TOY #4 YAMAHA PSS-390 Mini Synthesizer Keyboard (not circuit bent) HQ DEMO

This is a demo of the Yamaha PSS-390. The PSS-380 is virtually the same, it just has a different color scheme. They came out 1989 / 1990.

This little digital keyboard is interesting. Is has 100 FM presets, which can be edited - with the built in "digital synthesizer". It is the most flexible FM synthesizer keyboard of Yamaha's PSS series. It not only has a lot of presets, it has sliders scaled from 1 to 8, while older PSS synth keyboards like PSS-570, PSS-360 have sliders scaled from 1 to 5.
Weird sounds are possible and it sounds lofi and noisy. It uses the frequency modulation synthesis (FM) - like the Yamaha DX7 - but here with less operators. It has digital drums as PCM samples. Very eighties...

Category:

Music

Tags:

• PSS-380
• PSS-570
• PSS-560
• PSS-370
• PSS-360
• Casio
• SK-1Casiotone
• Portasound
• frequency
• modulation

[errorspending]

How would you say this compares to the DX100? do you like this one better?

[AnalogAudio1]

@errorspending the DX100 is a full programmable FM synth, the PSS-390 is only a toy, the sound quality is a noise & aliasing party ;-). Sometimes you need dirty digital sounds. But I would prefer a DX7 over a DX100.

[javiceres]

Does it have Phones out?

What's the polyphony?

Thanks!!!

[AnalogAudio1]

@javiceres  yes, headphones output. 8 voice polyphonic I think.

[jessicathegrate]

I love this and want one so much! Where do you find these? Not on eBay, apparently. Thrift stores?

[AnalogAudio1]

I found it at a flea market...

[MrEvanbooker]

@rchrdccrs Yeah. Seriously does not belong in the "toy" category.

[guitaneman]

@luisfeliperasmuss hey i have a yamaha pss480 and it has full midi look around you will get one cheap i got mine on ebay for £18 awsome little synth

[XcesMusic]

I love the sounds of this synth, they are great! I've got a PSS-470 and I love it so much and I've got a demo of it.

These little toys are fun to mess around with and have fun with!

Love the classic toys

[luisfeliperasmuss]

Hey! I have a Yamaha PSS-380 as well. Is there any possibility of getting it working connected to a PC? Like, for recording stuff. Thanks!

[errorspending]

that's why I love it though...I'm addicted to noise and aliasing..I have a VSS-30 and love it to death. I want something with similar sound quality but more editable and capable of more sounds...might have to get a PSS 380 and PSS 480 so I have midi

[Metamusik]

As far as toy-synthesizers go, the ones in the Yamaha PSS-series with editable parameters are definitely as good as they get. You can make some genuinely usable sounds on these little boxes.