The CZ-3000 was my first synth. I was 14 years old, and my Dad was NOT going to buy me a DX7, so I got the CZ 😁..... And this is how my music career began. Also, I absolutely LOVE the CZ V
You still have it? My guess is loads of these synths went for $10 in a Spring time garage sale... I once found a Minimoog out in someone's garbage... took it home and of course it didn't work... so I threw it away. One of my biggest regrets!!!
@@jefgibbons I once found a half-dismantled synth among some bulky waste. It didn't look familiar at all to me...and it looked more like a failed "do-it-yourself"-project than anything else. So I left it there. A few years later I stumbled upon an article about that synthesizer. It was an Elektor Formant Modular synthesizer (indeed some sort of do-it-yourself project from the Elektor magazine in 1979). Today...with modular synthesizers making a huge comeback...I would have probably been able to sell the individual parts for a lot of money. Who would have thought... www.klaus-pohlig.de/audiohistory/band/formant/formant.htm www.synthmuseum.com/elektor/eleform01.html
Liked and subscribed! This is the second video I've watched from your channel and I think it's great. I also think the V-Collection is one of the best investments I've made.
Both Yamaha's FM and Casio's Phase Distortion synthesis use phase modulation, but to different ends. The former pretty much ends up as a phase-shifted FM with some odd harmonics once it's pushed to the limits, the latter is made to generate given waveforms very easily. Later Yamaha FM synths, usually included into their flagship synths, also have similar resonant waveform capabilities, and I was able to make a controllable form of it by amplitude modulating another oscillator's output at audio frequency with a sine wave.
Don't know how I missed this video at the time but anybody who owns the Arturia V Collection should watch this video alone. Especially liked the contrast between the hardware and software. What's always interesting and worthwhile showing is taking patches designed for the original hardware (like Ensoniq) and converting them for use in an Arturia VST.
The aliasing and/or the quality of the D/A converters seem to have a certain influence on the sound character of the original CZ machine. The CZ V seems to sound a bit "clearer" (still great...but NOT completely replacing the hardware version).
Where the software struggles, if not outright fails, is the ring modulation. The hardware has a design flaw where the DC offset on the ring mod is screwed up, and that offset is what allows the CZ hardware to mimic a lot of DX style patches and other big metallic sounds. Haven't seen software yet that can capture that.
Went to the music store and asked the guy "what's this MIDI stuff all about?" he was real excited to show me how the CZ5 and the Roland TR-707 drums sync'd up together. I didn't have pot to urinate in but somehow I managed to buy them both. I made a lot of really cool MIDI driven songs with those 2 pieces of gear. I remember being SO disappointed to learn that the CZ5 would only produce 8 voices though. Darn !. 38 years later I'm still having fun, now with Cubase 11 and mostly plugin keys. Thanks for all your help !
worth noting that when he started comparing the raw waveforms at around the 10 minute mark, I can hear he has the chorus of the cz3000 turned up a bit so it is not a fair test. The chorus is off on the arturia one then
Maybe that is why every single waveform sounded different. Their definitely was a very slight amount of modulation going on in the hardware. He should have made sure there was nothing going on in the hardware patch to modulate anything. Like making sure all LFOs are off, the chorus is off, and the other LINE is off. Oh well.
great demo Jeff,still have the original juno 60,roland tr808,and tb303,but hardware takes up a lot of space so i stopped collecting them,i find arturiaV collection to be the next best thing,and i bought their keylab 61 MKII controller wich is the best controller i had so far and it incorporates their software,and with the aftertouch you can make orchestral instruments sound more real
There's a part of me that wants to buy a CZ-1 on eBay, just because it was supposedly the top of the CZ line and I've always wanted to explore phase distortion synthesis....
I've been interested in learning about CZ synths since I found out that Vince Clarke was using 10 or so of them during the early Erasure days, before going all analog with the Chorus album. This is the most informative video out there that I have found so far! Do you think that the oscillators on the CZ synths are basically presets of DX-style algorithms, eliminating the whole operator-carrior thing? Maybe that's why Yamaha shot it down.
Hey Jeff, great video as always. I had no clue all the CZ synths were the same circuitry, that makes hunting one down far easier. I was curious if the shirt you're wearing is a line of your merch, or if it's something available from a different shop by chance? Either way, I want in, lol. Please and thank you.
@@jefgibbons Tough call. Two things I love about it: 1. the key bed feels amazing. 2. I have played it live in front of other people; it's my last reminder of a time that I used to be cooler than this. It can produce some pretty amazing sounds, but I think there are better and certainly more approachable FM engines available today. I have started playing with the wave shaping possibilities offered by combining the sampler part and the FM part which could be somewhat unique. I don't know if Algoritm would afford you that possibility. BTW - If you get a used one, be sure to verify the display. The back light on mine went out and I replaced the EL element only to discover it was the inverter board, so I got one of the new LCD replacements. Replacing the display on one of these beasts is pretty involved. I also replaced the battery with a coin cell socket so I can just replace it if it ever goes out; that's another thing to ask about. FWIW - Patch Base has very good support for the SY which might mitigate the display issue somewhat.
No, if you heard anything like that it would have been that the envelope wasn't decaying fast enough on those examples (and was probably cutting off immediately on the software version). There wasn't any reverb at all on the CZ when I was demoing the hardware. But loads on the song version!
@@jefgibbons Well in that case the hardware synth sounds substantially richer than the virtual. I normally disgree with the people that comment on plugin videos about them not sounding like the real thing, but in this case the difference in the quality of the tone was night and day, to the extent that I thought there had to be a reverb on it.
Every single one of the waveforms clearly sounds different. They didn’t get a single one of them correct. That is disappointing. This was a critical mistake if they are trying to emulate a real CZ, since EVERYTHING after that is built upon those waveforms.
The CZ-3000 was my first synth. I was 14 years old, and my Dad was NOT going to buy me a DX7, so I got the CZ 😁..... And this is how my music career began. Also, I absolutely LOVE the CZ V
Thanks for commenting Troy! Love hearing these stories...
Lucky you! I couldn't even afford a cz101!
Great vid Jeff! CZ-101 was my first synth that I bought in the 80's.
Now I have to find it, dust it off and give it a try...
You still have it? My guess is loads of these synths went for $10 in a Spring time garage sale... I once found a Minimoog out in someone's garbage... took it home and of course it didn't work... so I threw it away. One of my biggest regrets!!!
@@jefgibbons Still have it! Once i was offered $50 but kept it. Cost about $450 new here in Sweden.
Almost the same story as Troy wanted a DX7 😊
@@jefgibbons I once found a half-dismantled synth among some bulky waste. It didn't look familiar at all to me...and it looked more like a failed "do-it-yourself"-project than anything else. So I left it there. A few years later I stumbled upon an article about that synthesizer. It was an Elektor Formant Modular synthesizer (indeed some sort of do-it-yourself project from the Elektor magazine in 1979). Today...with modular synthesizers making a huge comeback...I would have probably been able to sell the individual parts for a lot of money. Who would have thought... www.klaus-pohlig.de/audiohistory/band/formant/formant.htm www.synthmuseum.com/elektor/eleform01.html
Liked and subscribed! This is the second video I've watched from your channel and I think it's great. I also think the V-Collection is one of the best investments I've made.
Both Yamaha's FM and Casio's Phase Distortion synthesis use phase modulation, but to different ends. The former pretty much ends up as a phase-shifted FM with some odd harmonics once it's pushed to the limits, the latter is made to generate given waveforms very easily. Later Yamaha FM synths, usually included into their flagship synths, also have similar resonant waveform capabilities, and I was able to make a controllable form of it by amplitude modulating another oscillator's output at audio frequency with a sine wave.
Fantastic knowledge bombs being dropped. Thanks Mr Gibbons!
Most welcome!
Don't know how I missed this video at the time but anybody who owns the Arturia V Collection should watch this video alone. Especially liked the contrast between the hardware and software. What's always interesting and worthwhile showing is taking patches designed for the original hardware (like Ensoniq) and converting them for use in an Arturia VST.
Thanks! I loved this vid… want to do more like it in the future!
My first Synth ws a CZ-5000. I spent hours and hours with programming sounds and sequenzes. Good times .Long ago. It ws brandnew at this time.
It would be easy to get carried away with programming this synth... it really is quite simple! And powerful...
The aliasing and/or the quality of the D/A converters seem to have a certain influence on the sound character of the original CZ machine. The CZ V seems to sound a bit "clearer" (still great...but NOT completely replacing the hardware version).
Although my test was far from scientific, I agree that there definitely is a sound to the hardware! But the software sure comes close...
Where the software struggles, if not outright fails, is the ring modulation. The hardware has a design flaw where the DC offset on the ring mod is screwed up, and that offset is what allows the CZ hardware to mimic a lot of DX style patches and other big metallic sounds. Haven't seen software yet that can capture that.
Went to the music store and asked the guy "what's this MIDI stuff all about?" he was real excited to show me how the CZ5 and the Roland TR-707 drums sync'd up together. I didn't have pot to urinate in but somehow I managed to buy them both. I made a lot of really cool MIDI driven songs with those 2 pieces of gear. I remember being SO disappointed to learn that the CZ5 would only produce 8 voices though. Darn !. 38 years later I'm still having fun, now with Cubase 11 and mostly plugin keys. Thanks for all your help !
Just found your channel. Cool stuff! Love the CZ. I have the Arturia Softsynth.
Used it just a couple days ago for a demo.
Now I gotta go dig mine outta storage! Nice vid bud! Keep working! 🌊
Thanks Eric! Definitely recommend it!
The biggest flaw of the Arturia CZ synth is missing the iconic ORGAN sound that was used on so many records, including my own.
You could design it
worth noting that when he started comparing the raw waveforms at around the 10 minute mark, I can hear he has the chorus of the cz3000 turned up a bit so it is not a fair test. The chorus is off on the arturia one then
Maybe that is why every single waveform sounded different. Their definitely was a very slight amount of modulation going on in the hardware. He should have made sure there was nothing going on in the hardware patch to modulate anything. Like making sure all LFOs are off, the chorus is off, and the other LINE is off. Oh well.
great demo Jeff,still have the original juno 60,roland tr808,and tb303,but hardware takes up a lot of space so i stopped collecting them,i find arturiaV collection to be the next best thing,and i bought their keylab 61 MKII controller wich is the best controller i had so far and it incorporates their software,and with the aftertouch you can make orchestral instruments sound more real
I hear you! The V collection is just incredible... Just make sure you hang on to those hardware synths ;)
@@jefgibbons will do Jeff,they always may come in handy,cheers
Sounds like something Ray Lynch might use
One of my all-time faves ;)
Great video, Jeff! Your explanations are bang on. Hey...... the Yorkville studio monitors are gone?
There's a part of me that wants to buy a CZ-1 on eBay, just because it was supposedly the top of the CZ line and I've always wanted to explore phase distortion synthesis....
It’s a lot of fun... if you can get it for a good price!
You are great Pianist.
I've been interested in learning about CZ synths since I found out that Vince Clarke was using 10 or so of them during the early Erasure days, before going all analog with the Chorus album. This is the most informative video out there that I have found so far! Do you think that the oscillators on the CZ synths are basically presets of DX-style algorithms, eliminating the whole operator-carrior thing? Maybe that's why Yamaha shot it down.
Hey Jeff, great video as always. I had no clue all the CZ synths were the same circuitry, that makes hunting one down far easier. I was curious if the shirt you're wearing is a line of your merch, or if it's something available from a different shop by chance? Either way, I want in, lol. Please and thank you.
Yeah! Makes it easier to find a synth when there’s a few versions! The shirt is from Redbubble.com !
@@jefgibbons Thanks so much for the link. 🖖🏾
Does anyone have the original preset on file somewhere?? Feels like unobtainium
Does the CZ-3000 have the ring and noise modulators that come with the Arturia CZ? Just curious
Yes
Kills me that the going rate for a CZ-1000 is almost what I paid new in 1987. But my SY-77 is barely worth $600.
I saw an SY77 for sale recently... worth looking in to it?
@@jefgibbons Tough call. Two things I love about it: 1. the key bed feels amazing. 2. I have played it live in front of other people; it's my last reminder of a time that I used to be cooler than this. It can produce some pretty amazing sounds, but I think there are better and certainly more approachable FM engines available today. I have started playing with the wave shaping possibilities offered by combining the sampler part and the FM part which could be somewhat unique. I don't know if Algoritm would afford you that possibility. BTW - If you get a used one, be sure to verify the display. The back light on mine went out and I replaced the EL element only to discover it was the inverter board, so I got one of the new LCD replacements. Replacing the display on one of these beasts is pretty involved. I also replaced the battery with a coin cell socket so I can just replace it if it ever goes out; that's another thing to ask about. FWIW - Patch Base has very good support for the SY which might mitigate the display issue somewhat.
Actually they are nearly all the same except the cz1000 had a more limited engine than the rest , as I understand it.
How does the patch transfer back and forth?
Cool shit!
Thanks Joshua!
I mean how hard can it be to sample the raw waveforms and look at their the shape and get them EXACTLY the same in the emulation.
Its not just about sampling raw waveforms, its getting the phase distortion right so the wave develops identically over time with an envelope
Sounded like you left the reverb on your real CZ while you were comparing it with the CZ-V?
No, if you heard anything like that it would have been that the envelope wasn't decaying fast enough on those examples (and was probably cutting off immediately on the software version). There wasn't any reverb at all on the CZ when I was demoing the hardware. But loads on the song version!
@@jefgibbons Well in that case the hardware synth sounds substantially richer than the virtual. I normally disgree with the people that comment on plugin videos about them not sounding like the real thing, but in this case the difference in the quality of the tone was night and day, to the extent that I thought there had to be a reverb on it.
Every single one of the waveforms clearly sounds different. They didn’t get a single one of them correct. That is disappointing. This was a critical mistake if they are trying to emulate a real CZ, since EVERYTHING after that is built upon those waveforms.
He left the chorus on when playing the waveforms on the hardware so it's not a fair comparison.
that's alooooootta talking
Thanks Alx.