REFACE CS Portable Analog Modeling Synthesizer

Having tried my hand at recording music through Ableton Live, I discovered and have enjoyed DAWless jamming. My current setup is this synth, along with it's brother Yamaha Reface DX, both controlled by a Novation Circuit Tracks. I enjoy the Circuit Tracks not only because of it's tones and workflow, but also because of it's portability. It has it's own battery which makes it nice for carrying to the various synths I own. As time passed, I began to use the Reface DX more and more since it can take batteries as well. I wished for one like it, then remembered seeing this Reface CS. I got lucky and found this here on Amazon. I am no expert at electronic synthesis, but I've been at it for over 10 years so I have some experience. I find this synth to be the most approachable one I've used to date. While this means this synth isn't the powerhouse that others are in this price range, this synth is still capable of a wide variety of tones and sounds great! One nuance that plays strongly to this is it is easy to dial in some historic tones. For example, choose a sawtooth for this synth's oscillator, max out the Texture and Mod slides, open up the filter and dial in some Resonance, and presto! You've got the classic "Supersaw" tone from rock songs in the 80's! Now, since this is a Reface synth, it has the same features as the others: Tiny onboard speakers that are better than nothing, but fail abysmally to showcase these devices' awesome tones, mini 37 keys that I'm sure some would gripe about the feel (I'm fine with them...When I use them), and the odd mini SV port that splits into DIN MIDI in and out via an included dongle. While I run both Reface synths on battery power, I very much appreciate the fact that Yamaha also includes a DC power supply as well. Between this and my other pieces of gear, I have oodles of tonal flexibility. Since this synth can be hard set to be monophonic or polyphonic, even playing it unsequenced is easy. I also gratefully note that just like the Reface DX, this CS behaves perfectly fine being sequenced by the Circuit Tracks. I've been having a blast playing this with the Reface DX and Circuit Tracks and I can't help but wonder how my synthesis journey would have turned out had I started with this CS instead of a MicroKorg and Novation MiniNova. Those are excellent synths but have a steep learning curve if you're new to electronic synthesis. I take pride in the fact that I stuck with them until I figured out how to use them, but I wonder how different it would have been had I started with this CS, given how much more approachable it is. I have one major gripe with this synth though: Programming it is a pain!! I needed it to send and receive MIDI commands on channel 4. Since the Reface DX has a screen, programming that to channel 3 was easy. A quick internet search found detailed instructions for programming this CS via SysEdit commands by connecting it to a PC. I didn't want to bother with that, and kept looking. Thankfully, a gentleman on YouTube has a short, concise video on how to program the CS with regard to MIDI channels. It took me a couple of tries but I finally got this synth dialed in to send/receive MIDI on channel 4, and it's worked fine ever since. But, this is the most un-user friendly side of this synth. Finally, I haven't had this synth for very long, but I've had my Reface DX for a few years and even despite some rough handling and drops, it works perfectly fine, so I expect the same from this one!

Honestly, really amazing keyboard in my opinion. Having bought the Reface CS, I'm loving the versatility and portability of it. It's very easy to just pick up and play, especially if you consider buying it with the Yamaha Keytar Attachment (which I did). In which if you do, gives you the ability to walk around and stilll play. One thing I really enjoy most about it though, is the aux port. Pair this up with an iPod/mp3 player of some sort, and you're good to go. Personally what I did, is grabbed just a bit of white velcro, and attached a small mp3 player on the very left side. This way, you have an option of keeping things like backing tracks/songs to jam to easily accessible to your Reface. In general, I'm very new to Piano/Keyboard/Synths and was previously messing around with a Rockband keyboard, using a 5Pin MIDI to USB connection to access VST's (sounds) from a couple demo's of DAWs (Ableton/Bitwig Studio). But if some people are saying "this" is a toy? I'd highly disagree haha. The Reface does not at all feel like a flimsy piece of plastic, with mushy keys. Unlike the Rockband Keyboard.. I can understand how some people might not like the minikeys, but as a newcomer. I really do not see any reason why they would be such an issue. Maybe for someone with much larger hands? But then again, not really because the keys are definitely still wide enough to fit most fingers. I think generally, most people are just way too used to full size keys and are frustrated in adjusting which shows in their reviews. To that, I don't think I'd call that a "fair" review at all, because if you did adjust I don't think it would have even been an issue. Aside from all of that, a plus side to mini keys I'd say, is you can stretch farther to reach other keys. I can see how with some practice, having that extra reach can really benefit your playing. Also, if they did actually decide to fit full size keys onto this, there would most definitely be less range, or the Reface would just end up being larger. Which wouldnt be cool in my opinion, because the fact you can even still play this on the plane if you wanted is pretty amazing. Other features/things to keep in mind: - Battery Operated (6AA Batteries, which last around 5hours. Better to use Rechargables. I use Amazon's High Capacity Batteries, paired with a Panasonic BQ-CC55. You definitely wanna make sure you have a good charger, so you can help preserve the life of your batteries.) - Comes with an AC Adapter (if you do not want to use batteries.) - SPEAKERS (They can be very loud, and the bass response is incredible for how small they are. I'd still be cautious about "blowing" them though. Since every speaker does still have a chance to break, the more you push them to their limits.) - Soundmondo (Works best with iOS devices. But is also bleeding edge technology so it may be a bit buggy sometimes, just keep that in mind. Also make sure to use a printer cable if connecting using Windows/Android, you'll have the most luck with that.) - Yamaha's MD-BT01 (Bluetooth connection for iOS apps/soundmondo.) - Headphone jack (Pretty standard, just make sure you have a 1/4" plug/adapter for your headphones of choice.) - The CS is the only one without velocity sensitive keys (Not sure why this is, but it is velocity sensitive over MIDI.) - The CS has no onboard patch memory (Soundmondo allows you to save patches on the app/website, so not a huge deal. Plus, if you wish to perform live I personally feel like it's much more entertaining to see someone who knows exactly how to create a sound all from memory, on the fly. You also learn more about Synthesis as a whole i'd say.) - They can all be paired with an expression pedal (The Yamaha FC7 I believe) Obviously each Reface has some varying degrees of features, but one common theme between all of the Refaces, is being able to fine tune the sound, and play around with it anywhere you go. Basically, whichever Reface you choose I really don't think you can go wrong. $300, is also honestly the best price you could probably ever ask for in something like this. There is absolutely nothing out there like this. Would be cool to see more of these in the future.

Incredibily Musical

If you're looking for a quality keyboard to experiment with basic subtractive synthesis, this synthesizer is very good for its price point. The quality of the sound is excellent and the actual sound design you can do on here is accessible to a beginner like me but also not terribly limiting. Mini keys can be a dealbreaker for some but if you like mini keys or are ambivalent about them, this key bed is fantastic quality and feels better to me than some cheaper full size key beds. I don't have any sort of electric/electronic audio setup to use with this keyboard, so one thing I would've liked is a standard headphone jack, but there's a stereo headphone jack if you have some nicer stereo headphones, and the speakers built in are really nice anyway. Great product overall

Pour moi il n'a que 2 (petits) inconvénients, les petites touches (si vous n'aimez pas, c'est dommage). Moi ce n'est pas ce qui me gêne. J'utilisais déjà avant un MK Mini de Akai donc je suis habitué aux petites touches. Par contre la pseudo prise mini-MIDI c'est vraiment une blague. Quel dommage. La prise a l'air si fragile que j'ai peur de la casser en la branchant. Mais mis à part ça (raison pour laquelle j'ai enlevé une étoile), pour le prix, c'est vraiment un synthé génial. Simple, pas d'écran mais des lumières de couleur qui clignotent de façon différente, habile et programmée pour vous faire comprendre que le synthé comprend bien les ordres selon ce que vous lui demandez. Les programmeurs ont fait du bon boulot. Autre plus : les sons. On va pas se mentir tout le monde achète un synthé pour les sons et là, on n'est pas déçu. Que l'on veuille reproduire du Toto, du Technotronic ou du Giorgio Moroder, là-dedans il y a tout ce qu'il faut. Pour vous en convaincre vous n'avez qu'à chercher sur Youtube toutes les personnes qui l'utilisent déjà pour se rendre compte que ce synthé va avoir très vite un succès fou. On y voit des gens reproduire toutes sortes de musiques existantes avec. Comme toujours YAMAHA a fait très fort. Même si contrairement au Reface DX vous n'avez pas des presets (des sons tous faits), mais avec toutes les différentes mollettes et potards, si vous êtes habiles et que vous les montez ou les baissez dans tous les sens, vous avez entre les mains un vrai studio d'enregistrement. Et bien sûr il enregistre vos prestations (grâce à un système multipiste virtuel assez habile qui conserve jusqu'à 10 minutes et 2.000 notes) : pas mal. Le métronome a un son aigu et très désagréable par contre mais fort heureusement on peut le désactiver entièrement. Mais n'oubliez pas de sauvegarder/exporter votre musique car quand on éteint l'appareil il oublie tout : sauf la disposition des leviers. Vous pouvez donc triturez les mollettes jusqu'à trouver votre son et si vous éteignez l'appareil et que vous le rallumez le lendemain, votre son préféré est toujours là (tant que vous ne rebougez pas l’emplacement des mollettes). Bref ce synthé est incroyable, par la qualité de ses sons d’abord mais aussi par la qualité de sa finition : mélange de plastique et de métal. Le tout est un peu lourd (2 kg) mais le toucher fait très pro. YAMAHA a fait ce petit synthé pour durer et ça se sent. C'est d'autant plus dommage pour la mini prise MIDI chancelante. Je soupçonne une nouvelle version de l'appareil qui corrigera ce petit défaut très bientôt. En tout cas moi je suis très satisfait de mon petit synthé Reface CS. J'achèterais peut etre le Reface DX ou le Reface YC plus tard, mais je sens que je ne vais pas me lasser de mon petit CS tout de suite. En plus il est vendu avec une version gratuite de 3 mois d'un séquenceur connu (Ableton Live) en version light mais surtout avec le générateur de sons logiciel Analog Lab d’Arturia qui lui rajoute en plus des sons d'une qualité encore plus incroyable, si vous le connectez à un ordinateur. Alors moi je dis Bravo YAMAHA, ça faisait 15 ans que je n'avais pas acheté un synthé de la marque. Le dernier que j'avais acheté m'avait coûté 500 euros mais me prenait trop de place (avec ses 61 touches de taille piano) donc ces versions mini sont une bénédiction aussi pour ceux, qui, comme moi, ont un petit appartement et une place qui n'est pas illimitée. Donc si les petites touches ne vous rebutent pas, foncez, vous ne serez pas déçu. La qualité YAMAHA est toujours là. Je reviens tout juste d’un magazin d’instruments de musiques parisien très connu (Woodbrass) et les synthés Reface de YAMAHA sont encore sur toutes les lèvres en ce moment même là-bas (entre ceux qui vantent leurs mérites et ceux qui rêvent toujours de s’en payer un bientôt). Une preuve qu’on n’a pas fini d’entendre parler d’eux et dans le bon sens je pense.

De la familia reface. Tengo el YC y el CP, este no se ni por dónde cogerlo porque no tengo ni idea de síntesis, pero para ello está. Como los otros, pinta muy bien

Definitely go for it if you’ve been playing around with soft synths and you need something real. I’m a guitarist first, so adding a synth was on my list at some point (as writing tool, tracking etc). I love the no menu approach, totally tactile, no learning curve (just get stuck in and make some noise!). Highly recommend the cs, I’ve got it setup permanently in my home studio into a stereo DI. Incredible sound for such a small instrument.