

Bought one in the UK when they came out. Hard to get over how limited people’s options were back then. Particularly for those who didn’t want to build a studio but just wanted a means of getting their ideas down. This was the first portable sequencer and sound option to do that (there was a Roland one with a stylus but was a UI nightmare). That’s exactly what people at the time like Bjork, Tricky and Jah Wobble used them for: as sketch pads. I bought one for the same reason but then made the discovery that you have. That it’s also very usable multi-timbal midi sound module. I paired mine with my MPC 3000 drum machine to sequence and a midi keyboard for playing/ inputting and it was great. I was doing R&B and particularly when the Neptunes/Timbaland sound arrived a lot of those more odd ball sounds were fantastic. I kept using mine even when I got dedicated sound modules as some of its sounds were so good.

[@Tralornik]

Still an amazing machine, especially if you can get a modded backlit one.

[@fender1000100]

It remains one of the most underrated pieces of tech to ever be put out there. It's capable of producing masterpieces anywhere in the right hands. And has not been bettered as far as I'm concerned. Brilliant, brilliant video to show some of its magic.

[@JayBmusic]

As for 21:28. you can edit each drum sound in detail when selecting one of the two DrumSet patches at the very end. Once selected you get a new MENU appears entry where you can select the drum kit it's based on and then edit each element (well, the QY doesnt allow editing each element but technically it's possible) and change pitch, decay, pan volume, filter, etc. I have the QY70 and QY100 and made a few music videos with it that you can find on my channel.

[@valley_robot]

Yes m it’s a fully editable drum synth

[@NachozMan]

So in love with the sounds coming from this thing, and the size profile is perfect for my tiny ass room and small needs/wants for dawless jamming, got mine in from Japan this week then got the stomach flue the day it arrived lol. Managed to snipe the OG power supply for 11$ + shipping so I can't wait to crack into it after the work weekend and my PSU arrives. I just wish it had an SD card so I could save songs physically instead of still needing to record them to REAPER! haha.

[@audiowanderer]

Perfect Walkthrough across this marvellous device. Love my QY-70 now even more

[@squishmusic]

hear here. I got a 2nd one since I couldnt find a modern HW seq with the right features for me

[@EverettVinzant]

I was sitting here today with my “battle station.” An MPC 1000 that I rebuilt, an SP-404 that I rebuilt, and a LoFi-12. I was thinking, “self, there’s still something missing. With three different types of samplers, you still don’t have a synth that makes sounds like instruments…” Yes, I have some packs for my 1000, but it would be nice to have a battery powered synth that makes a Brazilian noises (how many is a Brazilian anyway)… Then your video pops up…. And I damn near lose my mind. Jump on Reverb thinking, “they’re probably like $500 at this point…” I got one shipped for less than $100. Thank you, Are Gato, Dhan’yavada, xie xie, vielen Dank, Hvala, kiitos…. I really appreciate it.

[@yukesmusic]

Loved every minute of your process and I've felt the same. This thing packs a whollop and I'm certain you'll find some fun in it. Don't forget to figure out your midi routing and get all three to bop together!

[@davebell3684]

This was my 1st sequencer and it taught me most of what I needed to know about a mixing desk and effects when I moved on. There are some advanced features I liked, groove templates for drums that are actually groovy, custom drum kits where you can tune and mix some of the drum sounds individually and the effects, which have controls that are the same as rack units. Some of the parameters on the effects go up to 11 too. It's hard to learn everything but a midi keyboard and this can sketch out 16 tracks of midi pretty fast.

[@squishmusic]

for me too. well started with the QY10 then up to the 70. Never did get the 700. Thats the master of this groovebox series

[@System-1541]

There actually is a section for editing the drum sounds. I forget exactly where at (maybe edit menu from the drum screen?). As I remember, it edits the whole drum track but I think you can control pitch and filter there. I haven't used it yet. Edit: JayB answered below about the drum editing. You actually can edit each sound on a drum kit. Follow the steps he mentioned.

[@maelgwni]

This was a fascinating watch Yukes, I love how thorough you are. Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to make this. I've been eyeing the QY70 for a long while, particularly because a lot of my favourite artists used it to create to create some of their best songs (e.g. Bjork, Bat for Lashes). Also having a portable standalone device with so many instruments, effects, adsr and even EQ and mixing capabilities does hold a strong appeal for me. I struggle to find a device these days that packs such a punch in terms of versatility and usability, even if the sound quality and instruments aren't the best. Thanks so much again :)

[@georgefenning4844]

I’ve got the QY 100 . I need to get it out of the box .I’m inspired. Thanks

[@Doffu]

Not sure if you're still making use of your QY100. But if you are, you'll be happy to know about the "QY100 Explorer" project I'm working at. Just Google it, should be one of the first things that pops up. Essentially, I'm making a bunch of specialized files that can be loaded onto the QY100 to extend it's features.

[@slowbro1337]

I love the QY 70 The QY 70 was the primary workhorse for my favorite synthpop band from when I was a kid called Freezepop. They got me into synths and drum machines. Great tips and tricks for incorporating it into studios along with a nice review of the little powerhouse of days past

[@wolfunplugged]

I had the qy70 for years. somewhen sold it. bummer. you really let this device shine!

[@dovepaige]

I still have the QY10... I think I got it in like 91-92 it was my first piece of electronic music gear, it was a total game changer for me for song writing I have like 3-4 90 minute cassettes worth of songs I recorded on my 4 track recorder...this video was a flashback to some good creative times, thanks for the video

[@yukesmusic]

Back those 4 tracks up to digital if you haven't immediately!! I just lost the cassettes from my 'Yello' set up on KZbin and i miss them dearly

[@valley_robot]

The Qy70 is still the best portable music making device , use it wisely, you can combine the presets to make some awesome sounds , it’s a romper but so is the CS1x and that helped make some big hits

[@grunntalll]

do you have any suggestions for machines like this but with a focus on drum sounds?

[@valley_robot]

@@grunntalll it has a drum synth built in , go to kit 10 and that is a fully customisable drum machine , very powerful piece of kit the QY70

[@grunntalll]

@@valley_robot thanks, one more thing. Do the CS1X and the QY70 sound similar? because both have XG? is it worth having both?

[@valley_robot]

@@grunntalll the cs1x has a eompler section with some really good sounds it has an arp, anadsr and filter section, it's a great piece of kit and they are really cheap, it does have all the same midi sounds as the qy70 plus lots more

[@pgwwa2]

Just randomly discovered your channel through a SP404 video. Loving the quality content you produce. Keep it up!

[@noisetv1863]

I have one of these, I actually really like it's ROMpler sounds

[@NullFX]

I got my QY70 just after i got my first 404. And I control it using a novation circuit tracks. It's so fun putting these instruments together.

[@yukesmusic]

Ayy a circuits user! You're right, they're all so capable and usable~

[@NullFX]

@@yukesmusic Oh for sure! The circuit is a cornerstone in both my composing and recording process. And I can slip it basically any bag too lmao.

[@tuesss]

It's really amazing how things made by Yamaha ~30 years ago are actually still more feature-rich and polished than almost all of the gear released recently. Oh, and usually they sound better, too.

[@bubuAudio]

Same for Roland SC and SD series !

[@noisetv1863]

Mine arrived today! Thanks for the overview. Down the road I may install a backlight, it needs one.

[@yukesmusic]

I'm brainstorming how to do it 💭

[@JayMSinger]

Years ago I sequenced the score for "Joseph & the Amazing Tech..." on my QY70 loaded onto a SmartMedia card. Being able to enter music via a MIDI keyboard at a slow tempo, then raising the tempo to full speed was terrific. I don't think I'll ever sell it. Replacing the internal battery is the only maintenance I've done. I'm currently still using it to step enter a 12-tone piano score which, for me, is too difficult to play in real time.

[@valley_robot]

Yes my brother , I’ve only ever had to replace the battery , it’s an awesome piece of kit , very useful even today , I’ll never sell mine

[@forgottencameras]

Man I've been looking for something simple and kinda all-inclusive to help make KZbin video background music, and this seems like just the ticket. You did an amazing job showing the capabilities. I'm going to go hunt one down.

[@yukesmusic]

There's plenty around! Enjoy

[@leewightman8619]

That record fuzz at the start sounded amazing

[@yukesmusic]

The SP404 vinyl sim is a staple of lofi!

[@reneherrera4650]

This is a wonderful walk through.

[@1coin1play]

You can polish the display using Brasso Metal Polish Wadding Pads. Practice on a spare plastic surface first, for example a cassette tape case or a CD case. Mask off all the areas that aren’t transparent plastic, otherwise the Brasso is likely to remove the paint. You only need a tiny amount of Brasso, the main action is the manual buffing action. It works in the same way as you would T-Cut paint on a car. Works a treat.

[@yukesmusic]

great tip! I'll get a bottle of it and let you know if it works.

[@seanluke3052]

@@yukesmusic I don't know if metal polish is smart. But toothpaste would probably work nicely: in fact it's the method recommended by Swatch to polish the plastic crystal screens over them.

[@donaldferguson7777]

dude these sounds are sweet! 90's 80's 70's.... dosent matter when you start tweaking those fx knobs. video is great. that screen was wack. seemed to come apart as u wiped it, thanx for the trouble you went through to show us this. the q70 is deff on my radar of observation now. ps those electric pianos were really nice. clav was cool but those elect pianos were nice.

[@yukesmusic]

The elec piano sounds are definitely the most forgiving romper tones, they really sound good with a velocity-sensitive controller. Grab one! They're pretty cheap and very likely won't go up in price.

[@donaldferguson7777]

yea ebay shoing for like 130 bucks....its basicly worth it just for vingae samples at that rate and a midi sequencer....suprising ability in small space@@yukesmusic

[@subiesojourner777]

I still have my pristine QY700 with everything as it was when I bought it new. By today's standards, I guess it's a dinosaur, but it's my dinosaur. It sits along side some more modern synths, but I still enjoy using it.

[@igorecord]

Oh, my love qy70! Thanks.

[@jamesr141]

I had one of these and it's so, so much better than an OP1.

[@MrSnysokk]

Great video 👍 Really hear the early squarepusher sound palette on the qy’s

[@beatprocess]

had mine since year 2000 qy70 is sick

[@jackblackguard8908]

Hey nice demo! At the time I thought these sounded utterly terrible. Now it sounds pretty awesome! I’ve been looking for a cheap one for a while, $30 is a great bargain:)

[@baltimega]

This would be so dope to pair with the circuit tracks

[@yukesmusic]

I just got sent a Circuit og! I'll definitely try them together

[@pedroewert143]

you got great content (i come from the s404 as an instrument-video) - great content, buildup, script, presentation

[@yukesmusic]

Appreciated!

[@JohnBassarcticsoundstudios]

Great job the Qy 70 is a great little unit.

[@johnnyfivemile]

Thanks for this great walkthrough on these lil machines. I was always tempted by them when they were new, but couldn't imagine a world where an instrument sold on the same shelf as the Casio Rapmaster, would have any kind of serious potential.

[@squishmusic]

I have to admit I totally overlooked using a grid live/push thing to control the QY70. I think I just couldnt be arsed with all this MIDI din > TRS MIDI. But I have a Microfreak and a Korg so I probably now have the right dongle D Do a follow up with the song mode, pattern mode and full MIDI sequecning.

[@yukesmusic]

Got a lot to work on in the meantime but it's a solid suggestion and I'll add it to my to-do list

[@demidevil666]

I only recently found your channel and I must say, the quality of your content is phenomenal. Every single video of yours that I've seen has such a warm, calming quality to it. It's a joy to view your content. Your channel has a bright future ahead of it. I'm sure of that. Good luck man! :)

[@yukesmusic]

Thank you kindly ♥️ they're plenty of fun to make, though few and far between

[@hikari_no_yume]

I think all, or almost all, of the sounds and effects on the QY70 are from the basic Yamaha XG set, so any Yamaha XG device from the late 90's or early 2000's will have them. (There's also some Yamaha devices that aren't XG branded but which still have these sounds.)

[@EdgyNumber1]

Sit on the train, plug it into the power socket, use it as a scratchpad and get some ideas down. I sometimes use it to control other equipment and fine tune the sound I need on that.

[@MariaCalfaDePaul]

i love how you explained everything. You have a nice easy going style. Liked and subbed. Thank you. I don't have this yet. I did have the QY-10 but it was such a pain to program. This seems a little easier. I love you made it sound so great. AND that laundpad is very cool .I have an Orange Tenori On. I wonder if I could use it similarly....it has the mini midi ...

[@commonbeats]

quality!! subbed :)

[@yukesmusic]

Welcome aboard!

[@cesarvalerio4292]

Great vídeo. Greetings from Brasil!

[@beatprocess]

love my qy70

[@shannonpalmer]

Thank you so much for this thorough walkthrough! I do have a question I was hoping you might be able to help with, though. I have my QY70 hooked up to my Digitakt. MIDI out of the DT--> MIDI in to the QY70, and the sound from the QY routed to the DT. I'm able to control one channel of MIDI with the sequencer of the DT, but I'm not able to change channels. For instance, I have track 9 on the DT assigned to channel 1, 10 assigned to 2, 11 to 3, and so on. But every track is controlling only the channel I have specifically selected on the QY70. The instrument/track only changes on the QY70 if I use the buttons on the Yamaha, and changing tracks on the DT does nothing. I'd really like to sequence both a bass and a pad, and maybe a piano or bell, and let the DT handle drums/percussion, but as it is, I can only get one sound from the QY70 to play. Is there something I'm supposed to do in the QY to make this work that I'm not doing?

[@yukesmusic]

Ah, Digitact x QY70 sounds amazing. it sounds like an issue with the MIDI input of the QY, i know its routing is a little clunky. It's supposed to be channels 1-16 on the 16 instruments. Have a look at the manual and check out the midi window; personally i think it's a little unintuitive, and i had a similar issue when i started using an external sequencer. Try switching up some of the parameters; what you're trying to do should certainly work. www.manualslib.com/manual/196930/Yamaha-Qy70.html?page=224#manual Unfortunately my QY70's been packed away as I'm moving studios, but if you haven't figured it out in a week or so, hit me up on Instagram and maybe i can help figure it out.

[@paulcarboneNY]

I'm actually really curious about this as well - I've got a QY100, and from everything I've read and experienced, the only track that will respond to MIDI In is the currently selected one, regardless of the input channel, and I thought the QY70 was the same way. So... I wonder if you have some special firmware than the rest of us mere mortals don't?

[@eagereyes]

I just had the same question, so I figured I'd post the solution here: on the QY100 there's a MIDI ECHO setting, I believe it's MIDI THRU on the QY70. Setting that to THRU or OFF makes it work as expected, only if it's set to RECMONTR does it apply MIDI on any channel to the currently selected track. So set it to OFF and it'll work (it did for me)!

[@Scab5679]

on the topic of shooting the screen: you could polish it first that makes it way better but regardless of that, use a polarizer filter. If still not good then polarize the light also (to match the screen polarizer so you see what’s going on)

[@yukesmusic]

I've actually got a rather nice circular polarizer that couldn't cut through at any angle. Polarizing light however, now that's something I've never heard about.

[@Scab5679]

@@yukesmusic you can find it searching for cross polarization. What it does is it completely removes reflections

[@djobnoxious6407]

Hit the NRPNs to really get weird. I find distortions, (up to 2) layers of reverbs, or mixing the oscillations of the mod. LFO with those of the chorus/tremolo effects are enough to remove its "dreadful midi music" timbralities. I think only the Circuit Tracks comes near in portability and sound design depth, then maybe the organelle or OP1. As much as I don't mind the LED pad fad, I wonder what is keeping gear designers from giving us a three-octave, knobby groovebox with a minimalistic display. We all could do with sumthin like that, I figger?

[@pdubthegod7524]

This was my first portable music device.

[@yukesmusic]

I wish it were mine!

[@valley_robot]

I’ll never sell mine , it’s a great portable synth , battery powered 16 tracks , fully editable sounds , fuck the op1 , this is from the 90s , we did things better back then

[@yukesmusic]

It really is amazing what it's capable of. I'd bring it everywhere if the screen were more manageable!

[@frilent]

You warned us that the sounds would be cheesy but they’re all really good, sounded like you took the instruments straight from a modern daw tbh

[@yukesmusic]

A little bit of reverb makes everything better ~ two FX slots can go a long way!

[@frilent]

@@yukesmusic haha you accomplished exactly what you wanted, to revitalize it!

[@frilent]

@@yukesmusic Just bought and received one in good condition, thank you for this video!

[@yukesmusic]

@@frilent ah that's awesome! Have fun! Just so you know, the two common things to break are the internal battery and the pads may wear down so that buttons stop responding. Both are easily fixed, so don't worry if its condition seems to deteriorate. Enjoy it and let us know your favorite sounds!

[@now_its_dark]

Great video! I think a combination of modern sequencers for jamming and expressive percussion + the more old school arrangement-style sequencing paradigm on-device is a nice combination, I do this with the QY700. Not sure about on the QY70, but the XG standard used here does allow for each sound in the Standard 1 & Standard 2 percussion kits to be separately edited like the other voices, not the style-specific kits though.

[@yukesmusic]

Super interesting. The XG standard has a lot of research that deserves to be made into a video. Maybe someday...

[@now_its_dark]

@@yukesmusic I was curious about this, since it is an important feature for making the drums sounds usable imo- it looks like the QY70 can do it! From page 72 in the manual: "When a Drum Set is selected (“Ds1” or “Ds2”) the “Drum Voice Edit” mode can be selected via the SONG VOICE menu."

[@jeppeaim3039]

So is it possible to "export" the final MIDI tracks to a DAW, for the purpose of using more modern sounding instruments? Basically using the QY70 as a composition tool and then using a DAW to refine/finalize the songs

[@yukesmusic]

Of course. It's just a 16-channel midi file. You'd just send the MIDI out of the device into a USB MIDI device (like most audio interfaces), record the MIDI data to different tracks and use modern instruments. Not ideal unless you're really into trackers, but totally possible

[@Max10_B]

Always loved those slightly dated sounds

[@listenin007]

Amazing video! Can you describe exactly how you fixed the rubber pad keyboard buttons? I have the same issue you had (have to press down hard for them to register)! Where did you buy replacement pads for the QY70 and how did you fix it? Could you describe the steps? Thank you!!

[@yukesmusic]

You know what really worked the best for me was a little conductive graphene paint. I tried for a month to glue small conductive pads to the original membrane but they always failed. Then i tried a little dab of cheap conductive paint, a pitch black jelly-like substance made of graphene, which still holds up wonderfully. Removing the membrane isn't the easiest task, but once you see the little black dots on the back of the buttons, simply dab each one with a little paint, let dry, then reassemble!

[@chrishayes7775]

you have a pet cat with unique fur patterns

[@YTKenjide]

I have only the little Brother (i love him since 1994) A QY 10 is nice to Have for me (look on Ebay ^^) I thank u so Much for this Video :)

[@yukesmusic]

I'm glad to hear it's been running strong for nearly 30 years! I hope the QY-70 is built to last.

[@alfredocassano3194]

great video. Is it possible to use the QY 70 to record sounds from another synth, say on track 1 and 2, and use the qy 70 sounds for track 3 and 4? How do I do that? By the way I love this device every day more!

[@yukesmusic]

hi! the QY-70 doesn't have any audio-recording capability, it is only a MIDI device. The QY-100 can affect incoming audio using built-in FX, but there's no audio recording or sampling whatsoever. You could use tracks 1-2 to send MIDI *to* your other synths. Actually, you could use the QY-70 to control 16 devices using the different MIDI channels if you wanted to! But you'd need a mixer to get all the signals together, or an audio interface with X number of ins to record them all simultaneously.

[@alfredocassano3194]

@@yukesmusic oh no sorry, I realize I formulated the question badly. I mean: I also have a Korg Modwave, and when the QY70 is connected to it I can use the Korg to input midi events into the QY. What I'm trying to do is to record a multitrack song (recorded in multiple takes) so that in the end the song should be a mix of both devices sounds, but possibly edited in the QY70. Will I need a mixer to mix both sources sounds and a recorder to grab the mix? Not sure it's clearer now or even more confused, lol

[@yukesmusic]

@@alfredocassano3194 I see~ Yes, it's possible. The QY70 can record incoming MIDI. Better to send the QY70 MIDI out to the Modwave MIDI in to send clock. Then, Modwave MIDI out to QY70 in. Play a note on the Modwave, and it'll play on the QY-70. For multiple tracks, you'd simply do this again and again with different MIDI channels. 1-16. As for audio, you'll need at least a 2-input audio interface. You will need to record the QY70 audio and the modwave audio on different channels. I'd suggest using a 4-channel audio interface, because both your synths are stereo. You can use a mixer if you prefer. But I like having the multiple channels recorded distinctly so that you can edit them later. There's more to it; synchronizing the QY with your DAW to hear multiple modwave recordings at once, muting to record individual QY70 instruments... but you'll need to learn the basics of multitrack recording first. Basically anything is possible. Grab a Scarlett 4i4 and get to learning!

[@alfredocassano3194]

@@yukesmusic wow man, thanks! You are so kind, this helps a lot!

[@djsandy303]

Sound canvas 88 or this? Hmmmm i want a rom player this one sounds amazing

[@AV-fh7rp]

There is a backlit version

[@ebk72]

I hodl mine for ever !

[@OPdbx]

great vid! How did you replace the bottom of the pads? the keyboard on my QY70 is basically non-functional.

[@yukesmusic]

I started off by removing the rubber pads, which are a whole piece beneath one of the PCB's. Breakdown is super simple, just need a screwdriver and some tlc. I originally tried cutting off the conductive nubs and glueing on new ones, but it was such a wreck bc I couldn't find a glue that would hold. Then I realized you could just buy conductive paint, it's pretty much jellified graphite (?) And works like a charm.

[@listenin007]

That keyboard you had as a kid that had similar sounds, was it the Yamaha PSS-380/390?

[@yukesmusic]

It was certainly yamaha, which explains why I recognize the XG library. Couldn't say for sure which it was.

[@DawlessHouseMusic]

I have one and the QY700

[@yukesmusic]

I've heard the buttons on the 700 are to die for. Would love to give it a try

[@DawlessHouseMusic]

@@yukesmusic I did it for the backlit. It has a few other cool upgrades too.

[@listenin007]

Is the 4 voice limitation at once a limitation on your Novation Launchpad or the QY70?

[@yukesmusic]

It's not a voice limitation, it's a track limitation. Can't remember the vocab i used in the vid, but if I said voice, i was wrong. 4 voices would imply only 4 notes at a time, but i believe the QY and LP can do quite a bit more than that. The Launchpad is only capable of sequencing four tracks of MIDI at one time. If i had four Launchpads, i could sequence all 16 tracks of the QY70 at once.

[@njea1337]

its crazy to me that you can actually use that launchpad with the QY70... thank god for midi

[@xlo2335]

What other midi controllers would work good with the QY70?

[@yukesmusic]

To make the music in this vid, i use a "hardware midi sequencer" with four sequence tracks. To achieve a similar effect you could use an Arturia Beatstep/Keystep, a Korg SQ-1 or SQ-64, an Elektron Octatrack, MPC, any standalone device with multiple tracks. If you're willing to connect to a computer, your options open up considerably. You could use any of the Novation launch devices, NI Maschine, anything with a multi-track sequencer really. If you don't need multiple tracks going at once, you could really use any midi controller.

[@xlo2335]

@@yukesmusic would arturia keystep 37 work? I was thinking to get cheap and get a nanokeys just for midi control but I think I'd be missing out on alot of features with not going with a keystep

[@yukesmusic]

@@xlo2335 the Keystep 37 had an impressive sequencer... Except it's only one track. The music in this video controls four instruments at a time. If you wanted to do that, you'd need a Keystep Pro. Cheapest sequencer on the market for this sort of thing is an SQ-1. Or maybe an OG Novation Circuit. EDIT: Honestly you could get the 37 and use the sequencer inside the QY-70. It's not too too hard. You could record one instrument's Midi at a time, then perform by muting/unmuting what you've already recorded. A bit more learning, and a little bit of a headache. But it'd certainly let you put the Keystep's sequencer to work.

[@xlo2335]

@@yukesmusic I think I understand now!! And so with the SQ-64 for instance, is the music being saved inside the SQ-64 sequencer as well or just being inputted through it and saved into the QY70?

[@xlo2335]

I went with the launchpad pro mk3!! So excited, and now I understand I can store my sounds from the qy70 into the patterns and projects of the mk3! Which blew my mind!! And thank you for taking some time to explain more the midi functions of it

[@georgefenning4844]

Question . Can I use the original launchpad or another later version with a presonus interface has midi in out and iPad connection. Or do I have to buy the novation device you are using . ? Thanks

[@yukesmusic]

Short answer is yes, you can totally use any DAW via a launchpad (and interface w/ midi out) to control the QY. The feature I'm using in the latter half of this video is standalone sequencing, which is only available on the Launchpad Pro MkIII and the Novation Circuits (as well as other brands of sequencers.) That means you can control the QY in this way without a computer or ipad. Unfortunately I'm not too familiar with the older generations of launchpads and I don't know if they're able to sequence as easily as the new ones. But any app or DAW you choose to sequence MIDI with could certainly control the 16(!!!) channels on the QY.

[@georgefenning4844]

@@yukesmusic thank you for getting back to me . I will try this out today . I think my launchpad can only trigger scenes and clips . I’ll need to explore the other launchpad . I also have a Roland sd50 sound canvas and a korg i40m (1999) . I’m trying to find a way of getting the sounds into ableton as these devices will not last long . I40m stores midi on floppy drive . Midi. 1.0 . Is there a simple of way of pulling midi into ableton and separating the channels into different tracks . ? Thank you .

[@yukesmusic]

@@georgefenning4844 Ableton is able to record multiple channels of MIDI at the same time; just use multiple tracks and set the MIDI in to different channels. If you want to capture and preserve the sounds, consider either Sample Robot or possibly Maschine/Kontakt for converting your hardware sounds into software sounds

[@georgefenning4844]

@@yukesmusic Thanks for all your help . Much appreciated ;

[@yukesmusic]

@@georgefenning4844 no problem. Head over to reddit/r/synthesizers if you need more detailed help, I'm sure they'll be helpful to walk you through the process

[@Sonar37]

I have one lol excellent shape not for sale great video

[@willjones4992]

i think a little more saturation on the drums could turn this thing into a viable little machine. these are already on the way up in terms of price online and it wouldn't surprise me if they were like $300+ in a year or two once some talented jackass makes a really really popular video on these things. great job. i kinda want one now.

[@yukesmusic]

Could always send MIDI out to a Volca Sample or SP404, I reckon sampled drums could go a long distance. There's so many left out there, I doubt they'll get too expensive in the coming years! Not like the rare stuff Hainbach is after, anyway

[@willjones4992]

@@yukesmusic does the in built od/distortion sound any good with the drums?

[@yukesmusic]

@@willjones4992 I'll give it a try! I'm no expert on od/fuzz/dist but I'll try later today and report back

[@willjones4992]

@@yukesmusic thank you!!

[@fender1000100]

That talented jackass could be me. I'm a yamaha man as you can see on my channel. And I have one of these on the way. Just as I did with the DX7, RX5 and DX11. It's time to see what this baby can really do.

[@JericMesa-MRA-1462]

If I record a drum pattern can the time signature be changed to 3/4, 2/6 and 6/8 ??

[@marknhopgood]

Unfortunately my qy70 has stopped working. Anyone know any resources on how to fix?

[@marknhopgood]

@@usenamenotallowed I tried, but unfortunately that didn't do it.

[@artvandelay3282]

Nice video but tbh it kind of defeats the point of the qy series to use an external sequencer. You may as well just buy a sound module or any old Yamaha keyboard with their XG library and then just sample. Would have liked to see you use the internal sequencer

[@yukesmusic]

Yeah, you're right. It really does stand on its own, as it's supposed to. I'll get into the internal sequencer at some point, but being able to record the MIDI in and walk away from it allows it to be programmed by something easier, like a DAW or LP, then perform with it. For those of us more familiar with that sort of gear, it's a great way to start. We'll get there!

[@squishmusic]

@@yukesmusic Do a vid on the sequencer. It really is deep and can standup to modern hw sequencers. Thats where it doesnt age. Its still kicks for 25yo gear.

[@jeremymurray-wakefield8011]

Actually it’s 24 track, not 16. Eight “pattern” tracks running alongside sixteen linear tracks.

[@StopTryingSoHard]

So someone with some semi "OK" electronics skills can backlight the display with an EL panel, it fixes the backlight issues. QY70s were common in bigger studios at least until maybe 2010, kinda similar to SR-16/SR-18s ... but the SR-16 and SR-18s are still there. Both serve their purposes well.

[@mrz80]

I love Florian's conclusion about the SR-16 (I've got a couple of 'em): he Alesis SR-16 is like the stone-deaf half-retired engineer you end up booking for every show of your band. Some might be more innovative and some might be more fun to party with, but this one gets the job done every single time.

[@dasczwo]

Get some polish for plexi glass. Try on corner of screen first. Toothpaste might help too. Choose spearmint ;-)

[@yukesmusic]

I tried toothpaste to no avail. I'll find some Plexi polish!

[@rexcellencemagee6729]

I may be incorrect but I believe it’s all one piece, the plexiglass isn’t removable. You have to replace the entire unit. Like I said Floyd has done it.

[@markkilley2683]

Heaps on Ebay.

[@yukesmusic]

Far from rare! Not like 4-track cassette recorders, yet

[@markkilley2683]

@@yukesmusic I've noticed about the cassette recorders, and ones you do see the asking price is well... I wonder what happened to them all? Another thought is hooking up the launchpad to a rm1x. I have both.

[@yukesmusic]

@@markkilley2683 actually I think there's a simple answer. Cassette machines have a lot of moving parts, and components that wear out over time (bands, motors, heads). But this thing is just PCB and nothing else. If anything, the pads wore out, but a $3 bottle of conductive paint fixed that right up. A skilled set of hands can repair old gear like that. There's still a lot of old dudes kickin' around who can repair this gear, though original replacement parts are starting to dwindle. But most people don't know how. The QY70's obviously been succeeded by most modern jamboxes, but it's also significantly harder to repair a major flaw in the PCB. So for now, they're cheap and plentiful. 20 years from now, if there's any nostalgic value for these things, they might be priceless. Not a sound investment but definitely worth a try for those who are curious about it

[@Vilendank]

I'm trying desperately to find the source of this memory, but wasn't Takako Minekawa's Roomic Cube ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnrYmX6da55lfNk&ab_channel=%C3%81lvaroHermosoYuste ) composed almost entirely with this thing?

[@yukesmusic]

I wouldn't know, but i do know that this XG instrument library was incredibly popular at the time and available on many different hardware units. Edit: they're talking about it right now on reddit! www.reddit.com/r/synthesizers/comments/104xoy6/i_still_cant_believe_the_qy70_can_still_be_found/?

[@Vilendank]

@@yukesmusic I saw that, that how I ended up here, lol

[@CharlesUibel]

Fun

[@johnlaccohee-joslin4477]

I have a Qy70 and have to say that this is not a rptouch on the older qy series of which i have two. The only problem with the older sequencer is it took midi via a 3.5 inch floppy drive witch sadly was a cheap version of the floppy drive and has a habbit of packing up, which has happened with both of mine. You can pug stuff in via playing tbe midi to memory but this restricts to ten channels very much dependent of the amount of available memory. For the life ipof me i cannot understand why Yamaha have such a dim view of this older model which to my mind is gead and shoulders about others. Anyone who knows how to replace this with an up to date floppy drive could make themselves a fortune as tgere are hundreds of people with the same problem. The miblie vertion is nothing like the older version which really is very well build other than the floppy drive. Would be grateful for anyone who has one of the older sequencers and has overcome the problem. The major problem being the old floopy drive is conneted via a ribbon cable. If someone have over come this would be very interested to know how with a vidio showing how. This would not detract from the money to be made by offering the service of correcting the problem.

[@klisher]

i got one but the internal battery is dead,

[@yukesmusic]

I had that problem too! Means you can't save your work. It's a very simple repair. Just buy a normal button battery (SR626SW I think?), open it up and swap it! Takes like 5mins.

[@klisher]

@@yukesmusic Thanks for that. i will do it.. 👍👍👍

[@senhorlampada]

Yeah... its pretty easy. Actually it's a CR2032 battery Did you manage to change it?

[@klisher]

@@senhorlampada havent tried yet but thanks for the reminder 😊😊

[@BassyGreay]

Bro I feel like a dummy dummy for saying this but 10 years later I learned that pads are typically behind the lead in the mix 😂

[@yukesmusic]

Pads are for the lads, boyo

[@doordedeur]

Yamaha's XG soundset was legendary, until it dropped into 99 bucks Lidl keyboards.

[@yukesmusic]

Growing up in the 90's i internalized these sounds as the quintessential "cheap keys with 500 instruments" sound. But now with lucious effects and complex VST's, i think they're worth a comeback

[@ropeburn6684]

The QY70 isn't "lo fi" at all.