Modded Yamaha CS70m with Schematics and Manuals

via this auction

"there were mods done to her:
1. Keycode Input (SK30 or SK50D connector) on the back was removed - done by org. owner
2. PGM lock (program write lock/unlock switch) was replaced w/ additional L/R outputs - never tested 'em but if i remember correctly these outputs bypass VCA or VCF of the synth. (sorry may be wrong here) - done by org. owner
3. MIDI interface by Kenton was added by a Pro from "A Sound Education", a shop here in Chicagoland.

they also turned her inside out to check for any problems: "Feet I" slider was cleaned and re-soldered, program switches 11 & 14 in row 1 were replaced. midi was implemented and tested. no other issues were found."

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Trastronauten Synth Demos

via Tastronauten in the comments of this post: "Hey folks, we have added lots of demo-sounds on our site since feb. f.e. Roland Jupiter, Yamaha CS70M, SIEL Cruise, Roland SH2000 and Roland CR78. Look at www.tastronauten.de"
Click on TASTEN.

Yamaha CS70M with Kenton Retro fit

YouTube via AnalogSweden — April 12, 2010 — "A video demonstrating the Kenton Retro Kit group buy organised by analog sweden. Visit http://www.analogsweden.com/blog for more information."

Yamaha CS70M, SK30 and Maxi-Korg

via Adrien

Click here for a super size shot. I was trying to figure out what looked different about the Maxi-Korg. I then realized it's simply missing the label like this one.

Update via Adrien in the comments: "this one should be called 800DV (same instrument)
i believe there was also a model called K3?"

Anyone know the history on these - why the different names and any technical differences?

Yamaha CS70m midi kit group buy - extended deadline

via Analog Sweden

"What
You now have the opportunity to get a Yamaha CS70m Midi retrofit by Kenton Electronics UK. It will be a redesign of the Kenton kit that was discontinued due to parts availability quite some years ago.

Scroll down to the end of the document to read the specifications.

How
This is a group buy, which means that we need at least 10 prepaid orders to start the production. Production and distribution will be approx 8 weeks.

Price
349 UK pounds + VAT which needs to be paid in advance to Analog Sweden. If we don’t reach 10 prepaid orders by the 1st of October 2009, your money will be promptly returned. Shipping cost not included.

Ordering & Questions" [see Analog Sweden link above]

Yamaha CS70m Kenton Midi retrofit group buy

-------------
What?
-------------
You now have the opportunity to get a Yamaha CS70m Midi retrofit by
Kenton Electronics UK. It will be a redesign of the Kenton kit that was
discontinued due to parts availability quite some years ago. Scroll down
to the end of the document to read the specifications.

-------------
How?
-------------
This is a group buy, which means that we need at least 10 prepaid orders
to start the production. Production and distribution will be approx 8
weeks.

-------------
Price?
-------------
349 UK pounds + VAT which needs to be paid in advance to Analog Sweden.
If we don't reach 10 prepaid orders by the 1st of October 2009, your
money will be promptly returned. Shipping cost not included.

See this post on Analog Sweden for full details.

Yamaha CS70M Polyphonic Synthesizer - Original Brochure

via these auctions

"Bi-fold format, 4 pages. 1981"

Yamaha SK15 Movement

via Adrien
"hi, as i told on a recent post about yamaha sk series it's possible to add some movement to sounds, and to make it remind vector synths (i mentionned prophet VS, but it's really exagerated, there are no magical trick to turn a poor organ into a great sounding synth) but i thought it was interesting to use that feature to make unusual sounds with that cheap organ i did it by adding similar sounds on strings part and synth part, using the filter enveloppe (i did not touch levers while playing) (since sounds are similar, some frequencies cancel, producing that kind of sound ...)
1. only the string sound
2. synth sound then, both"


"another example
maybe it's more interesting, i can't say ... (i added at the end the out of order SK ensemble, well, it barely works but should not be that noisy ....)

as information, the CS70M ensemble seemed identical to me (i used to have in my home long ago, among many other things, CS60/70/80 and SK 15/30)"

Yamaha CS70M Print Ad

via this auction

Yimmys Yayo

via Dropular

Yamaha CS70M
Sequential Circuits Prophet-VS
Moog Polymoog
Sequential Circuits Prophet T8
EMS Polysynthi
PPG Wave 2.2/2.3

Synth drawing / painting

anyone know if there are more?

Update: EMS Polysynthi, not an ARP Odyssey, and apparently it's not a drawing according to waveterm in the comments. Pretty amazing shot then.

Update: see this post.

Roland Jupiter-8

via this auction
"The Roland Jupiter 8 is one of the best sounding and most playable analog polyphonic synthesizers from the 1980's. When it came time for me to purchase my first poly synth I played them all: Prophet 5 and Prophet 10, Rhodes Chroma, Yamaha CS70M, Memorymoog, Oberheim OBXa, everything I could get my hands on. I kept going back to the JP8. It has a great fat sound, live performance playability, relatively stable tuning (after she warms up any drifting is musically realistic and adds to it's warmth), and a voice architecture that lets your creativity stretch beyond it's contemporaries.

Being an avid programmer I found it more flexible than the others with such things as: continuously variable oscillator mixing (unlike the Oberheim), cross modulation, envelope inverting, dual mode filter plus a high pass filter, full featured oscillator modulation, and a very musical arpeggiator. This unit is one of the early ones, purchased in 1983 and well taken care of. It is pre midi and the only modification done to it was to install a detachable power cable. I would assume it to be a 12 bit model due to it's age, which I understand is desireable and reputed to have a thicker sound. The serial number is 141263"

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Yamaha CS70M

images at this auciton

Twenty Systems - Benge

Twenty Systems is a new album by Benge, released October 20th 2008.

"A brilliant contribution to the archaeology of electronic music" - Brian Eno

http://www.expandingrecords.com

Be sure to also check out the Twenty Systems MySpace page for tracks featuring the following synths:

1969 EMS VCS3
1973 Roland SH-2000
1975 Moog Polymoog
1981 Yamaha CS70m
1984 Oberheim Xpander
1987 Kawai K5

Update: now on Bancamp: https://zackdagoba.bandcamp.com/

Yamaha CS70m

images via this auction

Vintage Yamaha Manuals

images via these auctions

Yamaha CS70M
Yamaha CS40M
Yamaha CS80

Happy Birthday Kevin!

via Alex

"...wonky synth cake!

It's a Happy Birthday to Kevin at Arbiter today...

The man loves his synths.

(It's meant to be a CS80, but its a bit more CS70m if you ask me...)"

Jean Michel Jarre - Oxygene I - with CS70M

YouTube via meastempo
"Made this video trying Jarre sounds with the CS70M! All sounds is from the Yamaha, only delay and phaser fx are added, wish i hade the Electro Harmonix "Smallstone" pedal for this, but the Roland phaser effect will do for now."

CS70M VCF filter demo

CS70M with FC7 and FC4 pedals

YouTube via meastempo.

New Yamaha CS70M Website

"The CS-70M is yet another unique instrument from the Yamaha. Polyphony is a maximum of 6 (2-oscillator/voice), although it is bi-timbral in two different ways; the keyboard can be split, with a different patch-pair on each half (or the sequencer plays the lower patch-pair and the keyboard plays the upper), or the oscillator pairs can each have a different patch (see below)."

click here for the website via Anders in Sweden.

A Gathering of Friends

via Stephen Teller (click for more including some really good music)

"From L-R: JP8000, Multimoog, SK30. CS70M and T8. Behind the Multimoog on their side are an Omni II and OB-X."