SY35

Dave Smith, the legendary mind behind the Prophet-5, had a hand in shaping this one's vector synthesis heart during his Yamaha days, blending FM tones with sampled waves in a way that feels almost magical for 1992.

At its core, it pairs AWM sample playback from an expanded ROM—128 presets plus 256 FM waveforms—with high-end two-operator FM synthesis, delivering 16-voice polyphony across 8 multitimbral parts. The standout is the vector joystick for real-time blending of up to four elements, controlling levels and detuning with pitch bend and mod wheels nearby, all on a compact 61-key velocity- and aftertouch-sensitive board that weighs just 15 pounds. Editing stays approachable with easy parameters like FM feedback for brighter tones, four envelopes, four LFOs, and 16 digital effects from reverb to distortion combos, backed by 64 preset/64 user voices and 16 multi-performances.

Players love its hi-fi clarity and seamless layering for pads, leads, and splits—think orchestra swells or bass/piano combos—though some note the limited FM depth keeps it more performer-friendly than deep programmer's tool.