The Mighty CS-80
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- GForce Software’s Dave Spiers and ace CS-80 tech Kent Spong (together with occasional contributions from Ken Freeman and salient comment from Matt Berry) take an in-depth look at one of the most exquisite and iconic polyphonic synthesisers ever made, the Yamaha CS-80.
/ kent.spong
www.themattberr...
www.gforcesoftw...
UPDATE: Due to a large amount of requests, the original music played here (plus a bonus track that never made the final edit) can be downloaded from: / the-mighty-cs-80
Opening CS-80 Track: 00:03
History & Overview: 02:17
Mix Panel Controls: 08:02
Global Controls: 15:47
Ribbon Strip: 24:47
Ring Modulator: 27:56
Presets: 31:08
CS-80 Funk Interlude: 38:57
Performance & Effects Panel: 40:35
Summary: 44:20
Selected CS-80 Users: 47:22
Outro CS-80 Track: 50:01
Credits & Kent Spong CS-80 Track: 51:52
...and the Oscar for perfectly demonstrating one of the greatest synths ever goes to....
Alex Ball me ?
I think he already has an OSCar.
ruclips.net/video/UzWcOgKp99k/видео.html
Oh...I see what you mean.
Yeah, but we haven't seen Geert Van Schlänger put his paws on this beauty, if you know what I'm saying...
@@jonwide6689 I'm worried about how Geert might interpret what CS stands for ;)
I will argue a little, it is not just one of... It is the greatest synth ever. :-)
This has to be one of the most perfect and beautiful demos of anything. Ever.
One hour of high quality CS-80 geeky insights? This is the pinnacle of RUclips for me, and I've been on this site almost daily since 2007...
Amber A 🌈🌈💕💕💕🌈🌈
no it's Greek inside. Hopefully you get this joke :)
Amber A it really is the perfect video! 👍
We had a used CS80 in the music store I worked in in the early 90s and couldn't get rid of it, I could have had it for a few hundred quid but thought it was old fashioned compared to the M1 I was saving up for. Story of my life !
The polyphonic aftertouch and the pitchbend ribbon allow the creation of such beautiful sounds. It's hard to believe they come from a machine full of wires.
"It is THE LAW to run the CS-80 through a reverb at least 60% of the time!" - Dave Spiers, 2020
The other 40% you can use a delay. The punishment for playing it dry is flogging and 10 years in the Tower of London, which can become only 8 if you've used a chorus instead.
Furthermore known as Spiers Law!
Anything with the number 80 in it needs to sound like it was recorded in a giant smooth cavern.
With a vintage Lexicon 442 digital reverb unit from the same era. :)
Delicious!
Who in the world doesn't use a synth 99% of the time with some.sort of effect? Let's be realistic 😂😂😂
Used my savings from Burger King job, and a small bank loan, to buy one in 1979. Quit the BK job a week later and joined a band. :-) The poly-aftertouch is SO FINE!
Jeff Rogers oh yeah! Classy move! 😁 I hesitate to even ask, but do you still have it?
Great move! I sold my comp while studying IT to buy a synth and went to college lab every time I needed a comp. You need priorities. ;-)
This documentary is a thing of beauty, much like the CS-80 itself.
It's an emotional machine, brought to life by amazing minds and kept alive by people like Dave and Kent. The sound still captures my soul. Deeply. Every time. "All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.", if you guys weren't around. THANKS!
This is the only polysynth that legitimately makes my knees tremble. And I've never heard it outside of albums/youtube.
You should watch his video about the Oberheim 8 Voice then
I can recommend listening to Oberheim OB-XA (the Jump synth) and Jupiter-8. Both are massive!
I also have a huge soft spot for the ARP/Rhodes Chroma, especially with the extender.
After sitting in a chair, you would then cry upon experiencing the aftertouch. I sure did.
@@ZaffinMusic lol so true. I replaced mine with a Roland MKB-1000 mother keyboard. Another beast with a tonnage to match! 😂
I'd rather have a CS-80 than a house 🏡
in 1976, Yamaha had a CS80 on display at the trade show in Sydney, Australia. I was only 16 at the time and saw the beast in person, although I'm sure I had little idea of the significance of this machine, in spite of all the hype surrounding it. I was there for the Yamaha Electone festival national finals (where I won the Aussie junior level and got to play at the Sydney opera house). Sorry for the gratuitous self promotion but it was a bloody good year for a young fella. Thanks to GForce Software for showing me everything I didn't know then. 🎹
The opening track actually gave me chills when the brass came in. What a synth!! Thank you for the video David.
I scored one of these at a garage sale the other day for $45. I was so excited, I couldn't believe what was happening to me.
Then I woke up.
I never really "understood" the CS80 until this video. Many thanks to Dave and Kent for bringing this to us
OMG THANK YOU!!!
Stunning video quality and attention to detail. Your detailed demonstration of every feature showing *operator position + key depressed + quality audio recording* is now a global archived reference of a perfectly working unit to assist in restoration of others.
Evidence is great that less than 800 CS-80's were ever made. Eight is prosperity after all. I don't believe a serial number BEFORE 1000 exists and nothing over 1800 found either. Let me know if you ever find one that is less than serial number 1000.
I will gladly pay $500 for information from anybody that can provide me the CORRECT CS-80 filter calibration data. Filter calibration voltages AND intended frequency control range for each HP and LP filter. I can use any working CS-80 as reference, but no two CS-80s sound exactly alike after 40 years of aging. I want the original factory settings so it sounds day 1 of life perfect.
The service manual that is floating around on the web from Yamaha has completely incorrect filter calibration data. The filters won't even operate with the voltage values they give. Working CS-80 filters are operating at completely different voltages, not even close.
Somebody out there surely knows what the exact "factory fresh" frequency range limits are for LP and HP filters...the guy who designed Decker's Dream would know. I have two CS-80's completely rebuilt, just need actual true factory calibration data vs "calibration by ear". Until this video, I had to refer to 1980's audio recordings/virtual software to try and match the CS-80 filters best as possible.
Also working with a company in China to make replacement force sensor assemblies for these synths. Been difficult to find somebody with the ability to make a 40 year old Japanese component. I finally found a place that claims to have the ability and sent samples off. Hope to have them available in the future.
do you have any more restoration videos that you are going to post?
That was one of the best 54 minutes and 43 seconds of my life. Thank you. And if you’re a mere nobody Dave then the rest of us are still floundering in the primordial soup. #livinglegend
An incredible video. Thank you very much Mr Vangelis.
Excellent :-D
Re the weird filter envelope: I must admit it confused the hell out of me until I read that bit of the manual just now. Although I had permanent access to a CS-80 for over a year.
--->
'A' (Attack) is the time between the two levels IL (intial level from 0 to -5) and AL (attack level from 0 to +5). When both IL and AL are at minimum you won't get any movement in the attack because 0 to 0. There's no 'Sustain' level, as that is cleverly defined by the two filter cutoffs. Release is the time it takes to reach IL again.
Very "musical" and clever because you are not forced to balance cutoff(s) and sustain level while performing.
I bought a CS-10 a few months ago and I have to say I've come to like the weird Yamaha CS filter envelope. The cutoff knob is effectively sustain. Turning up initial level with a bit of attack time gives it a fantastic punchy transient. IL also reigns in the filter when you press another key while the previous note is still in its release phase (where you'd otherwise end up with a different attack because the filter hasn't yet returned to its initial position) - hard to explain, but I'm sure you know what I mean, as you're one of my favorite sound designers. That one might be specific to the mono CS synths, as I don't think the 50/60/80 have a mono mode.
It is worth noting that this 'musical' approach to filter and envelope (as opposed to the more 'technical' adsr one by Moog or Roland) was favoured both by Yamaha and Korg hpf/lpf 12dB non resonant filters with brilliance and expand levels (the Korg 'travelers'), original EG with lots of level controls plus vca bending up and down, typical of the Korg 700/770/800/900... Thé 800dv being some sort of mini duophonic cs80 (and with several LFOs, sub osc. and two very musical ring modulators to boot...) Fun fact: When interviewing Vangelis in 77, he told me that the 800dv was among his favourite Korg synths!
Jesus Christ, I think this may be the best sounding synthesizer I've ever heard
Thanks so much for creating this informative and inspiring video. Truly wonderful.
I just spent a full hour watching a demo of every knob and feature of a synth I never owned and never will. And it was fantastic. What a great demo, and what a great instrument. The subtleties and opportunities for expression in a live context are mind boggling -- but you have to have a master like David Spiers. Oh, and the end credit track sounded like it was multi-tracked numerous times, but then you see it being played live, due to the abilities of the instrument and player. Amazing.
You've done a man's job Sir!
wd25a The most apt comment ... ever!
“It’s too bad she won’t live!”
Big Thanks/ my favorite synthesizer. True, I don’t have it...I cry and pray.
The downvotes must be due to mouse-precision issues.
50:01 Omfg... that outro piece... freaking amazingly stunning. master at work.
For an additional shout-out of CS-80 users, both David Paich and Steve Porcaro of Toto used the synth as a core sound of the band from the first album through to Toto IV. Especially "Africa"-while the Yamaha GS-1 (the OG FM synthesizer) was used for the kalimba-like sound in the hook, the brass sound was all CS-80.
Dave, this is without a doubt THE ABSOLUTE BEST description and video of the CS-80 on the Internet. Nothing comes close. I commend you with all of your hard work! This must have taken ages.
I'm not crying - you're crying!!
worth it just for the funk interlude
That closing piece is out of this world. Thank you for all this, it was a pleasure to watch.
Beautiful! ..thank you for keeping the legend alive.
masterful. definitive. clear, comprehensive, musical, wonderful. great job, dave (and kent!).
I am three years late to this party but what a fantastic video. Thank you Dave, Kent, and all.
The end of this made me weep...thank you for all of your videos but this one just takes the cake. This synth is in better hands than you know, brilliant composition that i hope gets put on a record. Still crying...thank you :)
Arguably the greatest synthesizer ever made.
Thanks ! it's very informative. The best CS-80 review I've seen.
It's funny to me that, as of now, 32 people dislike this video. This is the most comprehensive look at this classic synth. Excellent work; thank you for making this.
Exquisite in every single way.
Fantastic! So you're saying technology has gone backwards since the release of the CS80.
"Sounding like Vangelis" means sounding like Heaven imo.
Best synth ever made... Come on Yamaha, reissue the beast with more features! PS. thanks my man master Kent Spong for the video, I can now learn how to play it right.
pound for pound, if this was a Roland it'd be valued at $250K.
At $25K USD it's a bargain ! The value on this synth is gonna sky rocket !!
Want to leave a meaningful comment, but I’m speechless. Thank you!
A fantastic and majestic synth, but that chorus and tremolo demo starting at 43:40 is just from another planet.
Well done. I owned & played one of these beasts back in the day - bought it new in 1979, complete with enormous Anvil ATA case. Sadly sold it off in the mid-90s to Wes @ Analogics as I needed $ and it needed some serious refurbishing. There is literally nothing else like the CS80. I miss playing the real thing, however I do not miss having to cart it around - at least 2 people were needed to carry it. (I even got sound designer Clark Spangler to sign my owner's manual when I met him at a Yamaha synth clinic.)
Amazing! Fantastich!
The love letter this instrument, one of the most incredible ever made, deserved. Thank you!!!!
She is THE Queen of all synths ever made. And I'm seriously in love with her.
This video is magnificent. It is the best explanation of the CS-80 that I’v ever seen. Thank you.
That were an astonishing 55 minutes spent. Very interesting and very pleasantly narrated as well.
And the opening tune...utterly beautiful ! Thank you sir.
Rich is going to have no idea what you're talking about with these Blade Runner references! :P Wonderful video, Dave.. probably the best I've ever seen on the glorious CS-80. Time for me to order that Deckard's Dream expander to get their take on the ring mod etc.
I thought watching Blade Runner was the one non-negotiable prerequisite to be on Sonic State until Rich announced he hadn't viewed it. Mind-blowing.
DD2 is out now I believe
Thank you for making and sharing this video.
Probably the best youtube video I'll see all year. The CS80 is the best, greatest, musical instrument ever made. Yes I went there.
.... and I want copies of every single piece of music made for this video!!
This Video will be as big as the CS80 it self. It will stay for Generations to come, when there is no CS80 left this will still be there to remind people. Thanks Dave.
Finally! Someone who knows how to properly demonstrate this fantastic instrument! This nearly one hour video seemed like only 20 minutes. A big thank you to Dave, Kent and Ken for this ! This video is definitely going into My Personal Favourites section.
Synth porn...love it!
"Limited" kind of like a 1970's Lamborghini or Rolls Royce
I played one in the early 80s at shop in Chicago, I remember thinking how cool it was to play a synthesizer with a piano like keyboard. I did not, at the time, realize its capabilities. Thanks Dave.
That's REALLY an "in depth" DEMO. Brillant. Necessary. Perfectly done.
I landed here from Jose's Vintage Keys. I must say I am absolutely spellbound by your compositions, performance and mixing. It is the sound I have been searching for since I was a kid. This is also one of the very best synth docus in history. -luv luv !
When you open a CS-80, you will see why they lost money on it... the maze of cables!!!!! it is IMPOSSIBLE to figure out. INSANE!!!
In the list, it's missing Tony Banks on Duke.
The opening riff to "Turn it on Again" is actually played on CS 80.
Uh, and Renaissance too, on "Song for all Seasons" (1978) and "Azure d'Or" (1979).
The Music you did at the End gave me a Synth Chubby. Sublime soulful only a CS80 could give
What a lovely tribute to a legendary synthesiser =]
Even though Vangelis is most known, whenever I think of the CS-80 I think Eddie Jonson and Alaska. Glad you didn’t miss that bit of history. Great video!
The mightiest synth of them all. My dream synth. Gorgeous sound! Thanx for making this beautiful video of the magic CS-80. Absolutely fabulous!
Love the last improvisation near the end of the video! Amazing... Vangelis (RIP) the spirit is there, will always be with this amazing synth!
Cheers, lovely stuff. :)
I bloody well know, this could be reproduced easily with current technology. So, maybe the sliders cost a bit of bling, but way cheaper than the original and way more advanced. Why has no one made an effort? Have I missed something?
What a magnificent thing of true beauty. Technology may have gotten better, but craftsmanship and thoughtfulness of engineering will never reach these heights ever again. I'm not a keyboardist (I'm just a mediocre violinist lol), but if I were, playing a CS-80 would be the dream. The CS-80 really is the Lamborghini of analog synthesizers, and it's features like that ribbon strip (amongst all the others LOL) that are why.
Whats the name of your album? And how do we get hold of it? Can you post a link? Beautiful music! thanks very much
Every word spoken expresses love for her.... ehrmmmm, the machine of course. Thanks so much for this demo, nah... Tribute
FANTASTIC video on this legendary beast. Thank you!
That sound at 34:44 is absolutely the best thing ever.
what song is it?
Amazing work Mr. Spiers!
Shook ! ❤❤❤❤
Superstar u matey quality tutorial and amazing playing great stuff u should join up with Alex ball u both r amazing thanks
You are the top tier software instrument luthiers. Your ob-e is a reason to buy a an apple computer for just that. When will GeForce create a CS-80 software instrument properly done that allows MPE and runs on Mac M1. Seize the day.
All the Original Blade Runner Sounds in one box. Simply Fantastic. Huge Thankyou for making this vid.
35:33 is what I came here for, but I stayed for the whole ride. Beautiful video from start to finish and back!
The CS80 pads are truly something else, thank you for this quality video.
Oh and by the way, the CS80 doesn't sound like Vangelis, Vangelis sounds like the CS80...
It's definitely the other way round - the CS80 sounds like Vangelis.
Check out these from 1972:
ruclips.net/video/HpGtss-bx64/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/MFpGmIQdcCk/видео.html
Sublime! I've really enjoyed the video. Love this synth and you took me back into my teenager years. Listening to Vangelis, programming my Dx70 and reading A.Clarke, Bradbury, Asimov. Thanks for the trip!
The CS 80 is phenomenal and your video is just as good. Thanks,
Came here from your OB 8v video. Both are likewise brilliant in every respect. Bravo!
WONDERFUL video, Thanks for creating it & sharing the love for this OG beast!
Yes
Many things I've done wrong in my life, selling my CS80 was one of them. The concern for how to get this monster tuned overwhelmed me. 😕
I'm the proud owner of a Roland MKB-1000 though. Sitting there on its elegant chrome legs, as new as the day I bought it back in '84.
Subscribed. Excellent video. Thanks
Better love story than Twilight
good boid that is unfortunately saying very little. Sometimes my dog starts air humping my cat and I’m pretty sure that’s a better love story than Twilight.
34:43 Now that's the stuff right there. Incredible versatility in such an iconic instrument!
Sorry for the uneducated question.. What song is this from? Beautiful sound
Thank you so much - that was so inspirational and educational, even after watching MusicRadar's CS80 exploration last year. I've loved the sound of the CS80 all my life, Eddie Jobson is probably my second fave synth player after Tony Banks (also a CS80 player as it's all over his first solo album), and I've always loved Vangelis too, even got to see him at Drury Lane in the late 70's when I was 12 thanks to my wonderful older brother's prog / synth leanings. One more for the iconic users list: Toto, as David Paich got the idea for Africa on Toto IV from the CS80 (I think that's right), and Steve Porcaro was a CS player too, as they both have long-standing partnerships with Yamaha. Whilst I might never play a real CS80, when I discovered Arturia were making a softsynth version, I bought it straight away, but it's only now having seen your excellent video and MusicRadar's I've felt at last I know how it works. Thanks again!
Eddie's work on the U.K. album was spectacular, I believe he used the CS80 on that tour also.
I wish there was some sort of amusement park where one could play with these beauties. If there's such a thing, please let me know!
Wrong time of year for a wee blast of “Wonderful Christmastime” I suppose ? ;) Brilliant demo of one of the great synths.
Nice documentary but... sounds like Vangelis.
The CS80 almost makes the DX7 seem like a step backwards.
ive been basking in this videos intro repeatedly for 3 days
Truly top notch work. This will stand the test of time as a reference work for this instrument generations from now.
The CS-80 is legendary and was the centerpiece of Eddie Jobson (of the band UK) and I always wondered what was going on with his synth. Thanks so much for demystifying this piece of history for me.
Dave.... What a remarkable and informative video..thank you, I'll take three.
Seriously though, I had no idea just how much of a performance instrument this really is and how all synth manufacturers since have completely ignored incorporating these performance features into any synth that has followed. Sure there are synths with aftertouch etc., but none even approach the range of performance features that are found on the CS80....
It just shows you that with just an average synth engine to start with, (which is what you state the CS80 has) if you have a great expressive keyboard, a super cool ring mod., a ribbon controller etc etc, you will almost certainly have a legendary instrument. Forget all the menu diving and 10 million routable modulation options, they will never make a synth sound so alive as the CS80.
Surely, the market is screaming for a synth with ALL of these performance options and not just the usual handful that have graced every synth to a greater or lesser extent since the CS80 hit the market?
That baby sounds good. The ASM HydraSynth pays homage to it and does a decent job. But these osc's sound better as a starting point of sound design. Still, I appreciate the poly after touch implementation of the HydraSynth and ribbon controller inspired by this CS-80.