Ideas and Suggestions for Casio (Synth-related)

[Percivale]

Here is a thread (if there isn't one yet) to give ideas/suggestions to Casio.

 

I urge Casio to look closely how quickly DJ and music production are converging within the music industry. Technology advancement created access to software with tremendous capabilities. Many synth software makers are getting in the act to reap a slice of the ITB market with realistic emulation, motion/touch, easy-to-use interface, etc

 

On DJ front, you see not only "ubiquitous" sync button but better beat, tempo, key and energy level matching with new forms of expression. 2013 saw release of many DJ controllers/mixers and DJ-ing is fast becoming accessible to everybody. On music production front, a slew of hardware synths released one after another. A comeback of analog-based synthesizers is on the cards but would its revival be sustained?

 

It seemed that in music products, Casio had chosen a generic approach, releasing keyboards, synthesizers, iPad app, DJ controllers and even DJ headphones - basically a little of everything. However, Casio needs to address the reason(s) why it is not taking pole position and excelling in any of these markets.

 

I think "CASIO" means different things to different people, to some watches and calculators and to others "light-synth action" keyboards, etc.  Perhaps Casio's core and forte are not related to music at all. Still, if Casio is serious in getting into the music industry, I have the following ideas/suggestions.  Feel free to contribute.

 

 

Products Line-up

- focus resources to lead (menu of complete products) in chosen product market(s) instead of generic approach.

- understand market demand and competition, e.g. DJ arena already dominated by S & T houses, etc.

- develop quality software applications to match/support hardware.

 

R&D/Engineering

- pioneer new sound synthesis, forms of expressions to making music.

- look ahead of market trend, i.e. trend-set not market-chase.

- take serious account of user inputs/consumer feedback.

- provide regular updates of firmware/new functions.

 

Brand Image/Loyalty

- create desirable products, the rest would just fall into place!

- put in place a cutting-edge marketing/PR team.

- provide quality after-sales support.

[Percivale]

There. I said it. It was at the back of my head for quite some time. Well secretly, I hope Casio would do what Korg did, embark on a mission to reissue/release portable analogues with a modern touch.  Casio - make vintage keys back in fashion in a cheap, fun and powerful sound way!

[Chas]

 

Some interesting points Percivale! I'll add a few of my own, though this is regarding Casio's keyboard products (their watches/ calculators/ cameras etc. are totally separate markets). I have to point out that I am no marketing expert and have a habit of liking/ buying oddball/ underdog products, hence I am a long way from the average music hardware consumer. I'll add my comments in red to yours.

 

 

Products Line-up

- focus resources to lead (menu of complete products) in chosen product market(s) instead of generic approach.

 

I think Casio already does this very well. They cover almost everything in the keyboard market from the budget baby SA models right up to the 'pro' PX5S. I think they are quite right to avoid the very top end (e.g. Jupiter 80 etc.) as asides from that  being a very small market sector it's also VERY snobby and totally name dependent. In terms of what Casio offers for the price in each market segment, they are very competitive. The XW's for instance offer way more for the price compared with the competition, as does the PX5S.  

 

- understand market demand and competition, e.g. DJ arena already dominated by S & T houses, etc.

 

I'm not familiar with the DJ market, but maybe like the pro market, it already has established market leaders. It's a harder market to get into, and maybe Casio are concentrating their strengths elsewhere.

 

- develop quality software applications to match/support hardware.

 

This I totally agree with. Controller apps are very much the future and can be a big incentive to potential buyers. I feel that Casio should be producing their own apps for tablets, similar to the XW ipad app. And get onboard with Android! Android has a huge market share and it's completely untapped! Imagine a simple Android controller app being available for the XW's, and then how many XW owners could use tablets they already own. There must be a way of getting onboard with this platform.

 

Oh, the XW data editors are great, no issue with those. Just I agree that a real time controller app for other tablets would be great.

 

 

 

R&D/Engineering

- pioneer new sound synthesis, forms of expressions to making music.

 

Hybrid Processing Sound Source, Hex Layers, 6 oscillator mono synth,  4 x assignable control knobs and 9 x sliders I think is a pretty good attempt!

 

- look ahead of market trend, i.e. trend-set not market-chase.

 

Very hard to do, and I think they tried to do that with the XW's. I have a feeling they offered too much for the average consumer to understand. Casio also did similar things back in the 80's with lesser or greater success. The CZ's were very successful, incorporating 'FM' style digital synthesis with an intuitive and accessible programming interface (completely unlike the DX7). They also had success with the FZ sampler synths, undercutting the opposition on both price and features. They took the CZ's a step further with the VZ-1, but the more complex interface probably put people off. Perhaps if they'd gone down the JD800 route with multiple sliders/ knobs things could have been different, though back in the late 80's knobs and sliders were out of fashion.

 

- take serious account of user inputs/consumer feedback.

 

I would think a company as successful and the size of Casio would indeed already do a lot of R&D for their products. They could do well to look in forums like this to see what some of the more die-hard Casio users want/ need from their products, as this is where the dedicated end users will be.

 

- provide regular updates of firmware/new functions.

 

Mike Martin does an excellent job of supporting us Casio owners, though I feel he's kind of left on his own to do this on top of all the other work he has to do as Marketing Director. As for firmware, a more fail safe method of updating would be nice, as I'm sure Jokeyman would agree! We really shouldn't be having issues with frying our boards doing simple firmware updates.

 

 

 

Brand Image/Loyalty

- create desirable products, the rest would just fall into place!

 

I believe Casio already do this, just look at the range of keyboards they offer! The issue, certainly in the UK, has a lot to do with that dreaded word 'image'. As Casio sell 'toy'/ home keyboards, a lot of snobby players look down on anything with 'Casio' written on it. Other than changing the brand name, I don't think there is much they can do. However, I DO think they are right in keeping with the Casio name for their flagship products, and making products that ARE desirable. In the USA at least, they appear to have succeeded in doing that with the PX5S and the XW's.

 

- put in place a cutting-edge marketing/PR team.

 

I agree with this. Considering how good the XW's are and how many good reviews they got, a bigger push on the marketing front could have yielded better sales and public awareness. Also, they'd do well to get some high profile keyboard players involved to explore and use the capabilities of the XW's, like they did with the Crystal Method. Can you imagine if they got people like Liam Howlett (Prodigy), the Pendulum boys, Chemical Brothers etc. to delve into the XW's and show some demonstrations? 

 

- provide quality after-sales support.

 

Luckily I've never needed any after sales support, well, not for any of my Casios under 20 years old! I have heard that they have been supportive of some much older models and even sending photocopies of manuals for models long since discontinued. They have done right in having this forum, which is most certainly the way ahead. Users are often able to offer their own support and share advice, which makes access to information and the knowledge base far quicker than having someone at a help desk trying to answer numerous questions covering many platforms. What I think would be good would be for representatives of Casio from other World markets to get involved here. Mike can only really speak for Casio USA, hence not knowing the official stance on the apparent discontinuation of the XW in the UK. For instance, we've had some UK members recently trying to find XW's to buy. A UK Casio representative could be able to point them in the right direction to finding one available, even if the product has recently been discontinued. 

 

My main suggestion to Casio would be to offer their own official apps for their high end keyboards and to take advantage of tablet integration. Indeed, that seems to be what they intended with the black rubber pad on the XW and PX series. The lack of official cross platform apps is puzzling in their absence. 

 

I also feel that for the XW's, they should continue the legacy of the CZ series and bring out a mini key version. Such as an XW-P101/ XW-G101! Like the CZ101, they'd have a baby version that could pack a punch way beyond its size and would offer super portability. Much in the realm of the Novation Bass/ K Station/ Mini Nova, Arturia Mini-Brute and even the larger Roland Gaia.

[Scottym]

Casio has always been a unique and diverse company who are unafraid to try new things, however for many years they have flown under the radar. Casio hasn't really been known or indeed thought of as a software development company, but rather more worldly of a integrated electronics one. The introduction of the XW range has really stepped up their profile image as not to be ignored on the music hardware scene however, there are always ways to improve this range.   

 

I chose to illustrate some idea's Casio could take for the future of their synths. Perhaps a combination of the ones in this thread would be really drop some jaws of consumers that would normally shy away from the Casio brand.

 

http://www.casiomusicforums.com/index.php?/topic/5072-the-casio-xw-z-mpc-controller-synth/

[Display Name]

The introduction of the XW range has really stepped up their profile image as not to be ignored on the music hardware scene however, there are always ways to improve this range.   

 

I agree... and the PX-5S takes it a step further.. a very different machine but the improved sound engine and DSP show what is possible. Casio has a lot going on and they are definitely on the rise.  

[Display Name]

 

 

 

My main suggestion to Casio would be to offer their own official apps for their high end keyboards and to take advantage of tablet integration. Indeed, that seems to be what they intended with the black rubber pad on the XW and PX series. The lack of official cross platform apps is puzzling in their absence. 

 

 

By cross-platform do you mean Android and IOS? The iOS apps they have for the XWs and 5S are a good start and it seems they are updating those. MIDI Designer is also "open source" so hopefully we will see more functions come a people customize it further.    

As far as Android goes the issue there is lack of good MIDI implementation and consistency across the Android operating system. Each phone/tablet manufacturer has their own version of the OS.. so what works on one may not work on the rest. 

That all being said you are definitely on to something I would like to see as well some day: Being able to control all the synth functions on a tablet.. taking advantage of the large screen format to edit parameters and program the synth. Less menu diving the better. Hopefully we will see that soon! 

[Percivale]

Great replies from everyone.

 

By future, I give an example. We know how displays for tablets are getting larger, soon to be 12.2". Has Casio considered working with a tablet manufacturer to develop an elongated, say 20" x 2" touch screen display and OS to incorporate into their synths? This gives powerful software functions, flexibility to upgrade and a more integrated form of expression during play.

 

We see this idea to release a hybrid of plug-in/out module (changes) + keyboard (constant), but not by any big name so far. The Internet has brought out wild and whacky ideas through crowd-funding sites. Has Casio considered acquiring some of these ideas/upstarts? Leveraging on partnership is important (I know it worked with Vestax). Casio should connect to more players in/out of music industry to bring innovation to market.

[lodger]

I think its important to look at niche audiences as this is core to casio.

 

General audience

Think Apple. Offer a more integrated quality approach to the home keyboard. use the muscle available and add a great sequencer to a decent sounding but cheap keyboard and you'll have the entry level audience by the throat. extra points for focusing on easy export to pc for sharing online

 

Pro audience

 

Casio has a ton of credibility to gain before its a contender. it started in this direction breifly during the 80's and slightly beyond with its cz synths but was always "a poor man's sports car". Right now the big battle is for analog drum machines..korg is doing it, roland is trying to do it with its *virtual* relaunch of its analog gear (the digital part has people a bit underwhelmed). If casio would enter the analog drum scene with good editability and sound, that would be a major cred booster.

 

what about a model of keyboard featuring all of the classic casio sounds...or a keyboard with the sk-1 sound but with better editing features, more sample time, and maybe multisampling? This would raise some eyebrows for sure.

 

i guess its a matter of do what you do well...better than everyone else.

 

Casio is synonymous with budget, quirky, and lofi...all of which are desirable features these days

[lodger]

I think its important to look at niche audiences as this is core to casio.

 

General audience

Think Apple. Offer a more integrated quality approach to the home keyboard. use the muscle available and add a great sequencer to a decent sounding but cheap keyboard and you'll have the entry level audience by the throat. extra points for focusing on easy export to pc for sharing online

 

Pro audience

 

Casio has a ton of credibility to gain before its a contender. it started in this direction breifly during the 80's and slightly beyond with its cz synths but was always "a poor man's sports car". Right now the big battle is for analog drum machines..korg is doing it, roland is trying to do it with its *virtual* relaunch of its analog gear (the digital part has people a bit underwhelmed). If casio would enter the analog drum scene with good editability and sound, that would be a major cred booster.

 

what about a model of keyboard featuring all of the classic casio sounds...or a keyboard with the sk-1 sound but with better editing features, more sample time, and maybe multisampling? This would raise some eyebrows for sure.

 

i guess its a matter of do what you do well...better than everyone else.

 

Casio is synonymous with budget, quirky, and lofi...all of which are desirable features these days

Another odd idea that might help build credability in the underground/semi pro scene is to help promote and sponsor artists who use casio gear...when they look good, you look good. Think of it as sponsoring the way that pro skateboarding does...providing gear, development, etc to people who can help you look good. Hey Casio, I'd be game if you are

[Chas]

Another odd idea that might help build credability in the underground/semi pro scene is to help promote and sponsor artists who use casio gear...when they look good, you look good. Think of it as sponsoring the way that pro skateboarding does...providing gear, development, etc to people who can help you look good. Hey Casio, I'd be game if you are

 

 

 

Also, they'd do well to get some high profile keyboard players involved to explore and use the capabilities of the XW's, like they did with the Crystal Method. Can you imagine if they got people like Liam Howlett (Prodigy), the Pendulum boys, Chemical Brothers etc. to delve into the XW's and show some demonstrations? 

 

 

 

[lodger]

here's one that shouldnt be too hard and would play off of all casio's strengths-

 

release a vst instrument/reason rack extension with multisamples of classic Casio sounds. the technology is already readily available, its a technology that's not making them any money at the moment (the classic stuff) and has been a part of garage bands since the early 80's or before.