Casiotone Love?

[Kenneth]

Is there anyone around other than myself who loves the old Casiotones? I own a 405 and just adore the sound and look of the thing. I use it in almost all of my recordings as the "piano" sound is, to me, infinitely useful. Warm, mellow, and with delayed vibrato switched on, very expressive. Other than the piano sound, I've found use for nearly all of the presets, and just can't get enough of the lo-fi, organic textures that gush from the mono speaker. Run it through a bit of modulated delay or some reverb, and this thing sings. My favorite part: the wood veneer paint job. The chassis is made of metal, but they painted it to look like a home organ, which gives it that "keyboard at grandma's house" look.

I've never met anyone else who is interested in Casiotone, so I thought it would be fun to start a thread where we post songs or videos that feature different Casitone instuments and just talk about them. So here's a song I released on an EP last year called "In Memoriam" http://glacieracademy.bandcamp.com/track/in-memoriam
Another, newer piece of mine: http://glacieracademy.bandcamp.com/track/glassbones

Both of these predominantly feature the Casiotone 405, along with other instruments like the Moog Voyager, Little Phatty, as well as a guest bassist and a guest vocalist on Glassbones. Let's hear some more!

[GuyaGuy]

Is there anyone around other than myself who loves the old Casiotones?

You might be painfully alone.

[Sweep]

Not the old ones, but the CTK900 is very useful and pretty much entirely overlooked. I have three of them. See `Instruments and techniques' on my website for details about why. I also have a WK1800.

I did have the MT40 at one time, but didn't use it for a long time when I got better instruments, and sold it a few years ago. Then, of course, it got popular for the flung dung rhythm or whatever it was called, which is rather bizarre.

[salwa]

I love my mt-31, although I don't think I've ever used it on any record. But great analog piano and farfisa-like organ.

[tim gueguen]

I own a Concertmate 500, the Realistic branded version of the SK1.

We of course can't have a thread like this without including the Tablehooters pages.
http://weltenschule.de/TableHooters/instruments.html

[C Faith]

I have the Casiotone 1000P and would never part with it. The organ and bell tones are so smooth. Here's a little number I did with it and the Casio SK-1 running thru my new(at the time)Korg delay monotron.
The arpeggiated part and the synth organ sounding part are from the 1000P.

https://soundcloud.com/#lord-preset/you ... fect-on-me

[Sweep]

Thanks. I tried to play your track, but that's the new version of Soundcloud which many of us can't use. People need to stick to the old version, or if that's not possible, abandon Soundcloud altogether.

[C Faith]

Good news. I just discovered you can revert to the old version of soundcloud from the More page. I like some of the features of the new soundcloud, but not all.
Here's the song again.


http://soundcloud.com/lord-preset/you-h ... fect-on-me

[Walter Ego]

Is there anyone around other than myself who loves the old Casiotones?

Yeah...I like the sound...especially the analog percussion. I have an SK-1 and a VL-1 (I know they're not technically C'tones, but...). I'm really on the hunt for a KX-101 since I found out about it recently. I wouldn't mind a 401, 405, Ct-5500, 6000, etc...Also on the lookout for an MT-65/68 and especially the famous CT-410V/MT-400V. I could have a lot of fun with any or all of those...I just don't want to pay eBay prices. Well, I would pay eBay prices for a KX-101...

[Grumblepig]

My first keyboard was the Casio 201 (?)... I think it was the first Casio keyboard out there, maybe 1980. Loved that thing and wish I still had it. Had a VL-Tone for a while too. These days I have a CZ-1000, so still holding soft spots in the heart etc.

Julian Cope tours with a whomping Casiotone atop his Mellotron, though I haven't a clue what model it is. He uses the drum machine, plus piano and bass sounds and makes it utterly rock!

[Micke]

Speaking of the Casiotone 201, I was told by Richard James Burgess (of Landscape) that they got a prototype way back in
1979, about a year prior to its release to the market. It's featured on their second album From the Tea-rooms of Mars ....
which was recorded in the summer of '80.

[noisecomm]

Is there anyone around other than myself who loves the old Casiotones?

You might be painfully alone.

:ph35r:

[Kenneth]

I have the Casiotone 1000P and would never part with it. The organ and bell tones are so smooth. Here's a little number I did with it and the Casio SK-1 running thru my new(at the time)Korg delay monotron.
The arpeggiated part and the synth organ sounding part are from the 1000P.

https://soundcloud.com/#lord-preset/you ... fect-on-me

This is awesome! I love the distorted drums, and the creepy vocals. The whole thing is just surreal.

[StepLogik]

I have great fondness for the old Casiotones.

However, what I really like are the old Yamaha PSR/PSS models with the mini FM synthesizer. Those are truly wonderful sounding boards.

[drawtippy]

Yeah I love Casios so much I wrote a song about it!

Go here (iTunes):
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/playe ... mpt=uo%3D4

It's called "THE GREAT CASIO UPRISING".

I used my CZ-101 and obviously my VL-Tone to make a lot of it.

Hope you like it.