Synth Icons

Yamaha CS-80 — 28 Famous Riffs You Know (But Didn’t Know Were CS-80)The Yamaha CS-80 is one of the most expressive analog synthesizers ever made — and its sound is hiding in plain sight across classic pop, rock, TV themes, and film scores.In this episode, I’m playing 28 famous riffs you definitely know, all recreated on the Yamaha CS-80. From lush string pads and bold brass lines to flute-style leads and expressive glides, this is a tour of just how wide-ranging — and musical — the CS-80 really is.All parts are played on the CS-80 itself, using light, record-style effects where needed to match the original vibe. Use the chapter markers to jump between songs, and listen closely to how often this synth shows up in places you might not expect.Intro Kate Bush – “Babooshka” Intro Lead Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder – “Ebony and Ivory” Lead Synth Doctor Who (Peter Howell, 1980s) Signature Sting Doctor Who (Peter Howell, 1980s) Theme Bass Toto – “Takin’ It Back” Sine Glissando Pad Toto – “Africa” Brass Pad Toto – “Rosanna” Brass Pad ELO – “Time / Prologue” String Intro Genesis – “Behind the Lines” Intro Brass (may have been Quadra) 10cc – “Tokyo” String Pad 10cc – “Tokyo” Flute Line ELO – “Twilight” Brass Line Michael Jackson – “Human Nature” Brass Pad Paul McCartney – “Wonderful Xmas Time” Middle 8 Lick Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder – “Ebony and Ivory” Intro Brass Kate Bush – “Babooshka” Flute Glide 10cc – “Dreadlock Holiday” Lead Line 10cc – “For You and I” String Pad ELO – “Yours Truly, 2095” Flute Line Quincy Jones – “Betcha’ Wouldn’t Hurt Me” Lead Synth Michael Jackson – “Billie Jean” String Part 10cc – “For You and I” Flute Line Bruce Springsteen – “Born in the USA” Intro Synth Chordal Melody Prefab Sprout – “If You Don’t Love Me” Intro Brass Genesis – “Duchess” String Glide Genesis – “Duchess” Pluck Line Genesis – “Turn It On Again” Brass Line Paul McCartney – “Wonderful Xmas Time” CS-80 Solo Outro & SummaryQuestions for you:Which riff did you recognise instantly?Which one surprised you the most?And which synth should I cover next?If you enjoy these quick-fire famous riff episodes, check out my other synth specials and let me know what you’d like to hear next.Support the show

In this Synth Icons episode, Andy Whitmore powers up the legendary Roland Jupiter-8 to uncover 20 hidden 80s synth gems. From shimmering pads and string intros to bold brass, sequences and moody bass lines, every sound you hear comes straight from Andy’s own Jupiter-8 – no plugins, no emulations, just authentic analogue.🎧 Riffs & tracks featured:Queen – I Want to Break Free (strings intro, solo + sequence stabs)Howard Jones – What Is Love? (brass & synth solo)Duran Duran – Save a Prayer (sequence and lead lines)Prince – 1999 (Jupiter-8 brass intro)Simple Minds – Don’t You (Forget About Me) (brass lick)Michael Jackson – Thriller (intro pad)Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls (strings + bass)Tears for Fears – Mad World (bass intro & organ part)Tears for Fears – Pale Shelter (bass intro)Tears for Fears – Everybody Wants to Rule the World (main pad)Each part is played note-for-note from the original recordings, showing why the Jupiter-8 became one of the most loved polysynths of the 80s.🎹 More Synth Icons episodes:Hohner Clavinet D6 – Famous Riffs You Instantly KnowRoland Jupiter-4 – Famous Riffs You Know (But Didn’t Realise Were Jupiter-4)Korg M1 – Famous Riffs You Know (But Didn’t Realise Were M1)Yamaha DX7, Prophet-5 and more classic synth deep-dives✏️ 1-to-1 lessons & mentoring If you want one-to-one lessons on how to program or produce in Logic Pro – or you’d like help programming synths, analogue or VST – head over to Andy’s website and get in touch.📲 Connect with AndyYouTube: @AndyWhitmoreInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/andywhitmore2014/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndyWhitmoreMusicTikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@andywhitmore9583If you enjoy this Jupiter-8 special, follow the Synth Icons podcast, leave a rating or review, and let Andy know which synth – or which artist – you’d like to hear next.Support the show

The Roland Juno-106 has been quietly sneaking onto hit records for decades. In this Synth Icon episode, I put it front and centre and show you why it became a true studio workhorse.I’ll play you 15 famous basslines, pads and leads from artists like Underworld, Daft Punk, Madonna, Tame Impala, The Weeknd, Com Truise, Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein (Stranger Things) and more – all recreated live on my Juno-106 in the studio. No samples, no stems, just the real hardware with some chorus and FX.Along the way we talk about why the 106 keeps turning up on records, how producers layer it with other Junos and synths, and what makes its chorus, filter and envelopes so addictive.Riffs featured in this episode (in order):·  The Weeknd – Blinding Lights·  Underworld – Born Slippy (Nuxx) Part A·  Underworld – Born Slippy (Nuxx) Part B·  Daft Punk – Around the World·  Stranger Things – Kids·  Daft Punk – Voyager·  Charlie Puth – BOY·  Tame Impala – Nangs·  808 State – Pacific State·  Dr. Alban – No Coke·  Com Truise – Memory·  Talk Talk – It’s My Life·  Daft Punk – Rollin’ & Scratchin’·  Madonna – Ray of Light·  Tame Impala – Eventually Listen with headphones if you can – there’s a lot of chorus movement, filter detail and low-end weight that phone speakers won’t give you.Tell me in the comments / reviews:Which Juno-106 riff surprised you most?Which synth should I feature next in the Synth Icon series – Juno-60, JD-800, DX7, M1… or something weirder?🎧 Watch the live performance video on YouTube: search for “The Juno-106 Hit Machine | 15 Iconic Riffs – Andy Whitmore” - https://youtu.be/KzA9ZHBn06M🔗 For more synth demos, recreations and deep dives, check out my YouTube channel and socials in the show notes - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0Dj_f71KJlNyPbuR4efYpxQXUtmRuX5B&si=voZg2MznmUrowl11Support the show

In this Synth Icons episode, Andy Whitmore dives into the digital, glassy world of the Roland D-50 – with 20 iconic riffs you definitely know, but maybe never realised were D-50.Every sound in this episode comes from a real D-50, using classic factory presets like Pizzagogo, DigitalNativeDance, Staccato Heaven, Glass Voices, Metal Harp, Cathedral/pipe organs, Shakuhachi, Griitttarr and more. No other synths, no samples – just the D-50 doing what it does best.🎧 Tracks & sounds featured include:Michael Jackson – Man in the Mirror (I-84 Afterthought)Enya – Orinoco Flow (I-44 Pizzagogo)Eric Clapton – Bad Love (I-77 O K Chorale)Gary Numan – America (I-37 Soundtrack)Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season 1 theme / OST (I-51 Glass Voices)Paula Abdul – Straight Up (I-15 Horn Section)Christopher Cross – Sailing (I-43 Basin Strat Blues)Taylor Dayne – Tell It to My Heart (I-15 Horn Section)George Michael – Faith (I-38 Cathedral Organ)Mica Paris – My One Temptation (I-15 Horn Section)Phil Collins – Another Day in Paradise (I-12 Metal Harp)Bananarama – Love in the First Degree (I-15 Horn Section)Mr. President – Coco Jamboo (I-16 Living Calliope)Boy Meets Girl – Waiting for a Star to Fall (I-21 DigitalNativeDance)Sabrina – Boys Boys Boys (I-15 Horn Section)Spagna – Call Me (I-15 Horn Section)George Michael – Father Figure (I-66 Shakuhachi)Pink Floyd – Run Like Hell (I-26 Griitttarr – reimagined on D-50)Michael Jackson – Dirty Diana (I-21 DigitalNativeDance)Michael Cooper – Shoop Shoop (Never Stop Givin’ You Love) (I-61 Staccato Heaven)Plus preset demos: Intruder FX and Staccato HeavenExpect plenty of “wait… that’s a D-50?!” moments as these factory patches pop up in huge pop, rock and TV themes from the late 80s and early 90s.🎹 More Synth Icons episodes:Korg M1 – Famous Riffs You Know (But Didn’t Realise Were M1)Sequential Prophet-5 – Famous Riffs You Instantly KnowRoland Jupiter-8 & Jupiter-4 – Hidden 80s Synth GemsHohner Clavinet D6 – Famous Riffs You Instantly KnowCS-80 / Vangelis sounds and Yamaha DX7 specials✏️ 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/AndyWhitmoreMusic𝕏 X → https://twitter.com/andywhitmore🎵 TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@andywhitmore9583If you enjoy this D-50 special, follow the Synth Icons podcast, leave a rating or review, and let Andy know which synth – or which artist – you’d like to hear next.Support the show

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 melodyVangelis – Blade Runner – Brass lineVangelis – Blade Runner – String padJon & Vangelis – I Hear You Now – Main themeVangelis – Chariots of Fire – Brass lickVangelis – To the Unknown Man – Intro melodyVangelis – Blade Runner – Flute intro lineVangelis – 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 & PresetsRoland Jupiter-4 & Jupiter-8 – Hidden 80s Synth GemsSequential Prophet-5 – Famous Riffs You Instantly KnowHohner Clavinet D6 – Famous Riffs You Instantly KnowRoland 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/AndyWhitmoreMusic𝕏 X → https://twitter.com/andywhitmore🎵 TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@andywhitmore9583If 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.Support the show