YAMAHA SK15 String Machine 1979 | HD DEMO

(c) 2017 by AnalogAudio1
Synthesizer Demo of the analog synthesizer/string machine YAMAHA SK-15. I played it with a delay effect from a Korg SDD-3000 (right channel only - the left channel is dry).
Yamaha's SK-series are string machines with additional sections (poly-synth, mono-synth, brass, organ, depending on the model). The SK15 is some kind of cut down version of the SK-20. It has "ORGAN", "STRING" and "POLY-SYNTH" sections, they all are mixable. The Poly-Synth section has a nice analog filter (but only one for all voices). The SK15 sounds way better than the smaller SK10, which has square wave tone generation (see my SK10 video in comparison). 1 mono output for all sections. A nice string machine! It competed with Crumar Performer and Korg Delta.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Your demos are always a pleasure.

[@AnalogAudio1]

thank you, this is the nicest comment someone can make :-)

[@moogdome2562]

i used to lust for these synths in music magazines but never expected them to sound so good. this person. knows how to bring the best out of a synth. sounds amazing.

[@AnalogAudio1]

thanks! I guess you can hear my love for these old string machines :-)

[@Staygoldfarms]

Wow! This synth sounds incredible. You certainly made it awesome. I hear old school Japan

[@lorenmorgan1931]

This thing has such a nice distinctive and unique sound. Thanks for the demo, think that I might go searching for one now. :)

[@AnalogAudio1]

thanks! Yes, it sounds nice... :-)

[@paparocky5343]

loren morgan there is one in Cambodia

[@Jellofayce]

loren morgan i’m selling one;)

[@thecandyshoppe2666]

I’m also selling one. Perfect condition! Located in Los Angeles

[@danforesman2627]

Man the phasing is poppin out of my chromebook! Sweet demo!

[@scottlarson1548]

I love the sound of the filter. I guess that's why you used it for the entire demo.

[@AnalogAudio1]

you bet :-)

[@mattwalsh9413]

@@AnalogAudio1 With all due respect, I feel like it doesn't paint an accurate portrait of what the instrument sounds like. Im not complaining I swear!!! I just wish I knew what the sound was like not wah-wah-ing.

[@this_connor_guy]

Such a nice texture.

[@capatrateka]

the only synth that i bought and you haven't reviewed is the yamaha sk20, now we have a close relative reviewed by you, very very nice demo, as always

[@AnalogAudio1]

thanks! Well I also have a SK30, a demo will follow :-) Ten years ago I had a SK20 as well, that was before I was on KZbin

[@dan_remaincalm]

argh. i have an SK10 and it's a fun little synth, but this thing sounds a million times better.

[@StephenMcLeod]

This sounds glorious

[@crystallogic2543]

I just bought one of these haha. Very nice as my first real polyphonic (well paraphonic I guess) and vintage synth!

[@themetamorph]

Really beautiful sound!!Thanks.

[@Apactbetweenstrangers]

Getting one of these next week🙏🙏🙏💪💪💪💪

[@anx1]

I'm sure this was used in blakes 7 sci fi series love this sound👍👍

[@RoomAtTheTopStudio]

My old next door neighbor with the same surname as you played a part in one of the episodes of that show back in the late 70's.

[@jamescull8047]

Absolutely stunning beautiful sounds from a different time that are still amazing today... I think I prefer this to an ARP Odyssy - at least as good. .

[@stefan1024]

beautiful!

[@billydelacruz1500]

Just found one of these for $400! Thanks for video to see if I take the ride out to check it out! What would you choose, a Arp Quartet or this? Thanks

[@capatrateka]

another thing i did notice - i'm waiting for a dep5 these days :P and i see that you kinda stopped using it for delays and switched to a korg sdd3k, what's your opinion on the dep5? i already have two old microrack boss delays but i can't wait to listen to synths through the dep5 unit.

[@AnalogAudio1]

On the DEP-5 is used only delay effects, so I switched to the DEP-3, which is easier to use and also cheaper :-D The SDD-3000 is a very professional unit, it's a pleasure to work with, very easy to use and sounds great, so I use it a lot since I got it

[@lucasadlhoch]

Is it just me or does your demo happen to be out of phase? Or is that what came out of the synth? The phase from L to R is inverted by 180 degrees

[@patsonmusic]

Nice demo, thanks! I have a Yamaha SS30, string machine only and a few years older than SK15. Have you tried it? If you have tested it, which one has better strings?

[@AnalogAudio1]

Sorry, never had a SS30, but I think this has the better strings, since it's specialized in strings and also more expensive.

[@dannybrazen]

love all these old string machines! which would you recommend, yamaha sk series, farfisa, crumar, solina/arp? you seem to have played most of them... if not all!

[@AnalogAudio1]

I can only speak for myself: my favourites are the Farfisas. But the others are also very nice!

[@mastercylinder1939]

Do you think this synth is worth owning, there’s one for sale in my area, but I’m not sure if it’s worth getting.

[@AnalogAudio1]

Well I like it more than the SK-10. Nice strings, sweeps and organ sounds.

[@StolTechInc]

There's one for sale where I live for 400€. Sooo tempted.

[@dooldriverr]

I still have mine only problem are those push button buttons.

[@dannybrazen]

sounds awesome, very clockwork orange! does the filter/envelope affect the strings as well as the poly-synth, or just the poly-synth alone? been looking everywhere and i cant find an answer!

[@AnalogAudio1]

thanks! Well the string section belongs to the POLYSYNTH section and is just a "string setting" activated via buttons. Not really two different sections. String settings are simple presets, whereas the actual polysynth section gives you ADSR, filter and all other things.

[@dannybrazen]

thanks!

[@spurv]

Almost sounds like it's going through a phaser sometimes. Is that all internally produced? Is the SK15 able to make the same kind of ensemble strings as the SK10?

[@AnalogAudio1]

That's the resonant multimode filter. No additional phaser here. The strings on the SK10 are different, it's a different circuit, based on square waves.

[@mattwalsh9413]

Thanks for the demo. In what way do you feel SK15 sounds better than SK10?

[@AnalogAudio1]

Clearly the SK15. The SK10 has squarewave sound generation and sounds much cheaper

[@DestroyER82]

Hello. If you have to decide to pick this one or String melody II. Which one will it be. Im currently in this kind of dilema. :l

[@AnalogAudio1]

the strings are fuller and better on the String Melody. But if you want simple polyphonic synth sounds as well, SK15 wins. The SK15 is more flexible.

[@DestroyER82]

Thanks for you answer. After some communication, both sellers are kind enough to let me try both of em. So I ll test them both and decide. (still I feel it ll be hard dilema) :)

[@RoomAtTheTopStudio]

@@AnalogAudio1 Very true. I added the String Melody II to my selection mainly because the strings are fuller. Love my SK30 though. I really appreciate your channel. Thank you

[@DavidBoura]

Those strings are very similar to the ones in Equinoxe?

[@AnalogAudio1]

this was an Eminent 310U. Yeah, in general string machines have a specific sound

[@DavidBoura]

Thank you!

[@MrSkywalker1000]

Das in diesem Synth schon vorhandene Phasering ist echt der Hammer....hier braucht man mal keinen Small Stone ;-)

[@AnalogAudio1]

ja, so ist es :-)

[@perrybarton]

Enjoying your channel. The SK15 was also an excellent six-drawbar organ with a built-in simulated Leslie effect (with surprisingly realistic speed changes). IMHO, that was its most impressive feature. Here's mine in action onstage in 1983: kzbin.info/www/bejne/omWlqGSJmpipqrc. Solos begin at around the 1;50 mark.

[@AnalogAudio1]

I see you also had a Korg Polysix there...

[@perrybarton]

Yeah, the opening sound in that vid was played on the Polysix. It was my "real synth" in those days, and was parked atop a Yamaha CP-70 piano. The SK15 sat on my Wurlitzer.

[@bytex666]

It's funny how all these string synths called themselves "polyphonic ensemble" or "symphonic ensemble" when they sound NOTHING like a symphonic strings ensemble even if you try hard xD

[@AnalogAudio1]

yeah, but at least those strings were more realistic than those from other keyboards available back then (except the expensive Mellotron).

[@187onasimp]

What do you not understand about Vintage synths and this being the leading technology at the time? If it wasn't for instruments like these there would be no Motif's or Montage's today. This was just a start in that direction it would take decades to develop the technology to pull of those types of sounds and even now in 2018 it's not exactly perfected.

[@perrybarton]

I think "symphonic ensemble" was a bit of a misnomer. IMHO, the best part of this unit was its six-drawbar organ section, complete with simulated Leslie.

[@justinscott79]

I’ve had one of these for about 12 years now. Mostly used the organ section through a Boss RT-20. I just brought it back out of its case recently so thanks for reminding me how great the strings and poly synth section can sound together! Just love that lo fi quality.

[@phranquepeasant7526]

I will not like this video, because at this moment there are precisely 333 likes. Which exactly tells what this sounds like: Heavenly. 😇👌

[@AnalogAudio1]

Hahaha, yeah

[@jnorten]

your audio is out of phase.

[@syntheseyez3577]

You're mom

[@BarnacleButtock]

Thanks for making this impossible to watch on mobile

[@AnalogAudio1]

why? Don't understand

[@almightyEsquilax]

I'm watching it on mobile right now?

[@oldsaerotech1167]

@@almightyEsquilax You're not sure?

[@MusicGearNuts]

is it just me or is the audio out of phase?

[@AnalogAudio1]

I don't know, but I want to eat some burgers now