Walkstation

The Yamaha QY10 - the device for which the term walkstation was originally coined

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, ^[1] presumably as a portmanteau of Walkman and workstation. ^[2] Its usage is typically limited to the portable members of Yamaha's QY sequencer family. ^[3]

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

Yamaha QY70

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 [4]	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

1. Trask, Simon (May 1991). "Yamaha QY10". Music Technology. Music Maker Publications (UK).
2. Russ, Martin (August 1994). "Yamaha QY300". Sound on Sound. SOS Publications Group. Archived from the original on 2015-06-07.
3. Johnson, Derek; Poyser, Debbie (August 1996). "Roland PMA5". Sound on Sound. SOS Publications Group. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02.
4. Waugh, Ian (March 1993). "Yamaha QY20 Portable Workstation". The Music Technology Magazine. Retrieved 2020-12-27. [The QY20] 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. [It] 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...