Yamaha QY 100 - the mini synthesizer workstation you were looking for?

[@mr_floydst]

Part 2 - on sequencing external gear, chord tracks and pattern effects - is here kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2qti6CMfb6Bqrc

[@jameskerr9509]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYq5n3yhmK-orrM This original song was done entirely on a QY70. I have dumped the midi file to my Korg Krome . I tried hard But cannot get it to sound as good as the original QY version.

[@Andronicus2007]

Yamaha- its time for a QY200. Imagine, Yamahas latest sounds, ability to load samples, Elektron style sequencer, built in battery, oled screen. It would destroy the competition!

[@mr_floydst]

I'd agree, but I'd argue Yamaha's sequencer is both superior and inferior in ways. Elektron can't do that quick reharmonizing thing, which is so useful once you wrapped your head around it. Also, Yamaha's step sequencer is so much better than Elektron's. Elektron does live sequencing much better - you can quickly change things while the sequence is running. Not possible on the QY series.

[@mathieurebacz391]

Thanks a lot ! Just bought a QY100. Please continue to do tutorials/songs with the Yamaha QY 70 or 100, they are always very interesting

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks! At the moment, I feel like I said all the things I wanted to say, but I'll do more video for sure.

[@fender1000100]

They were the coolest music tech ever at the time. You could be on a long train journey and compose a masterpiece.

[@mr_floydst]

Yes, absolutely! I just did that yesterday ;)

[@fender1000100]

@@mr_floydst Cool...

[@fender1000100]

@@mr_floydst Your video had actually renewed my interest in the QY100. And I'm going to try and acquire one on Ebay many thanks.

[@LanthanOIde]

Yes! Great to see some exposure for my favorite sequencer! :D Considering it can sequence external gear on 16 tracks and with practically unlimited song length... To put it mildly, it's an often overlooked little gem. :)

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks! I can see why it's your fav. It's like the EX5 sequencer, but without it's timing issues. Great stuff.

[@hendrex2007]

YES..I Have two unit with this mini synth workstaton.I used it during our gig (contract) abroad when I was still active performing .Thanks for this handy sequencer.It helps me purchase a house and a brand new car.Yamaha QY 100 + me on keyboard/guitar and two female singers.That's it.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! And wow, it's great you found success in music.

[@peterpeper4837]

It is great to remind people that if the talent is there you can make music even with the most obsolete underated stuff.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks!

[@shaunhammer6]

Bought a qy70 years ago and it taught me so much about sequencing and midi, I love it. It's worth getting a keyfax Phat boy controller for it, the pb really opens up your options as far as creativity and performance goes. Great video!

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you very much!

[@kimolivier6630]

Last Thurday, I paid about $27.24 which is equal to R500.00 for a second hand Yamaha QY100 in mint condition. There is nothing wrong with it. I got the original manual as well and data booklets. I got a Two din midi cable to usb hub cable as well as the power supply. Your videos help alot. This is an amazing device.

[@mr_floydst]

Wow! That's a great price for this box. Congrats! (And thanks for watching my videos)

[@XavierRadix]

Quite cool how deep you can go with this little workstation! I did not expect that this box had so many features.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks! Yep. It's a nice little gadget, and certainly powerful as a portable sequencer. I was pleasantly surprised!

[@entropybound]

nice - i only use my QY70 in short bursts, but it's nice to see another person in the world with a QY *and* a starstream (which I think is really underappreciated, and was an amazing bargain new for $300...). i doubt it's because we're both steinberg's, but it's an amusing coincidence.

[@mr_floydst]

Wow! You're the real Mr. Steinberg! :-) I think the QY100 is a keeper. (I frequently buy and sell gear because that's part of the fun, but the QY100 seems to be something special...) I'm a bit envious you got the Starstream for $300! I think I paid around 500 back then. And yes, it's a great guitar, but I think I need to exchange the tuners - the guitar is out of tune every day. While my Fender acoustic stays in tune for basically forever...

[@arunsamuel9707]

Thanks a lot for sharing your creativity. You make it look so simple. God bless you.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching!

[@blizzbee]

The QY100 was an important gear to help me finish my first CD album when i was in college having fun with friends making music. I remember using Cubase sx or so. Good time it was.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! We all have a nostalgic attachment to one device or another. ;)

[@EgoShredder]

Cubase 2.0 for me........... on the Atari STE with a whopping 4MB RAM! Absolutely rock solid system, and one great feature from that is no longer in the newer versions, the Interactive Phrase Synthesiser which you could feed with a few notes and a key, and it would then generate chord progressions or melodies etc. Wonderful!

[@carlitorousseau8731]

Atari 1040 ste with dr T and kawaik4😂

[@SamHocking]

They have a very nice nostalgic sound. I regularly use the S-YXG50 VSTi plugin, which is basically the same XG wave memory. In fact exactly the same I believe.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! Sadly, that plugin is abandonware.

[@geraldopaivasoares3235]

Hello Floyd Steinberg! With this mini synthesizer workstation Yamaha QY 100 and your beautifull voice, the sky is the limit! Thanks for sharing. I'am from Brasil.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching. ;-)

[@dovepaige]

The QY10 was my first and for a long time only piece of electronic music gear, when the QY100 came out I always wanted one but couldn't ever find one in pre internet era Wisconsin, since then I have moved on to more advanced groove boxes like the Roland MC 101, and sampling with the 1010music BlackBox.. this video was a great look back to the kind of gear I started with.

[@mr_floydst]

I'd liked to have a QY10 in 1990. :-) As long as MIDI 5 pin sockets are a thing, these boxes will be useful.

[@dovepaige]

@@mr_floydst I got mine somewhere around 90-91

[@jameskerr9509]

I still have my QY 10

[@DocBolus]

Used this loads back in the day for playing live, sequenced my sampler with it. Sold it and the Sampler in about 2009/10. I also had a QY10 in the 90's but it got lost in a hurricane. What I loved about this was the different sections you could select.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! I guess this tech got superseeded by smartphones and tablets (though it's nice to have a device focused only on music)

[@DocBolus]

@@mr_floydst I love stand alone devices. My current favourite is the Roland MC-101 which is unsurprisingly a whole level beyond. What it doesn't really have though is a song mode.

[@mr_floydst]

@@DocBolus I find the lack of song mode on modern groove boxes disturbing ;-) There are some people who just want to create a traditional song with beginning, verse, chorus, brigde ... ending, then just press play and play along on a guitar, for example. For one reason or another, hardware manufacturers seem to watch too many youtube videos of cool kids / moms / dads / grandpas / grannies tweaking knobs on the same 4 bar pattern for 45 minutes. haha :-)

[@rachelar]

@@mr_floydst yeah it's a, real, elephant in the room. What's more, shop staff are unsure what you mean when you ask about doing mode on new drum machines etc

[@GeorgekwessiDavis]

Thanks. I bought this machine years ago and I still use it.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching!

[@arcanics1971]

Awesome tutorial and as always, a fantastic track as a result. Great stuff, Mr Steinberg!

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you! :-)

[@peterjordanson1021]

Reminds me of my Yamaha Rx7/QX5/DX21/D10 days of the eighties. I don't use that hardware anymore, but I recently hooked it all up and amazingly all of the internal batteries were still good and contained all of the data from 35 years ago! Way to go Yamaha.

[@mr_floydst]

Wow, that's amazing! Tbh I think you're extremely lucky the batteries and capacitors survived that long! :)

[@kvmoore1]

@@mr_floydst I absolutely agree in that. He is extremely fortunate!!!! Back that stuff up while you still can (midi sysex dump or something). At least you would still have all of your past work once the batteries do die and you replace them.

[@WarrenPostma]

With the cult status and price of the teenage engineering pocket workstations, you would think that Yamaha/Korg or Roland would revive their own sleeping engineers, and get them to work building a modern version of this. Not everyone wants to use their ipad as their mobile music making box.

[@mr_floydst]

I agree, it's always nice to have a custom tailored hardware interface on a box you just need to turn on without juggling audio interfaces and midi interfaces. That said, the QY100 and QY70 still work as well in hardware synth setups as they ever did (I'll post a new video today showing that :-) and you'll find these boxes plenty on ebay and other sites.

[@4Oh4P]

Picked up a SU100 from a friend and it’s so surprising how Yamaha had great samplers you don’t hear about anymore.

[@mr_floydst]

Yamaha really had a good run in the late 90s. I wish they'd reenter the desktop synth space.

[@arpalaser]

I have one. Love it . I use it all the time. Incredible machine. Impresive effects.

[@mr_floydst]

Totally agree!

[@MasterMainak]

Bro i love you so much! your full face view without the head cut off, reallly makes your personality shine 10/10, dont know about others but it does to me so hell yeah :D and nice video, i had no idea this thing existed x.x

[@mr_floydst]

Haha thanks ;-) To any outside viewer who wonders what this is about: Join Woody Piano Shacks Discord server. :-)

[@EgoShredder]

I've owned or used most of the QY models, but currently own a QS300 keyboard along with a ton of other Yamaha synths and gear. There is a QY300 which was the predecessor to the legendary QY700 in a way.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! Yes, I've read about those while researching the QY series. I think the 100 was the last one, the 300 and 700 were outliers in their form factor and UI.

[@djdigital3806]

I had a QY10. What an improvement.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! I'd like to try a QY10 some day for scientific reasons. :-)

[@crunchyfrog555]

I have a QY10 from when they first came out, and a later QY800. I use them both extensively as nothing does it better for me to get ideas down quickly. They're frankly fantastic.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! I totally agree. Playing some chords on the keyboard and hearing my _entire pattern_ being adjusted to that chord was simply mind blowing. Never seen that on any other hardware sequencer.

[@MilosSiptak]

QY800 does not exist......

[@crunchyfrog555]

@@MilosSiptak 300 - I mistyped.

[@vito_keys]

I wish Yamaha revives these pocket sequencers into a modern one. A small version of the PSR-S series workstation keyboards would be a nice one, featuring the same accompaniment "styles" and Super Articulation sounds

[@mr_floydst]

I wish, too - their new box (SeqTrack?) kind of goes into this direction.

[@vito_keys]

@@mr_floydst I prefer them to be based on PSR-S/SX models because it would be more user-friendly and appealing to all users (both pro or amateur). In addition, the PSR is now no longer look and sound "amateurish" as it did in the early 2000s. Newer models, like the PSR-SX900 and PSR-SX700, have sounds that are on par with Yamaha's synths

[@kentaccordionist]

Would love one of these. I have a qy10. But the qy100 does so much more.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! The QY10 was released in 1990, the 100 in 2001. 11 years is an eternity in tech... :-) I remember the 10 had favourable reviews when it hit the streets, would love to try one one day.

[@MarshalArnold]

I know JayB has some vids on one of these, or atleast a variant of it, but this is a very good workflow and tutorial guide. Many thanks, subbed 😎👍

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you! I'll check out his videos. Luckily, posting new QY-related content will also bring some viewers to him (and vice versa), that's the way YT works. :-)

[@MarshalArnold]

@@mr_floydst yup, and vice-versa I found your channel likely because of his vids on the same device 😎👍

[@ianbeverly4792]

I appreciate this. I used to have a QY100 but could never make it sound that interesting even though I knew it was capable of neat things. (I initially got one when I saw a QY100 hooked up to a water fountain at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, whereupon it would play little melodies whenever people would press the button on the fountain. Those melodies would fluctuate in sound and intensity according to the pressure someone would put on the button.)

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for sharing your short story. That was some curious synth-spotting, I guess! :-)

[@HopeinMedia]

A very decent educative video. It helped me & I'll need it over & over again. Thanks!

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you very much! I did a follow-up video on the chord tracks - a very helpful feature for musicians playing live.

[@HumbleHeartMinistry]

I had one of those years ago! I wrote a couple cool songs with it. I like you can use the keys to actually put a decent keyboard part in your songs, and ten drums were not to bad. But it had quite the learning curve. So when I didn’t use it for a month or so, I would forget most of how to use it! I finally just gave up on it, after having to relearn it a few times. Had little patience then! Lol! But yeah you can for sure get so:e good stuff out of it!

[@mr_floydst]

I guess you're right, learning the "patterns make up a song" approach and "why on earth do my patterns not play back midi now" took some time to figure out. As I came from the EX5 workstation, I was a bit familiar, though, so I got into this pretty quickly.

[@patrikknoerr9777]

I still "only" got an RY8, but I love it and I want to own a QY700/300/100/70. Still not sure, which. I think the concept of having a nice tool on your synth that gives you a programmable arranger keyboard for writing songs is amazing. And you can practice music with it. And you have something that provides you with midi data for arrangements. The RY8 stands its ground against a TG500 and an EX5r drum-wise. I did not hear anything really great from the synth side of these machines, but why should I care when I can produce a final product with my rack gear. These are little gems.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! I agree (though I'd say there are some nice sounds in the Pad and Bass and Lead banks which come alive when using controls on filter and resonance).

[@Patriotx-gx4ce]

Great review. Need to get one now as I want do make some music. Thanks.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching!

[@uhoh007]

This is so cool I sent off for one!

[@mr_floydst]

Nice! You won't be disappointed. At least I hope so. ;-)

[@drakelacy2358]

Nice vid! Saw one of these in a pawn shop a few years ago for $215 US. I was mostly intrigued and watch quite a few videos on it trying to decide if I wanted to spend the money. Ultimately I decided not to, but figured if I ever got to the point of public performance (I haven’t) I might reconsider. I can see its utility in that area.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks! It's a nice sequencer, too. Could be of use in the ever-so-popular mini desk synth setups.

[@willj3146]

Wanted this. I ended up getting a mc307 cause I felt I needed more hip hop sounds lol. Later on ended up getting a Yamaha motif. Great vid!

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you! I think your made a good choice there as well. :-)

[@sonfx]

Good stuff! Great idea to get the QY. I got the QY700 recently but the seller was not fully honest about the “excellent” state on Reverb - now, that was almost the straw that broke the camel’s back in terms of my enthusiasm about the classifieds market, but I must say I’m still interested in the QY series. Hope to see more vids from you with this little powerhouse.

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you! I will do more videos for sure. (This one was the best-performing video I did in a very long, long time). ;-)

[@sonfx]

@@mr_floydst Congrats! The track is cool too! Unfortunately, my QY didn’t work at all, but at least I can listen to you performing on yours.

[@paulcarboneNY]

Great to see you keeping up with the Yamaha love ! A few things that drove me a little bonkers about this unit though (and why it mostly just sits in a drawer): The convoluted way you have to clear a user part - you can't just delete it, you have to run a job to clear it. You also can't move parts between patterns or songs. Generally the pattern management is weak compared to it's much older QY300 counterpart, which is too bad, because it's sounds are noticeably nicer. So I figured I'd try to use it as a sound module with another seq, but that's a bust: it only responds to incoming MIDI on the currently selected track! That seems like a deliberate limitation, and one I haven't found a way around.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! Yeah, I'm a bit of an late 90s Yamaha fanboi ;-) Interesting to read that. This is my first QY device, I knew this was a long-running series but I don't know too much about their respective specs. I'll try sequencing external gear next. All in all, the sequencer is very similar to that of my EX5, so if you look at what it is, it's really quite good.

[@garyproffitt5941]

Long live fantastic Japan ✔

[@mr_floydst]

^ this. :-)

[@sirvidia]

can i export midi data from a DAW into this? I'm thinking about live use - taking advantage of the ease of editing in the DAW but using this on stage to send the midi data

[@mr_floydst]

The easiest way to do that is to buy a smart media card (plus reader) and copy the MIDI files to that card. You can then load them on the QY100, see faq.yamaha.com/usa/s/article/U0003699

[@humblegeorge]

You must have a degree in programming !!!! Man you did a great job and super cool music too.Cheers.

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you very much!

[@valley_robot]

Still got my qy70 don't think I'll ever sell it

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! I can clearly see why. :-)

[@DominicJacksonFilm]

i hadd a qy 70 and the sound engine is phenominal

[@mr_floydst]

I agree - it's their AWM2 engine. I would have loved some deeper editing, but starting with some standard synth sounds like saw wave, you can get pretty "modern" results.

[@Andronicus2007]

Hi, how is the Korg nanokey keyboard connected to the QY100?

[@mr_floydst]

Hi, thanks for watching! I have made a video specifically answering that question, which is one of the most-asked questions on this channel ;-) kzbin.info/www/bejne/n4eXgIaIfJt-n9E

[@screamengine]

Nice! What guitar is that you are using? Looks interesting with the built in effects!

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks! That's a VOX Startstream. The knob is for selecting the emulation.

[@reyescisneros1785]

I bought the QY70 in 1997 in Japan. I still have it and it still sounds great. Sadly it doesnt have the guitar input like the QY100.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! The audio input is neat, but compared to today's effects, it's not _that_ good. ;-) Chorus and delay are good, reverb is ok, and the amp sims are horrible.

[@kvmoore1]

I used to have a QY100 years ago and paired it with a MPC1000. Darn, still miss it!!!! I now have a MU128. Despite it lacking the sequencer of the QY100, the MU128 has many more sounds. However, it is not as portable as the QY100. I can only imagining having a QY100 paired with my MPC One today. That would be something serious, but so would an MC707 or a smaller JV1010 or XV2020!!!

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! How do you use these instruments? I'm interested because both the MPC and the QY100 can be used as central pieces of studio setups (they have complex sequencers and can play polyphonic, multitimbral synth / sampler stuff). Would the MPC or the QY be the sequencer in such a setup?

[@kvmoore1]

@@mr_floydst Back when I had the QY, I used to use it as a sound module with a computer midi sequencer. When paired with the MPC1000 (this was 2004, back before there was JJOS and better MPC sequencing features), I used both sequencers and synced the QY100 to the MPC1000 via midi clock. Drums came from the MPC. Melodies came from the QY100. Today, I would use the QY100 (if I still had one) primarily as a sound module and let the MPC be the centerpiece and handle all of the sequencing.

[@gameboyz7497]

best channel ty very much man for everything get new sub !

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you very much!

[@michaels5166]

thank you..Let me see if I can find one

[@mr_floydst]

Good luck! And thanks for watching.

[@arunca190]

My favorite sequencer. The bad: (obv) no usb. Smart media cards. Annoying mute function (qy10 was way better). Dark screen. Effects and sound editing are a pain to set. But it’s portable and easy to make a sequence and then chain it to your Moog or Eurorack!

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! You're totally right. :-)

[@sleepynoonradio]

I miss the versatility of it. Would've been so much fun to have something similar with modern hardware. Until then, stuck with M8 :)

[@mr_floydst]

The M8 is quite close indeed, it's missing the harmonisation features if I'm not mistaken.

[@kimolivier6630]

On my Yamaha QY100, I got a song that was programed where a banjo and reeds organ sounds like it is playing live. The guy that programed it, only did it in song mode, I am trying to disect it. Still struggling as I do not know the device properly

[@mr_floydst]

Take a look at the list editor, it will show you all the MIDI events in a track.

[@IIIElijah]

I chose dr5 boss over qy20 When I was 18 Now at 48 Yamaha is everything I use.

[@danielyvon7762]

Good morning, First of all, thank you very much for your response, but I admit that I don’t understand the process very well. I put myself in step-by-step mode, I select a chord, then a second, then I go to the pattern section, I select the type (ex:ballad) so on two measures and then on the third, I put the pattern 129 that is to say the end pattern, and there when I loop at the return of the first measure, I have a small jump. When we come across the preselection of chords at the bottom right, we have a series of 99 different chord sequences and there is no looping problem. Do you have an idea. Sincerely. Daniel

[@mr_floydst]

I'm sorry but I don't think I have a solution at hand. Are you trying to string together patterns in song mode, using the chord track?

[@danielyvon7762]

Merci encore @@mr_floydst

[@fcf8269]

How do you connect this to a computer beside using it as midi sound module? does it record your guitar too on that small card or just what you add in the patterns? Is there a way to change the soundfont bank on it, to update it or put different sounds? Not sure if it is using Midi only or if it has some sample based library, as the whole synth part is pretty much not that documented :( BTW do you prefer the 100 or the 70? They seem to be very similar and yet very different in so many ways.

[@mr_floydst]

Hi! This is an XG module - you can't exchange the sounds at all, only modify them within certain boundaries. You can't record your guitar with this. It's more like an effects pedal. I guess they had street buskers in mind - set up a song, plug in your guitar and play and sing along. I prefer the QY70, it's smaller and it has the rythm patterns (the QY100 doesn't have them).

[@fcf8269]

@@mr_floydst Thanks for the info! So it is not a sound module but just a midi sequencer at its core? I like the idea to be able to play live and use it as effect, but if it does not record the audio it is quite a limitation :( It does add something interesting in terms of retro sound, although if you already have a sequencer I wonder how useful this could be in that setup. Thanks :)

[@takappar]

Тамаша. Арнаңызға жазылдым. Алдағы жақсы әрі сапалы, осындай сияқты контентті күтіп отырмын.

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you very much! There will be more videos on this device (or the QY70, which is basically the same but smaller)

[@takappar]

​@@mr_floydst Барлық құрылғыларға терең шолу шығарыңыз. Рахмет!

[@prezooom4307]

I'm having a hard time finding the PC host cord. What is the official description of this cord ? This is holding me back somewhat. Can you please direct me ?

[@mr_floydst]

Try this page yamahamusicians.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6821 which should point you into the right direction, e.g. www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=cable+8+pin+mini+din+to+db9+female&i=computers&ref=nb_sb_noss ;-)

[@Filippist]

I have to thank you. I never heard about the QY 100 before and after seeing this video I've purchased it. For me my cheapest and best musical instrument. Are there any hardware clone with the same features nowadays?

[@mr_floydst]

The Woovebox and the Dirtywave M8 are kind of in the same territory, but to be honest, the popsong-inspired workflow of the QY series still is very unique. The QY70 is mostly similar, but a bit smaller. Same sounds though, no audio input but a realtime groove quantization instead (turn your 4 to the floor techno romp into a samba dance with the press of a button) Thanks for your kind words. :-)

[@georgefenning4844]

Thank you . I have finally got my qy 100 out of box after house move . I Knew it had potential but I found it overwhelming . You have helped enormously . How do you do it ? You make it look so easy .

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks again. Well, I had a Yamaha EX5 for years, which has a similar sequencer.

[@georgefenning4844]

Thank you. I saw someone playing this device with a launchpad (pro) I think ? Have you tried this ?

[@georgefenning4844]

I found a Roland sd50 sound canvas and a Korg i40m sound module (1999) . I’m hoping to find a way of preserving or using some of these sounds for future use in albeton. Do you think I can do this with my presonus audio interface which is an audio box itwo. Has midi in out and iPad connector ?

[@danielyvon7762]

Impossible to make a perfect loop in song mode, there is always a jump when resuming the loop. Obviously the problem seems to be recurring, we find the same problem on certain forums. I find this machine extraordinary, but the inability to curl remains abnormal. I tried everything, even re-initializing the machine, but nothing worked. Please give me the solution. Sincerely. Daniel

[@mr_floydst]

Hi! When you're arranging your patterns in the song track, _do not add a bank select command_ (in the left column) when you're only switching patterns in one bank. That way, you avoid a lot of program changes etc, guaranteeing a stable playback.

[@ClemensWennersMusic]

Awesome!

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you, Clemens!

[@matszh]

I’ve got one of these. Funny thing is that I was more creative with the QY10, which was smaller and much simpler. If I use the QY100, it’s mostly as auto-accompaniment, using the preset patterns in ”fingered” mode from a midi keyboard, while playing melody on another synth. It would had been really usefull if you’d been able to record some audio tracks from the input too :) It’s quite possible to make some pretty advanced arrangement on this machine, if you take the time and use it to control some external midi units too. But for portability and user experience (and battery time), I prefer my iPad with Garageband.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks! I'd really like to try the 10 one day as well, I remember reading a magazine in '91 which was singing it's praises. ;-)

[@rachelar]

Yeah, the QY10 was great as nothing else to compose on portably in the early 90s so less was more. I find thr pattern variations on the qy100 cluttering, albeit slick ie make you buy it in a store demo

[@manuelsirotti9340]

Cool. Do you know also the Qy700? There is a lot of differences between the two models?

[@mr_floydst]

Hi, thanks for watching! I never owned a QY700, but I remember reading somewhere the QY100 is a condensed version of that plus audio input and effects processor.

[@neilshaba9186]

What would you recommend these days for something similar with more polyphony, good orchestral instrument sounds and a sampler please?

[@mr_floydst]

Hi, thanks for watching! To be honest, the only box I know of that covers all of this is MPC One. It's not as portable, sadly. (MPC Live has a battery and speakers, but is has a case that dissolves into a gooey, sticky mess after 2 years). "A smartphone with your favourite DAW" is an answer as well, but that has no physical buttons and knobs. I also showed a smartphone-sized Windows 11 PC on this channel a week ago, which might be worth a look. All other devices I know of lack some important features: A good-sounding GM soundset, a sequencer that captures what you played without quantising it immediately, or the genius chord track feature.

[@workn683]

small but great. and great job.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! Yes indeed! It's still useful and will remain useful as long as 5 pin midi exists.

[@jeremymurray-wakefield8011]

I've got the QY70 - pretty much exactly the same but without the external input socket. TWENTY FIVE years old and still working perfectly, AND I still use it (it is still a viable product today!) Two months ago a found a software bug (and a very minor one at that). ONE BUG in twenty-five years of use - isn't that something? I find it quite ridiculous that it many respect it *dramatically* outperforms today's portable devices. Only complaint is that its timing gets a bit sloppy when playing back complex sequences.

[@mr_floydst]

I agree, the QYs are still super useful, especially in the highly popular desktop synth setup. Plus the internal synth is more powerful than it seems at first glance.

[@jeremymurray-wakefield8011]

@@mr_floydst My favourite trick is to edit in an XG parameter to change MIDI input channel at the start of spare tracks, thus allowing them to be used as extra sound layers on other existing tracks instead, making rich, thick sounds.

[@goatar59]

Floyd- I’m trying to send QY 100 sequenced tracks to BandLab through a Behringer interface, but having little luck. Would you have any suggestions? Thanks for your help! Gary

[@mr_floydst]

How are you trying to do this? By recording the MIDI output, or the audio output? Or did you issue the sysex dump command? When recording MIDI, make sure all tracks are armed. On top of that, _patterns_ don't send MIDI data, only the song does that. So to remedy that, arrange your patterns into a song and "render" it (mix down the pattern track into a MIDI track). After that, the QY100 will send MIDI containing those notes.

[@goatar59]

Floyd- Thanks for your reply. I’m trying to import individual tracks (i.e., D1 drums on one channel, D2 percussion on another channel, Bass, C1-C4 parts, etc.) into BandLab using a Behringer interface. I’m not that familiar with MIDI, so I’m not sure how to go about using that. I appreciate your expertise in this area. I’ll let you know what I discover… Gary

[@mr_floydst]

@@goatar59 Connect the MIDI out port of the QY70 to the MIDI in of your Behringer device. Or connect the headphone out of the QY70 to the audio in on your Behringer. Create a track in Bandlab, and "arm it" (click that button that enables recording audio or MIDI) and press record and then press play on the QY70. When recording MIDI (the song data, not the audio output) make sure you're in song mode on the QY70. You can mute tracks on the QY70 mixer screen if you want to capture single tracks and then mix them in Bandlab. In that case, you must record one track after the other, which can be quite time-consuming. :-)

[@goatar59]

@@mr_floydst Floyd- I can’t thank you enough for that detailed reply!! I wish we were neighbors! The Behringer interface does not have a MIDI in, so I’ll be looking to use the headphone out of the QY 100. I’ll let you know how successful I am. Thanks again!

[@robertgumpi7235]

Hi. Is there any gear from today that is comparable to the QY 100. I mean: creating songs based on chords.

[@mr_floydst]

Hi, thanks for watching! MPC One has a chords & scales mode, but that can't change the chords you played "on the fly" like the QY can do.

[@unclemick-synths]

Cool device 👍

[@mr_floydst]

Isn't it? I didn't expect a lot when I bought this, but I was pleasantly surprised!

[@1980belo]

Hello guys, do you know if it is posible to mix two midi channels and make them sound like vector synth with the xy pad of one x station controler? Thank you

[@mr_floydst]

If your MIDI controller can send on two channels simultaneously, that should be no problem. Just assign e.g. two faders to control the volume of two midi channels, choose your sounds on the QY100 and you're good to go.

[@1980belo]

@@mr_floydst thank you i will try again.. You gave me hope! All the best!

[@danielyvon7762]

An important thing, but I think the handling is the same, my sequencer is the QY70

[@mr_floydst]

They mostly the same with only some minor differences (regarding the firmware)

[@danielyvon7762]

Merci encore@@mr_floydst

[@fatihachbakou1726]

Thx for your useful info. Would you explain how to make Rhythms on Qy 100 with written translate? 💐

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! Are you looking for a transscript of this video? ( see www.howtogeek.com/793947/how-to-get-the-transcript-of-a-youtube-video/ )

[@fatihachbakou1726]

@@mr_floydst Thx, i got it, i also want to use this Yamaha QY 100 instead Drumer player exactely like Drum machine, so building different styles like Cha cha cha, Waltz, Twist, Pop etc... may i know some smart ideea about? thx again

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

Micro SD cards come with and fit into an adaptor which is the same size, shape as the big SD cards and are included.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks! It's not an SD card, though, but "Smart Media" - a now obsolete format used in the early 2000s. I think there are no adapters out there, or are there?

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

@@mr_floydst I see.

[@ambiguationdotnet]

Hi Floyd. Another awesome instructional! Two questions - how's the Nanokey interfaced to the QY, and are all sounds coming from the QY (and the guitar, naturally!)? Thanks, subbed!

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you very much! I made a video to answer that specific question some time ago: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n4eXgIaIfJt-n9E :-) All sounds are QY, and the guitar is the guitar you see in the video, but I plugged it into the QY and used it's effects. I think chorus and delay.

[@ambiguationdotnet]

@@mr_floydst Perfect! Thank you!!

[@reomatanaka6237]

I really want to know Mr Floyd. How to connect QY100 with korg nano key.

[@mr_floydst]

Hi, thanks for watching - I made a video specifically for that question: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n4eXgIaIfJt-n9E :-)

[@needfortweed8734]

A very neat little workstation that. It seemed a bit fiddly in that you had to do a lot of stuff to get it playing, but I guess that if you get used to it, that is not a problem...

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching (and by the way, your usename is awesome ;-) ). It's a bit fiddly at first indeed, but in reality, it's 4 steps to get going: Select song- or pattern mode, select track, select sound, press record and play. It looked a bit complicated here because I wanted to explain what's possible.

[@needfortweed8734]

@@mr_floydst ok. Thanks for answering my question. Very interesting video, nonetheless... I don't imagine I will get hold of one of these, but it is always nice to see a knowledgeable guy working on equipment like this. Thanks for the nice comment about my username :)

[@bigbossguitar]

Great video, i have the qy 100 , how do i get to hear a snare or any sound by hitting the the small keypads, i am not getting any individual sound from them ?

[@mr_floydst]

Hi, you need to be on channel 10 in the mixer to play them drums ;-)

[@bigbossguitar]

the black and white keys on the bottom front of the qy 100 are set up like piano keys , where do i go in its internal settings to set it up so those keys can hear sounds like bass or drum sounds, because when i press those keys there is no sound, they only work in pattern mode like Intro, Main and Fills , thank you for your time..@@mr_floydst

[@mr_floydst]

@@bigbossguitar Try going to the mixer screen, for example. See page 131 in the manual: usa.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/8/318568/QY100E1.pdf

[@apluve178]

Hi, how did you connect the midi keyboard to trigger the sounds in the QY100? Thank you!

[@mr_floydst]

I made a video to answer this question specifically :-) kzbin.info/www/bejne/n4eXgIaIfJt-n9E

[@jameskerr9509]

I have a 70 and a 100. They are fantastic devices but both have LCD issues and cannot find replacements.

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! You're right, those are impossible to find.

[@mushdath]

Your track is like a "Younger brother" jsjs

[@mr_floydst]

Please post a link. ;-)

[@brainguy5132]

Nice demo! Have you tried using it to sequence external hardware such as Volcas or Boutiques?

[@mr_floydst]

I did, works flawlessly. I'm working on 2 or 3 more videos on this device.

[@meneerjansen00]

I may have asked before ... but can you export your work as .mid files to a computer?

[@mr_floydst]

You could get a smart media card reader and transfer them to your computer that way, and you could try Yamaha's QY manager software, which Mr. JayB has preserved on his web page: www.jaybmusic.net/tools.html

[@meneerjansen00]

@@mr_floydst Thanks for the tip and the link!

[@DJAYPAZ]

Very interesting indeed. I wonder if there is a modern equivalent to the QY100 ?

[@mr_floydst]

There isn't. (If you have the time, watch the second video I made on the chord track feature. This is incredibly useful and I havn't seen it in any other sequencer yet).

[@Gainn]

The only modern sequencer that comes close is.. Oh, there isn't one... :P (The newest Squarp looks pretty good, and maybe this upcoming Polyend thing will be up there)

[@mr_floydst]

^ this! Current sequencers are all a bit "youtubey", targeted at "synth jam videos". Manufacturers seem to forget there are people who like to create songs with intro, verse, chorus... , then press play and play guitar / sing along to it. A small, battery powered portable device for ... street busking? does not exist.

[@claegason2521]

Is there any way to record new instrument lines while playing what you already have? Or do you have to stop the sequencer every time?

[@claegason2521]

LOL, remind me to watch the whole video before commenting

[@mr_floydst]

Glad you got the info you needed. :-)

[@davidfalcon5208]

like those sounds, I always find the included sounds in garageband lack that punch. can someone confirm this is better?

[@mr_floydst]

Garageband is a DAW, if anything lacks punch there certainly is a way to fix it inside the system. The QY100 is fun to use and it's sequencer has some unique features, but most of the sounds are clearly 90s general midi sounds. This won't stop you from making great sounding music, though. :-) I made a video playing some of the sounds without further processing kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKHTg6F4r5iZpZI

[@guyb2767]

Great video. Whats the guitar you are playing at the start of the video? Thanks

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you! That is a VOX Starstream.

[@DmitriNesterov]

I have the only question. How USB cable from NanoKey is connected to Yamaha's MIDI in? Who is in the middle?

[@mr_floydst]

Hi! I use a Midi-To-USB host by hobbytronics / UK for this, which is discontinued, unfortunately. But you can also use a RasPi for that, and I've made a video how-to: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGXchperhNaFaa8

[@DmitriNesterov]

@@mr_floydst Thank you for your kind reply! Now everything is clear. I think RasPi is too huge for this task, will try to google for some PIC or AVR solution. Best wishes and kind regards!

[@DmitriNesterov]

@@mr_floydst ha, hobbytronics was built on PIC24FJ64GB002 , so I am on the right way :-)

[@sameh933]

do you connect the midi controller via midi direct to the qy or via computer DAW ?

[@mr_floydst]

I use a Hobbytronics USB MIDI host, which is out of production. Try this instead: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGXchperhNaFaa8

[@jazzbandplaylists225]

What did you use to connect the Nanokey2 to the midi in port?

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! I used the Hobbytronics USB to MIDI converter, which sadly is out of production. You can built your own one using a Raspberry PI, for example. See my video kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGXchperhNaFaa8

[@francescogazzara6889]

Hello!! Really a great video. A question: can you mute and unmute the tracks on the fly like on the smaller sister qy10? I can't find a way to do it.

[@mr_floydst]

Hi, thanks for watching! Yes, it's really easy. Just move the cursor to the leftmost column in the track area and press minus.

[@francescogazzara6889]

@@mr_floydst yes but in this way i can only mute a track at a time. With the ribbon keys tecnique, like on the qy 10, this job is much easyer and with that you could mute and unmute all the (only) 4 tracks simultaneusly. With the submenu's tecnique that is impossible. Sorry for any linguistic abomination. I hope my english is just fine to explain.

[@mr_floydst]

@@francescogazzara6889 Your english is great! Well, there's a shortcut holding shift and plus/minus for muting n tracks at once, but I guess the solution you're describing is more elegant indeed.

[@mikcolonna969]

Buongiorno, c'è anche il manuale italiano?

[@mr_floydst]

Grazie per l'attenzione! lo troverai qui it.yamaha.com/it/products/contents/music_production/downloads/manuals/index.html?l=it&c=music_production&k=qy100 :-)

[@vladrad4008]

What the guitar is there you use on the video ? Please advise - looks really interesting

[@mr_floydst]

Hello, thanks for watching! That's a VOX starstream. I think it's discontinued now, the only alternative are Line 6 Variax guitars.

[@vladrad4008]

@@mr_floydst Thanks a lot, was a really interesting piece I think. I have the Variax - it might look similar, but not more than just look like, no sitar, synths sounds, etc, maybe the controls on Variax are more obvious and convenient. Its a pity that Vox has discontinued it . And I think it was much lighter than purely wooden Line 6.

[@JayBmusic]

Recording bass and pad on drum and percussion tracks is something that somehow disturbs me. ^^""

[@mr_floydst]

1. Pffft :-) 2. Thanks for watching! Just subbed to your channel (and everyone interested in great QY related content should do as well)

[@whitex4652]

I have still and use still sometimes a QY10 I bought on the day it came out. It's s Yamaha. Lasts for live.

[@mr_floydst]

They built all this cool stuff back then. I wish they'd release another batch of musical gizmos today. :-) This thing is so useful.

[@arnoldho169]

Are you also an audio engineer or a really skilled bedroom or pro producer?

[@mr_floydst]

Thank you very much - no, I'm just a regular old dude who happens to like 90s synths. My only super power is I also like reading manuals. ;-)

[@bubuAudio]

qy700 !! have a look at that as well !! =)

[@mr_floydst]

Thanks for watching! I would, but my channel is entirely self-funded and in the last months, KZbin growth went downhill (for me), so I have to choose carefully ;-)

[@bubuAudio]

@@mr_floydst I see !! anyway, great video !!

[@matthiaswilhelm9813]

A Mini lovely Sound fucking Maschine From 2000.regards matthias

[@mr_floydst]

Exactlay! :)

[@matthiaswilhelm9813]

@@mr_floydst I am a old Keyboarder and have Knowing Off Synthesis,Play,how the Keyboard Work and Selfmade repairing...✋😯😸😂gem,Korg,Casio,Yamaha,alpin,Hammond,Moog,Kurzweil,Roland,PCM,Algorithmus,analog,digital,Fourier,additiv,substractiv,Waveforms,vector a good Hobby...😯🐈💖