Softube CS-80 ? - Model 77 Dual Layer Synth

[Echoes in the Attic]

The Softube synth emulations are arguably the most authentic-sounding in the industry, even though emulations from their competitors (e.g., Arturia, TAL, and u-he) also sound very good. My issue with the Softube emulations is that they are incredibly boring. They are almost exact replicas of the original synths, limitations and all. Yes, Softube has added velocity and pressure sensitivity to most of their emulations. But it is always tacked on in an inelegant way, no more so than on the Model 77. That dumb pop-up panel on Model 77 that floats over part of the synth and keyboard is, well, dumb.

And then there is the fact that almost none of their emulations include built-in FX, except on the Model 77 (and the Juno chorus on the Model 84). But even here, all you get is an extremely limited reverb that seems to have been added for the sole purpose of being able to better recreate that Blade Runner brass sound. What a waste. Softube also makes some of the best-sounding effects plugins. And yet they can't be bothered to repurpose some of these effects to include in their plugins. Huh?

That said, I have purchased all of the Softube synth emulations when they have gone on sale because they do sound very good. For instance, I recently bought Model 77 for $39, even though I said I was not buying more of their synth plugins until they step up their game feature-wise. But for $39, I could overlook the lack of better built-in effects and other modern conveniences.

I kind of find their bare bones approach kind of refreshing.

They're definitely synths that I'd be more inclined to build a sound from scratch rather than delve into the presets. None of them are particularly complex so it feels more aligned with how you'd use the originals. I just add my own fx after the fact.

They all lend themselves well to mapping on a controller since there aren't a huge amount of parameters to map and they do sound really good.

Yeah I agree, I also like the simple approach for these. However the UX can be pretty bad sometimes. Like the panel that opens on the model 84 which pushed over the main UI and leaves a slider just barely visible. It’s just silly. For such simple designs they sometimes mess it up. The moog works with the settings panel that opens fully over blank space and you can leave it open but the Juno settings is just stupid.

[zerocrossing]

The Softube synth emulations are arguably the most authentic-sounding in the industry, even though emulations from their competitors (e.g., Arturia, TAL, and u-he) also sound very good. My issue with the Softube emulations is that they are incredibly boring. They are almost exact replicas of the original synths, limitations and all. Yes, Softube has added velocity and pressure sensitivity to most of their emulations. But it is always tacked on in an inelegant way, no more so than on the Model 77. That dumb pop-up panel on Model 77 that floats over part of the synth and keyboard is, well, dumb.

And then there is the fact that almost none of their emulations include built-in FX, except on the Model 77 (and the Juno chorus on the Model 84). But even here, all you get is an extremely limited reverb that seems to have been added for the sole purpose of being able to better recreate that Blade Runner brass sound. What a waste. Softube also makes some of the best-sounding effects plugins. And yet they can't be bothered to repurpose some of these effects to include in their plugins. Huh?

That said, I have purchased all of the Softube synth emulations when they have gone on sale because they do sound very good. For instance, I recently bought Model 77 for $39, even though I said I was not buying more of their synth plugins until they step up their game feature-wise. But for $39, I could overlook the lack of better built-in effects and other modern conveniences.

I kind of find their bare bones approach kind of refreshing.

They're definitely synths that I'd be more inclined to build a sound from scratch rather than delve into the presets. None of them are particularly complex so it feels more aligned with how you'd use the originals. I just add my own fx after the fact.

They all lend themselves well to mapping on a controller since there aren't a huge amount of parameters to map and they do sound really good.

Yeah I agree, I also like the simple approach for these. However the UX can be pretty bad sometimes. Like the panel that opens on the model 84 which pushed over the main UI and leaves a slider just barely visible. It’s just silly. For such simple designs they sometimes mess it up. The moog works with the settings panel that opens fully over blank space and you can leave it open but the Juno settings is just stupid.

I agree the interfaces could be better, but for these types of instruments, I am OK with little or no effects options. You don't use filet mignon in a stew, eh? We have so many great plugins that are synthesis and effect playgrounds. Emulations like Model 77 don't have to compete. They can just be a good steak on a plate.

[Echoes in the Attic]

The Softube synth emulations are arguably the most authentic-sounding in the industry, even though emulations from their competitors (e.g., Arturia, TAL, and u-he) also sound very good. My issue with the Softube emulations is that they are incredibly boring. They are almost exact replicas of the original synths, limitations and all. Yes, Softube has added velocity and pressure sensitivity to most of their emulations. But it is always tacked on in an inelegant way, no more so than on the Model 77. That dumb pop-up panel on Model 77 that floats over part of the synth and keyboard is, well, dumb.

And then there is the fact that almost none of their emulations include built-in FX, except on the Model 77 (and the Juno chorus on the Model 84). But even here, all you get is an extremely limited reverb that seems to have been added for the sole purpose of being able to better recreate that Blade Runner brass sound. What a waste. Softube also makes some of the best-sounding effects plugins. And yet they can't be bothered to repurpose some of these effects to include in their plugins. Huh?

That said, I have purchased all of the Softube synth emulations when they have gone on sale because they do sound very good. For instance, I recently bought Model 77 for $39, even though I said I was not buying more of their synth plugins until they step up their game feature-wise. But for $39, I could overlook the lack of better built-in effects and other modern conveniences.

I kind of find their bare bones approach kind of refreshing.

They're definitely synths that I'd be more inclined to build a sound from scratch rather than delve into the presets. None of them are particularly complex so it feels more aligned with how you'd use the originals. I just add my own fx after the fact.

They all lend themselves well to mapping on a controller since there aren't a huge amount of parameters to map and they do sound really good.

Yeah I agree, I also like the simple approach for these. However the UX can be pretty bad sometimes. Like the panel that opens on the model 84 which pushed over the main UI and leaves a slider just barely visible. It’s just silly. For such simple designs they sometimes mess it up. The moog works with the settings panel that opens fully over blank space and you can leave it open but the Juno settings is just stupid.

I agree the interfaces could be better, but for these types of instruments, I am OK with little or no effects options. You don't use filet mignon in a stew, eh? We have so many great plugins that are synthesis and effect playgrounds. Emulations like Model 77 don't have to compete. They can just be a good steak on a plate.

Yeah no effects I'm totally cool with. I actually kind of prefer synths without effects as it forces me to use the excellent effects plugins I have and come up with things that are likely more original. I use presets a lot but even starting from a good simple preset on a vintage style synth like these softube ones and then using your own effects results in your own sound. Not having effects in a synth plugin also means that there will be usable presets without relying on effects which I like as a starting point sometimes (although sometimes if it's something very simple like the model 82 101, I probably start from init as often).

[SebAV]

U-he Repro have such a good UI/UX you swith off the FXs and lock so you can not use them or hear them when surfing presets. The « historic » bank is just bare Prophet5. But thanks to FXs being good and modulatable you can enter in territories unknown of the bare synth. It’s not as eleguant with TAL. It just doesn’t exist with Softube.

[sQeetz]

I don't mind Softube's approach of no-FX on the synth. It's all about the synth itself ...add your own FX

[BONES]

The Softube synth emulations are arguably the most authentic-sounding in the industry, even though emulations from their competitors (e.g., Arturia, TAL, and u-he) also sound very good. My issue with the Softube emulations is that they are incredibly boring. They are almost exact replicas of the original synths, limitations and all.

Agreed. I think it holds them back. It definitely stopped me from buying their Prophet emulation. Yesterday I was watching Starsky Carr's video on the new Behringer clone of the Oberheim 2 Voice and I was wondering who would put up with all those limitations when they could have a software emulation for a fraction of the price that is so much more capable. Surely on something like that, patch memory would be the first thing you'd add. Even Oberheim put it into their hardware at the earliest opportunity, why wouldn't Behringer do the same.

They're definitely synths that I'd be more inclined to build a sound from scratch rather than delve into the presets. None of them are particularly complex so it feels more aligned with how you'd use the originals. I just add my own fx after the fact.

I like the way GForce do it. Their extras are kept separate so you can completely ignore them if you don't want to use them. I don't think I've ever used any of those X-envelopes and X-LFOs they put into them, unless I'm using a preset that's used them.

And then there is the fact that the TAL plugin and u-he UIs are more sensible and make more efficient use of screen real estate by rearranging controls somewhat.

I understand what you mean but there is something a bit special about the Softube GUIs that I really like, so I'm willing to forgive them. Not this one so much, although I do like it, but most of their others have a really nice look that makes me want to load them up and use them.

[Hyperbole]

I understand what you mean but there is something a bit special about the Softube GUIs that I really like, so I'm willing to forgive them. Not this one so much, although I do like it, but most of their others have a really nice look that makes me want to load them up and use them.

The Model 77 is one of Softube's nicer UIs. Unlike Xils Lab's "The Eighty," Softube wisely chose to show the controls for a single layer only (and include a toggle button to switch between them). On Xils Lab's The Eighty, there are THREE (!) sets of controls plus the fake "fans" / mod matrix. As a result, the controls are absolutely tiny. I find The Eighty pretty much unusable on anything smaller than my 27" 5K Samsung monitor.

[kraster]

I understand what you mean but there is something a bit special about the Softube GUIs that I really like, so I'm willing to forgive them. Not this one so much, although I do like it, but most of their others have a really nice look that makes me want to load them up and use them.

The Model 77 is one of Softube's nicer UIs. Unlike Xils Lab's "The Eighty," Softube wisely chose to show the controls for a single layer only (and include a toggle button to switch between them). On Xils Lab's The Eighty, there are THREE (!) sets of controls plus the fake "fans" / mod matrix. As a result, the controls are absolutely tiny. I find The Eighty pretty much unusable on anything smaller than my 27" 5K Samsung monitor.

I can see both Bones' and your point.

In terms of just aesthetic appeal the Model 77 is the least attractive and appealing.

I love the Model 80's Gui. It's just very inviting.

Having said that given the alternatives in the Xils, Arturia and Cherry Audio's version I think it's a wise choice by Softube.

The CS80 has just too many controls to cram onto one page. Particularly because it's mostly sliders which means that the usable area of each control is far smaller and as a result just overall much more fiddly.

[SebAV]

If Softube wasn’t so obcessive with having a fake keyboard in their UIs, they could have free the space and have the 2 layers & all parameters on 1 page…
They could also get ride of the « tone selector » section which is useless (& not necessary to spot that it’s a cs80 emulation)

[Aloysius]

I like fake keyboards.

[BONES]

Me too, they can be handy at times and, not so much for Softbue, but if there is a standalone version of the thing, then the keyboard is pretty much mandatory.

[Echoes in the Attic]

Having a small keyboard can be good in cases where it’s easier to just audition quickly with your mouse however there is no need for them to take half the plugin window. It should be small taking up little space, and should be able to be hidden.

[BONES]

Generally the larger keyboards are just one tab for that area and other features can inhabit the same space, which makes perfect sense to me. e.g. DUNE or Hive.

[SebAV]

The choice they’ve made to have the expanded panel dealing with layer controls at the bottom of the keyboard is just nonsense. It forces you to go back and forth to reach for the « layer select » switch. Another bad consequence of having only one layer shown at a time only to have a « real size » virtual keyboard !

[sQeetz]

I just got the model synths for not having greyed out stuff in Modular