PSR-110 - MAME machine

Musical Instrument (Electronic) published 33 years ago:

PSR-110 © 1993 Yamaha

The Yamaha PSR-110 was an entry-level PortaTone (PSR series) home keyboard designed for beginners and casual players. It used AWM (Advanced Wave Memory) sample-based synthesis and included preset instrument voices, built-in rhythm styles, and automatic accompaniment features. It was part of Yamaha’s early 1990s PSR lineup, which standardized the transition toward sample-based digital keyboards for the consumer market.

TRIVIA
The PSR-110 uses AWM (Advanced Wave Memory) sample playback synthesis, marking Yamaha’s shift away from earlier FM-focused consumer keyboards in the PSR line.

It provides 12-note polyphony, limiting complex layering but suitable for beginner arrangements.

It includes around 100 preset voices and 50 accompaniment styles, typical of early 1990s entry PSR models.

The instrument is designed for home use, education, and casual composition, not professional stage performance.

It has no velocity sensitivity and limited (or no) MIDI functionality depending on region/version, reflecting its budget positioning.

It is part of a broader PSR evolution that eventually led to modern arranger workstations (PSR-S and Tyros/Genos lines).

It typically features built-in speakers and battery operation, reinforcing its portable home keyboard identity.

Compared to 1980s PSR models (like PSR-11), it represents a technology shift from early simple digital/OPL-style engines to standardized AWM sampling.

It is often confused in databases with late 80s PSR models due to naming similarity, but it is clearly a 1993-generation AWM instrument.

The PSR-110 sits in the same general class as other early PSR-1xx keyboards, forming Yamaha’s mass-market entry tier of the early 90s.

CONTRIBUTE
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