#reface cs

[aaronmeterchanges]

Current hardware synths and drum machine!

[randomstranger24]

What music software, equipment/hardware, instruments/sample-packs and tools did you use to create your music? I and many others would love to create music just like you.

I use hair dryers, microwaves, pots, pans, household appliances. Anything that plugs in the wall and makes a noise.

...All jokes lol. I've collected a lot of samples over the years from snippets of movies or even just videos online. Sometimes when I'm browsing the web and an advert or a show comes on, ill get inspired by a noise or a sound coming from the content I'm watching and I'll play it back on full volume and if it strikes my fancy, I'll record and download it. The obvious one, I use cassette recorders, VCR's, VHS tapes and I have a couple synths laying around like a Yamaha CS Reface, Behringer MS-1-RD, Korg DS-8, and many free VST software plug-ins like one that's most prominent for me is this 100% free VST and you can still find it online. It's made by a non existent company called "Lin Plug". The plug-in is called "Free Alpha". I use that a lot as well. The rest, I have a bass guitar and electric for when I get in one of those metal or shoegazey moods. I also have a couple of field recorders to capture my own samples. I've been audio engineering for quite some time.

[spinningvoices]

Reface CS ambient improv

[threechurches]

Slight breeze//no open windows

Reface CS & my alarm clock

[harbingersolution]

yeah i need a drum machine or 3, a sequencer, a bass synth and maybe a yamaha CS reface or whatever they’re called.

[casioandglitter]

A little improv I did on MS-1, Pro-1 and Yamaha Reface CS!

[i-am-a-megalodon]

So, you want a keytar.  Cool!  Every keytar is different though, so there are some things to keep in mind:

What’s your budget?

What features do you want on your keytar?

Are you looking to do professional gigging or are you just messing around for fun?

That being said, here are my low-budget recommendations.  By “low budget”, I mean “under $500”.  If I had written this post a couple years ago, it would’ve been an “under $400” list, but alas, inflation is a bitch.  Anyway, here’s the list.  

The Yamaha Sonogenic SHS-500.  Good for getting your feet wet and just noodling for fun.  Simple controls, and a decent variety of voices.  I’ve tried this one before.  It’s fun and really doesn’t deserve all the hate it gets. 

The Yamaha Reface series.  “But those aren’t keytars! They don’t have necks! They’re just tiny portable synths with a strap attachment you need to pay extra for–” SHUT UP.  I love these little guys and I think they’re perfect for anyone regardless of skill level, from beginners to pros.  There’s the Reface YC electric organ, the Reface CP electric piano, the Reface DX FM synthesizer that sounds like it’s straight from the ‘80s; and my favorite, the Reface CS virtual analog synthesizer that allows for a LOT of creative freedom with sound.  I’ve owned a Reface CS for about 5 years now and I love it.

The Yamaha SHS-10.  While it has been long discontinued, it is easy to find secondhand ones online.  The onboard sounds are horrible, but the instrument can be used as a very expressive MIDI controller that even professional musicians use!

The Roland AX-09 Lucina.  It sounds amazing and has a pitch ribbon and modulation bar for extra expressive effects.  If you’ve been eyeing an Roland AX-Synth or Roland AX-Edge and you don’t have the money for one but still want that sound and feel, get yourself a Lucina. 

The Alesis Vortex Wireless II.  If you’re an experienced music producer who knows their way around faders and trigger pads, or if you just want an easy way to make a keytar sound like whatever you want it to sound like, get this MIDI controller. 

i need a keytar so bad. best instrument ever, if you try to argue i will cry/hj

[memorygirls]

[eveyhn]

I haven't played the reface in awhile but man does it sound cool lol. Running the onboard distortion through the NTS-1 for big sad echoes.

[sleepingangelmusic]

Moog Grandmother Choir / Yamaha Reface CS & Korg MicroKorg Improv/ Recor...

[fornaxvoid]

Hi! I wanted to ask what track is playing in the background of your video "Sampling HD Deskjet 500 to Akai S1000"? Thank you!

A post shared by Fornax Void (@fornaxvoid) on Aug 23, 2017 at 5:12pm PDT

Hi there! It is a track I’m working on for my next album. Here is a short preview of it. The DeskJet percussion samples haven’t yet been implemented.

[aaronmeterchanges]

I had a great time writing/recording this EP of brutal prog tunes and creating these pixel art ships! The EP is conceptualized as the soundtrack to an imaginary retro shmup. Gnarly bass guitar riffs and quirky keyboard licks abound, with prominent usage of a Yamaha Reface CS and software emulation of the Korg M1.

[randomstranger24]

The synths used in Sweet Dreams of the Thrift Shop Tape reminds me a lot of the Blade Runner soundtrack with the brass synths from the Yamaha CS-80. Is it true that both of these synths are similar and sound the same or are they different from each other?

For that track, surprisingly, I believe The Yamaha Reface CS. I think and I don't remember what else because of how long ago I recorded it plus the hundreds of tracks I made. It's truly ridiculous lol. I know for a fact, no like old school vintage collectable synth was used. But man,,,it would be fucking amazing to get my hands on the "Yamaha CS-80". I can dream though lol.

[spinningvoices]

jam with arturia keystep pro, moog grandmother, arturia drumbrute impact, korg volca bass, yamaha reface cs, and generation loss mkii pedal

[zone76]

Techno

I really like techno it may come as a a suprise to some but I dont

HAve much of fancy gear but I do Have A Roland JD-Xi , Micro Brute (broken) ,

Yamaha Reface Cs , Volca Bass, Wow I geuss I do Have quite a collection

But I dont know if I will Have a Whole Room filled with Synths Yikes.

BE a cool Dude and follow and Share the love

[cyberloops]

So I got a drum machine... and I can’t really record it together with the keyboard very well yet. Turns out I need two adapters for the various cables that I have at the moment, and I have two. They’re very old. I don’t know how old. But they say ‘Radio Shack’ on the side, if that gives any clue. So I won’t be able to do much until my next package arrives with the mixer and my monophonic analog keyboard... and I just got an email this morning saying that they were shipping, and I’d get them in a few days. All that’s left is the bass sequencer and the Behringer Crave I ordered because I realized I was a little under my budget and I wanted something versatile that I could either use as a sequencer, or an interesting double for the bassline or solo, or as an arpeggiator to go along with chords. I could have gone for a Korg Volca FM or a Volca Analog instead and gotten a little bit of polyphony out of the deal... but I wanted something a little more classic in style, and the Crave just seemed more right for my current starter studio setup. I’ll probably get one or both of the Volcas eventually, they’re pretty inexpensive. Even by my cheap standards.

Anyway, I futzed around with the adapters and eventually managed to get a semi-clear signal from the drum machine. Not great, but it’s there. So I figured I’d just jam around with something simple that I could record quickly before I accidentally jarred something and lost the signal entirely. So... quick familiar drum beat, and then I hit record and started shaping a simple sound on the Yamaha CS Reface. The first 45 seconds or so are me just getting the sound I want, then it goes into a deep drone and I play around with the sound a little more before I hit start on the drum machine and start playing.

Just a fun little jam session until I get the mixer.

Unfortunately, the bass sequencer and the Crave were delayed even more. I was contemplating going back to getting one of the Volcas instead... but in the end I decided that I chose the equipment that I chose for a reason, and I shouldn’t let impatience change that.