I had a HS4 when I was a teenager in the 80s. I took lessons and got to grade 3 and it was always a HS6 that was used for the playing exams. They were phenomenal organs and I really miss it. They occasionally pop up on eBay and if I had the room I'd buy one in a heartbeat!
I love my HS6, many great sounds and features :D Thinking of upgrading to an HS8 at some point so I can layer even more sounds. I doubt I'd every need anymore synths after that haha
Gosh. That's great. Played on this for more than 10 years... ;-) Thanks for the video. I used to make very hardcore, good sounding E-Guitars with this back then (using one of the available FM packs). Using the bassoon as a start point.
@@dr4g0n76 Mostly evolving string pads, gnarly/dirty basses and arpeggio leads. I intend to use it for my band's new album too, which is Industrial black/death metal :P
... yesterday another "lovely young man" (no, two of them had to do the hard job here :D ) brought me an HS-4 for €30 transportation and seat ;) included, which means: they needed rather more space in their apartment than money :D I have room enough and a very patient wife ... so now the monster is living in my studio ... and probably will for some time, since it is no quick mover. Thanx for the little trip to the inside, I was searching any advice to disassembly ... Yamaha seems to believe it is selfexplaining?
Hah, yeah that seems to be the story of most organs: get dumped for cheap because it's in the way. More for us though ;) The service manual does have an disassembly procedure, which helps a lot.
I have the HS-8 thats the top of the HS Electone line, but there is no spring reverb inside of it, just digital reverb produced by chips. A similar reverb unit its inside my 1984 Elka X30. Really didn't know about such analog unit inside other HS Electones.
Digital reverb doesn't mean it's worse though. I will say that though a bit too quiet the spring reverb sounds nice, not a very flexible effect so I tend to use the delay FX as a makeshift reverb too :) My Elka Concorde 802 also has a nice big spring reverb and it's great on the strings!
Well you scored big - did you know that thing is very practical for any synth studio? I bought one too a few years ago on the second-hand marked - and discovered its excellent to use with the entire synth studio. Every midi channel is separate for EACH keybed, Upper Midi 1, Mid midi 2, and pedals are Midi 3. All fully polyponic (even if the pedals sound mono, because there's only 1 monosynth for the pedals in HS-6), the pedals are fully polyponic via MIDI.
I didn't know the MIDI implementation was like that. That is very good to know :D That brings up more possibilities for layering sounds, although the HS-6 itself already allows for lots of layering already :)
@@rot_studios A little fun tip, if you ever get a Roland JD-xi (a cute little synth that's worth more than you pay for it with its 129 voices and an analog synth built right in), it will match the HS-6 perfectly as it has Midi 1 for synth 1, midi 2 for synth track 2, and midi 3 for the Analog bass-line synth (perfect for the pedals), just plug and have fun!
Hi, can you explain how the pedals are connected? Is it a proprietary socket, or permanent, or MIDI-type? Could the pedals be connected to another MIDI device directly and separately from the main system?
@@lechtrzeciak6084 The midi is connected via the mainboard out to two midi connectors like any synth. If you're hoping to rip out the pedals and use them as separate midi pedals you're outta luck, keyboards don't work that way. It's the main synthesizer motherboard that does all the communication, you can still use the pedals as midi channel #3 when the HS-6 is powered.
@@joonglegamer9898 Thanks for your time. The construction you've described is understandable, although it would be possible to do it the other way around. I guess it's cheaper that way. Again, appreciate your help.
I know the output amp chips are quite notorious for failing, seen a few other HS organs with no output that way. The output amp board is in the back-left of the organ (can see it at 9:27 in my video too)
I could buy a HS-6- with a decent price, but it is far away. Does anyone know what tools are required to remove the stand / foot pedlas for transport or if this is possible?
As for the midi functionality - it's great, however not perfect... no way to pass to midi-out traffic received from midi-in. E.g. I plan to build a custom stand to use the upper unit with a full-width (30 keys) midi pedal classic organ keyboard. It would be great to have an option to use this keyboard with the Electone sounds as well as with midi routed to Hauptwerk on a PC, but midi-in is only routed directly to Electone's sound generation. So will have to either manually switch cables between Electone and PC or use a midi-router like Motu MidiExpress to fork the midi-stream to Electone and PC.
@@rot_studios I ended up buying the Motu MidiExpress XT - a pretty cool flexible midi-router :) Actually got two - the oldest one for parallel port (+422 Serial Mac port) and a newer version for USB, alas with Mac-only firmware, but it will do - it may work as a standalone device with PC if needed (custom configuration may be set and saved using Mac).
Bought an HS-5 for my wife to practice home before organ recitals. It works ok when plugged to the mains and switched on, but if switched off and then on again - it turns on except for the power amp part - I don't hear the relay click, lights, buttons and midi are working though. To make it sound again I have to unplug it from the mains (after switching off), wait a couple of minutes and plug in again. Looks like some capacitors don't get discharged when switched off... the one 22/50 next to Tr404 is suspected - I guess it provides current impulse to actuate the relay, which is then held by the Tr404. Can't imagine what would prevent its discharge, if the D306 diod died, then it should discharge through the relay coil. Another problem - if I turn the volume to max, enable lots of loud voices and press 10 keys - the relay will switch off (and on again, when the keys are released) - looks like protection is triggered prematurely with Tr402, Tr403, perhaps thanks to dried 100/16 capacitor preceeding those transistors. Any ideas on the behavior would be highly appreciated! Thanks for the video - it will save some effort on disassembly to access the PU board.
Looks like the 1/50 cap near the top of the circuit is what is charged through the 22k resistor to eventually activate Tr404. Excessive power from the amp would provide a discharge path through Tr403, which seems to be further biased through the 22/50 cap and 68k resistor. Could be the 22/50 cap has grown leakage and is further biasing Tr403 towards conducting. That would explain both issues. Maybe the 1/50 cap has an issue too? Honestly these caps are getting old regardless so may not be a bad idea to recap the PSU, just to be safe :P
@@rot_studios Hi! Thanks for the insight! Openning up the cabinet revealed that it's a Japanees version of HS5 and previous owner put an additional transformer inside to lower our 230V down to 100V. The transformer was too weak (rated for 0.145A max on the secondary coil) - it could barely hold 98V on idle and only 76-77V when HS5 switched on (even with no keys pressed), I am surprised it even worked sometimes. Well, the power amp STK4026II is technically fuctional in the range of 18-38V and it received around 19V going down to around 16.8 with full volume and 7 keys pressed with a loud organ register. And it worked when the keys were added one by one, however if pressed simultaneously the power amp would quit when the Vcc voltage abruptly sank to 17.8V (perhaps even lower, but that's what I could see on the multimeter for a split second). I changed that transformer for a 100W one and now it works with no hiccups, the powerupm receives around 25V, and the relay gets around 22V when actuated (the 22/50 capacitor somehow gets charged to 30V for a second until the relay switches on).
One strange thing left which I am not sure is a problem... - with some preset combinations selected several volume leds are lighted semulteneously - in the sections for upper, lower keyboards, lead voices, rythm etc. The leds are usually adjacent, like max volume and the one below it. And it looks like pre-programmed setting - selecting a pre-set combination always lights up the same adjacent leds. PS Figured that out in the manual - it's the Volume Fine function :)
@@ATMFoxtrot Yeah that makes a lot of sense. Always fun when someone else has been in a unit before and didn't know what they were doing :P Have fun with the organ! :D
@@rot_studios Thanks, we surely do have lots of fun with this cute organ! It sounds great and has lots of functions - now learning them with the manual (our first digital organ of such kind) :) Expecting more fun, when I build the custom stand, add full width midi pedal board istead of the orgignal one and connect everything to the Hauptwerk VPO :)
You can, but it takes a couple of screws removed to make it happen so make sure to bring tools :) I've done it when we moved this thing up a shoddy wobbly old wooden stair to our attic XD
I have the hs-6 it stopped powering up and i cant find a single thing relating to the process of checking it out with a multimeter. Every time i think of getting rid of it i just cant
Can be many things. Could be a voltage regulator, could be a short somewhere else. Best way to discern is to disconnect the PSU board outputs, power it on and measure the outputs. See if you get the 5V, -15V and 15V rails showing correct values. If not, it's the PSU. If values show correct, reconnect the outputs and measure again. If values show wrongly then it'll be a short somewhere. Did you download the service manual? (it's a combined manual for the HS-4 to HS-7 series). It has schematics and everything.
I recommend downloading the service manual, should be fairly easy to find on Google. It has schematics, pinouts and everything, so you can measure the voltage rails.
Just purchased a used HS-4 , Pristine. Odd thing though , the upper keyboard , middle C is not where it should be it is above middle C on the lower ?? I scoured the manual for a clue but it is definitely different than my older Yamaha that is still here.
@@rot_studios Phew , I thought it was me being stupid. I am not that crazy about how it brings the hands together for some songs but since I doubt that is at all changeable , I will have to get used to it. Thanks!
Gotta rotate the multi-menu untill it's on Voice Edit. Press and hold the voice you want to edit (on the left side where you set the keyboard voices) and at the same time press Edit.
Tengo un HS4 pero de pronto dejó de funcionar, se oye el sonido de encendido pero no suena ni prende ningún foco, cuál podría ser la falla? saben de algún técnico en México, CDMX?
The relay you hear is only for the power amp. That does mean it is getting power though. It could be the 5V power rail has a short, or that the 5V regulator (IC501) is broken. I have no clue where you can find someone in Mexico, I live all the way in Europe :P Google is your friend~!
@@rot_studios How to reset to factory settings, I have seen that they simultaneously press the C key while pressing the power button, in my case it does not work, do you know any way to reset it, everything turns on but there is no sound
If you tie this thing into a stereo receiver with good speakers you can hear ever detail. but I have a question. how do I get the cover off the foot pedals as my D lower pedal has stopped working and I am hoping it is mechanical , not electronic issue as all the others are working properly
I've done many studio recordings with it by now, it's lovely :) The service manual has loads of info on disassembly if I recall correctly. I don't really remember how I took it apart, to be honest.
I had a HS4 when I was a teenager in the 80s. I took lessons and got to grade 3 and it was always a HS6 that was used for the playing exams. They were phenomenal organs and I really miss it. They occasionally pop up on eBay and if I had the room I'd buy one in a heartbeat!
I love my HS6, many great sounds and features :D
Thinking of upgrading to an HS8 at some point so I can layer even more sounds. I doubt I'd every need anymore synths after that haha
Remember lusting for this model in an Yamaha Electone brochure. 🤩
Now that I've explored mine a bit I can relate!
Gosh. That's great. Played on this for more than 10 years... ;-)
Thanks for the video. I used to make very hardcore, good sounding E-Guitars with this back then (using one of the available FM packs). Using the bassoon as a start point.
Nice! Yeah I've just barely uncovered the depth of this instrument, haha. Any more tips are very welcome! :D
@@rot_studios Depends on what you're trying to do. ;-)
@@dr4g0n76 Mostly evolving string pads, gnarly/dirty basses and arpeggio leads. I intend to use it for my band's new album too, which is Industrial black/death metal :P
... yesterday another "lovely young man" (no, two of them had to do the hard job here :D ) brought me an HS-4 for €30 transportation and seat ;) included, which means: they needed rather more space in their apartment than money :D I have room enough and a very patient wife ... so now the monster is living in my studio ... and probably will for some time, since it is no quick mover. Thanx for the little trip to the inside, I was searching any advice to disassembly ... Yamaha seems to believe it is selfexplaining?
Hah, yeah that seems to be the story of most organs: get dumped for cheap because it's in the way. More for us though ;)
The service manual does have an disassembly procedure, which helps a lot.
6:28 Presumably it’s to prevent sounds from leaking between the reverb unit and the rest of the mechanism.
I have the HS-8 thats the top of the HS Electone line, but there is no spring reverb inside of it, just digital reverb produced by chips. A similar reverb unit its inside my 1984 Elka X30. Really didn't know about such analog unit inside other HS Electones.
Digital reverb doesn't mean it's worse though. I will say that though a bit too quiet the spring reverb sounds nice, not a very flexible effect so I tend to use the delay FX as a makeshift reverb too :)
My Elka Concorde 802 also has a nice big spring reverb and it's great on the strings!
Well you scored big - did you know that thing is very practical for any synth studio? I bought one too a few years ago on the second-hand marked - and discovered its excellent to use with the entire synth studio. Every midi channel is separate for EACH keybed, Upper Midi 1, Mid midi 2, and pedals are Midi 3. All fully polyponic (even if the pedals sound mono, because there's only 1 monosynth for the pedals in HS-6), the pedals are fully polyponic via MIDI.
I didn't know the MIDI implementation was like that. That is very good to know :D
That brings up more possibilities for layering sounds, although the HS-6 itself already allows for lots of layering already :)
@@rot_studios A little fun tip, if you ever get a Roland JD-xi (a cute little synth that's worth more than you pay for it with its 129 voices and an analog synth built right in), it will match the HS-6 perfectly as it has Midi 1 for synth 1, midi 2 for synth track 2, and midi 3 for the Analog bass-line synth (perfect for the pedals), just plug and have fun!
Hi, can you explain how the pedals are connected? Is it a proprietary socket, or permanent, or MIDI-type? Could the pedals be connected to another MIDI device directly and separately from the main system?
@@lechtrzeciak6084 The midi is connected via the mainboard out to two midi connectors like any synth. If you're hoping to rip out the pedals and use them as separate midi pedals you're outta luck, keyboards don't work that way. It's the main synthesizer motherboard that does all the communication, you can still use the pedals as midi channel #3 when the HS-6 is powered.
@@joonglegamer9898 Thanks for your time. The construction you've described is understandable, although it would be possible to do it the other way around. I guess it's cheaper that way. Again, appreciate your help.
Where did u buy this organ , I’m looking to buy one but don’t know where to start !
local 2nd hand ads, you can check Ebay (locally) too
Hi there! I have an HS6 that stopped producing sound. Any idea on what it might be?
I know the output amp chips are quite notorious for failing, seen a few other HS organs with no output that way. The output amp board is in the back-left of the organ (can see it at 9:27 in my video too)
I could buy a HS-6- with a decent price, but it is far away. Does anyone know what tools are required to remove the stand / foot pedlas for transport or if this is possible?
A simple screwdriver will do, I think it was either 4 or 6 screws where the stand attaches to the organ and then the entire stand comes off.
As for the midi functionality - it's great, however not perfect... no way to pass to midi-out traffic received from midi-in. E.g. I plan to build a custom stand to use the upper unit with a full-width (30 keys) midi pedal classic organ keyboard. It would be great to have an option to use this keyboard with the Electone sounds as well as with midi routed to Hauptwerk on a PC, but midi-in is only routed directly to Electone's sound generation. So will have to either manually switch cables between Electone and PC or use a midi-router like Motu MidiExpress to fork the midi-stream to Electone and PC.
You could buy/build a simple MIDI thru box. Sounds like a fun project tho :)
@@rot_studios I ended up buying the Motu MidiExpress XT - a pretty cool flexible midi-router :) Actually got two - the oldest one for parallel port (+422 Serial Mac port) and a newer version for USB, alas with Mac-only firmware, but it will do - it may work as a standalone device with PC if needed (custom configuration may be set and saved using Mac).
Bought an HS-5 for my wife to practice home before organ recitals. It works ok when plugged to the mains and switched on, but if switched off and then on again - it turns on except for the power amp part - I don't hear the relay click, lights, buttons and midi are working though. To make it sound again I have to unplug it from the mains (after switching off), wait a couple of minutes and plug in again. Looks like some capacitors don't get discharged when switched off... the one 22/50 next to Tr404 is suspected - I guess it provides current impulse to actuate the relay, which is then held by the Tr404. Can't imagine what would prevent its discharge, if the D306 diod died, then it should discharge through the relay coil. Another problem - if I turn the volume to max, enable lots of loud voices and press 10 keys - the relay will switch off (and on again, when the keys are released) - looks like protection is triggered prematurely with Tr402, Tr403, perhaps thanks to dried 100/16 capacitor preceeding those transistors. Any ideas on the behavior would be highly appreciated! Thanks for the video - it will save some effort on disassembly to access the PU board.
Looks like the 1/50 cap near the top of the circuit is what is charged through the 22k resistor to eventually activate Tr404.
Excessive power from the amp would provide a discharge path through Tr403, which seems to be further biased through the 22/50 cap and 68k resistor.
Could be the 22/50 cap has grown leakage and is further biasing Tr403 towards conducting. That would explain both issues. Maybe the 1/50 cap has an issue too?
Honestly these caps are getting old regardless so may not be a bad idea to recap the PSU, just to be safe :P
@@rot_studios Hi! Thanks for the insight! Openning up the cabinet revealed that it's a Japanees version of HS5 and previous owner put an additional transformer inside to lower our 230V down to 100V. The transformer was too weak (rated for 0.145A max on the secondary coil) - it could barely hold 98V on idle and only 76-77V when HS5 switched on (even with no keys pressed), I am surprised it even worked sometimes. Well, the power amp STK4026II is technically fuctional in the range of 18-38V and it received around 19V going down to around 16.8 with full volume and 7 keys pressed with a loud organ register. And it worked when the keys were added one by one, however if pressed simultaneously the power amp would quit when the Vcc voltage abruptly sank to 17.8V (perhaps even lower, but that's what I could see on the multimeter for a split second). I changed that transformer for a 100W one and now it works with no hiccups, the powerupm receives around 25V, and the relay gets around 22V when actuated (the 22/50 capacitor somehow gets charged to 30V for a second until the relay switches on).
One strange thing left which I am not sure is a problem... - with some preset combinations selected several volume leds are lighted semulteneously - in the sections for upper, lower keyboards, lead voices, rythm etc. The leds are usually adjacent, like max volume and the one below it. And it looks like pre-programmed setting - selecting a pre-set combination always lights up the same adjacent leds.
PS Figured that out in the manual - it's the Volume Fine function :)
@@ATMFoxtrot Yeah that makes a lot of sense. Always fun when someone else has been in a unit before and didn't know what they were doing :P
Have fun with the organ! :D
@@rot_studios Thanks, we surely do have lots of fun with this cute organ! It sounds great and has lots of functions - now learning them with the manual (our first digital organ of such kind) :) Expecting more fun, when I build the custom stand, add full width midi pedal board istead of the orgignal one and connect everything to the Hauptwerk VPO :)
Are there any differences between the hs6 and the hs70 other than midi capabilities and the wood casing?
I don't think the 'HS70' exists, There is an 'EL70' model which is mostly AWM samples with some FM. I don't see any voice editing capabilities either.
Hello is it possible to disassemble the legs if someone wants to move it using a hatchback like a VW Golf plus?
You can, but it takes a couple of screws removed to make it happen so make sure to bring tools :)
I've done it when we moved this thing up a shoddy wobbly old wooden stair to our attic XD
Thank you!
what is a good price for this "organ"?
I have the hs-6 it stopped powering up and i cant find a single thing relating to the process of checking it out with a multimeter. Every time i think of getting rid of it i just cant
Can be many things. Could be a voltage regulator, could be a short somewhere else.
Best way to discern is to disconnect the PSU board outputs, power it on and measure the outputs. See if you get the 5V, -15V and 15V rails showing correct values. If not, it's the PSU. If values show correct, reconnect the outputs and measure again. If values show wrongly then it'll be a short somewhere.
Did you download the service manual? (it's a combined manual for the HS-4 to HS-7 series). It has schematics and everything.
My organ doesn't turn on , you mention 5v power rail or ic 501. Any info about location or testing thanks
I recommend downloading the service manual, should be fairly easy to find on Google.
It has schematics, pinouts and everything, so you can measure the voltage rails.
Cool sounds 😊
I love it, been diving into it more and more and have already recorded some wonderful things :D
Where did u buy it ? I’m trying to get one but idk where
Local 2nd marketplace. I think your best bet is searching local ads and Ebay.
Oh Facebook may work too, there's Electone enthousiast groups.
does this organ have MIDI ins and outs?
yes, full set
@@rot_studios thank you!
I have piano yamaha electone HE-3F no sound comming from rythem ...
Just purchased a used HS-4 , Pristine. Odd thing though , the upper keyboard , middle C is not where it should be it is above middle C on the lower ?? I scoured the manual for a clue but it is definitely different than my older Yamaha that is still here.
Yeah that sounds right, the upper keyboard is an octave higher than the lower, to give you more range. The pedals are for the lowest octave(s).
@@rot_studios Phew , I thought it was me being stupid. I am not that crazy about how it brings the hands together for some songs but since I doubt that is at all changeable , I will have to get used to it. Thanks!
How to change the style of tones
Gotta rotate the multi-menu untill it's on Voice Edit. Press and hold the voice you want to edit (on the left side where you set the keyboard voices) and at the same time press Edit.
Tengo un HS4 pero de pronto dejó de funcionar, se oye el sonido de encendido pero no suena ni prende ningún foco, cuál podría ser la falla? saben de algún técnico en México, CDMX?
The relay you hear is only for the power amp. That does mean it is getting power though.
It could be the 5V power rail has a short, or that the 5V regulator (IC501) is broken.
I have no clue where you can find someone in Mexico, I live all the way in Europe :P
Google is your friend~!
2:37 Couldn’t you use a line-in to grab the organ audio directly and avoid using any microphone?
Ah, I see, it’s in your living room, not your studio.
how reset???
What do you mean?
@@rot_studios How to reset to factory settings, I have seen that they simultaneously press the C key while pressing the power button, in my case it does not work, do you know any way to reset it, everything turns on but there is no sound
Could you be more specific?!
@@atmeltronic128 there is no sound, i cant reset
hope this helps
If you tie this thing into a stereo receiver with good speakers you can hear ever detail. but I have a question. how do I get the cover off the foot pedals as my D lower pedal has stopped working and I am hoping it is mechanical , not electronic issue as all the others are working properly
I've done many studio recordings with it by now, it's lovely :)
The service manual has loads of info on disassembly if I recall correctly. I don't really remember how I took it apart, to be honest.
Hola! Sabes que modelo de órgano Yamaha es el que suena aca? th-cam.com/video/9EDNwzcda4U/w-d-xo.html
Don't know, honestly. You can probably get those sounds out of an HS though, since you can program the synthesizer.
No le entendí ni j?????
I'm not sure I understand, could you try again :)