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Description

Unlock the legendary sound of the Yamaha CS-80 with the Arturia CS-80 V Software Synthesizer. Revered as the ultimate polyphonic synthesizer, the original CS-80's lush tones and expressive capabilities have been meticulously captured and enhanced in this virtual instrument. Dive into a world where classic analog warmth meets cutting-edge digital innovation, transforming your compositions with unparalleled depth and character.

The CS-80 V replicates every iconic feature of its predecessor, from the dual oscillators to the expressive ribbon controller, while introducing modern enhancements like a versatile modulation matrix and a multi-mode option. These additions allow you to sculpt sounds that push musical boundaries, expanding the potential of your creative toolkit. Arturia's proprietary TAE technology ensures that every note resonates with the authentic quality of analog sound, letting you experience the past with the convenience of modern technology.

Thanks to its compatibility with all major interfaces and formats, the CS-80 V integrates seamlessly into any studio setup, offering the flexibility to produce music at pristine 32-bit/96kHz quality. With over 400 expertly crafted presets, you can easily access a vast range of sounds or create your own sonic signatures with intuitive control.

Key Features:

  • Faithful reproduction of the Yamaha CS-80's legendary sound
  • Dual oscillators, four filters, and two LFOs for expansive sound design
  • Polyphonic aftertouch and ribbon controller for expressive playability
  • Modulation matrix with 12 sources and 38 destinations
  • Multi-mode for assigning different sounds to polyphonic voices
  • Over 400 presets from renowned sound designers
  • Additional effects including arpeggiator and stereo delay
  • Seamless integration with all major interface standards and formats
  • Supports 32-bit/96kHz audio quality for professional sound production

Product specs

Plugin Format AU, VST
Operating Systems Mac, Windows
The Sound Test Room

The Sound Test Room

Arturia CS80 V The BIG Soundtest Classic and Iconic Synth

Video thumbnail for Arturia CS80 V The BIG Soundtest Classic and Iconic Synth by The Sound Test Room

Arturia CS80 V The BIG Soundtest Classic and Iconic Synth

The Sound Test Room

The Sound Test Room

Video thumbnail for CS-80V Tutorial - Guide to Every Feature (Blade Runner Example) by Digiphex Electronics

CS-80V Tutorial - Guide to Every Feature (Blade Runner Example)

Digiphex Electronics

Digiphex Electronics

Video thumbnail for Arturia - CS-80 V DEMO by FoXX ♫

Arturia - CS-80 V DEMO

FoXX ♫

FoXX ♫

Video thumbnail for Tutorials | CS-80 V - Overview by Arturia

Tutorials | CS-80 V - Overview

Arturia

Arturia

Video thumbnail for Arturia  CS80 V More by Griffin Avid

Arturia CS80 V More

Griffin Avid

Griffin Avid

Video thumbnail for Arturia CS80V by Griffin Avid

Arturia CS80V

Griffin Avid

Griffin Avid

Video thumbnail for 5 Sound examples of the hardware CS80 versus the Arturia CS80V. Can you hear the difference? by Jose's Vintage Keys

5 Sound examples of the hardware CS80 versus the Arturia CS80V. Can you hear the difference?

Jose's Vintage Keys

Jose's Vintage Keys

Reviews

PROS

  • Authentic vintage sound emulation captures the essence of the original CS-80

  • Exceptional for pad sounds, frequently used by professionals

  • Offers nearly endless sound editing and routing possibilities

  • Unique EP piano and drone sounds add depth to compositions

  • Unmatched bass sounds, perfect for film scores

  • Great for creating pop and electronic music with ease

  • Includes fan animation, adding a fun visual element

CONS

  • Some sounds don't perfectly replicate the original CS-80

  • Can be too complex for beginners to navigate

Owner Insights

We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Arturia CS-80 V Software Synthesizer.

Comparisons

  • Arturia CS-80 V matches original synth workflows, while U-he’s Diva offers more realistic analog sound.

    Source
  • U-he plugins, including Diva and Repro, are noted for being resource-intensive and demanding on CPU usage.

    Source
  • The Memorymoon ME80 is praised for its sound quality, considered superior by some users compared to the Arturia CS-80 V.

    Source

Software and compatibility

  • VirtualCZ offers a Phase Distortion synthesis alternative, compatible with SysEx between real CZ hardware.

    Source
  • The Krakli Arminator is a free Windows VST 32-bit plugin, successfully used with a wrapper for compatibility on modern systems.

    Source
  • Users find the Yamaha reface CS as one of the closest affordable options for CS80-like sounds, though it’s more aligned with the CS01 than the original CS series.

    Source

Use cases and applications

  • Arturia CS-80 V is favored for Blade Runner and sci-fi synthwave sounds but lacks ultra-realism compared to U-he’s offerings.

    Source
  • The synth's interface includes inverted mappings, like pitch control, which can be flipped for intuitive use.

    Source
  • The Waldorf Streichfett String Synthesizer is employed for achieving classic Blade Runner sounds, demonstrating its utility in sci-fi music contexts.

    Source

Features and functionality

  • The CS-80 V's dual layer design allows for a single set of controls with a toggle for layers I and II, optimizing MIDI controller mapping.

    Source
  • The synth's fader-based control scheme is ideal for drawing envelope shapes, offering tactile precision over knob-based adjustments.

    Source

User experience

  • Users recommend dividing controls into sections across multiple pages, enhancing workflow by focusing on VCO, VCF, and VCA separately.

    Source

Setup and maintenance

  • Creating a cheat sheet for parameter mappings aids in iterative learning and adjustment, crucial for mastering the CS-80 V.

    Source

Value and pricing

  • The timeWARP2600 plugin, priced at $9.99, is highlighted as an affordable alternative, though noted to be somewhat unsupported currently.

    Source

Critic Reviews

Arturia CS80V

soundonsound.com

Arturia's CS-80V impressively captures the essence of Yamaha's iconic CS80 synth, delivering rich, nostalgic soundscapes that mirror the original's famed timbre. While the emulation shines with additional features, such as multitimbral capabilities and extended modulation options, it stumbles with persistent bugs, notably in its effects section and ribbon controller. The Mac version's stability issues further hamper its reliability for live performances. Despite these setbacks, the CS-80V is a powerful tool for those willing to navigate its quirks. With improvements, it could fully realize its potential as a top-tier virtual instrument.

positive

Arturia: CS-80V & Prophet-V software synths | Tape Op Magazine | Longform candid interviews with music producers and audio engineers covering mixing, mastering, recording and music production.

tapeop.com

Arturia's CS-80V software synthesizer impressively captures the essence of the rare Yamaha CS-80 with its True Analog Emulation technology, delivering warm, fat, and deep sounds. The TAE emulates the quirks of analog synths like pitch drift and oscillator glitches, which are beloved by enthusiasts. The software is highly compatible, though CPU-intensive, and offers cool features like multi mode and modulation matrixes for layering and routing sounds. The interface is user-friendly, closely resembling the original synth. However, the reliance on USB dongle authorization can be cumbersome, and Intel Mac users may face compatibility issues. Despite these drawbacks, the CS-80V is a remarkable soft synth with immense tonal potential, making it a worthy choice for those seeking a vintage sound in a digital format.

positive
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4.5 out of 5

Based on 7 Reviews and 51 Ratings

5 star
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transquanta

One of my favorite VST instruments

One of my favourite emulations of a vintage synth. Some soudn I will say don't quite sound like a CS-80, but its quite close. I have found the EP piano sounds are quite amazing and the drones you can get out of it are quite fantastic. you can really edit you sounds exacly how you want them to be with its nearly endless routing possibilities and its filters even though they don't quite have the exact soudn of the CS-80 it is certainly interesting and puts a new edge to my music!

panta

Most used synth!

Everytime when I open a blank page, and decide to make new tracks, the first VST I open almost every time, is Arturia's CS-80V. The sounds are so alike, considering it's an emulator. I think mainly all of my pad sounds are coming from this one. Thank you, Arturia!

stormy_weather

Glorious!

The original Dr. Who theme, Half the songs by TATU, and many major 80's artist used the real deal. I really liked how Arturia handled this plugin. I'll be honest, the fan animation surprised me! But thats just a pretty feature, the synth itself is as anyone expect, a really good sound alike, totally worth your investment if you want an easy pop or electronica sounding instrument..

rene_gijzemijter

Great versatile analog emulation synth

I used this synth excessively on the score of the film uRide. Its bass sounds are unmatched.

john_withers

Good emulation

Part of the Arturia V Collection this is what it says it is! hehe Too complicated for me to understand but the presets sound good hehe.

maxime_sanchez

Fantastic Synth Software !

For very old and Vintage sound ! i love it !

A

I love it because I can get the real one in good condition.

Artist usage

Add artist
See how Eddie Jobson uses Arturia CS-80 V Software Synthesizer

Eddie Jobson

Keyboardist, Composer

Yes

...
Verified via KeyboardMag

"Obviously, for the UK CS80 sounds, I started with Arturia’s CS-80 V to capture the character of the original sound, but more often than not, I have added a Spectrasonics Omnisphere timbre underneath to give the sound more power and warmth, not to mention stereo width."

See how Guy Sigsworth uses Arturia CS-80 V Software Synthesizer

Guy Sigsworth

Composer, Music Producer

Frou Frou

...
Verified via Soundonsound

I also have the Arturia CS80 and quite enjoy that.

from the Sound On Sound interview with Guy Sigsworth, discussing the making of Alanis Morissette's album Havoc And Bright Lights

See how Blue Hawaii uses Arturia CS-80 V Software Synthesizer

Blue Hawaii

Singer, DJ

...
Verified via YouTube

The Arturia CS 80 V can be seen at 10:25 of this demonstration video

See how Eric Persing uses Arturia CS-80 V Software Synthesizer

Eric Persing

Keyboardist, Composer

...
Verified via Arturia

"It has loads of personality and is capable of amazing sounds which are impossible on my real CS-80."

See how Babydaddy uses Arturia CS-80 V Software Synthesizer

Babydaddy

Guitarist, Bassist

38 Special

...
Verified via Soundonsound

According to Babydaddy, the equipment at Discoball Jazzfest consists of a G5 Mac running Logic Pro 7 with assorted plug-ins including the Native Instruments Komplete package, Korg's Legacy Collection, Arturia's CS80V and Gforce's Minimonsta. Hardware includes the Access Virus Indigo and Virus Polar, Roland XV5050, Studiologic SL880 master keyboard, Roland Juno 106 and Novation K-station synths. The band's main microphone is a Neumann M149, which went through the studio's HHB Radius 50, Avalon VT737, or Universal Audio 6176 preamps, and then into their MOTU 828 MkII, with monitoring taken care of by Mackie HR824s.

See how Mardial uses Arturia CS-80 V Software Synthesizer

Mardial

Music Producer, DJ

...
Verified via YouTube

hea used in 25:17

See how Edwin Birdsong uses Arturia CS-80 V Software Synthesizer

Edwin Birdsong

Singer, Music Producer

Roy Ayers Ubiquity

...
Verified

Edwin Birdsong uses the Arturia CS-80 V Software Synthesizer, as noted by Arturia's official overview, to achieve great vintage sounds.

See how Toddla T uses Arturia CS-80 V Software Synthesizer

Toddla T

Music Producer, DJ

...
Verified

Toddla T has confirmed using the Arturia CS-80 V Software Synthesizer, recalling, "I have such keen memories of certain synths, it’s weird - it’s like chapters of my life. We had this one in our studio, a proper one. It was massive, it was right heavy, and super expensive - and it looked beautiful!" (Source: Alexandre Barbier, Arturia - Toddla T).

Album Usage

The Arturia CS-80 V Software Synthesizer has been featured on the following albums:

Genre Usage

Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.

Used With

Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Arturia CS-80 V Software Synthesizer, it is most commonly used with the following gear.

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