CS1x FAQs
(Updated 10/04/2000)

• So... is it an analogue synth?
• Can I get an editor for the CS1x?
• Are the effects set up in the same way for both performance and multi mode use?
• Can I apply effects to the analogue input as I can with the MU80?
• Can I sync the on board arpeggiator to MIDI then?
• Why does the Opcode Studio 4 interface on my Macintosh, not support bulk dumps to and from the Yamaha CS1x editor?

O.K.... First a brief history of synthesis. Analogue synths, the kind that are currently very popular within the retro and dance markets relied on a chip known as a VCO or VOLTAGE CONTROLLED OSCILLATOR. This was a self oscillating system that could generate (depending on the chip) various basic waveforms such as square/sawtooth and sine waves. Then along came additive, whereby complex waveforms were generated by the addition of multiple less complex waveforms, and then FM which took this idea and refined it by introducing carriers and modulators.

Then we had the advent of sample and subtractive synths, which relied on a raw PCM sample couped with digital filtering and other subtractions from the original sound to create a new sound, and then more recently we have seen the introduction of physical modeling, whereby a mathematical set of algorithms generates the characteristics of a real or imaginary instrument in realtime. This is used in Yamaha's VL range of keyboards and modules.

The CS1x is in essence a sample and subtractive synth, but features an analogue style control interface, much the same as the classic analogue keyboards of yesteryear, and it is beacause of this, that many people in the dance market have praised the CS1x so highly. Coupling this interface with a range of classic analogue keyboard samples, the CS1x has won the hearts of many a die hard analogue user.

A shareware editor for the PC is now available from the main CS1x Page of this web site.

You can also use the XG editor from Gary Gregson (available from the Yamaha XG Downloads Page) to edit the XG side of the CS1x.

There are 2 main differences in these modes when considering the effects:

1. You can program all settings from parts 5-16 (with the exception of the send level), using the panel on the CS1x. Multimode however requires that you use sysex and controllers.

2. You can only use the variation effect for layers 1-4 in performance mode, in parts 5-16 you can only turn the parts from on to off.

No. The idea with the analogue input is that you can use it as a compact stereo mixer for coupling with, for instance, the output from the Yamaha SU10 compact sampler.

Totally! You just scroll through the arpeggiator temp settings until you reach the maximum value and then you will see highlighted MIDI.

A more comprehensive guide to the CS1x (called The Blue Book) is available in both English and German from the main CS1x Page.

It does, but try it in slow mode and not fast mode. The Yamaha CS1x editor does not support CABLE compatibility.