New Teaser? Check It Out / Are You Ready?

[Mike Martin]

5 hours ago, Executor said:

Hi, Mr Martin. Could you tell me which Casio Product in the Workstation and Synthesizer Range I can buy? Thank you.

 

It depends on what part of the world you're in. PX-5S, PX-560 and MZ-X product are still available in the USA. One of products that is the topic of this thread will definitely be added to the synthesizer section.

[Akshansh - Alex]

We can not make decisions to take any product or not for others!

 

With the new keyboard, many of the features or may be varieties of features be introduced by live event of this upcoming beautiful Casiotone keyboard. 

As we know that Casio is the Father of keyboard, since first keyboard was introduced by Casio called Very First Musical Instruments are packed into one body... It was and it is really amazing to be with the Father 😘

 

I really appreciate what Casio is launching on 20th with the new Vocal Synth. 

 

If you look, other brands keyboards having vocal synths are offering price too much (in 2021 or later). With this new Casio's Casiotone series... Even really, the leveled players will be happy!

 

Because I don't know about specs... May be it's a synthesizer! 😘

I cannot believe the rumours until its not "leaked" (provided) officially! 🙂 

 

As Mr. Mike said, "We are hung up on the name of a product rather than what it does as an instrument - an instrument haven't even heard it yet" - I think this para may be the BIG hint for us.

 

I also have both Genos and Pa4X with MZ-X500, X300, CT-X3000, X5000 and also CT-K7200, SA10, SA20 and more...

 

It's the fact that MZ-X500 is offers more as compared to Pa4X and Genos in vary and some way! 

The 4X is limited to use 3 Upper and 1 Lower while with the MZ-X500 I can easily do 4 Upper / 4 Lower or 2 Upper / 2 Lower or 3 Upper / 3 Lower and more...

Not just that, even by using the Hex-Layered tones (6 sounds can be played at the same time) I can configure up to 12 Upper sounds and 12 sounds at Lower notes. It also capable to play 24 sounds at the same time. If you use Harmonizer>Octave you can able to use 30 Sounds at the same times. 🙂 Which may be not offered by any other brands.

 

I may not pre-make the decisions without having the keyboard's specifications or details? 🙂

For me: Name doesn't matter... What matter is it's specs whats that offer in good pocket-able price. 😊

 

Its an e.g... Like MZ-2000 which is older model of Casio. The name of number of the keyboard is greater then MZ-X500. We can't say it's MZ-X500 and having less functions as compared to MZ-2000... While MZ-X500 even X300 offers many more. 

 

If I have made any mistake, please forgive me (I'm very very sorry) considering I am your brother or son. 

 

Ones again, 

A very very big welcome to the new upcoming keyboard launching on 20th

Edited January 14, 2022 by Akshansh

[Jokeyman123]

If nothing else, this new Casio release has stirred the pot! There are basically 3 different colors-RGB from a photographer's point of view. But what an artist can do with these 3-can be astounding. Look at  Rembrandt, Van Gogh, a Monet/Manet, a Picasso, a Klee, that crazy noodle Warhol (well he used More than paint ok) but the results were all completely unique.  I have to agree with Mike, its not the stick, its the sticker (I started as a drummer) One of the most ear-opening moments in music was when someone discovered that banging on a hollow log could be significant-could send coded signals. Certainly even the simplest "cheap" Casio could do as much in the right hands...My friends son (ok I'm an old fogey but still as mad as a hatter ha-ha!!!!)  tours successfully-haven't seen him lately but last I looked-his trio-Marco played an old upright piano, an old Hammond C3, and a Speak and Spell-I thought I saw one of the early Casio "toys" with the tiny round speaker on the side and they sounded-amazing. Just him, a drummer and a bass player. He seems to be doing pretty well.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marco_Benevento

 

I owned a microKorg XL for awhile with a vocoder-wasn't too impressed, great sounds but-i sold it. This new Casio-from what little has been revealed-I am guessing they have created a new approach to altering sounds in realtime, that may involve more than the vocoder paradigm-possibly an"alternate" controller design.

 

IMO some of the more fascinating ways of mangling or altering sounds-or creating new ones-already exists but have fallen by the wayside due to I guess virtual software-wavetable synthesis, granular, vector-and of course sampling which has always presented infinite possibilities for sound creation-and FM, another monster many still don't understand, and is still a huge beast for sound creation. The challenge to me at least-would be how one accesses these synthesis engines-being limited to keys for example-would require some other musical mechanisms to alter these sounds-such as the many instruments with knobs, faders, buttons etc. so nothing new there either. But if Casio has invented some other way to manipulate whatever sound engine(s) are being accessed, this could be pretty ground-breaking, and would be no small achievement, since so many variations have already been tried-and many not so successfully-Buchla for example, some of the other even more obscure musical controller/instruments in the electronica filed of music.

 

My mentor in school years ago-at the beginning of my grueling 5 years with him-brought out a singing bowl he acquired form his performances in China-for my first lesson, he had me hit it-and told me-if you can't hear this one note and understand its power and signifigance and beauty-you might as well not play any of the other notes, because none of the rest othem will make any sense to you either. Very Zen possibly-but I never forgot it. And in the words of master John Coltrane-"The reason i play so many notes-I am trying to find the one perfect note." Wrap your head around that one as you define a casio or any other instrument-as a toy. Just my 2 cents.

[O'Neill]

2 hours ago, Mike Martin said:

 

All the time I spend on Facebook groups and answering questions on this forum are outside of my job. I can also say my opinion for free and as I've already done throughout this thread. You're hung up on the name  of a product rather than what it does as an instrument - an instrument haven't even heard it yet. 

Yes, you noticed well. I don’t even have to try to play it, it’s “Casiotone” and for me it will ALWAYS be a toy! Undoubtedly you are doing a good job and you will always get a like from me on for CT-X on youtube. But you will also ALWAYS get a dislike for Casiotone; and that will not change in a million years. I don’t think I need to make a thousand accounts for a thousand dislikes to get the point, do I? Greetings!

[Executor]

4 hours ago, Mike Martin said:

 

It depends on what part of the world you're in. PX-5S, PX-560 and MZ-X product are still available in the USA. One of products that is the topic of this thread will definitely be added to the synthesizer section.

That's the problem, outside the USA, Today there is Nothing in Casio that I can buy. And I have the MZX 500 (which was manufactured many years ago) Do you not see here a gap that remains to be filled? I am going to wait because I am going to give these new CTs a chance and they can do what the ctx could have done and don't. (I also have one) but as you can see, Casio is not covering the full spectrum of users and it is these (synthesizer and workstation users) who demand more attention. You don't have to take this the wrong way. meaning. The criticisms that some users make against these products are NOT a gratuitous attack on Casio. They are constructive criticism from users who are not carried away by fanaticism. And I give you some advice, listen to them and pay attention to these criticisms and not the praises of those who would praise Casio for making a keyboard in the shape of a camel and without keys...they don't matter. I know that you visit other forums to take the pulse(Gearspace for example). Look what is said there and not so much here.

[Mike Martin]

@Executor I understand exactly what you're saying and we're always looking to improve in that regard. 

[vbdx66]

18 hours ago, Mike Martin said:

 

There is nothing about the upcoming instruments that is a downgrade. As you've seen from the pictures there real-time controls and much more that has yet to be unveiled. These also aren't replacements for CTX instruments. The Casiotone line provides a different solution. 

Hi @Mike MartinI strongly hope that the second keyboard on the picture will have 5 octaves/61 keys and the the K1/K2 control knobs are assignable. If that’s the case I’ll order one at once.

[vbdx66]

17 hours ago, O'Neill said:

 

 

The Casiotone line represents a different solution, but most musicians will buy the CT-X series of products rather than “Casiotone” which is for kids and young amateurs. As it was in the eighties. He has always had such a reputation. And how many "Casiotons" will Casio make again? 20 -30..maybe more. And they could just make a powerful workstation like the PA-1000 or even the Genos. Nah ... I'm not going to buy a Casiotone, even if it's for ten bucks, and there's nothing you can do about it. And I will always recommend CT-X to a beginner who wants a cheap keyboard. Never Casiotone! NHF

Well, it depends. Behind its “basic” UI, actually the CT-S400 is more powerful than the CT-X800 because you can assign the arpeggiator to any of the three voices, you can (eventually!) adjust the relative volume of the voices (MIXER function) and you can also pan the voices in the stereo space for more vivid compositions. You can also copy/paste tracks between two MIDI recordings which is really handy.

Edited January 14, 2022 by vbdx66
Typo

[Mike Martin]

36 minutes ago, vbdx66 said:

Hi @Mike MartinI strongly hope that the second keyboard on the picture will have 5 octaves/61 keys and the the K1/K2 control knobs are assignable. If that’s the case I’ll order one at once.

 

You're in luck.

[Ijomne]

I’m curious if it’s more than 2 keyboards that are being revealed? Like new CT-S, new LK-X/LK-S, and new CT-X models. Also hoping we will get some old songs back and some new songs on the Casio models that are coming up if they are Casiotone the song bank has been the same since the mid-late 2000’s and I’d love to hear some old songs come back.

[vbdx66]

Hmmm… a songbank in a speech synthesis synth I have doubts quite frankly 🤔

Edited January 14, 2022 by vbdx66
Error

[XW-Addict]

You guys 🙄

Have interesting views 😌

Fact of the matter remains the only Casio keyboard that remains firm through time , 

without lots of criticism in return which baffles me more then anything is the WK 7600. 

Anything after it is like a young whippersnapper prone to social attention while hardly 

standing on their own key's. Its an culture thing here which mentions once on a crazy 

moon. What do you gonna do. Its musing its part of the belonging kind. 🤭 

[Jokeyman123]

and so here it is.....the newest Casio!  Huge screen, drawbars, powerful sound system......dedicated controls for almost everything and both mod and pitch wheels Ha...fooled ya!

Edited January 15, 2022 by Jokeyman123

[Akshansh - Alex]

1 hour ago, Jokeyman123 said:

and so here it is.....the newest Casio!  Huge screen, drawbars, powerful sound system......dedicated controls for almost everything and both mod and pitch wheels Ha...fooled ya!

Yes, it's Casio MZ2000 keyboard. Casio's old gig! With almost a package of everything which was wanted on that time... Now a days it's extremely rarely to meet or see that.

 

After that I'm 2015s Casio was released MZ-X300 and X500 which are new version of MZ2000 with a lot of new features introduced. 😊

[vbdx66]

@Jokeyman123You know what is really sweet? With the Midi over Bluetooth module, if you’ve got both MIDI implementation charts, you could probably control all the functions of the new CT-S1000v from the MZ2000. Now ain’t that cool? 😎 

 

A think I am really looking forward to is the programmable arpeggiator. Man this is hot stuff. Together with the AiX sound engine and the speech synthesis and the portamento  function, the new Casiotone seems tailored for EDM. The audio in the video teasers made me think about ELO’s Mister Blue Sky.

 

Can’t wait for January 20th. And with the pandemics, I hope that we won’t have to wait for months before the new keyboards will hit the shelves.

Edited January 15, 2022 by vbdx66
Wrong grammar

[XW-Addict]

13 hours ago, vbdx66 said:

A think I am really looking forward to is the programmable arpeggiator. Man this is hot stuff. Together with the AiX sound engine and the speech synthesis and the portamento  function, the new Casiotone seems tailored for EDM. The audio in the video teasers made me think about ELO’s Mister Blue Sky.

 

Can’t wait for January 20th. And with the pandemics, I hope that we won’t have to wait for months before the new keyboards will hit the shelves.

Programmable arpeggiator have details been leaked about the specs ?, I doubt it if the casiotones are fit for deep midi programming or setting. Being on the subject of midi I wonder which keyboard of the newer ones will have midi 2.0 specification . 

 

I've found there also a Casio G-SHOCK designated MTG-S1000V-1A , A watch to match although its from 2015🤷‍♂️

[rsaintjohn]

On 1/13/2022 at 8:38 PM, O'Neill said:

But Casiotone is a Toy!!!!!! 😛

I’ll never understand those who spend so much time criticizing the Casiotone brand and products here, and on Facebook, and on YouTube. Often the same person 🤔 There has never been a keyboard market with so many choices as there is today. You protest too much, I think. Perhaps Casiotone is just not into you. 

[Jokeyman123]

The reason I've stayed here so long-SO FAR this has been one of the more useful and supportive user groups, mostly thanks to our moderators and a few exceptional people here, who could probably make beautiful meaningful music with a kazoo.

 

If it starts to generate to a whine and cheez party, I'm out of here. Guess I'll have to prove my point. I have some sk-1 samples and a bunch of HT and CZ samples on one of my other music machines, I'll have to work up a few pieces to demonstrate what can be done with even the simpler older Casios (the CZ was not so simple) a little demented creativity and possibly some spirits, I mean spirit.

 

How about a little useless***I mean useful competition-those of you with classic Casios-maybe work up a piece or two-limit yourself. Instead of DAW with 5 million features of which you use 3-4, or a hardware multitrack recording suite dig out an old cassette multitrack and see what you can come up with-post it here as an mp3. We have a section here already for music arrangements-maybe we can have a "subdivision" in that area for music created with strictly classic older Casios. I'm working on a few-I recall Chas has a pretty brilliant video/audio post here somewheres doing that already. Tablehooters-you have a pretty comprehensive collection, XW-you've posted a few XW pieces. Stop whining-like the Who said-Come Join Together with the Band. Speaking of kazoos (or a jaw's harp I think).

[Jokeyman123]

XW-P1-I've had mine since two thousand something-I can't even remember, new in the box.

 

I still haven't figured out half of what this monster baby can do, and not for lack of trying. I midi connected it yesterday to one of my way more expensive midi 88 key workstations-just to play the sounds with a Fatar action keyboard (I have a TP40 which is one of the better actions for the last 20 years) and it is amazing what physical interaction does for making me think the XW acoustic pianos-3 layer by the way-are much more costly workstation sampled pianos!  And it doesn't cease to amaze me that I can carry this thing around like it's a "toy" Casio. But it isn't, neither are any other Casios IMO.

 

I've said it before-put it in a metal-framed workstation cabinet, make it weight another 10-20 pounds and take off the Casio name and you would be willing to pay 1000 or so for it-but you don't have to.

 

I could buy an expensive analog sequencer-three Korg Volcas plus an analog synthesizer, a workstation with an organ model-such as the Kurzweils, Rolands, Nords-and you'd have.....a Casio XW-P1. Maybe for high-end studio and recording work you'd want other more expensive stuff, I haven't done anything like that for awhile so I'm not even sure about that.  There aren't too many of even the heaviest-hitter boards that have phrase recording/playback, arpeggios, a 16-step sequencer, hex layers, monophonic VA synthesis that is fully programmable and then a pretty good sounding assortment of electric/acoustic pianos, organs-drumkits are not too shabby either if used right. And can chain and program patterns-which is what you can do with the older Roland MC-505/909 and Yamaha RM1X. And can do all that at once.

 

Hex layers-I hadn't seen anything like that since Generalmusic disappeared and with it my Equinox-which I've kept for precisely that reason-and a drawbar model-which can also be used for many other things-just like the XW. Can you tell-I like the XW? It took decades for some to see the power in the CZ's-oh yeah, the XW has many of the CZ wavsamples-maybe not exactly and no 8-stage envelopes-but the raw samples are pretty much there. You won't find a more detailed synopsis of what the XW is capable of-from AlenK. I think it will take a few more decades to fully exploit the XW's! Well maybe not that long.....

Edited January 16, 2022 by Jokeyman123

[Executor]

27 minutes ago, Jokeyman123 said:

I could buy an expensive analog sequencer-three Korg Volcas plus an analog synthesizer, a workstation with an organ model-such as the Kurzweils, Rolands, Nords-and you'd have.....a Casio XW-P1. Maybe for high-end studio and recording work you'd want other more expensive stuff, I haven't done anything like that for awhile so I'm not even sure about that.  There aren't too many of even the heaviest-hitter boards that have phrase recording/playback, arpeggios, a 16-step sequencer, hex layers, monophonic VA synthesis that is fully programmable and then a pretty good sounding assortment of electric/acoustic pianos, organs-drumkits are not too shabby either if used right. And can chain and program patterns-which is what you can do with the older Roland MC-505/909 and Yamaha RM1X. And can do all that at once.

Here you are letting yourself be carried away by love. It seems that you have not tried what a Volca keys, a Volca FM, a volca Drum, a beatstep pro and a Korg Monologue can do together... honestly the XW could not do even half. Try it one day and tell me.

[Jokeyman123]

No thanks. I've had polymoogs, played minimoogs, tried out a memorymoog abefore it ever came to market nd then spent the next 3 decades playing/performing on more instruments/technologies/software than I can keep track of. I don't need any of those. but I've kept my Casios.

Edited January 17, 2022 by Jokeyman123

[mike71]

14 hours ago, Jokeyman123 said:

I've said it before-put it in a metal-framed workstation cabinet, make it weight another 10-20 pounds and take off the Casio name and you would be willing to pay 1000 or so for it-but you don't have to.

I think that if it was made with a metal frame with wooden sides, a more "robust" keyboard, like the TP40, the TP 8, the price had to be increased. Making a synth with a sturdy frame is a two edged sword, because makes it more heavy and more expensive.

 

 

 

14 hours ago, Jokeyman123 said:

Hex layers-I hadn't seen anything like that since Generalmusic disappeared and with it my Equinox-which I've kept for precisely that reason-and a drawbar model-which can also be used for many other things-just like the XW.

Gem was declared bankrupt, some of the engineers are now employed by Dexibell and Viscount, but these firms are more on organs an digital pianos rather than synthesizers, and unfortunately their instruments are way more expensive than a Casio synth.

[Jokeyman123]

I'd been in touch with the Generalmusic service and marketing reps right to the end sadly. Dave Williams still runs a Facebook page for Generalmusic. I believe one of the Generalmusic professionals are right here playing a Casio PX560. Craig Anderton -the original editor of Electronic Musician magazine-is also a big fan-look him up.

 

And yes you are right, much more expensive not necessarily better-I know for a fact-a few of the Dexibells are using the same Fatar keyboards as have been around for over 15 years that I am aware of-the TP40 Fatar, of which I have 3, in 2 Fusions and a rare Korg -SP500, which has the graded, weighted TP40 that Korg calls RH2. I know, I've service all of these myself. As a "hobbyist" tech-never put out my shingle-and performer educator, I found Casio a long time ago, there was always a place for 1-2 Casios in my arsenal-from the original SK samplers to the CZ's and several earely CTK's I used in my cmusic room for quite awhile.

[Joe Muscara]

On 1/11/2022 at 5:56 AM, O'Neill said:

Yes, for beginners, if they continue to make plastic toys with their squeaky, plastic sounds!

 

On 1/13/2022 at 7:38 PM, O'Neill said:

But Casiotone is a Toy!!!!!! 😛

 

On 1/13/2022 at 8:22 PM, O'Neill said:

"Casiotone" toys keyboards

 

On 1/13/2022 at 10:37 PM, O'Neill said:

Yes, Casiotone is a toy .

 

On 1/13/2022 at 10:37 PM, O'Neill said:

Casiotone is in my opinion a toy

 

On 1/14/2022 at 9:26 AM, O'Neill said:

it’s “Casiotone” and for me it will ALWAYS be a toy!

💤

[Jokeyman123]

I don't know. I have alot of "toys". I like "toys". Everything is a kind of a toy, and you will have to give them all back when you're done anyway. Won't matter if its a Casio or a Lambhorgini, you don't get to keep any of them. Hope this cheered you all up.......