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   S U M M A R Y   O F   C A S I O   S Y N T H E S I Z E R   G E A R 
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From: fischer1@student.msu.edu (Michael Fischer) 
Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.synth 
Subject: --> Is there a CASIO CZ "Legacy"? <-- 
Date: 17 Apr 1994 05:04:18 GMT 
 
Several on here (as well as myself) seem to be curious about Casio stuff 
lately... 
 
How about some hardcore facts on the "classic" Casio gear...perhaps a Casio 
"Legacy" is in the making! 
 
=-=-=-= 
 
I always hear things about the CZ-101...and how it is so inexpensive, etc., 
etc., etc... 
 
Well, here's my question : 
 
(1) Do the Casio CZ-101, CZ-1000, CZ-3000, and CZ-5000 all have the _EXACT_ 
same synthesis engine? 
 
(2) Is the CZ5000 the "best" synth that Casio ever made, and is it far 
superior to all other CZ series synthesizers? 
 
(3) What in the hell is the VZ series racks, etc. that Casio made?  Are 
they rackmounts of the CZ series? 
 
(4) What is the most powerful piece of synthesizer gear that Casio ever 
made? 
 
=-=-=-= 
 
Answers to these questions would help out a lot of us folks, and perhaps 
build a Casio "Legacy"... 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Michael Fischer 
 
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From: simmons@ittc.pgh.wec.com (Garry Simmons) 
Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.synth 
Subject: Re: --> Is there a CASIO CZ "Legacy"? <-- 
Date: 26 Apr 94 11:55:10 GMT 
 
: Someone out there know exactly what the VZ series of products are? 
 
The Casio VZ line conists of: 
 
VZ-1 - a 61 key synth using iPD (interactive Phase Distortion). I believe it's 
       like having two CZ-101s in a box. 16 note polyphony. 8 oscillators per 
       note (yup 128 oscillators total!). Each oscillator is called a module. 
       Pairs of modules make up "lines". Lines can be routed to each other.  
       It's really pretty complex. I haven't got mine figured out yet. 
       The VZ-1 is multitimbral, although it doesn't have dynamic note  
       allocation. You can it respond to up to 8 MIDI channels at once in 
       multimode (of course you don't have many notes to work with on any 
       one track then). I typically use two to four channel at once on mine. 
       You can only use normal voices, not layered ones in multimode, so you 
       have to do your own layering of patches. Basically, I like it for 
       for what I do. Got it cheap ($425 new at Sam Ash years ago). It's 
       complemented nicely by some Emu Proteus stuff I've got. No sequencer 
       BTW. 
 
VZ-10m - Rack mount version of VZ-1. Everything is the same as the VZ-1. 
 
VZ-8m - 8 note polyphony expander module for VZ-1/10m. For those times when 
        16 notes ain't enough. 
 
 
Hope this helps, 
 
Garry Simmons 
simmons@ittc.pgh.wec.com 
 
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Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.synth 
From: billy@irvine.com ((** Bouncer **)) 
Subject: Re: --> Is there a CASIO CZ "Legacy"? <-- 
Date: Sun, 17 Apr 1994 07:19:23 GMT 
 
>Well, here's my question : > >(1) Do the Casio CZ-101, CZ-1000, CZ-3000, and CZ-5000 all have the _EXACT_ 
>same synthesis engine? 
 
I believe so.  At least their cartridges are compatible between each other. 
 
>(2) Is the CZ5000 the "best" synth that Casio ever made, and is it far 
>superior to all other CZ series synthesizers? 
 
The CZ-5000 has built in chorus (though pretty thin/metallic IMHO). 
The 5000 has a real-time & simple step-edit sequencer, but with no 
provision for punching IN/OUT.  On a punch in, you then had to "play" 
all the way to the end of the song...  Also, the CZ synths were all 
mono (no panning, though at least some of them had the previously 
mentioned stereo chorus feature).  The sequencer on the 5000 also 
didn't have any rhythm correction for the realtime tracks.  You had to 
decide at the outset which tracks were going to be realtime / step-entry. 
Also, it had no disk drive, only cassette interface (you might have 
been able to do a sys-ex dump though to save your sequences to another 
computer, etc.) 
 
>(3) What in the hell is the VZ series racks, etc. that Casio made?  Are 
>they rackmounts of the CZ series? 
 
I've never owned a VZ, so I'm uncertain how they compare.  One thing 
I do know is that these VZ machines have been going extremely low prices. 
 
>(4) What is the most powerful piece of synthesizer gear that Casio ever 
>made? 
 
IMHO, I would nominate the FZ-1/FZ-10M as the most powerful 
synthesizer Casio ever made.  It supported 16 bit/30k sampling (up to 
2 megabytes), oversized 64x96 backlit LCD with menu-driven OS, visual 
editing of waveforms, up to 64 split points per patch (8 patches 
loaded simultaneously), 3.5" HD floppy (optional SCSI interface), 8 
individual outputs (plus mix output), 16-way multitimbral (but only 8 
notes polyphonic).  At the time it came out, its closest competition 
were the 12 bit machines made by Korg/Roland/Sequential Circuits. 
 
I had (over the years) both a FZ-1, and then later an FZ-10M (2 meg). 
They're probably going for between $500-$800, depending on condition, 
amount of RAM, sound library, etc.  (currently I'm using a K2000RS 
and have even imported via DigiDesign some of my old FZ disks). 
 
-- 
Billyb 
 
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From: fischer1@student.msu.edu (Michael Fischer) 
Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.synth 
Subject: Re: --> Is there a CASIO CZ "Legacy"? <-- 
Date: 17 Apr 1994 14:46:21 GMT 
 
In article <CoE70C.A9x@irvine.com>, billy@irvine.com ((** Bouncer **)) 
wrote: 
 
> >Well, here's my question : 
> > 
> >(1) Do the Casio CZ-101, CZ-1000, CZ-3000, and CZ-5000 all have the _EXACT_ 
> >same synthesis engine? 
>  
> I believe so.  At least their cartridges are compatible between each other. 
 
And what exactly is this SAME synthesis engine on the CZ-101, CZ-1000, 
CZ-3000, CZ-5000? 
 
What does each successive (larger numbers as we go forward) piece in the CZ 
series have over its younger family members? 
 
Which brings me to another question...is the anything beyond a CZ-5000, 
like a CZ-7000, CZ-9000, etc. ? 
 
> >(2) Is the CZ5000 the "best" synth that Casio ever made, and is it far 
> >superior to all other CZ series synthesizers? 
 
Hmmm...  What Roland synth compares to the CZ-5000...  What market/product 
by another company was Casio targeting with the CZ-5000? 
 
> >(3) What in the hell is the VZ series racks, etc. that Casio made?  Are 
> >they rackmounts of the CZ series? 
>  
> I've never owned a VZ, so I'm uncertain how they compare.  One thing 
> I do know is that these VZ machines have been going extremely low prices. 
 
Someone out there know exactly what the VZ series of products are? 
 
> >(4) What is the most powerful piece of synthesizer gear that Casio ever 
> >made? 
>  
> IMHO, I would nominate the FZ-1/FZ-10M as the most powerful 
> synthesizer Casio ever made.  It supported 16 bit/30k sampling (up to 
> 2 megabytes), oversized 64x96 backlit LCD with menu-driven OS, visual 
> editing of waveforms, up to 64 split points per patch (8 patches 
> loaded simultaneously), 3.5" HD floppy (optional SCSI interface), 8 
> individual outputs (plus mix output), 16-way multitimbral (but only 8 > notes polyphonic).  At the time it came out, its closest competition 
> were the 12 bit machines made by Korg/Roland/Sequential Circuits. 
 
Were CZ series _PATCHES_ backwards compatible with the _SYNTHESIS_ engine 
of the CZ stuff?  What I am asking is, withOUT sampling, could one produce 
the CZ sound on the FZ? 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Michael Fischer 
 
FINALLY : A constructive and enlightening thread on Casio gear... 
 
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From: rmiller@access.mbnet.mb.ca (Ric Miller) 
Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.synth 
Subject: Re: --> Is there a CASIO CZ "Legacy"? <-- 
Date: 17 Apr 1994 19:48:48 GMT 
 
In <fischer1-170494010003@via-annex3-11.cl.msu.edu> fischer1@student.msu.edu (Michael Fischer) writes: 
 
>Several on here (as well as myself) seem to be curious about Casio stuff 
>lately... 
>How about some hardcore facts on the "classic" Casio gear...perhaps a Casio 
>"Legacy" is in the making! 
>=-=-=-= 
>I always hear things about the CZ-101...and how it is so inexpensive, etc., 
>etc., etc... 
>Well, here's my question : 
>(1) Do the Casio CZ-101, CZ-1000, CZ-3000, and CZ-5000 all have the _EXACT_ 
>same synthesis engine? 
 
Essentially, yes.  More voices and ram plus other bells and whistles on 
the higher ups. 
 
>(2) Is the CZ5000 the "best" synth that Casio ever made, and is it far 
>superior to all other CZ series synthesizers? 
 
Far from the best ever.  It's the most powerful in the CZ series.  The VZ 
series though, are far more powerful.  Powerful to the point of scaring 
away most average users, IMHO.  I think that's why they never went very 
far as far as popularity goes. 
 
>(3) What in the hell is the VZ series racks, etc. that Casio made?  Are 
>they rackmounts of the CZ series? 
 
They have hardly anything to do with the CZ series.  The only relation 
between the CZ and VZ series is that they both used Phase Distortion 
Synthesis.  The VZ machines are 8 'oscillator'/voice FM/iPD machines. 
 
>(4) What is the most powerful piece of synthesizer gear that Casio ever 
>made? 
 
The Casio VL-1 Tone.  (Sorry.  COuldn't resist the joke). 
I think either the VZ1 or VZ8M. 
 
>Michael Fischer 
 
Hope this has helped a little bit. 
 
Ric 
 
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From: rmiller@access.mbnet.mb.ca (Ric Miller) 
Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.synth 
Subject: Re: --> Is there a CASIO CZ "Legacy"? <-- 
Date: 17 Apr 1994 20:00:03 GMT 
 
In <fischer1-170494104008@via-annex1-10.cl.msu.edu> fischer1@student.msu.edu (Michael Fischer) writes: 
 
>In article <CoE70C.A9x@irvine.com>, billy@irvine.com ((** Bouncer **)) 
>wrote: 
 
>And what exactly is this SAME synthesis engine on the CZ-101, CZ-1000, 
>CZ-3000, CZ-5000? 
 
The synthesis engine consisted of teh following: 
 
DCO ---> DCF ----> DCA---> Out 
 |        |        | | 
ENV      ENV     ENV +--+--Noise 
                        | 
DCO ---> DCF ----> DCA--+-> Out 
 |        |         | 
ENV      ENV       ENV 
 
Routing options: Single oscillator output with "Line 1"'s DVA being either 
Amplitude Modulated by the output of Line 2, or by Noise. 
or 
Dual oscillator output. 
 
The Digitally Controlled Filters didn't really filter anything.  They 
controlled the amount of distotion applied to the waveform coming from the 
DCO. IE: Distorting a Sinewave (clipping at) will produce odd harmonics. 
 
>Which brings me to another question...is the anything beyond a CZ-5000, 
>like a CZ-7000, CZ-9000, etc. ? 
 
Nope. 
 
>Hmmm...  What Roland synth compares to the CZ-5000...  What market/product 
>by another company was Casio targeting with the CZ-5000? 
 
I believe the CZ 5000 (from memory) was one of the first Workstation type 
machines to come out. 
 
Ric 
 
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From: fischer1@student.msu.edu (Michael Fischer) 
Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.synth 
Subject: Re: --> Is there a CASIO CZ "Legacy"? <-- 
Followup-To: rec.music.makers.synth 
Date: 18 Apr 1994 01:39:52 GMT 
 
In article <2os3r0$863@canopus.cc.umanitoba.ca>, rmiller@access.mbnet.mb.ca 
(Ric Miller) wrote: 
 
> >(2) Is the CZ5000 the "best" synth that Casio ever made, and is it far 
> >superior to all other CZ series synthesizers? 
>  
> Far from the best ever.  It's the most powerful in the CZ series.  The VZ 
> series though, are far more powerful.  Powerful to the point of scaring 
> away most average users, IMHO.  I think that's why they never went very 
> far as far as popularity goes. 
 
How about this question : 
 
Does the VZ series stuff have the ability to use CZ series patches?  Can 
the VZ architechture make the EXACT same sounds (and more) that the CZ 
series made? 
 
[example of what I mean by EXACT would be the JX-10 being backwards 
compatible with the JX-8P. (1 JX-10 = 2 JX-8P + a little more)...  IS the 
VZ series something like VZ = 2 CZ, etc.. etc.. etc.. ? 
 
> >(3) What in the hell is the VZ series racks, etc. that Casio made?  Are 
> >they rackmounts of the CZ series? 
>  
> They have hardly anything to do with the CZ series.  The only relation 
> between the CZ and VZ series is that they both used Phase Distortion 
> Synthesis.  The VZ machines are 8 'oscillator'/voice FM/iPD machines. 
 
But, like I asked above, can the VZ series synthesis engine act as a "true" 
replacement for CZ series equipment? [the Roland JX-10 can act as a "true" 
replacement for the JX-8P]. 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Michael Fischer 
 
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From: cb170@city.ac.uk (HALL B J) 
Subject: Re: --> Is there a CASIO CZ "Legacy"? <-- 
Date: 18 Apr 94 14:34:55 GMT 
 
>>(2) Is the CZ5000 the "best" synth that Casio ever made, and is it far 
>>superior to all other CZ series synthesizers? 
 
>Far from the best ever.  It's the most powerful in the CZ series.  The VZ 
>series though, are far more powerful.  Powerful to the point of scaring 
>away most average users, IMHO.  I think that's why they never went very 
>far as far as popularity goes. 
 
As far as the CZ goes, the best is the CZ1 from a synth point of view -  
velocity sens (at last), but no sequencer. 
 
>>(4) What is the most powerful piece of synthesizer gear that Casio ever 
>>made? 
 
>The Casio VL-1 Tone.  (Sorry.  COuldn't resist the joke). 
 
I've still got one of these. It was me first synth back in the good old days... 
Da, da, da... 
--  
|>         | |                     Likes: Ataris, Synths, 
|> E |\|   |-| /\ |_ |_                   Blakes7, Films. 
                             Dislikes: Lines not long eno 
( cb170@city.ac.uk ------- http://web.city.ac.uk/~cb170 ) 
 
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Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.synth 
From: rschmelt@willamette.edu (Robert J. Schmeltzer) 
Subject: Re: --> Is there a CASIO CZ "Legacy"? <-- 
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 1994 09:16:18 GMT 
 
CZ-101: Big deal when it came out in 1983. Why? MIDI, multitimbral and it  
actually sounded good. Plus it was only $495. It, and all the CZ line use  
Casio's "Phase Distortion" synthesis. I wish I could say exactly what it  
sounds like, but it's somewhere between a DX-7 and a Jupiter 6 (the other  
synths of that vintage). The CZ-1000 is a CZ-101 with full size keys. The  
CZ-5000 is basically two CZ-101s with full size keys and an onboard  
8-track sequencer. The CZ-3000 is the CZ-5000 minus the sequencer. The  
3000 and 5000 also had a very noisy built-in chorus (unusual for a synth  
in those days). King of this line (IMHO) was the CZ-1, a touch sensitive  
CZ-3000, I've seen these going for as low as $250 used lately. The CZ  
line is very easy to program if you understand analog synthesis. A  
relative of this family was the RZ-1 (maybe RZ-10), Casio's sampling drum  
machine. It was pretty cheesy, but like most Casio stuff was at aprice  
point that made the technology available to people like me. 
 
The VZ line: There's the VZ-1 keyboard, the VZ-10M (same thing,  
rack-mount) and the VZ-8M (also rack-mount). The VZs use Casio's  
"Interactive Phase Distortion". Much more complex and versatile than the  
CZs, but still able to get that lovely CZ sound. The synthesis method is  
pretty close to the FM on the DX series, but easier to picture in your  
head. The VZs look like the FZ sampler series and even have the same cool  display.  Other Casio stuff I have that is cool: The VL-1, Casio's first  
synthesizer. IT's about 12 inches long and 2 inches wide with a 2.5  
octave keyboard. The hitch is that the keys are about the size of the  
buttons on aNintendo game pad. But it had this weird numerical entry  
synthesizer. You pick one of nine waveforms pick numbers to shape the  
ADSR, add vibrato and/or tremolo, and there's one other parameter I can  
never remember. This thing came out in 1982 for $50. What amazed me is  
that it has a 100-110 note REAL TIME sequencer. It's not perfect, but  
it's pretty damn good. I could never figure out why Casio could do that  
on a keybaord that doubled as calculator, but then not include it on  
their "professional" gear (like the CZs). Also look for the DH-100 or  
DH-200, MIDI wind controllers. The only difference I know of between them  
is that the 100 is silver and the 200 is black. But, I got one through  
the Damark catalog for $30, it sends MIDI note on and off, velocity,  program change (only 6 though) and portamento. Though it looks like a  
saxaphone, it actually uses recorder fingerings and covers about 2.5  
octaves. However, if you use Casio's own special fingerings, you can  
achieve something like 5 octaves. One other thing is the SK-1, Casio's  
sampler that came out arund 1986 or 1987. It's probably a 4-bit sampler,  
but it was only $70 when people were excited about Mirage's going for  
$1500. They came in the standard black and the lovely pastel pink with  
blue keys (like mine). There were a couple other SKs that could have  
multiple samples and keep them in memory when the power was shut off, but  
I don't know any more than that. 
 
Casio is pretty easy to poke fun at, but for a while there they put out  
some stuff that was pretty damn good for the price. Casio seems to have  
aknack of innovating but not following through (real time sequencer on  
the VL-1 and no MIDI on the SK-1). It's too bad Casio decide to get out  
of the "professional" market. Now what's this I've been reading about  
Casio's modular synth? Is this true? It wouldn't surprise me. It would  
probably double as a VCR or something. 
 
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Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.synth 
From: jared@opticslab1.uncc.edu 
Subject: Re: --> Is there a CASIO CZ "Legacy"? <-- 
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 1994 14:11:29 GMT 
 
In article <fischer1-170494010003@via-annex3-11.cl.msu.edu> 
fischer1@student.msu.edu (Michael Fischer) writes: 
>Several on here (as well as myself) seem to be curious about Casio stuff 
>lately... 
> 
>How about some hardcore facts on the "classic" Casio gear...perhaps a Casio 
>"Legacy" is in the making! 
> 
>=-=-=-= 
> 
>I always hear things about the CZ-101...and how it is so inexpensive, etc., 
>etc., etc... 
> 
>Well, here's my question : 
> 
>(1) Do the Casio CZ-101, CZ-1000, CZ-3000, and CZ-5000 all have the _EXACT_ 
>same synthesis engine? 
 
Yes. The boards with real mod wheels have a mod section that is editable, but 
this was an add on (like stereo chorus) & sits outside the main "engine". 
 
>(2) Is the CZ5000 the "best" synth that Casio ever made, and is it far 
>superior to all other CZ series synthesizers? 
 
The CZ5000 had a sequencer (4 or 8 track?). IMHO, the CZ-1 (omitted in your 
list) was the best as it had velocity and aftertouch which were tacked on to 
the main synth engine. 
 
>(3) What in the hell is the VZ series racks, etc. that Casio made?  Are 
>they rackmounts of the CZ series? 
 
VZ was a replacement for the CZ series. Completely different architecture using 
a sort of operator scheme with carriers and modulators, but not touted as FM. 
Very powerful, but very complicated... made a DX7 look like a walk in the park. 
The emergence of sample players during the VZ introduction pretty much killed 
it. 
 
VZ's were offered in rack and keyboard form. CZ's were never officially offered 
as a rack, although one individual had a CZ-101r for sale a few weeks ago. I 
don't know if a few were made or if it was a custom job. 
 
>(4) What is the most powerful piece of synthesizer gear that Casio ever 
>made? 
 
For a mass produced synth, I would say VZ. For a keyboard in general, I would 
say the FZ series samplers. I don't about about any one offs Casio made for 
their professional demonstrators (name escapes me, Japanese guy, Tomita? (sic)) 
 
>=-=-=-= 
> 
>Answers to these questions would help out a lot of us folks, and perhaps 
>build a Casio "Legacy"... 
 
IMHO, a legacy no respectable synth manufacturer would want to inherit. Unless 
they *planned* to get out of the synth marketplace in a few years. 
 
>Sincerely, 
> 
>Michael Fischer 
> 
 
Jared 
 
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Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.synth 
From: jared@opticslab1.uncc.edu 
Subject: Re: --> Is there a CASIO CZ "Legacy"? <-- 
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 1994 14:37:24 GMT 
 
In article <fischer1-170494104008@via-annex1-10.cl.msu.edu> 
fischer1@student.msu.edu (Michael Fischer) writes: 
 
>And what exactly is this SAME synthesis engine on the CZ-101, CZ-1000, 
>CZ-3000, CZ-5000? 
 
It was called PD for phase distortion. I don't have time to describe it, there 
are many good books on the CZ series. The FAQ should have something as well. 
Basically by changing the rate at which you read a sine "wavetable" stored in 
ROM, you can get approximations to other "waves" like a triangle, square, etc. 
 
>What does each successive (larger numbers as we go forward) piece in the CZ 
>series have over its younger family members? 
 
101: mini keys, 4 octave, 4/8 note polyphonic (depending on layering) 
1000: full keys, 4 octave, 4/8 poly 
3000: full keys, 5 octave?, 8/16 poly, chorus 
5000: same as 3000 but has sequencer  
1: like 3000, but adds velocity, aftertouch, more patch storage, sysex dump 
 
There was also a home keyboard based on the CZ-101... CZ or HZ 230s ????. 
Basically a CZ101 with lots of presets and autorhythms/accomp. and built in 
speaker. 
 
>Which brings me to another question...is the anything beyond a CZ-5000, 
>like a CZ-7000, CZ-9000, etc. ? 
 
The CZ1 was the last incaration. 
 
>Hmmm...  What Roland synth compares to the CZ-5000...  What market/product 
>by another company was Casio targeting with the CZ-5000? 
 
By comparing to the 5000, I assume you're interested in a synth with a 
sequencer. Ensoniq ESQ-1 would be a fairer (though more powerful) comparison 
for that era. I don't think the CZ5000 sequencer was very powerful or useable. 
Synth + sequencer + drums = "workstation". See Roland D-20, Ensoniq SQ80, Korg 
M1 and Yamaha V50 for the first workstations that arrived well after the 
CZ5000. 
 
>Someone out there know exactly what the VZ series of products are? 
> 
Not exactly... 
I think there were three models, VZ-8, VZ-8m, VZ-10m (m's were rack). The two 
m's differed by rack size, polyphony and maybe patch storage. You should be 
able to find descriptions in Keyboard, EM, back issues. 
 
>Were CZ series _PATCHES_ backwards compatible with the _SYNTHESIS_ engine 
>of the CZ stuff? 
 
Yes, on the CZ stuff 
 
>What I am asking is, withOUT sampling, could one produce 
>the CZ sound on the FZ? 
 
Now you're asking a completely different question (can CZ patches be used on FZ 
without sampling), and the answer is no. FZ is part of the FZ series not CZ. 
Same applies for the VZ. 
 
>Sincerely, 
> 
>Michael Fischer 
> 
>FINALLY : A constructive and enlightening thread on Casio gear... 
> 
 
Jared 
 
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From: cds@cs.strath.ac.uk (Chris David Scudds) 
Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.synth 
Subject: Re: --> Is there a CASIO CZ "Legacy"? <-- 
Date: 20 Apr 1994 12:15:57 +0100 
 
In article <cb170.766679695@Chacewater> cb170@city.ac.uk (HALL B J) writes: 
>>>(4) What is the most powerful piece of synthesizer gear that Casio ever 
>>>made? 
> 
>>The Casio VL-1 Tone.  (Sorry.  COuldn't resist the joke). 
> 
>I've still got one of these. It was me first synth back in the good old days 
>Da, da, da... 
 
And, lest we forget it's starring role in The Human League's "Dare". I reckon 
that's one of the best synth-pop albums of all time and a definite must 
for anyone doing that sort of music. The VL-1 appears in just about every track ( including a 1 minute instrumental solo - "Get Carter" ). 
 
As for the CZ series, well anyone who knows me will know I'm a fan. It's done 
so much great stuff for me over the past 6 years. I've got the '3000, and use 
it mainly for bass and lead lines. Many people use the DX100/27 for this kind 
of thing, but the CZ does have a different sonic flavour and is more  
intuitively editable. I use it more than the Wavestation! 
 
	Chris 
 
ps. anyone know the Glastonbury line up? Are Ultramarine playing??? 
--  
* Chris Scudds                    cds@cs.strath.ac.uk  * 
* Software Engineer                                    * 
* IKBS Group                   "I'd rather Jack,       * 
* Glasgow G1 1XQ                  than Famous Grouse." * 
 
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 > Well, here's my question : 
>  
> (1) Do the Casio CZ-101, CZ-1000, CZ-3000, and CZ-5000 all have the _EXACT_ 
> same synthesis engine? 
 
Yes. The 101/1000 offer 4/8 voices, the 3000/5000 8/16. The 3000/5000 have a modwheel, which can route the LFO to the DCW plus combination memory. 
 
  
> (2) Is the CZ5000 the "best" synth that Casio ever made, and is it far 
> superior to all other CZ series synthesizers? 
 
I would regard the VZ series the best synths from Casio. In the CZ series, 
there is also the CZ1 which offers velocity. The sound for all the CZ synths 
is the same! The more voices you have, the better, especially for layering. 
The 5000 has a sequencer. The 1 velocity. 
 
 
> (3) What in the hell is the VZ series racks, etc. that Casio made?  Are 
> they rackmounts of the CZ series? 
 
The synthesis method is called iPD, but is timbrewise different from the CZ 
series. There are NO rack mounts of the CZ stuff. The VZ is similiar to the 
DX7, soundwise. And it is complex to program. The CZ are analog like. 
Regarding to some of their sounds and from the layout of the synthesis engine. 
 
(4) to (6) after lunch. 
 
        Georg. 
  
> (4) What is the most powerful piece of synthesizer gear that Casio ever 
> made? 
 
Regarding the number of parameters/envelopes/etc. that's the VZ series, 
They had a 16 bit sampler, FZ-1 with analog resonant filters, multitimbral, 
individual outs (mono), not to bad for it's time and price.  
 
How about the SK1 or the Rapman ;-) 
 
 
> (5) What other common things/obscure things are there to be known about 
> Casio and/or any of their synth equipment? 
 
Their software people where on a trip during implementing the SysEx Spec for  
the CZ series. it's a nightmare. Things are better with the VZ stuff, but 
they forget a request command. You have to initiate dumps via touching the  
synth. For both directions. 
 
 
> (6) Any other Casio synthesizer gear comments... 
 
I like my CZ1000 and VZ1, nice bass (CZ) nice controller for my uWave (VZ),  
three wheels. 
 
 
        Georg. 
Gday folks! 
 
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 
 
        In reply to this casio thing, ive now had four different casio 
keyboards and they have all been varying degrees of complete bollocks! 
 
        Ive used a CZ-101 enough times. Vaguely analogue in architecture. Some 
nice sounds but limited compared to a DX-100 for about the same price. 
 
The ones ive had: 
 
        SK-1 Only one chip inside!!!! Nice sampler fun keyboard. Great for making silly noises into the microphone.  
 
        VA-10 This is a new pcm Vocoding keyboard. Costs about 140 UKP. Sounds 
ok. The Vocoders really crap - dont expect to sounds like Kraftwerk with this one! Its also got fx like reverb, delay, pitch following and chorussing but the  
noise was so bad i had to ditch it because it was unusable. 
 
        HZ-600 I think it supposed to be a sort of Alpha Juno rip off except  
its sooo crap theres no comparison. Its a standard analogue architecture, bitimbral system. Has some nice organy noises with a good resonnant filter. Its got 
ok midi. Theres a card slot. Its got loads of basic waveforms, not the usual 
four or so. Theres chorussing and a couple of other fx. I got mine of 60UKP.  
It all sounds great until you hear it! It has NO BASS, NONE, nothing below about 500 hz!!! It has to have batteries or it looses all its voices when you power 
off. One really nasty feature is, if you spend a while making a noise and then dont use the keyboard for a few minutes, it turns off!!!loosing the new sounds   (how iritating!). 
 
        Lastly there was the home Keyboard, cant remember the model, it was soooo bad, you know all plastic, about 20 pcm *noises*. The midi recieved on channels 1,2,3 and 4 for patterns and this could not be changed! 
 
        I hope i havnt offended any ardent Casio fans here! Im sure their pro stuffs a good bit better. I hear good things about the FZ-1. I just want a VL- tone for the hell of it!!! (Come to think of it i also want a Stylophone as well  
 - not by casio) 
 
                Chris (has anyone else heard the Rolf Harris record that came 
                with the stylophone- i nearly died laughing when i heard it!) 
 
 
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ 
| Chris Ringrose: ee90crr@brunel.ac.uk                                         | 
| Age: 22 Mental Age: 3, drives a shafted brown mini 1000.                     | 
| Tekno creator and noise generator under the name of Sound of Giggha.         | 
| Course: Microelectronics Year 4 at Brunel University London UK.              | 
|                .-------------------.                                         | 
|                |     o o o o    -- |   Bleep Bleep!                          | 
|                |               |   |   Sound Of Giggha - Ambient and hard    | 
|                |  [ [ [ [ [ [  ]]  |   techno for kiddies of all ages!       | 
|                |                   |                                         | 
|                 -------------------                                          | 
|                                                                              | 
| sh-101.juno60.juno106.ms10.ms20.ms6.dx100.tr606.tr707.dr660                  | 
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ 
 
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 
 
 >       HZ-600 I think it supposed to be a sort of Alpha Juno rip off except  
> its sooo crap theres no comparison. Its a standard analogue architecture, bitimbral system. Has some nice organy noises with a good resonnant filter. Its got 
> ok midi. Theres a card slot. Its got loads of basic waveforms, not the usual 
> four or so. Theres chorussing and a couple of other fx. I got mine of 60UKP.  
> It all sounds great until you hear it! It has NO BASS, NONE, nothing below about 500 hz!!! It has to have batteries or it looses all its voices when you power 
> off. One really nasty feature is, if you spend a while making a noise and then dont use the keyboard for a few minutes, it turns off!!!loosing the new sounds   (how iritating!). 
 
The Casio HT700 is the exact same! When the batteries go, your sounds go too. 
I invested in a 10 quid RAM card which cured that problem. The HT700 was a 
true synth, in that it had a small wavetable of 30 cheezy waveforms and a 
rudimentary ADSR/Filter. MIDI too (sorta).... 
 
>               Chris (has anyone else heard the Rolf Harris record that came 
>               with the stylophone- i nearly died laughing when i heard it!) 
 
Gak! I remember *that*. It was a floppy 7" single, guaranteed to do in your 
stylus!! He should stick to advertising bacon ..... 
 
(The harmonious sound of 20 Stylophones playing "Whiter Shade of Pale" on the 
flip side was good, though. Well worth sampling! The stylophone was an analog 
machine, too. Two transistors working as an astable *is* analogue, right ???) 
 
-- 
Regards, 
 
Peter (I want a MIDI stylophone!) 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
|                 M O T O R O L A   B . V .   I R E L A N D                 | 
| Peter Cassidy - T.S.E Dublin        | Phone : 353-1-840-8866  Ext. 417    | 
| MACCVM  : C10404                    | X400  : peterc@comm.mot.com         | 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 
 
Christopher R Ringrose <ee90crr@brunel.ac.uk> wrote:  
 
>       HZ-600 I think it supposed to be a sort of Alpha Juno rip off except  
> its sooo crap theres no comparison. Its a standard analogue architecture, bitimbral system. Has some nice organy noises with a good resonnant filter. Its got 
> ok midi. Theres a card slot. Its got loads of basic waveforms, not the usual 
> four or so. Theres chorussing and a couple of other fx. I got mine of 60UKP.  
> It all sounds great until you hear it! It has NO BASS, NONE, nothing below about 500 hz!! 
 
hmm, unusual to say the least. 
 
> It has to have batteries or it looses all its voices when you power 
> off.  
 
Hehe, fun fun. 
 
> One really nasty feature is, if you spend a while making a noise and then dont use the keyboard for a few minutes, it turns off!!! 
 
My god.  
 
> ...loosing the new sounds   (how iritating!). 
 
*Really* irritating. 
 
Speaking of Casio, I once had the opportunity to play around with a VZ-1 module. My impression of that synth was that it sounded sad. When I played it, it almost spoke 
to me: Please do not play me I am sad. It's sounds where so damn awful, I almost 
felt sick when I gave it back to the store I borrowed it from. 
 
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  
 
/Mikael 
Interesting, the Casio thread. Anyway, the only worthwile synths Casio made 
are, in my opinion, the CZ-1 and the VZ-1, and both can be had very cheap. 
 
The VZ-1 is indeed a lot like the DX-7 and it sports features like positional 
and velocity crossfades between 4 sounds and two mod wheels. Also, you can 
choose from EIGHT waveforms on each of its oscillators (I think it had eight, 
not six, am I right? Four pairs of oscillators and each pair could phase  
modulate the next or something. There is more to it though...) 
 
Anyway it has some nifty features, I liked its keyboard and you COULD coax  
some good sounds out of it, if only you knew how... 
 
 
Dimitris 
 
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 
 
> >               Chris (has anyone else heard the Rolf Harris record that came 
> >               with the stylophone- i nearly died laughing when i heard it!) 
>  
> Gak! I remember *that*. It was a floppy 7" single, guaranteed to do in your 
> stylus!! He should stick to advertising bacon ..... 
 
Could someone give a slightly more informative description? I remember seeing 
Rolf Harris on a big poster advertising the Stylophone (was it in 
Hamleys in London even?) back then... but I never got/heard the record. 
 
/Ricard 
 
--  
Ricard Wolf                   / | \  / | /-           email: ricard@axis.se 
Axis Communications AB       /__|  \/  | \__          uucp:  axisab.se!ricard 
S - 223 70 LUND             /   |  /\  |    \         Tel:   +46 46 19 18 63 
SWEDEN                     /    | /  \ | \__/         Fax:   +46 46 13 61 30 
        -- "Ich bin der Musikant mit Taschenrechner in der Hand" -- 
 "Speaking of Casio, I once had the opportunity to play around with a VZ-1 
  module. My impression of that synth was that it sounded sad. When I played  
  it, it almost spoke to me: Please do not play me I am sad. It's sounds  
  where so damn awful, I almost felt sick when I gave it back to the store I  
  borrowed it from." 
 
I've never used a VZ-1, but I do have a CZ-1, CZ-2000S, and a 3000, and I  
have to say that they're pretty good as bass synths, but once you play  
anyting over middle C, they get a little - uh - crappy. 
 
Gregory 
Nation of Teflon Souls 
 
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 
 
>> (2) Is the CZ5000 the "best" synth that Casio ever made, and is it far 
>> superior to all other CZ series synthesizers? 
> 
>I would regard the VZ series the best synths from Casio. In the CZ series, 
>there is also the CZ1 which offers velocity. The sound for all the CZ synths 
>is the same! The more voices you have, the better, especially for layering. 
>The 5000 has a sequencer. The 1 velocity. 
 
Hmm... 
 
Which one came first?  which one has the earlier manufacturing date? The CZ-1 or the CZ-5000?  Which would you rather have, a CZ-1 or CZ-5000? Why? 
 
>> (3) What in the hell is the VZ series racks, etc. that Casio made?  Are 
>> they rackmounts of the CZ series? 
> 
>The synthesis method is called iPD, but is timbrewise different from the CZ 
>series. There are NO rack mounts of the CZ stuff. The VZ is similiar to the 
>DX7, soundwise. And it is complex to program. The CZ are analog like. 
>Regarding to some of their sounds and from the layout of the synthesis engine. 
> 
>(4) to (6) after lunch. 
 
I know this may sound very stupid, but are the FZ things Rackmounts of the 
VZ things? 
 
 
CZ series, the CZ-1, CZ-101, CZ-1000, CZ-3000, CZ-5000 are all FULL size 
keyboard (no RACKS!), with the exception that the "Cheesy-101" has a 
miniature sized keyboard. 
 
The VZ series (VZ-1, VZ-10M)....(maybe there is a VZ-8M, or other members 
of the VZ family...I don't know!) are all FULL sized keyboards as well... 
 
The FZ series are sampling keyboards? 
 
The ONLY thing that might be the case is that the Casio items with the "m" 
after them are "modules", hence they are RACK units... 
 
I still dont FULLY understand the Casio gear yet... 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Michael Fischer 
 
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 
 
The FZ-1 is an 8-voice sampler with 2MB max sample memory. It's 16 bit but 
only samples up to 30-something KHz. The sound quality is OK, though.  
Also it has a 5-octave keyboard. 
 
The FZ-10 (I'm not sure about the name) was the rack version of the FZ-1. 
It had some OS enhancements (which I THINK could work on the FZ-1) and could 
perform additive synthesis (48 harmonics if I remember correctly), and also 
had some basic waveforms (sawtooth etc). It had SCSI and it generally  
resembled Korg's DSM-1 a lot. It also had 2MB of sample RAM as standard. 
 
The CZ-1 is the best of the CZ series. No sequencer here (only the CZ-5000 
had one) but it has DOUBLE the polyphony of the CZ-5000, I think 16 voices 
with 1 DCO/voice and 8 voices for 2 DCO's/voice. Built-in chorus, and was 
multitimbral. 
 
The VZ-1 was the flagship of the Casio synth line (and also their last synth). 
It did not have a filter (ALL the previous mentioned gear did). It is a 5 
octave keyboard (and I loved the feel, too - used to be in love with the VZ-1 
a LONG time ago, and went to the dealer to play it... I remember it responded 
really well to velocity and it was a piece of cake to switch sounds via velocity 
while playing, all very nice). 
 
The VZ-8M was a rack with 8 voice polyphony, mainly for MIDI guitar applications 
(it also had some settings especially for this sort of thing) and the VZ-10M 
was the 16-voice polyphonic rackmount version of the VZ-1 (which was also 16 
voice poly).  
 
Instead of being a quasi-analogue synth as the CZ series synths were, the VZ-1 
used iPD - interactive Phase Distortion. Really very similar to the DX-7,  
indeed the DX-7 used phase distortion as well!! Apparently the math is a tad 
simpler than pure FM and the results the same. 
 
The VZ-1 had a graphical OS, and the screen used is the same as that used in 
Casio graphical scientific calculators. I believe it was the first to offer 
graphical editing...  
 
 
The sounds? 
 
Ah, the sounds...  
 
Erm, well, the sounds were different... apparently noone went to too much  
trouble to program the VZ series so there was a lot of untapped potential 
(unlike the DX-7 that had loads of people developing sounds for it).  
The best sounds were the pads and leads, simulations of real instruments were 
pretty crap. 
 
The BEST sounds I had heard from the VZ-1 I heard on TV, there was this 
Italian guy with a D-50 and a VZ-1, used the D-50 for pianos and strings and 
the VZ-1 for pads and the pads were GOOD! I mean really, very good! I don't 
think the VZ was connected to any modules or anything, at least I hope not 
(OK, I liked the VZ!!) 
 
That is all... and sorry for the length of this, got carried away.  
 
Dimitris 
>               ...as the record says a Stylophone is a small Electronic 
> organ about the same size as a half pound box of chocolates... 
>  
> Its played by pointing a stylus onto a metal pad with key shapes on it. Doing 
> this playes a note. Its a 2 transistor oscillator system with a vibrato switch 
> but does have a nice analogue noise to it. Good fun and worth a fiver if you can 
> find one!! (small and brown with a silver legend on it) 
 
Sounds like it would sound a bit weedy...I do remember hearing it actually, 
I guess it was being demoed by someone. 
 
Actually, I remember building something like this when I was very young...an 
astable multivibrator, and 20 thumb-tacks arranged in a keyboard pattern. 20 
little trimpots to set the pitches too...the timing values for the multivibrator 
made the sound a very narrow pulse (I didn't know anything about pulse 
width then, but after some years of 'real' synth experiance I can recall 
the theory behind it...) Case was about 3" or 4" thick, to fit the 
only speaker I could find, so it looked pretty square and ugly. 
 
/Ricard 
 
--  
Ricard Wolf                   / | \  / | /-           email: ricard@axis.se 
Axis Communications AB       /__|  \/  | \__          uucp:  axisab.se!ricard 
S - 223 70 LUND             /   |  /\  |    \         Tel:   +46 46 19 18 63 
SWEDEN                     /    | /  \ | \__/         Fax:   +46 46 13 61 30 
               -- "Do you consider yourself - human?" -- 
Michael Fischer writes: 
 
> Which one came first?  which one has the earlier manufacturing date? The 
> CZ-1 or the CZ-5000? 
 
The CZ-5000 
 
 
> Which would you rather have, a CZ-1 or CZ-5000? Why? 
 
The CZ-1, because of the velocity response, for sequencing there are 
computers.  
 
 
> I know this may sound very stupid, but are the FZ things Rackmounts of the 
> VZ things? 
 
The FZs are samplers, the VZs are the iPD machines. 
 
 
> The VZ series (VZ-1, VZ-10M)....(maybe there is a VZ-8M, or other members 
> of the VZ family...I don't know!) are all FULL sized keyboards as well... 
 
VZ-1: keyboard, VZ-10M: rackmount of VZ-1, VZ-8M downsized VZ-10M for 
midi guitar. 
 
> The FZ series are sampling keyboards? 
 
Yes, FZ-1 keyboard, FZ-10M rack module 
 
 
        Georg. 
Dimitris Krekoukias (4) writes: 
> The VZ-1 was the flagship of the Casio synth line (and also their last synth) 
> It did not have a filter (ALL the previous mentioned gear did). It is a 5 
 
This is correct with regard to the FZ series, but the CZ series are 
completely digital, well the chorus is analog, but the synthesis 
engine is digital. The CZs use PD, which uses prestored distortion 
curves for the distortion of sine waves. The distortion can be varied, 
so giving the effect of a filter. There are three "resonating" 
waveforms which change the frequency of the resonating when modulated. 
So the CZ can sound very analog. But they aren't. 
 
        Georg. 
JUMP IN THE FIRE writes: 
 
> If they are doing what I suspect they are doing, iPD is a subset of FM, 
> where the modulator is locked to either the carrier freq or (maybe) a 
> multiple of it.  This would produce good DX-7 style pads but no bells 
> or other tones whose timbre depends on non-integral harmonics. 
 
When setting modules M1 and M2 to phase modulation, the resulting wave 
is calculated this way 
 
        out(t)=A2*wave2(A1*wave1(f2*t)) 
 
where A1, A2 are the amplitudes of the modules, controlled by the 
envelopes, wave1&2 is either sine or one of 5 sawtooth wave or one of 
2 noise waves. f2 is the frequency of M2, the frequency of M1 is 
ignored. So A2 controlls the loudness, A1 the tone colour. 
 
When setting the modules to mix, the output is mixed, for additive 
synthesis. When set to ring mod the modules ringmodulate each other, 
so this is used for bell like timbres. 
 
        Georg. 
In message <199404181425.AA18923@pobox.mot.com> you write: 
>  
> (The harmonious sound of 20 Stylophones playing "Whiter Shade of Pale" on the 
> flip side was good, though. Well worth sampling! The stylophone was an analog 
> machine, too. Two transistors working as an astable *is* analogue, right ?? 
> ?) 
 
Hey, this is a piece of Kraftwerk equipment too! :-) 
Listen to old Pocket Calculator and look at the photo 
on the Computer World album. 
 
Rick Jansen 
-- 
rick@sara.nl 
 
 S&H's a module and s&h's looking good 
georg@nlp.physik.th-darmstadt.de (Georg Mueller) wrote: 
 
>They had a 16 bit sampler, FZ-1 with analog resonant filters, 
 
Are you *sure* they're analogue? I find it very hard to make them sound   
analogue. You have to be very careful with the resonance, there is a lot 
of distortion if you treat them as an ordinary analogue filter. IMHO, they 
sound *very* cold. You can make very nice things with them, just don't expect 
them to sound analogue. I think they are digital. I'm gonna check that out. 
 
Apart from the filters - well the filters really aren't that bad - it is a good 
sampler, 16 bit 36 khz, well worth the money, at least here where they are  
very cheap.*Very* good display. Very logical structures. 
 
Actually, I think there's a little legacy from the FZ. It is very easy to  
recognize the sounds that are treated with its filters. They pop up on techno  
records every now and then providing a special atmosphere. 
 
As for the FZ-10M, it's just like the FZ-1 except that it's rackmounted and  has the 2MB memory as standard. They have the same capabilites for synthesis: 
sampling, preset waves, additive synthesis and a possibility to extract 
waveforms from samples. The only really interesting difference is that the 
FZ-10M has a much brighter sound for some reason, while the FZ-1-sound has a 
more powerful low-end to it. Oh yeah, you can draw your own waveforms too...  
 
As for the CZ-series: the sound makes me physically sick.  
 
 
Sorry for dragging digital casiostuff into the list,  
 
 
Fredrik 
It should also be noted that there is an even rarer Sampler in the FZ 
series. Namely the FZ20M. This is exactly the same as the FZ10M but 
it has a SCSI interface built. I don't know whether the others can be upgraded 
or not. Something to bear in mind, although these are few and far between. 
 
Cheers, Dave .............................. 
Georg Mueller sings a song praising the FZ-1, and I pretty much 
concur -- the built-in editing facilities, for example, are way 
ahead of anything I know of. 
 
But he failed to mention the manual.  It may very well be that second 
only to the 36 KHz sampling rate (when the rest of the world was at 
least talking about 44.1 or 48) the lousy manual was responsible for 
the premature death of this lovely machine. 
 
Anyway, if you get one of these used and don't have a manual, fear 
not -- you don't want one.  Instead there's a book entitled 
"Soundmaking on the FZ-1" or some such by one of the companies like 
Alexander.  I believe that there's only a couple of things like 
disk commands that aren't covered in this (latter) book, and you can 
pretty much figure them out for yourself. 
+-------------------------------+--------------------------------------+ 
| Rev. Bob "Bob" Crispen        | Music should not be held responsible | 
| crispen@foxy.boeing.com       |   for the people who listen to it.   | 
+-------------------------------+--------------------------------------+ 
  
> georg@nlp.physik.th-darmstadt.de (Georg Mueller) wrote: 
>  
> >They had a 16 bit sampler, FZ-1 with analog resonant filters, 
>  
> Are you *sure* they're analogue? I find it very hard to make them sound   
> analogue. You have to be very careful with the resonance, there is a lot 
> of distortion if you treat them as an ordinary analogue filter. IMHO, they 
> sound *very* cold. You can make very nice things with them, just don't expect 
> them to sound analogue. I think they are digital. I'm gonna check that out. 
 
Well, I'm not shure, but for gear of this vintage I think there was no  
way to do the filter digitally in realtime. Remember those old Roland Samplers 
with digital filters, set up some values, hit GO and wait some minutes for 
the calculation. I would appreciate it if you could open your FZ to check 
that out. 
 
        Georg.  
>> Which would you rather have, a CZ-1 or CZ-5000? Why? 
> 
>The CZ-1, because of the velocity response, for sequencing there are 
>computers. 
 
Someone mentioned in an earlier post that the CZ-1 has TWICE AS MANY voices 
(16?) as the CZ-5000... 
 
Can anyone verify or put to rest that statement? 
 
Does anyone know FOR SURE about the polyphone of the CZ stuff? 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Michael Fischer 
On Tue, 19 Apr 1994, Ricard Wolf wrote: 
 
> >             ...as the record says a Stylophone is a small Electronic 
> > organ about the same size as a half pound box of chocolates... 
> >  
> > Its played by pointing a stylus onto a metal pad with key shapes on it. Doing 
> > this playes a note. Its a 2 transistor oscillator system with a vibrato switch 
> > but does have a nice analogue noise to it. Good fun and worth a fiver if you can 
> > find one!! (small and brown with a silver legend on it) 
>  
> Sounds like it would sound a bit weedy...I do remember hearing it actually, 
> I guess it was being demoed by someone. 
>  
There was a popular song by David Bowie that used the Stylophone...  
wasn't it Space Oddity?  Also, if you're looking for a pic of one, pull  
out a copy of Kraftwerk's Computer World; on the inner sleeve, the side  
where the dummies are holding those little instruments, the second from  
the left is holding one. 
 
R. 
Michael Fischer wrote: 
 
------------------------------------------------------- 
 
>> Which would you rather have, a CZ-1 or CZ-5000? Why? 
> 
>The CZ-1, because of the velocity response, for sequencing there are 
>computers. 
 
Someone mentioned in an earlier post that the CZ-1 has TWICE AS MANY voices 
(16?) as the CZ-5000... 
 
Can anyone verify or put to rest that statement? 
 
Does anyone know FOR SURE about the polyphone of the CZ stuff? 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Michael Fischer 
 
-------------------------------------------------------- 
 
I was the one that wrote about the CZ having double the polyphony of 
the other CZ kit. I based my opinion on a Casio brochure. In the 
brochure, it said that the CZ-1 was 16 voice poly with 1 DCO/voice, if 
I remember correctly. But who said brochures HAVE to be correct? :> 
 
I'm sure someone in the list with a CZ-1 can be of more assistance... 
 
Dimitris 
I'll add my vote for the FZ as well. It's been in my rig for about 
a year now, and it has placed itself firmly there (not only due to 
its weight :-). The OS may be a bit cumbersome to navigate - the guy 
who sold it to me couldn't stand it - but it offers lots of ways 
to process your waves once in the sampler. 
There is a certain FZ character to the samples which is something 
I like. The filters are cold, yes, but very sharp and useful. 
Individual outs, with one of the strangest ways of assigning voices 
to - yes indeed. And don't forget the eight loops/wave that can be 
used for complex sounds. 
 
Casio Hint: Go to the PRESET WAVES where you can call up one of 
the eight preset single-cycle waves. Use RANDOM and press ENTER. 
Now hold down a key, and press ENTER repeteadly. 
Sample it with another sampler. 
Yeah! 
 
\ Mikael Lundgren, Uppsala, Sweden  \Wavestation  Casio FZ1  Korg Mono/Poly\ 
 \ vick@bern.docs.uu.se              \Listen&Dance -Studio Sunset in Seconds\ 
  \ http://krille.update.uu.se/~vick/ - check out my Coordinator list there. \  
   \"Time moves so slowly\ when I don't want it\ 'cause it knows I'm watching"\ 
  
> I have no clue whether it was possible at that time to do digital filtering in 
> realtime or not. But I do know this: the filters do not sound like the SCI 
> P2000 filters which are analogue. Quite different. As for opening the machine, 
> let me put it this way: I'm doing the final work for my next record right now, 
> so I'd say the chance that I will risk damaging the FZ by opening it *now* is   
> quite non-existant, hehe. So it will have to wait a while... However, pardon 
> my poor knowledge, but I thought DCF meant digital filters...well, does it? 
> Cuz in that case, they're definitely digital... 
 
The must doubtful fact for the filters being digital back in '85 is the  
presence of resonance, but for the awfull sound you mentioned, perhaps it's 
true. BTW, DCF stands for Digitally Controlled Filter, which can be true 
for an analog as well. And never trust things written on the front panel 
or in the user interface. Remember the Korg DS-8 and 707 something, released 
after the Poly 800. The say Osc1, Osc2, RingMod and FilterFreq, but they are 
FM synths.  
 So, finally, we have to wait for you to open up your FZ-1 later. 
 
        Georg. 
  
> Georg Mueller sings a song praising the FZ-1, and I pretty much 
> concur -- the built-in editing facilities, for example, are way 
> ahead of anything I know of. 
 
I'm far off praising anything else than the MicroWave V2.0 software :-), 
I'm only assuming that the filters in it are analog, because of the resonance 
and the time it was built. I never owned one, touched one or have seen the 
manual. Sorry. 
 
        Georg. 
 
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From: rschmelt@willamette.edu (Robert J. Schmeltzer) 
Subject: CZ to VZ? was (Is there a CASIO) 
Message-ID: <CoJ0up.A9z@willamette.edu> 
Organization: Willamette University, Salem OR 
References: <CoE70C.A9x@irvine.com> <1.16078.3241.0N27C5E4@dscmail.com> 
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 1994 21:54:25 GMT 
Lines: 11 
 
Unforunately there is not an easy way to "plug in" CZ sounds into a VZ. I  
have tried and searched for some method with no success. If you know how  
a CZ patch is configured, you can duplicate it on the VZ though. But the  
same sound on the VZ will sound better because the VZ machines use 16-bit  
sound chips or whatever and the CZs used something a little less clean.  
Depending on what kind of sound you want, this is either an improvement  
or a dissappointment. 
--  
Robert Schmeltzer  rschmelt@willamette.edu 
 
"I hear a solo and I think of a duet."  -Fabio 
 
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