Yamaha Digital Saxophone YDS-150

Volume control

Everyone knows that the saxophone is a loud instrument. Although this makes it perfect for rocking out, it can be particularly problematic if you're in a flat or shared accommodation. This is why Yamaha designed the YDS 150 with a 15-step volume control - so you can still enjoy the rich and vibrant sound of the saxophone, but at your desired volume. If you want total silence, then simply connect a pair of headphones.

Unlimited control

To ensure the Yamaha YDS 150 is as intuitive as possible, Yamaha decided to place all the settings into a dedicated app. The YDS Controller app, you can really start to enhance and fine-tune every element of your performance. Once you download the app, you can easily change between the many saxophone tones as well as electronic sounds. You can even adjust the effects for a truly personalised experience.

Although the YDS 150 is configured with standard saxophone fingering, with the app you can easily customise and change this. This is particularly useful for customised altissimo fingering. Finally, to add lots of nuance to your performance, the YDP Controller app enables you to adjust the breath resistance, response, and tuning for an infinite amount of customisability.

The best of both worlds

No matter what your standard, certain electronic instruments can feel lifeless when played. This is because the instrument isn't providing the same amount of feedback you'd get if you were playing an acoustic wind instrument. Yamaha understands the importance of this feedback, and have designed the whole instrument around reproducing this.

This new system consists of speaker units, enclosures, an acoustic pipe, as well as a real brass bell. When you blow down the instrument, the YDS 150 digitally creates the sounds and drives the speakers, causing the bell to vibrate and resonate. This resonance can then feedback to your mouth and fingers, giving you the impression that the YDS 150 is an acoustic saxophone.

The most authentic sounds

To ensure you have the best possible sounds, Yamaha have sampled their very own premium saxes. Soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone models have all been meticulously recorded with professional players to make sure you can perform without any unnatural sounds.

At the press of a button, you can easily switch between these four saxophone types. What's more, each one of these sampled saxophones features additional Voices that represent different playing styles, including vibrato, jazz, and classical settings. In total, the YDS 150 features 73 instrument sounds, with 56 saxophone voices, and many other instrument sounds.

3 Months Free Tomplay Premium Subscription

When you register your instrument you can get a three-month premium subscription to Tomplay where you can access over 40,000 scores with backing tracks. You are able to filter by musical style, composer, difficulty and accompaniment type and interact with the scores. The pieces are all recorded by professional musicians and you can control the tempo and even record yourself playing. If you wish, you can also print and annotate your score and create loops to focus on those more difficult passages. For more information, please see the Yamaha/Tomplay website.

What's included

• Yamaha YDS 150 Digital Wind Synthesizer
• SubZero SZ-H100 Stereo Headphones

Specifications

• Size/Weight
  • Dimensions
    • Width: 110mm
    • Height: 699mm
    • Depth: 103mm
  • Weight: 1.0kg not including batteries
• Bell Material: Yellow Brass/Gold lacquer finish
• Control Interface
  • Key systems: Fingering same as Saxophone, High-F#, Front-F, LowA
  • Other Controllers: Analog controller
• Voices
  • Tone Generating Technology: AWM Sampling
  • Number of Voices: 73 voices (incl. 56 sax voices)
• Key: Eb, Bb, C (Sync with voice)
• Functions
  • Tuning: 427.0 - 440.0 - 453.0Hz, approx. 0.5Hz increments
  • Wireless: Bluetooth Audio
• Effects Types: 5 types (for Headphones)
• Storage and Connectivity
  • Headphones: Stereo-mini
  • AUX IN: Stereo-mini
  • USB TO HOST: micro USB Type-B
• Power Supply: USB Power Adaptors:5V/1A (micro USB Type-B), batteries (four “AAA” size alkaline [LR3]) or Ni-MH rechargeable [HR3] batteries)
• Power Consumption: 4.5W (When using USB Power adaptor)
• Auto Power Off Function: YES
• Included Accessories: Mouthpiece set (Mouthpiece for YDS, Reed, Ligature, Mouthpiece cap), Soft case, Strap