Written 1999/05/10
I've seen this little FM synth in second-hand stores on more than one occasion. In spite of not being well-known, I feel the 680's virtues are many. First, it usually costs less than $100 used. Second, it has MIDI IN, OUT, and THRU ports which isn't always the case for synths in this price range. Last, and perhaps best of all, you can edit the parameters of the onboard voices and store them on five memory banks.
Below are the specs for just such customized voices. The original voice is your source sound which will be edited. The parameters numbered 0-7 are follwed by the two-digit values. Any onboard effect used for the sound are also listed.
Alien Rain
Almost atonal, incredibly eerie. It has a very slow attack and should probably have the sustain effect turned on for a more appropriate release.
Original Voice: 00 Synth Brass
0:39 1:01 2:00 3:00 4:15 5:00 6:07 7:71
Effects: Sustain
Bot
This weird bass has a bit of a metallic tone and is brimming with spectacular sidebands.
Original Voice: 55 Glass Celesta
0:63 1:63 2:23 3:17 4:00 5:10 6:00 7:89
Effects: Reverb and Stereo Chrous
Candy Bones
CANDY BONES is like a cross between a kalimba and chimes, or a jegog made of some yet-to-be-invented synthetic material. A very musically useful sound, and pretty too.
Original Voice: 48 Ice Block
0:44 1:55 2:47 3:30 4:5 5:4 6:00 7:54
Ganymede
A cool synth bass that sounds like something off of a Front Line Assembly album.
Original Voice: 11 Cello
0:55 1:56 2:10 3:13 4:00 5:02 6:06 7:78
Effects: Vibrato and Stereo Chorus
HB Syn
A very sci-fi sort of bass synth. Perhaps not exceptionally versatile, but a very interesting sound to listen to. Dig those wild sidebands!
Original Voice: 63 Hand Bell
0:54 1:55 2:15 3:23 4:00 5:15 6:00 7:99
Human Strings
A sort of vibrato fm string patch. If you're familiar with Kraftwerk (who isn't) try playing a staccato C major in eigth notes an octave above middle C. "NEE-on lights... beautiful NEE-on lights..."
Original Voice: 96 Human Chorus
0:63 1:63 2:00 3:00 4:00 5:00 6:06 7:85
Effects: Vibrato
Hyrule Bells
This is a rather pretty bell-like sound that has some hints of harp and toy piano. Great for happy music.
Original Voice: 62 Tubular Bells
0:63 1:62 2:02 3:24 4:15 5:01 6:00 7:34
Effects: Sustain and Stereo Chorus
Mercury
Basically a variant of BOT (see above) with a different value for parameter five. More metallic, but with far less wild sidebands.
Original Voice: 55 Glass Celesta
0:63 1:63 2:23 3:17 4:00 5:00 6:00 7:89
Effects:Reverb and Stereo Chorus
Raditz
This bass/lead is great for those inhuman 16th note runs one inevitably finds in some circle of synthetic music or other.
Original Voice: 00 Synth Brass
0:56 1:47 2:20 3:00 4:01 5:01 6:06 7:79
Effects: Vibrato and Stereo Chorus
I'm crossing my fingers that if there is anyone else out there who owns a Yamaha PSS-680, they will find at least one, maybe two of these sounds useful or interesting. If so, you may just find more 680 patchwork in a future issue.
