Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
My sound patches: espenkraft.com
In 1989, while Korg's M1 and the sampling boom were rewriting the charts, Yamaha reached into the parts bin and handed us the V50 — a 4-operator FM workstation synth almost nobody asked for.
The V50 wrapped Yamaha's 4-operator FM engine (the same one in the DX11 and TX81Z) in a full workstation shell: an 8-track sequencer, a PCM drum machine, dual digital effects and a built-in floppy drive. On paper, a tidy package. In practice, in a year that wanted fat organs, realistic pianos and new dance sounds, it landed as a warmed-over fossil. I disliked it then, and I dislike it now — but I'll show you what it can and can't do.
All effects in the video are from the V50 internally. No external processing.
Yamaha V50 — key specs:
Released 1989
4-operator, 8-algorithm, 8-waveform FM synthesis (DX11 / TX81Z engine)
16-note polyphony, 8-part multitimbral
100 preset + 100 user voices
Built-in 8-track sequencer — 8 songs, 16,000 notes
PCM drum machine with 61 sampled drum sounds
Dual digital effects (reverb, delay, distortion)
3.5" floppy disk drive
61-key keyboard with velocity + aftertouch
US list price when new: ~$1,895
00:00 M1 ruled the world
00:35 Yamaha's answer: the V50
01:23 What you got for your money
02:14 FM Pianos again
02:52 PCM drums
04:18 A flop
05:00 Various sounds from the V50
My sound patches: espenkraft.com
In 1989, while Korg's M1 and the sampling boom were rewriting the charts, Yamaha reached into the parts bin and handed us the V50 — a 4-operator FM workstation synth almost nobody asked for.
The V50 wrapped Yamaha's 4-operator FM engine (the same one in the DX11 and TX81Z) in a full workstation shell: an 8-track sequencer, a PCM drum machine, dual digital effects and a built-in floppy drive. On paper, a tidy package. In practice, in a year that wanted fat organs, realistic pianos and new dance sounds, it landed as a warmed-over fossil. I disliked it then, and I dislike it now — but I'll show you what it can and can't do.
All effects in the video are from the V50 internally. No external processing.
Yamaha V50 — key specs:
Released 1989
4-operator, 8-algorithm, 8-waveform FM synthesis (DX11 / TX81Z engine)
16-note polyphony, 8-part multitimbral
100 preset + 100 user voices
Built-in 8-track sequencer — 8 songs, 16,000 notes
PCM drum machine with 61 sampled drum sounds
Dual digital effects (reverb, delay, distortion)
3.5" floppy disk drive
61-key keyboard with velocity + aftertouch
US list price when new: ~$1,895
00:00 M1 ruled the world
00:35 Yamaha's answer: the V50
01:23 What you got for your money
02:14 FM Pianos again
02:52 PCM drums
04:18 A flop
05:00 Various sounds from the V50
