ALMOST eerily similar in features/price

[Carter]

Casio MZ X500 and Roland FA-06

 

Thoughts?

 

I can not afford everything. This is just what I noticed while weighing my options.

[Casio Man]

I thought excatly the same!

 

I hope Mike and Rich put their best to show how the MZ is better.

 

The FA's workflow is amazing! Can the MZ match FA in that regard?

 

The different synth engines in FA are very versatile and powerul. The demonstrators are going to need to work their butts in sweat for being able to convince us to get MZ!

 

The rompler alone is amazing synth on the FA, and its acoustic sounds are REALLY convincing. And there are superb insert effects for all of the 16 parts!!!

 

The sampler is rather simple on the FA, would MZ sampler be more useful?

 

What about audio tracks? FA is not only a sequencer, but also a multitrack recorder with...what...8-16 audio tracks in addition of midi tracks.

[Guest]

19 hours ago, Casio Man said:

I thought excatly the same!

 

I hope Mike and Rich put their best to show how the MZ is better.

 

The FA's workflow is amazing! Can the MZ match FA in that regard?

 

The different synth engines in FA are very versatile and powerul. The demonstrators are going to need to work their butts in sweat for being able to convince us to get MZ!

 

The rompler alone is amazing synth on the FA, and its acoustic sounds are REALLY convincing. And there are superb insert effects for all of the 16 parts!!!

 

The sampler is rather simple on the FA, would MZ sampler be more useful?

 

What about audio tracks? FA is not only a sequencer, but also a multitrack recorder with...what...8-16 audio tracks in addition of midi tracks.

 

 

    Hi, I'm not an expert, not even a fully competent player, so take my contribution with a grain of salt. 

 

        Roland FA-06 is a great synth  but I think it doesn't have the essential 'arranger' capability, like full auto-accompaniment chords with discreet divisions for intro, variations, fills and endings?

 

    Would be interested to see how Casio MZ-X500 compares to other Arrangers of similar price, like the Yamaha PSR-S770, or Korg PA (?).  

 

    As I recall, the FA's sample pads can hold very long samples (long as you like),  recorded and played direct to USB stick.  I forget the FA's sampling spec's for comparison to MX-X500, maybe someone could post a fuller comparison of the MZ-X's pads versus those of the FA?  Meanwhile, have a listen to Ralph Maten playing percussive samples at 4:30 minutes in (see video ). 

       That sounds pretty good to me, using those Casio MZ-X's pads, which are velocity sensitive.  Doubt that percussive effect could be possible by using the FA-O6's non-velocity pads?

 

     Of course, if money and room space were no barrier, I'd take both of those great keyboards. :-) 

  

 

 

 

[XW-Addict]

Me thinks the love for music will let one make the right choice. 

[Rudolph R-N R]

Surprised this thread hasn't generated more interest.  I'm also trying to make this buying decision.  For my needs, they both have very similar features and unique strengths.  

 

I've rated with exclamation points:

!= cool feature

!!= want it, tempting

!!!= want and need, almost must-have

 

Pluses for the FA06:

! - Sub out, could see using this for the click in the band

!! - Been out longer, many bugs fixed, larger user base sharing patches, more units available used, more reviews to base buying decision on

! - More extensive FX available

! - 16 patch combi capability

!!! - 6 knobs with matrix for easier tweaking, more extensive controller keyboard routing

! - 2 sound modifier buttons above pitch/mod

 

 

Pluses for Mz-x500:

!!! - Powerful speakers that project to player and audience! 

! - Arranger capabilities

!!!- Velocity sensitive pads!

! - Separate mod and pitch wheels

! - 9 drawbars

!! - Potentially better keybed.  Have played the FA06 and it has a weirdly short key travel, not great feeling.  I could live with it if it was overall a better board for my needs

 

Beyond that, a lot of the capabilities overlap.  I've got a Nord Stage that satisfies immensely, but I have no sequencer, pad, arpeggiation, chord memory, sampler, etc., all of which I choose to do with no computer involved.  I do want to control my IPad music apps with a controller keyboard.

 

Sounds are really important to me; I tend to play a lot of bread and butter sounds, all of which the Stage does superbly to my ears, but with a 2d keyboard I could get more pads, synths, orchestral, etc., though sometimes I wouldn't have the Stage with me, so whichever keyboard I buy would have to satisfy for bread and butter as well.  

 

I've had the Casio WK7600 for awhile now, and can easily say the sounds do NOT satisfy.  They're OK, but that's a big hesitation for me, would the MZ be a significant upgrade?  Life is too short to play mediocre sounds, esp now that I've got a great sound system (QSC K10).  

 

I'd like to be able to build up simple compositions easily with the sequencer, and create great drum patterns that can be easily triggered.  Some of the capabilities like chord memory, sequencer loop recording, etc., I won't know until I've got it if I'd actually use it.  I could potentially use the arranger features on the MZ, but I generally get instantly bored with repeating patterns and the quality of the accompaniment I hear on arrangers.

 

In the band I'm in the leader wants to incorporate SOME EDM, so that's a consideration as well.  We're primarily a rock/pop band, this would just be an addition for some songs.

 

I also INSIST that whatever board I buy is user friendly.  

 

Whaddayatink?

 

Randy

 

 

 

[Brad Saucier]

Let's see. 

 

On the MZ-X there are just 4 "patches" (parts) per performance (registration). However, the MZ-X500 has hex layer tones for the layer building.  Each one has 6 programmable layers.  Four hex layer tones can be layered in a registration. That a total of 24 layers. For controlling all of that, layers within the tones can be adjusted with the assignable knobs, mod wheel and expression pedal. Each of those controllers can do two things at the same time.  For example, two layers of one hex layer tone can crossfade with a knob. Another two with knob 2. Another two with the mod wheel. And another two with expression pedal.  That's just an example. Other things are possible of course. 

 

As far as sounds, many of Casio's legacy samples are in the MZ-X. But there are new sounds as well like the strings and solo instruments like trumpet, violin, saxes and oboe.  Also, new samples can be loaded for creating completely new tones.  The MZ-X500 has 256mb of expansion memory.  128mb for the 300.

 

As far as EDM. There is probably no better keyboard out there for that.  The EDM sounds and drum kits are very current and keep up with everything I hear on EDM radio.

 

As far as user friendly, many who have tried Casio's new touchscreen has commented on how easy it is to work with.  You'll have no problem finding what you need.  

[tuxfriend]

The only thing I can grant the FA-06 is that an FA-08 is available with 88 keys. Maybe Casio can follow suit soon sans the IMHO quite steep extra cost of 600 bucks for the better keybed (in Germany at least) ... 

 

EDIT: Come to think of it - it might be a PX-6S ...  

[Rudolph R-N R]

Brad, thanks for the replies!

 

As for hex layers- I had a Yamaha XS7, and you could use up to 8 "tones" per patch (similar concept to a hex layer), and then you could  use 4 of these patches in a "combi" (there were other ways to work, but what I described was the primary one).  The contrast to that are boards like the Korg M3 that had two "tones" per patch, but you could build up a combi that was made up of up to 16 of these tones.  

 

I never liked putting all that detail into one "patch", I liked having up to 16 patches to work with.  But perhaps the hex layers bring their own benefits?  Can you map each of the tones of a hex layer across the entire keyboard?

 

I'm also curious about the keybed feel.  I know the FA06 is not that great.  And the sample pads.  I've tried enough to know that they vary from awful to wonderful.

 

Any rumors of Casio prepared sample packs to use that 256 MB?  

 

And speakers!  How would you rate the fidelity compared to decent studio monitors?  Do you find them satisfying to play through, is there enough bass?  Loud enough to be a decent monitor in a noisy band situation?  I've always loved onboard speakers, I've generally found they satisfy me for ease of use, their stereo sound, and for simple low volume playing; but like the WK7600, they lack in volume and bass.

 

 

[anotherscott]

On 7/4/2016 at 7:21 PM, Randelph said:

I've rated with exclamation points:

!= cool feature

!!= want it, tempting

!!!= want and need, almost must-have

 

Pluses for the FA06:

! - Sub out, could see using this for the click in the band

!! - Been out longer, many bugs fixed, larger user base sharing patches, more units available used, more reviews to base buying decision on

! - More extensive FX available

! - 16 patch combi capability

!!! - 6 knobs with matrix for easier tweaking, more extensive controller keyboard routing

! - 2 sound modifier buttons above pitch/mod

 

 

Pluses for Mz-x500:

!!! - Powerful speakers that project to player and audience! 

! - Arranger capabilities

!!!- Velocity sensitive pads!

! - Separate mod and pitch wheels

! - 9 drawbars

!! - Potentially better keybed.  Have played the FA06 and it has a weirdly short key travel, not great feeling.  I could live with it if it was overall a better board for my needs

 

 

Other FA-06 advantages:

* much better MIDI functionality (i.e. registrations can include assignable MIDI Program Changes for all parts, the 6 knobs can be used to send MIDI data)

 

Other MZ-X500 advantages:

* ability to load custom samples playable as instruments from the keyboard

* ability to more easily manage splits on the fly (picking the sounds for each side of the split independently, adjusting their volumes, changing their octaves)

* sound (usually) doesn't cut out when switching registrations

 

The funny thing is that those MZ-X500 advantages are also things the Roland Juno DS has, even though the "higher end" FA does not (though the FA also has numerous things the DS does not). I'd say say that the MZX500 is closer to the DS than the FA, both in those positive ways, and also in its limitations (fewer effects and less flexible MIDI than the FA, though it still beats the Casio in these areas). What the Casio has over the DS includes the same things you listed as what it has over the FA, as well as the sequencer and tonewheel organ engine.

 

[mike71]

On 7/5/2016 at 11:55 AM, tuxfriend said:

The only thing I can grant the FA-06 is that an FA-08 is available with 88 keys. Maybe Casio can follow suit soon sans the IMHO quite steep extra cost of 600 bucks for the better keybed (in Germany at least) ... 

 

EDIT: Come to think of it - it might be a PX-6S ...  

There is the PX-560 that has 88 keys, speakers, colour touch screen and it's also blue. 🙂

But it's not exactly the same thing of course. Yamaha and Roland make 61, 76 and 88 keys versions of the same synth, for different uses.

Casio is make similar but not quite swappable models.

 

 

[Brad Saucier]

How did we dig up this old thread?  😁

 

On 7/5/2016 at 8:02 PM, Randelph said:

 Can you map each of the tones of a hex layer across the entire keyboard?

 

Yes.  Layers in a hex layer tone can be split, layered, overlapped and crossfaded across the key range. 

 

On another subject, one bit of information I mentioned for the MZ-X500 is the 256MB of sample expansion memory. There is a bit more to that than meets the eye. That's the actual physical memory available for sample expansion on the keyboard. The MZX Sample Manager compresses WAV data into a lossless audio format for loading into the keyboard. Data size reduction is around 50%. That means the equivalent amount of uncompressed 16bit 44.1K WAV data that can be shoved into the MZ-X500 is about 512MB.  That's about 96 minutes of mono audio samples, or 48 minutes of stereo.  No wonder I have barely put a dent in my available memory.  ☺️