Excellent demonstration of how much effects impact the sound of a synthesizer. I think that a lot of people, perhaps especially younger folks, aren't aware of how much effects matter, and that most modern synths have effects built in, and that's the whole reason why they sound more impressive than a lot of the old stuff. Hook up a vintage synth, most of which were mono, and just play them dry, and they sound very lackluster. But then you throw on some external effects, and suddenly they open up and sound incredible, with a depth that would make many modern high end workstations blush. Even something very basic, like my Roland D-10, which could be mistaken for a toy when played dry, can sound like an absolute monster when running through a chorus and reverb.
Amazing to see the channel grow... The Jupiter-8 is just so soft and sweet. It's wrong to choose a favourite, but that just warms me up. This CS80 is beautiful, thanks for keeping all of these working and more than that, playing them for us!!!
A real CS-80 is the dream for me. I am currently running a Black Corporation Deckards Dream with the Chase Bliss CXM1978 as my Hardware option for this until one day when I get one. Great video.
Some very nice gear there indeed and nice playing.....Just one thing, there's no mention of how expressive the CS80 is in terms of the weighted keyboard, the ribbon controller and that incredible ring modulator. However, I don't know why, but the CS80 just becomes another instrument when you add reverb! Good on you having such a magnificent collection of the behemoths from a bygone age! Kind regards, Mike
Love hearing the real gear. It sounds sublime and lives up to its legend. What Im getting from this is its the inherent grit, almost slight harshness of the CS80 that cuts through when combined with effects like no other synth of its time. My fascination with the CS80 is now even more peaked. I have the Cherry Audio GX80 and it will be the closest I will ever come to it. Would be awesome to get your take in a comparison between the real deal and the plug sometime.
You have excellent taste for synths. We share many machines it seems The OB8 probably takes the crown as far as I’m concerned. It’s a majestic sound and quite a sophisticated synth too
It has been oberheim for long time as my favorite - but the more i get to know the CS - the more I just love it - if really first my style of playing. Together with my other favs: Mini Moog. Taurus, Rhodes, JX10, CP70 - it’s like having many children that are all different and great
Smashed a 1000 subs. Thanks for listening and doing this. Really good and as other say could listen for much longer. With and without effects was a good idea. It sounds epic!
I discovered this channel 10 minutes ago. Great! Some vintage synth has internal disalignment that makes them "rich" because of intrinsic modulation. Some others don't. Another perfect example is Elka Synthex, maybe my favourite ever. Since Synthex has DCOs, two oscillators of it don't drift. And don't modulate. Prophets, Obies and Jupiters are less sharp. So if you want to give some richness to some simple sounds to a Synthex or a CS80, you need some effect. Luckily every machine has its own personality! I am salivating seeing all of Jose machines in such good conditions!
What a collection of instruments!!! Personally, I am terrified by these super expensive vintage classics. One broken 40 year old capacitor, one puff of smoke - and suddenly an investment worthy of a small car is gone.
The thing with old synths, you can fix them. Most modern synths can have failure modes that are impossible to fix without replacing whole boards, if you can get them.
@@jdmjesus6103 I'd have to disagree. If we're talking about 80s cars sure but not 80s synths. Old synths have a bulky beefy circuitry. The guys that fix them are like 40 and up and have degrees. Modern synths are more compact and familiar to fix. Solid state made things easier.
@@bengsynthmusic that doesn't make any sense. Modern synths have more custom chips and fpga's that you could never program, they rarely even release service manuals for modern stuff. More discrete components mean more chance of fixing. Multi layer boards don't help either
What we need is a VA, digital or analogue synth, where you can set each voice in a Poly patch differently. (I.e. like separate Monophonic voices in Combi/Multitimbral mode.) As you play, voice allocation re-allocates voices and constantly shifts allocation order. You can do this with devices like Sequentix Cirklon in PolySpread mode, or other less expensive devices.
@@bilonggrisimmeri has eight different voices and a sequencer that allows per step automation of every step. It has four different "tracks" each of which can be assigned a preset. However you can load presents into a sound pool and switch the preset if a given track. Also has four midi tracks with the same level of control plus an lfo each for sequencing other gear. The sound engine is simplified digital FM with a filter, so it can do some subtractive stuff. It also has internal delay, reverb and chorus.
@@reecedeyoung6595 That sounds fantastic. So if someone were a keyboard player, they could set Digitone's 8 voices, in Mono mode, to MIDI channels 1-8, and put the same patch in each slot, with slightly different amounts of everything (detune, random whatever, cutoff, LFOs, ENV, resonance, even effect send). A Bomebox or Cirklon between controler keys and Digitone deciding allocation of voices - round robin, with order changing. Does than sound a good idea? It still wouldn't be a CS80, though a lot of fun. I own a Sequentix Cirklon and play keys b.t.w.
@@bilonggrisimmeri if that's your goal you may be better off using built in random modulation. Many synths, digitone included, have features that allow you to assign randomness to parameters. To make things easy digitone has a detune parameter that you can assign to directly. Digitone allows direct midi control over the 4 tracks which share the 8 voices. You could assign each track to a different preset and do round robin. You could also use a single track and send cc messages to change whatever parameters you want. This would probably require some clever midi programming though. If you want analog polysynth sounds and are mainly a keyboard player digitone may not be the right choice. You can get some natural near analog sounds using the feedback param, however the synth has a very bright character. Notes higher in pitch have much more energy and you have to compensate with playing/programming/eq. The UI is also designed for sequencing workflow more than live playing.
That Jupiter. Every time I hear a great Roland I just can't believe what they've let themselves become. The CS80 sounds great of course. Any effect can think itself very lucky to be allowed to work with such fine ingredients. And the Oberheim sound is just magic
What Roland has let themselves become? You mean a company that refuses to build "true" analog synths anymore? That is a short-sighted opinion. Roland is still putting out gear that is affordable, extremely usable for the working musician, and also products that bring younger musicians into playing piano, keyboards and more. And while I'm as nostalgic as the next person for the greatness of particular synths of the past, I do not see Roland as wrong for not chasing their own tail any more. Leave it to another company to continue to make a knock off. Moog tried staying pure analog poly with the Moog One, and ran into the very same issues that plagued "pure" analog synths from those days - it drifts out of tune without a DCO. Roland embraced digital tech even back then because they saw it's relative advantages - as they continue to see and take advantage of today. I do hope that they will work to make more analog hybrids such as the JD-Xa, etc., if you want those old sounds without the old headaches, Roland has you covered. And no, I don't work for Roland - I just use a lot of their products and love them, including the polarizing Roland Cloud.
Thanks for this video! I never played the real CS80, but I was never impressed with CS80 sound as sound, like with OB-X or OB-8, Jupiter 8, even Juno and other classic synths, that had iconic sounds. I was impressed with CS80 articulation possibilities and I always thought CS80 is mostly popular thanks to the Vangelis, because he mastered how to play it with all articulation possibilities that CS80 offers and colored it with plenty of effects. The rest of the well known artists that were using CS80, didn’t do many iconic sounds with CS80 (OK there are some iconic sounds with CS80, but not so many) and you demonstrated why.
I remember my first dry synth (nordlead 1) I was young and did not figure out the lack of room, delay or reverb makes ANY dry signal boring and percieved weird and unnatural. So I went on programing my sounds and beats in a JD990 and S3000. Later I hooked up a Yamaha O2R 96k with two waves effect cards and I dusted of the Nordlead which tottaly came to live with a bith of reverb and delay.
I remember trying a Yamaha DX-7 without effects, and noting it really didn’t sound anything like it did with bands like A-ha. But as you say, that was par for the course in those days. Tony Banks of Genesis was known for putting his keyboards through effects, practically from the start.
For a us mortals there’s the Arturia products to experience the CS80, Oberheim and Jupiter 8! At least my budget stretched to a mint Fantom G8 and an FA07 which I midi together to get 256 note effective polyphony and some Roland authenticity!!
@@josesvintagekeysdon’t. I had both and the 505 is immensely nicer. Not even the same league I ended up selling the vp330 as I found it quite underwhelming but it’s true that Vangelis used it tons The 505 was fantastic. Sadly it was only on loan
@@josesvintagekeys the 505 is warmer. a lot more going on in terms of tweaking; you lose the vocoder but no big deal. the 505 has a bass output which is separate and the bass its MASSIVE. also the ensemble can be tweaked. strings are a little less "modern" than the 330's but I loved it. very melancholy machine. the only real issue is that the ensemble uses the reticon chips, and if they go you're in trouble. I could replicate the sound from The Cure's "Plainsong" very well with the 505. the 330 I always disliked how it's EQd, and how limited the ability to change the sounds is. it's a bit like the solina. the 505 has 3 separate sections you can mix and match
Effects are definitely more effective (no pun intended) on thinner digital synths out there. I like to hard pan my DX7 with a nice, long reverb, and it sounds huge. A bit of chorus also can give a more reserved improvement.
Any tips on the Jupiter patch you play? I've been messing in Arturia Jup-8V trying to match it and can't nail it. It's so simple but I'm missing something!
I feel what makes the cs80 stand out is it doesnt sound like a proper synthesizer.. its something between an acoustic instrument and an organ sound which sounds super rough off the cuff but that roughness turns into some really unique thick and natural and raw quality with fx
@@eriksmeets9254 well than its really simple (nobody should know this) : its the Kevin Killen Atmosphere preset.. sometimes i make the reverb time longer or play with the pitch shift
Hi, thank you so much for sharing your noodlings with the Mighty Eighty. I have to comment, though, that if we only use the presets in it to determine its abilities, then it is indeed a quite disappointing, buzzy, whiney synth. I personally HATE most of the presets in mine. The challenge the 80 presents is the fact that its filter is, effectively, somewhat of a bandpass one, and both HPF and LPF are affected equally by any voltage used to modulate them, but the cutoff in each can be individually adjusted, like the Korg 700s.. That is why I use almost exclusively the programable presets in the cute little box at the upper left or the main panel, and by doing so it’s easier to tame the HPF. With PWM and slight detuning you add chorus and motion to the sound as well. I have then put it side by side with the Matrix 12 and JP-8, and it can definitely hold its own. Otherwise I would have already dumped it on Reverb and bought me two Schmidts! You can definitely get lush pads from it w/o drowning them in reverb or chorus. I only use a splash of reverb. Chorus can be overkill. Mine is currently getting repairs, but as soon as I can get I will record a few samples. The brass can be HUGE. Finally, the CS-80 was not made to sound like the others with which we are comparing them. Its filter is 2-pole, BPish as mentioned above, and with high Q it sounds very vocal and gets a massive low end. I can make it sound pretty close to my Prophets and OBs, but I can’t do viceversa. I think it would be perfect if the amount of CV could be individually titrated for both HPF and LPF, like in the MS-20. Now that would be quite the mod project, wouldn’t it?
I get your point - and indeed: this is where my analysis went wrong - by using only 2 presets. I love to program the CS and it brings you in to totally new territory - and yes: those sounds don't have to rely on fx that much. Having said that: I love a big dash of reverb and delay on it (as you have seen) - and just like you I hate chorus on it - external of the internal one!
If at any point you were willing to indulge me, please try this: Use both a saw and square with lush PWM for each voice, then set both AL and IL to zero and set the LPF cutoff to taste. Add a little detuning and maybe even a touch of low-frequency vibrato from the LFO. Set the dynamics to taste, but I tend to set velocity to control loudness only, not cutoff, and AT handles cutoff, loudness and vibrato. Tell me what you think….😉@@josesvintagekeys
The CS80 just sounds so organic and responsive, that is what the others can’t really do. Yes the Strings presets aren’t great, but most of the others (plus the panel sounds obviously) are in a different league. The effects are needed for that full Vangelis sound, but there is more to the CS80 than just that, although I think for most people, that would be enough!
Sure, but the charm of the CS-80 was in the key velocity and (especially) the polyphonic aftertouch and how those control voltages could be applied across the parameters, which was unique.
I use Arturias V Collection 9.2 and love Arturias OB-Xa it's so much fun plus my favourite preset is Jump by VH of course, lol I took your advice and bought the UAD Lexicon 224 plugging and it sounds fantastic and well worth the $89. Cheers...
one thing I realized is being able to play two patches on a bitimbral synth or on two synths kinda makes CS80 unnecessary. the main unique aspect of the CS80 are the amps per oscillator routing - other than the poly at.
The CS-80 has guts that the Oberheim and Roland cant replicate. They are static. In a mix the CS-80 sound cuts right through a mix. It has guts. If you want something that can make a hit that resonates on radio or other ways of listening, it shines through. The aftertouch obviously is a big part of the CS-80 and is like an articulated effect and is so intuitive as you play it. It suggests ideas and directions a composition can go and offers up possibilities to the ear. All three are great, maybe just apples and oranges. I have approach my two 80's completely different than all other synths and it shows in the results. There is just something about its punchy squealy sound that is just sits right. I wish everyone could spend some time on an actual one. You develop a playing style specific to it. Thank you for putting out a video.
I couldn't agree more - it's much more of a 'human musical instrument' than a 'normal' synth - even compared to the OB and JP8. It's something you can only experience when you actually play it - it's so much more than only the sound. The point I wanted to make is that it does need a good deal of FX to come to live. At the end of the day all three have a very personal character - and therefor blend perfectly 🙂
I completely disagree. The 80’s discreet osc. are just fine but other than the brass settings it sounds very thin and doesn’t cut through a mix without a proper mix of effects. I’ve been alerting this to the synth community for years ( to try and keep the cost relative ) but since the popularity of social media, eBay and grand illusions of hype it’s grown exponentially out of control to the modern enthusiast ( collectors ). I bought mine new in 1980 and had no problem touring with it but, I could have gotten along with one of the miner CS boards just fine. I think they cut through better. Just saying as an alternative perspective/owner.
My Almighty Casio VZ-1 has no built in effects. But it is superb when external effects are used with it! Bought mine new in 1989! Still love it in 2023.
If Behringer ever finish their clone I'll not be buying it. Not because I have a problem with Behringer but because if it's any good I would just end up channelling Vangelis! Same with the DD.
I believe the new Oberheim OB-X8 does have polyphonic aftertouch. It's new to market, but designed to sound near identical to the entire OB line (OB-X, Xa and 8). The sound banks are even compatible between the whole series. You could even load in a cassette of sounds from an OB-X onto the OB-X8.
I often read that the Jupiter 8, which is currently at about 25k (€) doesn't have mono after touch, and doesn't even have Velocity. That would put it on par with my Korg Poly-800 in terms of expressivity 😉
@@pontram I guess it's the Behringer UB-Xa clone that has poly aftertouch. As the classic Oberheim OB-X series didn't have poly aftertouch, I could live without it as my bands cover classic music, we're not doing originals.
@2:30 i was so struck by how the Jupiter 8 sounds right after hearing the CS-80...such a different presence with its own harmonic richness that on its own i prefer to the CS-80...even though the CS-80 has such an unequalled power apart from maybe the Oberheim
Sorry, it sounds AMAZING even with no effects at all. BTW the boards you're comparing it with (Oberheim OB-8 and Super Jupiter) are the Ferrari and Lamborghini of synthesizers respectively 😂😂
Great video Jose. The 80 and the 60 both needed effects during recording. They really didn't sound great on their own. Years ago an engineer would put an 80 through chorus and reverb to get it sounding better, a bit like the later Fairlight as well. When the P5 and JP8 came out they quickly left the CS80 & 60 in the past. These days people seem to want them again and the prices have gone so high. I remember buying a 60 for £120, it needed so much constant work as it was hardwired inside that I got rid of it.
I recently landed a yamaha dx7iid, wasn't sure if i was going to like it but once some reverb was added, it's amazing. I'm even learning to program it!
A good synth is nothing without its effect. It gives so much extra character to the sound, like a protagonist that needs his world to live in. btw, if you made samples packs, I'd 100% want them
Hello Jose. Thank you for the videos on cs-80. I would like to recreate brass 1 and brass 2 patches of CS-80 on Arturia emulation and it would be great to see how the patches are set on the original CS-80. Any chance you could publish these settings?
When I started playing, I had no effects, other than tremolo in an amp. Not even reverb. The very nature of how analog synthesizers create sounds was enough. Things you needed to add effects to a guitar signal to do - distortion, modulation, sustain - were just inherent aspects of a synth: a saw wave or square wave are distorted sine waves; vibrato, tremolo, PMW, oscillator detuning are modulations; release envelope is analogous to what people are trying to accomplish with reverb/delay pedals with guitar, and attack envelope requires a volume pedal or swell effect to do on guitar. To me the synth has always been an effects machine, capable of creating completely unnatural, unique sounds. Other than maybe a little delay, no one back in the 70 really “needed” to add a ton of effects to make their synths “useable”. That idea that good synth sounds are supposed to be huge, washy, ambient, cinematic soundscapes became more of a thing in the 80s and 90s. I don’t think most people would suggest that Stevie Wonder’s 70s synth tones were “bad” or unusable because of their relative dryness. That’s my two cents anyway.
Honestly, all watching this video did for me was boost my GAS for an OB-X8, and now, the Lexicon reverb plugin. But definitely, hearing just a note or just a chord on your Oberheim just makes me want to grab me an OB-X8!!!! Also, hearing the Jupiter 8 just boosts my GAS for a GrooveSynthesis 3rd Wave (the VA engine is CRAZY!!) and/or a System-8, but moreso a 3rd Wave. On the other hand, I could get the Roland Jupiter synth model for my Fantom-06 if I really want a Jupiter-specific tone on a budget I'm glad you didn't play a Minimoog because I've played one and I'm trying to kill my GAS for it and tell myself "I DON'T NEED" one, which is true. I don't need one, and I'm gonna leave it at that. The CS80 never moved me because even if I did crave it's sound, I wouldn't want to pay today's used market price for one even if I could actually afford it, which I can't. However, that Lexicon plugin sure sounds good on it! That reverb tail is INSANE!!!!
Well, many Junos and Jupiters have their own chorus, which became so legendary that it was released as a standalone pedal, soooo... yeah, I dare say they sound better out of the box.
Made me wonder, is there any reason to have physical synths? OK for nostalgia and controller keyboard, but if the sound is made in the box, why not keep it all in software?
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
Excellent demonstration of how much effects impact the sound of a synthesizer. I think that a lot of people, perhaps especially younger folks, aren't aware of how much effects matter, and that most modern synths have effects built in, and that's the whole reason why they sound more impressive than a lot of the old stuff. Hook up a vintage synth, most of which were mono, and just play them dry, and they sound very lackluster. But then you throw on some external effects, and suddenly they open up and sound incredible, with a depth that would make many modern high end workstations blush. Even something very basic, like my Roland D-10, which could be mistaken for a toy when played dry, can sound like an absolute monster when running through a chorus and reverb.
Even without FX, that single brass sound is phat
That’s what I said 😅
I'm certainly not going to argue with a gentleman who has a CS80, OB8, Jupiter 8, minimoog and an electric grand.
... and a cheeky LINN chilling there
hahahaha!
Yeah, but I don’t see any Behringer
I like his taste in artist also (the pictures).
@@johnspring5689behringer screams, “I’m an amateur, I am broke, and I don’t take pride in my craft”.
Amazing to see the channel grow... The Jupiter-8 is just so soft and sweet. It's wrong to choose a favourite, but that just warms me up. This CS80 is beautiful, thanks for keeping all of these working and more than that, playing them for us!!!
If the Jupiter 8 and Oberheims are the gas giants of synths, the CS-80 is the Sun.
The sound killed me just with the plugin.
The come Behringer comes out with their CS-80 clone, the better.
You my man are a real Synth Connoisseur!
:-)
Very nice and interesting. And congratulations on your three beautiful babies btw!
A real CS-80 is the dream for me. I am currently running a Black Corporation Deckards Dream with the Chase Bliss CXM1978 as my Hardware option for this until one day when I get one. Great video.
That collection is as good as it gets on this planet. Excellent demo sir.
Holy Vangelis! Those EFX plug ins are amazing! I need them soooo badly! :D And finally subscribed :)
welcome!! what took you so long 😅
Oh FML that plucky sound around 6.32 with those FX just makes me twitch..... such a lush sound..#goosebumps
Some very nice gear there indeed and nice playing.....Just one thing, there's no mention of how expressive the CS80 is in terms of the weighted keyboard, the ribbon controller and that incredible ring modulator.
However, I don't know why, but the CS80 just becomes another instrument when you add reverb!
Good on you having such a magnificent collection of the behemoths from a bygone age!
Kind regards,
Mike
listen to some of my recordings: there is use all the CS goodies :-)
Not to forget the polyphonic aftertouch
Dedicated on-board effects as part of a patch are awesome. It's like going from black and white television to color.
very honest & open minded review & demo, thank you
Some holy grail synths in this setup! Amazing!
Great video Jose. Thank you as well for demoing the Lexicon FX. It's a wonderful piece of software.
I would love to hear the original version - I do believe that the hardware version will bring something extra to the table. But I do love the plug in!
Some great synths there the Jupiter the OBX plus the CS80 would be nice to hear your recordings. Thanx again TAO from Sweden
why don't you start here :-) ruclips.net/video/w77PqFzoskc/видео.html
Love hearing the real gear. It sounds sublime and lives up to its legend. What Im getting from this is its the inherent grit, almost slight harshness of the CS80 that cuts through when combined with effects like no other synth of its time. My fascination with the CS80 is now even more peaked. I have the Cherry Audio GX80 and it will be the closest I will ever come to it. Would be awesome to get your take in a comparison between the real deal and the plug sometime.
I will!
You have excellent taste for synths. We share many machines it seems
The OB8 probably takes the crown as far as I’m concerned. It’s a majestic sound and quite a sophisticated synth too
It has been oberheim for long time as my favorite - but the more i get to know the CS - the more I just love it - if really first my style of playing. Together with my other favs: Mini Moog. Taurus, Rhodes, JX10, CP70 - it’s like having many children that are all different and great
You certainly create great sound with it..especially for a guitar guy ;-)
@@josesvintagekeys thanks, I try ; )
I have that same old Ultimate Support keyboard stand from the 80s lol 🤷🏻♂️😎 cool video 👍
Smashed a 1000 subs. Thanks for listening and doing this. Really good and as other say could listen for much longer. With and without effects was a good idea. It sounds epic!
I discovered this channel 10 minutes ago. Great!
Some vintage synth has internal disalignment that makes them "rich" because of intrinsic modulation. Some others don't. Another perfect example is Elka Synthex, maybe my favourite ever. Since Synthex has DCOs, two oscillators of it don't drift. And don't modulate.
Prophets, Obies and Jupiters are less sharp. So if you want to give some richness to some simple sounds to a Synthex or a CS80, you need some effect.
Luckily every machine has its own personality!
I am salivating seeing all of Jose machines in such good conditions!
I have a very good take that takes good care of the machines...and I was lucky to get them in this shape...still at reasonable prices
Thanks for this! Answered my question perfectly ❤
Holy CS ness 😮. Beautiful, subbed
Thanks, it's great to hear with/without effects (and individual rows sometimes rather than both rows blended) to sus the true character of a CS-80!
Amazing ! Thanks for making, and sharing this video. 😎👍🏻❤
Another excellent video my friend!
Fantastic video,subbed!
That"s some magic sound right there.
You have wonderful gear and you sure know how to make it shine! I could listen for hours...more, please!
txxs Thomas!
Thank you very much for making this video and the great explanation this explains a lot 👍
What a collection of instruments!!! Personally, I am terrified by these super expensive vintage classics. One broken 40 year old capacitor, one puff of smoke - and suddenly an investment worthy of a small car is gone.
I understand the feeling - fortunately I have a good tech; no synth ever died on me
The thing with old synths, you can fix them. Most modern synths can have failure modes that are impossible to fix without replacing whole boards, if you can get them.
@@jdmjesus6103
I'd have to disagree. If we're talking about 80s cars sure but not 80s synths. Old synths have a bulky beefy circuitry. The guys that fix them are like 40 and up and have degrees. Modern synths are more compact and familiar to fix. Solid state made things easier.
@@bengsynthmusic that doesn't make any sense. Modern synths have more custom chips and fpga's that you could never program, they rarely even release service manuals for modern stuff. More discrete components mean more chance of fixing. Multi layer boards don't help either
Agree with @thomaskolb8785 and @jdmjesus6103 !
Love the pictures on the wall :)
Oberheim and Roland are great.
The CS-80 plays in another league. It's more musical, more everything, basically.
Yeah, what is this joker on about?
Good thought to take this comparison. CS80 guitar preset just says play me.
What we need is a VA, digital or analogue synth, where you can set each voice in a Poly patch differently. (I.e. like separate Monophonic voices in Combi/Multitimbral mode.) As you play, voice allocation re-allocates voices and constantly shifts allocation order. You can do this with devices like Sequentix Cirklon in PolySpread mode, or other less expensive devices.
Digitone by Elektron
@@reecedeyoung6595 Really??? I don't own one, so please explain.
@@bilonggrisimmeri has eight different voices and a sequencer that allows per step automation of every step. It has four different "tracks" each of which can be assigned a preset. However you can load presents into a sound pool and switch the preset if a given track. Also has four midi tracks with the same level of control plus an lfo each for sequencing other gear.
The sound engine is simplified digital FM with a filter, so it can do some subtractive stuff. It also has internal delay, reverb and chorus.
@@reecedeyoung6595 That sounds fantastic. So if someone were a keyboard player, they could set Digitone's 8 voices, in Mono mode, to MIDI channels 1-8, and put the same patch in each slot, with slightly different amounts of everything (detune, random whatever, cutoff, LFOs, ENV, resonance, even effect send). A Bomebox or Cirklon between controler keys and Digitone deciding allocation of voices - round robin, with order changing. Does than sound a good idea? It still wouldn't be a CS80, though a lot of fun. I own a Sequentix Cirklon and play keys b.t.w.
@@bilonggrisimmeri if that's your goal you may be better off using built in random modulation. Many synths, digitone included, have features that allow you to assign randomness to parameters. To make things easy digitone has a detune parameter that you can assign to directly.
Digitone allows direct midi control over the 4 tracks which share the 8 voices. You could assign each track to a different preset and do round robin. You could also use a single track and send cc messages to change whatever parameters you want. This would probably require some clever midi programming though.
If you want analog polysynth sounds and are mainly a keyboard player digitone may not be the right choice. You can get some natural near analog sounds using the feedback param, however the synth has a very bright character. Notes higher in pitch have much more energy and you have to compensate with playing/programming/eq. The UI is also designed for sequencing workflow more than live playing.
5:52 The word "imperious" kept going through my head. Incredible
that's more than a studio... A museum...
That’s beautiful! 😊🎶🎉🔥
That Jupiter. Every time I hear a great Roland I just can't believe what they've let themselves become. The CS80 sounds great of course. Any effect can think itself very lucky to be allowed to work with such fine ingredients. And the Oberheim sound is just magic
What Roland has let themselves become? You mean a company that refuses to build "true" analog synths anymore? That is a short-sighted opinion. Roland is still putting out gear that is affordable, extremely usable for the working musician, and also products that bring younger musicians into playing piano, keyboards and more. And while I'm as nostalgic as the next person for the greatness of particular synths of the past, I do not see Roland as wrong for not chasing their own tail any more. Leave it to another company to continue to make a knock off. Moog tried staying pure analog poly with the Moog One, and ran into the very same issues that plagued "pure" analog synths from those days - it drifts out of tune without a DCO. Roland embraced digital tech even back then because they saw it's relative advantages - as they continue to see and take advantage of today. I do hope that they will work to make more analog hybrids such as the JD-Xa, etc., if you want those old sounds without the old headaches, Roland has you covered. And no, I don't work for Roland - I just use a lot of their products and love them, including the polarizing Roland Cloud.
Thanks for this video! I never played the real CS80, but I was never impressed with CS80 sound as sound, like with OB-X or OB-8, Jupiter 8, even Juno and other classic synths, that had iconic sounds. I was impressed with CS80 articulation possibilities and I always thought CS80 is mostly popular thanks to the Vangelis, because he mastered how to play it with all articulation possibilities that CS80 offers and colored it with plenty of effects. The rest of the well known artists that were using CS80, didn’t do many iconic sounds with CS80 (OK there are some iconic sounds with CS80, but not so many) and you demonstrated why.
You can definitely hear Vangelis and some of Blade Runner in his playing..👍🏻
I think I might have watched my favourite RUclips video ever just now!
wow, what a great compliment. txxs!
I remember my first dry synth (nordlead 1) I was young and did not figure out the lack of room, delay or reverb makes ANY dry signal boring and percieved weird and unnatural. So I went on programing my sounds and beats in a JD990 and S3000. Later I hooked up a Yamaha O2R 96k with two waves effect cards and I dusted of the Nordlead which tottaly came to live with a bith of reverb and delay.
I remember trying a Yamaha DX-7 without effects, and noting it really didn’t sound anything like it did with bands like A-ha. But as you say, that was par for the course in those days. Tony Banks of Genesis was known for putting his keyboards through effects, practically from the start.
For a us mortals there’s the Arturia products to experience the CS80, Oberheim and Jupiter 8!
At least my budget stretched to a mint Fantom G8 and an FA07 which I midi together to get 256 note effective polyphony and some Roland authenticity!!
I am producing a side by side comparisson of my CS80 vs the arturia plug - you will be postively surprised!
check out my new video!
@@josesvintagekeys Please showcase ME80 from Memorymoon, i need to be sure wich one is the best (same with Dexed).
Is that a VP-330 above the CS-80? Would love to see an in-depth demo of it!
Same! I was thinking it might be a Roland rs-505
It’s a 505 - but I want to trade it for the VP!
@@josesvintagekeysdon’t. I had both and the 505 is immensely nicer. Not even the same league
I ended up selling the vp330 as I found it quite underwhelming but it’s true that Vangelis used it tons
The 505 was fantastic. Sadly it was only on loan
@@MusicFed what was the major difference?
@@josesvintagekeys the 505 is warmer. a lot more going on in terms of tweaking; you lose the vocoder but no big deal. the 505 has a bass output which is separate and the bass its MASSIVE. also the ensemble can be tweaked. strings are a little less "modern" than the 330's but I loved it. very melancholy machine. the only real issue is that the ensemble uses the reticon chips, and if they go you're in trouble. I could replicate the sound from The Cure's "Plainsong" very well with the 505. the 330 I always disliked how it's EQd, and how limited the ability to change the sounds is. it's a bit like the solina. the 505 has 3 separate sections you can mix and match
Anybody else disappointed that this is not just ten minutes of playing the CS-80 dry?
i did get that response a few times; my goal was to demonstrate the importance of fx.. more than showcasing the dry sound. Sorry it wasnt clear enough
Heeeel erg gaaf! Ik ga direct die UAD Lexicon kopen! 😅
goed idee!! krijg je geen spijt van
And a day later - you are 1.16k subs :-) So you gained more than a 100 in one day ... keep on creating the great content.
i will
You're an absolute master of sinths !
What a magical room full of the greatest synths ever and a man play them well ✌️
It would be quite a shame if I didn’t - but thanks for the compliment!!
3:38 - typical euro trance leads. CS80's "instant Armin van Buuren mode" activated.
Thanks love your video
Effects are definitely more effective (no pun intended) on thinner digital synths out there. I like to hard pan my DX7 with a nice, long reverb, and it sounds huge. A bit of chorus also can give a more reserved improvement.
Any tips on the Jupiter patch you play? I've been messing in Arturia Jup-8V trying to match it and can't nail it. It's so simple but I'm missing something!
I feel what makes the cs80 stand out is it doesnt sound like a proper synthesizer.. its something between an acoustic instrument and an organ sound which sounds super rough off the cuff but that roughness turns into some really unique thick and natural and raw quality with fx
Great video as always thanks! Could you please share the UADLexicon preset or settings? Want to try it out 😎 thanks again!
do you have the plugin?
@@josesvintagekeys yes I do!
@@eriksmeets9254 well than its really simple (nobody should know this) : its the Kevin Killen Atmosphere preset.. sometimes i make the reverb time longer or play with the pitch shift
My Waldorf M has no built in effects - and it still sounds fabulous.
The core sound is simply fantastic - and then when you do add effects, well WOW!.
Synths/Workstations/Samplers have had EFX built-in to them since the mid-late 90s.
I tend to think the less impressive a synth sounds raw then the better it will work in a musical context, even without FX.
Hi, thank you so much for sharing your noodlings with the Mighty Eighty. I have to comment, though, that if we only use the presets in it to determine its abilities, then it is indeed a quite disappointing, buzzy, whiney synth. I personally HATE most of the presets in mine. The challenge the 80 presents is the fact that its filter is, effectively, somewhat of a bandpass one, and both HPF and LPF are affected equally by any voltage used to modulate them, but the cutoff in each can be individually adjusted, like the Korg 700s.. That is why I use almost exclusively the programable presets in the cute little box at the upper left or the main panel, and by doing so it’s easier to tame the HPF. With PWM and slight detuning you add chorus and motion to the sound as well. I have then put it side by side with the Matrix 12 and JP-8, and it can definitely hold its own. Otherwise I would have already dumped it on Reverb and bought me two Schmidts! You can definitely get lush pads from it w/o drowning them in reverb or chorus. I only use a splash of reverb. Chorus can be overkill. Mine is currently getting repairs, but as soon as I can get I will record a few samples. The brass can be HUGE. Finally, the CS-80 was not made to sound like the others with which we are comparing them. Its filter is 2-pole, BPish as mentioned above, and with high Q it sounds very vocal and gets a massive low end. I can make it sound pretty close to my Prophets and OBs, but I can’t do viceversa. I think it would be perfect if the amount of CV could be individually titrated for both HPF and LPF, like in the MS-20. Now that would be quite the mod project, wouldn’t it?
I get your point - and indeed: this is where my analysis went wrong - by using only 2 presets. I love to program the CS and it brings you in to totally new territory - and yes: those sounds don't have to rely on fx that much. Having said that: I love a big dash of reverb and delay on it (as you have seen) - and just like you I hate chorus on it - external of the internal one!
If at any point you were willing to indulge me, please try this: Use both a saw and square with lush PWM for each voice, then set both AL and IL to zero and set the LPF cutoff to taste. Add a little detuning and maybe even a touch of low-frequency vibrato from the LFO. Set the dynamics to taste, but I tend to set velocity to control loudness only, not cutoff, and AT handles cutoff, loudness and vibrato. Tell me what you think….😉@@josesvintagekeys
Thank you, Jose. This is just great!
Is there any chance to compare any of your vintage keys to its software simulations?
Good idea - but always with the objective to proof how good they are - it gives everybody access to these beautiful instruments adn their sounds
@@josesvintagekeys that’s exactly what I was thinking. Thanks!
@@josesvintagekeysI've got the Arturia CS80 but I don't think I've seen a side by side with the hardware with them being so rare (and expensive!).
@@nitsujism i have the arturia as well.. i”ll have a go at it!
@@josesvintagekeys Awesome! Comparison between dry and with your FX would be interesting. I'm guessing the FX will hide differences.
The CS80 just sounds so organic and responsive, that is what the others can’t really do. Yes the Strings presets aren’t great, but most of the others (plus the panel sounds obviously) are in a different league. The effects are needed for that full Vangelis sound, but there is more to the CS80 than just that, although I think for most people, that would be enough!
Or learn to program the hundreds of other synth options 😋
Hi from another Jose who loves synths! 🤩
it’s all in the name Jose :-))
@@josesvintagekeys Yes, it should be that 😅!. You got a new susbcriber 👍
My Casio sk1 sounded like a $40,000 synth with shimmer on it.
thank god for shimmer!
Sure, but the charm of the CS-80 was in the key velocity and (especially) the polyphonic aftertouch and how those control voltages could be applied across the parameters, which was unique.
What a funny idea for a video!
I use Arturias V Collection 9.2 and love Arturias OB-Xa it's so much fun plus my favourite preset is Jump by VH of course, lol I took your advice and bought the UAD Lexicon 224 plugging and it sounds fantastic and well worth the $89. Cheers...
I just love the UA Lex 224 - good choice!
one thing I realized is being able to play two patches on a bitimbral synth or on two synths kinda makes CS80 unnecessary. the main unique aspect of the CS80 are the amps per oscillator routing - other than the poly at.
Should try an Alesis Microverb or Peavey Deltafex! 😅
The CS-80 has guts that the Oberheim and Roland cant replicate. They are static. In a mix the CS-80 sound cuts right through a mix. It has guts. If you want something that can make a hit that resonates on radio or other ways of listening, it shines through. The aftertouch obviously is a big part of the CS-80 and is like an articulated effect and is so intuitive as you play it. It suggests ideas and directions a composition can go and offers up possibilities to the ear. All three are great, maybe just apples and oranges. I have approach my two 80's completely different than all other synths and it shows in the results. There is just something about its punchy squealy sound that is just sits right. I wish everyone could spend some time on an actual one. You develop a playing style specific to it. Thank you for putting out a video.
I couldn't agree more - it's much more of a 'human musical instrument' than a 'normal' synth - even compared to the OB and JP8. It's something you can only experience when you actually play it - it's so much more than only the sound. The point I wanted to make is that it does need a good deal of FX to come to live. At the end of the day all three have a very personal character - and therefor blend perfectly 🙂
Im glad to see it works with VST effects just as beautifully as with analog.@@josesvintagekeys
I completely disagree. The 80’s discreet osc. are just fine but other than the brass settings it sounds very thin and doesn’t cut through a mix without a proper mix of effects. I’ve been alerting this to the synth community for years ( to try and keep the cost relative ) but since the popularity of social media, eBay and grand illusions of hype it’s grown exponentially out of control to the modern enthusiast ( collectors ). I bought mine new in 1980 and had no problem touring with it but, I could have gotten along with one of the miner CS boards just fine. I think they cut through better. Just saying as an alternative perspective/owner.
Please, can you explain what does it mean "sound cuts through the mix"?
came for the cs80 stayed for the cs80
you are more than welcome :-)
My Almighty Casio VZ-1 has no built in effects. But it is superb when external effects are used with it!
Bought mine new in 1989! Still love it in 2023.
great synth!
Sounds incredible, ❤😮
If Behringer ever finish their clone I'll not be buying it. Not because I have a problem with Behringer but because if it's any good I would just end up channelling Vangelis! Same with the DD.
A big portion of the CS80's sound comes from it's polyphonic after touch. Neither the Oberheim nor Roland has that.
Fully agree!
I believe the new Oberheim OB-X8 does have polyphonic aftertouch. It's new to market, but designed to sound near identical to the entire OB line (OB-X, Xa and 8). The sound banks are even compatible between the whole series. You could even load in a cassette of sounds from an OB-X onto the OB-X8.
I often read that the Jupiter 8, which is currently at about 25k (€) doesn't have mono after touch, and doesn't even have Velocity. That would put it on par with my Korg Poly-800 in terms of expressivity 😉
@@classicarcadeamusementpark4242 Actually, though its hefty price tag, OB-X8 has only the standard mono Aftertouch.
@@pontram I guess it's the Behringer UB-Xa clone that has poly aftertouch.
As the classic Oberheim OB-X series didn't have poly aftertouch, I could live without it as my bands cover classic music, we're not doing originals.
Prince wrote a song about the CS-80 - Nothing Compares to You. 🙂
hahahahaha
@2:30 i was so struck by how the Jupiter 8 sounds right after hearing the CS-80...such a different presence with its own harmonic richness that on its own i prefer to the CS-80...even though the CS-80 has such an unequalled power apart from maybe the Oberheim
They are all unique and wonderful instruments in their own right!
This really brings me back to Keith Emerson in his prime
Sorry, it sounds AMAZING even with no effects at all. BTW the boards you're comparing it with (Oberheim OB-8 and Super Jupiter) are the Ferrari and Lamborghini of synthesizers respectively 😂😂
Sounds awesome
Great video Jose. The 80 and the 60 both needed effects during recording. They really didn't sound great on their own. Years ago an engineer would put an 80 through chorus and reverb to get it sounding better, a bit like the later Fairlight as well. When the P5 and JP8 came out they quickly left the CS80 & 60 in the past. These days people seem to want them again and the prices have gone so high. I remember buying a 60 for £120, it needed so much constant work as it was hardwired inside that I got rid of it.
I recently landed a yamaha dx7iid, wasn't sure if i was going to like it but once some reverb was added, it's amazing. I'm even learning to program it!
great synth! Njoy playing it.
A good synth is nothing without its effect. It gives so much extra character to the sound, like a protagonist that needs his world to live in.
btw, if you made samples packs, I'd 100% want them
My Waldorf M has no built in effects - and it still sounds fabulous.
The core sound is simply fantastic - and then when you do add effects, well WOW!.
Hello Jose. Thank you for the videos on cs-80. I would like to recreate brass 1 and brass 2 patches of CS-80 on Arturia emulation and it would be great to see how the patches are set on the original CS-80. Any chance you could publish these settings?
Ha that was great, like a wine tasting. Subbed, cheers!
txxs Will!
When I started playing, I had no effects, other than tremolo in an amp. Not even reverb. The very nature of how analog synthesizers create sounds was enough. Things you needed to add effects to a guitar signal to do - distortion, modulation, sustain - were just inherent aspects of a synth: a saw wave or square wave are distorted sine waves; vibrato, tremolo, PMW, oscillator detuning are modulations; release envelope is analogous to what people are trying to accomplish with reverb/delay pedals with guitar, and attack envelope requires a volume pedal or swell effect to do on guitar. To me the synth has always been an effects machine, capable of creating completely unnatural, unique sounds. Other than maybe a little delay, no one back in the 70 really “needed” to add a ton of effects to make their synths “useable”. That idea that good synth sounds are supposed to be huge, washy, ambient, cinematic soundscapes became more of a thing in the 80s and 90s. I don’t think most people would suggest that Stevie Wonder’s 70s synth tones were “bad” or unusable because of their relative dryness. That’s my two cents anyway.
How did you afford all this stuff ?! Incredible, thanks for sharing
it took me 40 years to collect them - and I was pretty lucky to buy at the right time
The CS80 makes ME think of Toto and the ‘Thriller’ album, in addition to the great Vangelis.
It sounds so damn good with your Lexicon 224 plugin!
Honestly, all watching this video did for me was boost my GAS for an OB-X8, and now, the Lexicon reverb plugin. But definitely, hearing just a note or just a chord on your Oberheim just makes me want to grab me an OB-X8!!!! Also, hearing the Jupiter 8 just boosts my GAS for a GrooveSynthesis 3rd Wave (the VA engine is CRAZY!!) and/or a System-8, but moreso a 3rd Wave. On the other hand, I could get the Roland Jupiter synth model for my Fantom-06 if I really want a Jupiter-specific tone on a budget
I'm glad you didn't play a Minimoog because I've played one and I'm trying to kill my GAS for it and tell myself "I DON'T NEED" one, which is true. I don't need one, and I'm gonna leave it at that.
The CS80 never moved me because even if I did crave it's sound, I wouldn't want to pay today's used market price for one even if I could actually afford it, which I can't. However, that Lexicon plugin sure sounds good on it! That reverb tail is INSANE!!!!
Well, many Junos and Jupiters have their own chorus, which became so legendary that it was released as a standalone pedal, soooo... yeah, I dare say they sound better out of the box.
I think only the JP4 had a chorus
@raymondo6665 sorry I was referring to the 3 Jupiters - but you are right! And don’t forget the JX10 - one of my fav synths ;-)
the Rush song was The Camera Eye
Txxs! That was it :-)
How is their reliability?
Ok, as long you don’t move it!
Even though a half naked dude in tights is somewhat distracting, this video is very inspiring.
hahaha - david lee roth of van halen - live at pinkpop / where is was many years ago :-)
Made me wonder, is there any reason to have physical synths? OK for nostalgia and controller keyboard, but if the sound is made in the box, why not keep it all in software?
This is the million dollar question!
that's david lee roth on the wall?
yes, saw VH live when i was 17 - this is a picture from the concert
Even a dull synth will benefit from FX but an awesome synth like a CS-80 will just explode with charm.
spot on!
do all cs80's have that buzz in the high end? still sounds great
Great idea for a video.