Modal Cobalt 5S 🎹 | A Budget Hardware Synth That Rocks

Howdy! Today we're here to explore the brand new Modal Electronics Cobalt 5S which is an affordable, portable, virtual analog beast.
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▼▼▼TIMESTAMPZ:▼▼▼
0:00 Intro Jam
2:52 Howdy
3:49 Disclosure Stuff
4:11 What's In The Box
4:41 What We're Skipping
4:58 TL;DR Summary
6:11 Build Quality
7:13 Sound Demos
18:06 A Few Custom Patch Demos
19:48 Using The Cobalt 5S
21:25 Patch From Scratch
29:13 MPE / Aftertouch
29:36 Modal App
30:12 Overall Impressions
35:00 Any Competition?
36:38 Should You Buy 5S If You Have Cobalt8?
37:18 Closing Thoughts
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#synthesizer #sounddesign #modalcobalt

[@VenusTheory]

Cobalt 5s or Cobalt 8? 🤔 🎹 Check It Cobalt Here ► bit.ly/3IebJ83

[@Tubeinnit]

Nice review, looks/sounds fab !! Have you had a look at or tried out the Korg Wavestate? 🎹👍

[@goodnota]

how's the keybed feel compared to KeyStep 37 or Hydrasynth Explorer ? Thanks

[@TK96]

C8

[@fortheloveofnoise9298]

@@TK96 I prefer the C7 Corvette.

[@GeorgeL909]

That intro track was phenomenal.

[@RobertSaintJohn]

MODALapp is their ace in the hole, still the most elegant companion app for hardware that any of these companies have designed. Great review!

[@VenusTheory]

The app has spoiled me for sure. When I jump to different hardware it's hard to not say 'damn I wish this had the app thing' haha.

[@11000038]

Yep but the colours and font sizes could be be more user friendly.

[@j.alexandermyersen1176]

Hey, Robert. I just wanted to thank you for this comment. I was recently researching which new synth to get after unfortunately having to sell my Minilogue a couple years ago. You brought the idea of the usefulness of the Modal app to the fore of my consideration of the Cobalt5s, and ultimately it is a feature that made me feel comfortable making the decision to buy one.

[@fortheloveofnoise9298]

@@VenusTheory Can you get everything out of this synth without the app...or are there some features you can't? I don't like using any apps for my synths, regardless of how good they are.

[@Farold_Haltermeyer]

Have yet to use the app after more than year with this little beauty!

[@futur_sunds]

One of the most impressive synths in its price range! MicroFreak and Minilogue XD better watch out!

[@thejoshuathomas]

The Cobalt8 was already at the top of my list for a polysynth, if I ever decide to diversify from mono land. But this new 5S is even more practical for my hypothetical future uses. It's officially taken the top spot from its sibling. Great demonstration as always, Cameron. All the best to you.

[@hanspeters1796]

I think the only competition is the Yamaha Reface CS with regard to the dimensions. The problem of most of the keyboard-synthesizers is that they are too deep in size to fit on a desk in front of a computer screen.

[@brentladue]

I really love my CS, but I agree. I still mostly use the Keystep because it has the perfect form facter X number of keys for me (ok well I do want 37), but yeah. I wonder how much bigger this is than the CS overall? tempted to upgrade and potentially replace both, though I would miss the speaker.

[@jonwatson144]

@@brentladue It's 3.5cm longer left to right than the Reface CS but all the other dimensions (front to back, top to bottom) are smaller

[@brentladue]

@@jonwatson144 oh wow, that's impressive. I didn't really expect it to be smaller in any way, and only 4m longer aint too bad at all... might actually trade these units up, we'll see. Thank you!

[@rubberplant6375]

That 4 chord sequence is brilliant. Love it (F#, G, D, E), it produces so many active power parameters and it beautifully demonstrates the sonic power of this synth. Great stuff Cam man

[@LaymensLament]

addition: having dealt with a lot of manuals over the last year or so, i have to say this is an actually concise and informative manual, my wishes go out to roland, korg and akai

[@rafaelikenaga]

Thank you for your content, really enjoy your videos! I'm debating between the Cobalt 8m and the Minilogue XD module, how do you feel about those 2 against each other? I"m only starting to get into sound design, though I've been playing guitar for a long time, so I still depend on pre-sets a lot when I'm composing.

[@11000038]

I went with the Modal. I liked the extra polyphony, sounds and build quality. I got the 8x because of the proper keybed. No regrets. Support is good too. The xd isn't off the wish list though!

[@synthlab]

I think a better idea as alternative/competitor is not the Microfreak, but the Novation Mininova. It has 3 octaves of "traditional" keys (no aftertouch, though), a very capable polyphonic VA engine, a vocoder and an impressive software editor ... and it is blue!!!!

[@henrikgustav2294]

Is ultranova a mininova with bigger keys?

[@synthlab]

@@henrikgustav2294 Yes, plus some additional performance controllers.

[@_mickmccarthy]

I love my Reface CS, but I wish this thing was around when I was looking at getting my first synth a year or two back!

[@Eleni_Be]

absolutely great track! generally not a fan of 1 synth track but this modal seems nice, too.

[@enoodle]

Wow, right when I was considering a starter hardware synth as my next investment you drop this. The new Behringer mini synth clones caught my attention, hope you cover one!

[@VenusTheory]

Haha well glad to be of service. I'm keeping a close eye on those new Behringer announcements - we'll see what happens!

[@dwarfgalaxy7081]

Excellent tutorial once again, Bro. Thanx a lot. I was just wondering to get myself the Modal Argon wavetable synth but now I’m not so sure anymore. The 5s seems to be a considerable alternative too....

[@ToreHansen]

Looks great, compact and have very cool sounds, so interesting if needs one for less space and moving around

[@eriklee909]

Fantastic work as always! Love the intro music and super neat idea to have it playing generative stuff at the end.

[@alexandrebaroni1057]

I´m really interested to know how the Keybed compares to Arturia KeyStep models (that I have and like). I loved to have a small Synth and a MIDI controller on the same package. But Keybed is very important to me (the feeling, travel, implementation.

[@coskuarsiray]

keybed is way better than keystep. keystep is like a toy when compared.

[@broncoxy]

Had my eye on a Microfreak as my first synth, but I think this one is my new favorite; I love big soundscapes and dreamy leads, and it seems that this one right here is just made for it... Also that intro track alone could probably sell me one, like damnnn

[@LaymensLament]

damn i love the form factor on this thing. the real selling point is that you get a synth and a small daw controller in one. I was looking for a simple 8 fader device for a long time and instead of buying a faderfox ec4 for 300 bucks i can just get a full synthesizer and get a FREE midi controller on top :D.

[@brentladue]

Yeah I'm looking at it like, maybe I can replace/combine both my Keystep and Yamaha CS at once. I was eyeing the Keystep 37 to upgrade from my regular one, and I've wanted to get some presets back that the CS doesn't (comforably) offer. I could sell both of these and make up most of the cost for the 5S. Tempting. Would be really nice to have 16 knobs available for the DAW, that's for sure.

[@geofff6671]

It looks like it is going to cost $450.

[@LaymensLament]

@@geofff6671 I know I was just saying a dedicated fader device I was considering would cost me 300

[@geofff6671]

@@LaymensLament ok i get it now. Strange how fader devices are so expensive for what you get.

[@cubasedaf]

Hands down the best hardware/software review channel to this day. TO THIS DAY!!!!

[@VenusTheory]

Thanks so much! Glad the effort that goes into this stuff doesn't go unnoticed.

[@futur_sunds]

@@VenusTheory Oh it doesn’t, trust me!

[@ToreHansen]

Always something interesting on you're channel! Even if im stuck in VST la la land.!

[@rrtramel]

How does it compare to the Skulpt? My understanding was always the Skulpt was a mini Cobalt and the Craft 2.0 was a mini Argon. This kind of messes with that perception. Also, I assume patches are not compatible between the OG Cobalt and the 5s due to the chorus?

[@VentureNW]

The Skulpt hurts my brain (not sure why) and the sounds that come out of it are not as good as what I am hearing out of this one. I think it would be a really good comparison, as the Skulpt is pretty cheap for what it is.

[@VentureNW]

Thanks for reviewing this... looks very interesting, as I have been thinking about upgrading past just a midi controller.

[@odiroot]

I just wanted to say, I have Modal Skulpt (so even a more budget one) and I really like it (even as another controller for soft synths) and the way it integrates with the DAW as VST. Just cannot understand why Modal doesn't want to release a Linux-native version of their app and VST. It's written in a cross-platform framework so shouldn't be that much effort. If they did that, I'd call them my favourite synth manufacturer.

[@evanbarnes9984]

What DAW are you running on Linux?

[@odiroot]

@@evanbarnes9984 The favourite of ya boy Cameron -- Bitwig Studio :)

[@ChromaticFarmer7]

@@odiroot That bothered me allot too. I love my Skulpt. And when I reached out to them about ways of getting the app to work in something like ardour. All I got was that they have no intention of supporting Linux. Super disappointing.

[@SpeccyMan]

OK. So there I was thinking I might buy myself an Arturia Microfreak this year. And now ...

[@mistral-unizion-music]

The Microfreak is very interesting indeed. Did you check LFO Store's new preset bank for it? The sounds are amazing. I was sad to notice it was a hardware synth as I use only software synths right now. Well I might get it one day on sale just for fun.

[@darrenosborn7665]

Can you add a midi keyboard like an m32 and extend the keyboard range? Eg not mirroring what the Cobalt plays but if it's placed on the left or right, you can reach higher or lower notes

[@marknhopgood]

Yes

[@ywenp]

Do the knobs send CCs too? (I think it was the case with the original Cobalt 8)

[@jonfromtheuk467]

yes

[@davidsobel3303]

If you're using the pad as a mod slider on a patch does it snap back to zero when you lift your finger or stay in position, ie, like a mod wheel.

[@VenusTheory]

You can make it do either! See 22:43

[@SvenFx-22]

I’ve been wanting to buy a Microfreak just because but now I’m reconsidering and might get this. I don’t need either, i just wanted one because of all the hype and i like to tweak knobs. Thank you for the comparison at the end, i think I’m going to grab this instead of the Microfreak

[@Jason75913]

I'd say get both instead 😎

[@griffwest7311]

OK I dig it I’m gonna get one - And thanks so much I learn a lot from your channel - totally helps me move forward as a musician, composer and producer!

[@thevi_olin]

Thanks for amazing content, this is no exception! The Cobalts have my interests as they seem highly functional over excessive flexibility.. I’m looking for a ready to go pad synth, the Cobalt might be the way to go…. 🤔

[@thatguy5229]

The intro slaps. That's all I want to say

[@VenusTheory]

Thanks! That was a lot of work to do so I'm glad it paid off 😅

[@karmatosed7211]

I’ve absolutely love my SkulptSynth SE by Modal, so looks like a may have to forgo buying a MicroFreak for this instead. Any word if Modal will be releasing an Argon version like this one?

[@VentureNW]

So I have a good question for you, since you own a Skulpt. Why would you need this, already having a Skulpt? Doesn’t the Skulpt fit the same need, a virtual analog synth? Let me know, thanks!

[@LoVeAmBiEnT]

Get a microfreak if you already own the skulpt. My opinion. The microfreak is a beast. This is great tho as well

[@ctd_audio]

Bloody hell that intro was fantastic dude! Great little synth 👌

[@shannonia81]

That musical intro...🔥

[@fash4293]

That intro track is so sick!

[@VenusTheory]

Thanks!

[@grailgnosticism2342]

good demo'ing; love the xy z pad controller, wish there was a unit just with this midi controller solution ; I can;t find this anywhere, but possible to use iPhone I guess.

[@gimiak]

Thank you for the video. I watch a few of your older videos and must admit that I'll stay here. ;) Besides Cobalt 5S I've a general question about digital pianos. I'm a beginner in the piano field and I own KAWAI ES110, which so far was enough musical instrument for me, but... Looking at the music opportunities which give you syncs I wonder myself is there any option to expand my piano sounds or even modulate somehow? I don't have enough knowledge and also an idea about how to take the next step. I really feel a lack of options with my current instrument, but maybe you could suggest something besides "sell it and buy product X'.

[@AppliedDefenseConceptsLLC]

For sound and modularity, would this be better than an 8m? I was going to plug the 8m into my roland juno ds and or axe edge. Didn't know if the sound from this one differ much from the 8m

[@VenusTheory]

As mentioned the sound engines are identical

[@VentureNW]

5 voices, instead of 8, but the same sound engine

[@sinewaymusic]

@@VenusTheory that chorus though...

[@Jason75913]

I'd recommend the 8m instead. That great Juno will have you covered as your master keyboard. If you aren't using the phrase pads for anything in Performance mode, set them in System settings to select Parts, and the Juno will transmit MIDI via whatever part you have selected. If the Cobalt is set to MIDI channel 2, for example, then pad 2 on the Juno in Performance mode can let you switch to the Cobalt on the fly to play.

[@thefilmjerk901]

Great vid. For us hobby guys with even smaller budget- is there something in this category that’s maybe even cheaper (less functionality is okay) but I’m looking for something a little bit better sounding that my Roland go keys synth patches but don’t wanna break the bank this much. And maybe the answer is no too that’s okay. Thanks for the vids!

[@Jason75913]

Novation Mininova, Modal Skulpt, and Microfreak are all cheaper than the Cobalt5

[@YOLO-pj3hh]

is a very simple intro... but very phenomenal and fantastic!!! sound very huge, clear and deep, congratulations boys for that synth

[@carlosvargas894]

It would be nice if more companies adopted the use of the X-Y Pad. Just like some cars offer you an option between manual or automatic transmissions. How about a poll? If given the option to choose between an X-Y Pad or Mod Wheels on a synth, which would you choose? I'd pick an X-Y Pad.

[@VenusTheory]

For sure - XY is such a useful controller and I'm not sure why it's not more common. Modal's addition of Z pressure to it is awesome too - hopefully we'll see more of it in the future!

[@tonalaxis]

I agree, I would actually make my own if I could find the X/Y pad separately.

[@SpeccyMan]

My MIDI controller has a mod wheel and an X-Y Pad. 😁

[@tonalaxis]

@@SpeccyMan I had and X-Station once which I regret parting with. They X/Y pad on there was great!

[@crnkmnky]

@@tonalaxis I see that Apple makes stand-alone trackpads, and there is an app for sending MIDI CC messages from that… 🤔

[@bombpg]

Hey Cameron! Awesome video as usual. I’d be curious to know how you think the 5S compares to the Arturo’s Minifreak for someone’s first entry into hardware. The Minifreak is obviously more versatile, but I find myself preferring the Cobalt’s warmer sound, and I also think the smaller form factor could make the 5S a great all-purpose midi controller.

[@flrn84791]

Can a ROLI Seaboard be used the Modal cobalt 5S or 8M as a MPE controller?

[@VenusTheory]

Yep!

[@JasonGillmanJr]

Damn, getting some of them sweet sweet 80s pads from that thing

[@akagerhard]

The Intro Jam turned me on, seeing how many buttons I need to press without visual confirmation of what I'm doing in the "patch from scratch"-segment turned me off, the modal-app resparked my interest gently. I'm not an "analogue producer" at all - but with time and boredom that might change one day, so I'm always open to be impressed. This seems to be aimed at people like me, yet it didn't fully convince me. Did you play with the IK-Multimedia synths (they are amateur/entry-price synths as well) by any chance? Cheers

[@VenusTheory]

Have not tried the IK stuff yet, but it is on my radar to maybe check out at some point. They didn't really excite me all that much though so it's not too high on my priority list.

[@akagerhard]

@@VenusTheory good to know, thanks!

[@Xanaduum]

How many sequencing tracks/layers can you use on this?

[@enoodle]

I might get the $50 Behringer when it's available while I save up for something more full featured like this

[@fattyboombatty7736]

Are the filters different to the Argon, they sound nicer or is it just me?

[@dwarfgalaxy7081]

I was just wondering to grab me an Argon. Do you have any experience?

[@fattyboombatty7736]

@@dwarfgalaxy7081 only from a music shop and a few yt videos. I had the same experience with the modwave and wavestate. Probably my ears!

[@Stadsjaap]

Virus TI2 sounds... for pocket change 😳 Also kinda reminds me of a Mininova

[@kaitsu9608]

Yea thought so too.. great va!

[@willyp5855]

If this thing is made to last, then it's definitely worth the price. I think it sounds great, and I'm listening on my phone.

[@11000038]

I hope the chorus is available soon for the 8 series.

[@VenusTheory]

Same, it's lovely.

[@joeylee406]

Can someone tell me whether I should go for this or the Arturia MiniFreak instead? Honest pros/cons?

[@fortheloveofnoise9298]

This sounds better.

[@Dolphinboy999]

Wow...what amazing depth in the pads!

[@NexxuSix]

But does it do duophonic, or have a ring modulator? Otherwise a very beautiful sounding synth for sure!

[@AdamJayTechnoElectro]

Looks like this might also be missing the chord memory voice mode the 8 has? 🤔

[@SuperEgido]

I have the MicroFreak and really the Cobalt 5s is a very tough competition for Arturia. The MiniFreak is recently coming out, and I think it's superior to the Cobalt 5s, but the Modal one has a very particular sound, very thick for basses and pads. Although I am convinced to acquire the MiniFreak, I do not think I can get rid of the Cobalt 5S, because I have fallen in love with it since the first time I laid hands on it. It is very versatile, much better than a Moog Minitaur, than a DSI Mopho, yes, very good too but they have become obsolete before this little monster, with basic built-in effects and with a really impressive ease of use and ability to save presets. ❤ Tengo el MicroFreak y realmente el Cobalt 5s es una competencia muy dura para los de Arturia. Recientemente está saliendo al mercado el MiniFreak, y creo que es superior al Cobalt 5s, pero el de Modal tiene un sonido muy particular, muy grueso para bajos y pads. Aunque estoy convencido de adquirir el MiniFreak, no creo que pueda deshacerme del Cobalt 5S, porque me ha enamorado desde la primera vez que le puse las manos encima. Es muy versátil, mucho mejor que un Moog Minitaur, que un DSI Mopho, sí, muy buenos también pero han quedado obsoletos ante este pequeño monstruo, con efectos básicos incorporados y con una facilidad de uso y capacidad para guardar presets realmente impresionante.

[@dariogrijalba]

Hola Miguel, cómo los comparas en cuanto a calidez del sonido y recreación de síntesis clásica análoga. Estoy entre sí comprar el minifreak o el cobalt, me encantan los sintetizadores clásicos tipo prophet, juno o obx

[@mistral-unizion-music]

Great track at the beginning of the video! Love it!

[@djlick2]

Sounds like the Uno Synth Pro may be a competitor too, especially the desktop version....although it's still paraphonic as well. I'm still very interested in the 8 desktop, I think that's still potentially my next synth purchase, and I'll probably skip the 5, just because of the keyboard, as I don't need another keyboard to use it. Still a VERY interesting device, from the looks of it.

[@jonfromtheuk467]

C5S isn't paraphonic -its truly polyphonic.

[@VenusTheory]

Need to maybe try the Uno Pro someday and see how it stacks up. IMO 8 is definitely where it's at, but has a price tag to match. The 5S is extremely fun though and I think a great 'starter' device or for those who don't really need the extra stuff from the 8.

[@mrz80]

Look at a Deepmind 12D (the keyboardless version). If you have any love for old Rolands, the Cult of Ulle™ has turned out a Juno on steroids for the new millennium. 12 voice polyphonic with nearly limitless mod-matrix options and really great sound for well under a grand.

[@djlick2]

@@mrz80 what is the cult of ulle? I can't find any information on that online.

[@mrz80]

@@djlick2 Sorry, spelled that wrong. It should be "Cult of Uli", a humorous reference to one Uli Behringer, and his budget music gear empire. :D The Behringer Deepmind 12 is a whole BUNCH of synthesizer for well under a thousand US dollars. The joke is, Roland discontinues something, and Behringer figures out a way to clone it for about a third the price. :D

[@elazarkotkes]

I'm in a dilemma if I should go for something just like this Cobalt 5s and learn about sound design and start creating some of my own music as well as having a nice small portable solution. or interested, continue with my 7 year "piano journey" and get a 61, 73 or 88 with graded action and get even better at Blues, jazz and funk. I really do want both but rn it would be too much.

[@elazarkotkes]

Any advice? Recommendations?

[@elazarkotkes]

Your playing and explanation of everything is amazing btw! Thank you so much!

[@breitbanddesign]

with 7 years of piano knowledge, I would go for a StudioLogic SL73 and a Logic Pro License (or whatever DAW is your favorite). That is only slightly more than the price for the 5s but gives you so much more options and possibilities in both directions - continuing your „piano journey“ and creating whatever sound you like within your DAW. ;)

[@SuperEgido]

If the Modal Cobalt 8 update makes its way to the Modal Cobalt 5S as well, this little synth can become one of the best small on the outside but big on the inside synths. ❤ Si la actualización del Modal Cobalt 8 llega también al Modal Cobalt 5S, este pequeño sintetizador puede convertirse en uno de los mejores sintetizadores pequeños por fuera pero muy grandes por dentro.

[@PauperPeccator]

Parece tener finta de juguete pero mucha capacidad y ampliedad de uso. La polifonía me llámala atencion. Definitivamente en la lista de candidatos de compra .

[@tendingtropic7778]

what update?

[@coskuarsiray]

i can not backup presets or banks. nothing happens when i click to backup. i can not give a name. there is only OPEN button which opens nothing. how can i save presets to PC?

[@YouzTube99]

Have you tried using their app?

[@wrigna1]

Can anyone please tell me as specifically as possible how to load presets on the Cobalt 5s? I've been trying and trying and I literally can't hear anything out of mine at all

[@russ254]

did you read the directions? do you have a computer? audio interface? do they work? daw? you want specifics, but give none. you’re also asking for tech support on social media, which is silly.

[@wrigna1]

@@russ254 The reason I turned to KZbin for help is because I contacted MODAL's official tech support asking for help at least twice but never got a single reply from them at all. I bought this synthesizer hoping it would be an intuitive, user-friendly standalone synth and it wouldn't need to depend on any of the other factors you mentioned (e.g. daw). The cobalt synthesizer completely failed to meet this requirement and I returned it weeks ago.

[@wrigna1]

@@russ254 If there's anything "silly" about this situation at all, it would be MODAL's absolutely terrible, nonexistent customer support. Millions of people have received help millions of times on KZbin. It's very normal, nothing silly at all about that.

[@New_Zealand_Music]

I love the article on Sound on sound. Where the actually say, this is competition. To it's Big Brother. Fantastic.

[@murrrr8288]

I think Yamaha Reface series is also on the same alley of small and rather affordable instruments

[@Jason75913]

They don't compete with Modal gear. Reface sonic pallettes don't come close, plus their only VA, the CS, is heavily limited (excessively so for the price, in my opinion). I'd use a Reface together with the Cobalt5, if anything, rather than consider them competitors.

[@KimchiBagels]

Phrygian scale for that solo in the beggining? Damn that was tasty.

[@thewistfulsnail]

Sounds amazing! OK people comparing to the Microfreak. The Microfreak isn't true polyphonic. It's also monaural so no stereo output. Neither does it have any effects and the touchplate keys have a small key range. I have the Microfreak and love it to death but all of the aforementioned lack of features make me very interested in the Cobalt5

[@ambiyond1155]

What a nice machine some synthwavey feels :)

[@benrothschild6074]

Now the question is when do we get the argon 5s

[@rui5421]

Can they polychain with the 8?

[@jonfromtheuk467]

no, but you CAN poly chain 2 COBALT5S - the reason is the one less LFO and different FX set.

[@soumyadeepnathbarbhuiyan4945]

A round of applause for the intro piece 👏

[@Mutedimagery]

The sound at 12:02 is amazing

[@woodswalker88]

I have the Cobalt8M Module and I'm seriously thinking of trying to sell that & get this instead. Why? Because I realize that I don't like Modules. Its a pain in the ass to have to scrounge around for keys so I can play them. I wonder if I will find this keyboard version lacking. I know it's missing a bit of polyphony and an LFO or two. And maybe you have to menu-dive for the deeper functions. I don't care about deeper functions. If it has a good arp and sequencer, I'm sure I would be happy.

[@Jason75913]

Maybe keep your keyboards closer by?

[@codexstudios]

Now I want a recreation of the Deus Ex theme with the intro song instruments

[@thefourthdymensionmusic]

1:23 and 1:31 is just absolutely amazing.

[@thefourthdymensionmusic]

love the uwu

[@rocky_racoon_uk1252]

And this demo comes on the day I have bought a Minilogue XD - M.

[@breitbanddesign]

Could be still the better choice ;) For me XD as well as Hydra Explorer would be both a better choice.

[@Jason75913]

XD is a different beast, the Cobalt5's sonic pallette is much bigger and more diverse plus it has none of the analogue flavor of the Minilogue. Use both together instead.

[@AndreasR86]

Modal trying to give me GAS

[@VenusTheory]

Worse than a Taco Bell binge

[@Gainn]

That Ancient Technogyptian RaCore intro was fucking sick.

[@MosEisleySpacePort1138]

Might sell my Reface CS to get a Cobalt 5s. Good move?

[@russ254]

no, learn what you have

[@MosEisleySpacePort1138]

@@russ254 I have learned what I have. Why are you judging me? I don’t have GAS like other players.

[@grzegorz__]

I love soft synths, but every time I hear a hardware like this, I think that it literally wipes the floor of all soft synths in terms of sound quality, depth and actually being inspiring. Please, say I'm wrong ;) I don't want to spend any more money ;)

[@maccagrabme]

I find the Cobalt 8 very inspiring, very ambient and sounds great through an effects pedal, worth every penny imo.

[@hazelbenton9634]

the modal cobalts are all fully virtual analogue--meaning in theory, it could be entirely replicated in a soft synth, it's kinda a soft synth in a box. Mind you, it does sound better than a lot to me, but soft synths should match up in theory. Part of the difference you could be hearing is that it's virtual analogue, so vst comparisons would need to go to something like Dune, and it has built in FX which, FX are like the last third or even second half of a synth's tone. With the right fx you can make a hard aliased raw digital sine wave sound super smooth and warm. Buuuut...there is no cobalt vst, having a physical synth to play is a wholly different experience when making art, and, it isn't a vst. You can play it without a computer

[@APerson-jf2md]

You're wrong. :) Get a good MIDI controller (e.g. Keylab MK II), midi-learn the knobs/faders to your favorite VST -> most powerful "hardware-synth" you've ever owned. The debate of sound quality VST vs. hardware is settled since 20yrs (except for some people who buy $200/ft audio cables ;)). Remaining question is only: haptics/inspiration/personal fun - and that is not objective. A good modular setup can create virtually any sound you like. A good VST as well. No differences there. Only the way of working - and that is solely up to *you* to decide. If you like the touch&fell of "real" hardware (which in the case of most modern 'hardware' like a Cobalt 5S / Yamaha CS is probably only software on a tiny CPU anyway), then you have to shell out the bigger bucks. But if that's what gets you inspired and makes you enjoy making music, I'd argue it's worth every single penny. If you're equally happy with MIDI-learnt controllers and/or pushing the mouse, you're lucky, because you can save a lot of money without losing any options sound-wise. (Even gaining something, as clicking through 5 patches on a modular-synth-VST is "a little" quicker than doing the same on your Eurorack :D)

[@VentureNW]

haha... love that last comment. I feel you

[@valley_robot]

It is a soft synth , it’s virtual analogue, synth one on the iPad is free and could do al of this and more

[@technoalah]

Great great demo, cheers

[@ginociancio1]

I think it sounds good for the money I think I'm going to get one and thanks for all your videos I really enjoyed them thanks 👍🎼

[@MichaelBlueMusic]

Contrast, lol! Was that a Tim Shoebridge reference? 🤷‍♂️🤣👍

[@MonitusMusic]

In that price range, do you think the Hydrasynth Explorer is even more "budget synth that rocks"?

[@VenusTheory]

If you had the extra cash, I would say it's certainly a worthy competitor. However, when doing comparisons I try to keep things to at or under the price point of the unit in question and the Explorer is ~$150 more.

[@user-sx2iw2hq3l]

Why it seems that Cobalt 5s sounds much better than Cobalt 8? I asked much people, but no-one told me that! Thanks 😊

[@Jason75913]

maybe you like the presets better?

[@jakefranklin198]

Dude the intro text slayed me 😂😂😂😂😂

[@dman030]

budget? for a mini?

[@chrisw1462]

Not wrong about the LED's. Definitely need to tone them down a bit.

[@gabrielmartinelli2348]

Intro tune was fuckiiin huge!

[@ReadAndReturn]

That intro song though bud.... shit that was good.

[@teddym2808]

Sadly I just can't play pads with 5 voices, I can barely get away with 8. But it does sound good, GREAT for 800 AUD. I am impressed as shit. Give me a module version with 10 voices and I all over it today!

[@KozmykJ]

Ha ! I wuz just watching Andertons C5S vid ... I wasn't really in the market for a new hardware synth ... but I think you might just have sold me the Modal ... My wallet hates you ... 😜

[@VenusTheory]

Certainly not the first time I've been told wallets everywhere hate my channel haha. Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@indieIist]

Sounds solid but I really wish KZbinrs would stop using the term "budget" so loosely.

[@crnkmnky]

“Budget-Friendly” will _always_ be a subjective term, because all of our budgets are different sizes.

[@VenusTheory]

Certainly a relative thing but given the general cost of synthesizers I would say (as would most synth publications) that stuff under the $500 mark is 'budget' area. While it's not a $49 Behringer 4 voice, it's also not something that comes across as a toy. Similarly, for comparison, it's like a $450 Epiphone vs. a $6500 Gibson. I would argue $450 is well within the reach of the average person, and falls well into the range of budget/affordable stuff. It's not the cheap end of the spectrum, but it's leaps and bounds away from the high-end stuff out there.

[@MrOuija-rr8kq]

Yeah you can tell which ones that make the most money haha

[@infinity7585]

yk this is like a synthesizer right? $500 for a synth is definitely budget bro

[@modularreview1150]

Any synthesizer under $600 is budget...

[@thefloop2813]

That intro was so fucking sick.

[@kaitsu9608]

Sounds great. Looks remind of bass station but sounds like a modern virus

[@AziDoesQuestionableThings]

my god. its like this was made for me.

[@jbmecham]

Killer intro track Cam

[@Littlemousieboi]

please make that intro jam a real song i love it

[@willswitchcraft]

excellent,..........and other exceptional review..................as per all your videos.....................

[@sjfarrell2.03]

I couldnt get on with the COBALT8 and sent it back after a week and bought the Hydrasynth instead. The output on it is woefully low, you have to turn the gain up so high it introduces noise into the signal path. The effects are rubbish and there is no filter drive. And the MODAL app is a pain to use if you have your DAW open and the cobalt is your main MIDI controller - the app only works over USB MIDI. It can produce some nice tones but nothing in comparison to the Hydrasynth or a good VST like DUNE3. MIleage will vary depending on the user though. Maybe I just didnt get it?

[@VenusTheory]

I keep hearing about this issue and I don't understand it haha. Maybe this coming weekend I'll try to hook up my Cobalt 8 to some different interfaces and see if I can replicate that. I've been asked about the low output issue so many times and I have no idea what might cause that, as I've never run into that myself but it seems to be a semi-common problem. For the app though - do remember that it runs as a plugin (VST3/AU) so you can use it in a session as long as the unit is connected via USB so you don't have to use the standalone version while the DAW is open. Of course compared to plugins though, hardware always loses these days. But in the end I guess it's just workflow stuff - some people prefer hardware things, others prefer having a 'real thing' to play with. As you mention, it depends haha.