On the Yamaha PSS-A50, the documented USB TO HOST connection is MIDI, not an advertised USB audio output. That distinction determines what a computer receives when you play.
The US specification identifies a micro-B USB MIDI connection and a separate stereo-mini PHONES/OUTPUT socket. Its onboard phrase recording is also described as MIDI data. Do not read the word recording as proof that every output carries a finished audio file.
Choose the thing you want to save
| Goal | Plan to investigate |
|---|---|
| Edit notes and use a software instrument | USB MIDI into suitable music software |
| Capture the keyboard’s own audible voice | PHONES/OUTPUT into a suitable audio-recording input |
| Hear a performance privately | Compatible wired headphones |
MIDI describes performance instructions. The receiving software can use those instructions to generate its own sound. An audio recording instead captures a signal already made into sound. If a software piano sounds different from the keyboard’s speaker, that alone does not show a faulty USB cable.
Before buying an interface, write the complete route: keyboard output, receiving input, cable, recording software and monitoring headphones. Check that the receiving socket is an input of the appropriate type; a computer’s headphone output cannot be assumed to record an external source.
We have not connected or recorded this keyboard, measured latency or verified a particular computer configuration. The purpose is to avoid purchasing around an unsupported USB-audio assumption. Yamaha documentation read 25 October 2026. See buying guides.
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