QY70
music sequencer


 

The QY70 is a small but sophisticated "all in one" musical unit, providing all the necessary parts needed to record complete songs: a sound engine, sequencer, effects, even pre-made patterns and fills that you can also modify or create from scratch.  This device has been the weapon of choice for many bands, including the great synth-pop act Freezepop, that features the little grey wonder as the base of most of their electronic songs.

This little music sequencer is very light and compact, but sports a 16-track sequencer, a high-quality tone generator with 519 voices and 20 drum kits, advanced auto-accompaniment capabilities, and even a small keyboard that you can use to program patterns and songs without having to hook up an external keyboard via MIDI.  Add the fact that this unit can be also battery-operated, and you'll agree that the QY70 is a perfect tool for the performing artist.

The QY70 is GM and XG compatible, and the quality of its on-board sounds is evident from the start.  The Yamaha XG sound base is arguably the same from machine to machine, so I'm not going to provide a lot of examples for the single normal and drum voices, but here are a few standouts - you can definitely hear how - with some tweaking during post-production, you can attain professional results even from a low-cost, low-profile synthesizer such as this one.  I hook up a MIDI keyboard to the MIDI in of the QY70, and I'm ready to go.  The first patch on a synthesizer is typically the grand piano sound, and 001 GrandPno is certainly a well-recorded, sparkly grand that's adept for many genres.    There are many times when I could use a cool-sounding, retro electric piano, and 005+ 60sEl.P1 fits the bill nicely.  The Clavinet through wah is also a highly requested patch, and 008+ ClaviWah should get up and running smoothly.  What about organs?  There are many to choose, and this exquisite, jazzy Hammond - 017+ 16+2''2-3 should prove itself very valuable in your recordings.  Special organ combinations include this spectacular mix of pipe organ and classical choir - 020+ NotreDam, perfect for those mystic production moments.  Now for the bass:  everybody enjoys the classic sound of a Roland TB-303, and 039+ AcidBass doesn't disappoint.  The QY70 is truly versatile (as you will hear further below when you listen to the preset patterns), and with so many sounds, a majestic orchestra - 049+ Orchstr2 - is sometimes what you need the most.  And to continue exploring the wonders of the orchestra, here is a phenomenal string ensemble - 050+ LegatoSt that you can use for many genres.  There are also some excellent choir samples: 053+ Ch.Aahs2 is one of the best-sounding ones.  More into modern, synth pop music?  How about a classic analog polysynth?  082+ DoublSaw will get you there.  But it's the synthesizer section of the unit that really surprised me (and maybe that's why the QY70 is perfect for synth pop - those tweakable filters...): gems such as 089 NewAgePd, 091+ Ana. Pad, 103+ Creation, 103+ EchoBell, 103+ Echoes 2 and 103+ StarDust are surely to win some hearts among those whose heart beats analog.  There's even a great collection of ethnic sounds, and this Oud patch - 106+ Oud certainly shines in the bunch.

And now, before we start exploring many of the incredible patterns and sounds available on this little gem, have a listen to the three factory demo songs - they do a great job of demonstrating what you can achieve with it:

Demo No.1  - a journey through several of the on-board patterns.

Demo No.2  - a funky, soul number showcasing the realism of the natural instruments

Demo No.3  - an electronic composition reminiscing of Euro styles and Jean Michel Jarre

And now, let's take an in depth look at many of the 128 patterns contained in this machine:  of course you can edit the factory ones, or you can even create patterns from scratch.

What I find incredible is the huge variety of styles and genres that the sound designers were able to cram into the QY70:  from ultra-modern styles such as drum 'n' bass, house and trance, to rock ballads and Latin arrangements, from bluegrass to techno, even hard to find styles such as Ska, Klezmer, Soca, Lovers Rock and Cool Jazz are featured.

Here below is a table with many examples from the factory styles.  I am playing the different sections that compose the arrangement on the QY70, including the Intro, Main A, Main B, Fill AB, Fill BA, and Ending settings.  So without further ado, let's explore deeper into the magical world of the Yamaha Q70!

Stream all audio demos

To initialize the QY70 to factory specs, turn the unit on while pressing the "OCT DOWN", "OCT UP" and "1 F# Gb" buttons at the same time.

available at www.yamaha.com