From ***Enter.your.Internet.E-Mail.ID***@cyprus.comWed Jan 31 11:59:38 1996
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 96 12:15:28 -0800
From: ***Enter your full name***
     <***Enter.your.Internet.E-Mail.ID***@cyprus.com>
To: machines@hyperreal.com
Subject: Casio VZ1/10m

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Ive seen a lot of  people asking for information regarding the Casio VZ 
series so here goes:

16 note poly, VZ8 has 8
8 oscs per voice with 8 waveforms per osc
8 stage envelopes
2 envolopes per osc (pitch, amplitude)
split/layer capabilities
velocity/position crossfades
8 voice multitimbral
backlit graphic display with adjustable contrast (great for editing 
envelopes and KF curves)
stereo outs as well as balanced out

I bought one of these a year ago (new $200 couldnt pass it up) and Ive 
been very impressed. I has a unique sound that is somewhere between a 
CZ3000 and a  DX7, I use it mostly for additive synthesis but the synth 
engine is REALLY powerful.  For example, the 8 oscillators are set up in 
pairs, they can be listened to directly or one can modulate the other 
using phase or ring modulation, in addition each pair can modulate the 
next pair so you can have osc1 ring modulating osc2 phase modulating osc3 
and so on with the last oscillator being heard.  Its sort of like an 8 
oscillator DX7 with user programable algorithms and 8 waveforms per 
oscillator.  By the way, the wavforms available are: sin, saw1, saw2, 
saw3, saw4, saw5, noise1 and noise2.  Each of the sawtooth waves varies 
in the amount of upper harmonics, noise1 is straight static and noise 2 
has some fundamental added.  Programming this thing takes some patience! 
It is very difficutlt to come up with good sounds but when you do they 
are unique and once you start layering the machine sounds great.  The 
factory presets are so-so but there are some good electric pianos, great 
pads and very interesting sound effects (car horn is one of my 
favorites!).  I have a Super JX and the VZ works well with it.  Ive seen 
these things for sale in the back of  keyboard magazine for $299 with 2 
extra rom cards (the machine comes with 1 already). If youre looking for 
something that sounds unique and youre willing to tweek parameters than 
this machine is for you, if youre looking for instant gratification go 
buy an XP10.

Happy programming!:)

Al Curatolo

**Note: Although this machine uses phase distortion like the cz series it 
is not a cz, thus it will not read cz sounds and it is not as easy to use 
as the cz series was  (power has its price!).