In the latest CS-80 V4, version 4.2.1.3898, there are errors in the Lower Toolbar text, the built-in tutorials, and the manual (I’ve called it all “documentation” or “docs”). This obfuscates the purposes of some of the performance controls (to the left of the virtual keyboard). For a synth already as esoteric and fiddly as the CS-80, this is problematic.
- The relationship between the yellow RELEASE slider and the SUSTAIN rocker switch is not documented in a useful way in any docs. The best explanation comes from the last available manual (4.0.1 — could use updating), page 70:
If the SUSTAIN toggle is off (up), then Release is always active, and can only be defeated if you set the RELEASE slider to 0. Switching the toggle down puts Release under the control of the footswitch.
Now, to me this is not enough description. This may just be semantics, but it is important because people will think the product is broken if the docs don’t explain the product! So, to expound upon this idea, we might lead with:
The SUSTAIN rocker chooses one of two behaviors:
- SUSTAIN up: the RELEASE slider will add an additional release phase to all notes. Depress the footswitch to indefinitely sustain played notes (identical function as the HOLD button).
- SUSTAIN down: the RELEASE slider takes no effect on its own. Depress the footswitch to activate the additional release phase, in lieu of indefinite sustain.
Perhaps the nuance was lost in translation from the French — or again, maybe this comes down to semantics. But the docs are, to me, not clear about this relationship. Reading the CS-80 V2 manual (for some reason the V3 manual is not to be had online), it seems like CC64 only took effect with SUSTAIN down. I’m not familiar enough with the original hardware to care, but at the very least, changes between CS-80 V versions should be addressed.
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The Lower Toolbar texts for rocker switches PORTA/GLISS and GLISSANDO are switched. The manual explains them well enough, and they have the FOOTSWITCH upper label, but I spent a not-inconsequential amount of time beforehand looking at the Lower Toolbar and flipping switches to figure out what was going on. Why do we have the Lower Toolbar if it’s not going to display useful information? On that note …
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The Lower Toolbar text for the MODE rocker switch reads “Release Mode: Sets the release behaviour” — altogether too nebulous. The tutorial text describes the modes as “mono” and “poly”, which isn’t really what’s going on; it’s more like the Roland Juno series Poly modes. The original CS-80 manual calls this a SUSTAIN rocker as well, which somehow seems more intuitive than “release mode”, as the notes that are being sustained (by fingers or CC64) will continue being sustained while other voices have pseudo-mono last note or last chord priority. But I digress. At any rate, a Lower Toolbar text like “Release Mode: toggles normal release or last note(s) release” would’ve been clearer.
It seems to me, as a consumer, that Arturia does not strive for consistent, helpful product docs. My confusion with the CS-80 V4 controls reminds me why I don’t reach for Arturia’s more complicated synths as regularly as I would otherwise. (Also, no CS-80 V4 Multi Mode? Bad bad form.)