This was my first synth. Three more, a digital piano, and six months later, my playing skills have improved dramatically, and this is still the instrument I reach for when I want to relax. It’s not a professional instrument. It’s not a toy. It’s the ultimate gateway drug into the world of music and synthesizers. I love this thing
What is a “professional instrument” any instrument that one might use to perform music with at a paid gig? Plenty of people have been paid to play one of these on stage.
@@benhall2235Totally agree. The "professional" is not about the cost, it is about the personal. That elitist thinking is what ruins the experience of many, a clear example is the 'Microkorg', a small synthesizer that all "experts" avoid because it is cheap or because it looks like a "toy", then you realize that PROFESSIONAL artists like The Killers, Justice, Tame Impala, etc. have used it in their songs. An instrument is an instrument.
I personally use the reface yc on stage with a in my area known reggae band. In combination with a fx pedal for overdrive and leslie effect its producing a really good organ sound. (Regarding some aspects even more authentic than a nord organ) So yes i would consider the refaces "real" instruments. Although price has nothing to say if the sound is great. Its just about fitting to the music you make.
3/4 of my audio gear is made by Yamaha, piano, e-drums, guitar, two refaces (CP and CS), guitar amp (THR10) Quality of their products is absolutely outstanding
God I hate the elitist mentality amongst synth players. Go to literally any synth demo and look in the comments, half the people say it's too expensive/sounds and looks like a toy/ whatever synth they have is better in every way. This seems like an amazing intermediate level synth, but no, anything less than Moog is a toy
no because in 10 years this kind of product will be broken !!! lead free solder is a part of the problem . try to repair a moog voyager (6 layers pcb) , dave smiths or another shit stuff ,"normally" the brands have to publish the schematics but they don't ... you can still repair a minimog ! am i wrong ?
But thats because this Yamaha Reface is NOTHING more than just a toy, whether you have a Moog or not, whether you play guitar or drums or not. This "thing" cannot be taken seriously. Honestly, can you see Jean Michel Jarre sitting and playing this thing? No, didn't think so. Thanks.
The SK series from the early eighties were the best. I had a SK 30 as my first synth when I was 15 in 1983. and I understand a lot of programing. I actually Taught sound synthesis in 1986 at a music store for programing a Dx7...No one understood the DX7, it was like NASA gave you a rocket and said merry Christmas..
I don't understand, why people are bitchin' about the Reface line... "Small keys!, too expensive!, shitty sound!". Show me ANY PRODUCT that delivers so many options in so small, portable and CHEAP package! Where would you find anything similar to eg. CP? Native instruments Scrabee Vintage Keys - 150 Euros, than you have to add midi controller to your rack - at least 100 Euros, than you need laptop. And that's it. You can go this way, or you can just buy Yamaha CP, which gives you EVERYTHING you need in one, elegant, logical solution. No mouse clicking, no presets, no cables, just few knobs, intuitive layout and BIG sound. You can take it anywhere and in an instatnt you have pro sounds at your fingertips. Not to mention great sounding FX on board. Ref CS? It cost about the same as MiniBrute. Well, Minibrute has normal-sized keys, but Yamaha has three octaves. Which, I think, you would prefer, if you had experience with POLY SYNTH! CS has 8-note polyphony! Show me 8-note poly synth with FM modulator and onboard effects. Show me anything that cheap with so many possibilities. MiniBrute, MS-10 and so on? Mono synths needing other stuff to just to turn it on, not to mention playing with it. DX? No comparison to anything on the market. Simple, small FM synth with amazing sound. Not understanding how FM synthesis works? No prob, just play with basic 4 sliders. Wanna create your own sounds from the scratch? Get a degree and then click Edit. Boom! What else could you get to have FM synth? NI FM8+controller+laptop+speakers. Again, you have to invest much more. And you don't have portability you have with any Reface product. Reface YC? Again, nothing like that on the market. simple, small solution with 5 organ models, drawbars and onboard effects. 500 bucks? That's CHEAP. Wanna play Farfisa organs while taking a dump? No prob. Then wanna compose a track in your super-duper home studio? Plug it to your DAW via MIDI, plug outs to your soundcard and you have complementary, pro, studio solution. Need bigger keys or/and more octaves? No problem, you have MIDI In. Just plug any midi controller and you're good to go. And then wanna go on vacation with some instrument to have fun with, compose while sitting on the beach? Wanna play with your guitarist friend at night by the fire? Try to do this with Korg MS-10 :) I think people forgot what's important in music. It is playability and creativity, not the way it looks on your desk. You don't need bunch of stuff to play music, you need complementary intrument, who cares how it looks? If it doesn't look like Doepfer Eurorack synth, it immidietely is bad? No. Who cares about looks, size, what's importatnt - what you can do with it. Basically, with any of Refaces you can do exactly tha same things you could do with much bigger and more expensive insruments, which probably wound never leave your hosue due to their size. I had chance to play these instruments. aNd I immidietely fell in love with these. It releases so much creativity, when you have simple, small and complete solution with you. These instruments have the same spirit as an acoustic guitar or any other acoustic intrument. All in one solution, just take it on your lap and play. It is so much fun, when you don't have to turn on your computer, than your speakers, than you DAW, than your virtual instrument. No matter how much these products will be critisized, I think they will over time become legendary. Just like Yamaha DX7, Roland TR808/909 and so much more other instruments. At the begginning they were critisized, and then... they became legendary :)
Haha you don't need a university degree to program fm. Its pretty easy once you get your head around it. The thing about those old Dxs is they didn't have the most user friendly interface. The reface DX has a great interface.
While I do partially agree with criticism on this device, it's less then half the price of a Minilogue. And that's after the price just dropped 10% today. Only the Monologue is in the same price range (still noticably more), but that one is a mono synth and has only 2 octaves, rendering it pretty much useless in my opinion. So everything in this price range is slightly too small and cramped and kind of needs an external keyboard in my opinion. Making them rather impractical for live use. I wouldn't mind having a CS to play with at home though... Bang for the buck wise I think it's a good deal. I don't see them becoming legendary, but I think they'll hold their value reasonably well despite it not following the analog trend.
People are bitching because they just bought something else and realized it wasn't worth the money for what they wanted to do, and they're insecure. Ignore them.
Exactly, no reason to keep rebuying an expensive full key synth when you can get compact units with the different sounds you want and control them with your preferred full size keyboard!
I’ve been looking at what to buy for my first synth and I think I’m going to go with this. Sounds really capable and I like the fact it has no presets so that I can properly learn about synthesis
Got to try out this along with a couple of the other Reface models. Love it, it can be gigged with, used for song writing, can get tons of work in a studio set up form small to big. Think it's too small? Get your preferred keyboard controller and use that, just like if you bought one of dozens of other synths which are synth only, no keys. Listed at $799, never seen anyone sell it over $599, and right now they're $399 on some sites. And some people think that's too expensive, but this isn't a toy. It's a professional musical instrument and tool. When you only have so much space in your little studio and you're tired of soft synths, or don't have that option (not using plugins maybe? tracking analog with no computer?) this is a compact fun to play with, easy to learn, serious synth that'll save your space and you're back. It's either this or the Korg Minilogue for me.
I really enjoy the sounds this synthesizer provides. I especially like how at certain settings, you can easily get some old school vg synths on this synthesizer. I sure would like to purchase one along with the reface dx.
Update: I bought the Yamaha reface cs and it is totally phenomenal. It’s one of the best synthesizers I’ve ever own along with a korg volca fm. I’ve been using it for my recordings and it was amazing. The reface cs is a definite keeper. 😎🎹
+RR 1976 The REFACE CS has an amazing sound. No need to use any software. What Yamaha have done is a miracle. Theyve condensed the power of a CS80 into this small portable synthesiser. Im not kidding im going to upload the sound that made me buy this synth this week. I programmed it on my friends REFACE CS. And no one will believe it came from this small synth. Trust me alot of people are going to be seriously impressed with this single sound. Ive named it Vangelis for a reason. It is one of the most beautiful epic sounds you will ever hear come from a synthesiser.
Hi, I know your comment is 3 years old, but, fancy helping a newcomer to the synth world? :) If so, just a quick question.... Which do you think is better? Yamaha Reface CS or Novation Mininova? Thank you!
I pulled the trigger today on this. I figured it's been out for eight years, and it won't be around forever, so I jumped. I think it's a good tribute to the CS80. Just loads of fun in a small package. Out of all the Reface instruments I think this one has the most personality. The CP is nice tho too, although not my first choice for organ sounds. I think I'm going to love this!
peter47a You will be able to save presets to an iPhone or iPad through a preset management app. Much better than managing it through some tiny screen. And I quite like the interactive nature of it, it reminds me of my very first synth - just a panel of knobs and sliders, no presets on that!
If Yamaha made a 16 voice version with some more bells and whistles (more LFOs and EGs, full-sized keys, velocity to name a few), they'd struggle to keep up with demand.
Even though I've had enough of simple subtractive synth like that, since I definitely prefer sliders to knobs, I might be getting one some day in addition to reface DX (which I'm yet to have either :P).
This seems like a perfect keyboard to take with you to a buddy's for a jam session. Loop recorder comes in handy that way. It might just be exactly what I'm looking for in a mobile synth.
I finally decided to buy one. Well I always wanted to but I finally could (finding work was hard). Only keyboard I had until now was a crappy sampled based Roland EM-15. Basically you see the sounds your computer makes when you play a midi file ? Well it's this but with slightly better quality samples plus reverb and chorus (I've had it for 10 years now ! And it was already 5 years old when I got it). Now I'm gonna have a proper synth !
This could replace my Roland SH-1000... It has all the sounds I'd need, and has a monophonic mode and polyphonic mode. Damn, everything about this makes me want to get one to make my workstation more ergonomic. I might sell the SH-1000 and use the money to buy one of these.
I can't get over HOW ALL these Reface Keyboards SOUND. LOVE THESE videos!! Keep up the great work! Which one would you pick if you could only pick one?
Street price looks like £289 inc tax in the UK, which makes sense now: these are great entry-level instruments for schools (and anyone that wants battery-power). They actually sound pretty good for the price too, and it's quite impressive how they have used such a limited range of controls. Really hope they make bigger, full-function versions of these now...
I don't mind that this is digital, in fact, like the Roland Boutiques, this sounds plenty good. My biggest complaint is that not only does it have mini keys, there's a limited amount of sliders. But the price on this is a screaming deal. What I'd love to see is Yamaha create a "shell" like the old CS-80, or pretty close to it, with the guts of two of these (plus reverb) inside. Granted, such a thing wouldn't be $299.
The guts of this in the shell of the CS-80 would just have lots of obsolete sliders on there. The sliders are the guts, in the sense that they are the physically moving parts which control those guts
Hi Doctor! Could you kindly show us how to use the looper tempo synced to a drum machine, let's say a Roland TR-8S? Many thanks, your videos are very inspiring ! Keep up the good work.
A computer VST user enters forested wild world of Old Skool synths without presets : He hears the primal wind blow across the barren desert plateaus, prickly cacti stubbornly clinging to unforgiving rocky ground. He feels fear but an unexplained longing calling him to step forward ... a surge of some strange privative adrenalin rush going through his veins. He has left the safe comfortable city-dome of the repressive controlled post apocalyptic society of presets and entered the unknown and unforgiving wilderness! Wish him luck!
Instead of risking buying a second hand JP-8000, or gutting a Virus that no longer has 64bit DAW support, I went with the CS. It's faithful Super Saw trance is killer
These look so sooo so soooo cool! but please 399$ Once they go down, I'll grab this one as well as the DX. Maybe even the other two. They really look cool and actually I dig the small keys. With a cheaper price I really feel these will be classic.
dude, your videos are amazing. the synths sound great, but you're making actual good use of the sounds for demonstration, very cool! :-) can you please play ELP "fanfare for the common man" on this thing? :-D
5:31 he nails that Wonderful Christmas time sound almost to a T. All its missing is some analog delay. I guess this thing really does sound a lot like the real deal. More so than that Arturia model.
A little bit too enthusiast for my taste, Dr. Mix, but at least you are doing an excellent demo/review and cover a wide soundscape with it. Thanks for that!
I like the serie, but whats wrong with a 19" module these days? without keys they can save up on the price & more importantly save space in my studio, its just not practical to stack 20 toy size keyboards & desktops, not to mention live gigs
Interesting point. I can think of a few reasons: 1. Fewer people have preexisting racks now than before. 2. People want hands-on control 3. Racks aren't in vogue 4. Manufacturers can probably make more money making individual units than stuffing every sound in one unit. Probably more reasons.
Hexspa Well u would say most have a midi controller/keyboard these days, so individual units is fine, but most have no need for plenty of toy sized keyboards taking up space, but i guess money & the fact that they can be battery charged for the road is the main issue, still i would prefer 19'' size with 1 masterkeyboard
Hexspa Well lets face it, about every synth the past 20y was retro based to recreate the analogue sounds in a digital unit or software, so retro IS the future but without the whiplash to move them :)
I apologize in advance for even bringing this up, but I find your accent absolutely fascinating. You sound Spanish and Dutch, but you're actually Italian and British, right? The connections between the languages just mentioned fascinates me...
Clearly the best Reface. The CP/YC are mostly available in the microKorg XL, and the DX is still not going to be fun to program. I wonder if it can load patches made on FM8... Either way, this is clearly a monster of a synth!
Hi Jamie, we certainly love the reface CS too! I guess the difference with the CP and YC compared to the microKorg is that they let you customise the sound in a very fun way. You would be surprised how much fun programming the DX is (watch this space for our new videos on it!). Unfortunately it can not load patches made on the FM8.
Hi Jamie, yes they do. Pitch bend works on all four of the refaces. Velocity works on the DX and CP. Aftertouch is not assigned as a function so wouldn't work. Hope this helps :)
See now this is pretty cool. I didn't like the organ or the piano because of the tiny keyboard but it's plenty for a synth. I don't know if it's $500 cool but it's cool.
![ILLSLICK - KILLSHOT REMIX [FULL VERSION]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RIK8RrqIAzE/mqdefault.jpg)
This was my first synth. Three more, a digital piano, and six months later, my playing skills have improved dramatically, and this is still the instrument I reach for when I want to relax. It’s not a professional instrument. It’s not a toy. It’s the ultimate gateway drug into the world of music and synthesizers. I love this thing
Next step: Get a real, vintage Yamaha DX-7 and enter nerd heaven!
next step: stop being a brony
What is a “professional instrument” any instrument that one might use to perform music with at a paid gig? Plenty of people have been paid to play one of these on stage.
@@benhall2235Totally agree. The "professional" is not about the cost, it is about the personal. That elitist thinking is what ruins the experience of many, a clear example is the 'Microkorg', a small synthesizer that all "experts" avoid because it is cheap or because it looks like a "toy", then you realize that PROFESSIONAL artists like The Killers, Justice, Tame Impala, etc. have used it in their songs. An instrument is an instrument.
I personally use the reface yc on stage with a in my area known reggae band. In combination with a fx pedal for overdrive and leslie effect its producing a really good organ sound. (Regarding some aspects even more authentic than a nord organ)
So yes i would consider the refaces "real" instruments. Although price has nothing to say if the sound is great. Its just about fitting to the music you make.
Watching this video in 2019. The tone you got at 8:25 sold me. Immediately went over to Sweetwater and picked one up. Can't wait to use this synth.
Same here. Ordered it today.
@@constantfind9052 yes this can do both
Lol I was thinking the same. Did you buy..I'm between this one and DX
Lucky..
Hahah wish I had the money
Yamaha just perfects everything, motorcycles, electronics, instruments. If they make it im buying it.
3/4 of my audio gear is made by Yamaha, piano, e-drums, guitar, two refaces (CP and CS), guitar amp (THR10)
Quality of their products is absolutely outstanding
even instruments that sound like motorcycles lmao
You forgot target recurve bows and snowmobiles!
The complete absence of patch memory makes this synth far from perfect...
....and the V10 Engine for the Lexus supercar LFA
God I hate the elitist mentality amongst synth players. Go to literally any synth demo and look in the comments, half the people say it's too expensive/sounds and looks like a toy/ whatever synth they have is better in every way. This seems like an amazing intermediate level synth, but no, anything less than Moog is a toy
no because in 10 years this kind of product will be broken !!!
lead free solder is a part of the problem .
try to repair a moog voyager (6 layers pcb) , dave smiths or another shit stuff ,"normally" the brands have to publish the schematics but they don't ... you can still repair a minimog !
am i wrong ?
Man idk. But i get your point. I have a yamaha pss from 1988 working fine.
+sel bel I guess i tend to think a reface will longer the same. Good sound.
But thats because this Yamaha Reface is NOTHING more than just a toy, whether you have a Moog or not, whether you play guitar or drums or not. This "thing" cannot be taken seriously. Honestly, can you see Jean Michel Jarre sitting and playing this thing? No, didn't think so. Thanks.
@@hedegaard8 that's like litterally your opinion.
The SK series from the early eighties were the best. I had a SK 30 as my first synth when I was 15 in 1983. and I understand a lot of programing. I actually Taught sound synthesis in 1986 at a music store for programing a Dx7...No one understood the DX7, it was like NASA gave you a rocket and said merry Christmas..
Bought one, and i can assure you this is amazing. Looks and sounds amazing for the price.
I don't understand, why people are bitchin' about the Reface line... "Small keys!, too expensive!, shitty sound!". Show me ANY PRODUCT that delivers so many options in so small, portable and CHEAP package!
Where would you find anything similar to eg. CP? Native instruments Scrabee Vintage Keys - 150 Euros, than you have to add midi controller to your rack - at least 100 Euros, than you need laptop. And that's it. You can go this way, or you can just buy Yamaha CP, which gives you EVERYTHING you need in one, elegant, logical solution. No mouse clicking, no presets, no cables, just few knobs, intuitive layout and BIG sound. You can take it anywhere and in an instatnt you have pro sounds at your fingertips. Not to mention great sounding FX on board.
Ref CS? It cost about the same as MiniBrute. Well, Minibrute has normal-sized keys, but Yamaha has three octaves. Which, I think, you would prefer, if you had experience with POLY SYNTH! CS has 8-note polyphony! Show me 8-note poly synth with FM modulator and onboard effects. Show me anything that cheap with so many possibilities. MiniBrute, MS-10 and so on? Mono synths needing other stuff to just to turn it on, not to mention playing with it.
DX? No comparison to anything on the market. Simple, small FM synth with amazing sound. Not understanding how FM synthesis works? No prob, just play with basic 4 sliders. Wanna create your own sounds from the scratch? Get a degree and then click Edit. Boom! What else could you get to have FM synth? NI FM8+controller+laptop+speakers. Again, you have to invest much more. And you don't have portability you have with any Reface product.
Reface YC? Again, nothing like that on the market. simple, small solution with 5 organ models, drawbars and onboard effects. 500 bucks? That's CHEAP. Wanna play Farfisa organs while taking a dump? No prob. Then wanna compose a track in your super-duper home studio? Plug it to your DAW via MIDI, plug outs to your soundcard and you have complementary, pro, studio solution.
Need bigger keys or/and more octaves? No problem, you have MIDI In. Just plug any midi controller and you're good to go. And then wanna go on vacation with some instrument to have fun with, compose while sitting on the beach? Wanna play with your guitarist friend at night by the fire? Try to do this with Korg MS-10 :)
I think people forgot what's important in music. It is playability and creativity, not the way it looks on your desk. You don't need bunch of stuff to play music, you need complementary intrument, who cares how it looks? If it doesn't look like Doepfer Eurorack synth, it immidietely is bad? No. Who cares about looks, size, what's importatnt - what you can do with it. Basically, with any of Refaces you can do exactly tha same things you could do with much bigger and more expensive insruments, which probably wound never leave your hosue due to their size.
I had chance to play these instruments. aNd I immidietely fell in love with these. It releases so much creativity, when you have simple, small and complete solution with you. These instruments have the same spirit as an acoustic guitar or any other acoustic intrument. All in one solution, just take it on your lap and play. It is so much fun, when you don't have to turn on your computer, than your speakers, than you DAW, than your virtual instrument.
No matter how much these products will be critisized, I think they will over time become legendary. Just like Yamaha DX7, Roland TR808/909 and so much more other instruments. At the begginning they were critisized, and then... they became legendary :)
Haha you don't need a university degree to program fm. Its pretty easy once you get your head around it. The thing about those old Dxs is they didn't have the most user friendly interface. The reface DX has a great interface.
but minilogue can only do 4 notes
sejtaridiss volca keys, cheers!
While I do partially agree with criticism on this device, it's less then half the price of a Minilogue. And that's after the price just dropped 10% today. Only the Monologue is in the same price range (still noticably more), but that one is a mono synth and has only 2 octaves, rendering it pretty much useless in my opinion.
So everything in this price range is slightly too small and cramped and kind of needs an external keyboard in my opinion. Making them rather impractical for live use. I wouldn't mind having a CS to play with at home though... Bang for the buck wise I think it's a good deal. I don't see them becoming legendary, but I think they'll hold their value reasonably well despite it not following the analog trend.
People are bitching because they just bought something else and realized it wasn't worth the money for what they wanted to do, and they're insecure. Ignore them.
This is my go to synth for Juno 106 style chord pads. It can do a ton more! Great value for the cost and an awesome design.
I was thinking that I was alone with that opinion.
Thank you for sharing your talent on our Reface CS! Keep up the great work!
+Yamaha Corporation of America Thank you so much! Respect to you all :-)
Is there a way to transpose notes by semitones on this Synth? Couldn't find it on the manual
I'd like to see a Reface XL, the same with proper sized keys, pitch wheel and assignable after touch.
Easy run it through a controller keyboard or OTHER synth like I do through my DX7. Its magical.
Exactly, no reason to keep rebuying an expensive full key synth when you can get compact units with the different sounds you want and control them with your preferred full size keyboard!
I’ve been looking at what to buy for my first synth and I think I’m going to go with this. Sounds really capable and I like the fact it has no presets so that I can properly learn about synthesis
My thoughts exactly, that’s why I ultimately decided on this over the reface dx
The reface line is pure quality in tone and playability. Super musical, all of them.
this is so cool ... no presets ... just old skool adjusting ... you could even run this through various effects or guitar pedals
As soon you started playing Jump, I was giggling, when you went "Jump!" I fell out of my chair. I'm buying this.
Hanger bb v
I love the simplicity, just modifying some good old waveforms. :thumbs up emoji:
I love the design of it, it’s so clean and also kind of retro. The first few min of playing really shows it off lol.
This one sounds the most awesome of the 4, but I still want them all.
Man that percussion sound was excellent, could make some excellent tunes out of that.
+SeraphimKnight Absolutely!
Got to try out this along with a couple of the other Reface models. Love it, it can be gigged with, used for song writing, can get tons of work in a studio set up form small to big. Think it's too small? Get your preferred keyboard controller and use that, just like if you bought one of dozens of other synths which are synth only, no keys.
Listed at $799, never seen anyone sell it over $599, and right now they're $399 on some sites. And some people think that's too expensive, but this isn't a toy. It's a professional musical instrument and tool. When you only have so much space in your little studio and you're tired of soft synths, or don't have that option (not using plugins maybe? tracking analog with no computer?) this is a compact fun to play with, easy to learn, serious synth that'll save your space and you're back.
It's either this or the Korg Minilogue for me.
+Federline Smith Couldn't agree more! :)
god the last couple of seconds in which you tried the looper... Breathtaking....
Great demo brother I've been watching this video for three years.. I think its time I buy the damn thing.
Do it! It's so fun no matter what your style or expertise level
@@DanJDThompson I did and I am very very happy :) this little guy makes me smile so hard
best demo of this unit on the internet
the tone this dude dials in at 8:18 is righteous
It’s so crazy how different it was like just a few seconds before hah
I really enjoy the sounds this synthesizer provides. I especially like how at certain settings, you can easily get some old school vg synths on this synthesizer. I sure would like to purchase one along with the reface dx.
Update: I bought the Yamaha reface cs and it is totally phenomenal. It’s one of the best synthesizers I’ve ever own along with a korg volca fm. I’ve been using it for my recordings and it was amazing. The reface cs is a definite keeper. 😎🎹
+RR 1976
The REFACE CS has an amazing sound. No need to use any software. What Yamaha have done is a miracle. Theyve condensed the power of a CS80 into this small portable synthesiser. Im not kidding im going to upload the sound that made me buy this synth this week. I programmed it on my friends REFACE CS. And no one will believe it came from this small synth. Trust me alot of people are going to be seriously impressed with this single sound.
Ive named it Vangelis for a reason. It is one of the most beautiful epic sounds you will ever hear come from a synthesiser.
+PROJECT DX We look forward to hearing it!
PROJECT DX so where is it,one year past?
Still waiting for that demo, bro.
Hi, I know your comment is 3 years old, but, fancy helping a newcomer to the synth world? :) If so, just a quick question.... Which do you think is better? Yamaha Reface CS or Novation Mininova? Thank you!
7:50 RIP headphones
For its size and price it sounds pretty good. saving for one now.
I pulled the trigger today on this. I figured it's been out for eight years, and it won't be around forever, so I jumped. I think it's a good tribute to the CS80. Just loads of fun in a small package. Out of all the Reface instruments I think this one has the most personality. The CP is nice tho too, although not my first choice for organ sounds. I think I'm going to love this!
I got one yesterday too..have fun playing
This little thing has been so much fun so far. It's actually really rich. The analog modeling is strong in this one. @@scotty1404
I bought one and kept it in a box because in 20 years it will be worth 20k.
Thanks yamaha for contributing to my future retirement funding. 👍
Ha ha smart guy.
Doubtful that the Reface series will ever significantly increase in value.
@@GalacticTravelers yeah, shoulda bought a roland sh-101 back when that was cheap instead
4:02 (personal note)
Would love to see Yamaha put out a true analogue again.
yes. The sound out of this one is good, but the audible stepping on the slider values is not ideal.
@@Thoracius Not everyone fiddles with the sliders when playing , once you get a great sound you just play
The DX and CS look fun 😄 definitely picking it up soon
Nice demo - this is the most attractive one to me.
peter47a You will be able to save presets to an iPhone or iPad through a preset management app. Much better than managing it through some tiny screen. And I quite like the interactive nature of it, it reminds me of my very first synth - just a panel of knobs and sliders, no presets on that!
PhilW222 Very well said :-) And you can connect your iPad via usb while using the midi ports at the same time!
PhilW222 Glad you found the reface you like.
This will be my next synth. Thanks for the demo. 8:19 I was sold.
same
Lol me three
They need to make a CS-80 version in a miniature form like this. 16 voice oscillators and all.
The Dollar Guy id buy that.
id buy that for a dollar....nothing more though.
The Dollar Guy about as big as the grandmother 32
Behringer are working on it
great demo man. this synth is next on my list. has such a creamy sound
If Yamaha made a 16 voice version with some more bells and whistles (more LFOs and EGs, full-sized keys, velocity to name a few), they'd struggle to keep up with demand.
I’m looking for a first synth, and after this video I was SOLD!
Even though I've had enough of simple subtractive synth like that, since I definitely prefer sliders to knobs, I might be getting one some day in addition to reface DX (which I'm yet to have either :P).
Hahaha! Go for it mitokyo!
I have a dx and cp, they're great. Would also like the cs but not without some preset memory locations.
DX and CS will be great addition to my setup.
They are great indeed!
This seems like a perfect keyboard to take with you to a buddy's for a jam session. Loop recorder comes in handy that way. It might just be exactly what I'm looking for in a mobile synth.
D.F. Sudac We're glad we can create something that works for you!
+Yamaha Corporation of America Price is a bit mad though guys. they'd sell like hot cakes if you lowered them a bit.
Too bad it's way too expensive.
Completely remake the CS-80 it's more worth it.
I finally decided to buy one. Well I always wanted to but I finally could (finding work was hard). Only keyboard I had until now was a crappy sampled based Roland EM-15. Basically you see the sounds your computer makes when you play a midi file ? Well it's this but with slightly better quality samples plus reverb and chorus (I've had it for 10 years now ! And it was already 5 years old when I got it). Now I'm gonna have a proper synth !
the pad at 4:00 is great! This little keyboard is an amazing portable option despite opinions
+thefumigator Absolutely!! :)
nice to see old synths reformed into new tech that allows people to enjoy it
This could replace my Roland SH-1000... It has all the sounds I'd need, and has a monophonic mode and polyphonic mode. Damn, everything about this makes me want to get one to make my workstation more ergonomic. I might sell the SH-1000 and use the money to buy one of these.
Jesus christ almighty this thing is outstanding.
Haha I'm pretty sure that was almost exactly our reaction when we first heard it! ;)
awesome sounds ... thanks for the demo
I was pumped when you got the Jump sound haha Let's gooooo! lol
I can't get over HOW ALL these Reface Keyboards SOUND. LOVE THESE videos!! Keep up the great work! Which one would you pick if you could only pick one?
Street price looks like £289 inc tax in the UK, which makes sense now: these are great entry-level instruments for schools (and anyone that wants battery-power). They actually sound pretty good for the price too, and it's quite impressive how they have used such a limited range of controls. Really hope they make bigger, full-function versions of these now...
This thing looks like a ton of fun to play with holy sht
8:20 that sounds sells it for me
7:37 sounds like tron's motorcycle
Hahaha!
It DOES!!!!!
lmao
When i heard the sound on this, i swear i hsvent been excited for hardware in s while. Really considering getting one
dude, i have a sennheiser 558 hear, holy shit, this synth sounds SO GOOD
Those babies are amazing. Watching in 2020
8:30 - patch reminds me of Autechre's "Yulquen"
It remembers me of a minecraft song called "Aria Math"
@@sikguy9939 true bro
"ooh, i feel a little bit dizzy now"
how can i use these effect (like a crumpled tape in audiocassette) in DAWs? Please somebody help me, i've been seeking this for years.
4:20
I'll try, thank you so much!@@titanium2295
Sounded like Borat lol
4:20
"I feel a little bit dizzy now..."
huh
Nice
Nice
Nice
I don't mind that this is digital, in fact, like the Roland Boutiques, this sounds plenty good. My biggest complaint is that not only does it have mini keys, there's a limited amount of sliders. But the price on this is a screaming deal.
What I'd love to see is Yamaha create a "shell" like the old CS-80, or pretty close to it, with the guts of two of these (plus reverb) inside. Granted, such a thing wouldn't be $299.
The guts of this in the shell of the CS-80 would just have lots of obsolete sliders on there. The sliders are the guts, in the sense that they are the physically moving parts which control those guts
WOnderfull demo - I have the 3 other Yamaha Reface and I love em.
I dig this claudio dude
Great work, we need prices now yamaha.
Hi Doctor! Could you kindly show us how to use the looper tempo synced to a drum machine, let's say a Roland TR-8S?
Many thanks, your videos are very inspiring ! Keep up the good work.
4:07
This is what I came to hear. Alphaville!
I saw you're Yamaha Reface (the red one, like an orgue) and I'm very surprised of this one, I was expecting a toy but actuall, he's fuc¨¨¨ powerful!
Fantastic.
A computer VST user enters forested wild world of Old Skool synths without presets : He hears the primal wind blow across the barren desert plateaus, prickly cacti stubbornly clinging to unforgiving rocky ground. He feels fear but an unexplained longing calling him to step forward ... a surge of some strange privative adrenalin rush going through his veins. He has left the safe comfortable city-dome of the repressive controlled post apocalyptic society of presets and entered the unknown and unforgiving wilderness! Wish him luck!
the osc sync sounds really good
Instead of risking buying a second hand JP-8000, or gutting a Virus that no longer has 64bit DAW support, I went with the CS. It's faithful Super Saw trance is killer
4:04 holy shit that sounds great
Thank you for the very nice demonstration. I shared it on our Yamaha Reface Group, on Facebook. I hope thats okay. Thank you.
Great demos. Thanks so much.
These look so sooo so soooo cool! but please 399$ Once they go down, I'll grab this one as well as the DX. Maybe even the other two. They really look cool and actually I dig the small keys. With a cheaper price I really feel these will be classic.
I'd prefer the oscillator controls to be knobs instead of sliders. Pretty sweet considering the price of the unit.
I like these demos, very varied. Good job :)
Wow you made my choice for the Cs
Also can you plug a larger keyboard into it to use it as a full keyboard?
Yes.
Nice presentation Doctor!!!
5:36 that "quite cool huh" was hilarious.
dude, your videos are amazing. the synths sound great, but you're making actual good use of the sounds for demonstration, very cool! :-) can you please play ELP "fanfare for the common man" on this thing? :-D
He'll save that for the Reface GX. ;)
My god this sounds amazing :D
5:30 Attempt at Dervish D by Vangelis. Nice! (R.I.P. Vangelis 29 March 1943 - 17 May 2022)
Dude where do you put all your synths and instruments?
5:31 he nails that Wonderful Christmas time sound almost to a T. All its missing is some analog delay. I guess this thing really does sound a lot like the real deal. More so than that Arturia model.
damn now I want one. I was just playing around with the DX today. And I want a monologue gaaaah
Very capable little synth, amazing filter. If you’re a kudos slave this isn’t the synth for you.
very nice,excellent job
I'm a newbie in synth world. What would be better for playing pads with acoustic guitar? CS or DX?
A little bit too enthusiast for my taste, Dr. Mix, but at least you are doing an excellent demo/review and cover a wide soundscape with it. Thanks for that!
I like the serie, but whats wrong with a 19" module these days? without keys they can save up on the price
& more importantly save space in my studio, its just not practical to stack 20 toy size keyboards & desktops,
not to mention live gigs
Interesting point. I can think of a few reasons: 1. Fewer people have preexisting racks now than before. 2. People want hands-on control 3. Racks aren't in vogue 4. Manufacturers can probably make more money making individual units than stuffing every sound in one unit. Probably more reasons.
Hexspa Well u would say most have a midi controller/keyboard these days, so individual units is fine, but most have no need for plenty of toy sized keyboards taking up space, but i guess money & the fact that they can be battery charged for the road is the main issue, still i would prefer 19'' size with 1 masterkeyboard
XHALE303 I think a lot of people agree. Who knows maybe you're a harbinger of the retro future.
Hexspa Well lets face it, about every synth the past 20y was retro based to recreate the analogue sounds in a digital unit or software, so retro IS the future but without the whiplash to move them :)
XHALE303 They can have our sounds but they'll never have our orthopaedic strain!
I apologize in advance for even bringing this up, but I find your accent absolutely fascinating. You sound Spanish and Dutch, but you're actually Italian and British, right? The connections between the languages just mentioned fascinates me...
Clearly the best Reface. The CP/YC are mostly available in the microKorg XL, and the DX is still not going to be fun to program. I wonder if it can load patches made on FM8...
Either way, this is clearly a monster of a synth!
Hi Jamie, we certainly love the reface CS too! I guess the difference with the CP and YC compared to the microKorg is that they let you customise the sound in a very fun way. You would be surprised how much fun programming the DX is (watch this space for our new videos on it!). Unfortunately it can not load patches made on the FM8.
Doctor Mix Do they respond to velocity and CC from an external midi keyboard? Pitch/mod/velocity/Aftertouch?
Hi Jamie, yes they do. Pitch bend works on all four of the refaces. Velocity works on the DX and CP. Aftertouch is not assigned as a function so wouldn't work. Hope this helps :)
Doctor Mix my cs response to aftertouch from my Roland A500 pro.
4:08 I was immediately taken back to tutorial island on oldschool runescape lmao
See now this is pretty cool. I didn't like the organ or the piano because of the tiny keyboard but it's plenty for a synth. I don't know if it's $500 cool but it's cool.
New to synths but not new to waveforms, but from experience always to be careful with slider pots.
this will be a good find at a garage sale someday
+Pirateradio EightOhEight You won't find it at mine! I don't think I'll ever sell it :)
Anybody selling this at a garage sale is either an idiot or in need of a quick fix.
2:26 this sold me..
What is this song? I know it and it's on the tip of my tongue.
It's called jump by van hellen
What a video!! amazing education. what a tones!
Sounds really great. Now let's see what the price is.. countdown is running