Engineering:Yamaha Portasound
Yamaha Portasound electronic musical keyboards were produced by the Yamaha Corporation during the 1980s and 1990s. The name suggests the instruments' portability, with battery operation being a consistent feature across the line. Many of these keyboards were designed for children with small keys and simple preset functions suitable for educational use.[1] In 1982 the line introduced a card reader system which allowed players to learn and play along with sequenced songs.[2] The PSS line features mini keys and the PSR line features full size keys. Some of the higher-end keyboards have advanced features like programmable synthesizer controls, midi capability, and sampler functions.
Contemporary use
Electronic musicians and sound engineers have used these instruments to achieve an authentic lo-fi sound[3] and some modify them with circuit bending to extend their sound palettes. As of 2015, musician Dan Friel continues to use a Portasound that he received as a gift in 1984.[4] Circa 2017, Italian artist Modula released an EP called 780's Chronicles, recorded primarily using a Yamaha PSS780.[5] Cyril Hahn uses a Yamaha PSS380 in his original compositions, and notes its noise profile as an endearing characteristic.[6]
Unofficial software and VST plug-ins
In the 21st century, several independent software developers have produced additional tools to modify and store patches for midi-capable PSS keyboards, such as PSS Edit,[7] PSS Wave Editor and CTRLR.[8] VST plug-in soft-synth versions of some of these keyboards have also been released by various developers, including the Yamaha PSS-170 and PSS-480 by Audio Animals,[9][10] GSS-370 (based on the PSS370 keyboard)[11] and PortaFM.[12][13]
References
- ↑ "Yamaha Portasound keyboard advertisement (1982)". The Central New Jersey Home News: pp. 188. 1982-03-07. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/51221145/yamaha-portasound-keyboard/.
- ↑ "Yamaha Portasound advertisement (1982)". Great Falls Tribune: pp. 98. 1982-09-05. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/51224453/yamaha-portasound-advertisement-1982/.
- ↑ "7 Cheap Ways to Add Unique Tones to Your Tracks" (in en). https://reverb.com/news/7-cheap-ways-to-add-unique-tones-and-noise-to-your-tracks.
- ↑ Cohan, Brad (2015-11-21). "Dan Friel Is a DIY Renegade Here to Save Us from Ourselves" (in en). https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/r7pdgy/dan-friel-interview-2015.
- ↑ "5 Excellent Electronic Albums Made With a Single Synthesizer" (in en). https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/5-excellent-electronic-albums-made-with-a-single-synthesizer/.
- ↑ November 2013, Tony Ware 28. "Cyril Hahn talks production techniques, the influence of DIY culture and creating ambience" (in en). https://www.musicradar.com/news/dj/cyril-hahn-talks-production-techniques-the-influence-of-diy-culture-and-creating-ambience-588916.
- ↑ "Bobby's place". http://members.chello.at/~bobby100/.
- ↑ "Ctrlr – Control your MIDI life (MIDI editor for all your hardware)" (in en-US). https://ctrlr.org/.
- ↑ "Yamaha PSS-170" (in en-GB). https://www.audioanimals.co.uk/shop/sample-shop/yamaha-pss-170.
- ↑ "Yamaha PSS-480 - Free VST Instrument Download" (in en-GB). 2019-10-18. https://www.audioanimals.co.uk/news/audio-animals-samples/yamaha-pss-480-free-vst-instrument-download.
- ↑ "Download Free PSS-370 emulation plug-in: GSS-370 by SynthIV". http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?plugin=GSS-370&id=2785.
- ↑ "PortaFM - Plogue Revives The Iconic Yamaha PSS Synthesizers In A New Plugin" (in en-US). 2018-05-15. https://www.synthanatomy.com/2018/05/portafm-plogue-revives-iconic-yamaha-pss-synthesizers-plugin.html.
- ↑ May 2018, Ben Rogerson 16. "Get the sound of your ‘80s PortaSound home keyboard with Plogue’s PortaFM synth plugin" (in en). https://www.musicradar.com/news/get-the-sound-of-your-80s-portasound-home-keyboard-with-plogues-portafm-synth-plugin.
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