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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, presumably as a portmanteau of Walkman and workstation. Its usage is typically limited to the portable members of Yamaha's QY sequencer family.
The features of a walkstation are:
- sound module
- music sequencer
- (usually) a small musical keyboard.
- small size
- battery power
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
| 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 | 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:
- Teenage Engineering OP-1
- Cyberstep KDJ-ONE
References
- Trask, Simon (May 1991). "Yamaha QY10". Music Technology. Music Maker Publications (UK).
- Russ, Martin (August 1994). "Yamaha QY300". Sound on Sound. SOS Publications Group. Archived from the original on 2015-06-07.
- Johnson, Derek; Poyser, Debbie (August 1996). "Roland PMA5". Sound on Sound. SOS Publications Group. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02.
- Waugh, Ian (March 1993). "Yamaha QY20 Portable Workstation". The Music Technology Magazine. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
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. 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...