audiobriefs
9:26in productionCh. 1 · Polyphonic, not pretend/ 9:26 · ceiling 15 min
Synths & drum machines

Yamaha CS-60

Yamaha

The CS-60 gives you Yamaha polyphony in 1977 — minus the one thing that made the CS-80 sing.

The Yamaha CS-60 is a polyphonic analog synthesizer released in 1977. It is smaller and cheaper than the CS-80. It lacks polyphonic aftertouch.

Synths & drum machinesSynthesisThe seventiesHardwareSynthesis across the network →
Chapters & takeaways4
  1. 0:46
    Polyphonic, not pretend

    It is a true polyphonic analog synthesizer — not a paraphonic or digitally scanned instrument.

  2. 2:22
    1977: smaller, cheaper, same year

    It arrived in 1977 — the same year as the CS-80’s wider adoption, but as its budget sibling.

  3. 3:52
    No polyphonic aftertouch

    It lacks polyphonic aftertouch — so pressure on one key does not affect its own voice independently.

  4. 5:42
    CS-80’s shadow

    It is defined by what it shares with the CS-80 — and what it leaves out.

Worth your time?

Yes. Use the whole thing.

3.5/ 5
What works
  • as a fixed-architecture polyphonic analog synthesizer from 1977
What does not
  • deliver polyphonic aftertouch
Use it if
  • players needing vintage Yamaha polyphony without polyphonic aftertouch
Skip it if
  • players requiring polyphonic aftertouch
The written brief1 min read

What it is and what it was built for

The Yamaha CS-60 is a polyphonic analog synthesizer released in 1977. It was built as a smaller, cheaper alternative to the CS-80.

How it works, in terms a player would use

It is a polyphonic analog synthesizer with fixed voice architecture. Players set oscillator waveforms, filter cutoff and resonance, envelope shapes, and modulation routing per voice — but cannot adjust polyphonic aftertouch, because it is absent.

What it does better than anything else

It delivers Yamaha’s 1977 polyphonic analog sound in a smaller, cheaper package than the CS-80 — with full voice independence and no digital scanning or multiplexing.

What it does badly

It does not deliver polyphonic aftertouch. That limits real-time expressive control across notes — a feature the CS-80 offers and the CS-60 omits.

What people made with it

The sources do not state what people made with it.

Who should use it, and who should not

A player who needs vintage Yamaha polyphony without polyphonic aftertouch should use it. Anyone who requires polyphonic aftertouch should not.

Is it worth your time

It is worth your time only if you need a 1977 Yamaha polyphonic analog synth without polyphonic aftertouch — and can source, maintain, and play one.

Same bench · Synths & drum machines4 of 243
8:33
ARP String EnsembleARP/SolinaThe ARP String Ensemble is a fixed-architecture ensemble generator: twelve tone sources, divide-down polyphony, and a BBD-based triple chorus that defines its sound. It offers no synthesis, no dynamics, no articulation—only one lush, unchanging, instantly deployable string texture.
8:46
Prophet-5Sequential CircuitsThe Prophet-5 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by Sequential Circuits. It was designed by Dave Smith and John Bowen in 1977. It was the first polyphonic synthesizer with fully programmable memory. Before the Prophet-5, synthesizers required users to adjust controls to change sounds, with no guarantee of exactly recreating a sound. Sequential used microprocessors to allow users to recall sounds instantly rather than having to recreate them manually. The Prophet-5 facilitated a move from synthesizers creating unpredictable sounds to producing "a standard package of familiar sounds". Initially, Smith and Bowen developed the Prophet-10, a synthesizer with ten voices of polyphony, meaning it could play up to ten notes simultaneously. Smith and Bowen removed half the electronics, reducing the voices to five and creating the Prophet-5. In 1978, Sequential released the Prophet-5, the first programmable polyphonic synthesizer, which was widely used in the music industry. Whereas previous synthesizers required users to adjust cables and knobs to change sounds, with no guarantee of exactly recreating a sound, the Prophet-5 used microprocessors to store sounds in patch memory.
9:51
Yamaha YC-45DYamahaThe Yamaha YC-45D is a 1976–1980 hybrid organ-synthesizer. It combines drawbar organ, transistor organ, piano, harpsichord, distortion and a 3-octave ribbon synth. Its lateral per-note vibrato/bend is unmatched for its time. Its preset system is rudimentary. Its ribbon lacks visual pitch reference. Its emulations are shallow. It belongs in a room where articulation matters more than fidelity.
9:00
Roland System 700Roland · 1976The Roland System 700 is a professional monophonic modular synthesizer released in 1976 by Roland Corporation.
Up next in Audio

Ibanez CS9 Stereo Chorus

Ibanez · 8:40

It doesn’t chorus—it warms. And that’s why it still matters.

Play nextBack to Synths & drum machines
8:40