CASIO CZ-1000 Digital Synthesizer 1985 | HQ DEMO

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 with 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 significant delay between notes (you can hear it in the movie). But okay, it was a small budget synth.

The Casio CZ synths were popular especially in UK and USA, but not much in Germany...

In the video I played the CZ-1000 with a Lexicon MPX 500 reverb.

Vince Clarke used to have one in the eighties.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• CZ-101
• CZ-1000
• CZ-5000
• CZ-3000
• CZ-1
• CZ-230S
• VZ-1
• HT-6000
• HZ-600
• RZ-1

[hongdekong]

if yud have to spend the rest of your life with just 1 synth, what would it be?

[AnalogAudio1]

@hongdekong this question is not easy. I think I would need at least 10 synths. For long time I had 3 synths (I could not afford more), and I realized, that it was not enough. I could not produce all the sounds I wanted.

If you play every day just one synth, one day you can not hear it anymore, no matter how cool or flexible it is. There is NO PERFECT SYNTHESIZER which satisfies ALL your needs. Unless you are very unpretentious.

[BabyWetsAllNight]

@hongdekong Easy. Oberheim Two Voice



[AnalogAudio1]

@BabyWetsAllNight but you are stuck with two voices :-)

[Xevious76]

It looks nice... a sort of DX7 economic alternative maybe? Sure it sounds interesting, but aren't those membrane-like buttons uncomfortable? Nice demo as always

[AnalogAudio1]

@Xevious76 yes, it has similar membrane buttons like the DX7 has. I never had problems with it.

[AnalogAudio1]

@goodyear90 Well, in the into I used a Fairlight CMI, a PPG Wave... are you kidding? Of course I played a CZ-1000, what else should I play in a CZ-1000 demo ? :-)

[synthead]

Lovely video! Never considered a Casio synthesizer, although they seemed interesting.  These are cheap. I might have to pick one up now :)

[SLTe]

BTW: Did you know that the Phase Distortion used in the Casio CZ-series was later used extensively in the Roland D-50? All the "Synth" partials use phase distorted (co)sine-wave to produce the distinct digital/analog filtered saw and square waves.

[Raydensheraj]

@hongdekong

Yamaha EX-5 -> AWM2,VL - AN and FDSP Synthesis - a fantastic Synthesizer.

[MrGreen333111]

the old cz series. I had a 3000 but kinda took it for granted back in the day

- thinking of course that I was opting for the poor mans synth, when in fact

it compares well to just about any synth that I've ever heard. One of the last

real synths I think! I remember creating 1) a ghostly descending scale choir

2) panpipe 3) synth bass (trying to emulate Jarre); alienesque radio frequencies.

it was good at those and i think good at creating sounds for traditional chord progressions

and lead

[J0nathan2CHIN0]

PLZ SOMEONE ANSWER Can casio record what you play????

[daftmusician]

at 1:24 sound like jm jarre!

[Sylviamarta]

great sounds this synth; has a very peculiar sound !

[stellarartwars07]

@AnalogAudio1 Agreed. The best your going to get out of one synth is to use it as a master keyboard and do the rest in software - but even with that, every VST plug in to me sounds like a cross between a DX7 and an M1. Software doesn't seem to have the character of the real things, a lot of it is the different feel of the keys, as well as analog circuitry, which even for digital synths has a huge impact on sound. Thank you for these amazing demos!

[GEORGEMARAUDER]

Never had a 1000, but I loved my CZ-1 and CZ-3000. Once you dig into the sound creation you can come up with some amazing sounds. I made ambient soundtrack pads that would rival a Prophet 5. Pure evil and ambient sounds are very possible with the CZ synths. Definitely one of my favorite synth lines of all time.

[gumdrops27]

i want one!!!