Yamaha PSS-380 - sophisticated FM Portasound!

Music: "Eagle Hover" (C) Copyright 2021 Alfonse
Download at: https://alfonse.bandcamp.com/album/once

Yamaha Portasound PSS-380 keyboard (1989)

The PSS-380 is a late-80s Portasound with a more sophisticated set of voices than its predecessors. Synth settings are editable via the sliders on the top right of the control panel. You can also layer a second voice, which cuts the number of notes of polyphony in half. Some of the sounds are effectively 4 operator FM (2x layered 2-operator sounds), making for a thicker sound than most other FM Portasounds.

All sounds you hear in the track were made using the PSS-380. All parts were recorded to a DAW, where EQ, delay and reverb were added as required. For a look behind the scenes on mixing and arranging the track, visit:    • Behind the Mix: PSS-380 keyboard demo...  

If you have one of these keyboards and want to recreate the sounds, here are the parameters:
Intro = 75 6 4 1 4 4 8 8 + 14 dual voice
Bass = 58 2 3 8 4 5 1 8
Main synth = 23 4 4 5 5 3 8 8
Melody lead = 24 3 6 7 3 5 7 7 + 30 dual voice
Pluck = 54 5 6 8 6 3 8 8
Lead = 15 3 8 1 3 3 7 8
Side chords = 13 3 8 1 4 4 4 8 + 13 dual voice
Pad = 13
Stutter effect = 49 1-8 8 1 5 8 6 8
Driven bass = 20 + 23 dual voice through distortion plugins
End pluck 1 = 15 3 8 8 7 6 8 8
End pluck 2 = 75 3 8 8 7 6 8 8
End pluck 3 = 74 3 8 8 7 6 8 8
End lead = 23 + 23 dual voice through delay plugin

Thanks to Chris (Wee Muse) for lending me the 380 - check out his channel for repairs, upgrades and more at:    / @weeinnovate-uk  


ALFONSE
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