I was given one by my dad in 1981, but over the years I lost it somewhere. I recently bought one to make up for the loss and I won't lose it again. BTW, if you own one of these try entering your birth date in the ADSR (YYYYMMDD or DDMMYYY), it's your sound!
OMG, same thing for me! My dad got me the Radio Shack/Realistic version when I was around 11 years old. I had it until I was a senior in college when one of my roommates swiped it. Recently, I found a used one on eBay and bought it. This video has given me some ideas....
I was working in an electronics store back in 1979 and we were carrying this model. I remember demonstrating it in front of customers. It was a good seller.
This keyboard was my mothers, it was not only her keyboard for her choir practice, but also it was our calculator. She bought it new in '81 and it was in continuous use until 2002. A sound investment. My Grandmother also had the same keyboard. I discovered the ADSR functions in high school but didn't really understand what it was doing, just bashing random numbers in it was magic.
My mom had this one too and we found it laying in my grandma's attic. She just walked into my room, recognizing the sounds from this video XD. At 4:05 my ma started laughing, reminiscing about the times she annoyed the shit outta my grandma, 'cause of these sounds coming out of her room... XD
Wow. I had two Casio keyboards as a kid and this was one of them, they were both tiny and super fun to mess around with. Literally the sound of my childhood. Hearing you make fun music with them was a nice reminder of that, and you taking the time to not just make a sample library of it but give it away for free is a wonderful thing.
Wow! Many thanks for the nostalgia David. The VL-TONE was my first synth. My dad bought it for me when I was around 6-7 in Sweden. Will never forget those sometimes eerie sounds. And, of course, that built-in demo song. Never cared much about the drum presets, but that one-key-play sequencer function was quite clever too - I've never seen anything like it since, outside the Casio-lineup. Also, that flute with fx definitely had some Boards of Canada vibes. Excellent video per usual. :)
These videos are SO COOL. As someone who is curious about these older technologies but don’t have the time or resources to try them my self, I thank you so much!
OMG !!!!! The TH-cam algorithm has done me right... !!! So random, yet so wonderful And thank you for this video I have been wondering and looking for references to this for the past years... Could not remember how to find it. I grew up with this and was lucky to experience it, but never really took advantage of it and never realized it's capabilities... I wish I still have it now so I could share it with my kids...
I think I do too! I modded mine back in the 80s to use the one key playback with a foot switch to help accompany my guitar playing. Did the same with a Casio SK-1.
Great video! Back when I was a student, Kwai Chang Caine had his flute. I had my VL-Tone and would hang out under railway bridges to get the best reverb. I also used to jam along to the TD American tour album with it. After growing up and losing my Casio somewhere in my adult life I recently got one on E-Bay and the magic is still there. This morning I was listening to Epsilon in Malaysian Pale in the local coffee shop (first time for a while) and in the middle of it, your video post showed up. I took this as sign and am happily noodling with my VL-Tone again. Thank you!
The effects chain turns the VL Tone into cinematic wonder! I remember a friend from school having one of those and I played around with the ADSR function (fairly randomly) and was amazed with some of the sounds coming out. It's tempting to get another one just to sample into my Digitakt!
I actually bought a VL-1 after you mentioned it in your Casio PT-10 video and I started researching about it. It's a lot of fun to mess around with the ADSR features. Since the interface for inputting the parameters is so cumbersome, I usually just end up picking semi-random values for most of them like you did in this video and it's always fun to see what kind of surprising sounds this can lead to. Thanks for the great video as always!
Oh my goodness!!! I had this when was a kid .. played hours and hours with it!! 😍 Could never imagine it has/had all of these capabilities!! I hope it is still there at my family's house and that mom did not throw it away!!! My son will be thrilled to have it!
This and the PT-10 have got to be my favorites. With the effects, they both give off a very cool and nostalgic effect, both in soundscape and chiptune forms. I hope you find more keyboards like these, and I absolutely enjoy your works, David!
I've been hoping that you would do a video on the VL-Tone! When my grandpa passed my dad gave me his original VL and I absolutely adore it. So cool that the manual shows you how to adjust the different instruments, I never would have known! Keep up the fantastic work, your channel is the only one I have notifications on for!
This is insane! I've had a VL-Tone for a while and never once thought to use the calculator to change the sounds. I think I'll run mine through the Chroma Console and see what happens. Thank you for sharing this!
I had this as a kid too!!!! I loved feeling like I was writing music as a 6 year old. Haven’t thought about it for years and you just brought it back to my mind :) thanks! Also I love your channel sir!
Bro... this guy is the pokemon master of sounds!!! He goes around the world capturing and training the most amazing songs there!!! I love your videos man!! They are full of passion!!
Such a well produced video. I borrowed one of these synths from a friend a few years back and now I'm eager to borrow it again. Thank you for the content!
I was born in 1983 and grew up playing with one of these at my grandparent's house. Theres something amazing about seeing and hearing it again after 30+ years. And the music you made with it was stunning!
my dad had one , but it was the very end of his life . he was in the hospital , and he never made it out . i used to sneak the vl-one out . i learned to program it . i would also play beatles synth and guitar solos into the memory then play them back with the two "note play" buttons . i would hook up a little amp with a speaker and then use a stereo with a cassette . i got pretty good at it , once you programmed the melody playing it back was simple. so much fun . the adsr was cool and i learned about this when i was pretty young . it was my first musical experience with technology . i have went on to make music for my entire life . i still do . i mainly use stringed instruments but i also use synthesizers . electro sound one two three - this brings back memorys .
How fun it is it see this getting loved, by so many in the comments, after keeping mine, all my life. Was my first electronic kbd, a gift from my parents. Could never let go of it. Now it's a "thing" 🎶🎹❤ Will have to try plugging it into my Microcosm 🙂
What a wonderful video, just what my hangover and I needed this morning. 😉 And such lovely sounds, those pedals really are quite amazing. I always smile when your videos pop up in notifications, they are always a happy place in a world that frequently isn’t. Thanks. 🙏🤗
Many thanks for the free download! And also the nostalgia. I never owned one of these but I distinctly remember gazing at one through a shop window on my way home from school. The ADSR thing fascinated me, as this was around the time I was getting into synths but I didn't have any of my own yet. This thing was tantalisingly cheap, yet still beyond my budget at that age.
I still have mine (from 1979) & I still use it (I also have a working SK-1 that I got around the same time). Still works like the day I got it. And this video has opened up a whole new box of sounds/ideas that I would never have thought were obtainable from that little gizmo. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hey David, I had this when I was in primary school. I don't know what happened to it after all this years. But 3 years ago I've found this second hand in very good condition and immediately bought it. Thank you for the video. It was a nice to see what it can do with outboard effects. Keep rocking 🤘🏻
One day I'd like to collect instruments and work as flawlessly as you do, but I don't have the storage or money right now. I've been collecting instruments for a while, but they're just strewn about and I lack the knowledge in theory (or music as a whole) to be proficient in a DAW lmao. I always look forward to your content and the 'rawness' of your work, best exhibited in your garage sale repair videos and the way you modernize vintage technology (I first discovered you from the Soviet pif synth video) so keep it up!
Because of your video about the PT-10 I bought a VL-1 for me just because the ADSR capabilities. It's wonderful that simple instrument can play and use many kind of sounds. It's a great keyboard to have near for you to play something. Oh, and your channel is marvelous! Thanks for the incredible content you make!
Omg.. i have this when i was a kid. Love playing it. Wow.. 30 years later, found this video and, man.. you're so lucky to have it i great condition and make it the best out of it
“They paired this with a calculator, which makes this feel like a tool you should just keep around.” David, I personally don’t consider you a tool, but I will DEFINITELY keep you around😂 Thanks for the fun channel, always a treat to experience these awesome instruments with you!
Got one. Still works. Used to program my favorite Wishbone Ash song on it. Those were the days when a normal person can actually use them gadgets without taking a crash course
David, great video. The VL-1 was my first keyboard. This summer it will be 16 years working at CASIO for me. Despite all the Wiki entries, I'm quite certain the release date is 1981. Casio's first keyboard the CT-201 was released in 1980.
I got one for Christmas. I was 12. I had it for maybe 2 months before it vanished from my house. I have no idea who stole it, but I still feel the loss.
Always love seeing your content popping up in my feed; there's always inspiring content in here! I definitely love the lo-fi vibes out of this little synth!
Wow! You really managed to make the most of this little gadget. What a memory! I remember a kid in my class called Kiff bringing one of these into music lesson and the teacher was so excited, he tried playing Rhapsody in blue on it and it wasn’t too bad. Hearing these sounds is like jumping into a time machine. Casio definitely know how to make some quality gear.👍
This is awesome! I am a Casio fan, since the Sk-1 was my very first keyboard. Now I want one of these! (Oh wait, I don't need one, because you made us a free sample.) THANK YOU!
'Here I have two rocks I found in my backyard. I wonder what they'll sound like through the Mood and Microcosm.'
Under rated comment. LMAO
Knowing David's content probably amazing lol
Probably very “cinematic” :)
Well, now that you said it, I kinda want it
@@404catnotfound Don’t underestimate anything in the Yamaha PS-2 or the whole Portasound range. Any circuit bendable gear works well as an oscillator
This thing, a Christmas gift when I was six or seven, sparked my life-long love of music. Thank you.
Same here, Iwas 16 though.
@@andhewonders Oh, wow. You're like, old. I'm old, but you're, like, old. Very old. /s
Same here but I was 10 y.o.
@@EnryMusica You are old. I can tell, because I am old.
@@DamianMesser I'm 51 y.o.
I was given one by my dad in 1981, but over the years I lost it somewhere. I recently bought one to make up for the loss and I won't lose it again. BTW, if you own one of these try entering your birth date in the ADSR (YYYYMMDD or DDMMYYY), it's your sound!
OMG, same thing for me! My dad got me the Radio Shack/Realistic version when I was around 11 years old. I had it until I was a senior in college when one of my roommates swiped it. Recently, I found a used one on eBay and bought it. This video has given me some ideas....
I was working in an electronics store back in 1979 and we were carrying this model. I remember demonstrating it in front of customers. It was a good seller.
@masudashizue777 thank you for your service dude 😁
This keyboard was my mothers, it was not only her keyboard for her choir practice, but also it was our calculator. She bought it new in '81 and it was in continuous use until 2002. A sound investment. My Grandmother also had the same keyboard. I discovered the ADSR functions in high school but didn't really understand what it was doing, just bashing random numbers in it was magic.
My mom had this one too and we found it laying in my grandma's attic.
She just walked into my room, recognizing the sounds from this video XD.
At 4:05 my ma started laughing, reminiscing about the times she annoyed the shit outta my grandma, 'cause of these sounds coming out of her room... XD
Wow. I had two Casio keyboards as a kid and this was one of them, they were both tiny and super fun to mess around with. Literally the sound of my childhood. Hearing you make fun music with them was a nice reminder of that, and you taking the time to not just make a sample library of it but give it away for free is a wonderful thing.
goddamn i love lo-fi synths
@@私はマーリンです you aren’t the only one, it is genuinely beautiful
Wow! Many thanks for the nostalgia David. The VL-TONE was my first synth. My dad bought it for me when I was around 6-7 in Sweden. Will never forget those sometimes eerie sounds. And, of course, that built-in demo song. Never cared much about the drum presets, but that one-key-play sequencer function was quite clever too - I've never seen anything like it since, outside the Casio-lineup.
Also, that flute with fx definitely had some Boards of Canada vibes. Excellent video per usual. :)
I got the same one when I was 7. So nostalgic memory. I still remember the demo song. The melody doesn’t go away after 40 years.
These videos are SO COOL. As someone who is curious about these older technologies but don’t have the time or resources to try them my self, I thank you so much!
OMG !!!!! The TH-cam algorithm has done me right... !!! So random, yet so wonderful
And thank you for this video
I have been wondering and looking for references to this for the past years... Could not remember how to find it.
I grew up with this and was lucky to experience it, but never really took advantage of it and never realized it's capabilities...
I wish I still have it now so I could share it with my kids...
I bought one over 40 years ago, and I still have it in working condition.
@@v8pasi me too!
I bought mine in 1980 and I'm still using it today in my live synth setup, along with another piece of vintage gear: a 1978 Roland SH-3A. 🙂
Really enjoy videos like this, there is so much to discover about the history of synths and other electronic instruments
I still have mine!
i wish i still had mine
I think I do too! I modded mine back in the 80s to use the one key playback with a foot switch to help accompany my guitar playing. Did the same with a Casio SK-1.
same! was one of my favorite toys as a kid so i kept it 😊
Me too and it still works, I even have the vinyl cover.
Me too! All the way from ~1980.
this might be one of my favorite synth samples ever. simple sometimes works best. thanks so much for the work you put into DecentSampler!
We’re arriving in the mail with this one 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Your set-up, sound, and everything in this video is healing and that's amazing! Thank you.
I like this channel, it doesn’t make me feel like “ oh I have to buy this!” Instead of making me feel that way, this channel relaxes me. Nice work!
Great video! Back when I was a student, Kwai Chang Caine had his flute. I had my VL-Tone and would hang out under railway bridges to get the best reverb. I also used to jam along to the TD American tour album with it. After growing up and losing my Casio somewhere in my adult life I recently got one on E-Bay and the magic is still there. This morning I was listening to Epsilon in Malaysian Pale in the local coffee shop (first time for a while) and in the middle of it, your video post showed up. I took this as sign and am happily noodling with my VL-Tone again. Thank you!
The effects chain turns the VL Tone into cinematic wonder! I remember a friend from school having one of those and I played around with the ADSR function (fairly randomly) and was amazed with some of the sounds coming out. It's tempting to get another one just to sample into my Digitakt!
We had a couple of these in the early 80s. Wow! Had so much fun with them. I remember the different rhythms. Thanks for the video.
1:40 Also the beat to Have a nice life's `Holy Fucking Shit: 40,000`, funnily enough.
I thought I’d head it before
i instantly recognized it from Deathconsciousness. Had to check the comments to see if there was anyone else
🎵everything you do is planned out in advance 🎶
thats exactly what i thought too!!
Can someone please do a Da Da Da and 40,000 mashup?
Always the most inspiring videos. Whenever a new one comes out, I know the wave of inspiration is going to wash over me.
I got one as a kid, and I still got it! I'm looking at it right now!
I actually bought a VL-1 after you mentioned it in your Casio PT-10 video and I started researching about it. It's a lot of fun to mess around with the ADSR features. Since the interface for inputting the parameters is so cumbersome, I usually just end up picking semi-random values for most of them like you did in this video and it's always fun to see what kind of surprising sounds this can lead to. Thanks for the great video as always!
Amazing stuff as usual David, thank you for making this free!
Love the videos! I'm always fascinated with all the instruments you bring out for us, tysm!
Funny. I was just craving one of these and then you made a video on it. Such a charming little thing.
Oh my goodness!!! I had this when was a kid .. played hours and hours with it!! 😍 Could never imagine it has/had all of these capabilities!! I hope it is still there at my family's house and that mom did not throw it away!!! My son will be thrilled to have it!
This and the PT-10 have got to be my favorites. With the effects, they both give off a very cool and nostalgic effect, both in soundscape and chiptune forms. I hope you find more keyboards like these, and I absolutely enjoy your works, David!
This is delightful and wholesome in an entirely new level of many thanks!
I've been hoping that you would do a video on the VL-Tone! When my grandpa passed my dad gave me his original VL and I absolutely adore it. So cool that the manual shows you how to adjust the different instruments, I never would have known! Keep up the fantastic work, your channel is the only one I have notifications on for!
I had one of those as a kid. Have to ask my parents if it still exists. Thanks für taking me back 🙂
That little opening jam felt like a certified Strong Bad classic 😄
EH STEVE!
homestar runner reference, yay
This is insane! I've had a VL-Tone for a while and never once thought to use the calculator to change the sounds. I think I'll run mine through the Chroma Console and see what happens. Thank you for sharing this!
I had this as a kid too!!!! I loved feeling like I was writing music as a 6 year old. Haven’t thought about it for years and you just brought it back to my mind :) thanks! Also I love your channel sir!
Was trying the free one out yesterday writing a song, always love seeing your videos show up
Bro... this guy is the pokemon master of sounds!!! He goes around the world capturing and training the most amazing songs there!!! I love your videos man!! They are full of passion!!
Such a well produced video. I borrowed one of these synths from a friend a few years back and now I'm eager to borrow it again. Thank you for the content!
I was born in 1983 and grew up playing with one of these at my grandparent's house. Theres something amazing about seeing and hearing it again after 30+ years. And the music you made with it was stunning!
You made something so magical, this is really cool!
my dad had one , but it was the very end of his life . he was in the hospital , and he never made it out . i used to sneak the vl-one out . i learned to program it . i would also play beatles synth and guitar solos into the memory then play them back with the two "note play" buttons . i would hook up a little amp with a speaker and then use a stereo with a cassette . i got pretty good at it , once you programmed the melody playing it back was simple. so much fun . the adsr was cool and i learned about this when i was pretty young . it was my first musical experience with technology . i have went on to make music for my entire life . i still do . i mainly use stringed instruments but i also use synthesizers . electro sound one two three - this brings back memorys .
The Homestar Runner keyboard!
THAT’S where I’ve heard that pattern before 😂
@@IlNeige Sorta. HSR used the SK1 a lot more than the VL, but the brothers chaps had a rank of Casio keyboards at their disposal.
Don't know what a Homestar Runner is, but cool!
i love homestar runner :)
Ah yeah
You're a class act David and you've just taken me back 40+ years to when I owned one. Sadly I never used it creatively like you have!
I just wanted to say that your channel makes me so happy. Thank you.
Awesome. Brings back memories of the 80s. I still have the little brother VL-10.
How fun it is it see this getting loved, by so many in the comments, after keeping mine, all my life.
Was my first electronic kbd, a gift from my parents. Could never let go of it. Now it's a "thing" 🎶🎹❤
Will have to try plugging it into my Microcosm 🙂
Just bought my VL-1 and I’ve been obsessed with it since my laptop broke. Super fun little nugget
What a wonderful video, just what my hangover and I needed this morning. 😉 And such lovely sounds, those pedals really are quite amazing.
I always smile when your videos pop up in notifications, they are always a happy place in a world that frequently isn’t. Thanks. 🙏🤗
Many thanks for the free download! And also the nostalgia. I never owned one of these but I distinctly remember gazing at one through a shop window on my way home from school. The ADSR thing fascinated me, as this was around the time I was getting into synths but I didn't have any of my own yet. This thing was tantalisingly cheap, yet still beyond my budget at that age.
This keyboard was my JAM at 8 years old. Unfortunately, that demo song STILL HAUNTS ME TO THIS DAY.
I actually HEARD that when I read your comment!
I still remember this demo song. It'll never leave me alone. I love it!!
Bro! I feel you on that one! 😅
David you are AMAZING !!!! Thank you so much for all you do...
Wow. That brought back memories, even just seeing the case. That was the first synth I ever purchased.
I always adore your soundscapes. You’re an inspiration!
That ADSR setting is legit cool, really changes the sounds
I still have mine (from 1979) & I still use it (I also have a working SK-1 that I got around the same time). Still works like the day I got it. And this video has opened up a whole new box of sounds/ideas that I would never have thought were obtainable from that little gizmo. Thanks for the inspiration!
This is wonderful 😊
I love what you’ve done here!🙏
Don't show this to Teenage Engineering! They will reissue it with a huge price tag!
True
Wow, those dudes are lame.
Didn't they do that already with the OP-1? The form factor anyway, they certain packed a bunch of functionality in there over the bare-bones Casio.
😆Too late. They did it 15 years ago. 🤣
Those teenagers charge insane prices. And surprise, they even sell a folding table ( ! ) for an insane price. SMH
Hey David, I had this when I was in primary school. I don't know what happened to it after all this years. But 3 years ago I've found this second hand in very good condition and immediately bought it. Thank you for the video. It was a nice to see what it can do with outboard effects. Keep rocking 🤘🏻
I had one of these as a kid!! I never knew what it was officially called until now. Thanks for the upload!
Another brilliant episode!
One day I'd like to collect instruments and work as flawlessly as you do, but I don't have the storage or money right now. I've been collecting instruments for a while, but they're just strewn about and I lack the knowledge in theory (or music as a whole) to be proficient in a DAW lmao. I always look forward to your content and the 'rawness' of your work, best exhibited in your garage sale repair videos and the way you modernize vintage technology (I first discovered you from the Soviet pif synth video) so keep it up!
That's a lovely synth, after the first preset - Kino - Kamchatka just poped in my head, thank you 😂❤
I had one of these as a kid. Boy, does this bring back memories. Thank you.
whenever you upload it feels like christmas
This is definitely the best sounding version of this instrument I've heard before. Great job
It sounds so beautiful
Because of your video about the PT-10 I bought a VL-1 for me just because the ADSR capabilities. It's wonderful that simple instrument can play and use many kind of sounds. It's a great keyboard to have near for you to play something. Oh, and your channel is marvelous! Thanks for the incredible content you make!
I had this when I was a kid. Loved it.
As a kid I built a synthesiser in 1970 from pre-built modules but boy, does this man know about synthesis! Subscribed!
Omg.. i have this when i was a kid. Love playing it. Wow.. 30 years later, found this video and, man.. you're so lucky to have it i great condition and make it the best out of it
Had one of these as a kid. From 1980. The ADSR function was such fun. Great to hear you play with it, with all the effects and loops. Awesome.
Wonderful video.
Dude your vids are so good
I wish this video was an hour and a half. Such soothing sounds and such a great voice ❤
“They paired this with a calculator, which makes this feel like a tool you should just keep around.” David, I personally don’t consider you a tool, but I will DEFINITELY keep you around😂 Thanks for the fun channel, always a treat to experience these awesome instruments with you!
Despite me having a growing interest, I know next to nothing about music theory and the like, but what you did with the pedals blew my mind.
Got one. Still works. Used to program my favorite Wishbone Ash song on it. Those were the days when a normal person can actually use them gadgets without taking a crash course
Youve mastered the art and science of musical nostalgia on this channel. Thanks
Fantastic video man! This was a great piece of technology in its time. Thank you :)
I had this! Hearing these tines again made me so happy. Thankyou! I finally know what this was called❤
an amazing high quality video like always!!
Gracias✨
At Least I know what pedals are on my wish list now. You made that little synth sound epic Come to mention it the VL tone is also on my wish list.
I envy your creativity man, you're such a talented musician. Also your hunger for knowledge is admirable.
You killed it with this video. I want one now
David, great video. The VL-1 was my first keyboard. This summer it will be 16 years working at CASIO for me. Despite all the Wiki entries, I'm quite certain the release date is 1981. Casio's first keyboard the CT-201 was released in 1980.
100% it was 1981, not 1979
I got one for Christmas. I was 12. I had it for maybe 2 months before it vanished from my house. I have no idea who stole it, but I still feel the loss.
I had this in 1983.
Used it to for many years.
I learnt music on this little thing.
Same. Down to the year lol.
Had one as a kid. Never even knew about changing the settings through the calculator. Great video!
Always love seeing your content popping up in my feed; there's always inspiring content in here! I definitely love the lo-fi vibes out of this little synth!
Wow! You really managed to make the most of this little gadget. What a memory! I remember a kid in my class called Kiff bringing one of these into music lesson and the teacher was so excited, he tried playing Rhapsody in blue on it and it wasn’t too bad. Hearing these sounds is like jumping into a time machine. Casio definitely know how to make some quality gear.👍
As a kid I *begged* my dad for one of these of ages. I eventually got my wish, and had fun with it for years. I might even still have it.
I've got one of these! It was my dad's in the 1980s and he gifted it to me.... so much nostalgia!
Core memory unlocked: Playing with a VL-1 when I was young
Youre amazing!!!!! Thank you very much for your contributions, I am your fan!!!!
This is awesome! I am a Casio fan, since the Sk-1 was my very first keyboard. Now I want one of these! (Oh wait, I don't need one, because you made us a free sample.) THANK YOU!
I remember this from my childhood. This vid is just brilliant.
Still have the one I got for Christmas 1981 with its case and manual...glad I held onto it all these years!