MODAL COBALT8: review, demo walkthrough and tutorial

[@StarskyCarr]

**EDIT** I say the LFOs are simple monophonic on this.. but LFO2 & 3 are actually polyphonic, something I missed over my first weekend of tweaking!

[@jonfromtheuk467]

2 of the LFO's are polyphonic, one global . :-)

[@allanfrancis9603]

@Antonio Caden Instablaster :)

[@allanfrancis9603]

@Antonio Caden No problem xD

[@kingtrance6826]

@@allanfrancis9603 - Your a 🤥 liar

[@kingtrance6826]

@@antoniocaden8715 - 😈 Your a troll

[@rytmonorm]

this is by far the best review for this synth

[@fjfrancois]

What a beautiful kitchen man, very warm feeling 👍🏻

[@julko28]

Well there is an new Cobalt update with new FM and AM algorithms - and they are really dope :)

[@bangmateo7481]

Please explain

[@julko28]

@@bangmateo7481 Modal directly implemented FM and a lot more other osc modifiers in oscilator algorithms. So you have two oscilators (Algorithm 1 and Algorithm 2). Which you modify with A1 B1 A2 B2 knobs. It is peace of cake.

[@sprungingforvoltage]

Yes! Nice work. Huge fan of your content. 👍👍 Cobalt is definitely intriguing.

[@christophertodman8254]

Great review...you always strike a nice balance between the technical and the creative and with some laughs. Also nice to see the face behind the boards...cheers

[@Deeplycloseted435]

Wow, remember when the 002 and 008 came out? Such huge beastly yet pristine sounding subtractive synthesizers. As awesome as those are, I already have so many traditional subtractive style synthesizers, and I really appreciate how you just mess about with the oscillator section here and get all kinds of variety. Sometimes you just want something that can get whacky without a ton of effort.

[@StarskyCarr]

Absolutely loved playing with the 008.. great the interface and design philosophy has filtered down to more affordable synths.

[@amfimoll9428]

Very good review. So many specific details uncovered. Thank you!

[@markb716]

Excellent new format of seeing you reviewing these synths - keep pumping them out..!!

[@aloharay]

very helpful, got the Cobalt8X version on the way.

[@HornieCow]

1:47 THIS!!! omg i wish they would make it an option to be able to chose if you want "playable" (fullsize) or "portable" (shitkeys). I love my Minilogue XD and if it had fullsize it would be a keeper for life, but i really hope i can replace it with something else because i hate playing it and i my wrists starts to hurt. Anyway... why do you think we are moving back, voice wise..? Yamaha did a 10voice AN1x back in 1997 so why are we getting 8 voices in a VA synth in 2020 or is it an unfair comparison?

[@bilonggrisimmeri]

HornieCow In my opinion it's not moving back to virtual analogue. It's cheaper and vastly more powerful microprocessors plus the marketplace for ever new products. One of the first, Alesis Micron, has 8 voice chips and an effect chip. Cobalt8 probably runs entirely different code at higher resolution. That said, to my ears, one VA synth sounds very much like another. P.S. Rather a lot of ads in your video, Starsky.

[@StarskyCarr]

I’ll check out the vids - just left everything on auto. Thanks for letting me know, it can be really annoying!’

[@jackcimino8822]

They already announced the Cobalt8M and 8X

[@leftmono1016]

I’d rather have a greater number of smaller keys. Never bothered me switching between a piano and mini key synths. The desktop versions are the ideal compromise and save you wasting loads of space.

[@lukehandsfree]

Nice use of Engravers Gothic BT font for the section headers. Thanks for such a comprehensive and clear walkthrough!

[@StarskyCarr]

haha... nice spot :)

[@surge6996]

Only a real full size forest is missing as your back ground Thank’s for all delivered info

[@StarskyCarr]

Haha the kids like to dress the shot.. apparently it has to be instagrammable - and at the very least it takes the focus away from me ;)

[@35wonderstreet]

Dear Starsky, Have a question; your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I’m getting a Cobalt 8m in an incredible price. In my studio, I have Hydrasynth, Deepmind, Blofeld, Monopoly, Take 5, and Jupiter Xm. I’m wondering if this would add any additional character? I am more into cinematic scoring, and I love to create new sounds. However, just don’t want to accumulate gears. Thanks in advance! Happy holidays!

[@jupitermarx]

Just got mine today;). Can’t wait for you to teach me on Patron;)

[@humanerror3139]

Thanks Starsky, great stuff, might just have to get me one of these 👍🏻

[@KordTaylor]

Nice review. AND the company is from Bristol! 😀 Can the other big $ synths (System 8, Rev2, etc.) do the LFO wave mod you mentioned?

[@StarskyCarr]

No.. which is why I didn't dwell on it.. and put the comment on there as well. I felt a bit guilty mentioning it and thought about editing it out as its not a common function, but it was the only thing at that point I wanted to try.

[@KordTaylor]

@@StarskyCarr No! Please always call out the features you think would be cool. I have worked in music tech companies (currently at Antares) and it’s folks like you that help move music tech forward.😀

[@kiko1935]

Surprised to see you are not simply a pair of disembodied hands! Not sure why but the argon and cobalt aren't wowing me. They seem perfectly fine in functionality but don't have that edge that makes me want to buy them. I think the filters have a sort of dull, fizzy quality that doesn't make the sounds stand out. That being said I'm sure this will be more than enough for most people and is at a reasonable price, I like the direction modal is going in

[@StarskyCarr]

I was just a pair of hands until recently!! Found a body lying round - just wish it was younger and better looking!! Keeping an eye out for another :)

[@fjfrancois]

@@StarskyCarr Dude, you look like Duran Duran Simon Le bon ✌️

[@tonyjones6256]

Very good review and nice to see the other vid comparing to the JXM

[@audiolego]

Beautiful color

[@DavidLilja]

@ 33:02 I just wanted to start singer "Let's dance in style, let's dance for a while"... :D

[@anderslenart8570]

This synth sounds really good. But there seems to be random panning of the notes. Can this be disabled?

[@StarskyCarr]

Yes, there’s a width control. I didn’t realise it was panning as the speakers weren’t placed in front of me.

[@JessieThorne886]

Great demo,! ❤ I'm torn between this or the Minifreak. The music I play is inspired by chiptunes/Carpenter/Jarre. I have ADHD, so simplicity of workflow and knob-per-function is everything for me.

[@NellSilva]

Great review, I just order this synth with full keys, few days a go, really nice presents and functionality, maybe at future makes a upgrade to do more things..

[@hazybrain7]

Great review, certainly has it's own vibe and the price is rather good..

[@gherat]

Finger gymnastics! Haven’t heard that one before :D Finger gymnastics and menu diving, good synth terms

[@bangmateo7481]

Mr. Carr was this synth a keeper? How do these VA sound compared to VSTs I always here negative nellys tell me VA synths are just a VST in a box.

[@StarskyCarr]

VAs are just VSTs in a box... digitally produced sounds will always be that. It's the interface and the way it's built that makes the difference. Thats the same with Nord's, Virus etc.. IMO there's nothing wrong with that if it works as an instrument that can inspire... and this does.

[@bangmateo7481]

@@StarskyCarr I figured coming from actual hardware circuitry would have a different sound then coming from the circuitry of a pc.

[@StarskyCarr]

No, the Jupiter Xm and Jupiter X as well as all the other Roland Zencore stuff uses the same synth engine as the software. There may be minor differences in the quality of sound cards, but nothing I think anyone could reliably pick out. I certainly can’t.

[@bangmateo7481]

@@StarskyCarr Thats disappointing lol I guess I will just skip these and get the minilogue xd lol. Thank you so much for replying sir.

[@user-zd4qy5zl7i]

@@bangmateo7481 No.. For example i compared the serum to my nord lead 4 and nord lead 4’s basic sound was better. Its true. The serum feels a little bit plastic, but the nord feel a little bit greasy. That's why I don't sell it.

[@SuperBond113]

Hi sir, I just bought cobalt 8× and beside the 001 I can not get the others, like on the videos demo. Should I download them . Or are they built in ?

[@StarskyCarr]

I think it’s all just me messing around tbh.

[@tonyodoherty6241]

Excellent as usual....!

[@StarskyCarr]

Thank you!

[@aptudo]

I was struck by how good the presets sound too. Out of the box, I prefer the sound of this to the Argon8.

[@StarskyCarr]

I've not tried the Argon8, it's be interesting to out them side by side. I know @BoBeats has done that.

[@Jason75913]

this sounds better and more inspiring than the Argon8 for sure

[@architectofechoes4]

Interested to know if the Cobalt8 software will work with a Chromebook laptop?

[@JammyGit]

I've just bought 1 of these....it's my first ever synth.....and I'm too scared to take it out of the box because I don't know where to start 😳🙄😆

[@teebeedahbow]

I know what you mean, but one thing I love about the Cobalt8 and the Argon8 is that for all their complexity, you can get stuck in quickly and easily, just with then oscillators themselves. Magical synths.

[@spdycar13]

I hope you took it out of the box! :-) Great choice for a first synth. I got mine yesterday and it is definitely in my top 5 favorites already. Enjoy!

[@JammyGit]

@@spdycar13 - Hi Charlotte, yes I've taken it out of the box.....about 3 times 😆 Glad you managed to get one, it does seem to be a decent synth, although it's a steep learning curve for a beginner like me. I hope you enjoy it 👍

[@jcostello7447]

Great review!..thanks

[@adamjerzyrodewald5752]

Does it have midi cc I mean to use my bitwig modulators on the synth parameter 🙄?

[@leftmono1016]

Check the manual online! It’ll have plenty of CC capability, guessing that every parameter will have a dedicated CC number 😀

[@overload8741]

Realy great overview, like always! The stepping of the filter with the envelope is not realy great... But the synth sound good

[@luxoverb]

Is that because of the encoder resolution? Seems like the envelopes are nice and smooth when playing triggers the EG, between envelope breakpoints. Knob resolution at 16:00-17:00 ...

[@PhrygianPhrog]

Sounds like the harmoninic series to me, which IS stepped.

[@robst247]

Don't all knobby notch-lovers love a double notch even more? I know I do. ;-) But seriously: thanks for a very clear and comprehensive review that helped me to understand my new metallic matt blue beast even better.

[@terrymacklin5935]

A really nice thing.

[@StarskyCarr]

Modal should use that quote in their adverts.

[@terrymacklin5935]

@@StarskyCarr A Coke sponsored Modal Cobalt 8? :-) I do like what Modal are doing. Their development is impressive, as they are constantly updating their firmware. The pricing of their synths is cool, around the 600 mark. This could be an understated gem for live and studio if it is reliable and maintainable.

[@kaitsu9608]

My microkorg is a bit afraid. Wish this had thru port too though. They dont seem to put those in synths anymore

[@deejay7339]

Get a MIDI patch bay, it's worth it

[@bangmateo7481]

What does randomise patch does? Will it choose a random preset of will it create a new random patch?

[@StarskyCarr]

It randomises all parameters to create a new patch. Sometimes it’s great, sometimes it’s crazy!

[@bangmateo7481]

Thanks

[@rich.point.2342]

Thanks for the demo. Just bought the Cobalt 8 and this is a great help. Disappointed with Modal manual.A lot has been taken for granted here.Modal has shown no consideration for new comers to the synth world. First synth buyers are not going to automatically know how to use a lot of these functions.Is it to much to ask for step by step guide like they do in most manuals. Volume through headphones is a joke,if I did not already have effects pedals and an amp I would send it back. I use sennheiser hd 650 studio headphones on all my equipment and there is no problems with volume. If Modal think this volume level is acceptable they need to think again.It is not acceptable.The new modifications that have been made regarding volume on the cobalt are still very unsatisfactory. Put it this way.I have a Yamaha PSR 9000 keyboard which is 20 years old and I have the volume just over half way which is plenty loud enough. No good having amazing sounds if the volume is so poor. Can't understand how Modal let this onto the market with this volume issue,this is the best part of £600 you are asking us to part with. On a finer note,and if you do have a decent amp to plug this synth into you will be impressed. Beautiful sounds and excellent versatility to shape your tones. I shall keep it but only because I have additional kit to get it to a decent volume.

[@owenaitken4754]

Big Roland vibes in that outro, are your patches available?

[@StarskyCarr]

No, I never ,make enough to make them available. Some end up on my Patreon but I've just checked and I've not uploaded these.

[@jeewanharshanath5057]

nice intro to modal cobalt

[@NablusRain]

Are there any pianos or Rhodes type sounds in the presets? Thanks

[@DaraM73]

You can make a Rhodes sound no problem, but it’s a pure synth with no sample data or modelling

[@NablusRain]

@@DaraM73 Thank You

[@DaraM73]

Did you ever use the Modal app editor, Starsky?

[@StarskyCarr]

Yes.. it works flawlessly and it really helps to see what's going on under the hood, especially if there are lots of modulation routings

[@DaraM73]

@@StarskyCarr good man, I’m toying with the idea of getting another, to poly-chain, there’s a small discount offer at the mo…but with Knobcon and Superbooth soon, I’m wondering if Modal have more up their sleeve. Still, love the Cobalt, and your explanation of it. Ta mate.

[@wgaule]

Would this pair well with the Hydrasynth?

[@StarskyCarr]

If I had a Hydrasynth I’d be tempted to go for something unashamedly analog for contrast. Yes the hydra can do analog stuff, but if taking to the edges for odd creams crackles and weirdness I’d go elsewhere… unless of course that’s not your bag. Trouble is the hydra covers so many bases on its own it’s hard to say what would match without knowing your musical inclinations tbh. Both are great.

[@adamsmith4186]

Do the Argon8!!!

[@StarskyCarr]

I’ll try to get hold of one.

[@adamsmith4186]

@@StarskyCarr I'm so close to buying one. I'm sure if you reviewed it I would. I'm interested in squelchy psytrance sounds. Challenge initiated.

[@sayerseely3195]

@@adamsmith4186 Argon8 to my ears does not sound all that different to the Cobalt... maybe a bit edgier. The overall character seems similar. I have the Argon8m. Don't see any reason to have both.

[@geephlips]

2nd LFO on the Argon is polyphonic and goes to audio rate. Surprised they didn’t do that on the Cobalt. Also, FWIW, i think the envelope shapes radically change the sound on the Argon.

[@StarskyCarr]

@@geephlips You're right - I missed that! its polyphonic on LFO2 - annoying I never found it earlier :( I couldn't pin your comment as its a reply - so I've added something of my own.

[@DerekPower]

I’m wondering if your LFO idea could be a future firmware update =]

[@StarskyCarr]

hah... I doubt it, but would be nice. It's not on many synths - the synthi comes to mind - and it was the only thing I was missing when I made that sound, but its not something I'd actually expect.

[@DerekPower]

@@StarskyCarr To quote Wooderson from Dazed and Confused: It'd be a lot of cooler if it did ;) =D

[@mpmi7588]

I'm impressed with what can be done on this as well as Hydra but......... With all of it being digital, its way past time they start adding more than one track/part to record on. The day one of these companies decides to do that is the day they take over the synth world. And yes I know what I'm speaking on is called a work station. But the work stations out now are not putting in quality synth sounds. You have to dig in the box/keyboard for the few good ones or be extremely well versed in tweaking/editing parameters. (Ehh.... I guess this is tweaking as well, but without even touching anything, they sound good)

[@StarskyCarr]

Sounds a bit like the Jupiter Xm with 5 tracks of VA/digital inc rhythm.

[@mpmi7588]

@@StarskyCarr I will look into that. Thanks man.

[@bangmateo7481]

@@mpmi7588 Ensoniq did these in the 80s with the ESQ 1

[@MattLab-wr2eu]

I wonder if it will ever ship to the USA

[@jumpingman8160]

still prefer the hydra.

[@HOLODECK-MUSIC-PROJECT]

meetoo, HS has more character, more presence, more pressure

[@jumpingman8160]

@@HOLODECK-MUSIC-PROJECT more stuff to explore. 🤗

[@jonfromtheuk467]

at £1299 a different price point yes?

[@jumpingman8160]

@@jonfromtheuk467 depends. they both have desktop units and Modal has one with extra keys

[@RayyMusik]

Good review, as usual. Nevertheless the Cobalt8 is the least analogue sounding ‘VA’ synth ever. No need at all.

[@Jason75913]

Those last two patches are a little Roland-y sounding.

[@yotaka001]

Thank you. I understand the characteristics of the oscillator. I want to know the good points and possibilities of the tone. Because it's a synthesizer.

[@StarskyCarr]

At the end I play a few tones. Timing is in the description (I can’t see it from this app).

[@yotaka001]

@@StarskyCarr Thank you for your reply. This is the preset I introduced at the end. I listened to it.

[@SourMoonBlues]

@@yotaka001 good bot.

[@ensignofindustry1033]

Good first synth for someone?

[@StarskyCarr]

I would say so. The addition of the free editors makes it really easy to see what’s going on per patch, and the way the oscillators work means you don’t have to dig too deep to get an interesting starting point. Traditional synths would need a lot of patching, modulation, cross mod etc to get to the basic building blocks used here.

[@mpmi7588]

how many tracks/parts are there on this thing?

[@StarskyCarr]

Just the one.

[@gnarlysoundscapes7210]

lol You should play the Batman theme with the Batman waveform.

[@StarskyCarr]

or should've put a mask on at least... made the effort and all that ;)

[@martinofenzi858]

How it’s possible to have a steppy filter on a 2020 flegship sinth? WTF MODAL

[@geephlips]

OB6 does this too. Dave Smith said that it’s because it makes it easier to tune the filter.

[@timbeaton5045]

@Bobby Landry Yep.the filter is resonating at the overtone series of the wave form, i.e emphasizing the harmonic series, which actually IS stepped. it is the sum of the inverses of the integers. See the Harmonic series article here... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonic_series_(mathematics)

[@Michael_Smith-Red_No.5]

@Bobby Landry Nick Batt has entered the chat

[@cosmojonesmusic]

Nice to see your face.

[@paulsarodh5460]

ROCKin 😍🤗💢💞💗

[@thegoony]

Preordered mine last week, now waiting. :) Also ordered a Micromonsta 2 from Audiothingies, check it out.

[@TheMockSun]

That’s the other unit I’ve been looking at. Where’d you manage to find the MM2 in stock?

[@thegoony]

@@TheMockSun Direct from Audiothingies website

[@lukehunnable]

This or the minilogue xd?

[@StarskyCarr]

Heck out my comparison between the 2 :)

[@farmerfreakeasy9577]

I can't help but think every time i see a synth with full rotary knobs that it looks pathetic. If you have to turn every knob before you can identify were the parameter is then surely it ruins the synth for any improvisation on a live stage or in the home studio. Is there something wrong with knowing were a parameter is set before you tweak it ? It's also an annoyance continuously staring at a screen half the size of the original Game Boy. Having open access for all parameters instantaneously does have some imagination benefits if you can connect the dots and analyse potential patterns. Hold on, they ARE full rotary aren't they ? They don't have any indent markers. PS: Have to say those buttons are nice and clicky when you press them.

[@athopi]

I like the sounds of this over the A8. If Behringer developed and made this I bet it would sell for around $350 and they would still be making a very nice profit. I understand tooling is expensive, but that cost can now be shared between the two units. So why doesn't the customer see any realization of the cost savings handed down in the sales price? There's profit and then there is being ridiculous. I mean, look at the microkorgs selling for the same overly high price they were 15 years ago, and Karma stayed at the same $779 for its entire sales cycle. And why do all stores in any particular country have these at the same exact price? It's like diamond seller monopoly/cartel. There's only so many synth companies, so they get to make the rules. I'm done chasing new, flashy gear!

[@jonfromtheuk467]

I wish I could explain to you the realities of the whole supply chain but it would take for ever.

[@athopi]

@@jonfromtheuk467 I understand supply chains very well, and also economies of scale.

[@gergokovacsjazzpiano8165]

Modal makes innovation. Behringer is bringing clones of old synths. I do not judge B, do not misunderstand me.