Vintage Synth Explorer

Yamaha • SY-85

In the early 1990's most synth manufacturer's quest to use digital forms of synthesis to re-create acoustic sounds (as well as analog sounds) led to an onslaught of rather boring instruments. Among the mob of digital synths some stood out such as Korg's M1, Roland's D-50, and Yamaha's SY-85. Fading away were the days of Yamaha's FM-synthesis, replaced by Advanced Wave Memory (AWM2). Throughout the 1990's Yamaha used AWM2 in many of their successful products because of its high sonic quality and advanced synth-like editing features. The SY-85 was a powerful workstation keyboard capable of some great sounds and full arrangements.

It's a 16-part multitimbral MIDI synth with a nicely weighted 61-note keyboard designed to be the main keyboard in your MIDI studio, with tons of sounds and sequencing features built-in. It has a long but narrow 40 character x 2 line LCD display and a 5x5 mode selection matrix which enhances operation by allowing fast easy access to any of the SY-85's modes. In addition to pitch & modulation wheels and dual output level controls, the SY-85 has eight slide controls that can be used to control a range of parameters while performing for expressive real-time power. Best of all it's got multi-mode filters and a dual-effects processor with chorus, flange, reverb, delay, exciter, parametric EQ, echo, ring modulation, leslie, distortion, etc. The effects can be used in series or parallel, and there are 4 busses to route sounds through them. Other features include a 3.5" floppy disk drive, external memory card slots and two assignable stereo outputs.

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Posting Rules: Please keep your comments relevant! Do not post requests for help, do not use for sales, do not post unless you have something interesting to say about this instrument, or we may delete your post.

 

Sass

Posted 268 days ago

This synth is not as good as they say. I got at the same time a Yamaha SY-99, SY-85, and KORG T3. The sounds of the 85 were quite crappy compared to those in the 99, and was more difficult to program, and the sequencer was even worse. My advice: if you want a synth like the 85, get a SY-99 and you'll receive also the FM Synthesis, which sounds great.
By now i still have the SY-99, the T3 was stolen a few years ago, but i would still own it. I sold the 85 in 1993.

Pro5

Posted 411 days ago

The amazing SY85. While it is a rompler at heart, it's got very good filters and a fatness to it's sounds that the Korg M1 can't touch. I used the rack version (TG500) for many years before picking this up 2nd hand. The SY85 is a very hands on synth. The sliders under the LCD are great to use for quick tweaks and easily reveal the 'real synth' underneath the AWM samples.

analog like synth sounds are very easy to achieve.

Also has one of the best keyboard actions going, light but with a positive action, not rubbery or clunky.

The panel is very well laid out and everything is logical and within reach thanks to the matrix menu and the sliders/jog wheel. A real joy to program and play. One of Yamaha's best ever and is like a digital synth 'sketch pad' thanks to it's great panel.

Rating: 5/5

Kevin

Posted 417 days ago

It was my first.......will always be with me. Just for the presets it's amazing but when I learned to program it.......WOW!

It delivers!!

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