Yamaha CS-40M – 9 Famous Songs, 27 Classic Synth Parts

Andy Whitmore explores the underrated Yamaha CS-40M, recreating 27 classic synth parts from 9 famous songs by The Stranglers, Duran Duran, Ultravox, Simple Minds, Landscape, Section 25, Bill Nelson and Our Daughter’s Wedding.

In this episode, Andy dives into the characterful sound of the Yamaha CS-40M — a classic 2-note duophonic analogue synth first released in 1979. It originally cost around £650, which is over £4,000 in today’s money, and good examples now sell for roughly £2,300.

The CS-40M sits in the wider Yamaha CS family and can be thought of as a smaller, grittier cousin of the legendary Yamaha CS-80. It doesn’t have the CS-80’s huge 8-voice polyphony or polyphonic aftertouch, but it does share some of that unmistakable Yamaha analogue character — big oscillators, expressive filters, multiple modulation sources and the famous ring modulator.

Rather than simply playing one riff per song, Andy recreates multiple parts where possible: basses, leads, textures, counter-melodies, sequences and layered synth lines. Across the 9 tracks, you’ll hear 27 separate Yamaha CS-40M parts recreated on the original hardware.

Sounds for this episode were programmed by Andy’s friend and fellow synth programmer Paul Soulsby, who helped bring these classic early-80s synth parts back to life on the CS-40M.

Everything you hear is played on the real Yamaha CS-40M. No software synths, no samples — just the original instrument doing what it does best.

If you love classic synths, early-80s new wave, synth-pop, post-punk and finding out what these vintage instruments can really do, this one is for you.

What you’ll hear in this episode

Classic Yamaha CS-40M analogue tones
 2-note duophonic synth parts
 Ring modulation and modulation textures
 Early-80s synth-pop, new wave and post-punk sounds
 Bass parts, leads, pads, counter-melodies and layered synth lines
 27 classic synth parts recreated on the original Yamaha CS-40M

Featured artists include

The Stranglers, Duran Duran, Ultravox, Simple Minds, Landscape, Section 25, Bill Nelson and Our Daughter’s Wedding.

Parts recreated

Landscape – Einstein a Go-Go – 2 parts
 Duran Duran – The Chauffeur – 2 parts
 The Stranglers – Golden Brown – 1 part
 Ultravox – The Voice – 1 part
 Simple Minds – 70 Cities as Love Brings the Fall – 4 parts
 Ultravox – Sleepwalk – 5 parts
 Section 25 – Looking From a Hilltop – 2 parts
 Bill Nelson – Living in My Limousine – 5 parts
 Our Daughter’s Wedding – Lawnchairs – 5 parts

Listen / watch more

For more synth breakdowns, famous riff recreations and classic keyboard content, visit Andy Whitmore online.

Andy Whitmore: https://www.andywhitmore.com/
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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:08

Yamaha Sears 40M 9 famous songs 27 classic synth parts. Hi, it's Andy Whitmore, and in this episode I'm exploring the Yamaha Sears 40M, a brilliant underrated early 80s analogue synth. This is a classic Yamaha Geophonic analogue synth, first released in 1979. It costs around £650 new, which is over £4,000 in today's money, and good examples today sell for around £2,500. The tracks include Golden Brown by The Stranglers, The Chauffeur by Duran Duran, The Voice and Sleepwalk by Ultrabox, 70 Cities and Love Brings the Fall by Simple Minds, Einstein Gogo by Landscape, Looking from a Hilltop by Section 25, Living in My Limousine by Bill Nelson, and Lawn Chairs by Our Daughter's Wedding. Einsteiner Gogo. The CS40M is sometimes thought of as a smaller relative of the legendary Yamaha CS80. It doesn't have the CS80's huge eight-voice polyphony or polyphonic aftertouch. This one is two-note duophonic, but it does share some of the unmistakable Yamaha CS series analogue character. You get big analogue oscillators, a really expressive filter section, multiple modulation sources, patch memories, and importantly, the famous ring modulator, which gives the synth some of those wild metallic and unpredictable sounds Yamaha became known for. For this video, my friend and fellow synth programmer Paul Solsby programmed the sounds on the CS4TM. And rather than just playing one riff per song, we've gone deeper, recreating basses, leads, textures, counter melodies, and lead synth parts where possible. Section twenty-five, Looking from the Hilltop. On the same level as a mini moogue at a quarter of the price. It's not as famous as the CS80, and it's obviously much more limited with only two-note duofony, but there's a real character to it. Big, slightly wild, very analogue, and unmistakably Yamaha. Huge thanks to Paul Salisby for programming the CS40M sounds on this video. There were a lot of parts to recreate here, and some of these tracks are far more layered than they first appear. Let me know in the comments which one surprised you most. And also, let me know which synth you'd like me to cover next. I've already done famous Riffs videos for the Corg M1, Roland D50, Yamaha CS80, DX7, Jupiter 8, Jupyter 4, Profit 5, and I've also done a breakdown of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon album. You can find the video version on my YouTube channel, and for my synth breakdowns, famous Riff recreations and classic keyboard content, visit andywhitwood.com. Thanks for listening. I'll see you on the next episode.