CZ-1000 Cartridge

[Fairmont88]

Anyone know where I can buy memory cartridges for CZ-1000?

Also, are there replacement / compatible cartridges made by other manufacturers?

I looked on Ebay and people are asking exorbitant prices for the very few that are listed.

Thanks

F

[Spivkurl]

They are quite rare it seems. That is why I decided to build my own for my CZ-101. The link for the schematic is in the only thread I've started since joining a couple days ago. As far as I've seen, the pre-made cartridges either held 16 or 32 presets. The design I'm working on hold 64, which would be so nice. Just need to get the correct resistors to make it work...I hope. Other than that, ebay really seems like the only place to find them, and as with anything on ebay, you have to be lucky to get a good price for something useful.

[rsaintjohn]

Keep an eye out on eBay for some older third party cartridges called "EZ-CZ". They have 4 banks for 64 voices, and usually sell for less per MB than the official RA cartridges. Also worth considering if you have an iPad: the CZ Touch app, which lets you build, store, retrieve and send patches between the iPad and most of the CZ keyboards.

[Spivkurl]

iPad and Casio CZ... For some reason hilarious!

[desert flower]

Do the EZ CZ cartridges store sequences or simply custom sounds?

I fully expect they are for voices exclusively, but given nomenclature aberrations over the decades thought it worth asking.

Have used this synth as a mainstay for decades, only just bought a cartridge.

Out of curiousity, can anyone explain the function of the battery compartment on the underside of a CZ-5000?

 

Thanksya.

[Jokeyman123]

They are for voices only-the good thing is that the EZ-CZ cartridges were compatible with any CZ-I used to have several when these were new-I should have kept them! Also use regular AAA batteries for keeping the voices stored I think I recall. Use little "DIP" switches that switch between the 4 banks of sounds. Was a real innovative idea at the time-and since these were memory chips-saving and loading sounds was very fast for the time. If i go back to a Casio CZ, I would use my Atari emulator on my windows machines I already use it for another ancient Atari synth editor-the Yamaha WT11 wind controller module-there were several Atari software programs/editors that worked with the CZs-and i think these are still around somewhere on the web-my first venture into computers and music back in the 1980s. I did not have a 5000, can't answer that question-did have the 101, the 3000 and finally went for the CZ-1. Loads of fun. Trying to recreate some of those CZ sounds on my PX560 and XW-but without the 8-stage CZ envelopes-not possible for many of the more unusual sounds. 

[desert flower]

Thanks!

 

I use a modified Atari 1040ST with the CZ-5000 and most of my other synths.

They are certainly symbiotic.

 

Thanks so much.

[Chas]

The battery compartment under the CZ5000 is likely the same as the battery compartment for the identical (minus sequencer) CZ3000. It's for the battery backed RAM for storing user patches. For the 5000, it might also be used for the sequencer data.

 

The CZ101/ 1000 didn't have dedicated batteries for the user memory, they had to have a full set of batteries installed else would lose patch memory on power off. The CZ-1 differed again by having a circuit mounted battery for user patches. I think it is a CR2032 or similar button cell.

 

Regarding cartridges, they sell for a premium when they do turn up for sale. As Jokeyman said above, the EZ-CZ is better value for money.

 

Though it's nice to have the original Casio cartridges for authenticity, anyone wanted a cartridge based solution would do well to check out the third party CZ-PL, a modern product that has huge amounts of storage plus a built in arpeggiator. I'll find a link to it.

 

As I'm studio based these days, I settle for the VST Virtual CZ, which is not just a VST but also an excellent librarian for hardware CZs. It works with all CZ models, including my CZ-1 and CZ101. Ironically, I also have RA-3 and an RA-6 cartridges, though with Virtual CZ they aren't being used much.

 

Edit: Here's the link to the CZPL patch librarian device:

 

https://lewismidi.com/czpl88mini/

 

 

[IanB]

Another "virtual cartridge" solution is my own patch manager VZV CZ which is a Windows 10 app. You can load patches onto the synth with a single tap or click, so it's ideal for running on a touch screen device and changing patches on the fly during a performance or in the studio. It runs fine on a cheap tablet like a Linx (I've tested it on the 1GB model which I own); of course it runs on any Win 10 computer.

[desert flower]

The CZ-PL has currently suspended pre-order but it looks amazing.

 

I don't have any computers after XP and Windows 7, but that road is getting bumpy so if I do wind up on Windows 10 (which I'd prefer to avoid) I will certainly extend my VST capabilities, but I think I will always run hardware, I'm a musician first so organic instruments, synths or drum machines will always be most intuitive to me.

 

Thanks for the info on the battery compartment, it does appear to store voices in absence of power, just wasn't functioning when I asked, the sequencer appears to have it's own storage capability, but the onboard sequencer was never more than a template for me, two *really* basic songs or one complex one, no memory of modulation, pitch bend, oscillation, envelopes, wave forms or effects.

Good for ideas but ultimately the basic end of the synths capabilities.

 

Thank you so much.