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Casio MZ-X


AlenK

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There is no mention in the PX-360 manual of it accepting an expression pedal, whereas that is explicitly mentioned in the PX-560 manual (there is even a pinout diagram for the proper wiring of the pedal's TPS plug). Is the PX-360 manual wrong?

 That's my bad...AlenK. You are indeed correct in mentioning the PX-360 does not have an expression pedal input. Being in the same x60 line, I incorrectly assumed that the 360 inherited the 560's additional pedal input. Thanks for pointing that out. 

 

  I still sure hope the MZ-X has that extra pedal input (expression) and hoping that some of the core bread and butter sounds have better samples. I'm still looking at the MZ-X with much interest as an additional gear  :)

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Looks like a modified CTK6000/6200. As an extension of the classic MZ2000-not quite. Looks like the OS will be similar to the PX560 and other Privias and the CTK/WK OS was not terrible IMO from what I've studied.  Wish I had the WK/CTK OS in the PX350 at least.

 

Put all the XW/P and G1 features in with the OS sequencer/mixer settings from the WKs-the piano action from the newest Privias-in your choice of 61, 76 or 88 keys with a few better pedal control options. That's what I was hoping for. Something that would seriously compete with all the features from my 3 Casios in one board-the XW, the PX350 and the PX575. Now you'd have my attention.

 

The PX560 is close. Even the old PX575 had a huge display-I actually find the real-time grand staff on that very useful even though I've gone partially blind studying fake books and transcriptions for 100 years. I understand the 575 is somewhat like the MZ-2000. Both these have really useful stuff that has been strangely left out of some of the newer Casios although I've seen the features spread out over the several different models (marketing in play there I guess, necessary to make money and stay in business in a very hard market-not as many keyboard players as you or I might think overall compared to people buying toilets, guns, moonpies and other essentials of our modern society :P ). 

 

I like the touchscreen concept, but if it fails-can you get around the OS? Some of the Korg touchscreens had this problem which can also be caused by excessive dirt, fingerprints, etc. Many "pro" boards have 2-3 different ways to access certain functions, maybe not ideal either but can be very helpful in the middle of a live set when someone barfs on your control dial, and fortunately you can access that important dog-woof sample using other push-buttons (or a 2nd keyboard, always have a 2nd board on a gig-playing a classic synth riff on a harmonica doesn't work generally unless the others in yer band are pretty drunk).  I still get nervous when seeing mostly software controls on a keyboard. But then, I have had to suffer through many generations of Windows computers and Casio is not built on (gasp) Windows OS. Frightening to think of having to upload 100 software patches just to turn on your keyboard. :o

 

And glad to see Miike Martin on the upcoming NAMM panel, he certainly has earned it. Congratulations to you Mike!  :)  :)  :)  :)

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I'm waiting to find out more before I post any opinions.  So far we only know a few minor details.  For one, flash sample memory.  The original MZ did not have this at all.  A welcome feature.  Second, 40 watt sound system!  The original was only 30 watts and sounded incredible.  I can't wait to hear one of these.  Other than that we don't know much.  I'll weigh in when NAMM tells us more.  

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This is fun stuff, guessing about products only days before they are totally revealed (actually only one day now). Looks like that report from a dealer about there being two models was accurate so we likely also know both of their model numbers: MZ-X500 and MZ-X1000. (The "MZ-X500" label on the right-hand keyboard is certainly quite clear in the original Facebook image.) With its PX-560 blue color and 16 back-lighted pads, the X500 frankly looks like the more advanced model but lower model numbers usually mean lesser features. I wonder what the function is of the area on the X1000 that holds the 16 pads on the X500? I see four non-back-lighted pads and a larger area above divided into three regions with some too-blurry text. 

 

Good to see that the nine sliders for drawbar control remain. Hopefully, they have fixed the problem with how the drawbar steps are mapped to the slider range in the XW-P1 (presumably it was the same in the WK7600). And more importantly we can also hope Casio has improved the sonic aspects of the drawbar organ engine. A dual-rotor rotatory speaker effect, true CV and higher-quality distortion would all be nice. I also hope the sliders can be assigned to other functions and/or work as editing controls for other sounds.

 

All will be revealed tomorrow.

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 Looks like that report from a dealer about there being two models was accurate so we likely also know both of their model numbers: MZ-X500 and MZ-X1000. 

 

Those model numbers are not correct (well at least one of them isn't). Zooming in on the photo I posted of both models shows the blue one is the MZ-X500. Can't make out the number on the black one but a couple people did some sleuthing based on some product registrations. I am reasonably sure of the number on the black  one.. and it isn't 1000. 

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Those model numbers are not correct (well at least one of them isn't). Zooming in on the photo I posted of both models shows the blue one is the MZ-X500. Can't make out the number on the black one but a couple people did some sleuthing based on some product registrations. I am reasonably sure of the number on the black  one.. and it isn't 1000. 

 

You are right (not that I doubted it). The text is very blurred but there appears to be just two characters after the MZ-X on the left-hand keyboard and the last one looks like it could be a "0". I should have looked more carefully.

 

Well, that's a relief. It restores my faith in the natural order of the universe. :)

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I've already blown my musical wad for this year.

 

I'm in the process of selling off my microbrute and have placed a preorder for a Korg minilogue.

 

According to their web sales guy they have accepted preorders for over fifty units since they went up last Friday.

 

He said Korg has made a clever tactical move by creating a pre-emptive strike releasing a demo a week before NAMM.

 

He said they will be shipping any time in the next two to three weeks.

 

I wonder how long it will take Casio to get the MZ-X onto showroom floors once they finally get around to "releasing" it.

 

Gary ;)

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"...I wonder how long it will take Casio to get the MZ-X onto showroom floors once they finally get around to "releasing" it...."

 

Gary ;)

 

   

Hi there, Gary, 

 

    My intended purchase of the MZ-X is purely conditional:  wife says only when I shed ten pounds of surplus body fat. :-( 

 

   Never mind.  

 

   May I take this opportunity to wish all here a very Happy NAMMmass! 

 

        ... And many unBoxing days to follow. 

 

  Eddie

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Here's the official specs pages...

 

http://www.casiomusicgear.com/products/menu_mz-x/mz-x500

 

http://www.casiomusicgear.com/products/menu_mz-x/mz-x300

 

While the specs look OK on paper, honestly can't see myself shelling out between $1100 and $1500 USD for either of these.
 

 

I mean what was Casio thinking with those prices  Casio has built a solid reputation in the past 5 years with pro quality gear for consumer prices.  I mean the XW's could be had for under $500 and the PX-5S could be had for under a thou.

 

I'm wondering who's willing to shell out $1500 USD ($2000 CDN) for an arranger with the Casio logo?

 

Sure all the spec pages talk about "true sound" but I have yet to hear a single soundcloud or youtube demo that actually demos the sound properly.

 

The lousy audio feed from the live NAMM webcam definitely doesn't cut it for me.

 

Somehow it seems to me that Casio is all puffed up with the successes of the PX-5S and XW's so that now they think they can go head to head with Roland, Kurzweil, Yamaha and Korg pricewise?

 

Have they forgotten that for millions of consumers out there the current "state of the art" of the Casio line is the WK and CTK series?  I mean they're fun little boards for cheap, but compared to even the basic offerings from Korg or Roland they come across as thin and reedy.

 

I think the MZ series, regardless of how good they sound, are going to be a gigantic commercial flop, at least until Casio gets real and brings prices down around the $600 to $700 mark.

 

Unless I start to hear some utterly breathtaking soundcloud demos I'm not going to take these boards as serious contenders for the Korg Krome 88 or the Roland FA-08 because that's the price range they've targeted.

 

Definitely NOT with 61 synth weighted keys and and a "mystery sound ROM" which they have yet to properly demonstrate.

 

I don't care how "sexy" a touchscreen might be as a marketing hook.  The REAL selling point of any keyboard is it's SOUND.  Pure and simple.

 

Gary ;)

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well sounds good yesterday at namm ...of course it can be a good 2nd or first Keyboard ,,with a full HEX section inside...but if i take a look to the MONTAGE i must admit things are going fast very fast and the sounds coming from the Yamaha are damn good...i think

lot could be realized with the PX5S beeing more userfriendly  and having more usable arpeggios built in lot of those new funny sounds can be done with HEX and Arpeggios but who wants to recreate this all the time ....and still i feel the PX5 lacks in Stereo Panorama ...i always feel the need to make it wider when i programm any Sound ...last but not l....it is an amazing Stage Piano with an underlaying Hex Synth so maybe sometime i look at it to as a synth ..engine..

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I think I have to weigh in with Happyrat on this one. These look too much like the CTK WK series bumped up with a better display. I also wonder how pushing 20 watts out of a plastic keyboard frame will work. The PX560M looks like a better replacement for me at least. Not enough of a design change for me but probably a step up for those with the CTK 6000, 7000 or 7200. Why no 76-key model like the WKs?

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Now c'mon guys, you know that no one sells for MSRP (unless they don't want to sell anything). Even Casio is quoting street prices to people at the booth: about $1100 for the X500 and about $900 for the X300. Whether they are "worth it" or not is an open question, of course.

 

And comparing them to Krome and FA-06 (not 08) is not quite fair. The MZ-X models are not workstations. They're quite clearly arrangers, with a far different set of features. As such they should be compared instead to Korg Pa300 (~$850) and Pa600 (~$1150), Roland GW-8 (~$1000) and BK-5 (~$1000), Yamaha PSR-S670 ($800) and PSR-S770 ($1200).  I haven't done a feature-by-feature comparison nor am I likely to do so (I'm not in the market for an arranger) but that wouldn't tell the whole story because we don't know how the MZ-X's really sound, do we? Maybe sound-wise they ARE capable of running neck-and-neck with the competition at the same price level. Maybe they are better. Don't count Casio out so early in the game. Have a little faith.

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I'm with HappyRat on this one, Fun keyboards are priced at the 100 to 350 range , Professional keyboards between 500 and 1200 range one should at least expect a decent show case that it isn't a joke. I am still waiting to see demo's that fully take advantage of the features for the MZ.  Its not a revamped MZ 2000 keyboard its a totally new engine with features one can expect much with. 

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