50 thoughts on “Deckard’s Dream Synthesizer Available To Preorder”

1. Sorry, dumb name.

   1. Sorry, dumb comment

      1. Sorry, dumb reply.

         1. Yeah, Dumb comment. We all know the synth is iconic because of Blade Runner. I’m not even sure theres any other non-vangelis soundtrack or song that uses that synth in a memorable manner. And because of that soundtrack its the dream of many Synth fans to own a CS-80. So the name is quite clever, even if it is very movie geek. But I’d say thats knowing your audience.

         2. Sorry, dumb doubling down on your original dumb comment. Fact is you commented on this synth back in April and didn’t comment on the “dumb name” then lol.

         3. Sorry, dumb comeback.

      2. it’s a fucking rad name. Don’t be a lame synth fiend. Be a cool one man.

         1. Sorry, dumb name for someone like me who doesn’t know that Deckard is a movie character in a decades old movie that millions haven’t seen.

            1. this synth does not expect to sell millions but hundreds.
               why being interseted in cs80 if know nothing about it? it’s not innovative, it’s not for everyone, but for lovers of that brassy sound, from vangelis to stevie wonder, if you know nothing about these guys, inform yourself or go on straight.

            2. TimS, you make me sad.

            3. Millions havnt seen Star Wars. What’s that got to do with anything? It’s a synth, not the cure for cancer.

               And you can be sure a lot less people have heard of a CS-80 than have seen Blade Runner, which is still top 5 most popular Sci-Fi’s of all time. But, you may be the only person on here who didn’t realise the name was a homage to the film that made the CS-80 so iconic. But you can be sure that every single person who’s buys it knows, and they know why Dekards dream in the film is so important, and that’s why it’s a clever name.

            4. TimS, you shouldn’t be advertising, over and over again, your lack of knowledge, regarding classic synthesizers and the classic movies they were used in. Especially since Blade Runner is a movie that millions HAVE SEEN. Especially since a sequel is out this year. How do you judge the name of a synth? By your own limited knowledge? Do you have a better name for it?

            5. Nearly every article about Yamaha CS-80 mentions Blade Runner in the first two paragraphs. I guess you also don’t have any idea what CS-80 is.

2. For polyAT destinations, I would like to have seen pitch & filter cutoff (is that what “brilliance” is?) and hopefully bipolar control (pos/neg). Wave shape would also have been nice.

   It does look like a brilliant synth for people who want lots of controls and no menu diving.

   It’s also delightful to see that it is a beginner friendly build. I’d rather pay $2000 for a kit that doesn’t require any additional parts, but I can understand that lots of builders have parts on hand.

3. Underwhelming. So far no sounds that couldn’t come from the Behringer Deep Mind 12, and so far it doesn’t match the CS80. Maybe it is the player, but a demo by the manufacturer that doesn’t shine makes it harder to believe that anyone can make it shine. It is probably a good synth, but not worth the price.

   1. Behringer DeepMind 12 doesn’t have polyphonic aftertouch or support MPE, so it’s stuck in ‘prosumer’ pergatory – lots of features, but not some of the key features pros are looking for.

4. I thought this wasn’t going to make it to production like so many kits before it. All those synths lost in time… like tears in rain…

   1. I’ve heard synths you people wouldn’t believe. VCOs in unison on a 200 pound keyboard. I watched lights blinking in the dark behind ugly plastic buttons…

      1. Genius use of replicant monologue…thanks for the laugh 🙂

   2. The original quote almost makes me cry. So deep, so full of emotion, yet coming from a replicant. Brilliant movie.

5. i love the concept and an acurate cs-80 clone or recreation
   is long overdue. However
   unless presets/sound demos are presented that closely match
   the iconic patches of the original, I am not sold. The demos here
   are good for a generic poly synth but underwhelming as far as the
   original cs-80 is concerned.

   1. This is not a CS-80 clone, and the manufacturer’s site does not say that it is.

      “But it’s not the $1000 Yamaha CS-80 that I wanted!!!!”

      No, it isn’t.

6. Sounds remarkably sterile. I’m curious to hear more demos.

7. Synthtopia: $3749 for the pre-built synth and $999 for the DIY version

   Deckardsdream.com: $1199 for the pre-built synth and $349 for the DIY version

   What’s the deal?

   1. Hum… It’s probably the price for the presale only ? don’t know… It does not make any sense either !

   2. Those prices are deposits, balance is due on shipping. Click one of the pictures and it explains.

   3. If you actually go into the product page on their site it says:

      The total price is $3749 with a free worldwide shipping, the remaining balance of $2550 is to be paid when the product is ready for shipping.

      1. Thanks for clearing that up. If it were a little less expensive I’d pre-order in a heartbeat. I personally love the sound of the demos — finally a new poly I could really fall in love with.

8. No ringmod?

   1. Ring mod will be part of the expansion module, along with CV.

9. Hmm, this is a bit of a head-scratcher. Generally companies that copy the look and functionality of a classic synth as close as this also make some effort to duplicate the circuitry and sound as well. In this case, “no single part of a circuit is equal to the CS-80… don’t expect exactly the same behavior”. As much as I like analog hardware if I want a fake CS-80 that sounds alright but doesn’t quite hit the mark I’ll go with Arturia’s CS-80V. Deckard’s front panel as a controller for the plugin would be the best of both worlds until someone does a proper clone.

   1. I don’t think anybody except Yamaha can recreate it with all original components. The filter alone is a Yamaha IG00156 chip, so who can produce these accurately except Yamaha?

      I think it sounds amazing though. The patches might not be your typical CS-80 patch. But I could hear lots of similarities, especially in the bass department with lots of resonance.

      Having owned a CS-50 and CS-70M, I think this is as close to the CS sound as the Prophet 6 is close to the Prophet 5 Rev. 2. In other words: very close and close enough for me. Now excuse me, I need to go rob a bank.

10. Wow this.. sounds. AMAZING!!! Great job!!

11. Not bad. However – I’ll have to wait until I hear what Eddie Jobson can do with it.

12. “…a simple calibration procedure will allow even beginners to build this kit”
    https://static.gearslutz.com/board/imgext.php?u=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F_rScBRKlTdoE%2FTHsqXkR3_oI%2FAAAAAAABdCo%2FP6F7hExRlUs%2Fs1600%2F4938679549_30b9bfd949_b.jpg&h=0f7d0bde7dc63c8421e20c8255a1179f

    🙂

13. Pre-ordered mine this morning…maker Roman Fillipov has my confidence, while I still hope to own a CS-80 one day the Deckard will more than satisfy my longtime interest in a true analog version of ‘that’ sound and the potential for taking into places an original CS80 can’t go via the use of MPE via a Roli Seaboard or similar to me is massive. Another place a CS can’t go, is into a 4-space rack…I had a CS60 and while I was delighted with the layout and playability, there was no possibility of collaborating with other players outside of my studio. Haters are gonna hate, but I’m grateful that this thing even exists…this sound, in this format (plus USB and patch memory) is to me fantastic.

    1. I also preordered, most expensive synth I ever bought but I just love the CS80 so much, a clone will make me very happy.

14. Yes!!! Finally a poly synth with MPE and microtuning/alternate scales.

15. “The price of components, hardware panel, case and PSU will be ~ $1000. No rare or obsolete parts are used”.
    Not sure that £30 for one CEM3340 could put it outside of the
    “no rare or obsolete” category
    A quick check on ebay for the price of 17x CEM3340 and 59x V2164 VCA chips.
    Not much change from £1000.

    1. I don’t know how there are still CEM3340 being sold for £30 while Curtis is remanufacturing them and sells them for 15$ in quantities up to 499. Also the V2164 gets much cheaper in large quantities (1,60$ per chip for 1000 units)…. groupbuy is the keyword here. All in all those chips alone still add up to a whopping 350$… but this leaves 650$ for the other components which could suffice…

       1. Thanks for getting better pricing.

16. This is a great project and it sounds amazing. Screw the haters complaining about price and the name. Try moving a real cs-80 up a flight of stairs. It has all the features you could really ask for in a clean layout. Obviously I’ve already preordered and I’m psyched

    1. “This is a great project and it sounds amazing.”

       Could you care to elaborate in what ways it sounds amazing
       as opposed to quite mediocre?

       1. Only if you care to elaborate why it sounds mediocre first.

          1. if someone would present you these demos without all the marketing about
             deckard’s dream and bladerunner and whatnot, would you seriously say:
             “that is a cs-80” and would you say “it sounds amazing”?

             I didn’t think so.

17. Pre-ordered mine this morning…maker Roman Fillipov has my confidence, while I still hope to own a CS-80 one day the Deckard will more than satisfy my longtime interest in a true analog version of ‘that’ sound and the potential for taking into places an original CS80 can’t go via the use of MPE via a Roli Seaboard or similar to me is massive. Another place a CS can’t go, is into a 4-space rack…I had a CS60 and while I was delighted with the layout and playability, there was no possibility of collaborating with other players outside of my studio. Haters are gonna hate, but I’m grateful that this thing even exists…this sound, in this format (plus USB and patch memory) is to me fantastic.

18. great synth regardless of if it sounds like a CS. poly with MPE and VST. hitting all the right buttons for me…..:)

19. I’m not hearing CS-80 in these demos. It’s sounds nice, if not entirely inspiring. But at best I’m hearing something that is reminiscent of a CS-80. Seeing as the name and aesthetics are hinting quite heavily at it being a clone, or something very much inspired by the CS-80, im confused why the demos aren’t at least trying to deliver some of the more familiar CS-80 sounds. I’d seriously consider his if it was in the ballpark, but couldn’t order it based on those demos.

20. I was hoping for Deckards Wet Dream but it failed to excite

21. It doesn’t growl like a cs-80… The demo’s are not what I expected, very clean.
    I remember Juergen Haible’s living VCO project tryint to explain why the CS-80 sounded like it did. Can’t find any reference on the website if it was designed in the same way or not.

    Will have to wait to see what others come up with demo wise. People will probably post a lot of blade runner-esque stuff made with deckard’s dream.

    Price wise, I prefer to invest this kind of money in a john bowen solaris for instance and just did as a matter of fact.