"It's always a mix of things" said Paolo Conte ( an italian singer ) in one of his songs; well, even if I was fortunate to play one big CS-80 back in the first nineties I never had the chance of owning one because being not a pro and being not a technician I couldn't keep it in the shape it deserved to be , nor I have very short room for it to dedicate into my home. But I always dreamt of playing it again. I'm a Vangelisian since 16 years but wasn't this that persuaded me to love the instrument....the only link I see with the man and all the cs80 owners is the opinion that this machine can quickly be the natural extension of your fingers, there was a precise reason why some levers are backwards, or is there the ribbon instead of the usual wheel etc....the reason was ∗to let as much as possible the musician think to play music and not to loose time for achieveing a special technique or jazz like that∗. The mix of things that make a CSwhatever sound different from synthesizers (which I refer to as a different category ) to me are:
1.. user interface, the best to record hands down
2.. the ability to change drastically a sound with very few passages ( get a bee buzzing out of a flute simply raising the brilliance, or a sci-fi effect in the mid of a classical part by moving a ringmodulator lever !!)
3.. Its touch response which still I'd like to understand ( ∗ sorry David but I still have doubts , I listened again to the presets from a MIDI retrofitted CS-80 as commanded by an external sequencer, and they ∗∗DO∗∗ change their Attack Level and not Cutoff∗ )
Thx for your interest
M
----- Original Message -----
From: Tim Siefkes
To: yamahacs80@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2005 11:34 AM
Subject: [yamahacs80] What it is about the CS80
(I've been exchanging back and forth a little off the list with Max
about all of this too.) As I just said to Max yesterday, when I first
saw one of these beasts in a music store back in '79 it was simply the
most amazing thing I had ever played. I knew I had to have one, whatever
it took. The expressiveness, the control, the ability to simply lean
into a note to bring it out some, all the subtle nuances that can be
added. The sounds are great, but the best parts of the 80 are the
performance features. I too, Laurie, always felt as you do that this
instrument, more than any other I have owned/played feels more like an
extension of myself. There's an immediacy and a connection that just
doesn't appear in other instruments. I played mine in three rock bands
that travelled the US a lot, doing everything from The Beatles to
Ultravox and this synth was always well worth the effort to haul it around.
But of course, we're simply preaching to the choir here! :-)
-Tim S.
<Minneapolis>
laurie wrote:
> I play in a very loud Hard rock Group(.FIST.)My CS-80 has been an
> integral part of the band since the early eightys......touring and
> opening with bands such as Triumph/Molly
> Hatchet/Harlequin/Motorhead/Krokus...et all.... Aside from the 20 minute
> warm up, The CS-80 delivers one hell of a show every time....Zero
> latency....controllers on hand....poly aftertouch.....no midi
> lockup.....it is by far less work for me to have a CS-80 in my rig for
> me because there is no second guessing or pondering...It really becomes
> an extension of me... giving me the ability to express whatever pops
> into my head at any given time.....the Sound levels are consistently
> solid......its always in the monitors and always in the front......Where
> the alternatives to a real CS 80 fails is the 220 pounds of missing
> audio that never consistently shows up at the FOH position......Nothing
> can put out solid low end like a CS-80 can live....Sound men never have
> to search for it (its right there, driven by 48 volt circuitry all the
> way down to a half hertz...)with jbl 4530s for house lows, I have moved
> tables and chairs with the CS-80 cause it can deliver....Many pitchers
> of beer have foamed over but not from all the midi gak....its the
> CS-80......every time.............
>
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