I found my old sk-1 in my parents back yard after 15 years. She was using it to cover a hole in the bottom of a fence to keep her little dog from getting out. I took it home and cleaned it up. Replaced the speaker (the original had rotted) and amazingly it worked! Of course I covered the hole in the fence with something else before I left!
I was thinking the same. Ha! I scrubbed the video a bit while he was sampling. To my amazement, his voice was totally unexpected. I dig it; the sound and song.
I was going to say exactly that, this guy sounds so much like Neil Tennant when he sings and this song sounds so much like something Pet Shop Boys would record.
Inspirational. I think you shocked us all with a full song AND vocals! I can't get over that an SK-1, some multitracking, effects and your voice did THIS. I am sitting here, smiling with admiration, liking the tune and thinking about getting off my own a**e and making some music myself!
James Brown is my favoirite artist, and without him, we wouldn't have other genres, like Hip-Hop, Jungle, and, Drum N Bass, as we know them today I still remember hearing the drum loop, for Funky Drummer, for the first time in the 80's, and thinking to myself, what is this beat, and where can I find it
You're an absolute mad man, haha! I could have never imagined using this thing to make a full track like that, some real creativity right there :) The sound of the SK-1 reminds me a lot of Amiga MOD trackers - very gritty and lo-fi but charming.
I've been listening to this song for a year and only just now discovered it was made on the underpowered SK1. That's a real testament to your composition skills! And production skills! I hope spring has finally sprung in Norway. Cheers. ☀️🌷
It was a fun exercise. ;-) The spring is well blossomed here luckily, but I wouldn't mind a little increase in temperature. It's still on the cooler side for my liking. Cheers :D
Wow! I had no idea the SK-1 was that versatile! I found one at a thrift store for a couple bucks a few months ago and this video motivates me to mess around with it.
hope you've discovered the envelope control in the last couple years. Being able to do that to any of your samples OR the built in sounds makes it even more versatile.
I love that your first segment played here was Axel-F ... I drove the employees at the local "Kerr Drugstore" (at Strickland Rd Shopping Center in Raleigh, NC) insane during the fall of 1986 by playing Axel-F on this keyboard while I waited anxiously for Christmas to arrive.. It was the *only* thing I asked for and wanted that year!
As a kid I used to jam around on Casio keyboards like the SK-1 in a department store in Venlo, The Netherlands, until the manager threw me out. That's where my love for synthesizers started. Thank you Espen for this souvenir. Love it!
The sk-1 is a classic sampler used by lofi artists the world over. They fetch big bucks these days if they’re in good condition. It Offers an immediacy and tactile experience that a daw never will, and it’s extremely fun. Also it runs on batteries 👊
I got mine a couple of years ago for $40 paired with a R/S Concertmate keyboard. Traded off the R/S one for a boxed VIC-20 plus cassette player. It took me a while and a lot of digging on Offer Up, CL, and FBMP, but I found it on CL.
Yet again, I am blown away! You never cease to amaze me! I have an SK-1 and have never been able to make it do THIS! You have given me new hope for my little keyboard :D
Showed this to my buddy yesterday. After the melody started, he said, "woah Pet Shop Boys!" When you started singing, his mouth dropped... "whaaaaat?!"
To me it's a great way of laying sweet memories of this to rest and a closure to that desire I had back then to own it. It was fun making this track to show its capabilities.
While I agree with you, I also remember my parents said that about the music I liked and here we are, a new generation of parents, saying the same things. :-) There's a lot of trash in the charts, and has always been, and there's a lot of good music, too.
@PianoMan 2018 I must admit that I don't like much of the lyrics in chart music these days. What happened to elegant and non-offensive use of the language? I must be getting old.. ;-)
@PianoMan 2018 I think the Internet has both done good and bad to what's happening in pop music. Anyone can publish music and you can find all kinds of music, just suited for your tastes. One of the consequences of this development is you don't need to sell a lot of music to be the top artist on any given streaming service. The positive side of this that you'll more often stumble upon music which is really good (like Espen's here ;-) ), by a relatively unknown artist. The downside is that any music more than 3 Teenagers decide to buy because it's edgy show up in the charts. There is a lot of both new and great music around, just waiting to be discovered. And even in the top 100, there's a lot of stuff you'll have to admit is not really bad, even if it's not your taste. Sorry for the long post ;-)
The sampling feature is only half of it. Everyone forgets that the SK-1 also has an additive synthesis feature for creating new voices. I think of it as a toy version of the FZ-1.
I had that keyboard and it was not a toy. It introduced me to sampling and wave synthesis. It possessed very fundamental feature but for an 11-12 year old kid, it prompted my fascination with synths, workstations, arrangers and keys in general.
Holy shit. My first time watching you. One second you’re normal TH-cam guy and then all of the sudden you bust out this ridiculously well done synth pop track.
This is pretty epic - was just looking at these on reverb as well as the Juno. Thanks for helping me make up my mind. Will definitely be using these on my upcoming record.
When I first started out... way back in 1984, I actually had that keyboard in 1985. Tonight, I'm watching your videos, and I am "really" happy.. as the majority of your videos..brings me right back to those good times.
I'm absolutely in love with the sound of your voice and the general vibe of your music. You definitely earned a new sub, can't wait for what comes next!
Omg. I had this keyboard when I was a child but didn't even realise how much you could do with this. Besides your singing is so much reminiscent of the 80s.
Thank you very much for upload this video! Casio SK-1 was my first keyboard, I enjoyed lot of time sampling sounds and playing in the keyboard. Thank you again!
I thought I was watching a review, but then you just drop an amazing song at the end, holy crap! Amazing job and thanks for the review! “So Sk1 does this, BTW here’s some fire;” hahaha
I got that bad boy for Christmas from my wife, back when it came out. I still have it. It always sounded toy-like, but you've given it much more power than I thought it could have! Time to take it out, and plug it in, to see what I can do with it.
Love it, especially the Pet Shop Boys tune! I really like what you did with the SK-1 and it evokes memories in the time that I used the SK-1 and then the SK-8. Then came the big work and I bought the FZ-1 with midi connection.
Nice work! I made several songs with my SK-1, start to finish, including the built-in presets. It's a great little instrument, and a good challenge as a musician. People may not be able to tell
Gosh, you still keep one of those I used to demo long long time ago lately I was reconnected with the Japanese guy retired from Casio. Still sound ok (usable I supposed) from this video of yours, thank you for reminding me - memories are made of these. Cheers!
Now I need an SK-1 too. I passed on one a couple months ago. I'm just not any good at samplers. I guess I still have a lot to learn. DX5, I love your DM covers too. You and Epsen should do a cover together. :) Take care, Sam.
Oh how I wish I still had mine.....you have done justice ...long over due to a fantastic piece of equipment....Thank you for the .....Sk1 thank you for your song!
I lowkey thought you were gonna play something real annoying that a lot of people play but man I enjoyed your track A LOT, Love it! Subscribing right now
I had that keyboard, got it for £69 at the local Comets in 1986 but I couldn't play the keyboard to save my life so I just burped into it and changed the effects. Good times but I quickly sold it to feed my next short lived fad (35 mm film photography).
This is the audio equivalent of making a masterpiece of hand drawn art with a humble, ordinary #2 HB wood pencil. Thank you for this beautiful music. It gives me inspiration for my own work.
Like you demonstrate in this video, it isn't really about the equipment you use, or is it? On TH-cam, you can find a lot of examples of talented people like yourself making better music on "toys" than other people using professional, high-end gear worth 50 times more. So, especially on a Black Friday, the conclusion must be: learn to use the synths/samplers you already own, to their full potentional, before you go out and by new gear. Easy to follow? NO!! :-) Great work, thanks for sharing!
Creative contraints. I have to fight to keep things reigned in; a challenge when so many options are available. Helps to have great sounds to sample. ;) That said, lots of homemade sounds, recorded with the in the studio, or with phone or a portable recorder, can make for fun sampling; birds, busses, children screaming in the playground, children's toys, hand drumming on surfaces and on and on...
The biggest takeaway is learning how to play Keys & Guitar. If you can play either of these its much easier to apply the mechanics of music theory to what you want to create.
Yeah it's first about the mindset and knowing how to get what you want, or at least what it is you like and want. And prioritizing/focusing. Foundation and vision usually comes before details and polish. Depending on how 80's you are ;)
Doing your worst and doing it with style, I say you nailed it. The SK-1 was not my first electronic musical instrument, but it was the first one I had which constitutes a “synthesizer”. I had it at the age of eight. I could only have dreamed about doing what you did.
My first ever keyboard. A love affair born. Excellent work there. I wish I'd had the skills to make a song 1% as good back then. Annoyingly, I sold my SK1 to help buy a four track recorder which would've made things more possible. Thanks for the nostalgia blast.
OUTSTANDING !!...SO BEAUTIFUL...SO IMAGINATIVE...SO ORIGINAL...SO 80 ' s.....AND SO BRITISH !!!...THE SAME FLAVOUR OF PET SHOP BOYS....!! ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO LISTEN TO YOUR TUTORIALS ESPEN...!!...GOOD WORK EVERY TIME !!
Is the MIDI interface kit still available? I wanted to do this a few years ago, but the MIDI interface I wanted to use was out of production by then. I've been thinking about building my own with an Arduino Nano.
@@diggydude5229 Yup, Highly Liquid still makes the interface I used for my Casio SK-1 AND my Yamaha CS01. They also have a "widget" which looks like it may be built on something like the Arduino and is supposed to add MIDI to almost anything.
My very first keyboard as a wee child. You also look like my dad when he was younger, a fellow Kraft! I absolutely love the song at the end. So wonderful and callllllm.
I agree. I had 1 in 1985, but it got stolen. Found 1 at a thrift store for $5, but it was dead. Even though I can do what an sk-1 can do & more on an ipad, I still would dig 1 that works.
@@jumpingman8160 Aw. May be patent related, but this one's got analogue filters if I remember right, may be confusing with another hidden treasure among what people consider toy keyboards, namely the MT-65 and its gorgeous drums.
@@Mamiya645 the Casios with analogue filters are: MT400V, CT410V, HT700/ 3000/ 6000, HZ600, MT600 and the FZ series samplers. With the exception of the HT6000, all have a single paraphonic filter for the main voice. The MT400V and CT410V can route any source through the filter (main voice, rhythm, drums and noise). The HT700 and 3000 have two independent filters, one for the main voice and once for the rhythm/ accompaniment section. The MT600 is a preset version of the HT700, and though it has a filter on its logic board you cannot access it from the front panel. It can be modified to take control of cut off and resonance it you are handy with a soldering iron. The HZ600 is an HT3000 minus the speakers and accompaniment section. The HT6000 flagship has eight independent filters, thus it does not retrigger the filter envelope with each key press. The FZ series samplers have a single filter adjustable for cut off and resonance. With the exception of the FZ, all the other Casios with analogue filters can be modified to increase the resonance and give greater cut off control range. External analogue control knobs can also be added to make it easy to adjust cut off and resonance in real time.
@@ChasD Aha, thanks! I find charm in these so that makes a useful list to note down. I think my people would call the sound at worst "lovingly cheesy" but as we hear here and in some of my own SK-1 creations never uploaded, so very capable!
Wow! I got this in 1985 for Christmas and I loved it I obviously couldn’t play it but thank you very much for showing genius on your use! Wow!!! Great job my friend!!!
Actually your song surprised me and many other people. My 1990 first Casio keyboard was similar to this one. I used to multitrack with tape including samples from the built in sampler. It was wild.
@@HOLLASOUNDS I saw a vid on youtube of someone using those pvc pipes set up like xylophone. He was using a paddle to play techno music on them. It sounded like a moog synth..
@@zibbezabba2491 Yes its became a popular streat instrument as anyone can make one and I'm not sure who was the first. It's very cool how electronic it sounds.
Incredible and amazing. You must have taken a trip from the 80s right to our days. Never thought a simple SK 1 could produce real synth music. Love this channel, Mr. Kraft!
I love my SK-1...i circuit bent it years ago ...i even uploaded samples of the drum sounds to hyperreal.org 20 years ago :0) btw...nice song you created towards the end!
@@EspenKraft Extremely catchy song! Love the 80s. Really sounds like Pet Shop Boys. Back in the days i had a Casio Sk8. My first touch with music making
Blown away by the quality of the song and the arrangement. Did not expect this at all when I searched for the Casio SK-1 on TH-cam. The main thing I learned here is that Espen Kraft is a very talented musician and songwriter. I'm curious to know which mic is being used for the voice.
Thanks for saying! :) I sing into the same mic that's featured in the video, the AKG D5, low cost, but very well suited for my voice. There's some processing going obviously though.. ;-) I have other mics as well, but this is often the best choice for me.
This is absolutely genius. First, it's a great song. Sounds, so good. I just did a video on the SK-1. I had one as a kid growing up in the 80's. I recently got one off Goodwill auctions. I noticed that when you sample, you get a "thud" before the sample plays. Not sure what that is, but you've managed to circumvent that with the slow attack. I had hours of fun playing with this keyboard as a kid. Now you've inspired me to see if I can make a song with it! Can't wait to see what's next. Great channel.
Heftig børse! :-) Tenk at storheter som feks Depeche Mode gjemte seg bak svære, tunge og dyre maskiner som Emulator II når de kunne gjort "nesten" samme jobben med denne nette lille saken :-D Dette var en artig video og resultatet ble overraskende bra.
Man, that took me back to childhood, and then beyond! Gonna have to find a good sampling 'board now to make some polyphonic use out of the great mono sounds I get out of my analog synth. What a great idea!
Bought one of those when it first came out, drove my parents mad.........sampled sheep etc! A work mate into music production heard mine and bought one that lunchtime, he later played me a track in which he had sampled his girlfriend. Your wonderful track sounds like the Pet shop boys :) David
I found my old sk-1 in my parents back yard after 15 years. She was using it to cover a hole in the bottom of a fence to keep her little dog from getting out. I took it home and cleaned it up. Replaced the speaker (the original had rotted) and amazingly it worked! Of course I covered the hole in the fence with something else before I left!
Your voice sounds very close to Neil Tennant, so the Pet Shop Boys-esque backing track was a great choice.
Thanks! :)
I was thinking the same. Ha! I scrubbed the video a bit while he was sampling. To my amazement, his voice was totally unexpected. I dig it; the sound and song.
Same thought, really cool😎
Indeed, very good.
yeah.. you nailed it!! if I didnt know better I thought it was a unreleased PSB b-side..
This could easily be a Pet Shop Boys hit in the days. Very nice arrangement. Simple but really effective!
Awesome, thanks! :)
Agreed. I love the vibe. Excellent song.
I was going to say, "That sounds amazingly Pet Shop Boys," but I see I'm not the only one that thought that. :)
Cheers!
I was going to say exactly that, this guy sounds so much like Neil Tennant when he sings and this song sounds so much like something Pet Shop Boys would record.
I really didn’t expect you to put down vocals. It made the track go from charming, to a full and impressive track of warmth and synth.
Thanks for saying that Alex! I think it sounds so much better doing it all when you demo like this, so it was fun :)
You can spend £1000000 on a fairlight, but you can never buy talent & charisma like Espen has. Best most inspiring synth channel on TH-cam imo.
This is exceptionally good, an absolute banger.
Cheers!
Inspirational. I think you shocked us all with a full song AND vocals! I can't get over that an SK-1, some multitracking, effects and your voice did THIS. I am sitting here, smiling with admiration, liking the tune and thinking about getting off my own a**e and making some music myself!
This was my very first synthesizer. OMG if my mom would've heard my "toy" make these sounds! Absolutely brilliant!!!
Sweet!
The real accomplishment is playing so well on those mini-keys. That takes talent.
I prefer mini keys, full size are unwieldy and I hate piano weighted keys. A keystep 37 is about the most weighting I will tolerate in a set of keys
mine spent a lot of it's life with the funky drummer loop going non-stop while we rapped over it..
Simpler times..
James Brown is my favoirite artist, and without him, we wouldn't have other genres, like Hip-Hop, Jungle, and, Drum N Bass, as we know them today
I still remember hearing the drum loop, for Funky Drummer, for the first time in the 80's, and thinking to myself, what is this beat, and where can I find it
You're an absolute mad man, haha! I could have never imagined using this thing to make a full track like that, some real creativity right there :)
The sound of the SK-1 reminds me a lot of Amiga MOD trackers - very gritty and lo-fi but charming.
Mad is good! Thanks :)
Good old time of Aegis Sonix ;-)
I've been listening to this song for a year and only just now discovered it was made on the underpowered SK1. That's a real testament to your composition skills! And production skills! I hope spring has finally sprung in Norway. Cheers. ☀️🌷
It was a fun exercise. ;-) The spring is well blossomed here luckily, but I wouldn't mind a little increase in temperature. It's still on the cooler side for my liking. Cheers :D
Wow! I had no idea the SK-1 was that versatile! I found one at a thrift store for a couple bucks a few months ago and this video motivates me to mess around with it.
hope you've discovered the envelope control in the last couple years. Being able to do that to any of your samples OR the built in sounds makes it even more versatile.
italo disco legend. love you man
Thanks for saying! :)
Awesome bit of sampling, you have an almost Pet Shop Boys vocal style . Love the 80's
Awesome, thanks! :)
Nice video and track. The first keyboard I ever bought in 1987! 👍👍👍
Cheers!
We had one for our rudimentary production in the late 80's in home studios. Casio was real-deal innovating with this joint.
I love that your first segment played here was Axel-F ... I drove the employees at the local "Kerr Drugstore" (at Strickland Rd Shopping Center in Raleigh, NC) insane during the fall of 1986 by playing Axel-F on this keyboard while I waited anxiously for Christmas to arrive.. It was the *only* thing I asked for and wanted that year!
As a kid I used to jam around on Casio keyboards like the SK-1 in a department store in Venlo, The Netherlands, until the manager threw me out. That's where my love for synthesizers started. Thank you Espen for this souvenir. Love it!
Cool story Frank, thanks for watching and commenting! :)
this is super clean
The song is actually sick. Really well done. Love the vocal melody and your voice tone is very nice too.
So beautiful 80's Italo/Synthpop, thanks a lot Mr. Kraft!
Thanks Sal! :)
yeehaaa....!!!
The sk-1 is a classic sampler used by lofi artists the world over. They fetch big bucks these days if they’re in good condition. It Offers an immediacy and tactile experience that a daw never will, and it’s extremely fun. Also it runs on batteries 👊
I got mine a couple of years ago for $40 paired with a R/S Concertmate keyboard. Traded off the R/S one for a boxed VIC-20 plus cassette player. It took me a while and a lot of digging on Offer Up, CL, and FBMP, but I found it on CL.
OMG! Old school FREESTYLE right here. Love this video my friend.
Awesome, thanks! :)
Please keep doing what you do Espen!
Will do! Thanks Andrew! :)
I had an SK-1 but it was stolen. Great little sampler, still useful in the right hands!
I had the SK-60 when I was about 9. I remember that click that means the recording is finished so clearly haha. Great keyboards
Yet again, I am blown away! You never cease to amaze me! I have an SK-1 and have never been able to make it do THIS! You have given me new hope for my little keyboard :D
Use it! :) Thanks again
Showed this to my buddy yesterday. After the melody started, he said, "woah Pet Shop Boys!" When you started singing, his mouth dropped... "whaaaaat?!"
Nice, happy to hear it :)
As soon as you play the lofi sample back there's bags of character added. What a fun little machine.
To me it's a great way of laying sweet memories of this to rest and a closure to that desire I had back then to own it. It was fun making this track to show its capabilities.
It's was cool until you start singing. And it became magic ! Nice !
Sweet, thanks! :)
Seriously, was not expecting such a professional voice! Not sure what I was expecting, maybe I've been on TH-cam too long?
Any tips for the vocal effects you use?
That was the first keyboard I touched in my life, owned by an old friend back at my school days..... wow great memories. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers! :D
Your lyrics are relatable and down-to-earth.
I hope so, thanks! :)
Down to earth and not up to spirit
While I agree with you, I also remember my parents said that about the music I liked and here we are, a new generation of parents, saying the same things. :-) There's a lot of trash in the charts, and has always been, and there's a lot of good music, too.
@PianoMan 2018 I must admit that I don't like much of the lyrics in chart music these days. What happened to elegant and non-offensive use of the language? I must be getting old.. ;-)
@PianoMan 2018 I think the Internet has both done good and bad to what's happening in pop music. Anyone can publish music and you can find all kinds of music, just suited for your tastes. One of the consequences of this development is you don't need to sell a lot of music to be the top artist on any given streaming service. The positive side of this that you'll more often stumble upon music which is really good (like Espen's here ;-) ), by a relatively unknown artist. The downside is that any music more than 3 Teenagers decide to buy because it's edgy show up in the charts. There is a lot of both new and great music around, just waiting to be discovered. And even in the top 100, there's a lot of stuff you'll have to admit is not really bad, even if it's not your taste. Sorry for the long post ;-)
Good stuff , for sure .👍
I never took the SK1 seriously, as it looks like a toy. But you really show off it's potential here, very nice!
Cheers! :D
The sampling feature is only half of it. Everyone forgets that the SK-1 also has an additive synthesis feature for creating new voices. I think of it as a toy version of the FZ-1.
I had that keyboard and it was not a toy. It introduced me to sampling and wave synthesis. It possessed very fundamental feature but for an 11-12 year old kid, it prompted my fascination with synths, workstations, arrangers and keys in general.
Wow. Sir you sound so much like the man from Pet Shop Boys. I like what you did with this sampler synth. That was very creative. Have a great day.
Thank you Norma! I appreciate you taking the time to comment :)
Nice tune man! Goes to show it's not the gear but what you can do with it.
My first keyboard when I was a little girl! Memories!
Holy shit. My first time watching you. One second you’re normal TH-cam guy and then all of the sudden you bust out this ridiculously well done synth pop track.
This is pretty epic - was just looking at these on reverb as well as the Juno. Thanks for helping me make up my mind. Will definitely be using these on my upcoming record.
When I first started out... way back in 1984, I actually had that keyboard in 1985. Tonight, I'm watching your videos, and I am "really" happy.. as the majority of your videos..brings me right back to those good times.
That's great to hear and totally what my channel is about, providing a journey back :) Thanks
I'm absolutely in love with the sound of your voice and the general vibe of your music. You definitely earned a new sub, can't wait for what comes next!
Thank you very much for saying and your support! :) New video out tomorrow...
Same here this guys nuts.
Omg. I had this keyboard when I was a child but didn't even realise how much you could do with this. Besides your singing is so much reminiscent of the 80s.
Thanks! It's just one of these things begging to make it as 80s as possible ;-)
Amazing voice! Perfect for this 80ties celebration. I like All of your Videos.
Awesome, thanks for saying! :)
Thank you very much for upload this video! Casio SK-1 was my first keyboard, I enjoyed lot of time sampling sounds and playing in the keyboard. Thank you again!
My pleasure, thanks for watching! :)
your creativity is limitless! I'm glad I stumbled across your channel the sk-1 is an amazing little keyboard!
Thanks a lot! :)
You’ve answered your question brilliantly! Nailed that eighties feel 😃
Super, thanks for saying! :)
I thought I was watching a review, but then you just drop an amazing song at the end, holy crap! Amazing job and thanks for the review!
“So Sk1 does this, BTW here’s some fire;” hahaha
Sweet, thanks for saying! :)
Seriously
I got that bad boy for Christmas from my wife, back when it came out. I still have it. It always sounded toy-like, but you've given it much more power than I thought it could have!
Time to take it out, and plug it in, to see what I can do with it.
Love it, especially the Pet Shop Boys tune! I really like what you did with the SK-1 and it evokes memories in the time that I used the SK-1 and then the SK-8. Then came the big work and I bought the FZ-1 with midi connection.
Thanks for saying! :)
Nice work! I made several songs with my SK-1, start to finish, including the built-in presets. It's a great little instrument, and a good challenge as a musician. People may not be able to tell
Thanks! :)
Pet Shop Boys!
That's what i was thinking!
What is the name of this music begining on 3:50? Thanks.
Gosh, you still keep one of those I used to demo long long time ago lately I was reconnected with the Japanese guy retired from Casio. Still sound ok (usable I supposed) from this video of yours, thank you for reminding me - memories are made of these. Cheers!
It's really only about the sampling on the SK-1, that's why I keep it. It was fun though. to make a whole track out of it :)
Fantastic. I've just dusted out my SK-1 a while ago, and I still love it.
Thank you! It's a great little thing. Love your DM covers btw! :)
@@EspenKraft Thank you!
Now I need an SK-1 too. I passed on one a couple months ago. I'm just not any good at samplers. I guess I still have a lot to learn. DX5, I love your DM covers too. You and Epsen should do a cover together. :) Take care, Sam.
@@machiwoomiapoo Thanks Sam. We should manage to do a Synth Meeting someday, somewhere. But I guess we all are too far from each other ;)
DX5 .... Hey DX5.... I actually owned one for about 3 years back in the 80's. What a brontosaurus!!!!
Every time I start watching these videos, I start out unconvinced--THEN YOU TOTALLY NAIL IT.
Great stuff!
Cheers!
Great work Espen! This is my daughter's favorite keyboard right now.
Thanks! :)
Oh how I wish I still had mine.....you have done justice ...long over due to a fantastic piece of equipment....Thank you for the .....Sk1 thank you for your song!
Thanks for saying! :)
I lowkey thought you were gonna play something real annoying that a lot of people play but man I enjoyed your track A LOT, Love it! Subscribing right now
Hey, thank you very much! :)
Such a cute track, totally 80s. A little Casio was my first keyboard around that time, so really took me back! Thanks Espen x
Thanks again Susan! :)
I had that keyboard, got it for £69 at the local Comets in 1986 but I couldn't play the keyboard to save my life so I just burped into it and changed the effects. Good times but I quickly sold it to feed my next short lived fad (35 mm film photography).
This is the audio equivalent of making a masterpiece of hand drawn art with a humble, ordinary #2 HB wood pencil. Thank you for this beautiful music. It gives me inspiration for my own work.
Hey, awesome! Thanks for saying. If I can inspire you to make more music yourself it's great. :)
Like you demonstrate in this video, it isn't really about the equipment you use, or is it? On TH-cam, you can find a lot of examples of talented people like yourself making better music on "toys" than other people using professional, high-end gear worth 50 times more. So, especially on a Black Friday, the conclusion must be: learn to use the synths/samplers you already own, to their full potentional, before you go out and by new gear. Easy to follow? NO!! :-) Great work, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for saying! Limitation forces creativity! :)
Creative contraints. I have to fight to keep things reigned in; a challenge when so many options are available. Helps to have great sounds to sample. ;) That said, lots of homemade sounds, recorded with the in the studio, or with phone or a portable recorder, can make for fun sampling; birds, busses, children screaming in the playground, children's toys, hand drumming on surfaces and on and on...
The biggest takeaway is learning how to play Keys & Guitar. If you can play either of these its much easier to apply the mechanics of music theory to what you want to create.
Someone with experience can hear a sound and know how to manipulate it to sound good, no amount of expensive gear can teach someone that.
Yeah it's first about the mindset and knowing how to get what you want, or at least what it is you like and want.
And prioritizing/focusing. Foundation and vision usually comes before details and polish.
Depending on how 80's you are ;)
Doing your worst and doing it with style, I say you nailed it.
The SK-1 was not my first electronic musical instrument, but it was the first one I had which constitutes a “synthesizer”. I had it at the age of eight. I could only have dreamed about doing what you did.
Thanks! (I guess he-he) ...
Giving consumer-grade electronics a professional touch is no mean fete.
Super... deine Musik klingt kompositorisch immer instant nach 1987. Hut ab.
Danke! Thanks Stephan! :)
Love comes quickly. Whatever I do, I can't stop watching. My new favorite video.
THANK YOU for that tasty treat of a tune at the end! KEEP UP THE AwEsOmE WORK and wouldn't ya know my weekend just started ;)
Many thanks man enjoy your weekend! :)
My first ever keyboard. A love affair born. Excellent work there. I wish I'd had the skills to make a song 1% as good back then. Annoyingly, I sold my SK1 to help buy a four track recorder which would've made things more possible. Thanks for the nostalgia blast.
Thank you for the comments, the SK-1 can still work very well. :)
OUTSTANDING !!...SO BEAUTIFUL...SO IMAGINATIVE...SO ORIGINAL...SO 80 ' s.....AND SO BRITISH !!!...THE SAME FLAVOUR OF PET SHOP BOYS....!! ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO LISTEN TO YOUR TUTORIALS ESPEN...!!...GOOD WORK EVERY TIME !!
Thanks Marius, I appreciate it! :)
@@EspenKraft my pleasure !
Has a distinctive 8 bit sampled sound to it which is cool and can be used to colour and texture samples. Nice work on the track.
Cheers!
I've added a MIDI interface to my SK-1 making a great little studio tool.
Is the MIDI interface kit still available? I wanted to do this a few years ago, but the MIDI interface I wanted to use was out of production by then. I've been thinking about building my own with an Arduino Nano.
@@diggydude5229 Yup, Highly Liquid still makes the interface I used for my Casio SK-1 AND my Yamaha CS01. They also have a "widget" which looks like it may be built on something like the Arduino and is supposed to add MIDI to almost anything.
My very first keyboard as a wee child. You also look like my dad when he was younger, a fellow Kraft!
I absolutely love the song at the end. So wonderful and callllllm.
Many thanks!
Hey, Behringer. Clone this!
I agree. I had 1 in 1985, but it got stolen. Found 1 at a thrift store for $5, but it was dead. Even though I can do what an sk-1 can do & more on an ipad, I still would dig 1 that works.
@@jumpingman8160 Aw. May be patent related, but this one's got analogue filters if I remember right, may be confusing with another hidden treasure among what people consider toy keyboards, namely the MT-65 and its gorgeous drums.
@@jumpingman8160 like the Prophet VS: with a decent filter
@@Mamiya645 the Casios with analogue filters are: MT400V, CT410V, HT700/ 3000/ 6000, HZ600, MT600 and the FZ series samplers. With the exception of the HT6000, all have a single paraphonic filter for the main voice. The MT400V and CT410V can route any source through the filter (main voice, rhythm, drums and noise). The HT700 and 3000 have two independent filters, one for the main voice and once for the rhythm/ accompaniment section. The MT600 is a preset version of the HT700, and though it has a filter on its logic board you cannot access it from the front panel. It can be modified to take control of cut off and resonance it you are handy with a soldering iron. The HZ600 is an HT3000 minus the speakers and accompaniment section. The HT6000 flagship has eight independent filters, thus it does not retrigger the filter envelope with each key press. The FZ series samplers have a single filter adjustable for cut off and resonance.
With the exception of the FZ, all the other Casios with analogue filters can be modified to increase the resonance and give greater cut off control range. External analogue control knobs can also be added to make it easy to adjust cut off and resonance in real time.
@@ChasD Aha, thanks! I find charm in these so that makes a useful list to note down. I think my people would call the sound at worst "lovingly cheesy" but as we hear here and in some of my own SK-1 creations never uploaded, so very capable!
Awesome! I'm surprised that I genuinely love the final track you produced with the SK1! Well done!
Nice, thanks for saying! :)
AMAZING WORK SIR!
Thanks foe saying! :)
Wow! I got this in 1985 for Christmas and I loved it I obviously couldn’t play it but thank you very much for showing genius on your use! Wow!!! Great job my friend!!!
Thank you very much! :)
This should be a huge hit!
Chapeau bas for making a decent production with such a simple tool :). Also, you have a very soothing voice.
Many thanks!
Harrison Ford singing with the Pet Shop Boys!
10 👍
Actually your song surprised me and many other people. My 1990 first Casio keyboard was similar to this one. I used to multitrack with tape including samples from the built in sampler. It was wild.
The sampled string sound, sounds like an AMIGA computer 😀
This was fantastic, the best use I've seen of the Sk-1 yet.
Sweet, thanks! :)
When one possesses the knowledge it's possible to make music even with a handful of gravel and sticks
Really? I haven't seen anyone try that on youtube. Perhaps you could give us a demonstration?
@@zibbezabba2491 How about 5 plastic tubs on the street? Or how about PVC pipe streat music?
@@HOLLASOUNDS I saw a vid on youtube of someone using those pvc pipes set up like xylophone. He was using a paddle to play techno music on them. It sounded like a moog synth..
@@zibbezabba2491 Yes its became a popular streat instrument as anyone can make one and I'm not sure who was the first. It's very cool how electronic it sounds.
@@HOLLASOUNDS I know, it blew me away. Some very inventive people out there.
Incredible and amazing. You must have taken a trip from the 80s right to our days. Never thought a simple SK 1 could produce real synth music. Love this channel, Mr. Kraft!
I lived in the 80s so I only have to think back to make some music. ;-)
I love my SK-1...i circuit bent it years ago ...i even uploaded samples of the drum sounds to hyperreal.org 20 years ago :0) btw...nice song you created towards the end!
Thanks! :)
Man, this is a really catchy tune :) Thank you for composing, thank you for the song :D
Awesome, thanks! :)
Very cool! Thank you Mr. Tennant ... i mean Mr. Kraft :)
He-eh.. thanks! :)
@@EspenKraft Extremely catchy song! Love the 80s. Really sounds like Pet Shop Boys. Back in the days i had a Casio Sk8. My first touch with music making
Blown away by the quality of the song and the arrangement. Did not expect this at all when I searched for the Casio SK-1 on TH-cam. The main thing I learned here is that Espen Kraft is a very talented musician and songwriter. I'm curious to know which mic is being used for the voice.
Thanks for saying! :) I sing into the same mic that's featured in the video, the AKG D5, low cost, but very well suited for my voice. There's some processing going obviously though.. ;-)
I have other mics as well, but this is often the best choice for me.
@@EspenKraft Thank you!
the hats are absolutely fantastic !! Great demo thanks :) :) :)
Sweet, thanks! :)
Just finished watching this video. AMAZING what you can do with limited tools and great creativity. You have a nice "Synth-Pop" voice.
Awesome, thanks for saying! Track out on Spotify now. :)
Proof you don't have to have a pile of stuff.
But goddamn is it ever fun having all that stuff
That studio he is in seems like a pile of stuff to me :)
love whatever youre doing with the vocal chain. sweet lokey track too
Awesome, thanks!
pet shop boys-y :) awesome vid.
Awesome, thanks! :)
This is absolutely genius. First, it's a great song. Sounds, so good. I just did a video on the SK-1. I had one as a kid growing up in the 80's. I recently got one off Goodwill auctions. I noticed that when you sample, you get a "thud" before the sample plays. Not sure what that is, but you've managed to circumvent that with the slow attack. I had hours of fun playing with this keyboard as a kid. Now you've inspired me to see if I can make a song with it! Can't wait to see what's next. Great channel.
Many thanks! :)
Heftig børse! :-) Tenk at storheter som feks Depeche Mode gjemte seg bak svære, tunge og dyre maskiner som Emulator II når de kunne gjort "nesten" samme jobben med denne nette lille saken :-D Dette var en artig video og resultatet ble overraskende bra.
Great track Espen, always have your songs playing in my car. This one is worthy for a full release too!
Awesome, thanks for saying! :) I might release this later with a little rework in sounds I think.
Отлично! Как и всегда!
Thanks! :)
Man, that took me back to childhood, and then beyond! Gonna have to find a good sampling 'board now to make some polyphonic use out of the great mono sounds I get out of my analog synth. What a great idea!
Sounds like pet shop boys
Bought one of those when it first came out, drove my parents mad.........sampled sheep etc! A work mate into music production heard mine and bought one that lunchtime, he later played me a track in which he had sampled his girlfriend. Your wonderful track sounds like the Pet shop boys :) David
Awesome, thanks! :)