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CASIO CZ-1000 Digital Synthesizer 1985 | HQ DEMO video

In the video I played the CZ-1000 with a Lexicon MPX 500 reverb. The Casio CZ-1000 is a digital synthesizer with the "phase distortion" synthesis. It came out 1985 and it was one of the first low cost synthesizers with MIDI multimode. The CZ-1000 looks like something between Yamaha DX7 and Korg Poly-800. Like the Korg Poly-800, it can run on batteries. The CZ-101 is virtually the same, it just has small keys. Casio had the idea to develop a digital synth with modern digital sounds, which is easy to program like an analog synth. Indeed, it uses similar terminology (DCO, DCW, DCA) - if you understand subtractive synthesis, the CZ will be also easy for you to understand. Instead of real filters, you have the DCW - this is the unit, which distorts the phase of the DCO. Resonance is not available, but you can produce similar sounds with special DCO waveforms. There are 8 waveforms, two of them can be used at once. It has portamento, monophonic / polyphonic modes and cartridge storage. Like the original DX7, the display is not backlit. The Casio can produce digital and analog-style sounds. Great house organs can be produced. Some "filter sweep" sounds are interesting (the bass in the movie). But other analog-style sounds are a bit static and boring to my ears, I would recommend the Casio for digital sounds - not for the analog sounds. Analog sounds are better on the competitor Korg Poly-800. The timing of the sound engine is not the best - a three notes chord causes a ...

Running time: 03:08

 

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