anyone have a Casio CZ series keyboard??? if so what do you think of it???

how much can you get if for?

r0ck1r0ck2 wrote:how much can you get if for?

Ebay around
$100-$150 I guess they are good for tweeky percusive patches...

yaledelay wrote:anyone have a Casio CZ series keyboard??? if so what do you think of it???

There's two CZ-3000s at my work. I haven't really gotten into programming them but it seems fairly straightforward. The preset sounds are nothing spectacular but I'm sure something useful or horrible could be gotten out of them with some patience.

I have to say, this is one really compelling low-cost modular synth. Damn.

A friend has an EML-101 that's really nice (since I helped him fix it, he's offered it for long-term loan when I have space!) and a Moog Voyager that's also nice. I was fond of the Buchla 100 in my alma mater's electronic music studio, but most of the modules had serious issues at the time.

yaledelay wrote:anyone have a Casio CZ series keyboard??? if so what do you think of it???

Had one- a CZ-101, with the mini keys. It was my first synth and I loved it.
It's capable of making phenominal sounds, but what really sets it apart is the playability of it.

There's something about the responsiveness of the CZ--maybe because it's a 4-voice, or the phase modulation, that lends itself to creativity. Really interesting inversions can be tapped by holding certain keys down in a chord, in turn canceling out 1 or 2 others.

The LFO is also quite good and easy to manually sync- especially the square wave which almost sounds
like an arpeggiator when played the right way, and tuned to an octave or 5th.

It has a ring modulator and a noise function, and portamento(glide).

So great, the CZ. But don't expect to be able to save more than 16 sounds at a time, unless you get a card(for 32) or write down all of your parameters like I used to do.

Hello PRF Tech Room,

I'm currently attempting to procure a working Arp Solina String Ensemble, any help or leads as regards this would be very much appreciated.

Thought this would be the best place to ask-if nothing else I get to bump a lovely thread.

Best, Is

Solinas used to cost a mint, just two years ago, but they have come down a little.
There are also pretty rare these days.
However, the popular patch is pretty easy to sample, so there are some good VST ones out there.

Rarer still is the Arp Quadra, but if you can find one, you can get them for less than a Solina sometimes. The big secret is that the "quad" in Quadra refers to the four synths in one, including the Omni and the Solina.
The keys can be manipulated sideways for pitch effects, and that's the first thing to fail, but even if that feature doesn't work, you get great sounds. Don't try to fix that feature if it breaks, by the way.
Since the keys stuck out over the front, with no support underneath (another bad idea from your friends at Arp!) they often got tweaked.

Also, they look great.





-A

alex maiolo wrote:Arp Quadra

I played one of those once in a music store! It was awesome...although I recall that the little blister-buttons can also fail after several years. Beautiful synth, and I dug the way the keys extended over the edge. (Dunno how practical that is, however...)

r0ck1r0ck2, you have a Polyevolver? fucking hell. those things are so neat. Unfortunately, I've only been in the under $300 market for a while.

My Nord2 and Juno 6 keep me happy, and have for years. I've been kinda wanting an Opus 3 and a Prophet 5 (I almost bought one, but it was a rev1, which I hear are pretty unstable, in spite of the glorious koa body). I always thought it'd be geeky awesome to have a Nord 2, an Opus 3 a Prohet 5 and a Juno 6. ANy keyboards out there with a 1 or 4 call number to fully realize my gear lust? I guess I could 'settle' for a Quadra (heh) and a univox.

bassdriver wrote:Waldorf Q.

you have one? excellent. how do you like it? I always thought it sounded like playing a film score. the sounds are so ridiculously lush on that one. do you have the yellow or the blue version? so expensive, though.

Just before leaving for india (where I am still), I bought one of these:

the Baldwin Discoverer. It's fantastic. not quite a synth, but it is one of the first portble keyboards manufactured. I think it's from the 60's, and mine is in impeccable condition. it's basically a tabletop version of those excellent home organs (kinda like my Lowrey duo Symphonic), but without the 2nd keyboard, bass foot pedals and leslie. It als doesn't weigh 500 pounds. Totally going to be part of my live set up, for sure.

It has the "Rhythm ace" style drum machine, albeit simplified (no snare cancel), the chord genie, and a sequencer, whih I haven't been able to figure out. I haven't seen a manual for one yet, so I'll have to wait until I can score one to do so.

re: beatboxes
I've been running my nord through one ofthose line 6 loopers and now have a very convincing and simple drum machine. the drum sounds on the nord are good enough, and I can dirty up the tones with my fuzz and overdirve and octave pedals. All of the drum programming I do by listening, as opposed to a screen, so it's more intuitive, if not flexible. that said, I'm not going to sequence entire songs on a drum machine, so it made no sense to buy one. It's great for simple beats (up to 14 seconds, natch) and getting ideas down.

BTW, literally beatboxing through the POG sounds fantastic. it's like Ice Cube or Daft Punk or something. fucking ill.


the big purchase in 2008 for me will be an electric piano. probably some time in april, around my birthday. it's gonna be rad.