Here are the isolations for the above track for GX-80 (five instances) and BBCSO Pro + a tiny bit of LABS. There is no other sound source in the project, so makes for an interesting comparison of “sonic workload” of the two products. Despite that most would categorize the track as orchestral with some background synth doing the weird ambiance, GX-80 is actually very prominent throughout.
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Their advice is turn off the update option. I believe it’s as simple as that.
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I think I had it already turned off but it was more than a year ago.
At the moment it is not high priority. I have all synths I need for my setup. Most interesting for me now is the development of Zebra 3.
That’s fair enough - you have what you need.
Full disclaimer: I’m an endorsee of this synth - and, as is the case for most of us, I have no shortage of instruments. I’ve had the competition’s version for quite a few years and it certainly gave a taste of what a real CS-80 can do.
Here comes a vintage story….
I spent more than a little time on the CS-80 back in the day. I was heavily associated with Roland when Yamaha released that instrument. In 1977 I went to Milan, to the Italian version of NAMM. I was demonstrating the GR500 guitar synth for Roland.
Monzino was the Italian distributor for Yamaha, Norlin (Moog, Gibson) and Roland. You can imagine the size of their stand. Huge company. Moog were pushing the Polymoog, which already had 2 years behind it, and Dave Bristow was demonstrating the CS-80. The Roland Jupiter 4 was still 2 years away.
Norlin reps were walking around with ‘polychip’ medallions around their necks.
Yamaha’s area was a big room with a stage on which a CS-80 sat. No flash lighting.
Norlin had a whole production with lights and projection showing an orchestra playing whenever the Polymoog strings preset was being demonstrated.
I think I spent as much time jamming with Dave on the Yamaha stage than doing GR500 demos. I could not stay away from that CS-80. It was so obvious to any synthesist that Yamaha had created something unimaginably powerful as a performance instrument, with real depth and authenticity. A synth that really spoke to the player in a two way conversation. It gave back.
This might sound like flowery language, but there was creative genius in that design. Yamaha had thought first and foremost about the interaction of musicians with their instrument, and in the hands of the wonderful Dave Bristow, it was breathtaking. Dave understood the emotional value of the CS-80’s poly aftertouch and so did everyone who heard it.
Even the ribbon controller… Dave lit up when he described how great it felt.
The Polymoog was, by comparison, a bit of a pumped up Vox Continental. Ouch - I know - but that divide down oscillator, the nature of the envelopes and lack of true synth staples, like portamento… the sound of it …. you knew the difference on a visceral level.
Because of my association with Roland, it would’ve been a little uncool to buy a CS-80 though I desperately wanted one. I would regularly rent one for sessions.
You needed a couple of willing young backs to move it. OMG, it weighed.
A few short years later, the Jupiter 8 was here and that whole generation of polysynths was ruling the roost, primarily because you could actually carry the things.
And, on that note, I was working at RAK studios in 1981, and on entering studio 2, I was greeted by this huge white theatre organ. It was a GX-1. I was at RAK quite a lot over the next couple of years and had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of that thing.
Now, here’s the point; and it ain’t as if I’m making money out of it (I’m not) or that the plug in breaks the bank at $59, (it doesn’t) … I just want to say that if I had no clue about the price and the question was purely ‘what do you think?’ , I would say that the emotional response would be very close to the first time I played those instruments- and that’s something I never forgot.
No other synth ever spoke to me that way, and this Cherry realization, with GX-1 features slotted into the CS-80 architecture, the sound, the response, is just magnificent.
I have spent quite a few days with this instrument since it arrived and I’m lost in its gorgeous sound and musicality.
For me, this is what a synth should be. A real musical instrument.
Gushing enough? 
Ade
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I just wish we had more options for purchasing a controller with poly aftertouch 
- Paul
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Eventually I will invest in a used Ensoniq…
The poly AT options are relatively few, but they are good. My favourites… Hydrasynth, Hydrasynth Deluxe, Roli Seaboard. Soon to come - Expressive Osmose. If Behringer are to be believed then more will arrive from that direction.
I was disappointed that Novation’s Summit didn’t include a poly AT keyboard - it really could have done with it.
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That is the amazing thing about the GX-80; it provides pseudo poly aftertouch - and it is very effective. Have you checked it out? The last note played obtains the aftertouch. Closest thing to poly AT without actually being poly AT. You can weave notes into the playing and the filter starts singing and vibbing in the middle of a chord, or just the melody, or bottom end. When you get into it you feel like you’re playing with poly AT.
Ade
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LOL, I don’t even play keys and felt this way about GX-80 just sequencing it.
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Thanks for the insights.
Double checked the settings of Memory Mode at the old songs - all relevant options were off.
I just downloaded v 1.40 of Memory Mode and I’ll watch the behavior during the next months.
I won’t use it live because in general I don’t have the time and patience to always check activation statuses - too many tools so that is not an option (license key files would be easier to handle).
BTW: The GX-80 seems to be too interesting to ignore it.
Hi - I don’t think those plug-in options save with the song. Every project opens with the last status set.
I am starting to get the GAS for the hydrasynth esp in deluxe form after finally finding some demos that made me go “wow” instead of “meh”, and it is now at least two years since I snuck a new keyboard into the toy room, and I only need a four tier A frame to fit one more in by expanding vertically…… 
In the context of this thread, it would be really cool to have a Poly AT keyboard (and the deluxe has added release velocity as well) and that long ribbon.
Looks like I’ll be writing to Santa….
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You’ll need an architect, and a permit for that high rise.
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Well I hate to add fuel to a GAS fire, but Hydrasynth is certainly a fabulous instrument in its own right, let alone being a poly AT controller. At a push I would say that the keyboard is slightly more ‘knows what I’m thinking’ on the HS than the one on the Deluxe, but it’s marginal. The extra keys on the Deluxe are certainly welcome.
I don’t need much help on the GAS, but I guess every little helps. 
I’ve always been intrigued with the idea of Poly AT, but always felt the original Hydrasynth was a strange package in only having four octaves, so the 76 keys of the deluxe does it it for me in terms of format and that then being a controller (and sound engine of course) on the bottom tier, like my Montage 7 is (excellent controller with a really good sound engine!).
The next thing was how good the synth engine was, as I would say that 90% of what I have seen does not do it justice at all. But over the last month have been finding demos that make me say “I want one of those”!
Hydrasynth sounds fabulous. No problem there. If you don’t like what you’ve heard that says more about the person using it - it can sound however you program and play it to sound.
Whoa! Now that is a cool idea.
Wouldn’t it be great to implement this behavior as a Cantabile filter?
The filter should latch the last note played and convert all incoming Channel AT messages to Poly AT messages for that latched note.
All plugins recognizing Poly AT could be played from a standard controller…unless I am missing something. @brad, would it be possible?
Gabriel
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I think that filter idea is a great concept.
Seems to me that the note on would need to be delayed until the Poly AT message was generated and sent to the plug-in, converting all future aftertouch events to that note until the next note was played.
A bit like the way ‘running status’ operates.
If it could be done … wow.
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That’s what I am hoping. I live far away from decent music stores, so am quite reliant as to what I can find on the internet in terms of demos, when making buying choices.
I had the same issue when I brought my Prophet X - I found a new one at bargain price, but agonised as to whether to go for it as there were no decent demos that I could find. But I took a punt as the shop had a good returns policy, and was glad I went for it.
I found the same issue with the Hydrasynth, including the ASM demos that you get to find first, but then I found a few including some ASM Demos and from some patch programmers that I look out for, and they tell me a decent story. It’s a bit like organ demos. Why are they usually always cheesy blues, jazz or gospel demos, with very few good rock demos, let alone prog?
Anyway, I will be taking the plunge on the Hydrasynth. Hope to order it on the weekend, so Santa can pick it up ready for crimbo.
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