Lilly and Yamaha DX21

Black cat sitting on top of a synthesizer (Yamaha DX21)

Beautiful Lilly sits atop a Yamaha DX21 synthesizer. Behind her, we espy a Teenage Engineering Pocket Operator. (The reel-to-reel tape recorder is nice as well.)

Submitted by N3ncehead on Reddit.

Cat on my first synth, the Yamaha DX21

The DX21 was a 4-operator FM synth in Yamaha’s DX line. Not quite as powerful as the 6-operator instruments like the DX7, or the later 4-operator synths like the TX81Z, but nonetheless fully capable of complex FM synthesis. It also featured multiple layers and keyboard splits, which separated it from the other 4-operator instruments at the time like the DX27 and DX100. (Yes, there were a lot of DXs in the 1980s.)

Mistie and Yamaha DX7

Mistie poses proudly atop a vintage Yamaha DX7 synthesizer. From Rob Puricelli (Pro Synth Network) via Facebook.

I think I also espy a Yamaha QX3 sequencer just to the left of Mistie.

These 1980s DX-era instruments loom large in my personal synth history, often as aspirational. We do have a couple of TX modules still in use along with our RX5 drum machine here at CatSynth HQ.

Saruman with Yamaha SK50D, CS30, and DX7

Our friend Saruman is back, and he is showing off his vintage Yamaha gear. We see a Yamaha SK50D to the left, a CS30 to the upper right, and a DX7 at the bottom. Three different types of instruments from three different periods of Yamaha’s keyboard and synth history.

Submitted by Héctor Genis (@hdgenis) via Twitter/X.

Lou and Yamaha CS-15

Lou basks in the sun above a vintage Yamaha CS-15 synthesis. From synthguy216 on Instagram.

That’s what a sunny afternoon is for. Lou recharging next to my CS-15

https://www.instagram.com/p/CdEQoKeOBGb/

The CS-15 is not one I know much about, compared to some of the others in Yamaha’s famous CS series. A bit from Vintage Synth Explorer:

This synth really has its own sound. The CS-15’s got style. Built like a tank with a lot of nice knobs and best of all, not one but two of those funny sounding multimode filters…The best things about it are the flexibility of the VCFs and the routings to the filters and envelopes. You can rout VCO 1 to both VCFs and the VCFs to any of the envelopes positive or negative voltage. The VCFs are 12 dB/Oct and are switchable between low, band or high-pass. They are the key to the nice sound of the Yamaha CS family. Other nice features are noise, external-in for processing other sounds, LFO with Sample & Hold for those bubbling sounds and an individual auto-bend for the VCOs.

https://www.vintagesynth.com/yamaha/cs15.php

Big Merp, Yamaha RX5, and Modular

Today we feature our very own Big Merp in the studio. He was assisting with our recent video on the Yamaha RX5 – specifically the “RX5USB” cartridge. We also one portion of our modular collection, including Metasonix modules, Rossum Morpheus, E350 Morphing Terrarium, Benjolin, Expert Sleepers, Sputnik Modular, Mordax, 4MS, Make Noise, Pittsburgh Modular, Koma Elektronik, 2hp, Folktek, and more.

This is the video we were working on at the time.

We also have a detailed tutorial for the RX5 itself