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Yamaha's Reface mini keyboards put classic sounds in compact instruments
New keyboards and synthesizers that carry not only classic tones, but some classics stylings as well, are becoming quite popular. Despite leaking a bit early, Yamaha officially debuted its Reface line of mini keyboards at the summer session of NAMM this week. The compact instruments are meant to be used on the go, whether it's in the backseat or in a dressing room before a show. Members of the group include the CS analog modeling synth, DX FM synth, CP electric piano and YC combo organ. For the sake of our discussion, we'll focus on the two synthesizers. The Reface CS is an 8-note polyphonic "Virtual Analog" synth that's said to be capable of sounds comparable you'd normally get from both analog and digital instruments. The FM (frequency modulation) synthesizer, the Reface DX, is the only one of the four with built-in patch memory, and it also packs in mulit-touch controls. In terms of audio, the DX offers sounds that range from "retro 80s to cutting edge modern at the flick of a switch."
