The CS-50 was released just ahead of its famous big brothers, the CS-60 and CS-80. The CS-50 looks like a scaled-down version of the monstrous CS-80, and it is! This will benefit those who crave the famous classic Yamaha synth sound without the struggle of lugging around the 215 pound CS-80! The CS-50 weighs in at about 100 pounds. The CS-50 is also just 4-voice polyphonic, and lacks the quality weighted 61-note keyboard of the CS-80. The CS-50 has just a 49-note standard keyboard. It does feature pressure (aftertouch) sensitivity route-able to several destinations, however.

The CS-50's sound is unmistakably related to other classic CS-series synthesizers. At just four voices with one osc. per voice and lacking warm filters (at just 12dB/oct) the CS-50's sound can be thin. There are 13 preset sounds of various instruments and synth sounds but, unfortunately, no on-board memory storage for your edited presets. At its low street price, the CS-50 makes a great way to get your hands on these classic sounds without going broke! It's too bad their tuning is just as unstable as the other CS-series synths. It's housed in a built-in travel-case like the other (big) CS-synths. It's been used by Men Without Hats and Herbie Hancock.

Steven

January 14, 2009 @ 3:38 pm

I think this synth is the best 1vco analogue sounding synth ever made. Plug it into good efx and the sound comes alive. The ring modulator sounds exactly the same as on the CS80. And I have both. So if you can find one...

I like the external input for the filter as well

patrick mcdowell

January 12, 2009 @ 11:01 am

I have a CS-50 that now does not work. My friend plugged a guitar pedal into the sustain jack and teh unit stopped working altogether...any suggestions?

DiggyDog

December 30, 2008 @ 6:27 pm

I have had mine for almost 20 years and I would not part with it. I even use it live when I am feeling strong enough to lug it into a venue.

Andrew Beddoes

October 26, 2008 @ 12:33 am

The synth had no sub or secondary oscillators to beef up the voices (unlike the early digital instruments). It needed all sorts of outboard enhancements to sound good. I wanted to create just a little of Eddie Jobson's CS-80 sound (Dead of Night), but was disappointed.

Octopede

October 20, 2008 @ 5:51 pm

I believe Black Moth Super Rainbow use one of these (live, even) as well.

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