Yamaha CS-5

Yamaha CS-5 Image

The CS-5 may be a lower-end CS series synthesizer from Yamaha but it still has all you need for vintage analog bass and synth effects at a very affordable price! The CS-5 is a single-oscillator monophonic analog synthesizer with classic filter, envelope and modulation controls. It features 37 full-sized keys, a multi-mode 12 dB/Oct resonant filter, an LFO with sample and hold, and an external audio input you can route through the VCF or VCA sections. The CS-5 is a very flexible and modulate-able analog synth that is quite capable of warm analog bass and bubbly synth effects! The absence of patch storage, MIDI and velocity are just reminders that the CS-5 is old - it's Vintage! It's been used by Siouxsie and the Banshees, Depeche Mode, Richard Barbieri and the Sneaker Pimps.



36 VISITOR COMMENTS

martin brown
May 3, 2012 @ 5:35 am
I have a yamaha cs5 for sale, I bought it in 1980 and its been in my loft for years. Email me if your interested, thanks
Rabenmutter
April 23, 2012 @ 9:25 am
This synth is a cracker. One of the most brilliant and joyful of synths to play with. I've just bought a Kenton Midi to CV converter in order to sequence it (highly recommended once you hear the thing arpeggiated) and i love it. Would only sell for a CS-15.
vintage synth senior
April 22, 2012 @ 3:46 pm
This website gives this synthesizer 2 stars and calls it "humdrum". For what it was created to do, I would give it at least 4 stars. "oh, but there's no midi, no arpeggiator, and no patch storage....wahhhh....blah-blah-blah"
Get real man! This is a great analog monosynth! Stop subconsciously comparing it to analog modeling garbage made in china!
richard
March 9, 2012 @ 11:29 am
I love the bass on this, and the spacious panel makes playing with it a lot of fun. Wish it had wheels though. Prices are still fair, since it doesn't say "Roland" on the back, so get them while the money grabbers aren't looking.
Lostwars
February 12, 2012 @ 7:06 pm
http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=9641
Solve nt - RDJCS5 EP
You'll rarely see a more joyful refutation of the anxiety of influence than this. "RDJCS5" refers to a Yamaha CS5 formerly owned by Richard D. James, AKA Aphex Twin, purchased at auction by a buyer who loaned the instrument to his friend, Solvent's Jason Amm. Every sound on this EP comes from that instrument. It'd be gimmicky if the music weren't so full and so confident; there's no evident struggle in having bent the thing to make kicks and hi-hats along with every other squelch, ping and plaintive warble.
 
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Humdrum

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  • Demos & Media
  • YouTube Thumbnail
    Video 1
    - Yamaha CS5 analog monophonic synth

    Manual - Download the original CS-5 Owner's Manual in Adobe PDF format from Yamaha's Japanese site.

  • Specifications
  • Polyphony - Monophonic
  • Oscillators - 1 VCO with pulse or sawtooth waveforms and noise-gen
  • LFO - Yes, with sine, sawtooth, sample and hold
  • Filter - 1 filter: 12dB/oct High pass or Low pass; 6dB/oct band-pass
  • Effects - None
  • Keyboard - 37 keys
  • Memory - None
  • Control - CV / Gate
  • Date Produced - 1979-83
  • Resources & Credits
  • Images from Mark Smith.

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