Modal Electronics COBALT8X 61-Key Virtual Analog Synthesizer

I researched the Cobalt 8x extensively several months before buying it, with the reviews given by Sound on Sound, Sonic State and Andertons being the most informative and in depth. The Sonic State and Andertons YouTube reviews swung it for me, in that they showed off just how capable and forward thinking the Cobalt 8x is on almost every level. It's sounds go way beyond virtual analog, with the Oscillator section alone providing an incredible amount of possibilities to shape the sound. This is before you even get to the 3 LFO's, filters and effects sections. It can do warm fuzzy analogue brilliantly, but also FM too. The presets are pretty good as it is, but the oscillators and algorithms invite you to do much more.I have the Argon 8x too, and they complement each ... MoreI researched the Cobalt 8x extensively several months before buying it, with the reviews given by Sound on Sound, Sonic State and Andertons being the most informative and in depth. The Sonic State and Andertons YouTube reviews swung it for me, in that they showed off just how capable and forward thinking the Cobalt 8x is on almost every level. It's sounds go way beyond virtual analog, with the Oscillator section alone providing an incredible amount of possibilities to shape the sound. This is before you even get to the 3 LFO's, filters and effects sections. It can do warm fuzzy analogue brilliantly, but also FM too. The presets are pretty good as it is, but the oscillators and algorithms invite you to do much more.I have the Argon 8x too, and they complement each other very well.Both are built like tanks, with aluminium chassis, and have premium quality Fatar keybed.The Cobalt 8x is a joy to play and, like the Argon 8x, I feel I will be exploring the sound shaping possibilities for many months (years?) to come.I've owned many analogue and digital synths over the years, and Modals gear is up there with the best, in my opinion.

Built lie a brick outhouse, I reckon this synth could go on the road and acquit itself very well.Excellent keyboard with full-sized touch-sensitive keys, great controls. I love the joystick pitch control in particular. I have a Novation Ultranova, a Moog Grandmother, and Yamaha full-sized piano, as well as a Hammond and Behringer Neutron, along with Arthurian key step, but this is fast rivalling the Moog as my favourite piece of kit.What a great Christmas present I gave myself! Could not be happier of price/value/performance equation.Excellent app as well - I have already transported it to a friends place and made some sounds with it on my iPad.

Quite a challenge to get started but it's a sophisticated and proper grown-up bit of kit. You have to work quite hard to get bassy lush polyphonic pads but they are there with a little perseverance. Step into mono or stacked voices and it gains some real power and character. I think it is different than analogue but in a good and complimentary way.Strong points are build quality, polyphony, 61 note keyboard, and the huge number of voices available. It's an addictive beast that makes it difficult to switch off. The app is really good. Phaser, echo, and negative flanger are all excellent. Will make a brilliant controller. Great metal structure and endless encoders.Some weak points (although the list gets shorter with familiarity). Reverb doesn't really do if for ... MoreQuite a challenge to get started but it's a sophisticated and proper grown-up bit of kit. You have to work quite hard to get bassy lush polyphonic pads but they are there with a little perseverance. Step into mono or stacked voices and it gains some real power and character. I think it is different than analogue but in a good and complimentary way.Strong points are build quality, polyphony, 61 note keyboard, and the huge number of voices available. It's an addictive beast that makes it difficult to switch off. The app is really good. Phaser, echo, and negative flanger are all excellent. Will make a brilliant controller. Great metal structure and endless encoders.Some weak points (although the list gets shorter with familiarity). Reverb doesn't really do if for me. It's a bit unintuitive to access the mod matrix and LFOs without using the app. The apps fonts are a bit too small as are the machine's. The filter is not the greatest but the dynamic oscillators more than make up for this. I would like a separate noise oscillator.Overall when you look at the cost of just a control keyboard the synth is nearly (ok not quite!) free. This was my first serious investment in a synthesiser and really do not regret it. I wanted a poly with enough for both hands and nothing else really came close for the money. Ok I have dm12 now too at about the same money and it compares and contrasts with the Cobalt8x in a proper pleasing way. No regrets. Highly recommended!

I am extremely happy with Modal's Cobalt8.I would describe it as a wavetable synth that focuses on classic analog forms. This means that it is capable of all your classic analog flavours, but also offers a huge amount extra in the way that you can manipulate and use those waveforms. They market the Cobalt as 'Extended Analog Synthesis' and I actually feel that this is accurate description and not just a meaningless marketing slogan.The build quality is excellent. The synth itself is solidly built and the encoders feel good to use. The key bed is often praised, and now I understand why. The problem with the key bed is now my other controllers don't feel nice at all. I have been spoilt by the Fatar quality.The XY joystick is great. Very easy to map and thus much ... MoreI am extremely happy with Modal's Cobalt8.I would describe it as a wavetable synth that focuses on classic analog forms. This means that it is capable of all your classic analog flavours, but also offers a huge amount extra in the way that you can manipulate and use those waveforms. They market the Cobalt as 'Extended Analog Synthesis' and I actually feel that this is accurate description and not just a meaningless marketing slogan.The build quality is excellent. The synth itself is solidly built and the encoders feel good to use. The key bed is often praised, and now I understand why. The problem with the key bed is now my other controllers don't feel nice at all. I have been spoilt by the Fatar quality.The XY joystick is great. Very easy to map and thus much easier to bring a patch to life. The fact that the synthesizer can function as a MIDI controller itself just adds to the value. A midi controller with this many functions would cost $2-300 alone.The synth has a good array of output options using standard 6.3mm jacks. This makes it ideal for audio production as it fits in nicely with the standards in that field. Other synths sometimes only have 3.5mm jack outputs which makes them good for consumers and audiophiles, but requires adapters and specialist cables for any serious audio production.The app and firmware update process are fantastic. Modal seem to be miles ahead of the competition in this regard. It's effortless and it works on all major platforms.Before I bought the synth, I was aware of complaints about the filter algorithms and effect algorithms not being as good as some people wanted. However, a firmware 2.0 patch has been released and now there are more options for filters and FX. I had no problems getting out very analog sounding patches. I do still think the reverbs don't sound very good - however, this is not a problem for me as I prefer to add high-quality reverbs post production anyway. They're good enough to give you an idea of how the patch will sound with reverb.It's very easy to dismiss something like this as a 'VST in a box'. However, the combination of all the elements together make it so much more. The way I dial in patches, the way the key bed inspires me to play, the options you have with the sequencer and arpeggiator - it's so much more than a plugin.What I don't like:I wish there was a way to change the init patch. I use a workaround where I save my own settings to a patch and then copy that to build my patches from there. This is a very minor gripe.I think the effects, particular the distortions and reverbs can still be improved. However, it could be a case of learning how to dial them in - a lot of the FX presets sound really good. Additionally, FX can sometimes be a moot point. There's no need to use the synth's distortion if you route the signal through a distortion pedal.I may possibly regret getting this only because I may end up getting the full-sized one later. But I definitely recommend it and think it has a lot to offer to both beginners and experienced synth heads.I do think that if you were raised on original Junos, Moogs, CS80s etc then you may miss some of that subtlety. But if you can afford a CS80, then you'll probably be in the market for much more expensive synths anyway. From my perspective no one cares if I use a real analog, virtual analog or VST in my production, so it isn't an issue.Please bear in mind that I have reviewed this synth based on its own merits in isolation. It is not a blow-by-blow comparison with its competitors.

Built like a tank, sounds fantastic!

Im not sure why the bad review from the other guy, Definitely not my experience. The one i purchased has a build quality on par with synths in the $1500+ price range. Sounds are fantastic and preset patches are actually very good and usable unlike some synths. For those that snub there noses at a digital synth i dare you to compare against any analog out there. The menu and interface takes a little while to get used to but once you take the time to figure it out its a great machine! I Highly recommend this synth!

Great Synth for Unique Sounds

Overall:This synth is not the type one gets for electric piano, or standard sounds, although if you work at it, it can probably do that kind of stuff. To me, the strength of the Cobalt is its ability to sound truly different from the pack. Want weird drones, metallic bells phasing, unearthly kind of pads? Then this is your synth. The presets are wild, and you can easily (tweak) go in any direction with a lot of hands on parameters. The only thing I dislike is that switching patches is like a two step operation instead of just moving to say a6, you move to a6 and then enter. It’s a pain, and I can see it being trouble in a live situation, but other than switching patches it is a fun board and sounds pretty unique. It’s not overly analog sounding to me-more of the ... MoreOverall:This synth is not the type one gets for electric piano, or standard sounds, although if you work at it, it can probably do that kind of stuff. To me, the strength of the Cobalt is its ability to sound truly different from the pack. Want weird drones, metallic bells phasing, unearthly kind of pads? Then this is your synth. The presets are wild, and you can easily (tweak) go in any direction with a lot of hands on parameters. The only thing I dislike is that switching patches is like a two step operation instead of just moving to say a6, you move to a6 and then enter. It’s a pain, and I can see it being trouble in a live situation, but other than switching patches it is a fun board and sounds pretty unique. It’s not overly analog sounding to me-more of the digital seems to dominate, but personally I don’t care. The build quality is quite nice for the price, I think it looks smashing, and the sturdy chassis is ready to go on tour, unlike a lot of other sub 1k keys. I think Modal has a winner here.

Quite an extensive set of features.

If you're into analog, this might not fit the bill, as it is Virtual Analog. That said, anyone in the market for a robust digital synth will appreciate this product. it offers a wide range of features, and if interfacing with the keyboard itself is a hassle, the Modal App makes editing and saving patches a lot easier. It does come a little quiet, and the built-in effects don't really "hit" like one would expect. Also, as previously mentioned, the interface is a bit complicated if you're not using the Modal App.

Review of Modal Electronics COBALT8X 8-Voice Extended Virtual Analogue Synthesizer

I did extensive research before buying this synth and am delighted with the purchase. It has the sounds that I want, some great presets, the included ModalApp is great and easy to use. They keypad feels really good and the construction is solid and the synth actually looks good. Online criticisms of the wobbly controls and tiny lettering do not translate into problems when you are using the synth. This is my first synth despite my being in my 70s. I am primarily a guitarist (no talent) and drummer (no rhythm) but am having a great time learning synthesis and making strange noises other than the results of too many curries.

Superb Synth. Get it... You won't regret it!

This is a superb synth. I did a lot of homework with video reviews on it and just loved the general look and algorithm that this uses. I'm a big ambient/electronic music lover and into music such as Tangerine Dream, Jean-Michel Jarre and Michael Garrison etc.And this synth is perfect for those styles of patches. But it's not obviously just 'locked' into that sound, if that's not youre ticket!The keyboard is superb and build quality A1.Really pleased with my purchase and highly recommended 👍

Whoever is in charge of shipping needs to review procedures by staff

This unit fortunately was undamaged. But it was very very lucky. Whoever shipped this unit took zero time to ensure its safety. The box was sent out with a single 1 cm wide bit of tape on the corner being the only thing holding it all together. Box was damaged with big holes in it from shipping. I am surprised that it was not double boxed or at least wrapped in plastic like my other synth delivery. Could have easily fallen apart. Miracle that it survived intact. Makes me hesitant to purchase online again as it was a real gamble.