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Average Price: $178
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$500
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Description
Unleash your inner sound architect with the Yamaha CS-5 Analog Synthesizer, a true gem for both vintage aficionados and modern music creators. This compact powerhouse is designed to take your sonic exploration to new heights, balancing simplicity with profound creative potential. At its core, the CS-5 features a single VCO that offers pulse and sawtooth waveforms, perfect for crafting those warm and gritty sounds that analog enthusiasts crave. Whether you're diving into lush pads or sharp leads, the CS-5's multi-mode 12db/oct resonant filter ensures your tones are rich and expressive.
This synth also comes equipped with a versatile LFO, providing sine and sawtooth waveforms to add movement and depth to your soundscapes. The inclusion of a 6db/oct band-pass filter and sample & hold functionality offers endless possibilities for modulation and creativity. With the external audio input, you can process external signals through its robust filter and modulation sections, adding a unique texture to your compositions.
Ideal for both live performances and studio sessions, the Yamaha CS-5 is versatile and user-friendly, making it a must-have for musicians looking to expand their analog palette. Experience the marriage of classic analog warmth and modern flexibility, all packed within this deceptively simple instrument.
Key Features:
- Single VCO with pulse and sawtooth waveforms
- Multi-mode 12db/oct resonant filter
- 6db/oct band-pass filter
- LFO with sine & sawtooth waveforms
- Sample & hold
- CV / Gate compatibility
- External audio input
Product specs
| Brand | Yamaha |
| Model | CS-5 Monophonic Synthesizer |
| Finish | Black |
| Year | 1978 - 1983 |
| Made In | Japan |
| Categories | Analog Synths, Keyboard Synths |
| Analog / Digital | Analog |
| Key Size | Full Size |
| Keyboard Action | Synth Action |
| Number of Keys | 37 Keys |
| Polyphony | 1 Voice |
FAQs
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Is the Yamaha CS-5 Synthesizer monophonic or polyphonic?
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The Yamaha CS-5 is a monophonic synthesizer, meaning it can only play one note at a time, which is ideal for bass lines, leads, and solos.
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What type of synthesis does the Yamaha CS-5 use?
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The Yamaha CS-5 uses analog subtractive synthesis, allowing users to shape sounds by filtering and modulating the basic waveforms generated by its oscillator.
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How many keys does the Yamaha CS-5 have, and what is the key size?
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The Yamaha CS-5 features 37 full-size keys, providing a comfortable playing experience similar to a standard piano keyboard.
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What kind of sounds can I create with the Yamaha CS-5?
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The Yamaha CS-5 is capable of producing classic analog sounds such as thick basses, sharp leads, and warm pads, thanks to its versatile oscillator and filter section.
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What is the keyboard action type of the Yamaha CS-5?
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The Yamaha CS-5 features synth action, which is designed for fast playing and expressive performance, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced synthesists.
Videos
AnalogAudio1
YAMAHA CS-5 Analog Synthesizer 1978 | HD DEMO
Reviews
PROS
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Unique multi-mode filter that can run vocals
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Exceptional noise generation for ambient sounds
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Deep bass capabilities with 64' oscillators
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External CV/Gate control for versatility
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Allows external signal processing through its filter
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Distinctive, rich sound quality
CONS
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Over-speculated market prices may not reflect true value
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Yamaha CS-5.
Features and functionality
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The Yamaha CS-5 can be sequenced or MIDI'd using a Keystep, Kenton box, or similar devices, but requires a hz/v unit for external control.
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The CS-5's random LFO is praised for creating a unique bubbly, underwater sound, particularly effective with its filter.
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Users report the CS-5 produces pink noise when the Envelope Depth in the VA section is increased, even with oscillators turned down.
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Use cases and applications
Mods and upgrades
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Owners suggest considering saturation and reverb pedals like the Strymon Deco to enhance its sound for live settings.
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Software and compatibility
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The Korg SQ-1 sequencer is mentioned as a compatible unit for sequencing with the CS line.
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The CS-5's CV input disables the keyboard trigger, requiring external control like an SQ-1 or Kenton for sequencing.
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The Korg SQ-1 can sequence in various keys, including Chromatic, Minor, Major, and Linear (manual tuning), despite some limitations with hertz/volt scaling.
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User experience
Setup and maintenance
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Owners experiencing oscillator tuning issues recommend recalibration, pitch bend slider fixes, and power cord replacement after extensive live use.
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Comparisons
4.5 out of 5
Based on 1 Review and 14 Ratings
Analog is Better!
Great synth. I was lucky enough to be gifted it brand new, in its box, after it had been stored away for several decades. I love the pasty sound of the bass and the filters. Highly recommended.
This review has been translated automatically into English. See originalArtist usage
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Aphex Twin ended up selling a CS-5 with the sleeve notes of Selected Ambient Works, Volume II written on the bottom of it.
Mentioned in this May 2018 Sound on Sound interview.
Born in Queens, New York in 1963 to Irish parents who returned to Dublin when he was 10, Kevin Shields first picked up a guitar in 1980 and began recording at home two years later, using a Yamaha CS-5 synth and Tascam 244 Portastudio.
“There were only a handful of them around in Ireland,” he says of the latter. “It ran at high speed and it had the two parametric EQs covering the whole frequency range, which was kind of something at the time. My approach was as much about using the tape machine and the synth as the guitar. Nothing was favoured at that point. I appeared to be a guitar player years later. But really, from the start, I was coming from a kind of post-punk-influenced era where it was quite normal for people to do anything. It was quite an experimental period. The idea that you couldn’t do anything didn’t occur to me.”
Mentioned by producer Daniel Miller in this May 1982 Electronics & Music Maker interview. Gore specified it to be his first synthesizer at Moogfest 2019, as recalled in this April 30, 2019 Parklife DC article.
Electronics & Music Maker, May 1982
How long have the band been playing synthesisers?
"About 18 months now. When they started they always used a drum machine and they were playing more conventional instruments. Andy (Fletcher) was playing bass guitar and Vince was playing electric guitar. Only Martin had a synth but when the others saw the possibilities it offered they both got one as well. Then they started to like bands like Human League and Kraftwerk so they gradually changed their instrumentation."
What equipment did they originally have?
"Martin had a Yamaha CS5, Vince had a Kawai 100F and Andy had a Moog Prodigy."
Parklife DC, April 30, 2019, "Interview: Martin Gore of Depeche Mode (In Conversation with Daniel Miller of Mute Records @ Moogfest 2019 — 4/26/19)"
As Martin recalled during the conversation on April 26, he fell in love with music when he was 10 years old and listened to his mother’s rock and roll records over and over. Soon after hearing Kraftwerk, Martin expanded his interests to electronic music, purchasing copies of Autobahn and Trans-Europe Express.
Martin began playing guitar in a band called Norman and the Worms when he was 13 and then formed another called Composition of Sound with his future bandmates in Depeche Mode, Andrew Fletcher and Vince Clarke. Another friend, Rob Marlow, lent Martin a Korg 700S, and Martin later purchased a Yamaha CS5, his first synthesizer.
When releasing their highly acclaimed album, 'A Deeper Understanding', Adam decided to put what synths were used on each track in the Liner Notes and Credits of 'A Deeper Understanding'. In his interview with Boston Globe (https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2017/09/20/war-drugs-adam-granduciel-sweats-every-detail-pursuit-perfection/Ul3jUYasSWOoblcy8D790K/story.html) Adam said 'I could easily just say synths. But even if I play a little bit of the song on this one synth, it's probably a specific part or something, so I want them to be like, 'Oh what's a Yamaha CS-5? Oh that's cool.' From this we can see Adam used the Yamaha CS-5 on 'A Deeper Understanding' and we can gather from the liner notes of the album (as seen above + highlighted) that the CS-5 was used on the song 'Up All Night'
Used extensively in the early years on pretty much everything from the Telekon album up to The Fury.
In the YouTube video titled "Siouxsie and the Banshees - Redlight," Steven Severin is shown using the Yamaha CS-5 Analog Synthesizer.
In this picture of the band's live setup, The Seven Fields of Aphelion is seen playing on a CS-5 at Blender Bar - Ritz, SXSW 07
Dave Ball played a Yamaha CS-5 on the Grid album "Electric Head," according to the liner notes.
Album Usage
The Yamaha CS-5 has been featured on the following albums:
Spectrum (Special Request Mixes)
Erol Alkan (2020)
Spectrum / Silver Echoes (Matrixxman and Machine Woman Remixes)
Erol Alkan (2019)
Spectrum / Silver Echoes
Erol Alkan (2018)
A Deeper Understanding
The War on Drugs (2017)
Selected Ambient Works Volume II
Aphex Twin (1994)
The Fury (2024 Remaster)
Gary Numan (1985)
Telekon
Gary Numan (1980)
Kaleidoscope (Remastered & Expanded)
Siouxsie & the Banshees (1980)
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 Yamaha CS-5, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
Community setups
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