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Walkstation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Yamaha QY10 - the device for which the term walkstation was originally coined

A walkstation is an electronic music device which provides musicians with the facilities of a music workstation in a portable package. The term was introduced as part of the marketing for the Yamaha QY10,[1] presumably as a portmanteau of Walkman and workstation.[2] Its usage is typically limited to the portable members of Yamaha's QY sequencer family.[3]

The features of a walkstation are:

The heyday of the walkstation lay between the time when creating such devices was viable and the time when general-purpose portable devices, such as laptops and mobile phones, were capable of offering comparable functionality.

Devices

[edit]
Yamaha QY70
Manufacturer Device Year MIDI Keyboard Sequencer tracks Accompanyment tracks User accompanyment Digital Effects Storage media
Yamaha QY10 1990 Yes 1 octave 4 4 Yes No No
Yamaha QY20[4] 1992 Yes 2 octaves 4 4 Yes No No
Yamaha QY8 1994 Yes None 4 4 No No No
Yamaha QY22 1995 GM 2 octaves 4 4 Yes No No
Yamaha QY70 1997 GM/XG 2 octaves 16 8 Yes Yes No
Yamaha QY100 2000 GM/XG 2 octaves 16 8 Yes Yes SmartMedia

Other comparable devices:

Manufacturer Device Year MIDI Keyboard Sequencer tracks Accompanyment tracks User accompanyment Digital Effects Storage media
Philips PMC-100 1986 No 2 octaves 1 5 No No Cassette tape
Boss Dr 5 1993 Yes Fretboard Style 0 4 Yes No No
Roland PMA-5 1996 GM/GS 2 octaves 4 4 Yes Yes No

More recent portable music workstations:

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Trask, Simon (May 1991). "Yamaha QY10". Music Technology. Music Maker Publications (UK).
  2. ^ Russ, Martin (August 1994). "Yamaha QY300". Sound on Sound. SOS Publications Group. Archived from the original on 2015-06-07.
  3. ^ Johnson, Derek; Poyser, Debbie (August 1996). "Roland PMA5". Sound on Sound. SOS Publications Group. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02.
  4. ^ Waugh, Ian (March 1993). "Yamaha QY20 Portable Workstation". The Music Technology Magazine. Retrieved 2020-12-27. [The QY20] houses an eight-track sequencer, 100 preset patterns each with six variations, 100 AWM sounds and eight drum kits. It can store up to 20 Songs with a total capacity of 28,000 notes. It's 32-voice polyphonic (some sounds use more than one voice) and can play a maximum of 28 notes at once. Externally, it has a nice big 128 x 64 dot LCD with adjustable contrast, MIDI In and Out sockets, a stereo mini jack Out and a headphone Out. [It] sports a 25-note, er... button, polyphonic keyboard compared with the QY10's one-octave monophonic affair. You can run the QY20 off batteries for composition on the move or plug in an optional mains adaptor...