Yamaha PSS-680

The on-board editing is very basic (general attack/decay, feedback modulation/carrier volumes, mod/carrier frequencies), but through Midi/SysEx editing (if you have an interface and software), the editing capabilities are expansive.

A software patch editor fully exploits this synth's capabilities: four waveforms per operator, full five-step ADSR (A-D1R-D1L-D2R-S-R), amplitude modulation (with levels), vibrato/LFO level and delay, random patch generation. It basically opens up the full capabilities of the synth's YM3812 (the same 2-op chip from the Adlib cards of the late 80s). Just remember, ONLY with a software editor can you tap into the unit's real capability.

As mentioned, it's basically a keyboard version of the Adlib Music Card. That means it has all of its features save for the percussion mode. There's only a few effects: Vibrato (very basic without a software editor), Sustain, Reverb (I haven't heard the effectiveness of this yet), Portamento (makes some really funky sounds too), Stereo Chorus (just widens the audio field, nothing special), and Duet (haven't figured it out yet).

No expansion capabilities, but it does have MIDI capabilities (veolocity sensitivy, mod wheel control, patch editing via external controllers or software). A lot of this unit's features rely heavily on MIDI for usefulness.

It does hae a sequencer, but I haven't used it to provide an opinion.

There are only five banks to store custom synth patches, but again a software editor allows for a virtually unlimited library. Just bear in mind custom patches are monophonic.

When I read other reviews of this keyboard and read the opinions of poor sounds.. this is FM synthesis we're talking about. While not all of the preset patches will sound good, it's possible to get sounds that can really blow one's mind and wonder how it comes out of a "toy keyboard" like this.

Plus there's the fact that through MIDI and software, this thing can use any combination of the available waveforms (sine, half-sine, absolute-sine, and quarter sine) to create sounds that can be used for whatever a person wants.

Again, since its full capability requires midi it responds rather well to velocity.

But all in all, this keyboard is in reality the TX-81Z's little brother. Somewhat limited capabilities but can create incredible sounds if you have the right tools and software.

It's worked since day one of ownership (considering I bought it at a yard sale). Sometimes stops receiving patches, but that's only due to the editor I use (rather buggy).

If this was lost, I'd be rather upset as I'm finally starting to tap into this thing's potential. It would be hard to find another one, given that I'm not seeing the PSS-x80 series much on eBay anymore.

I've been using it off and on for a couple years now, but am finding myself using it more often. The other gear I have are: Yamaha FB-01, Roland MT-32 (needs screen replacement somehow), and Roland CM-32L (MT-32 with a boring case and extra sound effects on the drum channel).

It is very easy to use the preset sounds and to change the FM parameters to create your own patches. Rather more tricky is knowing how to record your own sounds, using the presets, but this is rarely necessary anyway since you can do it using MIDI, with a computer.

Max polyphony is 8 notes. Keys are very small and narrow, not pressure sensitive and far too light. Therefore overall the keyboard action is poor.
Some Polish guy has written a software application to create and manage patches for this instrument. This is downloadable from the web. MIDI: there is in, through and out so it's fully MIDI MIDI, but not a full GM implementation of MIDI. Therefore there's a limit to the max polyphony before the buffer fills up, the GM instrument list is different and also the drum track is number 16 and not 10. It has an onboard sequencer which can do a vast number of backing instrumentals (about 10 or 12 of which are quite nice), either with one-finger or fingered chord mode. In addition, it has a fully featured PCM drum machine sequencer. It's a proper drum machine.

No velocity or aftertouch sensitivity. The keys send on-off data only There is a pitch-bend wheel, for which you can choose the magnitude of the bend on a scale from 1 to 12. No instruments are realistic or correspond to their descriptions, but many of them are very nice anyway. It's a good thing if you like Adlib/SB type of 2-op FM sounds. The onboard reverb effect isn't much cop compared to digital VST verbs, but the adjustable portamento is very good. It has a sustain effect.

Playing it is quite tricky, because of the tiny keys.

You can depend on it. It's very solidly built.

I have dealt with Yamaha but not regarding this instrument. They seem generally unwilling to support their older instruments or even to provide details regarding their FM chips (despite that it's a very old technology now and their patent has expired), but they do at least keep the manuals available for download.

Overall it's good because it lets you create a sound in a very short time. The bass sounds are very clean and powerful - you can get a clean sine wave or you can add harmonics to taste, using the FM synthesis. You can create an attack pluck, release and decay to suit. It is best at basses and at bendy, pitch-sliding sounds. The drum machine sounds are still good and will hold their ground against any other drum machine (best to rearrange them in a sequencer after cleaning them up). The unplayability of the tiny superlight keys is immensely irritating at the best of times.

The digital synthesizer function is easy to use and fun. I created many different sounding sounds on the keyboard.

The polyphony of this keyboard is a lot. I could use it as a controller to play many different sounds at the same exact time and there are five melody memories that play one note for one space or can play up to five notes at one time in a recording if five banks are used. Notes that you can play freely at the same time as listening to a recoarding appear unlimited. I can play with all fingers on all the keys and the notes will sound whole and complete.

The 00 synth brass sound has been tested by me and it sounded nice and clear and really good! I dont think many people know about how good that sound on the keyboard is. It is worth 200 dollars because of that sound in my opinion. Turn on reverb and sustain and stereo chorus and listen to that sound close up AND far away! It sounds like a energenic good synthesizer sound! I think it is very good. I say that this one sound on the keyboard gives the whole keyboard a good nobleness and again the sound is clear synthy and stringy from far away appearently.

I have droped it on the floor from high up once by not being carefull enough but it works very well still and the drop did not harm it. It is very durable. Also the keys do not stop working on this keyboard.

Yamaha is always ready to help and donate parts when needed.

The pss-680 music synthesizer has a very good sound on it as I noted above I trust and this sound is 00 synth brass. Because of its durable design and very usable sound that I can use in all music I think this is a good keyboard and is worth buying.

The Yamaha PSS-680 is generally fairly easy to use. With a few button presses you can do quite a bit. The only negative about the use of the preset styles or sound bank section is that it does not have a forward and backward button to move from style to style sequentially (or sound to sound) you have to always punch in the number manually of the style or sound that you want.
Of course, since I have gotten used to using full size keys, the keys on my PSS-680 seem cramped and small now, but when I was living at home and I had only limited room, the keyboard was ideal. It was small enough to fit comfortably on a table top and yet I had a full range of capablilities with it.
The presets do sound synthetic and in reading other reviews on this web site and others I have heard adjectives such as "cheesy". If by this they mean that they sound kind of cheap, I would be inclined to agree. Some sounds are cheap and artificial sounding. But I do like some of the sounds. Even as a synthetic FM sound, the Steel Drum 2 (#60)is one of the best steel drums I have ever heard. It has a rather nice full bodied sound and really sounds like a steel drum. I have other keyboards that have steel drums -- some using wave table samples and I don't like the sounds of them. I also like some of the bell and flute sounds. The harp sound is rather nice on the PSS 680.
It also has some pretty good bass sounds too.
If you hook it up to an amp or a stereo system, you can get the full force of the sounds that the keyboard produces and it does get nice deep bass (This as opposed to using its native speakers). And unlike any of my other keyboards it is capable of reproducing almost any tone. Using the sound editing feature you can get ranges from just above 16,000 Hz (Cycles per second) to about 16 Hz. At 16,000 Hz you can make dogs howl; it is just at the threshold of human hearing, and I suspect it can even go into the ultra sonic ranges. I myself can hear to about 16,000 Hz and if I turn the volume up when I play a tone near that range, it hurts my ears.
The sound synthesizer is second to none for native editing capability and I would like to investigate MIDI and computer editing to enhance its native abilities. It does have true FM capability and I have already mentioned one of its major abilities. It does get some rather impressive sounds with even its two or four layer capabilities. I have even been able to get quasi animal sounds out of it. I used the Timpani sound (#66) and edited it to get rolling thunder and one time used synthesizer capabilites of two of my other keyboards combined with the Timpani sound to create a synthetic waterfall sound as big and deep as Niagara Falls which is not very far from where I live.
You can store up to five edited sounds natively in the keyboard itself.
The only other criticism about the sound bank is that there seems to be no rhyme or reason in the way the sound bank sounds are ordered in the PSS-680. You have to look around on the sound list to find the sound you want.
I have only used the built in music recorder occasionally. It is very limited but it is a rather nice feature to get and store musical ideas or if you intend to send them via MIDI to a computer.
The styles are simple, but then again I often prefer simple musical accompaniments which I can edit and add to myself. More demanding musicians might find the styles trite, but I like them for their simplicity. It has a custom drummer which I love. You can take any style and edit it to suit your needs. The down side is you can only save and store one natively in the keyboard itself and if you want to store it you would have to MIDI output the custom rhythm to a computer or other storage device. One other down side is you cannot edit the accompaniments themselves (the music sections) except for shutting on or off the bass section, the chord section, orchestra section or the drum section. You can however, take a pre existing cus

The keyboard is 12 note polyphonic, but since each note in the keyboard only produces one note at a time (as opposed to some keyboards that can produce several notes at a time by pressing one key) it is usually more than enough for playing and for chords.
There are built in effects and these enhance the full modulation capabilities of the 680. For example the portamento gives the effect of sliding from one note to another. This combined with the other FM effects can give some astounding results. My other keyboards either do not have this effect at all or the effect is limited in the envelopes that their synthesizers use. You have different speeds with the portamento too. The reverb and the susteneto are also great effects too.
I am not aware of any native expansion capabilites with the PSS-680, but it have full MIDI capabilites which you can connect it with a computer and with other instruments. Up to this point I have been using only basic MIDI connections and have not yet made use of all its MIDI capabilities. There is no touch sensitivity. Although I have heard that there is a pedal that you can attach to this keyboard with simulates things such as aftertouch, touch sensitivity, and other effects.
The sequencer is a very rudimentary device and has a low memory overhead. But with a computer you can get around the native limitations of the 680 sequencing capabilites.

The 680 works well as a FM synthesizer and would work well for rock music and many experimental types of music. Some classical music would work well with it, too. The harpsicord sounds (#4, 53) might work for baroque music, although I don't the PSS-680 native harpsicord sounds; I used the FM editor to create my own.
The keyboard on its own is static. There is no touch sensitivity the only way to control volume as a form of expression is to move the volume slider up and down or play with faders of a recording of tracks you have recorded using the keyboard. But again with MIDI and the pedal device, you can have some more and better control over expressive qualities.

It is a very good product and seems to be well designed for years of use. Mine is about 14 years old now and as of yet I have not needed to have any service done on it. It is very rugged and takes abuse well and with reasonable care could last for decades. Unfortunately because technology is changing so rapidly I would imagine that Yamaha no longer makes this keyboard, it would probably be hard to find parts (except if you strip other derelict intruments).
I do not perform professionally, but I don't think I would have a problem using it in a gig. With a good amplifier and some effects you could get some decent effects out of it.

I've never had to deal with customer support. But I would like to know if there is third party support for the older Yamaha keyboards because I would like to get another PSS-680 keyboard, even more than one. One as a companion to the one I have now and some beat up useless ones for spare parts in case any of my good ones go on the fritz.

If it were lost, damaged, destroyed, or stolen, I certainly would be quite sad and upset. It was my first full featured keyboard and the second one overall. My first was one that my mother had gotten me one year for Christmas. I think that was a Yamaha PS-50 as small thirty or thirty-two key keyboard with eight or ten preset sounds, some simple basic rhythms. But I liked that little keyboard and it got me hooked and then I eventually got the PSS-680. Compared to that other one, it had a huge load of features and I liked it right away. (That little Yamaha PS-50 by the way, last I heard is still working too. My niece has it.)
I have been playing for some 20 years since I started playing the piano in college.
I currently own four keyboards and am eyeing to get another one. I have the Yamaha PSS-680, its successor the PSS-790 (which I will review another time), I also have two Casio based keyboards. They are put out by Radio Shack, but are essentially Casio keyboards. As Radio Shack incarnations these are the Concertmate 990, and the Optimus MD-1200.
All my keyboards help me make music and I have used them all in my recording.
The PSS-680's greatest strength is also its weakness. It is a great low end synthesizer, but it is not a keyboard for realistic music.
The only thing I hate about it now is that it would be rather hard to replace or repair if it were lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed. I would to see if I can find a club that supports these old keyboards the PSS-680 and its other relatives, because I also have the 790 too.
Right now I am trying to learn how to work with MIDI and computers and work with this and my other keyboards. Ultimately I would like to sample the sounds of this keyboard and MIDI sample its rhythms and accompaniments and expand the flexibility of this keyboard and also preserve all the good things I like about it, so that when this machine finally gives up the ghost, which I hope will be a long time from now, I can still preserve it in my computer. It will have an afterlife of sorts.

I actually have the 790 now, but have had 2 680's over the years. It still has the best tubular bells sound I have ever heard on an F.M. synth. Editing is possible from the front panel, but if you have a software editor (for example pssed on the Atari ST), this thing comes alive! You suddenly get full ADSR envelopes (rather than AD from the front panel), different waveforms per operator and other sound editing options. PSSed works very well unser ther ST emulator STEem on the PC by the way, so PC users can use this classic editor and access a whole new world of sound on this keyboard.

The manual is aimed at the home user (like the keyboard), but at the back is a wealth of info on the MIDI spec and the MIDI editing paramiters. Just a shame I did'nt get one with the one I have now.

Polyphony is 12 notes, although it is multi-timbral accross 15 MIDI channels, with voices assigned dynamicly. Channel 16 is reserved for the drums, which were good for the time, but limited now (HINT: For chillout beats, create them with the PSS rythm section, sample the loop and transpose down for some different loops).

The PSS480/680/590/790 all respond to velocity, modulation and pitch bend over MIDI, although the pitch bend can sound a little odd from the keyboard wheel, responce over MIDI is as smooth as silk.

The effects are simple, either on or off, and include reverb and chorus. The sequencer is also easy to use, select a channel, press record and play after the 2 bar count in.

This is 2 operator F.M. Don't expect realism, with the exception of the tubular bell. With an external editor, some interesting sounds can be made, some of which I am unable to re-create on other F.M synths (Like my SY77). No velocity or aftertouch on the keyboard, but responds to velocity over MIDI

It fell down the stairs recently, door at bottom had more damage than the keyboard! Still working, always there when you need it.

Never needed it.

It took me 2 years to track this one down, if it was lost or stolen, I would not hesitate to replace it. It does have a certain sound to it that nothing else can re-create. Used in a suitable arrangement, it's outstanding.

Only one Software version I think, there's been a successor called PSS 780. It was the same but with strange colours and other Sounds and rythms.
The Preset Sounds are quite bad. But therefore the styles (Accompainement) are very good programmed for these days, they have endings, Intros, and 3 Fill-Ins, all very well arranged.
With the Synthfunction you can create own Voices on FM-2 operators and save five of them. You don't need any editor. You also have a Custom Drummer for own Rythms. For a small portable keyboard it had a lot capabillities and functions, therefore it was very easy to use. The Manual was also very good and gave an interesting Introduction into FM-Synthesis

It's not true that - as others said - it was 8 time polyphon. It has 12 Voices. The ABC-Section needs from one to 7 Voices. So normally you got enough voices to play with. The keyboard has 61(!) mini keys. They work but are small.
It has a pseudo-effectsection with chorus, reverb, sustain, Portamento and Vibrato. You couldn't expand anything but it has SysEX so you can archive Data.
The MIDI capabilities are better than on some synths. You have Midi-Multimode (16x), the Accompainement section sends Mididata so you can use the Styles with better sounds. It even receives Veloicity.
The sequencer is too simple. It has 5 Tracks that are monophon. So if you need chords, you need at least 3 Tracks. It has very low space, I think the maximum are 1500 notes. You can't edit anything. Furthermore you have 5 Tracks for ABC.
The custom Drummer is very easy to use.

The PSS-680 was designed as a musicstation, that means a minikeyboard with everything you need, Synthesizer, Drumcomputer (you have 32 RX-Drumsounds playable by Pads), Sequencer and Styles. But it was cheaper than 500 $. So therefor an in this time, it's features were gorgeous even if the quality wasn't always best.

For it has only two operators you can't make complex sounds. But you can make a lot of Synthsounds, FXsounds (like Ufos and many more). And you can make unrealistic but quite musically Sounds. The synth is easy to use and good for FM-Starters.
The Styles are good programmed and have large spectrum.
It's worth to create own sounds. By the way: It makes differences from which voice you start editing, same Parameters may sound different.
I think it's quite static, but you can make your own Fills while playing. It also has a Pitchbend what was new for such a small Portable Keyboard.
It does react to velocity when played by another keyboard.

After 13 Years it still works good. The Drum Pads aren't well anymore. Nothing got broken

It's my baby so It may not having been stolen.

I play for 15 Years. I use synts, expanders and drum machines
I love many of the Ideas and funny stuff in it. Just listen to Barbershop quartet or Street Organ. When you listen to the styles you really can see that together, bad singlesounds may sound really good if they are arranged well. Furthermore, at that time I was a Pet Shop Boys fan, and Songs like It's a sin can really get performed with that board.
At that time there wasn't any conurrent that could be compared. Kawai and Casio made worse keyboards, Roland was much more expensive and the E-20 could not edit voices. Technics was too expensive too and the bigger Keyboards from Yamaha (like DSR-2000 and PSR 6300) couldn't do a lot things, the Pss 680 could do.
Now I don't wish me anything more. At that time I'd whised it had more places for the custom drummer, was able to edit the accompainement section (bass, chord, orchestra, Fill-ins) Also the sequencer could have been a lot better. But now I don't need this stuff anymore.

It did help me making music, cause with this instrument i learned the most stuff I can play to day. It tought me about FM-Synthesis, about Rhythemprogramming... It's my baby.
Sometimes today it gets in the way yes but we never would get divorced.

I'm not shure how I shall use the Ratings. I rate with perspective of the time it was built. It has no samples and many other things but in that time it was superb.

This little baby is a great starter synth. I picked one up at a pawn shop for 50 bucks after my PSS 480 got stolen. I love it. Sweet old FM how I miss thee.

This is a good little sketchpad for ideas with features like a 4 track sequencer and programmable drum loops. If it only had a sampler built in I would never leave my house. Although the features are not that extensive in their quality, it has them in decent quantity so I gave it a 7.

Don't go lookin for Triton -level sweetness. You can get bells galore and decent sounding basses. Just remember that it is FM: no more no less. Pre packed sounds suck, but it is fun to edit them and can yield decent results especially with slow attacks. Standard "raise the cut off and lower it again" techno note riff can easily be accomplished with the modulation function while playing. cool.

Built steady with our dear friend plastic, but with one of the last shielded battery compartments in the industry. A must for FM inherent noise reduction. Never had and SNAFUs with this baby, wish my car was this reliable. As mentioned before, everybody PLEASE take care of your synths no matter how crappy they seem. If you don't want it find a caring home for it.

WHA WHA WHAT? Yeah right, and ford still makes parts for the 65 'stang. Ask your friends for help and learn electronics; even basic will save your life and money as well as eat up your time when you're into it. Keeps ya out of trouble too.

If it were lost or stolen I would get an ax handle or tire iron and hunt down the loser girly-man and beat him until he resembled something like a wet prune, then I would kick his coffee table and go home and eat a sandwich sans crust. Thieves suck, luckily they are extremely good at hiding in ditches.

The keyboard has a f.m voice bank ,and I think it sounds like radio!
The given sounds are quirky,but that's good! the sound carries!The
unaltered default quirk indicates it has good vibe.
The editing feature is simple and cool!sometimes it's like a video game!You have to find the right parameters for the right sound.I like it !I got it from my brother Dukes' friend ,Jeff at Murphys'Music.

I dont know the excact polyphony but if you combine the reverb and
stereo options with the digital syntheziser ,using the decay,modulation,feedback,and attack level settings right,you
can get some Cosmic sounds.I dont know about the expansion capabilities.I used my roland em-10 with it and could control the em-10s' accoustic sounds with the pss-680s'keys and pitchbend wheel!

The instruments sound electronic by nature I guess,but I never noticed
that untill I started thinking about buying A accoustic quality Roland
XP-10. Even after I recieved the roland from my mom ,I went back to playing my little pss-680 on New Years eve night with my brother.You see, some highpriced keyboards"have no" on board styles!

If you use the digital syntheziser on voice 00 select attk;1.47/47
:feedback;6.07:Modulation;7.77 and tune up to 16(not transpose),then
my friend I have given you the secret to a "Jumpsynth" I think is exaclty like the one in Bruce springstiens'song! I formed the sound as I listened! add paramento:5pts. Life's cool and so are keyboards...

I never had to Repair my keyboard either.But I think all of us" should
take care of our keyboards!I never had to contact the company about it!

The keyboard is so nice and I think all players like it ,sob',I dont
want to loose it! I use to own a Casio CTK-580.It was a great starter
keyboard I think!I've been playing keyboard since 1995 to this date.
Some one says they wouldn't use the pss-680 on stage,But I'd like
That a lot! I know what this keyboard can do just like you other
, cool keyboard players!You have to use the cool sounds n'beats!

its presets can be really nice if used with an effects processor and
its synthesis editor is quite easy to use though not having a single
knob of fader can be annoying

key action = none
midi good, would be better if i could download a manual from
somewhere

the sound are o.k. by themselves. I use it on the left channel and a
Roland jx-8p on the right and together they make some great sounds

threw it out the window once. still works

???????????

Pretty straight forward. 100 FM presets. Its more fun when you use the Digital Synth section to edit them. With practice , you can get some great bass sounds as well as strange bells and metallic sounds. Can make some evil sounding sweeps as well !

8 note polypohny , no aftertouch. A very simple sequencer with 5 tracks , plus rhythym and auto accompaniment. Great as a sketch pad. MIDI implementation is very good for a box this size. Has mini keys, which everyone hates ( I've gotten used to them ) , but it could be used as a tone box. Has dated PCM drums.

The sounds ? Not that great , even for FM , but if you play with the editing feature , you can get some suprising results. In fact , I have the most fun making sounds with it. Again , the tones suck, but I give it an 8 for flexibility in editing

Never had a problem with it. Still sounds good.

Not sure, never had to call them.

I paid $ 180 for the little brother ( PSS-480 ) new years ago. Didn't have the luxury of buying a real synth , so I got this and made tons of electronic techno like music ( along with other Portasounds and a Casio SK-1 ). I really dug the little guy. But eventually , I gave up music and traded it for some video games. Well , now I got the fever again and in my search for used gear , I came across the 680 for $ 40. Had to get it ( the thing is immaculate , looks brand new ! ). It isn't for everyone , but it's something different in a world where everyone is chasing over priced old analog gear . It's fun to play with and looks pretty slick. I want to get another and MIDI them together to get monster sounds !!! If you hate your's sell it to me !!