Chas

As per Lodger's suggestion, you can get a rack mounted version of the VZ1. The VZ10M and VZ8M are the units to look for (I believe the 10M is exactly the same specification wise as the VZ1 (2U form?), the 8M is a slimmed down version both in size (1U) and in power). However, due to their compact size (and power) they hold their value more so than the full size VZ1, thus bargains are harder to find of these rack versions. There are also Hohner versions of the VZ models, more common in Germany and parts of Europe. As for samplers, you can also get the Casio FZ1 in rack form also - FZ10M and FZ20M. I think the FZ and VZ were the only Casios available in rack form. Until maybe Casio release a rack version of the XW's!

Gary, the stand is back to front! I had it that way so that it would show up the 'Casio' logo in the photo Have it the correct way round and there's plenty of room for your knees, plus you get to give Casio a big shout out to all those people watching you play. Well, one day maybe when I'm playing a gig with my all Casio rig! Oh yes, I got the stand off Ebay for £15

I have a VZ-1 amongst my somewhat extensive collection of Casios. I haven't actually spent much time with it, though by all accounts, and online reviews, it is a very powerful synth. It takes 'Phase Distortion' synthesis from the previous CZ series to the next level - Casio called it 'Interactive Phase Distortion' aka 'iPD'. Unfortunately the programming interface isn't as intuitive as the CZ series, and despite the larger display and ability to edit waveforms graphically it is still tedious to program, probably more so due to the complexity and sheer depth of the synth engine. Apparently it is capable of some very deep and complex, evolving sounds if programmed well. If the board you are interested in is fully working and a good price, it is worth having even just as a controller keyboard. It is very substantially built, sleek and stylish, has velocity and after touch, and has three modulation wheels (I believe at least one can be user assigned to any parameter). Add in a unique and powerful synth engine, it's a worthwhile addition for anyone looking for a late 80's/ early 90's digital synth that is somewhat unique. "The large (for the time) backlit dot matrix graphic LCD display made programming this synthesizer far easier than Yamaha's DX7 and DX7-II; envelopes and signal path, for example, were edited graphically rather than a number at a time and in text only mode and several parameters were viewable on screen at once. Unlike other synthesizers on the market at the time, the edit pages were not nested and their location and function were clearly marked on the front panel above the menu and function buttons.The VZ-1 takes a hybrid approach to its sound generation. Where the CZ line used Phase Distortion Synthesis and the Yamaha DX line used Phase Modulation (incorrectly advertised as FM), the VZ-1 uses Phase Distortion for ring modulation and waveform generation but true Frequency Modulation Synthesis to generate harmonics. The end result is a unique and hauntingly space-age sounding synthesizer with many smooth "twangy" textures - but it can also be very harsh and noisy when complex phasing is employed. Thumping bass-lines and sweeping pads are its strongest points but it is also very capable of analog-ish brass and strings." http://www.vintagesynth.com/casio/vz1.php You can see my VZ-1 just below my XW-P1 and XW-G1, and just above my CZ-1 and CZ3000 (with my MZ2000 and 2 x HT6000's to the left). This part of my Casio collection I call the 'King Casios'!

You might be interested in this compilation as many songs were written using crude and basic electronic instruments: https://bedroomcassettemasters.bandcamp.com/album/bedroom-cassette-masters-1980-89-volume-four

Et moi? "Le Freak"!

I totally agree. And it's also a similar philosophy with regards to a lot of bands sounding better 'live' than they do on a recording. When playing live, many other random variables come into play, and it is these imperfections that can add to the character of the overall sound. Totally electronic music maybe less so as much is sequenced and/ or relies on perfect synchronisation to give that machine like feel. Furthermore, some random elements have been the trigger for inspiring song writing and arrangements when bands have been in a recording studio. I was recently reading about the Human League recording 'Don't you want me', and in the chorus there is this underlying rhythmic sequence that comes in on an off beat. This was discovered when the sequencer malfunctioned and brought that particular sequence in late: “On ‘Don’t You Want Me’, there’s a moving line under the chorus that sounds like a low, guitar-y type of synth sound, programmed on a Roland 800”, explains Martin Rushent. “That came about because the computer screwed up and played the line a half-beat out of time. The moment we heard it, Jo [Callis] and I went, ‘Wow, that’s amazing! What the hell has happened?’ So the next time around I played it as originally intended and said, ‘Shit, I think we’ve lost it, Jo.’ Then he did it again and I said, ‘Oh, I’ve worked it out, it’s half a beat late. So what we need to do is move it all back half a beat, and that’s it.’ That’s what occasionally happens in the studio — you hear something and think, ‘That sounds really good. I never would have thought of that.’” https://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul10/articles/classictracks_0710.htm It's also why many older analogue synths sound so rich and full compared with modern variants. Old VCO analogue synths could be temperamental, especially those with two or more oscillators, as each oscillator could 'drift' and go out of tune depending on humidity, temperature and whether the rest of the circuits were behaving or not. This would give a random element to the sound, and we all know how good a dual oscillator synth can sound if you slightly detune one oscillator (we can do this on purpose with some Casio synths, from CZ's to XW's!) I have heard that Dave Smith Instruments actually programmed in a feature called 'Oscillator Slop' to try and replicate this random element on their modern analogue synths. And talking of the Human League, let's not forget that the song 'Get Carter' on 'Dare' was recorded on nothing more than a Casio VL1, and Trio's 'Da da da' used nothing more than a drummer, a bass player, a singer and a VL1 to create their massive world-wide hit. It's very much a case that it's not just the instrument that matters but also the person behind it, though the two can very much inspire and compliment each other.

So was I when I realised just how many Casio beasties I have!

Don't worry Brad, I have no intention of letting the MZ 2000 go. The price I paid for it, and the power it offers, I would be a fool to do so. Actually, out of all the Casios listed above I have no intention of selling any of them bar one. The only one I'm going to let go is the CZ3000. Why? Well, I have a CZ-1 and a CZ101, and the CZ-1 can do everything that the 3000 can do (and more), and the CZ101 does everything too except with half the polyphony. less patch storage and no chorus (but it is so cute in its small package). It did cross my mind that if I sold every one of my Casios I could probably get a MiniMoog Voyager with the proceeds, but then I'd lose out on so many of the unique features of so many of my Casios. Maybe if the proceeds would cover the purchase of a Jupiter 8 (NOT 80!) I may consider, though with J8's fetching £4500+ in the UK I think that is highly unlikely. Besides, I love the uniqueness of my Casios, and with the XW's, CZ's, VZ, MZ, FZ and HT's in my collection I have almost every single sonic area covered P.S. Yes, somehow collaborating with each other with both our MZ2000's could be very interesting!

Inspired by the above post from Scott, I decided to get all my Casios out and into one place for a photo session. Then I could enter the picture into the 'Casio Rig' photo contest. As I brought them all down into the front room I quickly realised that there was no way I could get them all in one place for a photo. I ended up with most of the big/ flagship Casios on stands, a group of smaller Casios on the couch and the rest spilled out into the hallway. Kind of not sure whether I should enter or not now as it looks more like I have an obsessive compulsive disorder to collect Casios... Anyway, here's what they look like. Picture one shows most of what I call the 'King Casios'! 1. XW - G1 2. XW - P1 3. VZ-1 4. CZ-1 5. CZ 3000 6. MZ 2000 7. HT 6000 (working) 8. HT 6000 (not working) And note the super cool genuine chrome and black Casio 'Z' stand holding up the CZ3000! Picture 2 shows most of the smaller/ baby Casios: (From left to right, front to back) (back row) 9. MT 65 10. MT 68 11. MT70 12. CZ101 (legendary!) 13. HT700 (one the most fun and inspiring Casios I own) 14. CT410V (great fun - onboard analogue filter!) (middle row) 15. Casiotone 403 16. MT520 17. MT750 (with broken keys - it came to me like that) (front row) 18. PT80 19. M10 (with lovely Casio fabric cover/ carry bag! I bought this one as the M10 was allegedly used by the Human League when writing 'Dare'). 20. VL1/ VL Tone with original carry case Picture 3 shows most of the mid sized Casios I own: (From left to right) 21. Casiotone 201 (I believe this is the very first Casio keyboard) 22. HZ 600 (the 'pro' of the HT series, though the HT3000 had more features and the HT6000 whoops its ass!) 23. Casiotone CT6000 - a preset synth using PD sound synthesis and odd drums (with 'super accompaniment') 24. CTK1000 - with the iXA sound source. Has some very unusual sounds on it. 25. CT7000 - consonant vowel synthesis, a built in sequencer and stereo panning effects. 26. CT1000P - sine wave based synth with 1000 possible combinations (at the front) 27. FZ20M - the rack version of the FZ1 with the 2MB memory and the SCSI connector. 28. HT700 - the 2nd HT700 I own, this one is in pristine condition and boxed, plus it came with the mega rare RA100 Ram Card There you have it. I have 28 Casio keyboards. It would have been 29 a couple of weeks ago as I had another CT403 that I managed to sell! Now Scott, tell me again that one can't have too many Casios....

Thanks so much Brad and Brett! I'm currently trying Brad's suggestion first, running a simple drum track with the step sequencer and playing a bass line with the arpeggio, and having the filter automatically sweep the cut-off. It's sounding great! My only criticism is that though the LFO goes up to quite a fast rate, the slowest setting ("1") isn't as slow as it could be to give a very long sweep. Ah well, can't have everything. I'll also be looking at trying Brett's suggestion for creating an envelope triggered by each key press, as one sound I'd like to recreate is the 'miaowing' type sound as heard on the opening synth line of the Human League's "Love Action". That should certainly be possible with the XW's filter envelopes. Thanks again guys, I really appreciate the fountain of knowledge available here

I'm having a good bit of fun experimenting with the G1's solo synth mode and experimenting with all the settings to see how to change the sound. However, I can't seem to find out how to link the LFO(s) to the filter. A lot of older analogue synths had this function whereby you could link the LFO to the filter cut-off to get the classic filter sweep effect, or depending on the LFO waveform and speed, all sorts of strange effects using the filter. How do you link the LFO to the filter cut-off? Or link the LFO's to various parameters, especially the filter functions?

They have indeed. I just last week picked up an MT70 for £5! Here it is in all its glory:

My first Casio keyboard was this VL-1/ VL Tone. I got it for Xmas 1982 after convincing my parents to buy it (second hand) from a fellow pupil at school. I still have it, and of course, it still works

Congratulations! And welcome to the 'XW twins club', for those that have a P1 and a G1 (like me!)

It was an 'electrifying' performance!

If you want to connect your XW to the Focusrite, it looks to me like you need two 1/4" mono to 1/4" mono jack leads. You can get away with one mono lead though you will lose the stereo DSP's of the XW. There are loads of places that sell leads cheaply - Ebay is always a good source. Here's an example: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-5M-Twin-MONO-1-4-Jack-to-Jack-6-3mm-CABLE-6-35-LEAD-/360270439535?pt=UK_Computing_Sound_Vision_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item53e1caa46f It is never advisable to use a stereo jack in a mono socket or vice versa, as like you have found, you'll probably get unwanted noise and interference.

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. 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.

The MT600 is the non programmable version of the HT700, and has some nice sounding patches on it. It still has the analogue filter circuit that was a feature in the HT700, and with some mods you can access it in the MT600 too: The MT100 I think is similar to the MT65/ 68, which were renowned for their nice sounding drums. Nice song btw!

Agree, it was just starting to really get going and then stopped - would like to hear the rest of it! Also, that 'dark' intro sound is very CZ like. Was it using one of the XW's 'CZ' waveforms?

Thanks so much for the information and advice AlenK. I thought I'd read something previously about using the resonant filter with PCM/ HEX tones, and the link you gave proved that. I should've remembered, especially considering that I had actually made a post in the aforementioned thread... I had a go with your suggestion and did indeed manage to get a PCM tone and also a sample tone through the filter. The result was, erm, interesting! I'm not sure if I was using the wrong sound or something, but bloody hell, that filter is harsh! It works better with single notes for sure, but starting to play chords and then sweeping the cut off (with a reasonable amount of resonance) seems to make the sound become very distorted. Not in an over-driven pleasant way, more just harsh distortion. I will try experimenting with more sounds and settings to see if I can get some better results, though for now I'm coming to the conclusion that the resonant filter is best left for the solo synth. I CAN get some nice polyphonic resonant filter sweeps using my Roland JX3P, Korg DW8000 and of course my Casio HT's. Heck, even my CZ's have a waveform that replicates filter sweeping though it's not real time controllable. Personally I still think Casio should've incorporated a genuine analogue filter in the XW's, even if it was global/ paraphonic. They even had their own design of one in the HT's and FZ's, so no great deal to resurrect that design and add it as an option with the digital filter. Plan B. I have a Korg Monotron with the wild MS20 filter. I've ordered some cables off Ebay and will see what kind of results I get feeding the XW's output through it. The Monotron also has quite a fast LFO for modulating the cut-off or pitch though unfortunately it only has one fixed waveform (appears to be a sawtooth). As such, the LFO won't sweep the filter up, and then down infinitely like a sine wave. That can still be done manually of course, it just would have been nice to have it done automatically by the LFO. Still, it's all fun to experiment and learn what the XW's can do, and also to learn what we can add to them to make them even more interesting. As for your second post, I'm off to find that 'Mixed All' function right now!

Prepared to be astounded as I reveal that there was even an SK-200 available!

One of the boards is a DX7 (@6.39), there's an Oberheim above the Casio, and there's also what looks to be an Emulator/ PPG Wave type keyboard (@12.49 - with the big disc drive - possibly 5.25"!) The Casio, impossible to tell exactly which model as it's not easy to see, though it's one of the bigger CZ's. Therefore it's either a CZ 3000, CZ 5000 or a CZ-1.

I'm sure this has been covered before, but I can't seem to find an exact answer. I've also tried to read the manual, though as we know it's not the most informative. My question is: Can the filter, with resonance (as per solo-synth mode) be used on HEX layers and PCM tones? Some of these tones allow 'cut-off', but I can't seem to find any way of increasing the resonance. I'd like to be able to get some classic sounding filter sweeps, with maybe some self oscillating 'tweeting', on the PCM/ Hex tones. Is this possible? Also, I found this from an article: "Here’s a gonzo feature I’ve not seen on any other keyboard lately: the ability to run everything through the same resonant lowpass filter and DSP effects at once. Yup—drums, arpeggiated or sequenced riffs, the sound you’re playing live, everything. In Performance mode, the mixer screen shows the option “mixer all.” Pick this, and the DSP effects applied will be those active on the current Solo Synth sound—plus that sound’s filter settings. This is great for DJ- or remixer-style mangling of the entire mix." http://www.keyboardmag.com/article/casio-xw-p1/148766 Now, either I'm having a blonde moment or something, but I've tried putting each of my XW's into 'performance mode', hit the 'Mixer' button, yet there is no sign of a 'mixer all' option. Any idea how I can find this? Lastly, if I can't use the XW's resonant filter with PCM/ HEX tones, my other option is to use my Korg Monotron, which allows auxiliary inputs to be fed through its MS20 style filter (it's pretty wild too, just like original MS20!) Only problem here is that the Korg is mono, whereas most of the PCM/ HEX tones are in stereo. Looking at the back of the XW there is a 'stereo in', so I wondered whether I could take the two 1/4" line-outs, connect them to the Monotron, then feed the output back into either the 'Mic In' or 'Inst In', have the stereo DSP's do their stuff and then take the audio from the 'headphone out' to the DAW/ PC. That way I might be able to still use some of the stereo DSPs, though I suspect I will cause a feedback loop in the process. Things could get rather extreme with the MS20 Filter coming into the equation...! Or maybe I should just resign myself to having the Korg filtered PCM/ HEX tones in mono, and adding stereo effects once the signal comes into the PC. Any suggestions from the experts on how best to get resonant filter effects on the PCM/ HEX tones?

I reckon I can make you, and many others, hunger for the Casio/ Hohner HT/HZ range. They go for peanuts, yet have some great digital/ analogue sounds and features: HZ600: HT700: HT6000: