Yamaha Debuts Four Reface Mobile Mini Keyboards

yamaha-reface-series

2015 Summer NAMM Show: Yamaha today officially introduced its new reface Mobile Mini Keyboards line, inspired by four of the company’s classic keyboard lines.

yamaha-reface-size

Here’s what Yamaha has to say about the new keyboards:

The series offers great sound, built-in speakers, 37 keys with professional-grade HQ-Mini action (derived from the flagship Motif XF) and battery-powered portability for making music on the go. But more than mere travel companions, these versatile keyboards connect with external speakers, smartphones, tablets, MIDI devices and computers for use on stage and in the studio.

According to the company,  the reface line ‘reimagines the interface of four classic Yamaha instruments’.

The line includes four new keyboards:

  • reface YC reimagines the YC Yamaha Combo organs, introduced in the late 1960s and used by Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream and others. The YC offers all the expression of drawbars, rotary speaker, percussion and effects. It includes five retro organ sounds — ranging from tonewheel to transistor to the original Yamaha Combo organ — and 128-note polyphony. reface CP redesigns the Combo Piano, launched in 1975 and ubiquitous on stages during that era. The sound enhanced the work of Keane, U2, Genesis, Billy Joel and more.
  • reface CP features six electric piano sounds including tine, reed, clav, toy and CP80 plus direct control of six different 1970s-style effects built into its retro-chic design. It also includes a sustain pedal input with a half-damper response and 128-note polyphony.
  • reface CS rekindles the legacy of the CS-series Control Synthesizers, introduced in 1976 and played by Vangelis, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson among others. Offering 8-note polyphony, reface CS uses virtual analog synth technology and five flexible oscillator modules to create a wide variety of complex sounds from analog to digital.
  • reface DX draws its inspiration from the iconic DX7, which debuted in 1983 and became the first commercially successful electronic keyboard used extensively by a multitude of bands throughout the decade and beyond. With the press of a button, the reface DX changes from retro-80s tones to cutting-edge modern sounds perfect for EDM. A new Multi-Touch Control interface makes it easy to customize your sound with the powerful FM (frequency modulation) synthesis engine. The instrument includes 8-note polyphony, 32 Voice Memories and a backlit display. reface features a “one to one” control scheme, meaning the panel controls perfectly match the tone generator for direct sound creation and musical inspiration.

Here’s a series of preview videos, via keyboardmag1:

“reface offers high-quality touch, tone, interface and superior design at an affordable price,” says Yamaha marketing manager Nate Tschetter. “These inspiring, horizon-expanding instruments are fun to play and let keyboard players take their music anywhere.”

The Reface keyboard line was inspired by the form factor of the Yamaha CS-01, a mini synth that featured a built-in speaker. The new keyboards use a similar form factor, but have sound engines designed to recall four different Yamaha keyboard lines.

Other features include an iOS patch library app, Yamaha Reface Capture, and SoundMondo, a web-MIDI patch librarian and social patch sharing site.

yamaha-reface-box

Pricing and Availability

The reface YC, CP, CS and DX mobile mini keyboards (MSRP: $799, with the street price expected to be closer to $500) will ship in September 2015. See the YamahaSynth site for more info.

144 thoughts on “Yamaha Debuts Four Reface Mobile Mini Keyboards”

    4. “[MSRP] prices can also be manipulated to be unreasonably high, allowing retailers to use deceptive advertising by showing the excessive price and then their actual selling price, implying to customers that they are getting a bargain.”

      $499

  2. Why put a typical “performance” sound engine in a case with MiniKeys? For a synth, that you typically program from your DAW I can understand. But for organ sounds and a CP? Really, Yamaha…how do you think this is going to be used/played?

  6. What kind of wacky 70s tobaccie’ they be smokin’ over there in Japan? I was REALLY interested until I saw the price. OUCH.

  7. Why Yamaha doesn’t develop soft synths as opposed to this stuff with cheap keyboards is beyond me. An MX 49 is capable of reproducing these sounds, as long as they are not analog, which they are not.

  11. I predict these will be selling for sub $500 within 12 months of being on sale. There is an appetite for reproductions, Korg have proved that, what we dont want is a cut down toy that sounds a bit like the original – we can already do that cheaper and better with a VST plugin – FAIL !

    1. $399 would be a stretch goal.

      $149 each and I am so there here’s my card.
      $199 each… I’ll get 3 today.
      $249… I’ll get a couple today.
      $299… I might get a couple some time later this years.
      $349… I’ll wait for the price to come down next year.
      $399… I’ll wait to buy it from a bored friend.
      …
      $799… Uh, nah. I’m already good to go on all those synths anyway.

  13. yeah, I really need those built-in speakers to do a professional gig!
    it really impresses the promoters…
    strike one(speakers), two(limited polyphony and memories), and three(price)… they’re out!

  15. I have a CS 15 and CS 10 – I am pretty sure they were cheaper than 799 when I bought them.

    Great synths, too bad the price is too great for the reface – especially without the controls that the original had.

  21. I am still waiting on the “reface” portion of this product… I thought we would be able to swap the interfaces or something… not sure what happened there.

  22. Welp, Yamaha let me know when you stop making digital emulations of analog. You could have just upsized the CS and YC a little bit and made real analog and sold crap tons. I was so excited, this is such a let down. Fake analog for $800?? If something is so limited, it can’t also have limited digital tone.

    1. The “fake” analog comment simply exposes a great depth of ignorance. That said, these “synths” are incredibly underwhelming. Considering the UI of their new digital mixers and their appealing sophisticated interface, how that was not employed with these new synths is astonishing. Yamaha is terribly out of touch. If you are charging a relative premium, then at the very least make an attempt to have an appealing product, virtual analog or not.

  23. What the hell?

    You can buy a DX7 or CS-15 for less than that. WAAAAAAAY too overpriced for what they are.

    And mini keys are cool on monosynths but why would you want one on a combo organ or e piano?

    Agree about the useless speaker— how much did they cut to shoehorn that in there?

    I guess we knew these would be stupid….

  24. Well consider my bubble truly burst! I wasn’t 100 percent sure which way this was going to go, being a huge Yamaha fan, but this appears to be a pretty lazy cash-in! All hype, no innovation. Shame.

    1. well, that is near full blown 9 engine (including fully editable top notch piano, organ, anologue modeling and FM modules) Korg Kronos for all four reface-palms…. yeah, you can’t put Kronos in your back pack and it doesn’t run on AA batteries 😛

  34. My DX-27 cost me £15 secondhand. It’s a DX100 with big keys. Yamaha also own Korg. But obviously at $799, they haven’t learnt a thing from their little master budget keyboard company. Far too pricey Yamaha. Still, I’d love to hear what these sound like.

  38. I expected price point comparable to Korg micro synth. Which they will drop to after the first adopters fall out and the stock sits on the shelves. This price point is delusional. I really wanted to like these in spite of the mini keys. Yamaha, what the hell are you thinking?

  39. If the keyboard is high-quality, and the sounds are like the originals, that’s pretty nice.

    Most keyboards in that size range are pretty bad. (The Korg MicroKey series are pretty good).

    I also don’t mind that they have built in speakers. It means that this keyboard could be carried around and used in more ways (like for quick ideas, or for music lessons, etc.). Would be kind of nice if it has a line input to use the speakers for external audio as well.

    Yea, the price is pretty high. I suppose if I was really in love with those old Yamaha keyboards, I might be tempted. I’d rather have a K2600 in a form factor like that.

  40. I honestly don’t know what to make of that DX control interface. Did they also reissue the level of complexity required to program it?

  41. As much as people holler about a new CS-80, this weinee little CS abortion should be drawing howls greater than the ones we heard because the Jupiter-80 wasn’t a Jupiter-8. Its another great example of the instant-gratification market trouncing the appearance of better instruments. For all the hype, these are clearly for backpacking above all else. I need bigger keys than THAT. I’m not a Japanese schoolgirl with mini-hands and I don’t play with a stylus in each hand. I assume that MIDI port is strictly an Out, as these things don’t have the power to be worthwhile modules for any but the simplest uses. If they do retail @ $550 +/-, well, that’s enough to buy Omnisphere and a big bag of burritos. A way better deal. Bugger.

    2. You assume wrong about the MIDI port. It supports a custom breakout cable giving you full sized MIDI DIN in and out, as well as MIDI in/out over USB.

      I like mini keys when they have nice response. The world isn’t up in arms about mini-keys. Just forums and comment sections.

      Perhaps these are not for you, which make me wonder why you are here, commenting.

      1. You are right and I chose to correct myself in the CS thread. I’m eyeing an XKey 37, because the 25 has served me very well and the breakout cable on the 37 is much like the one Yamaha offers. Smart move. Mea culpa, a little, but be honest, most mini-keys feel like @$$. If they’ve really put some added Motif-like quality in this one, thumbs up again. I’ve played minis twice that were tight n’ responsive, so they can be done well.
        I comment because INTERNET and because I am an American, so I reserve the right to bluster, make erroneous associations and annoy people by asking what they think Mozart would have done with synthesizers. (Ack.) I also think I should fess up when I f*ck up; it doesn’t KILL ya to admit you made a mistake. I want to give credit where its due and likewise hope to help newbies avoid pitfalls I’ve encountered. I’ve casually taught basic analog synthesis twice as a keyboard store wonk and I love seeing someone’s eyes light up because they suddenly see the light through a knotted-up spot. Besides, its a privilege to *get* to blab over synths. The worst day in a dumpster behind McDonald’s is better than the best day in Yemen, because That’s America, Bitches. 😀

      1. Nick’s commentary is always a prize, innit? He’s a One Of Us guy who loves the high points, yet doesn’t shy away from clinkers in a device. As hard as it is to get hands-on time with many of these toys, buying unseen is far less of an issue after Nick shines a light on them. Pour the boffin a cordial.

    3. OK so in the video they point out that the CS80 version doesn’t have a mod wheel because that’s in keeping with the spirit of the original instrument.

      Sure well that’s cool. So… it has polyphonic aftertouch then, like the original CS80 and modern $149 instruments from KMI have, since this is actually now a fairly inexpensive technology, right?!?!?

  44. So much wrong with this. Mini keys? First of all, who is going to play piano or organ on 37 keys, mini or not? Absolutely dumb, I’m sorry. And 8 note poly for the other two? This isn’t 1985. Sorry, Yamaha, you’ve jumped the shark.

  45. You beat me to it. Okay, so it has a MIDI In/Out breakout cable, which answers that question for the better. The USB port apparently talks with DAWs, so you can seemingly use that as your patch bank. Those two things will help its image some, but it still sounds too generic. The form factor doesn’t overcome the Blah.

  46. now that I’ve seen the video, I’m blown away by how little you get for your money. you could get all 3 volcas and a microbrute for that amount. and no proprietary, easily lost midi dongle to deal with

  47. Wow. Yamaha got the lame award of the year for this.

    I can do so much/even more with a VST file and my supremely cheap korg microkey.
    These are overpriced and really limited from what I can see. I’m no expert but it really looks like Yamaha is incredibly behind the times. Korg seems like they are miles ahead for technology and price. I agree with most everyone else here. This looks like some sort of joke!

    1. People are attracted to affordable single-use hardware with zero hidden features. Specialized gear. Yes, your laptop or whatever can do it all. In 10 years, people will still be trading these and there could be 4 more models. Where will your setup be? Ditched, twice, expensively.

  48. 1. I like the speakers option, I use the speakers on my mini boards all the time. Annoying my girlfriend by playing theme music to everything she does= fun

    2. Both the Japanese staff and American staff mentioned being in Nashville which probably means they are going to be at summer namm with these things!!!! I will be there on Saturday for industry day and now I am extremely excited!!!

  49. Man, that CS synth was even more of a let down than I was expecting…It sounds lackluster and is quite underwhelming. At least when you compare it to a CS-80 what did they expect!

    Luckily I did not get my hopes up! Yet, I still have hope that they get back into the synth market and make a true analog synth someday. I can dream can’t I?

    Let’s remember the good times…Yamaha CS-80
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNpJZWWGdq8

    1. Thanks for posting that. I got to spend several hours with a CS80 in top shape and you can believe the hype. You have to dig in to play it, but its so fluid, that’s part of the thrill. It talks back to you very intimately. Its a costly nightmare to maintain when it falters and a mass o’ spaghetti inside, but either “They” will offer a new CS80 that nails it or They won’t. Nothing less will feel like that, even in a world of numerous samples thereof. Someone build me that keybed. I will give plasma, do your yardwork and help you kill your enemies. Just build it. I don’t want to step-sequence; I want to grind those keys by hand and be assimilated.

      1. They don’t need it? But it’s VA, so there’s no excuse for not having it. And at those prices, it should be included. Total rip off. At half the price they would still be expensive.

  51. The CS sounds surprisingly good, I really like the how wild it can get but jeez it’s so crippled. 1 LFO? 1 envelope? Sigh. And you could tell he didn’t want to demo the bass potential when asked to take down the resonance because…there was no bass.

    Why not make this with no keyboard and give it a few more controls and let me use a better portable keyboard?

    I would consider $250 for something like this, if it had a real mod wheel and PB. Sigh…yamaha.

    1. I agree.
      These offerings should be in a box and for about $225 each. Rather than reminding me of the CS-01 they remind me of the DX100 although that FM unit had four octaves. Has anyone realized how unbelievably far we’ve come with linexpensive 3 octave controllers like MidiPlus? Geez, you had to pay big bucks for something with that many features back in the 80s.

  53. Well done on the marketing campaign and even the unfortunate leak of pics and specs – I think that had the lot of us piqued at these synths. But everyone’s ballpark was much lower than that MSRP, and even subsequent retail tag.

    Not sure about the utility – mini speakers if you’re the couch musician? Not too many of those that will shell out that price tag to relive a classic yammy synth in comfort.

    I was hoping it would be an affordable module – bypass the mini keys and just program, but the midi breakout is a bit of a snag there too.

    And, yes the ‘reissue’ market is hot – but limited versions of the reissued synth at a commandingly high price tag makes the point moot between actually finding an original DX, CP, YC, or CS on eBay, or getting a software version for less, or around he same price.

    Makes me wonder what’s going on at Yamaha in terms of manufacturing and costing – as others have mentioned, korg and Roland have pulled off better ‘reissue’ synths at much more realistic prices. Add to that what Arturia, Teenage Engineering, etc are doing – and these new Yammys just fall to the back of the line when it comes to our wallets.

    Would have loved to see some more inter connectivity between the units as well – another thing Roland and korg have capitalized to make you want to get geared up with more than one new piece of kit!

    2. Well, it had to happen sooner or later…
      Yamaha has teamed up with Fischer Price toy maker and produced – well produced 4 toys…
      I don’t think they have functioning R&D team, not outside Japan that is… I’m sure these so called instruments will appeal to “Hello Kitty” lovers… 😉
      Give me reface DX in either full size 49 or 61key with velocity and A/T or module version without keys and I’m sold.

      1. I actually would’ve loved a 61 or 76 mini key of this possibly nicer quality. Let’s say they do that and include all these engines in one unit (cus they’re each really just sampling and va it seems…?) And your have a mini Nord competitor, an improved micro korg perhaps? I would look seriously into that with my money for a lightweight good sounding board for all major sounds i’d need at a gig. If we’re not gonna get analog or something new and interesting, don’t consumers deserve high value high efficiency meat and potatoes boards at this stage of the game?

      2. its what the kids like these days. they dont care about quality of sound they just want to look cool whilst ripping off 80s beats and style claiming they’re original

          1. im not hearing anything that cant be done on other devices that have a whole lot more hands on control (and pitch & mod wheels too)

  54. The DX looks pretty cool to program, judging from the Sonic State video. And it has feedback on every op, not just one (I think?), which should make it pretty timbre-rich for a 4-op. That one might be worth $499.

    1. It does look interesting.

      Hard to tell, that demo dude didn’t seem to know shit about actually programming it. He just sort of stabbed away at whatever until everything was high pitched and distorted.

      The touch pad looks ok – but I do wonder how responsive it is and the longevity. That’s a part that will be impossible to find in a few years.

      The screen is very impressive though, for it’s size. Visually showing the operators and algorithms is really cool.

      That said — you can get some awesome FM software that destroys this if editing is a big deal

  55. After watching the “Batt & Bert Show”, I could tell from Nick’s body language that he was less than impressed with this thing.

    I ask this question: If this is supposed to be your “throw-in-the-backpack, record with your iPad in your hotel room” synth, why did they keep mentioning “how heavy” this thing was?

    1. It’s light, but solid-feeling. It won’t break your back but will stay put on a table if you move a slider.

      Nick liked them, he heaped all kinds of compliments on them. They deserve the love. But they’re not for everyone. Just most everyone.

      1. Astro Spy said: ” They deserve the love. But they’re not for everyone. Just most everyone. ”

        Have you read the majority of the comments ? or do you work at Yamaha ?

        1. The people who post negative comments on message boards and comment sections represent 5% of the target market – and even those comments are not uniformly negative.

          There are human beings who like stuff who silently research or buy things in stores.

          According to the internet: Minikeys are a crime against humanity and a dealbreaker and a toy. According to sales figures: The MicroKorg is the biggest selling synth of all time. You do the math.

          1. The MicroKorg may be the best seller, but that is due to value, it’s an MS2000 crammed into a tiny package. If Korg had provided a lesser synth to put into the toy sized keyboard, it wouldn’t have done nearly as well. Negative commenters are only 5% of the target market? Where do you get your statistics? You seem pretty certain.

            Math isn’t relevant here. Sales don’t define ‘what is best’. People are expressing opinions, but apparently since your opinion is different everyone else is wrong.

            Personally, I think Yamaha tried to cash in on a perceived market trend- with their eyes on sales NOT on creating a lasting mark on the technology and culture but instead to try to jump on the bandwagon. A portable organ? I’m trying to imagine buyers for that,,,,and coming up blank. The DX was the most interesting to me, until I read no AT, no velocity…and then I’m like WHY BOTHER? These seem really stripped down…especially for the MSRP.

            1. Where did you read “no velocity”? The videos would seem to discredit that idea. It looked pretty responsive to touch.

  56. Sleep well, Yamaha…. You are one of the big sleepers in the keyboard market. Where are the inovations? Nothing realy new since the DX7 or VL1. To copy itself permanently does not mean you are innovative. I beat these cheesy keyboards with an App easily… Whats wrong with you Yamaha?

    1. “Nothing realy new since the DX7 or VL1”

      To be fair we should note that neither technology came from Yamaha, they were both licensed from academic dudes at american universities.

      AFAIK, Yamaha has never actually created anything innovative itself. At all.

  57. If they had put all 4 engines in to a 61 note, full sized keyboard and sold it for $1,400 street… sucess. This is a head scratching moment. Having a very hard time with the logic behind these at the price point they are thinking of.

  58. Oddly the DX looks ok, nice screen and sounds.

    The combo organ seems pretty neat. I’ve never really needed one but a small portable organ would be kinda cool.

    Same with the electric Piano one, though it would have to be super cheap.

    The CS is disappointing as hell…plus the demo guy didn’t seem to know how to program it well.

    However, the choice between two of these and a Korg/Arp Oddy (for ex) isn’t really a choice.

    If Yamaha can get these in at 250 to 300, lots of people would buy a couple just to play with and use as sound modules. At 400 to 450, they are really pushing the impulse buy or fun buy limit. Past 500 an it’s just absurd.

        1. you seem to be missing the point…

          there is absolutely no point in buying these things at all… maybe for 50 or 100.. MAYBE

          they are peices of shit

          1. Exactly. WE all know retail is around 500.

            That’s absurd.

            Two of these would buy you an Arp Oddy.

            Three gets you a Moog.

            Four and you can just go workstation or Nord Lead.

  60. I feel this is a shame. I like the products; They’re cheeky takes on retro gear, and seem to capture the character well. They’re simple enough to mess about with. I just don’t understand their price point; These should be being aimed at the low end, not far off the “toy” end of the spectrum. Even if you have to cut corners on the quality, I’d be fine with that. The basic circuitry’ll be simple and cheap enough to produce; I’d be throwing them out there at a price where you can pick up the lot for ~$400-500.
    If I was going to change the design at all, I’d suggest that they swapped to a kind of modular arrangement; I’d imagine that, apart from the control panel, they’re all pretty much the same; same DSP, DACs, and other hardware. Therefore, I’d build them in such a way that the control panels can be swapped out, along with the uC, and replaced with the panels from other modules. That’d help bring the price down, and would be a fun option. You could also then offer a range of keyboards to slot them into, from these mini-keys up to a full 88 note controller. Since the DSPs and DACs would be held in the base units too, you could use that to generate a graduation from the “toy” grade up to the pro gear; the smaller, cheaper keyboards could come with cheap, low-end DACs and DSPs, maybe more limited polophony, a few less features etc, wheras the higher end models could be bumped up to handle multimbrality, high levels of polyphony, extra features, patching, effects etc, and more hardware IO, like multiple audio outs.
    Overall, then, I feel this is a missed opportunity.

  61. These suck so bad it’s ridiculous. I hope their failure doesn’t discourage Yamaha from making decent synths in the future.

  62. If the pricing information is correct then Yamaha have missed the boat with these. The Sonic State first look at the CS and DX reface synths were good, and I felt that if the price were right they could be great ‘impluse buys’. I particularly liked the DX which would open up DX-7 FM synthesis in a user friendly way. The CS was closer to a CS-01 than a CS-10 or better yet, CS-30, but still looked a lot of fun. But based on what is being bandied about about price, these are way over the mark. I predict the price will certainly fall, but will it fall sufficiently to make them a worthwhile buy? I think $350 AUD would be a great price for each. I’m less interested in the organ or electronic piano, and don’t see the point of those really… any organ or electronic piano needs at least 76, if not 88 weighted keys. But yes, I’d buy the two synths – if the price is more reasonable.

  63. This is a very odd one. These keyboards got those built in speakers and mini keys but in kinda worked for the set, seem like nice little toys with batteries included. I got a bulky CS and it would have been nice to carry a sound of that type with per knob control in a bag to tinker on, have a toy synth mini-jam with my phone. F*ck me, but then the price, I don’t understand?! I’d expect a price somewhere between a Korg Volca and Korg Electribe. No, it is got to be priced for the set, surely?

    I don’t know the facts, had to skip the webcast, it was like watching the shopping channel. But, surely?!

    That has really pissed me off – I’m now going away to make some music.

  65. Deep breath time… check out the Yamaha reface / Keyboard magazine videos on YouTube… Street price will be $499 not $799, direct from the Yamaha guys…

  68. they sound surprisingly better than I had hoped. but $500USD? each? thats going to be $650AUD minimum… thats nuts…

    I’d buy the CS and the YC for $350 each AUD. which translates to $250USD.

  69. BTW, Why are there super sexist ads on sidebars of Synthtopia now? Are you going to have super racist ads next? It’s 100% just as bad. Oh wait my bad, there’s a racist and sexist ad that just popped up now. Wanting to lose followers?

    1. If you see an ad that you think is offensive, there are two things you can do that are more constructive than complaining about it in an irrelevant discussion thread:

      Contact us via the feedback with specific site or product that you think has offensive ads. There is a feedback link at the top of every page of this site:

      https://www.synthtopia.com/feedback/

      You can also see Google’s page that talks about how their ad technology works. It lets you opt out of Google’s interest-based ads or edit the interests and demographics associated with your Google Account:

      https://support.google.com/adsense/troubleshooter/1631343

      I hope this helps!

  70. Heck, buy one of their ‘first to innovate, but late to the current game’ recent KX49 controller keyboards, and a used AN200, and you’ll be half the price with better keys, sounds, and function.
    maybe after Summer NAMM, they’ll reveal the new street price of $349, and then a sigh of relief, and maybe some sales? If you owned a store, would you stock up on these after reading all of the comments on this thread?? yikes!

  74. 1983 – Real DX : 16-note polyphony, 32 Voice memories + Card & 6 operators
    2015 – Reface DX : 8-note polyphony, 32 Voice Memories & 4 operators

    1976 – CS80 : 8-note polyphony, 22 presets 6 user Memories
    2015 – Reface CS : 8-note polyphony, no presets no user memories

    No comments

    I have inside in my Laptop Ni’s FM 7/8 & B4 , Steinberg’s Retrology!!!, AAS Lounge Lizard 4, Arturia’s Vox, Wurli & CS80, XLN’s ADD Keys.
    So…why I’d buy these little gadgets? … only for collecting?…

      1. I like hardware synthesizers, a have lots of them (many DX7s, TX816, TXs & SYs etc.) in my studio. Simply, I’m expecting from Yamaha something realy New!

    2. I think you’re missing the point. Because I’m unlucky enough to have preset memory on my synth, I’m missing all these opportunities to “go to starbucks to get some wifi so I can edit my synthesizer.”

  75. I would like to believe and suspect that something Big and Powerful hiding behind these little gaggets and these are only a promo version.

  76. The Dx synth looks great and sounds great . I love FM synths and this sounds perfect for those of us who had dx 100s. The great thing for me is we know that these will flood the market so we can safely say there will be no more hunting for worn out original versions.
    Is there filters ( I don’t think so) .

    1. I think this is correct. Yamaha may be floating the MSRP of the ReFaces to gauge public reaction. So far everyone says they would buy the ReFaces at $199-$250 so my guess is that will be the sales price come Christmas. They may not even make it to store shelves until then.

  80. There’s plenty of people who can afford these and will enjoy owning them. I don’t have the extra $500, but I already have plenty of controllers and plugins. It’s not like most of us are hurting for music tools! Charging much less isn’t realistic for a company who’s trying to turn a profit. I really don’t understand the backlash. It’s just some cool stuff I can’t afford right now; stuff I want but don’t need. Hats off to Yamaha for making these synths available. I look forward to picking up the DX on craigslist in a few years.

    1. People love to complain. 4 new electronic instruments, all reasonably affordable, all expected to be built with yamaha quality (vs say arturia!), all reasonably good sounding, all attractive enough for the stage or show. So it’s not a vintage replica, it’s not pedantically analog, and it’s not $1. Oh well. I guess that means it’s trash.

  82. So much pre advertising, so much artificially inflatuated hype around these keyboards.
    In the new era of affordable DACs, CPU’s, easy programming and opensourcing these seem to be just crappy midi controllers with onboard sound generators. It’s irritating, the CS01 and DX7 where such great synths, it’s a shame to see them reduced to that specially for that price range.

    Please yamaha next time go back to sleep, and spare us all from your lame bigcorp propaganda.

  83. These should have been sold for $250 USD retail. $500 is ridiculous. Why would anyone buy these when there are way better new hardware keyboard for the same price or less such as the mininova or microkorgs. The web midi stuff is waste of time. There is no reason to use a web browser for midi or sharing patches.

  84. Yikes!
    None of these, except the combo organ, has anything to do at all with the original CS, DX or CP. It is even worse than comparing a Roland JP80 with a Jupiter. Sounds absolutely plastic horrific at an unbelievable price.

  86. We need a RE-face-palm meme. I’ve been thinking about my dislike of mini-keys, but then I remembered how much I’ve enjoyed my Korg TinyPiano. Then I remember it cost me $250. While the TinyPiano has no knobs beyond volume, there are 25 different preset patch memories and a cartoon drawing of a bear on the panel.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *