Casio CZ-1000

Advantages: Velocity and touch sensitive. Great MIDI, and great unique sounds.
Disadvantages: Some sounds seem mellower then other CZ series synths.

...like the opposite, of any other synthesizer you might be used to (except a Casio) These Casio keyboards just have a special sound. I use an equal number of Casio and Korg keyboards in my setup, and I think of it almoast like hot and cold knobs (with the Casio always being the cold) Many of the sounds are very liquid, and sometimes like water, snow and ice being poured onto different shape pieces of different types of metal. That's the closest description I can think of. One thing you can be sure of however, is that these keyboards sound unique. They are built like a tank, and weigh in at 40 pounds, but that's why there are so many of them in top notch shape left in the world. The chorus and volume slider caps are usually missing, but they work fine without the caps, and you wouldn't probably want to use the volume slider anyways... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Sounds different, THAT ring modulator, big hoovers and pads
Disadvantages: lack of real MIDI control, no extra outputs, don't bother with the sequencer

...Like a lot of people, this was the first real synth i ever owned and nothing has tempted me to sell it yet. Released at a time when yamahas FM synthesis was at it's prime all of the casio CZ range use a kind of synthesis called phase distortion which gives far warmer and more analogue sounds than FM although some would accuse it of sounding too wooly. The sounds are built from two oscilators each of which can be a combination of two waveforms. The signals are then passed through an 3 envelopes for pitch, filter cutoff and amplitude each of which can have up to 8 stages. At this point the oscillators can be detuned against one another or pushed through one of the finest ring modulators i have ever heard ( Chemical Brothers anyone? ). Although strangely lacking in bottom end this synthesis technique can come up with some massive hoover... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Sounds great. Easy programing menu style system. Seprate buttons for most functions. Built like a tank.
Disadvantages: Sequencer doesn't really work with midi, and I can't make it loop. No midi thru.

...) For the price though, these can't be beat. If you don't have one of the professional line of older keyboards from casio, then these will be the best investment you could make to expand the types of sounds you are capable of producing. If you have a sampler, your going to be in heaven. I've seen the CZ-101 which has much less options and features, without the ring modulator and on board chorus, and more primative midi, for sale in local music stores for over $300.00 so if you see a CZ-5000 on ebay for under $200.00 go for it! These things were almoast $3000.00 new in 1985, so somebody put alot of work into them, and that's very apparant in the sound!... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful