I purchased the Cobalt 8 after originally doing much research on the Korg Multi/Poly. I've owned several analog synthesizers and wanted to add a quality virtual analog synth to my collection, mainly for the added effects and stability of digital. If you've used analog, especially vintage analog hardware, you know how frustrating it can be at times to have inconsistencies in voices, pitch, etc.

The Cobalt 8 seemed like the perfect substitute. First of all, the keybed is absolutely amazing. It is superior to the keybed from my DSI Prophet '08, which had become my benchmark. Chassis build quality is also fantastic. Thick aluminum top panel that is the most beautiful blue color, which is only truly appreciated in person. It's a hefty synth, and stays put when playing it.

However, the encoders/knobs and buttons have a very light feel to them. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but they just don't seem to match the rest of the synth's build quality. No trouble with them, and honestly they are perfectly adequate.

With firmware 2.1, all the volume output issues that others have mentioned are pretty much taken care of. You just have to make some simple adjustments in the settings. However, it is still not an ideal headphone-only synth if you're using high impedance headphones like the Beyerdynamic DT770 or DT990s. Volume output was seriously lacking in my 250ohm DT990s, but it was perfectly fine with my ATH M50 (32ohm) headphones.

The overall sound is amazing, and the effects are quite good, especially the V2 effects that were added in the latest firmware. Yes it might be a little bit "sterile" if you're not willing to tweak your own patches, but I find the interface to be rather intuitive, and patch-making is straightforward if you're familiar with subtractive synthesis.

The Modal App is a great way to quickly see most parameters for the synth either on a desktop (which is what I used), or mobile device.

I loved this thing so much that I decided to "upgrade" to the 61-key version, so I sent this one back, and got the Cobalt 8x instead. The 37-key version, however, is tremendously versatile and compact, and offers enough keys to be played comfortably.

I am a little late to the party on the Cobalt 8 but am happy to have acquired one. I wanted to add another synthesizer to my studio workstation for sound design and have a Juno-X as well. I love the form factor of this synth and that it has eight voices and aftertouch. The hardware and sound architecture of the oscillators, mod matrix, filters, and envelopes and their respective controls really makes intuitive sense to me and I've found myself recreating patches I hear on songs my band covers with relative ease. For designing new sounds the oscillators deliver a deep palette beyond the standard saw, sine, square, pulse, and triangle. I also love that the updates to the firmware added a ton of new filters and effects to use to shape the sounds as well. I'm writing this in June 2024 and the Modal App is up and running, I connected without a hitch and updated to the latest OS. Having a real time and step sequencer in the box, alongside the powerful arpeggiator really makes developing ideas or learning parts easier than firing up the workstation sequencer.

The hardware quality is super solid. This unit has heft, they Fatar keybed feels awesome, and the overall unit seems built to last. The knobs and encoders are solid enough and don't give me any pause for concern. I wish the display was more of a real time oscilloscope like the Minilogue series, but it provides enough graphic detail for me to make decisions about waves shapes, envelopes, and LFO curves to build sounds efficiently. I feel like if this was my first synth the options, form factor, and capabilities would have kept me engaged for months on end. I'm still learning new tricks and mastering the mod matrix on this unit but for sure it's a keeper in my opinion.

I love the keybed and overall build quality. Just a gorgeous unit that feels great to play...until you reach for that cutoff knob. Dinged a star for that. I have tons of parts over here and replaced it with some washers and a beautiful aluminum top hat that matches the toggle. Wobble is fixed and I love this thing now. Pots are solid. Mounting is the issue I think. Other issue is lack of pitch and gate CV ports but understandable as this isn't being sold as a controller.

The volume issue is real but I am pretty sure that is because this models a real synth very well. You simply have to have that kind of range to do all the cool stuff. I have a nice preamp in my rack and it gets along very well with my Cobalt. The "Volume" on the cobalt isn't the same as on my Subsequent so I need that gain and attenuation in place as I screw around with parameters.

Fingerstyle acoustic is my primary and I was happily suprised when I plugged my Cordoba into the aux in. Nothing weird. It just let me patch it though the effects and it sounds great next to the polyphonic key sounds.

Presets were not great but once I actually read the manual this turned into something new for me and I didn't care. iPad app is very nice but not necessary to make it all work. Not a plug and play make you sound pretty thing but a serious deep dive into sound synthesis. Getting really nice electric piano out of it which was my intention but learning to match the growl of my Moog too. I am learning a ton with this and very happy with it for the price.

5/5 after knob upgrade.

Picked this guy up for a really good price and im very glad i did! The build quality is exceptional and up there with high end synths. It truly sounds authentically Analog and for those on a budget its a no brainer really; except maybe for its little brother the recently introduced Cobalt5. I have true analogs and to be honest i cant tell this one apart from others it sounds that good. I am so glad i didnt over look this one because its "Digital". I think it will be a future classic. Shift menu takes some getting used too. Output can be a bit low unless you turn up the Patch Gain. Other than that you will have loads of fun!

Update:
The fine folks at Sweetwater sent me a brand new replacement.
They continue to be wonderful to work with, and very understanding.

Sadly, the outputs are weak, just like the one I sent back.
It's a drag because I really do like the synth.
But it's nonsense to have to max out everything and add max gain at the board input to get anything like a strong signal on the most aggressive patches.
By the way, getting at the individual patch volume level involves menu diving, meaning you will need to do this a LOT.
Still there's no headroom to work with, so if you're playing with other folks, it can be pretty easy to get buried when the jam really gets going.
And yes, folks, I am maxing out the per patch volume, the master volume, the overall gain boost function is on, and I'm adding 20db at the board.
It's as though Modal said, "Let's make this beautiful sounding synth that's difficult to hear and record in a live situation."
I don't get it.
So, we'll see what Sweetwater can do.
-Mike

Yes, the synth sounds great and the way sounds are created is very cool, and all the other great things these reviewers are saying are true.

However, the outputs are weak. I should not need to have the main volume, per patch volume, the output gain boost (which does change the tone, not to my liking), and +20db of channel input gain on the mixer, all dimed, in order to get even a moderately strong signal on the most aggressive patches.

To use this thing in a group setting, all of that needs to be done and every other thing that I have running through the board has to be much lower in volume at the faders. There's zero headroom on the Cobalt at that point, so if you want more Cobalt, you have to turn everything else down and increase the overall volume of the stereo mix. Not real handy.

I sent this thing back to Sweetwater after trying to make it work for a year. They sent it to what must be Modal's stateside repair shop, someplace called Voltage. The guy I talked to, Mike, was a bit of an and basically told me to do all of the things I described above and it's fine. They didn't even test the outputs against whatever the spec Modal has for the outputs, which seems like a very simple way to definitely know what's up. They guy was just doing what I've described to boost the signal, and saying it's all good. If he's correct, and mine is all working the way it's supposed to, then these things have a pretty significant design flaw.

Huge props to Sweetwater, they are sending me a brand new one. I'm very curious to see if it's any different. I'll report back.

MRR

If this was out when I first got into synths, it would likely be the only one I really need. The semi-weighted keys give a perfect feel, the knobs are very tactile and give good feedback. The sound engine overall is very powerful and is equally clear and articulate. The amount of time one needs to spend in the 'menus' is negligible, with most of the menus serving to handle back-end matters like midi control, instrument levels, etc.

Were this offered by Roland, the only thing I might see being really different is the price-tag and color scheme. The case is metal, and were I a touring performer would have no doubt of faith that this instrument could stand the test of time and the road.

The default patches are interesting, touching upon a variety of styles to communicate the flexibility of the synth. Dialing in familiar sounds that you might have developed with other synths is very easy and places you right at home.


The only negative I can present against this synth is that the effects section are indeed underwhelming. Most notably you find it with the reverb section where there is a noticeable drop in volume. Even with the volume boost, it's there and there is a good reason why: The Digital-to-Analog converters (DAC) have a finite amount of range. If you're going to take a signal, and add it to itself, you would double the amplitude of the signal and exceed the range of the DAC. The work around or fix for this is to reduce the signal in half (6dB) and then you can add an effects processed copy back in and keep within the range. For this reason it is best to use external effects to complement the synth.

Beyond that, my only regret is buying the 37 key version instead of the 61 key.

I've been looking for a smaller footprint and mobile to a degree to sit in the living room and emphasis more on sound design. The Cobalt answers this exact search, perfect with almost 100% hands on knobs, with minimal menu dive, which was key for me. Highly recommended if you want an instrument to have fun with.

just bought this a month ago. i am now a bit possessive and like to touch it, even when i ain't needing to. solid build. quite heavy in a pleasant way. weirdly, the knobs feel light and airy, but in a good way. responsive and pleasant. you do get the sense that you will like to have a nice case to protect it though, but strangely no brand cases available. i am looking at SKG(?) for a possible solution. the keybed feels great and smooth as silk. nice sleek classic design/build feel to it.
about the sounds? 300 interesting and pleasant sounds on this machine and 200 blanks. good punchy bass leads and all. i programmed two, but have just been roaming around so long i forget to program more. the modalapp is handy to get a feel for it and keep knob/button wear down a bit, but the knows and such are all right there to play with. will be a learning cyrve for multi button press functions, but just do that on the app and use the broad strokes on the board. still easier than menu diving on other rigs.
about menu diving though. there is no way that i know of yet to select sounds (out of 500) with anything but a wheel. there might be a button combo to jump a certain number, but the app has a field menu that makes this easier. i will be getting some sort of tablet to have on stage to facilitate jumping around quicker, but this is only because i am all over the place on stage and quite crazy. an organized player with an organized band will have this all programmed before hand.
so far i am happy AF. this is replacing my micro korg (much better sounding too... onboard effects helps too, but i had effects and it still sounds better) and supplanted the roland and novation versions as a replacement because i am so tired of mini keys right now. i did like how i can do that keystroke octave thingy without hitting all the corners of the keys when done wrong, but this fatar keybed is like i a said... smooth as silk running up the board unlike my korg TR or even my m-audio.
P.S. would be but hurt coming back here a month after purchase to find it a hundred dollars cheaper, but the sales team must've known and hooked me up with a wonderful pedal w/cable. i am now a loyal lapdog of a corporate mega company. ;P mainly because they called me back after i placed $$ on what i thought was my final decision, the mininovation (complete personality choice, not product), which was out of stock. i placed an order with guitar center and sweet water for when they came in (god forbid the same day), but only SW called me. then i made the best decision and bought this device (not with their direction. they just called me and i researched more). i have read many comment threads. usually people have problems with the product maker and hardly(?) with SW. i have heard people comment they returned a faulty product four times before they got a working one. wat?!?!? 2 is my limit. what was that? the centerpoint spacestation stereo speaker thingy or the motion sound speaker? motion sound seem like a hit or miss. like you get awesome or not. the former more not than awesome from the feedback.
about my rating... i would have done 4.5 stars just to tone down my enthusiasm since tomorrow brings it's own sorrow, but i am sure someone rated this poorly and i also feel a lot of love when into this keyboard. if heavy board with light knobs (and joystick) will break your heart... give it a four. i'll stick with my fanboy out of the gate 5.

As someone who has been using soft-synths and various dumb MIDI keyboards for 16 years, the Cobalt8 exceeds my expectations. I had my eyes on it for a while and pounced at the end of a sale. I have zero regrets.

I won't specifically mention the limited edition hard-synth I picked up last holiday as I work towards life performance for a dance charting 80s band (00s & teens in Europe), but there's almost no comparison. Here's the scoop: the Cobalt8 has a rock-solid build, and the Fatar keys live up to their reputation. It simply exudes quality and a premium value.

So, you ask, what about the sounds? Rich, thick, varied, modulating, better than classic takes on analog--plus modern madness if you're looking for that. My understanding is that the recent firmware upgrade circa October 2021 makes it even "more better".

I've only just started with it, going through 5% of the presets. The display provides contextual information depending on what you're doing. Not just "the basics". It's thoughtful, meaningful design.

I've got a lot to learn---this keyboard has a lot to provide. It also may become my everyday MIDI controller.

I don't think those complaining about low output know that there are three gain boost settings in a Cobalt8 (and Argon8), off, normal, and saturate.
There are also three headphone level settings, low, normal, and high. Read page 51 in the manual.

I use my Cobalt8 mainly in the studio for producing music. For that end, it is truly a joy to play and experiment with for inspiration. Although a slight pain to set up at first, the tight integration with the DAW via Modal VST makes me wonder why that isn't an industry standard. The knob layout is intuitive and encourages creativity, the presets sound fantastic & useful, the keybed is excellent, and to top it all off it looks cool as hell!!

In the month or so that I've had this synth I've felt excited and inspired enough to write an EP's worth of tunes (and then some). Ultimately, if a piece of gear within your studio facilitates that spark, it's doing a really great job.

Another reviewer captured a very similar reaction to mine. Hardware=great; software=meh. The outputs on this synth are weak and completely lacking in power. It's an effort to get volume out of it (playing through headphones is just frustrating). And the sound itself, while decent enough, isn't anything that memorable. You can do better with any high quality VST (Omnisphere, Dune, Diva, Massive X, etc....) and have more fun flipping through sounds and editing. On the positive side, the build quality is great, the keybed is top notch and it's probably one of the most stylish, handsome machines I've seen...in a striking color, that's portable to boot. It sort of is a high end controller, that also happens to be a synth if you don't feel like connecting to your computer or controlling another synth.

Not sure why this synth requires 40db of gain on my Mackie mixer compared to other synths needing 20, however it left the sounds weak and I think my old 486 with Soundblaster card had better sounds on it 20 years ago.
I tried to go through Modal support and after a canned response I replied to, they never wrote back. Sweetwater tried their best to contact their support and got no where either (I do not blame this at all on Sweetwater). Modal when I sent another email a month later tried to brush off the Sweetwater support as having called their US department, not the UK department (it shouldn't matter).
Needless to say, if you're looking for a solid, overpriced, MIDI controller for the rest of your synths, this is a great buy. Otherwise, don't expect much boldness out of the sounds if the outputs are all as weak as mine was.

This is my first Virtual Analog Synthesizer.
I chose it to be my entry to the Synthesis World.
It Sounds Fantastic and you can Play the Presets forever or get really involved in hardcore synthesis using Modal's Videos on YouTube.
If you're looking for a really sharp looking and super delicious synthesizer sounds look no further.
As always Sweetwater is second to none when it comes to Service and Ease of Purchasing online. My thanks also goes to my really nice Rep Robert Williams.

Sounds great and very easy to program your own sounds, and it's built solid. Thanks again for your excellent customer service and very fast delivery.

First of all, this thing is built like a tank and has the best feeling keys I've ever played. It sounds great and fits perfectly into my setup as the main VA poly.

I love the hands-on interface of this (and the Argon8). Nearly everything has a spot right on the front panel and you only ever need to menu-dive for the setting. All of the modulation is within reach immediately.

This VA poly is built like a tank and the keys are the best I've ever played. The parameters and mod options are within easy reach at all times, which lets me focus on creation instead of menu-diving

I'm a big fan of what Modal is doing (I have the Argon8 and the Craft). So now I've finally gotten my Cobalt8 today...
I absolutely Love it. I've spent the last several hours playing around and I think I'm up to Preset 20.
Super fun to dial deep into its inner soul,,
Cant wait to hook it up with the AP in my studio.
This is my 22 synth for my studio so I really have to find something that adds to our Sound Palette before I spend the money. Great job Modal...