Casiokid

People like Yamaha know that their largest market share for keyboard customers in the West lies in the retirement age bracket.  Who have the 'dosh' to buy a new keyboards every four years like the Genos, and they know they can get them to by their products at seemingly inflated prices for their flagship models.   The dealerships too have a vested interest in commanding a high mark-up on these products .    Why should these dealerships waste their time wanting to sell a lower priced Casio product with less margin in it for themselves?

I understand when the MZ500 & 300 series was launched that Casio had a younger customer age bracket in mind it wanted to attract?  Maybe in the East their are more younger buyers and players for Casio musical instruments like keyboards and pianos?   This maybe also be something to do with the market restrictions of why Casio, in the UK are not handling the MZ range for the same reason why Yamaha gave up selling their organs in the West several years ago?

Casio keyboards to me have always been  generally more user friendly and innovative, look and sound pretty good for the money  -the MZ500 in its blue livery and LEDS looks the business visually,.  The delightful Casio touch screen being far more attractive than the 'drab' touchscreens on Yamaha and Korg in my personal opinion

How long was the Casio MZ-2000 on the market, before it was discontinued -probably not for four years, as with the planned obsolescence  of Yamaha and Korg keyboards?  Again the MZ-2000 was not available for sale in the UK.    -I wished I had known about this 'board as I would have bought one at the time, as all the Casio keyboards here in the UK at that time did not have DIN type Midi sockets until the MZ series and PX5s which was frustrating for my use and interests.

Casio are a computer based company,and who knows what imaginative keyboards and pianos they will come up with next.   Come on Casio and cheers to you !

I find when touching the touchscreen, that the combined contact of the skin and fingernail  of the fingertip  is the most reliable way to select functions. (Maybe a static/earthing issue??)

I use an M-Audio controller keyboard (61 note) with my MZ-X500 as  a two manual organ set up with Nord 27 bass pedals.  The keybed of the M-Audio is lovely and feels great under the fingers -Casio take note !    (See my earlier post 'MZ-X500 as an Organ' to see a photo' and details of my rig)

Casio and the Casio dealerships need to appoint some decent professional players and demonstrators to promote their keyboards with decent online demos.   Players playing real songs that people can identify  -with not too much endless extemporization

When Yamaha recently released Genos they did just that, overnight there were demos on line by Yamaha and by the dealerships worldwide.

There are many decent Tones on the Casio keyboard that can be further be enhanced by tweaking.  I for one have liked them for many years and I keep coming back to Casio keyboards .  I have also owned Korg and Yamaha keyboards and synths.'

People say Korg voices are harsh and certain Yamaha voices 'thin'.  Nevertheless the Casio voices, as I hear them, stand up well, in the hands of a good player who knows what their doing !

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Owners of Genos are complaining that there's no bar/measure counter,  important if you have to play for dancing.  Also there are complaints that Drum Kits can't be edited !

Has anyone hooked up a touch screen monitor to the MZ-X500..... if this is possible ?

Try this guy:

https://www.youtube.com/user/markusfuller/videos

Thanks I've learnt something !

Does anyone know the reason why Casio on the MZ-X500 have limited the use of compatible USB flash drives to  a maximum 32Gb  as per the manual EN70?

Is it something to do with how much data can be displayed at any one time on the touch screen when 'Media' is selected ?

Church worship services, weddings and funerals.   Also the MZ-X500 has some good pipe organ tones

OTS link (like Yamaha) enabling Tones to be allocated to Rhythm Variations directly which will free up the Registration  Buttons to store complete songs individually.   This would be useful for live performance.

Thanks CasioCTK

Thanks CasioCTK and how are you switching these Tones on/off ?

Out of interest: what are players finding useful about  these controllers, and for what functions including midi ?   -Saving their set up within registrations

Photos' added
 

MZ-X500 Organ (see photo' attached) comprising of:

M-Audio 61 midi controller keyboard, 

Nord 27 Key Bass Pedals

Miditech Merge 4 (to maintain the integrity of the midi 'out' signals as they merge into the Midi 'in' on the back of the  MZ-X500

Tones from Upper 1 & 2 and Lower 3 & 4 now selectable from the midi channel selected on the M-Audio.  - See Midi Implementation chart in the MZ's manuals (ie CH1 Upper 1, CH2 Upper 2 etc...)

The Nord bass pedals are dedicated to channel 3 only, although Roland bass pedals have channel selection which would offer even more scope and versatility !

So I'm now enjoying playing my MZ=X500 as a two manual organ with bass pedals opening up for me a whole new music experience,- with the MZ giving me complete control of what's selected on the controller keyboard and bass pedals in a 'master- slave' set up,  -Great !

I've answered my question: the blue looping box was invariably showing red, hence continuous play !   One lives and learns !!

When reviewing/auditioning my midi files, that I've created on the MZ-X500, in the midi file player,  all my listed midi files play consecutively unless a midi file containing no data is put between them, in the listing or until I stop the player transportation.  Am I missing a trick, to stop them all playing consecutively so that they stop automatically at the end of each individual file?

When loaded and played from the Main Screen they do stop automatically at the end of the file.

Thanks Brad for your thoughtful comments.   I've seen this work on a keyboard with two sets of Midi IN and Out (Midi A  Midi B )

Anyone using a Midi controller keyboard with the MZ-X500 for live performance, controlling Upper/Lower Tones and auto accompaniment through the Midi controller keyboard ?  Whereby selected Upper and Lower tones can be dedicated to the controller keyboard enabling other tones to be played on the MZ-X500 at the same time.  Like a two manual organ.  Everything being controlled by the MZ-X500

What are the possibilities of other features such as split being dedicated to the controller keyboard?

Also can a controller keyboard be powered from the MZ's USB ?

I've played around with VST (virtual sound technology) available on the internet and virtual instruments in music software loaded  in ipads (Garage Band) but you are dependent on the tablet or pc everytime.  You cannot load these sounds directly into the the keyboard

Enterprising dealerships often provide online tutorials for their customers and to promote sales.  (ie Yamaha)

Don't forget we still have the ongoing KEY RELEASE fault:

http://www.casiomusicforums.com/index.php?/topic/13347-key-release-fault/&do=findComment&comment=38678

Korg PAs are the slowest to boot-up and load.   There seems to be little change with the PA 700 in this aspect, over the PA 600.  This is an important feature for me when I get inspiration or have a musical idea I want to get down quickly.   I'm not alone even Miles Davis is reputed to have rushed around to his friends house, in the middle of the night, to get a  new 'riff' down quickly before he lost it !

Furthermore, depending on your style of playing, whether you need complete accompaniment styles or just rhythm tracks I've noticed a lot of Pros' with say a two keyboard set up and maybe midi bass pedals just create their own rhythm tracks  preferring to add their own left hand accompaniment, like you would play an organ.  -Especially players playing dance music.

Great appraisal of Yamaha's Musicsoft style files available to buy.  In fact as you say a whole cottage industry has sprung up whereby enterprising Yamaha owners are creating and selling styles for PSR and Tyros independently in order to make money, but as you also rightly say this can be very time consuming.

It's fantastic that Casio, via this forum, with its Experts and Administrators  still seeks to help and supports older instruments.

Other manufactures take note !  -Customer loyalty works both ways