Want a Yamaha CS-80 cheap?

jeremykeys · Post by **jeremykeys** » Fri May 05, 2017 11:17 pm

Then you might want to check this out!

http://www.keyboardmag.com/gear/1183/de ... rder/62683

Post by **Sharp** » Sat May 06, 2017 10:52 am

Pricing is $3,749 assembled and $999 in kit form.

So they are charging $2,750 to assemble one kit?

lol....

jeremykeys · Post by **jeremykeys** » Sat May 06, 2017 12:18 pm

The pricing at the site seems to be much less.

http://www.deckardsdream.com/shop

Post by **Sharp** » Sat May 06, 2017 4:36 pm

jeremykeys wrote:The pricing at the site seems to be much less.

http://www.deckardsdream.com/shop

That's a lot better.

Regards
Sharp.

Escapegoat · Post by **Escapegoat** » Sat May 06, 2017 7:38 pm

Sharp wrote:
jeremykeys wrote:The pricing at the site seems to be much less.

http://www.deckardsdream.com/shop
That's a lot better.

Regards
Sharp.

No it isn't. Have a closer read.

And the extra cost for a built version over the kit version (where you need to source almost all of the components) is fine. 12 PCBs built and tested with warranty vs our own sloppy SMT soldering? Pfft.

Post by **Sharp** » Sat May 06, 2017 8:57 pm

Indeed... I see it now.

Ouch....

BasariStudios · Post by **BasariStudios** » Sun May 07, 2017 1:53 pm

This is done by the founder of Sputnik Modular, Roman Filippov...it is as serious as it can get.
I am in the pre order stage but still waiting on some more Demos.

Kevin Nolan · Post by **Kevin Nolan** » Mon May 08, 2017 8:57 pm

As a CS80 owner I think this is a very interesting project. The price being asked is not extreme by any means - considering you're getting an 8-voice analogue polysynth with polyphonic aftertouch.

So even casting aside the CS80 connection, it's a very nice package at a quite reasonable prive, given its boutique nature.

That said - it is missing one feature so important to the CS80 (and indeed CS40M, CS50 and CS80) - the iconic Ring Modulator. From what I understand that will be sold as a separate add on unit at a later stage, for waht I believe will be a fairly hefty price (over a thousand dollars).

And - if you buy this you're going to want the Ring Modulator. so adding that to the price and then seeking out a polyphonic aftertouch keyboard or one of the Roli range will all add up.

So you're still looking at somewhere between $5000 - $7000 to have a convincing CS80 Type setup. Not cheap.

Arturia CS80V and a descent keyboard controller costs a few hundred dollars. And I mean this - although I argue for the strengths of Analogue quite a lot here - if you spend the time to link the CS80V planel controls to your physical controller - especially the 20 or so CS80 "performance controls" - the CS80V can sound uncannily like the original. I use both - an actual CS80 and Arturia's CS80V - side by side - and it's incredible how good the Arturia emulation is (when time is put in to configure it properly with a good keyboard controller).

The key to it is to set up physical controller properly and admittedly I have an advantage there because I have the original to guide that process - but when done correctly, the CS80V can roar and growl in the base end, or sweetly sing in the high end just as with the original.

Broadwave · Post by **Broadwave** » Tue May 09, 2017 5:31 am

"Inspired" by the CS80 - It's not a clone, and $999 for a set of PCBs? I think I'll pass on this one and keep my money for the Poly Odyssey project I'm working on

fcoulter · Post by **fcoulter** » Tue May 09, 2017 7:09 pm

Not just the PCBs, but some of the components. He claims it will take an additional $1,000 in parts to complete it.

Quoting from the web site:

The kit consists of 12 PCBs:
•frontpanel board
•motherboard
•8x voice cards
•power supply board
•connectors board

The motherboard has the MCU and 96 DACs (digital to analogue converters used to control the analogue circuitry) preinstalled, the remaining parts you have to buy yourself from a local supplier. Some DIY shops will provide full parts kits.

Most of the remaining parts are thruhole, except for power filtering ceramic capacitors, which are large (0805 size), all same value (0.1uF) and located on the opposite side of the thruhole parts on the PCB.

The frontpanel and rack case will be supplied by DIY HUB.

I'm tempted, but am looking for a traditional keyboard MIDI controller with polyphonic aftertouch. Without that, I'm not sure it's worth the bother.

Derek Cook · Post by **Derek Cook** » Tue May 09, 2017 9:05 pm

Over on Yamahaforums a few of us listened to the sound examples provided, and thought they were pretty lame. Either the synth really sounds like this and is not worth the price, or they need to put up a better example that gives you the GAS.

I'm assuming for something called DeckardsDream, that they must intend a Bladerunner connotation!

My point is for the nearly £3K asking price (built), it is not good value compared to the UH-E Diva and the Sounds Divine Director's Cut sound set, which nails the Vangelis sound far better than the examples given, and for less than £200 combined.

I don't want to start a hardware/versus software war, I go with what sounds good, and am equally happy to use either (and let's face it, the Kronos is custom software in a nice package!).

iowagold · Post by **iowagold** » Wed May 10, 2017 5:49 am

so is the diva a soft synth or hardware?
yup the new cs looks like a money pit...
but all modular synths are....
or at least are expensive!!
so far the sounds on the sound cloud are not that impressive..
at least to me...
have to throw the output in to a blue sky, or moor dtp unit to get the airy stereo effect....
the radias still has some good sounds.....
hard to get analog out of digital..

the only thing I saw on the DeckardsDream, was the boards are 90 deg in mid air...
bad deal if you plan on moving the unit!!
as in touring.... or live.
just saying the way the back plane is connected is bad...
solder and print will break ....
maybe even during initial shipping from mfg on the fully assembled units!!!

I need to hear better demos to give me an idea if it is real close to the 1980 version of the cs 80...

vangellis used lot's of effects.... to get the airi sound....
just saying....
any synth sounds good if layered and through the right effects...
in the right hands!!

Derek Cook · Post by **Derek Cook** » Wed May 10, 2017 7:27 pm

Yes, I agree with all of that.

We all know that synths need good effects (internal or external), so that is no surprise.

The point is that Deckard's dream need to be pimping their synth in a way that makes you want to splash out £3K for it. The sound demos right now are no good, either because the synth is not, or because the demos need to be better.

Richard Divine (as an example) produced a polished demo for his sound collection on Diva that instantly gave me the Vangelis GAS and reaching for my credit card. I only had DIVA as a demo at that point as well, so both UH-E and Richard Divine scored there.

Scott · Post by **Scott** » Thu May 18, 2017 1:33 am

Kevin Nolan wrote:As a CS80 owner I think this is a very interesting project. The price being asked is not extreme by any means - considering you're getting an 8-voice analogue polysynth with polyphonic aftertouch.

There's nothing special about being able to receive and respond to poly AT... plenty of boards/modules/VSTs do, it's no more difficult to implement than regular AT. The trick is on the keyboard side, generating the poly AT in the first place.

fcoulter · Post by **fcoulter** » Thu May 18, 2017 3:40 pm

Scott wrote:There's nothing special about being able to receive and respond to poly AT... plenty of boards/modules/VSTs do, it's no more difficult to implement than regular AT. The trick is on the keyboard side, generating the poly AT in the first place.

I've only found one that's currently "available", and it's currently sold out. http://vaxmidi.com/

(I'm limiting my search to traditional style keyboards. I think I'm too old to work with the new keyboards.)