casiotone 1000p

[tom Cadillac]

Just got one of these - 'king of the casiotones' ? 1000 possible sounds, 10 user memory patches, split keyboard = bi-timbral - 27 years old and solid as a rock.

[knolan]

Hi Tom -

Congratulations. The Casio 1000P was my first electronic keyboard back in the 80's and though I haven't used it in a few years, I intend using it for an upcoming project. It has some lovely sounds - especially when treated with echo/DDL and reverb. But it's also got an amazing arpeggiator like nothing else ever released and which I still adore - and indeed need for an upcoming project. I posted this on another forum on how the arpeggiator works so hope you don't mind me posting it here for the benefit of those who might be interested.

This is how it works:

- Enter in a sequence of numbers on it 0-9 keypad - for example 1,2,3,4
- These are then used to determine the order in which notes played on the keyboard are replayed.

For example, if you hold C2, D2, E2, F2 then they will be played in that order.If however you hold down just C2, D2, then the arpeggiator plays back C2, D2, C3, D3.And if you hold just C2, then the arpeggiator plays back C2, C3, C4, C5

- So the sequence of numbers tells the arpeggiator which order to play the notes; and if fewer notes are held, then the same note is played on higher octaves.

You can have a lengthy sequence of up to 128 numbers (each a single digit between 0 and 9) which provided for very complex patterns.

So, again, if you entered this number sequence:

1 2 3 4 0 9 8 7 6 5

and held 10 notes on the keyboard then you'd get those 10 notes replayed in the order specified, irrespective of when you pressed them. Then if you held just one note you'd get that note over all 10 octaves in the order specified (and if the instrument is not capable of 10 octaves then the upper or lower most octave notes would play instead)
What's powerful about this is that the rhythm you enter is always maintained, irrespective of how many notes you hold, which is not the case with normal arpeggiators, and is therefore fantastic for accompaniment. In the 1st example above, whether c,d,e,f or just c's are played, you always get 4 notes in this pattern before it repeats because 4 numbers were entered as a sequence. That's also fantastic because it follows your hand, playing the argeggiated chord or note(s) you hold; allowing for incredible accompaniment - whether playing a rich chord or just a single note then repeated over several octaves and very useful during moments of repose in a piece.

Even more intriguing is that this arpeggiator really suits the Casio 1000P's sounds. For many of its more metallic sounds - if your sequence reaches the highest octave you get all sorts of overtones and indeed very curious and not planned for sounds - providing for a very intriguing and very unique sound palette.

I've written pieces where I've layered four or more tracks with the same arpeggio sequence but played different sounds and both holding many notes and just one notes and the results are very complex and very complete because the various textures match and seem to suit because they are coming from the one instrument.

Although the Casio 1000P is pre-MIDI and indeed its internal clock can vary even noticeably, I feel nothing ever released before or since matches this wondrous arpeggiator-sequencer and I now want to resurrect it, and see if pitch-to-MIDI converters might allow it control other synths, or at least where time-stretching of recordings of its arpeggios might allow for synchronization with other recorded tracks.

Overall - a wonderfully zany little instrument and definitely very, very useful - both in terms of its sounds and its exquisite arpeggiator-sequencer - if stretched and treated with modern computer and recording techniques.

Kevin.

[tom Cadillac]

Heh - thanks for that! I'v printed off your post and will test it out. Sounds exciting.

I'm really enjoying the 1000p and used it live already. It seems to be one of the best examples of 'mad casiotones'.
I wonder how many other people are using them still?

[ronP]

Heh - thanks for that! I'v printed off your post and will test it out. Sounds exciting.

I'm really enjoying the 1000p and used it live already. It seems to be one of the best examples of 'mad casiotones'.
I wonder how many other people are using them still?

oo


Hi. I still use a CASIO MT-70 (the one that came with the bar code reader), which was of the same generation (circa 1982) as the 1000P and has the same of kind of clean, pearly sound engine that later Casiotones (and YAMAHA Portasounds) do not appear to possess. In fact, it was the 1000P I had wanted to acquire, but finances at the time forced me to settle for the keyboard displayed beside it -- the MT-70!




oo

[hugsnballoons]

I use my 1000P, love its mad sounds, sometimes it makes me wanna go out and kill monsters with a sword

[jgirv]

...yeah, but do ya still have the incredible 80s chrome stand that went with it?... I use the 1000P in a band for a few years... along with a Boss chorus pedal to fatten it up for all those wedding ballads....

[blavatsky]

Wow, that arpeggiator sounds awesome ... it sounds very similar to the novation nova/supernova one.
You can enter the numbers of notes (which ones are held) or the actual notes (polyphonic mode) along with pauses, gates/ties, sliding...its by far the best arpeggiator I've ever used - 128 steps, change the fill-in/scan order etc.
Why do so few synths have robust arps like this?

< / off topic>

[tom Cadillac]

I'v been running mine through a 'subdecay prometheus' filter (a very hard to tame pedal (which is good)) -and for a while I got this sound that was just glorious - I was going to use it as a song basa, but lost the exact combination of knobs etc I love the little metal grill platform that casio made for future effects boxes.
But I really want that metal stand!