Songwriter2015

So! Just to enlighten me ( and, I would HOPE, at least a few other members of The Group! ) here's a question on an aspect of the Sampler that I haven't seen anyone even mention yet! Has, or IS, ANYONE actually using the Sampler to sample "live" audio, because, up to now, all I've seen ( unless I need stronger specs! ) is examples of users sampling ........ well........ OTHER SAMPLES!! .......... ........ because, surely, that, in essence ( and, before anyone comes on to shoot me down in flames..... yes, I realise that's not an wholly accurate way of describing what's happening!! 🙄 ) is what's being done, in a lot of cases! By that I mean, whether it's a DX7, another Yamaha, a Roland, a Kurzweil..... whatever...... the user is, in reality, attempting to get the X500 to reproduce a sound that already exists elsewhere, on, in most cases, another keyboard or sound module. Absolutely NOTHING WRONG with that! Its been common practice ( particularly in what's come to be known as EDM! ), for years! It's all down to what the user wants, or needs! BUT, if these are the ONLY examples ( of use ) which are causing the, much quoted, ( but, to me, AND, it seems, users like ALENK, STILL unclear ) "problems" ......... ....... then should "someone", perhaps, be looking at what "imported", "alien", files, do to the O.S. of the X500 --- and NOT vice-versa?!? Has ANYONE used the X500 for "live sampling" of audio and been hit by any SEVERE "problems" that have interfered with their attempts to create the music they want --- ( and I'm NOT talking about problems relating to "mic volume" or any such "nonsense"!??! ). Maybe I'm being too simplistic!! I'm almost certainly exposing my own IGNORANCE!! But I'm not worried about being insulted, vilified, flamed, strung-up, or beaten to a pulp with a melon!! 😊 ........ ........ Just so long as, at SOME point, ( EVENTUALLY ), SOMEONE, explains what, why, how, the "problem" IS, that is causing the Sampler to continue to cause some users to be so "disenchanted"!! ************************************************************************************ Personally, and expanding on something I think I've already mentioned, elsewhere, I/We plan to release a new album of original songs, towards the end of June, ( PLEASE don't have any worries about my having an over-inflated ego! This is, very much, a "creative" project, and the "release" will be VERY local!! 😄 ) If it's okay with you guys, around that time, I'll place a few "snippets" on the site --- where members of The Group will be able to hear the Sampler in all it's "glory" ........ ........ On almost EVERY Track!! 😊 Take it easy, all Chris

Well, firstly, I've got to say that ALENK is dead right!! I'm NOT any closer to understanding what's wrong with the Sampler!! We've been in the process of producing a new album of original material over the past few months, and all I can say is that the Sampler has played a significant part in the way its turning out!...... ....... and, sorry, but no matter WHAT anyone else says, some of those samples have been WAY bigger than 30mb!! --- Maybe I got a " magic" model?!!? 😊 I can only assume that SOME users are using the Sampler in a way of which I'm totally ignorant!! As I said when I started this ( as it's turned out, quite "energetic" thread! ) I had/have NO INTENTION of being RUDE, INSULTING, or anything else, to ANYONE from ANYWHERE!! BUT, as a daily user of the brilliant MZ-X500, all I can say is that I've NEVER experienced ANY problems with the SAMPLER ......... ...... and all I'm asking is: IF there is a SERIOUS problem with it, that interferes with users producing the music THEY want..... ........ Then why on earth can't ANYONE, clearly and concisely, tell me what it IS?? 'Cos, up until now....... nobody HAS!! The one thing I AM sure of, again, no matter what ANYONE SAYS, is that there is a small minority of users that STILL don't appreciate that there's a basic fact that has ALWAYS applied to buying instruments in THIS, or any OTHER era...... ...... Sadly, you CANNOT spend £500 and get a £5000 instrument! I, personally, own TWO Mexican Strats, and for the money, they are, quite frankly, unbelievably good..... but neither comes near my "Custom Shop E.C."!!!! BUT, using the basic, general, principle --- The X500 has come closer than ANY instrument I, personally, have ever known, at behaving like one that cost five times as much!! Take it easy, all Chris

Leonh -- This is FUN!! On a, slightly, "serious", note, the reason I asked the original question was that I/We have been using the Sampler a fair amount over the past few months, and, honestly, haven't found ANY problem with it at all! I KNOW, however, that there HAS to be a "problem" for some users, because of the several posts "complaining" about it! I was honestly just hoping I'd find out what it IS !?! 😊 Take it easy Chris

Hi Leonh! 😊 LOVE the irony!! 😄 But, come on! You cant leave me hanging like that! Just what IS it that the, slightly more expensive (!!), Kronos can do with its Sampler that the X500, can't?? 😊 Take it easy Chris

Hi all, For what little it may be worth ( and I sincerely apologise if I sound too negative ) I truly believe we're in a " no grey area " situation, as far as the X500 is concerned! Either Casio will announce a brand new keyboard, featuring everything they may have learned about what the X500 COULD have been -- OR, ( as I've, sadly, confessed I believe, elsewhere on this Forum ), they will retire back into their "consumer-focussed" mode, ( as they, pretty much, did, after the MZ2000 ), and we'll hear nothing from them, re another "professional" model! Again, as I've said previously, the lack of ANYTHING, even approaching, what could be called, "marketing", of the X500 in the UK and EUROPE, is a mystery, the like of which I've never seen in terms of, what Casio themselves called, a brand new, "flagship" model!! Even more of a conundrum is why the X500 was totally absent from the pages of the Casio-Europe website ---- At least, until very, very, recently, by which time the astonishingly few companies that had been selling it had all deleted it from their product lineup! To this day, their was not a single, major, respected, store, wherein you would find Casio's new " Flagship Arranger " ( their title, remember, not mine!! ). Let me be clear -- I have MASSIVE RESPECT for Casio, and their obvious philosophy on producing some stunning keyboards at ridiculously low prices! ........ ........ But the way they ( sorry, yet again, as I've said before! ) launched the X500, and then proceeded to totally ignore it -- in the UK and Europe, at least -- is something my, obviously, feeble brain, will NEVER understand!! Anyway........ Here's hoping for a huge surprise at NAMM, when I can, VERY happily, eat humble pie -- and get my credit card ready, yet again!! 😊 The YAMAHA GENOS is, quite clearly, DISAPPOINTING buyers, left, right, and centre!! ROLAND offer NOTHING, of any consequence, AT ALL!! THIS could be CASIO's year to SHINE!! 😃 Roll on 25th January!! 😄 Take care all Chris

-- that some members ( it seems, in the main, to be a bugbear with a couple of our Brazilian friends ) have, with the way it "works"? PLEASE, let me be clear! This is a very GENUINE question, born out of ignorance and puzzlement! In no way am I trying to be " confrontational ", OR " critical ". I THINK I understand that, for some reason, the way in which the Sampler works conflicts with how some owners understood, or, naturally presumed, it would?? Again, -- without ANY "insult" or "slur" intended, -- because of the language difficulties, I have found it almost impossible to get my head round the point of some of the posts! That's MY problem and NOT that of the various posters!! SILVANO, for example, OBVIOUSLY has something significant to say about, what he feels, are the failings of the Sampler!?! Unfortunately, -- I emphasise, again, because of MY ignorance, -- I'm unable to understand what he is saying those failings actually ARE!! So, for my, and, perhaps, others' benefit, can anyone give me an idea of what it IS about the way the Sampler operates, that has, obviously, caused this extreme, and, I think it's fair to say, "angry" disappointment?!? Thanks, in advance, for taking the time to read this. Take care all Chris

I have to echo Leonh's sentiment! A WONDERFULLY Happy, Peaceful, and Musically Productive year to you RICK, and BRAD, LOBBARD, ALENK, ALANON, THE CASIOKID, JOKEYMAN, RANDY, SCOTT H., MIKE M ( we need webinars!! 😊 ), and of course you, LEONH, and any and all of the contributors to this magnificent Group, throughout 2017!! I can genuinely say that it's been a REAL privilege to play a very small part in the Forum's activities since getting my X500 in July, AND to be able to read so many pearls of wisdom from so many talented people! 😊 -- and I HOPE that, with some of the stuff "we've" been working on recently, I'll be able to be of some more productive use, to at least some of the members, in 2018!! Bless you all, and have a GREAT 2018 😊 Chris

Hi all, Interesting topic! 😊 On 17th August I bought one of my grandsons, Kieron, a WK - 7600, for his birthday, when he developed a genuine desire to learn to play, after spending much time with me, and "the guys" in the studios. Although he expressed his enthusiasm for learning to play "the piano", I made the decision to buy him a keyboard with a "huge" variety of sounds, as well as a feature-list, all of which I hoped would maintain his interest in playing, IF I was wrong about, what I felt SURE, was a real desire to learn to play! As it's turned out, over the past 5 months, there is NO doubt about the love he's developed for playing! Neither ( thank goodness! 😊 ) is there ANY doubt that I made the right decision regarding the WK - 7600 rather than a " definitive piano "! Kieron is already writing his own music, with a depth of creativity that I don't believe would have been replicated if he were simply ( simply?!!? ) learning to play piano! Why have I responded to this thread? - - Simply because the one decision that I had NO doubts about, was that, whatever the keyboard we eventually bought Kieron, it would be a CASIO!! THAT, as I say, was NEVER in doubt!! 😊 Take care all - and a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Chris

Hey Randy - Nice one, my friend! 😊 Can I say that, of all the many things you've ever written on this forum, nothing, imho, has been as significant, as your final paragraph, above, when you talk about the stuff you're currently discovering with the X500!! Without this Group, a young musician, purchasing an X500 ( IF he can FIND one!! ) has NOWHERE to go to discover that his new keyboard is even CAPABLE of doing the kind of controller things you're talking about, let alone HOW to begin trying to emulate them!! Hopefully, anyone, and everyone, who's purchased an X500 will discover this Forum. And, hopefully, this Group will continue to be a place they can come to for REAL help, REAL information, and, yes, REAL help and sympathy for the problems they may encounter! Here's to 2018, and the future that we know the X500 still has in front of it! Take it easy Randy Chris

Hey RANDY! Almost 5 months gone by since my, totally self-imposed, "exile"! Although I've continued to read the Forum on an almost daily basis, I've genuinely missed the interaction, which I'd enjoyed from a few weeks before I even GOT my X500! I'm content in the knowledge that you and I will ALWAYS approach our ownership of the X500 from a totally different direction!! The differences we may have, however, we SHOULD be able to respect, and to debate, on a civil, and "polite" level? There are so, relatively, few of "us", who are likely to maintain the existence of this particular Forum, and retain its viability as a continuing source, and exchange, of information, ideas, and, hopefully, a little humour, once in a while! Maybe I'm taking too much of a negative position, Randy, but, to me, anyway, it seems highly unlikely that we're going to see a flood of new members joining the Forum during 2018!! It falls, therefore, on the existing "core" of contributors, to decide whether the Forum survives..........and whether that's even important to them! You're probably going to think I'm being too histrionic, but, the way things seem to be, the loss of even ONE member such as: BRAD, RICK S, LOBBARD, LEONH, ALENK, etc, qqwand, may I suggest, yourself, would be an almost devastating blow to the likely future of the Forum!! Like I've just intimated, ( and, yes, I KNOW the existence of Life, the Universe, and Everything, doesn't depend on the survival of the Casio X500/X300 Forum! ), this Group can continue to inform, educate, assist, correct, argue, debate, etc, - (if no one else, then each other), - for a long time to come -- IF that's what everyone WANTS !?!?! SO - How's about you and I make a start?!? Do you reckon we can now, finally, close the book on "that", brief, but sadly "unpleasant", few days of posting back in the summer?? - - I may not always agree with your ideas, and your opinions, Randy, - anymore than you'll agree with MINE!! 😊 - but I'll ALWAYS be interested in reading about them!! What do you say, my friend? Maybe: " Happy New Year " .......... To all we X500 players? 😊 Take it easy Chris

....... Well ..... Here in the U.K., anyway! So here's to a final MERRY CHRISTMAS to one and all! And here's to 2018's " MZ- X1800" - with a 77/88 note keyboard with touch-sensitivity and aftertouch! 2TB H/D! 2018 in-built sounds! 2018 "user" slots! Upgraded HEX- Layer features with ability to combine up to 2018 sounds! Full-on Sampler, with all the features "everyone" demands - wherever they come from! Fully-featured, 2018-track, DAW-killer of a Sequencer with VST compatibility! Three separate touch-screens ( one for GUI, one 18" for Sequencer use, and the other for watching old movies if you get bored! )! Built-in, height adjustable, folding stand, with wheels - for moving from table to table during restaurant gigs! Options including slide-out, Barista quality, coffee maker for long studio sessions, and adaptor enabling use of 12 volt car battery during power cuts! And, of course, a choice of colours! Well I think that, pretty much covers everything! HAPPY NEW YEAR all you BRILLIANT PEOPLE!! With genuine affection Chris

That's precisely one of the points I was trying to make, LEONH! I couldn't agree with you more! From the outset, I've NEVER tried to hide my "love-affair" with the X500! BUT, I'm afraid I cant express the same feelings about the way ( in the U.K. and Europe, anyway ) Casio launched it - and then proceeded to ignore it! No videos, no tutorials.....nothing! Like you, it seems, I'm a player NOT a technician, and without members such as BRADMZ, and RICK STERLING, I'd still be lost in the " jungle of ignorance "!! I really don't care how "soppy" it may sound, I will, forever, be grateful to those two generous guys, for the way they've shared their knowledge with the rest of us poor mortals! Right! It's 3am over here! I've been in the studio for the best part of eight hours, and I've just GOT to get some sleep!! Ah the life of a musician, eh?!?! 😂 Take it easy all Chris

Good point, BRAD!! - and what an extraordinary sounding keyboard THAT was!! Almost unbelievable to think that was 17 years ago!! I'm suddenly a little more optimistic!! Have a good one Brad Take care Chris

Hi Lobbard! It's a genuine joy to see your smiling face again! I, too, am in no hurry at all to "upgrade" my X500! I'm making an assumption here, mate, but I'm guessing that, like me, you've still got a whole lot left to discover about our not-so-little gem? Personally, I'm STILL discovering stuff, on an, almost, weekly basis, that I didn't even know it could DO! Having said that, I'll still have a smile, from ear to ear, if I discover, sometime during the next year or so, that Casio have, indeed, got "something in the wind" when it comes to a successor / upgrade / whatever, to the X500! Anyway, enjoy the festivities, Lobbard, and here's to a truly brilliant New Year! Take care mate Chris

I SO hope you're right Leonh! I'll tell you one thing, my friend, after my experience with the X500, I'll be first in the queue! Yet again, Merry Christmas Leonh Chris

Well, it seems, ( to me, anyway! ), like a lifetime since the incredible welcome I had, to the Forum, from all of you wonderful, talented, guys, turned rather pear-shaped, due, I think, in retrospect, to some genuine misunderstandings, some unnecessary "confrontation" ( with one other member, in particular! ), and, basically, to my inability to, sometimes, bite my tongue and "keep my mouth shut!! ) Anyway, I return, briefly, from my own, self-imposed, "exile", mainly for one reason....... ...... To wish you ALL, The MERRIEST CHRISTMAS, and a 2018 that brings you ALL THAT YOU WISH FOR! I say this, with absolute sincerity: That there is so much obvious talent, amongst so many of the stalwarts on the Forum, that, even though the life of the magnificent X500 appears, sadly, about to be consigned to history - ( in Europe, anyway! Thomann, Music-Store, DV247 have all removed it from their sales-lists, and even the enigmatic Bax Music have it on SIX WEEK back order, with a very pointed "no guarantee of delivery" rider!! ) - I believe the Forum can continue to provide current owners with help, information, tips, tricks, and, hopefully, in amongst all the "tecchy" stuff, a little "light - entertainment" ...... and, of course, music! Even though "activity" here seems to have dissipated, recently, I STILL believe there is much service that members can provide to each other, and that their shared "communication", even if this IS "the end" of the X500, can continue to benefit everyone! For what it may be worth, I, personally, am keeping my fingers crossed, that the demise of the X500 ( because that, surely, is what it now appears to be! ), may signal, in time, the announcement of a new, even MORE impressive, "Professional" keyboard!??! Should that be the happy case, then I truly hope that Casio, ( again, in the "English-speaking" market, anyway!! ), give it the support, in terms of: marketing, video-tutorials, webinars ..... whatever .... that they, signally failed to give our magnificent instrument! I have to say, personally, and with much, genuine, sadness, that I doubt this will be the reality. The X500 was launched after a long haiatus during which Casio, virtually, ignored the "professional" synth market, and such has been their, even - less - than, half - hearted, support for their brilliant creation, that I can't believe they'll do anything other than "retire", once again, into the safe world of the consumer keyboard market! In a nutshell - I honestly believe it's unlikely there will BE a successor to the X500!! I SO hope that - not for the first time - I'm WRONG!! Once again, the BEST of THE SEASON to one and all! I hope that next year, in whatever form it takes, will bring that "Eureka - moment" you've been waiting for! Take care Chris

RANDELPH - Firstly, and without a trace of confrontation intended, I would not DREAM of being so egotistical as to think I " SPEAK FOR THE WHOLE COMMUNITY"!! Dear god, I've only had my X500 for TWO MONTHS!! WHAT, exactly, have I written, that's intended to: " Make this an 'UNFRIENDLY' - ( WHAT?!!? ) and 'UNDERPOPULATED' Forum "???? You've, sadly, chosen to resort to personal insults as a method, I assume, of reinforcing whatever argument it is that you're trying to force. To call me a "Fanboy Troll" who "Contributes nothing... but makes a point of DISRUPTING things" leaves me genuinely speechless - and truly, sadly, full of sympathy for the way you must turn the truth on its head to fit in with how you see things. ******************************************************************************* I have no doubt, whatsoever, that if ANYONE reads this last post of yours, carefully, they will clearly see that there's only one of us who's trying to "speak for the whole community" and who, again, sadly, has a VERY inflated view of his own self-importance! ******************************************************************************* Of course I can't contribute 1% of the kind of intelligent, experienced, help and guidance that comes from such as BRADMZ, RICK,ALENK, etc!! I simply don't have anything like their experience with the X500!! What I can do is ask for help, ( as I have done! ), and give my genuine thanks when my question is answered! Beyond that, all I can do is, unapologetically, sing the praises of this astonishing keyboard, and the "wonder" of the way it's added, positively, to everything I write and have recorded, so far, in which it's played its part! ************************************************************************* Im going to say this, and then never repeat ANYTHING of it, again! - - I have been a Professional Musician/Songwriter, all my life. I've supported my marriage, raised my children, bought my houses, using nothing but, whatever, musical talent I have! I took a band to the UAE, with "BOON GOULD" ( LEVEL 42 ) along as bass-player! I was a member of a band, that lasted all-too-briefly, in which "SNOWY WHITE" amazed everyone who heard him ( including US! ) every time we played! You can go, should you so wish, to YouTube, and hear a track of mine called " ENDLESS DREAM " by a band we had, back then, called: "BIG SWIFTY" ( thanks again FRANK!! ) - I'm the one with the black Tele Custom, standing over the keyboard!! We've released more than 35 albums out of my studio, and are in the process of recording the sixth album of our own material. Why do I relate all this? - Because, where music is concerned, my confidence in my own knowledge and abilities, born out of decades of revelling in the joy that playing music brings, is strong, stable, ...... but NEVER "egotistical", or filled with self-interest! Like drugs, I count myself lucky not to have ever succombed to the addiction that can come from a self-inflated view of one's own abilities or achievements! Music has, apart from my beautiful Family, and precious Friends in Music, been my whole life - and I am grateful, every single day, for that gift! ***************************************************************************** I realise I'm repeating myself, but, I don't NEED to try and force my opinions on this Group - because, apart from my, (obvious to anyone), high regard for the X500 AND the majority of the members of this Forum - - I don't HAVE any "opinions" - other than those that directly, ( and VERY subjectively ), affect my own music, and the way I'm trying to create it! What am I supposed to have an opinion about? ..... I've only just GOT it!! BRAD, RICK, LOBBARD, LEONH, ALENK, SCOTT, etc, have, in different ways, been of invaluable assistance in the steep learning curve that's involved in owning an X500! Not, neccesarily, in replying to direct questions from me, but, often, in, simply, the information they impart in their own posts, or replies to others. The personal insults that you've thrown my way aren't, in the long run, going to affect me greatly, ....... but your accusations concerning my ill-intentions toward this wonderful ( and NOT "Underpopulated" ) Forum, go beyond any semblance of decency! I shall take your ( only ) piece of good advice, and, in future, disregard any posts from yourself. I will also, no doubt, bring a smile to your face, by saying that,( for a significant time, anyway ), although I'll continue to read, and enjoy, the posts from those talented people I've met, here, since the beginning of June, I won't reply, post, or take an active part in the life of the Group! I'm totally gutted that I feel forced to make such a decision - that's going to sadden me immensely!!...... ...... But I, somehow, feel I've played a part, inadvertently, I believe, and completely unintentionally, in ( temporarily I'm certain! ) dragging the Forum down to a place, and in a direction,it should never have gone. I wish everyone in the Group, good fortune - and keep making music you'll be proud of Take it easy all Chris

Firstly, I am SO sorry about the two messed-up post attempts! Please just put it down to advancing years....... and lack of sleep!! ************************************************************************************************ So........ I LOVE my X500!! Its BRILLIANT, and, for me, it has NO "game-changing" flaws! In the, less-than, two months that I've been a, genuinely, proud owner of this, amazing, instrument, it's already found a place, in half-a-dozen recordings! Those recordings have all gained immensely, and in different ways, from the sound, and features, of "our" stunning board! I simply KNOW, already, that the X500 is going to "pay it's way" ten times over in my studio! It's almost - for me, anyway - limitless possibilities, creatively speaking, have already been, and will continue to be, a pure joy to work with on a daily basis...... And if any of you think that sounds "soppy" then, so be it!! ************************************************************************************************ I don't CARE which, or how many, buttons I have to press, in order to save a Tone, a Registration, a Volume Change...... whatever!! I don't CARE if I have to remember to press "Write-Edit" to save a change to a "User" Slot in order to then save it to a new Registration!! I simply don't CARE!! The fabulous array of features that this extraordinary keyboard has - its BRILLIANT sounds, those wonderfully flexible, Pads, the ease of editing using the drawbars, - and the overall ergonomic layout of it's, much-vaunted, ( and deservedly so, in my opinion! ), "Cockpit" design, deserves all the awards going!! ************************************************************************************************ Bringing me, rather painfully, to the title of this topic! I simply don't understand how ANY owner of this GREAT keyboard could, for example, submit a post, one day, scathingly criticising the X500 for what he, subjectively, believes to be it's lousy system of saving, ( and coming within a hair's breadth of accusing Casio of "cheating-out" on available memory!! ).......... ......... And then, the FOLLOWING DAY, posts again, SINGING THE PRAISES of the X500, focussing on how: "USER FRIENDLY" it is, and, again, praising it's EASE OF USE, and how CASIO DESERVE MAJOR KUDOS!! ......... ....... As if he'd never even posted the previous day's "critique"!?! I mean - Do me a favour!! Where's the CONSISTENCY?!? Where's the REALITY!!!! *********************************************************************************************** I may well lose respect for being so obviously "confrontational", but, if you check it out, you'll find, as I have, that this particular "Poster" seems to have made a habit of finding fault with the X500 - and then gone-off on a totally different tack, with his next post!! I promise you I'll totally understand if you resent my bringing a downbeat vibe to this, normally, wonderfully upbeat Forum! But, I have to repeat........ I LOVE my X500!! ....... and, I believe - - Most of you LOVE YOURS too!! Take care all Chris

ALENK - No! No! NO!!!! Not in a million years!!!! I'm not going to sail off on another of my long-winded posts! For once I don't need to! I HATE to sound "nasty", 'cos that's NOT who I am, ALEN, but this guy MUST be a complete "dreamer"!! A "Walter Mitty" with bells on!! I don't know about you mate, but, including my "ALESIS ADAT era", I've run a digital studio for 25 years, and I've been fortunate enough to experience some truly gifted musicians. Before being forced to "retire" from live gigging, in '98, due to my spinal problems, I'd played for decades, "at home" and across the world, in bands with some brilliant players ( I won't "name-drop for fear of you thinking that I'M fantasising!! ) - - My point simply being, NOT to "blow my own trumpet", but to state, categorically, that the GREATEST of the great musicians Ive been fortunate enough to share music with would not have been capable of producing the sounds that "he" claims to have done from that/those keyboard(s)!! The M.L.A.WOMAN track, for me, is the clincher!!..... ....... Sorry, but just NOT POSSIBLE!! Take care all Chris

SCOTT HAMLIN - Damn!! Shot down by grammar - not for the first time! Oh those wasted years! Cheers Scott Chris

ALENK - PLEASE don't think for one moment I was doubting your opinion about THAT particular video mate! Quite the opposite! Maybe I wasn't clear, but I said I'd " listen to it with different ears "...... ..... and that, then, " I'd see what I could produce out of the X500 " I've not, so far, ( in about 3 1/2 hours of experimenting ) got anywhere NEAR a sound I'd want to use in a "Live" situation - and certainly not in a recording that meant anything!! If you check-out my reply again, I don't, at any point, say anything approaching an opinion that the "sound" is genuine. In fact ( even with "different ears"! ) I cant bring myself to the opinion that it truthfully WAS programmed, in whatever way, from the XW-P1! In contrast, ( unless an awful lot of some of the best trick photography ever seen, was being used! ) I DO believe in the reality of what I witnessed, with eyes AND ears, what " Mr. Levin " was playing!! My apologies for misunderstanding the quote from "Mike" - but I'm guessing most might consider it an easy mistake to make? I also, obviously, because, how could I, had no idea of "this guy's" other videos with similar "claims. If that's the right word? Its judgemental, I suppose, but might he be what could be labelled a "Fantasy-Merchant"?? Anyway, hope you don't hold any lasting angst over my reply which was wholly "innocent", and simply my own opinion ( probably too long, as usual ) about a video which, in truth, seemed very difficult to accept at face value. Take care mate Chris

ALENK - Like you, I listened to the "pedal-steel" sound ( in the thread you pointed to ) in total disbelief! "No Way"!! I thought! That simply CAN'T be real - although " MIKE MARTIN " , ( for whom I have a HUGE amount of respect having watched several of his videos) stating that it WAS, got me wondering! SO, I trawled the 'net and came across a video made by someone called " LARRY LEVIN " , who you guys may well know, but, I confess, I'd never heard of! Using a YAMAHA PSR-S950, in a video made in 2013 (!!), he created the most AMAZING pedal-steel guitar sound I've EVER heard! It was simply ASTONISHING! In the video he's seen triggering the accompaniement chord changes using just his thumb, whilst operating the pitch-bend and mod wheels at the same time, and, obviously, playing the lead phrases with his right hand. It's BRILLIANT!! I, again, confess, I know virtually nothing about the Yamaha, but what I DO know is that, once again, BRADMZ is absolutely RIGHT in the inferences of his above reply! As BRAD infers, it's the technique(s) used by the player, as much as the authenticity of the sound, which will, in the end, determine the authenticity of what's being heard. I will now listen to that XW-P1 video with totally different ears - - Whilst seeing just what I can produce out of the X500!! Take care all Chris

Sadly, this reminds me ( As always, just my opinion guys! ) of those " bad old days" of 10 - 15 years ago, when "home studios" were rushing to buy every sample-loop library/collection/cd, that came on the market! ************************************************************************ (sic): " Buy our pristine collection of loops and you'll no longer have to be able to play ANYTHING - 'cos WE'LL play it for you"!! "Just slice-and-dice a few lyrics from hit songs you've heard, released in the past 25 years, line them up (roughly!) with a random selection of our ( "pristine", remember!! ) loops, and you'll have your own "unique" song......... that sounds strangely similar to all the OTHER "unique" songs that are posted on the, various, home-studio, "unique - songs" websites!! " ************************************************************************* Remember, I'm talking about the early to mid 2000's ( and even, in a few instances, the late '90's!! ) when there were, literally, hundreds of such products - and countless sites where you could post your "finished product"!! In terms of the total number of home/project-studios around back then, I would, confidently, "guess" that the vast majority approached the genesis of the "loop-collection" ( pop, funk, country, etc - you name it and you'll have been able to find it!! No problem!! ), as a short-cut of short cuts to creating a 3 minute classic!! There is a brilliant line, in one of the replies from the Gearslutz post, that ALENK points to in his reply above:- ************************************************************************* " Why not take inspiration from the sound you're hearing in your head, and EXPAND on it, instead of trying to COPY it ? " !! ************************************************************************* I'm totally aware that some of you will think I'm sounding a bit ( or a lot! ) " holier-than-thou ", we ARE, after all, owners of an "Accompaniement" keyboard which many other pianists and synth players will feel is, in itself, a "shortcut" to creating a "Performance" or the basis of a multitrack recording! Fair comment! ........ EXCEPT........ ..... You STILL have to have IDEAS! - Whether you're creating the beginnings of a new, ORIGINAL, song, which will, maybe, eventually lead to a full-blown multitrack on Sonar, Cubase, Logic, or whatever, or even if the song will remain as an X500 "sketch-pad", that never goes any further, but which will still always have a "life" on the brilliant keyboard in which it was produced - It remains YOUR IDEA! YOUR CREATION! OR...... If you're creating an arrangement for a "Cover" - An idea that's been bouncing around inside your head, and which, now, with the aid of the X500, you can, again, as with the "Original", give life to! You can make it something to perform at a gig that has YOUR inimitable signature! YOUR IDEA! And what if you really are "just" using the Performance aspects at gigs, with no pretence or ambition at "originality"?!? ......... So What?!? We aren't all fortunate enough to still experience the joys of playing alongside 4 or 5 other musicians, all in sync and in "sympathy" with each other..... BUT, we can STILL create a more-than reasonable facsimile of the sound we want ( and, maybe, remember with fond nostalgia! ), thanks to the excellence of the X500!........ ....... AND, we still have to be able to PLAY!! To recreate OUR IDEAS!! In closing - and with GENUINE apologies for this ridiculously long reply ( and I MEAN, genuine apologies! ) which may seem to have gone way off-topic, can I suggest something from deep within my musical soul? - - We should, all of us, NEVER get the same, or, even, ANY, satisfaction, from the efforts of others, that we "claim", in whatever way, as our own, when compared to the indescribable feeling of satisfaction that we do from our OWN work and creativity! You might labour, long and hard, in the edit screens of the X500 for that, elusive, " HAWAIIAN GUITAR " sound, and wind-up with a result that sounds more like " PLUCKED PAN PIPES PLAYED ON THE STERN OF A CHINESE RIVER BOAT ".... But I bet it'll sound BEAUTIFUL!! And, do you know what LADISLAV? It WON'T take long - and it'll be ALL YOURS!! And I bet you'll feel TERRIFIC!! Apologies again guys ( PLEASE don't hate me!! ) Take care all Chris

Hmmmm! I was under the impression that the X500 has a couple of really good Wurlitzer "emulations" under "60's EP"?? I guess, maybe, they lack a specific "something" that you're looking for?!? How about a little basic editing to get that "just right" sound that you have in mind? My guess is that it's all there if you look for it! Take it easy Chris

Well BRAD, he says he's about to sell his XW-G1, and then begins his brief assertions re relationship between Casio's sales and Ableton!! Although we can't be certain, I'd assume, as he's on an X500/X300 Forum, then that's what he's referring to?....... Who knows??