There are few electronic instruments that are held in the same regard as the Yamaha CS-80, but their status and scarcity means that, for many players, owning one is the stuff of dreams. They’ve certainly climbed in value since our 1995 article concluded that you’d have to "really love the sounds and features of the instrument" in order to justify spending the £800 that they were fetching on the used market at the time! Of course, there are plenty of virtual emulations available, but for many, it’s still not quite the same as getting your hands on the real thing.
Enter GLT Audio, who are currently in the process of developing the PM-80 (or Poor Man’s CS-80!), a dedicated MIDI controller that aims to replicate the experience of playing and programming the real thing. Loaded with 75 faders and a ribbon controller, the controller closely replicates the top-panel layout of the iconic synth, albeit with a few changes which the company say have been made to ensure that strike the balance between providing an authentic experience and still allowing the PM-80 to offer enough flexibility to act as a general-purpose MIDI controller.
Changes are relatively minor: there are no detents in the faders, and additional toggle has been added for the extra waveforms offered by modern emulations — a full breakdown of the differences, and the reasoning behind them, can be found on the company’s website. a slightly more significant amendment is the decision to replace the organ-style levels with faders, a move which the company say was taken both due to the scarcity and cost of the parts, and the fact that they would make the PM-80 less versatile as a general controller.
Key Features
- 75 high quality, silk-smooth 30mm faders by Alps Alpine (all without detent).
- 30 cm ribbon controller.
- Six high-quality waveform toggle switches and three slide switches.
- One special switch: while pressed you control 75 additional CCs.
- Slim table-top metal enclosure with screen-printed metal faceplate and rubber feet.
- GLT Audio will share the source code, allowing for firmware customisation by the user.
- Dimensions: 410 x 205 x 20 mm.
- Designed and assembled in the Netherlands.
Pricing & Availability
GLT Audio are currently producing the first batch of PM-80s, and hope to be shipping by July 2026. They say that they expect the price to be €499. Those who are interested can join the waiting list on the company’s website, and the first orders will be taken around March 2026.
