The Yamaha YC61 packs all the character of vintage combo organs and more into a gig-friendly, compact 61-key stage piano. Using Yamaha’s proprietary Virtual Circuit Modeling, the YC61 is one of the most lifelike sounding analog organ emulations on the market, and it comes stocked with a great selection of additional instrument voices and killer onboard effects. The YC61 is designed around performance, and its waterfall-style keys and physical drawbars are super responsive and a ton of fun to play and manipulate. While the YC61 is vintage in character, it boasts all the functionality and reliability of a digital instrument, with vast customization options and computer audio integration for audio recording, playback, and MIDI control. Keyboardists at Sweetwater agree—the YC61 is a dynamite drawbar organ with enough features to be the top tier keyboard in your live and studio rigs.
The YC61 is brimming with the signature tones of Yamaha’s classic line of combo organs—super-fat low end, thick organ swells, mellow emanations, and biting leads, along with the inimitable sound of a rotary speaker. With its drawbar controls, the YC61 presents a sizeable sonic palette with tons of tweakability. Layer up a fat organ pad. Pull back the bars for a focused sound. Dial up the percussiveness. Beyond the incredible organ sound, Yamaha’s updated Stage OS and the YC61’s Dual Keys section, give you have control over a slew of instrument voices, including acoustic and electric pianos, FM synth, strings, and brass. And, the YC61’s nine onboard effects, such as vibrato/chorus, reverb, delay, and drive, make for endless musical possibilities.
The experience of playing a drawbar organ is visceral and interactive, and the YC61 provides a great feel to inspire lively performances. The physical drawbars and intuitive control surface make it easy to shape sounds on the fly without getting bogged down in programming patches. The YC61 features a waterfall-style keyboard with a rounded front edge for digging into techniques like squabbling and palm glissandos without wrecking your hands. And, the YC61 is incredibly responsive—perfect for smashing out big chords or for dancing around the keys with a light touch.