Yamaha Portasound PSS-780 Music Station
Operating Manual
Manuel D’Utilisation
Bedienungsanleitung
Manual de Instrucciones
Gebraucht, aber guter Zustand.
This was Yamaha’s likely most advanced approach to build a professional PortaSound keyboard; this top of the line flagship of the MusicStation series from 1989 featured MIDI, a real FM synthesizer, various sequencer stuff, a programmable drum section with 8 drum pads, 61 keys and even a pitchbend wheel. (Later successors had no synthesizer anymore.) Unfortunately it also has some annoying limitations; especially the FM synthesizer lacks many sound features those were present in cheaper Yamaha keyboards, and there is also neither a modulation wheel nor is anything velocity sensitive. At least this thing has a great futuristic design which reminds on Kraftwerk’s late 1980th video clip estheticism – not visible on the photo is that the rear bottom and side area of the slanted case is shaped like the corners of an upside- down step pyramid; only the center of the back is smooth with a large white “YAMAHA” logo. The row of silicone rubber drum pads below the keyboard could permit some interesting ways of play – it’s a pity that this layout concept disappeared later. This keyboard was first released in 1988 as Yamaha PSS-680 with different case colours (i.e. all boring blue pads).
