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Is this simple envy.......??


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Hi folks!

I know, full well, that to some of you ( probably the majority! 😊 ), the fact that my X500 is sitting in it's Thomann box, just upstairs, and that, because of Family tradition, I can't get my hands on it until the 15th ( my birthdate ) will sound plain daft!! Well, there it is, and I console myself that, the fact that my wife and two daughters have combined to buy me such a very special gift, is something pretty amazing! 😊

 

As some of you, incredibly special guys, already know, all this hasn't prevented me from doing as much research as I can, both on the features of our extraordinary instrument, AND on the way it's been received, and perceived, on other message boards!

One such site is the "SYNTHZONE" board ( which I think a couple of you contribute to - in a positive way! ) and I confess to being astonished at the apparent " snobbery " that seems to be prevalent, in particular from owners of such as the "top end" Korg, and Yamaha Arrangers!

Rightly, or wrongly, it seems to me that resorting to comparing £3000+ keyboards to a new, almost unbelievably, feature-laden, Arranger/Synth/Sampler from Casio, smacks of envy in spades!!

 

A couple of the regular contributors to the aforementioned site have even, whilst desperately searching for ways to criticise the MZ-X500, in the same breath asserted that, and I quote: " It's the KING when it comes to functionality ", and: " Yamaha could learn some lessons from Casio "!! - and there are many more - surf their board..... You'll find them! 😊

 

Even before I get to play, what I know, is this wonderful instrument, I begin to feel, more and more, that we are all owners of a keyboard that will only truly begin, and continue, to reveal its true brilliance, as the months ( and years?? ) pass!!

 

Personally - I can't wait!! 😊

 

Take care all,

Chris

 

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Chris,

 

For the record I still own a Korg Kronos 2 and a Korg PA600. Both great instruments in their respective leagues. Nevertheless, I still love my MZ-X500, and it's the one that gets played almost every day. ;-)

 

cheers,

Rick

 

P.S. You must have the patience of Job! ;-)

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Well Rick ( one of my new "heroes" - and there's no bs in that Rick, I promise you!! ) in response to your last comment, well, I've been trying every ploy, excuse, bribe, whatever, to get my hands on it before the 15th but, so far, no luck 😄 16 days to go and it STILL seems like an eternity! I can almost promise you mate that, once I, finally, manage to open that precious box, I'm going to sit in front of that piece of instrument-design genius for as long as I can go without sleep!! 😊

In-so-far as your first comment, Rick, I totally agree with the inference of what I think your saying? I, myself, as I think Ive said before, own a Korg PA300, which was a terrific little Arranger for the money. In addition to that, which was my first ever arranger keyboard, I have a Kawai (still a stunning synth!), an Emu Proteus, as well as a KORG Monopoly, and Polysix, ( both of which will show you how old I am, Rick! ), which both still function perfectly!!

 

The thing is though, Rick, being ( mainly ) a guitarist for most of my life/career, although keyboards have always played a significant part in my playing/recording, I've never "loved" a keyboard the way I do, say, my J200, or my precious Fenders..... BUT, strange though it may sound to some, I simply KNOW I'm going to feel different about the X500!

Like I've said, Rick, I believe this keyboard is the beginning of something very special from Casio..... I know it is for me!

 

Take care Rick

Chris

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My Friend Songwriter2015

You may have seen some suggested topics for system fixes and you may have interpreted as criticise.
We love the MZ-X and are happy with the return of Casio in the arranger area.
We also want to help report what is negative and also enhance what is positive.
And the MZ-X always amazes me how everything sounds good on this keyboard.
We know the affection of the sounds that were well produced and how much it excites us to add external sounds and mix everything.
Apart from the controls that are a show apart and I confess that I could not enjoy the wonderful features due to the lack of time to produce and convert the rhythms.
One sensational feature was the two Dial K where one can put endless features from Equalization to volume of upper tones in real time.
I think it's always good to report everything, so adding to the experience we have with other brands and other platforms are adding to the Casio brand.
From now on, arranger for me, just Casio :cheers:

 

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Yes there are better arrangers there like Tyros and Korg Pa4x and with much better price 😁 but the point is what you get for your money I was comparing Korg pa 600 Yamaha PSR 770 and for the similar money none of them have what MZ X500 got.

 

 

 

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LEONH - I totally agree buddy! The MZ-X500 has such an extraordinary range of features that it's incredible that Cadio have been able to market it at such an incredible price. The other point is, of course, ( as you pretty much  indicate in your reply ), that  the X500 doesn't really HAVE any competition when you start to compare the feature set!!

I honestly believe that, unless you are happy to be seduced by the "name" on the keyboard you buy, whether it be a Yamaha, Korg, Roland ..... whatever, and are equally happy to pay MORE money for a feature-set that gives you FAR LESS than the X500, then your choice is the cliche "no brainier"!!

 

Those of us who've made that "no-brainier" choice can count ourselves, I firmly believe, as VERY lucky people!! 😃

 

Take care mate

Chris

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In all fairness to my Korg PA600, I must say there are a few features it has that I dearly wish were on the X500.

 

1. It has the ability to define 6 different style patterns for each style variation button 1 thru 4 with "Chord Variations" (CV). That's 24 different patterns available for variations 1-4, plus 2 CVs per Intro 1-3 , 2 CVs per Fills 1-4, 2 CVs per Break, 2 CV's per Ending 1-3 ... that equals 24+6+8+2+6 = 46 CVs in total. CVs are triggered based on the chord type you play ... Major, M6, M7, M7(b5), sus, sus2, M7sus, m, m6, m7, m7(b5), m(M7), 7, 7(b5), 7sus4, dim, dim(M7), #5, 7(#5), M7(#5), 1+5, 1+8, b5, dim7

 

2. Another very useful function on the PA600 is the SEARCH function.   Used mainly to search for files on the keyboard.

 

3. The Score function can display a score (with chord markings) on the touch screen for any midi file channel in real time.

 

4. The Markers function allows you to define markers in a MIDI file so you can instantly jump to a marked section during live playback

 

5. Lyrics can be displayed in real time with chord markings for both MIDI and MP3 files

 

These are all performance features that are mighty handy for some of us. ;-)

 

#1 is the BIGGY! ;-)

 

cheers,

Rick

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Pa 600 is good no questions about it but in my opinion a bit limited i.e arranger and that's it.

In that price bracket extra pads ect ect all in one arranger /workstation MZ 500 is hard to beat .

Good to have both but if you can have only one Casio is winer for me.

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And continuing the Rick list...

 

1-Open Rhythms with the original speed without having to appeal to the time buttons.
2-Show Big time on the screen at the time of changing the time by the buttons.
3-START button could have the option to stay active because in a rhythm stop you could resume the rhythm by the left hand chord.
4- Correction of bugs in Samples (Memory can not be used at its maximum capacity)
5- Adding More Registration Banks

6- MZ-X300 does not accept to save Rhythms as package where it gives to bind the User's Battery Kit, obliging to write down the bank where the Kit must be saved

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I think that before you buy any keyboard manual should be read in detail (I did it) .

Why buy Casio then when Korg is similar price?

I know what I am buying and what it does yes it could do more but that is same for all keyboards .

When Montage come to market people knew it doesn't have onboard sequencer still bought it and then complained why it does not have sequencer.

Answer was simple buy Kronos instead .

Where is that perfect Workstation still waiting for it 😎

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Leon I am quoting are corrections that can be made to help the brand as we are the Testers.
It is not a criticism, on the contrary. They are for correction improvements.
The PA600 here in Brazil is much more expensive than the MZ-X 500 at around 35% and the MZ-X excels in cost-effective keyboards with the same value

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I got my MZ 500 today and it is really a workstation and arranger in one plus pads and sounds to be honest much better than I expected (had XW P1 before ) this is different league .

I repeat what I said before for the money there is nothing better out there.

 

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Hi RICK 😊 , I think I may have been a bit unclear in the point I was trying to make 

! As I've said before, I'm the very proud owner of a PA300, and, although, apart from their " mini-keys" model, it's Korg's entry level Arranger, I was still pretty impressed when I bought it last year! 

When I started this thread, it was because I'd read an awful lot of bigoted nonsense, on the SynthZone site, rubbishing the MZ-X500, whilst comparing it to THE PA4x and the TYROS...... which, to me, anyway, was simply ridiculous!!

It was the extreme price difference between those two keyboards, ( in particular ), and the Casio, which, to me, made such comparisons totally redundant!

 

I take on board what you and Silvano have said about the features that the PA600 has that the X500 lacks,( although I wasn't actually making ANY comparison between those two keyboards! ), but, surely, those have to be balanced against , ( to me, anyway 😊 ), some of the constantly useable features which can make the X500 the keyboard that I think it is - bearing in mind that it's STILL 8 days before I get to open it!! 😊 Also bearing in mind that MY opinions, anyway, have ALWAYS been related, hand-in-hand, with the extraordinarily low price of the Casio, I'm talking about: The Pads, The Sampler, The Mono Synth, in particular. 

The fact that the MZ-X500 will be a studio-based instrument, with, possibly, less "live" use than some of you, or, I guess, most of you, will be using it for, I guess my needs, and, thus, my opinion of it, will differ from the mainstream? I still, however, having read the manual "from cover to cover" , and absorbed, ( I THINK! ), pretty much everything that's available on the 'net, retain exactly the same opinion I had at the start of my own, extremely unusual, X500 "journey"!! 😊 

 

I THINK, as you point out, RICK, at the end of your excellently detailed comparison, the majority of the features, which you list, which are lacking from the X500 when compared with the PA600 relate to PERFORMANCE specs.

Now, I'm not stupid, and I realise that that's precisely what these keyboards are!! Performance keyboards!

But MAYBE that's the "secret" as to why I find the X500 so fascinating even before I've played it, Rick? I believe it's going to be a whole different instrument to each person who buys it, and the features it DOES have, to many players, are going to far outweigh any negatives in terms of what it may lack in OTHER players' eyes!

 

To paraphrase what LEONH said at the end of his last message: " Where is that perfect "keyboard" we're all waiting for "?!?

 

RICK, after the extraordinary welcome that yourself, BRADMZ, and LOBBARD extended to me when I joined the group, I would never diss ANY opinion you have, and I would certainly never dream of comparing my, very superficial, knowledge of the X500 with that of my three "new heroes" 😊, I only hope that, after ( finally!! ) getting my hands on it, and in the succeeding months, I may be able to repay that welcome with some illustrations as to how it's added to my studio setup.

Who knows, they may be of no use to anyone here, but it'll be fun discovering just how much the MZ-X500 can offer! 😊

 

Take care all,

Chris

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Chris,

Never mind waiting for your exact birthday date, go open that MZ-X500 right now!   Remember that Tomorrow is guaranteed to no-one...Life's too short...Live for the moment....Seize the Day!.... etc. 

On behalf of Casio Music Forums MZ-X forum,  we hereby give you permission to open that box!  :banana::) 

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Message received Lobbard! 😂 I'm grabbing a big pair of scissors and then I'm off upstairs!! 

Sod convention! Sod Family history! I've been patient long enough!! 😂😂😂😂

 

Take care my friend - and thanks for the "permission"!! 😂😂

Chris

 

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RICK S. - Hi mate! 

Rick, I confess I'm a little confused by what you describe in #1 ( " the BIGGY " ) of your PA600 / X500 comparison. Okay, I obviously realise that the PA600 has 3 intros and endings whereas the X500 only has 2,  but the rest of that paragraph, where you talk about the CVs being triggered by the chord type you play has be totally confused! Surely ANY Arranger has to "sync" the accompaniment track to the chords you play otherwise it wouldn't work?!?

You also talk about each of the 4 variations on the PA600 having the potential for SIX Style Patterns via "Chord Variations" and that these C.V.s are: "triggered based on the chord type you play" (??)...... and there, Rick, you've lost me!

 

I realise that I'm obviously being thick, Rick, but, if it's not a hassle, and if you have the time, I'd really appreciate it if you could explain what exactly it is that you're describing, and how it works, because, IF you're saying that you can, literally, change from one Variation to another simply by playing a certain chord variation, then, as you say, that really IS "a BIGGY"!! 😊

 

Thanks Rick

Take care mate

Chris

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Songwriter2015 said:

Hi RICK! 😊

I've just checked-out the "Chord Variation " table for my PA300!........

....... I am an idiot!! 🙄

 

Take care Rick

Chris

 

 

Pretty nifty, eh? ;-) 6 CV's per Variation is 24 variations per style.  It is a BIGGY! ;-)

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On the MX500 you could program 8 registration buttons to give you extra variations. You could create 8 different rhythms/styles that vary only the 4 variations then switch between them by pressing a registration button. Not as convenient as the Korg CVs but doable and you could get up to 32 variations. ;-)

You could at the same time simulate the Korg STS (single touch setting, basically 4 registrations that are saved in each style)) by combining tone changes in the registrations

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