Yamaha
Articles about Yamaha:
Tom at Waveformless put together a fun post taking a look at going vintage on the cheap.
There are a number of really underrated synths that seem to go for consistently low prices. They’re awesome synths, but nobody seems to know about them, which means you can get a great deal.
Here’s the list of synths that he highlights:
- Casio CZ-101 (typically less than $100)
- Ensoniq ESQ-1 (typically $150-$300)
- Moog (Realistic) Concertmate MG-1 (typically $100-$500)
- Oberheim Matrix-6R (typically $150-$350+)
- Roland HS-10/80 (typically $25-$100)
- Roland HS-60 (typically $200+)
- Roland MKS-7 (typically $200+)
- Yamaha CS-01 (typically $150-$250)
- Yamaha TX81Z (typically $50-$85)
See Tom’s post for his take on each of these synths.
Are these great synths? No – but you can get great deals on them and make some great sounds.
As an alternative to the Casio CZ-101, I’d recommend the CZ-1, which has twice the polyphony plus a velocity + aftertouch sensitive full-size keyboard. And is still dirt cheap.
Got other ideas for cheap vintage synths that don’t suck? Leave a comment!
Ambient Synth Jam
Sunday Synth Jam: Skoulaman created this live Berlin School/space music/ambient synthesizer jam.
Details via skoulaman:
Sequenced with an arpeggiator loop from the Kurzweil Midiboard connected with the Kawai k1r and the Waldorf micro Q. The solo vibe sounds are from a Yamaha CX5M computer and the Korg Lamda in combination with a Moogerfooger. Accords played om the Juno 106 and on the Korg Lamda.
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Filed under: MIDI Controllers, Music Videos, Sequencers, Synthesizers
This video captures a session with the Korg Electribe EMX. Read more…
The Yamaha CS-50
The Yamaha CS-50, a vintage synthesizer from 1976, is a scaled down version of the classic Yamaha CS-80 and CS-60 synths.
It offers 4-voice polyphony, with 1 oscillator per voice.
While it has a much simpler architecture, it offers a relatively inexpensive option for getting the classic Yamaha CS sounds.
If you’ve used the Yamaha CS-50, leave a comment with your thoughts!
Resources:
- Yamaha CS-50 at VSE
- Old Crow’s Synth Shop
- Video via lovesvintagesynth




