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Conference napalm::commusic_v1

Title:* * Computer Music, MIDI, and Related Topics * *
Notice:Conference has been write-locked. Use new version.
Moderator:DYPSS1::SCHAFER
Created:Thu Feb 20 1986
Last Modified:Mon Aug 29 1994
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2852
Total number of notes:33157

2744.0. "Yamaha CS-80 info" by ODIXIE::LINCE () Tue Oct 08 1991 01:53

    Hi again -
    
    Does anyone have a line on a Yamaha CS-80 ? I wouldn't know one if I
    saw it, but I dig the sounds... Does anyone have any old pictures of
    this monster ? 
    
    Jim
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2744.1Only for the rich or foolishRANGER::EIRIKURTue Oct 08 1991 12:5112
I really think that you could get the sounds with the 1U rack module
Matrix-1000.  It includes aftertouch and release sensitivity.  The aftertouch
was the unique new feature on the CS80.

The CS80 was the size of a double-keyboard home organ and it weighed a ton.
It's almost impossible to get them fixed.  It had only 4 memory locations, and
those were miniature copies of the control panel, located under covers on the
unit!

Eirikur


2744.2You don't want one. Get an Xpander or a Matrix-12CTHULU::YERAZUNISMy program can beat up your program.Tue Oct 08 1991 19:5245
    I've used a CS-80.  I've picked up a CS-80.  You don't want a CS-80.
    
    It's not a particularly flexible synth (i.e it's classic subtractive,
    without any fun modulations except the ring modulator which sounded
    like crap).  
    
    The only good things about it were:
    
    1) polyphonic pressure keyboard.  It felt nice, worked pretty well, too.
    
    2) ribbon controller
    
    3) lotsa polyphony (I forget if it was 1 oscillator/key or what, but
    it never ran out.  Come to think of it, I think it did have 1 osc/key
    because you could lose one key's oscillator and not affect anything
    else.)
    
    The bad things were manifold...
    
    1) it weighed > 400 lbs, was the size of a spinet except deeper,
    and didn't come apart.
    
    2) it used linear voltage rather than log voltage for controls- i.e. 
    instead of Moog/Oberheim standard 1 volt/octave, it used .01 volt/hz or
    some such bogosity. Result was you couldn't really do any good
    cross-modulations unless you liked sounding out of tune.  The result
    was that the poly-pressure keyboard was mostly wasted on things like
    vibrarto...
    
    3) Tuning the bugger took days.   
    
    4) You coundn't get 'em fixed.
    
    5) No midi.  No real interface at all, in fact.
    
    6) 4 patch memories.  Well, not really memories- 5 complete front
    panels, one at full size, and four more with little pipsqueak pots that
    were impossible to adjust to match the pots on the fullsize panel.
    
    7) 10 very uninspired ROM patch memories... used fixed resistors
    instead of pots.  Came from the factory with standard sounds like "big
    organ", "little organ" etc.  You got to pick two patches at any one
    time and they automatically got layered.
    
    	-Bill