xils-lab The Eighty Review: A Faithful, Modern Take on the Legendary CS-80

Today, we’re going to be talking about a style of synthesis that seems to be gaining a lot of popularity as we venture further and further into the digital age: analog synthesis.

One of the things that a digital synthesizer cannot truly replicate is the inherent warmth that comes from an analog synth. And, depending on the style of music you make, that warmth can be essential. For example, if we’re talking about my genre of choice, melodic house, you’ll see a lot of artists out there using analog synthesizers (or digital analog emulators) to bring warmth to their tracks.

Take the lead in Ben Böhmer’s “Rust“, for example. It’s got this pleasant, warm midrange presence, and I’m almost 100% certain it’s from an analog synth. So, for people who want that kind of warmth in their music, they’ll often reach for analog synthesizers.

The only issue? Analog synths are pricy and take up a lot of space. I, personally, do not have one, because space is at a premium in my studio at the moment. So, I often reach for digital synths that replicate analog synths. It’s not quite the same, but it gets the job done. And, digital synths are getting better and better at replicating analog ones.

In this review, we’ll be focusing on the newest release from the team at xils-lab: The Eighty. While some digital analog emulators today take elements from many synths, this one is a digital replication of the legendary CS-80, an analog synth known for its warmth and expressiveness.

The filters and oscillators were built with the distinct characteristics of the synth in mind, and promises to be able to replicate most everything that the CS-80 can do. There’s even a playlist on the website of presets that play back to back with ones from The Eighty just to show how similar they sound – they’re not quite perfect, but they’re very close. The team refers to The Eighty as a modern tribute to a timeless classic, and I’m interested to see just what I can get from it.

Let’s play with The Eighty!

Layout

My initial thought when I opened The Eighty was wow, that’s a lot.

Indeed, it is. You’re basically thrown into a detailed-looking analog synthesizer right from the start. However, the plugin gives you quite a few helping hands, including a very nice guide that shows you how the sound routes on the left of the above screenshot.

Also, when you put your cursor over things, a little popup will appear showing you what to do. That’s nice.

Now, there’s a LOT here to discover – much more than I can go over in one article. So, I’ll just go into a few basics of the layout. There are three oscillators – the three rows of sliders on the synth. These help you determine what kind of sound wave you’ll be using, as well as applying filters and ADSR.

But wait! There’s more under the hood. Click on the routing guide or the vents at the top and you’ll find more things to play with.

Here’s where the real fun starts. The routing panel now becomes my favorite part of the plugin: the mixer, which serves as a way to randomize your output. By simply clicking the type of randomization and selecting the speed and amount of randomization, you can determine how much of each oscillator plays at a given point. You can make everything stay the same or create wildly unpredictable textures. It’s so fun to play with, especially on the presets they’ve loaded up into this thing.

The top also features a modulations tab, allowing you to set macros and voicing.

Then, there’s an arpeggiator. Pretty self explanatory stuff: turn it on, and it works like every other arpeggiator you’ve ever used. It has a fairly simple layout and is super easy to use, so you can make crazy arps in no time. There are also a few more modulator options here, which is a nice touch.

Lastly, the effects panel allows you to do some post-processing. The effects all sound great. I especially love the resonator here; a lot of synth plugins I use don’t include a resonator, and the one that The Eighty uses is simple and fun to use.

And with that, you’re ready to go. There are some great presets here to get you started as well. I especially love the pads that they included; they’re nice and warm, and I could definitely see myself engineering a few of them further and using them in a bunch of my upcoming work.

Usage

I had a ton of fun using The Eighty. I loved just playing around with sounds as I played them, just to see what everything around the plugin did, and how that would affect my sound. And, everything that came out sounded great, quality wise. It genuinely sounds just like an analog synth.

Now, I could go into the ring modulator, or sub oscillator, or the keyboard response section, or the colored buttons that set each of the oscillators into a specific sound on a moment’s notice (like a string or brass), or the LFOs, or really anything else, but I fear I don’t have enough time to do that. There’s just so much to do in this plugin and so much to learn. It’s expansive without being overwhelming, and both simple and complex at the same time.

And, I haven’t even talked about how GOOD this plugin looks, either. It actually looks like an analog synth. Hats off to the graphic design team. It’s a weird thing to obsess over, but the buttons you see on the bottom left look so real; the light side implies that it’s sticking up and reflecting light, and when you click it, that light goes away. It’s such an incredible detail and shows you how much care went into this.

Now, I’d usually demonstrate how the plugin works here, but I’m not going to do that this time. I found a great video by The Sonic Oasis on YouTube that plays through all of the factory presets in The Eighty, and I figured that I’d share that here. In this video, you’re really able to hear just how true-to-analog this plugin sounds. Check it out.

Pros and Cons:

Pros:

It’s truly a faithful analog emulator.

This is about as close to an analog synth as I own. I’ve never used a CS-80, but I’ve gotta imagine that it sounds pretty close to it. I don’t know how they get everything to work, but it’s able to give legitimate analog warmth to whatever projects you may be working on.

You can do a ton with it.

Don’t let the old-school look fool you; there is a lot of modern power under the hood here. There is more possible in this synth (thanks to the several macros and endless flexibility) than I’ve seen in some digital synths, which are known for their versatility. You can make anything from simple leads to wildly unpredictable atmospheres in this plugin. It’s seriously flexible.

Cons:

You’re gonna get confused.

This might be a me issue, but I got lost pretty quickly. Maybe it’s because I’ve never used analog before, or maybe it’s because I get overwhelmed easily, but either way, I did get a bit confused when using The Eighty in the early stages. There are some helpful hints throughout the plugin, and the included user manual is excellent, so you’ll hopefully be able to figure things out eventually (like I did). But, be ready to do a bit of learning, and be patient.

It’s an investment.

The Eighty’s normal retail price is 200 Euro. Now, if you’ve got the scratch and are looking for an actual analog synth, then you’d definitely be pleased here: it’ll run you a lot less (I saw a listing for a real CS-80 at SIXTY THOUSAND DOLLARS). But, if you’re just doing normal synth shopping, then definitely be aware that this isn’t the cheapest one I’ve ever seen. As I’m writing this, it’s on sale for 89 Euro, so if you’re interested and the sale is still active, grab it!

Conclusion: Should you get it?

Considering the fact that the actual CS-80 carries a five-digit price tag these days, if you want something close to it while still keeping your entire synth arsenal on your computer, then I’d recommend checking out The Eighty. There’s a reason analog synths are still popular: they do things that computers just aren’t able to do quite yet. And, even if it’s not a perfect clone, The Eighty gets really, really close.

Buy The Eighty here.