From cadsi.com!kent@elvis Mon May 13 14:07:12 1996 13 May 96 17:06:58 +0500 13 May 96 15:46:14 +0500 X-Authentication-Warning: insosf1.netins.net: cadsi set sender to cadsi.com!casio using -f for casio@cadsi.com id OAA16362; Mon, 13 May 1996 14:40:59 -0500 From: "Kent Williams" Date: Mon, 13 May 1996 14:40:54 -0500 Subject: Periodic posting I just subscribed a bunch of people, so I'm going to re-post my 'intro message': INTRODUCTORY MESSAGE FOR THE CASIO SYNTHESIZER MAILING LIST Corrections/Additions/Comments to Kent Williams (kent@cadsi.com) Last updated June 13, 1995 CHARTER: To discuss Casio synthesizers. Preferably the discontinued 'Professional' synths the CZ, FZ, and VZ lines. TO POST: mail to casio@cadsi.com TO SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE/GRIPE: casio-request@cadsi.com This is an unmoderated, manually administered mailing list, so be kind! LEGAL MUMBO JUMBO Synthesizers are often bought used without manuals. Manuals are unavailable from CASIO, yet they are still copyrighted by CASIO. I would presume CASIO would vigorously enforce copyrights if they heard about blatent copyright violations. Therefore let the convention in this list be this: You can post a message like this: "I need to see the manual for X." At which point if you have a manual for X, reply to the person in private mail to arrange however you'd like to help them. While this list is unmoderated, I would like to avoid any appearance of copyright violation. I work for CADSI, a maker of mechanical engineering software. They are in no way responsible or liable for my actions in the administering of this list. This list is completely unmoderated, and I, Kent Williams, and my employer CADSI, are in no way responsible for the contents of messages posted to this list. I reserve the right to boot off the list any individual who seems not to have learned proper manners. I don't care if you cuss or spew venom, but try to avoid attacking other individuals in this semi-public forum. Take it offline, take it outside, don't go away mad, just go away. [Note: In the year or so this list has been up, it's been so quiet that I'd welcome a good flame war] BACKROUND/INTRODUCTION: Casio was in the professional synthesizer business until a few years ago. All of their synthesizers were digital, and involved menu driven programming interfaces. The CZ line used what they called 'Phase Distortion Synthesis'. The VZ line used 'Interactive Phase Distortion' and the FZ line were 16 bit sampling units. The CZ line was among the first commercially available MIDI keyboards, something reflected in their goofy MIDI Sysex implementation. These synthesizers were apparently quite popular in the interregnum between the early eighties, before which Analog ruled the earth, and after which sample playback spoiled synthesizers. Several models are apparently still quite cheap and plentiful in the used market. Prices given are for used units in good condition, and are my best guesses. CZ-101 49 key mini-keyboard, 16 ROM patches, 16 RAM Patches. Value <= $100US CZ-1000 a CZ-101 with full size keys. Value <= $200US CZ-3000 No sequencer CZ-5000 Has a sequencer CZ-1 Full size 61 Key keyboard. Named patches, 64 ROM/RAM. Velocity +Aftertouch. 8 note poly/multitimbral. Value <= $300US FZ-1 full size digital sampling keyboard. 1-2 MBytes memory. Separate voice outs. One of the first digital sampling keyboards. Store patches to 3.5" floppies. Value <=600$US FZ-10M Rack modules FZ-1. 8 indvidual outs, 2 Mbytes standard memory. The inputs/outputs are balanced(XLR) AND unbalanced(1/4" phone jack) Value <=900$ FZ-20M FZ-10M + a SCSI Hard disk interface. Rare and highly coveted. Value <=1100$ VZ-1 Full size programmable keyboard (61 Key) Velocity & aftertouch. Value <=600$ 16 note poly/multitimbral. VZ-8M 8 voice VZ module. Provisions for Guitar and Wind synth usage. Lacks graphical envelope editor. Value <= 200$US VZ-10M 16 voice VZ module. Value <= 300$US. Has the editor. The VZ-1, FZ-1 and CZ-1 all make pretty good primary controllers, though they don't have a very piano-like feel. Other Casio Synthesizers of Note: SK-1 Toy keyboard with a two second sample memory and a small embedded microphone. These are a fun addition to any studio, but be warned the sampling quality is poor, the built in rhythms are ultra-cheesy, and the presets are annoying at best. It is to some extent programmable, but it has no way to save patches. Don't pay more than $50US -- $35US is more reasonable. If you open up the case, you'll find that it only has one chip! SK-5 A SK-1 follow on. 4 sample memorys. DH-100 Digital Horn. A MIDI wind controller. 6 preset tones that you can play through the handy builtin speaker. Silver color DH-200 -- DH-100 in black. RZ-1 Sampling Drum Machine. .8 seconds of sample memory, that can be split 1, 2, or 4 ways. Easy programmability. Some of the samples are fairly pathetic, but it has 8 individual out's for drum sounds so you can diddle them individually with effects. I can get you one for $150.00 from my next door neighbor. CTK-1000 & CTK-770 These are the currently produced MIDI consumer keyboards. They have built in sounds, with some sort of sound editor, a limited effect section, and MIDI. Lots of cheezoid drum rhythm tracks, and song memory For under $400, they wouldn't be bad starter keyboards for computer sequencing. Casio Guitar Synths (Long out of production) Some helpful but lamentably anonymous person from the internet wrote: | Sorry to butt in here, I own and play a PG310 which is a Strat copy *Steel* | string not Nylon string Casio guitar, the PG380 was identical except for | String locks and Mother of pearl inlays ( At least here in South Africa ) | The predeccessors were the MG series which were also Steel string electrics | but with different electronics and slower tracking.Prior to that I am not | sure. They may have used the numbers again for the '88 PG series ?? RESOURCES: Casio America's Phone Number is (800) 634 1895 Books: There are still two books in print on programming CZ's and FZ's. "An Insider's Guide to Casio CZ Synthesizers" and "CASIO FZ-1 and FZ-10M". Get them from the Mix Bookshelf (800)233-9604 CZ Book is order #3618B ($12.95) and the FZ book is order #3613B ($14.95) There was a VZ series book published by Hal Leonard. It is now out of print. If anyone has a copy, I would love to borrow it. It's a federal crime to Xerox copyrighted material but I have a photographic memory. Yeah, that's the ticket ... Consumer Electronics (800) 786-1015 is the US Distributor for Casio Consumer keyboards. They have the remaining stock of Casio Pro Gear in the US, and it's going fast. As of June 1995 they had a few VZ-10M's left, and some VZ-8ms. They would probably ship overseas, subject to the usual customs/shipping horrors all you overseas subscribers are already familiar with. There are a few mostly lame patch editors around. Look for PEDL.ZIP, which has a useful random patch generator. FAMOUS CZ GOTCHAS: THE EG GOTCHA The Envelope Generators skip any step that has no level change between an adjacent step. So if you try to do a stairstep pattern you have to change at least by one unit in level. THE EG RATE GOTCHA The Rate parameter in the EG isn't an absolute time value, but an angle, where 0 is 0 degrees (horizontal) and 99 is almost 90 degrees (vertical). This means that the time a step takes is the arc cosine of the rate. Confused? You bet? THE SHITTY MANUAL GOTCHA The level of the digital controlled filter isn't properly explained in the manual (if you've got a manual!). Here's how it really works: You select a waveform for your patch. In the DCF Envelope, a level of zero means you get a sine wave. A level of 99 means you actually get the wave form you specified. This simulates an analog low pass filter -- a level of 99 means filter full open, and zero means the filter is clamped to the fundamental frequency of the tone. FAMOUS VZ GOTCHAS: On Jun 13, 3:24pm, Andreas Heinakroon wrote: > Subject: VZ gotchas > Any movement of a midicontroller (such as the Mod.wheel) goof up the > otherwise pleasant tremolo-effect. While playing tremolo-modded sounds, keep > your hands off the wheels! I think you need to check the effect section -- the Mod wheel can be set to control tremelo depth & speed, and if the Mod wheel is screwing this up, you need to turn off the Mod Wheel to Tremelo stuff. [Then I wrote this] I've got another one -- someone tell me if they've seen this: THere's a FIXED PITCH option to the DETUNE. It looks from the manual as though it should only affect that oscillator, but in fact it seems to fix the pitch of the other oscillator in that module. Anyone else run into this??? [And Also this] You can inadvertantly change the velocity curve so that you barely get any volume out of a VZ-8m. Then you think it's broken. I did this once and re-initialized memory to fix it. FAMOUS FZ GOTCHAS: THE FZ-1/10M NO HARD DISK GOTCHA You can't hook up a hard disk to a FZ-1 or 10M. Buy an AKAI sampler. --