stevecoscia

Sounded good to me Gary and while I have only heard a few of your pieces, the rhythm in your work seems dominant.

Gary, your music has a good rhythm foundation for the top layer melody and synth work. The rhythm evokes emotion. Nice variety of synth sounds, melodies and resonance on top.

A new mutli-themed piece using the XW-P1 as a solo synth and the WK-7500 Pattern Sequencer. https://soundcloud.com/steve-coscia/synthesizer-noodling

We can only imagine today's NAMM Booth pandemonium. Can't wait for more news, more photos, more videos and more first impressions from NAMMers. The PX-5S looks like a home run.

Thanks Gary for the encouragement and for using the clever euphemism "maturity" instead of old. Glad you picked up on the "70s progressive" era style.

Me too Gary and mostly because I wasn't a singer. Not having vocal chops forced me to focus on the melody and timbre. Anyway, two years ago my wife allowed me to re-purpose one of our bedrooms into a music studio. So after about 25 years of not playing keyboards, I started up again. As a reborn keyboard buyer, the WK-7500 seemed like the perfect way to get back in without hurting my wallet or my ambition. My goal was to record the music that I composed back in the late 70s & early 80s, but never put to tape (because it was too expensive back then). I am thankful to Casio for creating such powerful and affordable products. I can see how Casio will be a big part of my future, especially as I near the retirement years. P.S. - I also have an XW-P1 now. Solo-Synth heaven.

This brief sequence is written on a Casio WK-7500 (it's about 18 months old). Our 19 year old son captured the video of me playing drums and the MOOG, but it's all really the WK-7500. The other instruments are just there for fun. If it sounds like old Tony Banks (from his first solo album [A Curious Feeling] it's because I am really old and locked into that time frame). Gotta do more of these someday when I'm not traveling so much. Curious to hear suggestions and remarks for future improvement.

Conjures up images of tension and time. Sounds like the music you'd hear during a film... when the hero is racing against the clock to save the world. Good job happyrat1. Or are you Gary?

I also like 76 keys - this preference goes back to the late 1970s when I played an ARP 4 Voice piano (that unit had 73 keys). My old 48" A-Frame Ultimate Support stand will fit a 76 key unit, not an 88. Also, I found that 88 keys was overkill and the fewer inches made traveling much easier. The ARP Piano was in an Anvil road case which made it a bear anyway - an 88 key unit would have been too much. Although, back then almost everything was much heavier. Overall, I have gotten used to playing 76 keys.

OK, it's Thursday morning.... Any new NAMM product release information?

Got my XW-P1 for Christmas. Having fun using it a fat solo synth. The portamento is awesome - reminds me of the old days. I also love the deep editing features and real-time control knobs.

It appears that Casio has the elements and know how to create a 76 note, weighted action workstation - an XW / WK-7500 hybrid with a bigger and more informative display. I'd like to see this workstation as a composition tool mostly with great sounds, a robust sequencer and easy mix down capabilities. This workstation should have an XW sound engine with lots of editing capability. It should also have the XW rubber patch for IPADs, etc. No speakers in the panel. I like having a music stand on a keyboard. At a $899 or $999 list price, this workstation could be the next logical step up from the WK-7500. Casio should narrow its target audience focus - this workstation won't be all things to all people. Perhaps target the home studio and semi-pro players. I am a home hobbyist and I know of many musicians my age (59) who didn't know about Casio's recent synth/workstation developments. So Casio must continue to aggressively create awareness through a variety of channels to reach more potential buyers. Like me, the musicians who hadn't heard about the "new Casio" want to have fun and they don't want to spend a fortune doing it. From a brand perspective, Casio has laid the groundwork to heighten its image among the competition. I'd say the market is ripe for an affordable and powerful workstation.

My XW-P1 GDK3 also has the GD sticker on the box. Perhaps the K stands for keyboard and the 3 refers to it being the 3rd in the XW product line. Just a guess. See the below image:

Thanks Ted. The WK-7500 Pattern Sequencer permits expansion of each part (Intro, Normal, Variation, etc.) to 16 measures. If you're writing in 4/4 and you select the WK-7500 8/4 time signature - then you get the equivalent of 32 measures at 4/4. This time signature manipulation is a hidden benefit. There is a very small compromise in tick granularity, but it's very little. Ostensibly, each Pattern Sequence can be extended to 128 4/4 measures (by selecting 8/4) and you get 100 slots in which to save them. There are probably more latent benefits hidden in the Pattern Sequencer. ​My application is to write all the accompaniment (drums, bass, piano, synths, orchestra, etc.) and then play along for fun. Great experimental tool for exploring fresh ideas.