Yamaha PSS A50 Portable Mini Keyboard

The Yamaha PSS-A50 is a compact, portable, and surprisingly powerful mini-keyboard designed for a variety of users, from children and beginners to professional musicians looking for a creative, on-the-go “sketchpad.” It’s part of Yamaha’s PSS (PortaSound) series and is distinguished by its high-quality mini-keys and advanced features.

Key Features and Highlights:

• High-Quality Mini Keyboard: A standout feature of the PSS-A50 is its 37-key HQ (High-Quality) mini-keyboard. These keys are derived from the same technology used in Yamaha’s professional reface series and are praised for their excellent feel and expressive touch. The keyboard is touch-sensitive, a crucial feature that allows the volume and tone to change based on how hard you play, enabling more dynamic and nuanced performances.
• Creative Performance Tools: Despite its small size, the PSS-A50 is packed with features that encourage creativity and music production:
  • Arpeggiator: It includes 138 different arpeggio types that automatically generate musical phrases and rhythmic patterns based on the chords you play. This is a powerful tool for creating modern music.
  • Phrase Recorder: You can record, loop, and playback your own musical phrases. This is perfect for building up layered arrangements on the fly.
  • Motion Effect: This feature adds real-time effects like filtering, pitch shifts, and modulation by simply holding down a button. It’s a fun and easy way to add dynamic texture to your sounds.
• Sound Library and Polyphony: The PSS-A50 comes with 42 voices (40 instruments + 2 drum kits). While the number of sounds is not huge, the quality is very high for a keyboard of this size. It has a 32-note polyphony, which is sufficient for playing chords and complex arpeggios without notes dropping out.
• Connectivity and Portability:
  • USB-MIDI Connection: This is a key feature that makes the PSS-A50 a serious tool. It can be connected to a computer or mobile device via a micro USB cable to be used as a MIDI controller for virtual instruments and music production software (DAWs).
  • Battery or USB Power: The keyboard can run on four AA batteries or be powered via a USB cable, offering maximum portability.
  • Built-in Speaker and Headphone Jack: It has a built-in speaker for instant playback, and a headphone jack for private practice sessions or for connecting to external speakers for a bigger sound.
• Compact and Lightweight: The PSS-A50 is incredibly compact and lightweight, weighing only 1.2 kg (2.6 lbs). This makes it easy to carry around in a backpack and create music anywhere inspiration strikes.