Yamaha Control Synthesizer CS1X
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The Yamaha CS1X Control Synthesizer has analog-like sounds. It has two main modes, the performance mode and the multi mode. In the performance mode you have access to 930 emulated analog sounds. Yamaha CS1X Specifications: Keyboard: 61-key, Tone Generator: AWM2, Effects: Reverb (11), Chorus (11), Variation (43), Normal Voices: 480 (XG), Drum Voices: 11 kits (XG), Connectors: Headphones, Stereo Output (L/ Mono, R), Stereo Input (stereo mini jack), Controllers: Pitch Bend Wheel, Modulation Wheel, 6 Sound Control knobs for envelope attack, release, filter cutoff, resonance, and volume.
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: $799.95
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User Reviews of the Yamaha Control Synthesizer CS1X
- Submitted by Aleqks from Norwich (10 points) on Dec 21, 2006
- This too was my first synth, a very strange trend i see emerging.... As if the sales people of music shops market this as a baginner synth. To be honest, its not much different than any other of yamaha's keyboards, as all the sounds are based on the XG soundset. Of course the preset sounds are rubbish, but you can easily edit patches on the computer with a patch editor/librarian. The sounds are very digital, as is the nature of the synth, but again, with some programming you could make something unexpected come out. Just to put things in perspective, Somatic Responses use one. If you have heard their music you will know what I mean..... I have been long overdue of selling mine, but everytime I come to do so, I turn it on and think thats its worth keeping. Don't pay too much for this.
- Good Points: Wide span of sounds (XG bank). Very easy to edit on the synth (even better with patch editor on computer)
- Bad Points: VERY LIGHT KEYS make it really hard to play in time/ with accuracy.
- Price Paid: US$200.00
- Purchased At:
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- Submitted by Wiley from Ashburn, VA (2 points) on Dec 27, 2004
- I bought the next series CS2x, which is extremely similar, but purchased so based on my experience with a CS1x. The synth itself carries alot of simple and rather impotent sounds. It is obviously meant as a control synthesizer to control a single MIDI channel on a master synth or a sampler. It has a rather crappy feel when I play it, but after you get accustomed to the feel and sensitivity of the board, it can be quite fun to play. The patches are easy to edit, and can be coupled with up to four different wave elements with three effects, and several analogue-ish digital editting parameters. 2 banks of 128 preprogramed patches, and 2 empty for user performances. It also has 2 really nice assignable knobs and your standard analogue knobs (ADR and Cutoff Rez and HPF Cutoff), as well it has two programmable scene settings that you can morph between with the mod wheel. It's loaded, and really (like most Yamaha Synths) out there for someone who wants to really add to thier arsenal something that just gives a bit more control and variety - get a used one for cheap (Smiles).....
- Good Points: Easy to edit, there are places all over the net to mangle this to different circuit bent worlds, very good controller board, has great portamento, excellent editting parameters, there are Programs to edit patches via Midi, is XG compatible, has an upgrade expansion slot on the underside for added sounds and elements, Light weight, looks nice, has nice room on the right to lay notes-pedal fx-whatever without having them slide onto the keys, has a small instruction manual (Grins)....
- Bad Points: The knobs come off easily, it's plastic, the touch sensitivity is not as accurate as I would like, not a good buy if you dont like editting your own sounds, doesnt transmit arpeggios via midi, there are no good acoustic sounding elements on this synth, this synth seems best suited for lead or control synth uses.
- Price Paid: US$550.00
- Purchased At: Music Alley - Birmingham, AL
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- Submitted by Steve from New Kensington, PA (2 points) on Nov 11, 2002
- The Yamaha CS1x was my first synthesizer. The presets suck right out of the box, but for you guys who say its impossible to get a decent sound out of it, youre either fucking stupid or cant program a synth. I write coldwave industrial rock (not like chemlab), and ive been able to get droning insect sounds, metallic clangs, pulsating, mutating pads, and buzzsaw leads WITHOUT external effects. Dont get me wrong, its bad, but its not unusable. with proper programming, you can get several gritty sounds out of it. If youre looking for an all in one board, keep looking, but if you can find one cheap and know how to tweak, you might want to check it out.
- Good Points: EDITING MATRIX.... so simple a chimp could program it.
- Bad Points: XG soundbank. sounds like crap out of the box. the internal effects arent anything to applaud, but i have a TC Electronic Fireworx, so i really dont need the internal FX.
- Price Paid: US$550.00
- Purchased At:
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- Submitted by al3x from Bethesda, MD (8 points) on Jan 1, 2002
- This was my first synth. It was never much fun, or much use, really. Most of the sounds on it are shitty, except for strings, but that's typical from low-end Yamaha kit. It was made more for shitty trance music, and as far as noise potential goes, well, there is none. Digital synths are only good for noise on the high-end. This isn't good for anything.
- Good Points: Nice blue color. Has.. several knobs (that aren't very sensitive). Serial interface to PC (that no one uses). Good documentation (not that you'll get it to do anything neat).
- Bad Points: Everything is hard as shit to edit, and the default patches are crap. Not a good combonation. As far as noise goes, you're better off hitting power tools together or getting the neighbor's kid to yell into a mic...
- Price Paid: US$600.00
- Purchased At: Store that became Guitar Center
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- Submitted by xdementia from State College, PA (18 points) on Aug 14, 2001
- First off the sounds are not that great for dark ambient, and there is not too much you can do with the sound on this one. Your given a bunch of XG sounds, which are not that great, and you can hardly edit them at all. The sounds all sound very electronica influenced and I have been told that this is a techno synth. Keep that in mind because it is very difficult to get a muddy sound, or a high quality natural sound from this synth. The effects are pretty shitty as well, all the choruses and reverbs don't really make any difference to the sound and you can only apply one effect at a time. The distortion is what I usually use with some reverb from my Korg Kaos pad to make it sound more natural. The knobs are pretty good on this synth, it's got attack, release, cutoff, and resonance. The cutoff and resonance always adding a lot of variation to a distorted sound here.
- Good Points: The price is pretty cheap, but i'd rather spend it on a good sampler. It's pretty user friendly, it's blue. and ummm, i think that's pretty much it.
- Bad Points: Another thing i didn't mention is that you can only run MIDI on more then one channel when your in the XG mode, when your accessing the Performance sounds, you can only use one sound even if you have sixteen MIDI channels available. The sounds suck and it's not very programmable.
- Price Paid: US$600.00
- Purchased At:
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