PS-48

Phoenix Synth Presets

Illustration of a portable keyboard, artwork for the PS-48 sample pack.

A collection of FM synth and keyboard patches sampled from the Yamaha PSS-480, inspired by its use in Phoenix tracks.

Illustration of a portable keyboard, artwork for the PS-48 sample pack.

Hear PS-48

All sounds (other than bass guitar and drums) were made with PS-48 patches.

  1. 01 FM Toy Keys
  2. 02 PS-48 Organs
  3. 03 PS-48 Chords

PS-48 is a collection of 100 synth patches inspired by the Yamaha PSS-480, a compact keyboard that, despite its modest design, delivers distinctive two-operator FM tones. The PSS-480’s sounds are identical to those of the PSS-580, so this pack also covers the full PSS-580 sound set.

Phoenix are among the best-known users of the PSS-480, featuring it both in live performances and on tracks like Girlfriend, Rome, 1901, and Entertainment.

The pack is built from samples of the original instrument, recreating all 100 factory sounds with the added flexibility to adjust envelopes, vibrato, tremolo, and other parameters.

PS-48 Winds instrument in Kontakt.

Sampler Patches

PS-48 includes patches for Native Instruments Kontakt, one of the most widely used software samplers. The patches feature a custom graphical interface with adjustable settings, modulation controls, and built-in chorus, delay, and reverb effects.

These patches require the full version of Kontakt (version 6 or higher) and will not work with the free Player version.

The pack also contains presets for the free Decent Sampler plugin, compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, and iOS. This version mirrors the Kontakt interface but replaces the LFO setting with an Autopan effect.

PS-48 Winds sound menu in Kontakt.
PS-48 Keys instrument in Decent Sampler.

Ableton Live

PS-48 also includes over 100 Instrument Racks for Ableton Live, using the same samples and settings as the Kontakt and Decent Sampler versions but designed to work directly in Live.

The Live 11 or later version is arranged like the Kontakt and Decent Sampler patches, with sounds grouped into categories. Individual patches can be selected using the Macro Variation control on the left side of the rack.

Live 10 does not support Macro Variations, so the Live 10 version includes 100 individual Instrument Racks, one for each sound.

PS-48 Synth Brass instrument rack in Ableton Live 10.
PS-48 Organs instrument rack in Ableton Live 11.

Freshly Updated

PS-48 is an updated version of my earlier Porta pack, expanding the original 40 Yamaha PSS-480 sounds to all 100 from the keyboard. The samples have been newly recorded for cleaner, lower-noise playback, and envelope controls are now fully adjustable, making it possible to extend or sustain sounds that were originally short and decaying.

Yamaha portable keyboard used for the PS-48 sample pack.

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$30

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What's included

Requirements

Illustration of vintage synths and drum machines on a keyboard stand, artwork for the Ableton Sounds Bundle. Ableton Sounds Bundle Get PS-48 plus 10 more packs for $150. Already own some packs? Log in for personalized upgrade pricing. View bundles →

Free update

Already own the original? The new version is free.

Questions

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Straight after checkout you can download PS-48 from the confirmation page, and the download links are emailed to you too. The links never expire. If you create an account at checkout, your downloads are also always available from your account page.