Casio CT-S500 Recording "Features" are Unnecessarily Crippled

[Dazarco]

Casio CT-S500 could have been a great looper. The developers really went to great lengths to make sure it can not be used as a looper. At the same time, it's obvious that it can loop by the way stock rhythms 1 through 243 loop. The things in the category of songs do not loop: 11. ToneRec, 12. RhythmRec, 13 through 17 MultiTrkRec and 1 through 10 UserSong all could have been useful if they looped. But they are almost useless.

 

The tempo can not be changed on any of the recordings (previously listed) 11, 12, 13-17, and UserSongs. We can change it live, and it stays while the power is on. We can not save the tempo change.

Everything is in there to create UserSong(s) 1 through 10 and User Rhythms 244 through 293, but the system is intentionally designed to prohibit using CT-s500 from doing so. You can't even copy a UserSong to another UserSong without using a USB drive. You can't copy anything recorded onboard to any of the UserSong(s). You can't create anything at all onboard the CT-S500 and store it in a User Rhythm (244-293). Even if you do import user songs with a USB drive, none of these user songs loop. A user can only import user rhythms that loop, but we have to find previously created ones or use a computer, extra software, some other music creation app or daw and read a 36 page document to do so.

If there was a category of keyboard called "anti-arranger", Casio CT-S500 would be one of those.
 

Edited February 9 by Dazarco

[Brad Saucier]

This keyboard wasn't made with that in mind.  

 

Loopers are live performance tools for recording and performing with loops in real time.  Auto accompaniment is a pre-recorded backing track that loops.  I have yet to see any auto accompaniment system that can be used as a live looper.  

 

It's a great keyboard with a lot to offer along with the CT-S1000V, with features that are hard to find (if not impossible) in this category.  It has sampling ability which can be used for some pretty creative things.  It also has assignable knobs for controlling effects and basic synth parameters in real time.  It has an extensive DSP effects system that's editable for creating new sounds.  The preset sounds and drum patterns are very inspiring as they are.  It's great to connect up to a DAW and lay down some tracks with these sounds.  

 

The onboard recorder is meant to be used as a sketch pad for capturing creative ideas that may occur in the middle of nowhere, as often happens with songwriting.  It doesn't offer much in the way of editing on the keyboard, since exporting the songs to a computer for further work is usually all that's needed.  The CT-X3000 and 5000 are available to fill the needs of more complex song recording and editing on the keyboard itself.