A Close Look At The Yamaha PSS-480

US 2 Operator FM synth with 9 editable parameters      08/05/21

Fans of lo-fi keyboards will be familiar with the Portasound (abbreviated to PSS) range of 2-Operator FM synths. Some of the later ones included MIDI and Velocity sensitive pads - and here we have an overview of the PSS-480, from youtuber Keen On Keys. He goes into great depth, with two videos on the keyboard - covering it's inner electronics, effects and synthesis engine in the first video and more in the second:

This second video looks at the accompaniment section, the custom drummer, the sequencer and the MIDI functions. These keyboards hold a nostalgic place for many of us, often the first synth we ever owned, however limited they were. The 8-Bit guy has covered a few of them too - known as the Soundblaster keyboards for the Yamaha chips they shared with old sound cards:

 

About the author [midierror]: midierror makes nifty Max For Live devices, innovative music hardware, award winning sample packs and hosts a podcast speaking to people in the music world.

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