Yamaha YS200

Overview

The YS200 is part of Yamaha’s budget-friendly YS series, released in 1988. It packs a 4-operator FM synthesis engine — the same basic technology as the DX21 and DX27 — into a more consumer-oriented 61-key keyboard. Eight-voice polyphony and 128 preset voices covering the full range of late-80s FM timbres: sharp electric pianos, metallic basses, glassy pads, and those distinctive FM bells.

Unlike the DX series, the YS200 hides the FM complexity behind a simplified patch-selection interface. That makes it less tweakable on the surface, but the sounds are solid and the instrument responds well to velocity.

My unit

I bought it on June 14, 2022. It didn’t turn on at all. The power supply unit was burnt out. This particular instrument seems to have operated on 110V (probably a version for Canada or something similar). Apparently, someone must have tried to plug it into the power in our country, which is 220V, and fried it. The transformer output was +12V, -12V for audio, and 5V for digital components. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a transformer of the same size that would output all these voltages (okay, to get 5V in the end, the transformer should have outputted around 7.5V or something similar to smooth the current after rectification by the regulators). Eventually, I set up two different small transformers inside the device, made the necessary modifications, and… the machine finally turned on!

I replaced its 3V internal battery, which was soldered directly on the board, with a coin cell battery socket for easy replacement and put a new battery. I also had to perform a hard reset so that the device would initiate and load everything from its ROM.

Then, while examining it with my brother, we had an accident, a tool fell inside while the device was open, causing a short circuit and damaging a Yamaha integrated circuit. After that, I was devastated because I had repaired the synth and then ruined it again. There was some noise in the sound when playing something, and also, that particular integrated circuit was generating an unusually high temperature. Luckily, I found the exact same integrated circuit via eBay or some similar Chinese platform, replaced it, and the problem was solved.

I’m fascinated by the FM synthesized sound it produces, but I haven’t fully explored it yet. I’ve heard compositions/productions on YouTube consisting exclusively of YS200 sounds, and some were not just good; the composition itself matched the style of the synth’s sounds. In my future projects, I’ll definitely include it, and I’m even considering an album exclusively with its sounds.