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Synth Icons
🎹 Synth Icons is the podcast where legendary keyboards come back to life. Hosted by producer and synth expert Andy Whitmore, each episode dives into the world’s most iconic synthesizers — from the lush analog power of the Yamaha CS-80, to the digital sparkle of the DX7, to the unmistakable sounds of the Korg M1.
Andy recreates famous riffs, compares hardware to modern software emulations, and reveals the stories, sounds, and production secrets behind the instruments that shaped pop, film, and electronic music.
If you're a synth enthusiast, a producer, or just love classic hits, Synth Icons lets you hear the legends for yourself.
👉 Follow for more synth deep-dives, blind tests, and studio stories.
🎧 Watch the full video versions on YouTube → @AndyWhitmore
Synth Icons
Yamaha CS-80 – Vangelis’ Blade Runner & Chariots of Fire (Real Hardware, Full FX)
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this Synth Icons episode, Andy Whitmore fires up the real Yamaha CS-80 to recreate some of Vangelis’ most iconic moments – this time with the full effects chain rebuilt. Big reverbs, delays and chorus bring the CS-80 right back into that huge, cinematic Blade Runner / Chariots of Fire space.
Across the episode you’ll hear eight classic Vangelis riffs, all played on an original CS-80, focusing on brass, strings, flutes and pads – with no soft synths and no emulations, just pure vintage hardware.
🎧 Riffs featured:
- Vangelis – Chariots of Fire – Brass melody
- Vangelis – Blade Runner – Brass line
- Vangelis – Blade Runner – String pad
- Jon & Vangelis – I Hear You Now – Main theme
- Vangelis – Chariots of Fire – Brass lick
- Vangelis – To the Unknown Man – Intro melody
- Vangelis – Blade Runner – Flute intro line
- Vangelis – Blade Runner – Brass line (no bass)
Expect long, evolving notes, expressive vibrato and that unmistakable CS-80 warmth, all swimming in reverb and delay just like the original recordings.
🎹 More Synth Icons episodes:
- Korg M1 – Famous Riffs You Know (But Didn’t Realise Were M1)
- Yamaha DX7 – Classic 80s Riffs & Presets
- Roland Jupiter-4 & Jupiter-8 – Hidden 80s Synth Gems
- Sequential Prophet-5 – Famous Riffs You Instantly Know
- Hohner Clavinet D6 – Famous Riffs You Instantly Know
- Roland D-50 – Iconic Riffs You Know (But Didn’t Know Were D-50)
✏️ 1-to-1 lessons & synth help
If you want one-to-one lessons on how to program or produce in Logic Pro – or you’d like help programming synths (hardware or analogue-style VSTs) – head over to Andy’s website and get in touch.
📲Connect with me:
🌐 Website → https://greystokestudio.com/
📸 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/andywhitmore2014/
📺 YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@AndyWhitmore
👍 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/AndyWhitmoreMusic
𝕏 X → https://twitter.com/andywhitmore
🎵 TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@andywhitmore9583
If you enjoy this CS-80 / Vangelis special, follow the Synth Icons podcast, leave a rating or review, and let Andy know which Vangelis moment, which CS-80 sound, or which synth you’d like to hear next.