CS-1

reference: every page, every sound

Generated from the firmware's own page table, so what is here is what the screen shows. The cap colour is the slider's on the screen, following the CS-80's panel; the legends are the slider's ends.

The pages

TONES · HOME

The HOME page: the two rows of tone buttons, the sound's name, and the lower panel's performance levers.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1BRILL- … +
global
Opens or closes every filter: a global cutoff offset.
KNOB 2RESO- … +
global
More or less resonance on every filter.
KNOB 3MIXI … II
global
The balance between channel I (left) and II (right); both at the middle.
KNOB 4VOLUME0 … 10
global
The output level before the master knob.

VCO · EDIT

The oscillator of the channel being edited (SEL picks I or II). The CS-80's VCO section.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1FEET16' … 2'
channel
The channel's octave: 16', 8' (concert pitch), 4', 2'.
KNOB 2WAVESAW PULSE BOTH
channel
Sawtooth, pulse, or both.
KNOB 3PW50% … 90%
channel
The pulse's width, 50 % (square) to 90 %.
KNOB 4PWM0 … 10
channel
How far the pulse width is swept by the channel's own PWM oscillator.

VCO 2 · EDIT

The rest of the VCO section and the two source levels of the VCA section: how much of the filtered signal and of the pure sine reaches the amplifier.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1SPEEDSLOW … FAST
channel
The PWM oscillator's rate.
KNOB 2NOISE0 … 10
channel
White noise mixed in before the filters.
KNOB 3VCF0 … 10
channel
The filtered signal's level into the amplifier.
KNOB 4SINE0 … 10
channel
The pure sine's level into the amplifier: it bypasses the filters, so it adds body the filter cannot take away.

VCF · EDIT

The channel's two filters in series: a high-pass into a low-pass, 12 dB an octave each, with their own resonance.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1HPFLOW … HIGH
channel
The high-pass filter's cutoff.
KNOB 2RES.HLOW … HIGH
channel
Its resonance.
KNOB 3LPFLOW … HIGH
channel
The low-pass filter's cutoff.
KNOB 4RES.LLOW … HIGH
channel
Its resonance. Neither filter self-oscillates, as on the CS-80.

VCF EG · EDIT

The filter envelope. It has no sustain: it starts at IL, reaches AL over the attack, falls back to the resting cutoff over the decay, and on release returns to IL over VCF R (VCA page).

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1IL- … +
channel
Initial level: where the cutoff starts at a note, below (−) or above (+) its resting setting.
KNOB 2AL- … +
channel
Attack level: where the attack takes it before the decay brings it back.
KNOB 3ASHORT … LONG
channel
Attack time, 1 ms to 12 s.
KNOB 4DSHORT … LONG
channel
Decay time.

VCA EG · EDIT

The amplifier's envelope: attack, decay, sustain, release.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1ASHORT … LONG
channel
Attack time.
KNOB 2DSHORT … LONG
channel
Decay time.
KNOB 3S0 … 10
channel
Sustain level.
KNOB 4RSHORT … LONG
channel
Release time.

VCA · EDIT

The filter envelope's release and the channel's level.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1VCF RSHORT … LONG
channel
The filter envelope's release: how long the cutoff takes to return to IL after the key goes.
KNOB 2LEVEL0 … 10
channel
The channel's level.

TOUCH · EDIT

Touch response: how velocity (initial) and pressure (after) brighten and louden the channel. Pressure comes from aftertouch, the expression CC, or the auto after touch curve.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1I.BRIL0 … 10
channel
Initial brilliance: velocity opens the filters.
KNOB 2I.LEV0 … 10
channel
Initial level: velocity sets the loudness. At 0 velocity has no effect, as on the CS-80.
KNOB 3A.BRIL0 … 10
channel
After brilliance: pressure opens the filters, up to three octaves.
KNOB 4A.LEV0 … 10
channel
After level: the note sits 6 dB down until pressed, at full.

SUB OSC · LFO

The sub oscillator, the CS-80's LFO, for all voices: its function (shape), speed and how much goes to pitch and filter.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1FUNCSINE TRI SAW SAW DN SQR
global
The shape: sine, triangle, sawtooth, inverted sawtooth, square.
KNOB 2SPEEDSLOW … FAST
global
Its rate, 0.1 to 40 Hz.
KNOB 3VCO0 … 10
global
Vibrato depth, up to two semitones.
KNOB 4VCF0 … 10
global
Filter sweep depth, up to two octaves.

SUB OSC 2 · LFO

The sub oscillator to the amplifier (tremolo), and its sync to MIDI clock.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1VCA0 … 10
global
Tremolo depth.
KNOB 2SYNCFREE 1/4 … 4 BAR
global
The cycle locked to the clock: a quarter, a half, one, two or four bars. MIDI start restarts it.

TOUCH RESP · LFO

The performance touch levers: the initial pitch bend (a note starts below pitch and slides up, by velocity) and pressure into the sub oscillator's speed, pitch depth and filter depth.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1P.BEND0 … 10
global
Initial pitch bend: the note starts up to two semitones below and slides up, more with velocity.
KNOB 2SPEED0 … 10
global
Pressure speeds the sub oscillator up.
KNOB 3VCO0 … 10
global
Pressure adds vibrato.
KNOB 4VCF0 … 10
global
Pressure adds filter sweep.

AUTO AT · LFO

A pressure curve every note plays by itself, for when nothing sends aftertouch: a wait, a rise to a level, a fall after the key goes. SEQ switches it on and off.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1DELAYSHORT … LONG
global
How long after the note the curve starts, up to about four seconds.
KNOB 2RISESHORT … LONG
global
How long it takes to reach its level.
KNOB 3LEVEL0 … 10
global
The pressure it reaches; 0 switches the curve off.
KNOB 4FALLSHORT … LONG
global
How fast it dies away after the key goes.

PERFORM · ARP

Portamento and glissando, channel II's detune, and VINTAGE: each voice drifting a few cents of its own.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1PORTASHORT … LONG
global
Portamento time: about two seconds an octave at full. 0 is off.
KNOB 2GLISSOFF ON
global
Glissando: the glide in semitone steps.
KNOB 3DETUNE- … +
global
Channel II sharp or flat against I, about half a semitone each way.
KNOB 4VINTAG0 … 10
global
Vintage: each voice wanders to a new tuning offset every second or so, up to 12 cents.

KEYBOARD · ARP

Keyboard control: brilliance and level tilted towards the low or the high end of the keyboard. Nothing at middle C, full effect three octaves out.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1BRIL.LO- … +
global
Brighter (+) or darker (−) towards the bottom of the keyboard.
KNOB 2BRIL.HI- … +
global
The same towards the top.
KNOB 3LEV.LO- … +
global
Louder or quieter towards the bottom (it can only cut).
KNOB 4LEV.HI- … +
global
The same towards the top.

SUSTAIN · ARP

Mode I sustains every note on its own; mode II ends the sustain of the chord before when a new one is played.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1MODEI II
setting
I or II.

RIBBON · ARP

The SELECT encoder is the ribbon: turning it bends the pitch of everything sounding, as the CS-80's ribbon did. Instrument settings.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1HOLDOFF ON
setting
OFF: the spring returns the bend to centre when the knob is still. ON: it stays where you leave it, and turning back through centre lands exactly on it.
KNOB 2RANGEFINE … WIDE
setting
How far a detent bends: 5 cents at FINE to two semitones at WIDE (two octaves at most).
KNOB 3RETURNFAST … SLOW
setting
The spring's time back to centre, 50 ms to 5 s (when HOLD is off).
KNOB 4DELAYNONE … LONG
setting
How long the bend stays put after the knob goes still before the spring takes it back: none to 3 s, finer at the short end. The default is about 150 ms.

RING MOD · FX

The ring modulator on both channels' sum: a sine carrier, its rate pushed up by an attack / decay envelope at every note.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1MOD0 … 10
global
How much of the ring-modulated signal replaces the plain one.
KNOB 2SPEEDSLOW … FAST
global
The carrier's rate, 0.5 Hz to 2 kHz: slow is a tremolo, fast is bells.
KNOB 3DEPTH0 … 10
global
How far the envelope pushes the rate up.
KNOB 4ATTACKSHORT … LONG
global
The envelope's attack.

CHORUS · FX

The ring modulator's envelope decay, and the chorus / tremolo: the CS-80's slow phasing tremolo between left and right (stereo here).

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1R.DECAYSHORT … LONG
global
The ring modulator envelope's decay.
KNOB 2MODEOFF CHORUS TREM
global
Off, chorus (slow and wide) or tremolo (faster, deeper in level).
KNOB 3SPEEDSLOW … FAST
global
Its rate.
KNOB 4DEPTH0 … 10
global
Its depth.

DELAY · FX

A stereo delay, with SYNC overriding TIME in note divisions of the MIDI clock.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1TIMESHORT … LONG
global
10 ms to 1.1 s, when SYNC is FREE.
KNOB 2FEEDBK0 … 10
global
Repeats.
KNOB 3MIX0 … 10
global
The delay's level; 0 is off.
KNOB 4SYNCFREE 1/16 … 1/2
global
FREE, or a note division of the MIDI clock that overrides TIME.

DELAY 2 · FX

The delay's ping-pong, the damping in its feedback, its sync, and TAPE: the character of a tape echo.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1PINGOFF ON
global
The right side on a tap at half the time.
KNOB 2DAMP0 … 10
global
A low-pass in the feedback: repeats get darker.
KNOB 3SYNCFREE 1/16 … 1/2
global
As on the DELAY page.
KNOB 4TAPE0 … 10
global
A tape echo's character: the repeats wander a little (wow and flutter), darken each pass and saturate in the feedback. 0 is the clean delay.

REVERB · FX

A plate after Dattorro: diffused input, two cross-coupled tanks with slowly wandering allpasses, damping in the loop. With a shimmer: the output fed back an octave up.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1MIX0 … 10
global
The reverb's level; 0 is off.
KNOB 2SIZESHORT … LONG
global
The decay, half a second to about 25 s.
KNOB 3DAMP0 … 10
global
Darkens the tail.
KNOB 4SHIMMR0 … 10
global
Feeds the tail back an octave up: it climbs in octaves. Its loop never runs away.

REVERB 2 · FX

The shimmer's interval.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1SHIFT1 … 24
global
The interval the shimmer feeds back at, in semitones: 12 is the octave, 7 a fifth, 19 an octave and a fifth.

PHASER · FX

A six-stage phaser, the right side a quarter turn behind the left. Not on the CS-80; of its era.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1RATESLOW … FAST
global
The sweep's speed, 0.1 to 9 Hz.
KNOB 2DEPTH0 … 10
global
How far the sweep travels, 100 Hz to 5 kHz at full.
KNOB 3FEEDBK0 … 10
global
Feedback round the stages: sharper notches.
KNOB 4MIX0 … 10
global
The phased signal added to the dry; 0 is off.

MAIN · GLO

The lower panel's levers: brilliance and resonance offsets for every filter, TONE, the output level. TONE is an instrument setting rather than part of a sound.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1BRILL- … +
global
As on HOME.
KNOB 2RESO- … +
global
As on HOME.
KNOB 3TONEOPEN … WARM
setting
A gentle 12 dB per octave roll-off above the filters, as the instrument's output stage has it: off at 0, 2.4 kHz at 100 (the CS-80 V's, measured), 1.6 kHz at full. It takes the glass off the sawtooth; BRILL on HOME still opens the filters under it.
KNOB 4VOLUME0 … 10
global
As on HOME.

MIDI · GLO

The channel listened to, which CC acts as pressure, program change on or off, and the learned CC bindings (turn down to clear).

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1CHANOMNI … 16
setting
OMNI, or a channel 1 to 16.
KNOB 2EXPRAT … CC
setting
AT only, or a CC number that also acts as pressure (CC 1 by default).
KNOB 3PROGOFF ON
setting
Program change on or off.
KNOB 4LEARNS0 … 127
setting
How many CCs are bound to parameters; turn it down to 0 to clear them.

KEYS · GLO

Velocity and pressure from the FM-1's own keys (Velo's sensing): twenty of the keys, F3 to C5, sit on rows the chip can measure; the carbon pill under each reads softer or harder as you press. Instrument settings.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1SENSEOFF ON
setting
ON: the sensed keys play with velocity and send polyphonic pressure; OFF: every key plays at velocity 100, as a switch.
KNOB 2DRIVE0 … 4
setting
How hard the row is driven while a key is read, 1 to 4; 2 measured best (firm presses repeat within a few counts). 0 reads through the pull-up alone, which barely tells presses apart.
KNOB 3CURVEHARD … SOFT
setting
The velocity curve's bend: HARD makes a given press play louder, SOFT quieter. Free playing should sit around 60.
KNOB 4LIGHTLOW … HIGH
setting
The reading of the lightest press that still plays: velocity 1. Lower it if soft notes come out louder than you mean.

KEYS 2 · GLO

The pressure range and the top row's fixed velocity.

KnobNameRangeWhat it does
KNOB 1SENSITLOW … HIGH
setting
How much lean is full pressure, counted from where the key rests (the zero follows the key as it settles) and curved so a light lean does little: LOW wants a hard press, HIGH a squeeze.
KNOB 2TOP VEL1 … 127
setting
The velocity of the seven top keys, C#5 to G5, which have no measurable row.

The sounds

In PRESETS order, which is also the program change number. Each pairs a row I tone with a row II tone, as the instrument does. The classic ones are recipes after what is documented about the records, not transcriptions: a guide to the character.

#SoundChannel IChannel IINotes
Vangelis
0BLADE BRASSBrass 1Brass 2The Blade Runner brass from the presets: detuned, a slow swell, vibrato and brightness under pressure, chorus, a little glide.Try
1BR BLUESString 3Brass 3A high, bright, expressive lead for Blade Runner Blues: String 3 at 4' over Brass 3, pressure vibrato, a long synced ping-pong tail.Try
2BR FLUTEFluteOrgan 2The Main Titles flute line: Flute over a quiet Organ 2 an octave down, long portamento for the glides.Try
3BR STRINGSString 1String 2The Blade Runner string pad: slow, chorused, a touch of shimmer.Try
4CHARIOTSBrass 1Brass 3Chariots of Fire brass with its echo, synced to dotted eighths.Try
5UNKNOWN MANBrass 1String 2To the Unknown Man: a brass lead with deep pressure vibrato.Try
6BR BRASS 2Brass 1Brass 2Syntorial's documented recipe: two 50 % pulses an octave apart and 6 cents off, PWM at ~4 Hz, a 650 ms filter swell falling over 10 s.Try
7BRASS SWELLBrass 1Brass 2MusicTech's brass swell: two saws at 60 / 40, a third of the filter range over a second, tape-style delay (a 10 s reverb is set up; add MIX).Try
8BR BLUES 2Brass 1Brass 2Blade Runner Blues as a player set it on the Arturia: Brass 1 + 2 with the performance side up.Try
9END TITLESBrass 1Brass 2The End Titles' sequenced bass: two saws an octave apart under the filter envelope. Sequence it.Try
10CHIMESFluteBassThe manual's Bells & Gongs: Flute + Bass at 4' with the ring modulator fully in.Try
Toto, Thriller
11AFRICAString 1String 4Africa: String 1 + String 4, channel I forward, brilliance down, resonance up, sparing chorus (Reverb Machine).Try
12AFRICA 2String 3String 4Syntorial's Africa: a saw into a half-closed filter, the amplitude decaying over 10 s.Try
13ROSANNABrass 1Brass 2Rosanna's brass pad.Try
14HUMAN NATUREString 1Brass 2Human Nature: String 1 + Brass 2, resonance high, a long release on I, and the glide chromatic (GLISS), as Porcaro played it.Try
15BILLIE JEANString 1Brass 2Billie Jean's chord vamp: the same pair without the glide.Try
16BILLIE KEYSHarpsichord 1Harpsichord 2Syntorial's Billie Jean keys: a narrow pulse with PWM at a quarter note and a short filter blip.Try
the eighties
17BORN USABrass 1String 2Born in the U.S.A.'s intro chords: bright brass over strings.Try
18XMAS BASSString 1BassWonderful Christmastime: the Bass preset alone, the sub oscillator's inverted saw into the filter at ~3 Hz, resonance up.Try
19WHO BASSBassBassThe 1980 Doctor Who bass: Bass at 16' and 8', resonant, with an envelope snap.Try
20BABOOSHKAFluteOrgan 2Babooshka's intro lead: a flute with glide and vibrato.Try
21DUCHESSString 3String 4Genesis' Duchess: strings with a slow glide.Try
22TURN IT ONBrass 1Brass 3Turn It On Again: a punchy brass line.Try
23TIME STRINGSString 1String 2ELO's Time: thick chorused strings, slow attack.Try
24VIENNAString 1Brass 3Ultravox: cold strings over brass, a synced echo.Try
25OXYGENEString 3String 4Jarre: a PWM string pad with a slow filter sweep and a wide chorus.Try
26ENO WASHString 3Organ 2Eno's wash: a dark pad with a very long attack and a huge, dark reverb with shimmer set up on the REVERB page (add MIX).Try
27WALKINGString 3Funky 2Walking on a Dream: a saw with a PWM square through a bandpass, the chorus fast and deep.Try
284001 PLUCKString 3String 4Squarepusher's 4001 pluck, as documented: both filters on, resonance up, a short filter decay, a long release.Try
294001 STRINGSString 1String 24001's strings: an octave apart, filters open, brilliance up, vibrato at 4 Hz.Try
30LONG BRASSBrass 2Brass 3Metric's slow brass: a long attack, the filter opening under pressure.Try
31SHRIEK LEADFunky 3Funky 1Jesper Kyd's high, screaming lead: Funky 3 at 2'.Try
32SQUELCH BASSFunky 1BassDillinger's squelchy bass.Try
the manual's own examples and the plain pairs
33TRUMPETBrass 1Brass 2The manual's trumpet: a saw with IL and AL fully apart.Try
34CLARINETClavichord 1Electric PianoThe manual's clarinet: a 50 % square into a half-open filter.Try
35OBOEHarpsichord 1Harpsichord 2The manual's oboe: a 90 % pulse through a narrow bandpass.Try
36TIMPANIGuitar 1BassThe manual's timpani: a noise mallet over a 16' drum.Try
37STRINGS 1+2String 1String 2Try
38BRASS 1+2Brass 1Brass 2Try
39FLUTE+BASSFluteBassTry
40ORGANSOrgan 1Organ 2Try
41CLAVSClavichord 1Clavichord 2Try
42HARPSIHarpsichord 1Harpsichord 2Try
43E.PIANOElectric PianoString 4Try
44FUNKY 1+2Funky 1Funky 2Try
with the effects
45TAPE PADString 1String 4Strings 1 + 4 slow, a synced tape echo under a long plate, the phaser drifting: the effects as part of the sound.Try
46SHIMMER CHOIRFluteString 4A flute at 8' with strings an octave up and the sine up: slow, and the plate's shimmer climbing behind it.Try
47PHASE STRINGSString 1String 2Strings 1 + 2 through the phaser at full, feedback high: the seventies string machine.Try
48ECHO KEYSElectric PianoClavichord 2Electric piano with a clavichord edge, a synced ping-pong tape echo and a small plate.Try
49TAPE BRASSBrass 1Brass 3Brass 1 + 3 with the tape echo on the beat and the auto after touch leaning in: the Vangelis echo.Try
50DEEP DRIFTString 3BassStrings over a 16' bass, the voices drifting far, a very slow deep phaser and a dark shimmering plate.Try
after CS-80 V presets, our names
51TYRELL TOWERits own panelits own panelSlow, wide strings under a long hall: the end-titles feeling.Try
52RAIN ON NEONits own panelits own panelA dark pad with the tremolo moving and the auto after touch leaning in.Try
53BRASS SECTIONits own panelits own panelA full brass section from two sawtooths, the filter opening as you lean.Try
54RISING BRASSits own panelits own panelBrass that swells up over its attack.Try
55SOFT BRASSits own panelits own panelA gentle brass pad for chords.Try
56STRING MACHINEits own panelits own panelThe classic CS-80 string ensemble.Try
57STRINGS 81its own panelits own panelBright early-eighties strings.Try
58CHAMBERits own panelits own panelA small, close string section.Try
59WARM SKYits own panelits own panelA warm, slow pad.Try
60FIELD FLUTEits own panelits own panelA breathy flute.Try
61ICE BELLSits own panelits own panelRing-modulated bells with a long tail.Try
62BELL TOWERits own panelits own panelLarge tuned bells.Try
63GLASS ORGANits own panelits own panelA narrow PWM pulse under a pure sine a fifth up, the repeats climbing a fifth.Try
64MUSIC BOXits own panelits own panelA small, bright plucked toy.Try
65CLAV FUNKits own panelits own panelA funky clavinet.Try
66SWIM BASSits own panelits own panelTry
67FAR SHOREits own panelits own panelA wide, distant pad.Try
68RAINDROPSits own panelits own panelSoft plucked droplets.Try