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This listing is for a Yamaha CS01 MK1 in grey. It’s a very simple; entry-level, monophonic analogue synthesizer released originally in 1982. Below are some of it’s general features:
A single DCO (says VCO, though it’s actually a digitally controlled oscillator). This means the synth’s pitch remains very stable and is very unlikely to ever go out-of-tune.One low-pass filter with a low/high resonance switch (more like on/off switch) as well an envelope amount setting.A VCA (voltage controlled amplifier) amount setting.One envelope generator with attack, decay, sustain and release settings.One LFO (low frequency oscillator) which can be used to modulate either the oscillator pitch or filter cutoff. This combined with the PWM (pulsewidth modulation) wave means the CS01 technically has two independent LFOs!One pitch bend wheel, which can move the oscillator’s pitch up to just over +1 octave (though you cannot move the pitch down like most other pitch bend wheels).Proprietary AUX input for a Yamaha breath controller, to modulate the VCA and/or filter cutoff.Mono speaker.Line-out and headphone outputs (disables speaker when either one are used).x6 AA battery compartment and DC power input.
I’ve previously dismantled the synth [completely] to clean it, as the sliders in it were originally quite ‘crackly’ back when I first bought the synth. After removing all its internal dust and cleaning the switches/pots with Isopropyl Alcohol, I can confidently say that this is no longer a problem whatsoever. The synth works great now, especially given its age.
That being said, I didn’t do a great job putting it back together again. It’s all holding together fine and all the screws should be there, it’s just that I’ve ‘burred’ some of the screw holes when re-assembling the synth as I thought all the screws were the same size… I don’t think the two halves of the casing are aligned properly either (because of the mistake with the screws)…
Despite this, the synth as it is now still feels quite solid. The casing is a little scuffed and worn out but in my opinion it still looks good, given the synth is around thirty six years old! (see images)
I’ve also made some slight adjustments to the synthesizer. There are two trim-pots on the circuit board which are used to alter the filter cutoff and resonance amount (latter is called ‘q’ on the circuit board). After loads of trial and error altering both of these pots, I ended up slightly increasing the resonance amount [only] when the CS01 resonance is set to ‘high’. I do have images of the original positions of these trim-pots if the vanilla sound is preferred, although the adjustment in my opinion makes the CS01’s filter sound a little more ‘wet, gritty & distorted’ – which I think sounds quite neat! To me it resembles the sound of a Roland TB-303… I’m kinda’ bummed to be selling it, though I don’t really have much use for it as the CS01’s got no MIDI or CV connectivity without more serious modding.
Also the adjustments I made aren’t 100% perfect, as the filter cutoff now when set to ‘zero’ still remains slightly open. For it to sound completely closed the cutoff slider has to move to slightly above ‘zero’.
If you would like another perspective of the sound and condition of the CS01 in this listing, I have posted a video on YouTube to show exactly that (consider possible audio compression). The audio was recorded directly from the unit’s headphone output (mostly unedited, through a mixer & into a computer):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jvk28wjaB4&t=23s
This listing includes the synthesizer only, there is no power supply included.
If you have any questions about this item, feel free to contact me.
Happy bidding!
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Category: Musical Instruments:Pro Audio Equipment:Synthesisers and Sound Modules
Location: Bedford