Yamaha S80

The S80 falls within the 'performance workstation' category which also contains such instruments as the Korg Triton, Korg Trinity and Roland XP80. At the basic level, it employs Yamaha's AWM2 sample‑based subtractive synthesis plus a host of inbuilt effects, it gives you a fistful/footful/lungful of controllers with which to modify those sounds in real time, and lashes the whole lot together into a 64 note polyphonic, 16‑part multitimbral package which can be driven either by the sequencer of your choice, or by standard MIDI files replayed from a SmartMedia card. A comprehensive set of master‑keyboard capabilities rounds off the package. Like the CS6x, the S80 has provision for adding up to two plug‑in boards that not only extend the total polyphony of the instrument, but offer alternative forms of synthesis such as Analogue modelling, Virtual Acoustic synthesis and FM amongst others: Martin Walker reviewed the PLG150AN Analogue Modelling and PLG150PF Piano daughterboards in the January 2000 issue of SOS. The most obvious difference between the S80 and the CS6x is their physical appearance. The S80 has an 88‑note weighted keyboard for starters, and lives in a solid, black case with wooden end‑cheeks. Despite the keyboard, it's just about manageable weightwise, tipping the scales at 24.3kg. The S80 has a less busy control surface than the CS6x: clearly there are other differences between the two. Connections with the outside world are very comprehensive — stereo output plus two individual outs, phones, audio input (mono, assignable as a Performance Part), volume pedal, foot controller, foot switch, sustain, breath controller input, MIDI In, Out, and Thru, and a serial connector to a host computer. The S80 also ships with the same suite of software on CD‑ROM as the CS6x, which includes XG Works and Card Filer, for organising your S80 Voice libraries.