64 Note Polyphony; 16MB wave ROM including sounds from the EX and RM1X; 256 Preset and 256 User Performances; Full XG/GM compatibility; 8 Control Knobs for easy analog style editing; Slick new cosmetic design The CS2X boasts 64 Note Polyphony and a huge 16MB wave ROM featuring a selection of sampled data from the flagship EX series, the new RM1X as well as a complete XG PCM ROM. And unlike many of the competition's synths in this price range, the CS2X sports 64 true 24 dB resonant filters. You can play up to four Parts simultaneously from the keyboard plus 12 other Parts via MIDI. This mode gives you the ultimate sonic flexibility and tons of big complex sounds for live performance or when you're creating your own sequences. There are 256 Preset Performances and 256 User Performances. Preset 1 is dedicated to synth sounds for techno, hiphop and dance productions and Preset 2 is filled with more traditional workstation style voicing of pianos, organs, brass, guitar and other acoustic instruments. Multi Mode allows you to play sixteen different Parts via MIDI and is optimized for playing GM/XG sequences. The wide selection of 779 Voices and 30 Drum Kits give you maximum sequence compatibility. With the 40 arpeggio types and 10 timing resolution subdivisions available, you can literally get carried away for hours creating a vast array of arpeggios. The Arpeggiator works exceptionally well with an external MIDI sequencer, as the CS2x can either control or be controlled by the clock of the external device. What's more, since the CS2x's Arpeggiator data can be output via MIDI, you can record its note and timing events into a track of the external sequencer, or have it trigger the voices of other MIDI synthesizers or external tone generators.
S**E
An awesome secondary instrument
Many moons ago Yamaha put out the CS series of analog synthesizers, which many on this line were touted as instant classics. Then in the late 80's came PCM wavetable synthesizers, which were endeavoring to make the synthesizer sound more and more like real acoustic instruments. When that technology craze to make keyboards sound like everything else ran its course everybody started going back to trying to make analog sounding synthesizers that can be manipulated just like the ones back in the 70's and early 80's. This is when Yamaha brought back the CS series in the form of a set of new synthesizers. The CS-1x, 2x and 6x. The CS2x is the second generation of this new series, and while it's not the head of the pack when it comes to the analog sounding synths of the time it packs a lot of punch for the price.Many of your more expensive synths at this time were analog modeling synthesizers, which means a computer algorithm creates the waveforms instead of voltage control oscillators used up until around the mid-80's. The CS2x is not an expensive synthesizer even back then, so it used Yamaha's tried and true Advanced Wave Memory synthesis. This is essentially PCM synthesis (sampled waveform from a real instrument) combined with Yamaha's special set of envelope generators, modulators and filters. That in of itself doesn't sound very different from previous keyboards, however what this CS2x focuses on from there takes it further.Modulation, resonance frequencies, real time envelope changes, and other sonic filters are the name of the game. This synth has a set of eight knobs for modifying resonance, high pass filters, low pass filters, attack envelope, decay envelope, release envelope, and two that are user assignable to any parameter you choose. On top of that you have a modulation wheel that can have two "scenes" of knobs saved that you can use the wheel to morph between them. You pretty much have all the tools you need right in front of you to change a selected sound/waveform into a wide variety of variations in real time. One of the things you hear a lot from electronic music is a sound having it's resonance or filters go up or down, giving the sound that rising/lowering tide like feel to it. That's exactly what this keyboard gives you and more.Another cool tool you get with this synth is a built in arpeggiator with an extensive set of 40 preset parameters. This includes the basic note patterns, hardcore and acid style patterns and X-Sweep patterns (two arpeggios moving in opposite directions). As a matter of fact many of the factory sounds take advantage of this so you can start using the arpeggiator's capabilities right out of the box. Unfortunately you cannot create your own arpeggios, but considering the high amount of presets you will likely find what you are looking for.The sounds are really, really cool. The sounds are clean and crisp compared to the CS1x. The onboard effects do a lot to gives vibrance and color to the sounds. You get gritty distorted patches, punchy and bright synths, and the whole spectrum of support sounds, leads, bases, pads and more. This synth does have acoustic instrument waves as well, but the bulk of the sounds take advantage of the analog. The one thing I will say about the CS2x is that the sounds are rather thin compared to what I hear from more expensive synths from that period of time. The low end doesn't sound full. The highs can get tinny. The drums feel low-fi across the board. Could be audio compression of the waveforms. Could be the digital analog converters. All I know is if you want truly warm or broad dynamics you won't get it on this synth. Does this mean it sounds crappy? No way, but it is one of the reasons why I call this one your secondary synth.As far as specs are concerned this is a 61 key velocity sensitive, 64 voice, 16 part "multitimbral" (more on that later), synth with a total of 779 factory voices and 30 drum kits. These are misleading stats. What you really have are 256 usable presets, 256 user performance patches and 256 General MIDI instruments that are absolutely useless even back then. The presets are the meat of the synth and give your average user all would want from the CS2x. The user performance set is a duplication of the presets, only these are programmable in much more interesting ways. In performance "mode" you can layer up to four different voices on a single patch. That includes sound layering, keyboard splits and more. With a full set of 50 parameters easily accessed with 10 onboard directional buttons and a separate knob you have a wide palette to work with.Remember when the specs said 16 part multimbral? Technically it is, but it's useless in that mode. On order to get 16 parts out of this keyboard you will have to go into the XG format, which is General MIDI. General MIDI was a standard set back when computers didn't have the power to create their own decent sounds via software. So you plug in a GM module or keyboard and it will play GM format sequences. It wasn't a bad idea back then because you can enjoy better music with a better GM synth. However by the time the CS2x came out this format was already on its way out. If you want useable multitimbral voices you have a means to do that in performance mode. Officially Yamaha says you can have 12 part multitimbal in this mode, but I have only found it usable to only four part. Even then there are many, many restrictions based on the keyboard splits you make for each part and so on. In the end I wouldn't look at this keyboard as a multitimbral device, which is another reason I consider it a secondary instrument.Signal effects are 24 bit and they are bright and expressive. The effects are laid out as three independent processors. One with 12 reverb types, one with 14 chorus types, and a third with 62 variations. The reverb and chorus processors are global processors and are not programmable to each patch. The variations, however, are. That means in performance mode you get one reverb and one chorus for the entire patch, but you can have a variation effect on each of the four layers. The variation effects include more reverb and chorus, flanging, LFO modulations, distortion, phase shifting, rotary speaker simulation, noise gate, compressor, EQ, delay and more. I believe all of the effects are programmable, but I have always stuck with the stock settings.The CS2x comes with your standard inputs and outputs. Two 1/4" audio outs (mono/stereo), one 1/4" stereo headphone out, one stereo in (for mixing and outboard audio signal with your synth with no signal processing), sustain pedal input and expression pedal input, MIDI connectors for in, out and thru. One thing kinda different is a serial host port for connection to PC or Macs (USB 1). The keyboard has no onboard power so you need to use the 9volt DC adapter (a wall wart) that should be included. There is also a software disk with XGworks, a Windows based sequencer and patch editor/librarian, included with the package. So if you want the full package make sure the DC adapter and disk are included.If you are into electronic music or even hip hop the CS2x has a lot of goodies to offer. It may not have the same capabilities as a workstation keyboard or even a multitimbral keyboard, but the sounds are where it counts. This keyboard delivers some great supporting sounds, but it's best used as an addition to your primary instrument. With that in mind you get a really good bang for the buck on this keyboard.
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