Please remember the eligibility criteria that was used for this Top 10 list when making suggestions! To make the list, the keyboards had to meet one or more of the following requirements: "Casio keyboards that have featured prominently on hit recordings, made appearances with well know bands on stage and in promo videos, and also that were spotted on TV." When making suggestions, please also state WHERE the Casio was confirmed as being used, i.e. artist/ band/ song, promo video, TV appearance, hit recording etc. There's been many great Casio revelations in the comments, but there have been a number asking "why wasn't Casio in this list?" If the model didn't meet the criteria above, or there aren't validated sources confirming its appearance/ use, it wouldn't make the list! Also please bear in mind the date that this video was published - 20th December 2022. I've started getting comments asking why the Casiotone Thriller "Frog" Keyboard didn't make the list. That's because the Thriller Frog Casiotone knowledge didn't come to light until 11th August 2023 thanks to Anthony Maranelli's video - "MJ’s Thriller Frog Bass - The Search", that was published eight months after my video. I didn't include the Thriller Frog Casiotone because at the time I researched and published my video, it wasn't yet known about! Lastly, I want to address the SK series and why they weren't included (though I did point out a sighting of an SK-1 in the Yaz/ Coldcut - "Doctorin' the House" promo video shown during the FZ segment). No doubt that the SK's are super little keyboards, and I actually have three of my own. There are a good number of mentions online that allegedly used one, and many synth sites/ forums have lists of artists that are said to have used them, but actually finding 100% proof that an SK was used on a hit recording surprisingly didn't come up with much. Again I refer to the eligibility criteria that had to be met to make the list, and unless I could confirm that an SK was being used on a recording and/ or could clearly see it on stage/ TV/ promo video, it wouldn't be eligible. Meanwhile, all the keyboards that did make the list were confirmed via the promo videos, TV appearances, concert footage, audio from a hit song, magazine articles, interviews etc. that were all shown during this Top 10 Famous Casio Keyboards video.
I have bought the VL Tone 1979! 😉 bought for 149 DM. At Neckermann! I then saw "Trio" live in a small club in 1981, shortly before they became famous, in Germany. The Casio was used a lot in this concert! They only had the Casio, a guitar, a very reduced set of drums and a megaphone! After that I had an SK1 which I gave to my little nephew after he broke the VL Tone 🤪 Then came an MT70 and a CZ5000! There are all gone...🥴 I'm currently selling my Casio CT-S 400 and bought a CT-500! The next big thing from Casio! Basically the new “Synclavier” Nice and interesting video, a little journey back in time, thank you! ❤
The secret is: Every great band (and as we can see in this video also lesser great artists) used a Casio at some point. Most of them were embarrassed and didn't show it publicly. And every great artists wishes that Casio would come back with an updated new great Phase Distortion-Synth.
Great video! Back in December 1981 (in)famous anarcho-punk band Crass released a "xmas record" (under the pseudonym of C.R.A.S.S. Creative Recording And Sound Services). The record is basically a compilation of excerpts of various Crass songs all played on a Casio keyboard.
Thank you! I forget how I found those pics of Hiroku, but I think they were in a more recent online Japanese article that I stumbled on while researching for this video. Thanks for all your work too, you did such a good and definitive job of covering the MT-40 and Sleng Teng story that it made sense to use clips from your video and point people to it for reference!
@BlindLibrary I believe I still have one, but I should spend some time cleaning it up. Some of the keys get stuck down, and aren't very smooth in playing it. Still works, I believe. Smiles.
*Thank you for producing a video just for me, I am honored.* Of course there are friends and many others _Who I’ve turned kinda stuff on to over the decades._
I had a casio PT-30 around 1982?? I remember it had a tape interface where an optional module could be slotted into the back to enable data recording... Some years later I acquired one of these modules from a car boot! Talk about a rare find... Wish I'd hung onto it
The Sk-1 only had 2.5 seconds of sampling but that was all we wanted, the sampler. The synth sounds and drums were unimportant. Every kid I knew had 2. I had 4 of them. The Sk-1 should have been number 1. We sampled records at 45 or 78 rpm to get long loops. The SK-1 quiet as kept was sold everywhere and my friends and associates snatched them all up with the quickness Until the Rise of ENSONIQ, EMU and AKAI.
The SK-1 has 1.4 seconds of sampling time. The later SK models had more (and the ability to hold up to four samples), such as my SK-60 that can hold nearly 4 seconds of samples. There aren't many incidences of the SK-1 being used on hit records or being featured in pop promo videos/ on TV, that's why it didn't make the "Famous" list. I plan to do a "Best Casio keyboards of the 1980s", and for that it most certainly would be included.
@@CasioChaosTheory I can think of two songs that featured the SK-1 - Nu Shooz's dance hit "I Can't Wait" has a main hook with an edited version of the Human Voice patch. And Timbuk3 had a song on their Eden Alley album called "Sample The Dog" which definitely has a distinctively SK-1 sounding sample going through it. Knowing Pat MacDonald's penchant for simple setups I wouldn't be surprised if he had one in his arsenal.
New subscriber here. Proud to say I have an MT500, PT30, Sk1 an MT68 which was used as the intro to Acorn Antiques on Victoria Wood’s sketch show. I also have an VLtone 10 which was always confused with the VL1 but it’s actually different, it’s silver and a lot smaller and has a key ring on the side. Love the channel 👍🏾😱
HONORABLE MENTION: Casiotone 401 - Michael Jackson's "Thriller", one of the biggest hits on the planet - layered bass sound coming in prior to Vincent Price's spoken lyric. This is now documented on Anthony Marinelli's channel in his chat with Steven Ray. They call it "frog sound" - supposedly Quincy Jones' Casio was used to ad that extra spice to the Arp2600 bass. Timeless. 👍
I've got three Casios in amongst my studio's synths... The CheeZy 101. This thing has scary bass capabilities. Not only Kevin Saunderson's "reese bass", but it has the ability to generate very powerful but basic low end sounds. One live set that I did back in the 1990s had mine driven by the MIDI out from a 909 and used this BRUTAL bass patch. I remember looking around the venue, an abandoned factory, and noticing the old-style unbreakable windows. I had another look after the set...and the closest ones to the subs (about 25 kW on those) were now shot full of little cracks. The VL-tone, I've had since they came out. One thing I like about it (besides the downright weird patch programming...surprised you didn't mention that) is that the cleanness of the sound makes it a perfect candidate for extensive audio processing; there's probably a lot of "hidden VL-tone tracks" out there where the little bugger is slathered with effects. And an SK-5. Odd how the SK series didn't turn up in the video, as it and the SK-1 have been faves of the lo-fi, noise and industrial scenes for some time now. The gritty, nasty sampling quality makes it perfect for those, not to mention early hip-hop. The SKs are also very popular as "starting material" in the circuit bending scene, with lots of potential troublemaking possibilities lurking behind the front panel. The only other mini keyboard of this type that's garnered that sort of respect is the Yamaha VSS-30...same idea, but with FM sounds and pretty extensive sample-mangling options that are largely missing from the SKs. Still got that, too. Synthesists ignore Casio at their peril. The "Cheezies" are, as far as I'm concerned, de rigeur synths. Phase distortion synthesis is powerful AF, plus the power gets crammed into the tiny and easily-transportable instrument, creating a very deceptively-capable sound machine. Love these things!
Just spotted a short from a yet to be interview from Rick Beato with Stuart Copeland , Police Drummer. The short is all about how a Casio keyboard inspired the track Spirits of the Material World. No details given as to which model it was.
Thanks for the heads up! Both for the Casio used in The Police song, and also for the forthcoming Rick Beato interview with Stewart Copeland. I'm a fan of Rick's channel, and Stewart Copeland is one of my all time favorite drummers!
Excelent video! I love all the old PT, MT, CT, SA, especially the small ones, and I use a lot of them in my videos!... these equipment were used in the music industry around the world by great artists, so these instruments would be considered 'keyboards for beginner, or toys'? By no means... what will determine whether an instrument is for children or not, is what you will use that instrument for... you can have a Nord Lead at home and just play basic songs like jingle bells or gather the family to play small Christmas pieces... would that make it a home instrument, for a beginner? That's the question... a 'beginner' musical instrument would be extremely useful in a mega studio, for big artists, would that make them professional keyboards? Sure, why not? Those who make the instrument professional are those who use it.
Good call! There were many incidences of the VL-1 being used on hit recordings, so many that I couldn't come close to including all of them in the video! I stuck to the most significant and well known appearances, where it could clearly be seen and/ or heard. It really is quite remarkable that such a small, inexpensive and low end keyboard made such a big mark on popular music!
@@CasioChaosTheory You know what they say: "it's not the size of your tools that matters, it's how (well) you use them." (Something to that effect !) Nice little beastie, that VL-1, and I had a Casio MT model, as well. Sadly, that one is gone, not sure what happened to it, but I aim to find one - new or some form of used, or in need of repair. Will have to look and see if I can discover what model of MT it was. There's an old photo someone took of me, my friend Teresa, and that Casio MT unit. Somewhere I still have the VL-1. :) Both sweet women were lovable all around. Awesome video, and one last thing: That smallish Casio with the ROM cart, I had one of those units, but not the exact one, with a similar ROM PAK. That was such a neat thing ! Edit: fixed a couple typos and added last sentence.
I have a Casio Tonebank CT 636 which I bought in the late 80s. Apart from not making many famous public appearances, how does it fit in with the rest of the popular electronic keyboards?
I can't believe that Casio CT-401 is not on this list. It was used in the main song of the most selling album of all time - Michael Jackson - Thriller! The iconic froggie sound at the end is a preset of Casio CT-401 and been confirmed that they really use it from a Casio CT-401 that MJ owned back then.
Thanks for commenting, though I ask you to please look at the date my video was published - 20th December 2022. The MJ Thriller Frog preset knowledge didn't come to light until the 1st Anthony Maranelli video - "MJ’s Thriller Frog Bass - The Search" that was published 11th August 2023, eight months after I published mine. Therefore, as my video predates the Casio Thriller "Frog" revelation date by eight months, I couldn't include information that was not yet known! If I were to compile my top ten list today, it would of course have made the list. Please also feel free to check out the video I published just last month where I covered the Casio "Frog" models in great detail: th-cam.com/video/yuST-vvVsto/w-d-xo.htmlsi=d4fNNuYJznxCACDx
Not to mention with the MT-100 that Lorraine Bowen (Britain's Got Talent 2015) won the golden buzzer playing her original song with the keyboard's auto-accomp feature!
My all-time favorite Casio synths were the Spectrum Dynamic series, most of which had a model number starting with "HT." Casio developed that line after Yamaha sued them over the Phase Distortion (CZ) series being a ripoff of their FM synths (DX series).
My most beloved VL-1 track is on "Schneider with The Kick"' ' s '82 album "Exposed_ track No. 6 "Out For The Night", a well done, still kind of unusual New Wave track.
@@CasioChaosTheory Thank you very much for listening, hopefully it's the same song because it starts with the Rock 2 pattern acting as the complete song's metronome.
I'm sorry I am late - but this is a marvellous documentary, CCT! It is on par with the great TH-cam synth documentaries by Alex Ball, Keen on Keys and David Attenuator! The FZ-1 has definitely deserved rank 3, I got a lot of interesting insights I never expected! I really have to replace the disc drive in mine with a modern USB drive, I couldn't fix mine :(
If you ever have to ship the FZ-1, be sure to add a massive amount of padding to both ends. When dropped on end, the heavy bottom part has more inertia than the lightweight plastic top part, which will shatter on impact. I bought two FZ-1s, both of which were damaged in shipping. One was shipped in an Anvil Forge case with maybe a half inch of space between the end of the keyboard and the padded inner wall of the case, and it still broke. Fortunately I was able to make a complete FZ-1 from the two, with a parts unit besides.
Another famoius song of the Nineties in which the VL-1 appeared was "Your woman" by White town, playing the piano melody and some unmistakeable beats towards the end of the song 😀
I have only one of them, but it's number 1. In fact it's my only synth. I couldn't find the exact Casio keyboard they used (if any), but I thought you would mention Ruby Vroom's Casiotone Nation. Go check it if you don't know them already. Cheers!
Very cool video. it shows that even "toys" can be powerful in the right hands. I learned a lot here. I myself got the beautiful looking 403, with wooden case and old-school swithces. It is used by the keyboardist in the Australian band Parcels.
I once owned and started out with a Casio PT-80 back in the eighties. Now I own a Casio CT-X 3000 keyboard featured on my more recent TH-cam channel music videos. Casio is an icon in affordable and sometimes quirky keyboards. Trio is one of my favorite retro bands of the eighties. Another Trio hit was Boom Boom, classic stuff!
The song Push it by Salt N Peppa was actually recorded with the Casio CZ1 which I saw in one of their MTV videos, not the live but actual Music video. All that time I thought it was a Roland D50 being played when I was a kid and when I moved to the mainland USA and saw MTV, I saw it was a Casio CZ1! That they used a CZ101 for the live shows is not a surprise and makes sense since the CZ1 was heavy and prone to damages from touring but the CZ101 was light and small and ideal for touring. CASIO.. where miracles never do cease!
In the Dutch speaking part of the world, the Netherlands and Flanders, we have a song : ‘Het loze vissertje’ About a ‘fisherman’ Des winters als het regent, dan zijn de paadjes diep. Dan komt het loze vissertje, al vissen in het riet ….
I found a video on TH-cam for ‘Het loze vissertje’, and I can certainly hear some similarities with the VL-1's "German Folk Song"/ "Unterlanders Heimweh"!
No mention of everybody's favorite, the SK-1? It was like a toy version of the FZ-1 in capabilities, with a sampler and additive synthesizer. I had a huge collection of Casio keyboards at one time. I was never able to acquire an AZ-1 keytar, unfortunately.
I am a fine musician I practice every day And when I < something something > Can you come and hear me play. 'Twas a childs song in the '70s from a childrens TV skoe in Austratia. So, way before the Casio VL1 demo song.
14:54 The rythms used in that lovesong are written deeply to my memory... I had SA-20 ,so it could be this, or related model (SA-10, or so...) Anyway,great work, great video !
Thanks for that! The drum sounds do come across as late 80s/ early 90s smaller Casios, and that would definitely tie them in with the SA series. thumb 👍
Have you ever looked into the "I Just Wanna See" by Smash Mouth's Astro Lounge album? I definitely here a Casio rhythm in the background. It might be a MT-100 model.
Had the VL-tone as a kid followed by the cz 101, a band called Trio released a tune called "da da da da" which used the little VL. Commenting early in video so youre prib gonna mention it. Lol.
Anyone have info on the Casio HT-6000 ??? I have one. Would love to have a manual for all the options. Would especially love to find the internal disc or cassette.🧐
I like! You missed some: The Fashion Police used Casios on their 1988 album "A Secret Policeman Patrols The Night" and I remember hearing an interview with Richard Butler of The Psychedelic Furs mentioning using one on something. A few more New Age/Ambient type bands in the '80s used them, also, Crystalised, Book of Shadows, and Clouds of Zen, all used them.🤩
Cheers for the heads up! My list isn't exhaustive, and there are many other Casio keyboard connections with well known artists but the video was already getting rather long! Others that didn't get mentioned are They Might Be Giants apparently made use of a CZ101 on some of their tracks, and Julian Cope (solo and ex-Teardrop Explodes) talked about using an MT70 to write songs with, in his biography "Head On/ Re-possessed". Also in an online interview with Midge Ure, he said that the melody for Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was written with "a little Casio"! What is apparent, and that I hope my video showed, is that Casio keyboards had a far greater impact on modern music than many give them credit for. :-)
@@puarea Yeah, I was quite amazed, too ! Had to listen to several sections multiple times, also, to activate certain memories - and it just felt real good! :)
@@CasioChaosTheory - I've had several Casio keyboards (a VL-1 and several MT or PT models) over the years, and still have 2 Casio units, albeit more modern versions - and still love them. Even composed and recorded some songs/tracks on them. At some point, I should work up a video on my keyboard "history". There is a lot to tell ! :)
@@CasioChaosTheory I’ll have to look. They were pretty rare to begin with, especially for the silver-tops. And several look very similar. But I’ll try to find a few.
Great video! Not a casio keyboard but the RZ-1 sampling drum machine was extensively used by Prince Paul on De La Soul's debut album 3 feet high and rising.
You can get some pretty convincing drum tracks from the RZ-1 if you follow the advice of author Ray F. Badness and don't program something that a human drummer can't physically play.
I couldn't find many confirmed references and uses of it in famous recordings, and other than a few spots on TV with Kim Wilde and in the Taylor Dane "Love Will Lead You Back" promo video, it wasn't sighted much. It's a great synth for sure (I have one), and I did give it an Honorable Mention!
The CZ range uses Casio's PD "Phase Distortion" synthesis. A fully digital algorithm based sound synthesis utilizing a user interface programming signal path modelled on analogue subtractive synthesis. Feel free to check out my CZ-101 vs CZ-1 video where I compare the two and also give some background and history to Casio's Phase Distortion synthesizers. th-cam.com/video/JoBt1043JQU/w-d-xo.htmlsi=xRWpJ-y0DMWh03QQ
great video introducing the much underrated Casiotone keyboards to the unsuspecting public! 🙂and yes, there are MANY other truly nice and and 'toy' Casio keyboards out there that can do great jobs in the right professional hands ... having Kitaro and Tomia among the names using some Casiotones for example, tells a lot ... i had a PT-50 and PT-31 once and i played some really nice performances on the duo for quite a number of people who did eventually admit how good these little things are despite their childish looks and cheesy sounds at first glance ...
point is, in the high range, almost all big and small names in the industry do really well, although some very expensive models by any of them certainly do much better than the lower-cost ones ... but in the low end, at least between Casio and Yamaha, the former's always done a much better job, especially in terms of sound and voice quality ...
Yes, lots. Though they tend to be older models from the 80s and 90s. My MT65 has 49 keys and a sustain option, and many of the other MT models from that era also have sustain buttons. If you don't mind having slightly less than 49 keys, the just released SA80/ 81 has 44 keys and a sustain option, along with a lot of other features too.
Thank you for showing that clip of Jarvis using that particular Casio. I didn’t realize he used the pads to play drums while he played the chords with his other hand.
Please remember the eligibility criteria that was used for this Top 10 list when making suggestions! To make the list, the keyboards had to meet one or more of the following requirements: "Casio keyboards that have featured prominently on hit recordings, made appearances with well know bands on stage and in promo videos, and also that were spotted on TV." When making suggestions, please also state WHERE the Casio was confirmed as being used, i.e. artist/ band/ song, promo video, TV appearance, hit recording etc. There's been many great Casio revelations in the comments, but there have been a number asking "why wasn't Casio in this list?" If the model didn't meet the criteria above, or there aren't validated sources confirming its appearance/ use, it wouldn't make the list!
Also please bear in mind the date that this video was published - 20th December 2022. I've started getting comments asking why the Casiotone Thriller "Frog" Keyboard didn't make the list. That's because the Thriller Frog Casiotone knowledge didn't come to light until 11th August 2023 thanks to Anthony Maranelli's video - "MJ’s Thriller Frog Bass - The Search", that was published eight months after my video. I didn't include the Thriller Frog Casiotone because at the time I researched and published my video, it wasn't yet known about!
Lastly, I want to address the SK series and why they weren't included (though I did point out a sighting of an SK-1 in the Yaz/ Coldcut - "Doctorin' the House" promo video shown during the FZ segment). No doubt that the SK's are super little keyboards, and I actually have three of my own. There are a good number of mentions online that allegedly used one, and many synth sites/ forums have lists of artists that are said to have used them, but actually finding 100% proof that an SK was used on a hit recording surprisingly didn't come up with much. Again I refer to the eligibility criteria that had to be met to make the list, and unless I could confirm that an SK was being used on a recording and/ or could clearly see it on stage/ TV/ promo video, it wouldn't be eligible. Meanwhile, all the keyboards that did make the list were confirmed via the promo videos, TV appearances, concert footage, audio from a hit song, magazine articles, interviews etc. that were all shown during this Top 10 Famous Casio Keyboards video.
I have bought the VL Tone 1979! 😉
bought for 149 DM. At Neckermann!
I then saw "Trio" live in a small club in 1981, shortly before they became famous, in Germany.
The Casio was used a lot in this concert! They only had the Casio, a guitar, a very reduced set of drums and a megaphone!
After that I had an SK1 which I gave to my little nephew after he broke the VL Tone 🤪
Then came an MT70 and a CZ5000!
There are all gone...🥴
I'm currently selling my Casio CT-S 400 and bought a CT-500!
The next big thing from Casio!
Basically the new “Synclavier”
Nice and interesting video, a little journey back in time, thank you! ❤
The secret is: Every great band (and as we can see in this video also lesser great artists) used a Casio at some point. Most of them were embarrassed and didn't show it publicly. And every great artists wishes that Casio would come back with an updated new great Phase Distortion-Synth.
Great video! Back in December 1981 (in)famous anarcho-punk band Crass released a "xmas record" (under the pseudonym of C.R.A.S.S. Creative Recording And Sound Services). The record is basically a compilation of excerpts of various Crass songs all played on a Casio keyboard.
Yesss, this video is Indeed
Checking all of the boxes..
Great work! Glad you found some pictures of Hiroko Okuda, I was desperately searching for those at the time.
Thank you! I forget how I found those pics of Hiroku, but I think they were in a more recent online Japanese article that I stumbled on while researching for this video. Thanks for all your work too, you did such a good and definitive job of covering the MT-40 and Sleng Teng story that it made sense to use clips from your video and point people to it for reference!
@BlindLibrary I believe I still have one, but I should spend some time cleaning it up. Some of the keys get stuck down, and aren't very smooth in playing it. Still works, I believe. Smiles.
Whoa, keen on keys, hi!))
I bought a CZ5000 in 1985. I didn’t really use it for music but I used the built in 8 trak sequencer to create a quirky rhythm section
*Thank you for producing a video just for me, I am honored.*
Of course there are friends and many others _Who I’ve turned kinda stuff on to over the decades._
German Song is called: es tanzt ein bibabutzemann in unserem Haus herum.
Awesome research, thanks 4 sharing your knowledge!
I had a casio PT-30 around 1982?? I remember it had a tape interface where an optional module could be slotted into the back to enable data recording... Some years later I acquired one of these modules from a car boot! Talk about a rare find... Wish I'd hung onto it
That would be the Casio TA-1 Cassette Interface module and yes, it's very rare!
Muito obrigado por ter criado esse incrível video, graças a você eu tenho hoje uma outra visão sobre a linha Casio. Muito obrigado.
The Sk-1 only had 2.5 seconds of sampling but that was all we wanted, the sampler. The synth sounds and drums were unimportant. Every kid I knew had 2. I had 4 of them. The Sk-1 should have been number 1. We sampled records at 45 or 78 rpm to get long loops. The SK-1 quiet as kept was sold everywhere and my friends and associates snatched them all up with the quickness Until the Rise of ENSONIQ, EMU and AKAI.
The SK-1 has 1.4 seconds of sampling time. The later SK models had more (and the ability to hold up to four samples), such as my SK-60 that can hold nearly 4 seconds of samples. There aren't many incidences of the SK-1 being used on hit records or being featured in pop promo videos/ on TV, that's why it didn't make the "Famous" list. I plan to do a "Best Casio keyboards of the 1980s", and for that it most certainly would be included.
@Casio Chaos Theory that's right...I was thinking of my Yamaha Vss-30
@@CasioChaosTheory I can think of two songs that featured the SK-1 - Nu Shooz's dance hit "I Can't Wait" has a main hook with an edited version of the Human Voice patch. And Timbuk3 had a song on their Eden Alley album called "Sample The Dog" which definitely has a distinctively SK-1 sounding sample going through it. Knowing Pat MacDonald's penchant for simple setups I wouldn't be surprised if he had one in his arsenal.
New subscriber here. Proud to say I have an MT500, PT30, Sk1 an MT68 which was used as the intro to Acorn Antiques on Victoria Wood’s sketch show. I also have an VLtone 10 which was always confused with the VL1 but it’s actually different, it’s silver and a lot smaller and has a key ring on the side. Love the channel 👍🏾😱
Number 10 was my first board. I learned my foundation on that little thing.
Last year I found a CZ-1 that was being thrown out. I grabbed it, took it home, and hooked it up and low-and-behold it still worked!
HONORABLE MENTION: Casiotone 401 - Michael Jackson's "Thriller", one of the biggest hits on the planet - layered bass sound coming in prior to Vincent Price's spoken lyric. This is now documented on Anthony Marinelli's channel in his chat with Steven Ray. They call it "frog sound" - supposedly Quincy Jones' Casio was used to ad that extra spice to the Arp2600 bass. Timeless. 👍
Marinelli has since updated, it’s in fact the Casio MT-60 frog sound. 🙏🏼
@@lafunkerie4951there’s a video on this channel about it that was uploaded yesterday 👍🏾
I've got three Casios in amongst my studio's synths...
The CheeZy 101. This thing has scary bass capabilities. Not only Kevin Saunderson's "reese bass", but it has the ability to generate very powerful but basic low end sounds. One live set that I did back in the 1990s had mine driven by the MIDI out from a 909 and used this BRUTAL bass patch. I remember looking around the venue, an abandoned factory, and noticing the old-style unbreakable windows. I had another look after the set...and the closest ones to the subs (about 25 kW on those) were now shot full of little cracks.
The VL-tone, I've had since they came out. One thing I like about it (besides the downright weird patch programming...surprised you didn't mention that) is that the cleanness of the sound makes it a perfect candidate for extensive audio processing; there's probably a lot of "hidden VL-tone tracks" out there where the little bugger is slathered with effects.
And an SK-5. Odd how the SK series didn't turn up in the video, as it and the SK-1 have been faves of the lo-fi, noise and industrial scenes for some time now. The gritty, nasty sampling quality makes it perfect for those, not to mention early hip-hop. The SKs are also very popular as "starting material" in the circuit bending scene, with lots of potential troublemaking possibilities lurking behind the front panel. The only other mini keyboard of this type that's garnered that sort of respect is the Yamaha VSS-30...same idea, but with FM sounds and pretty extensive sample-mangling options that are largely missing from the SKs. Still got that, too.
Synthesists ignore Casio at their peril. The "Cheezies" are, as far as I'm concerned, de rigeur synths. Phase distortion synthesis is powerful AF, plus the power gets crammed into the tiny and easily-transportable instrument, creating a very deceptively-capable sound machine. Love these things!
i also owned the \ct-460 in the day - bought with a student loan money. couldnt play, but it opened my eyes and brought me to where I am now.
Just spotted a short from a yet to be interview from Rick Beato with Stuart Copeland , Police Drummer. The short is all about how a Casio keyboard inspired the track Spirits of the Material World. No details given as to which model it was.
Thanks for the heads up! Both for the Casio used in The Police song, and also for the forthcoming Rick Beato interview with Stewart Copeland. I'm a fan of Rick's channel, and Stewart Copeland is one of my all time favorite drummers!
I have VL1 too, i has a SK1 and CT403 I miss them
Excelent video! I love all the old PT, MT, CT, SA, especially the small ones, and I use a lot of them in my videos!... these equipment were used in the music industry around the world by great artists, so these instruments would be considered 'keyboards for beginner, or toys'? By no means... what will determine whether an instrument is for children or not, is what you will use that instrument for... you can have a Nord Lead at home and just play basic songs like jingle bells or gather the family to play small Christmas pieces... would that make it a home instrument, for a beginner? That's the question... a 'beginner' musical instrument would be extremely useful in a mega studio, for big artists, would that make them professional keyboards? Sure, why not? Those who make the instrument professional are those who use it.
Oh yeah, I believe the percussion sounds from the VL-1 were sampled by White Town in their 1997 hit, Your Woman.
Good call! There were many incidences of the VL-1 being used on hit recordings, so many that I couldn't come close to including all of them in the video! I stuck to the most significant and well known appearances, where it could clearly be seen and/ or heard. It really is quite remarkable that such a small, inexpensive and low end keyboard made such a big mark on popular music!
@@CasioChaosTheory You know what they say:
"it's not the size of your tools that matters, it's how (well) you use them."
(Something to that effect !)
Nice little beastie, that VL-1, and I had a Casio MT model, as well.
Sadly, that one is gone, not sure what happened to it, but I aim to find one -
new or some form of used, or in need of repair.
Will have to look and see if I can discover what model of MT it was.
There's an old photo someone took of me, my friend Teresa, and that
Casio MT unit. Somewhere I still have the VL-1. :)
Both sweet women were lovable all around.
Awesome video, and one last thing:
That smallish Casio with the ROM cart, I had one of those units, but not the exact one, with a similar ROM PAK. That was such a neat thing !
Edit: fixed a couple typos and added last sentence.
I have a Casio Tonebank CT 636 which I bought in the late 80s. Apart from not making many famous public appearances, how does it fit in with the rest of the popular electronic keyboards?
I can't believe that Casio CT-401 is not on this list. It was used in the main song of the most selling album of all time - Michael Jackson - Thriller! The iconic froggie sound at the end is a preset of Casio CT-401 and been confirmed that they really use it from a Casio CT-401 that MJ owned back then.
Thanks for commenting, though I ask you to please look at the date my video was published - 20th December 2022. The MJ Thriller Frog preset knowledge didn't come to light until the 1st Anthony Maranelli video - "MJ’s Thriller Frog Bass - The Search" that was published 11th August 2023, eight months after I published mine. Therefore, as my video predates the Casio Thriller "Frog" revelation date by eight months, I couldn't include information that was not yet known! If I were to compile my top ten list today, it would of course have made the list.
Please also feel free to check out the video I published just last month where I covered the Casio "Frog" models in great detail: th-cam.com/video/yuST-vvVsto/w-d-xo.htmlsi=d4fNNuYJznxCACDx
Not to mention with the MT-100 that Lorraine Bowen (Britain's Got Talent 2015) won the golden buzzer playing her original song with the keyboard's auto-accomp feature!
I have kept my MT68 close and with a tiny tweak it’s blown peoples minds.
They are vintage keyboards. Now we have a new generation from PX5s.
My all-time favorite Casio synths were the Spectrum Dynamic series, most of which had a model number starting with "HT." Casio developed that line after Yamaha sued them over the Phase Distortion (CZ) series being a ripoff of their FM synths (DX series).
Thanks for a great episode! 👍😊
I have Casio vl1 for many years, still my favourite
My most beloved VL-1 track is on "Schneider with The Kick"' ' s '82 album "Exposed_ track No. 6 "Out For The Night", a well done, still kind of unusual New Wave track.
Thank you for the heads up! I checked out the track - it uses the VL-1's "Swing" rhythm and it is indeed a great New Wave style song!
@@CasioChaosTheory Thank you very much for listening, hopefully it's the same song because it starts with the Rock 2 pattern acting as the complete song's metronome.
@@CasioChaosTheory...just realized having accidentally written Scheider instead of Schneider. I corrected and hope it still had led to the same track
Killer video my man. Nice to see all these references in one place. I was even pleased and surprised to see my beloved CT 6000 make an appearance.
The casiotone mt-40 (my favourite casio) is also used by the Space Lady
Great video. i use a XW P1 as my daily driver. cheers
Excellent video, i always loved a good Casio!
Thank you for the compliment, and I'm glad you enjoyed the video! :-)
I'm sorry I am late - but this is a marvellous documentary, CCT! It is on par with the great TH-cam synth documentaries by Alex Ball, Keen on Keys and David Attenuator!
The FZ-1 has definitely deserved rank 3, I got a lot of interesting insights I never expected! I really have to replace the disc drive in mine with a modern USB drive, I couldn't fix mine :(
If you ever have to ship the FZ-1, be sure to add a massive amount of padding to both ends. When dropped on end, the heavy bottom part has more inertia than the lightweight plastic top part, which will shatter on impact. I bought two FZ-1s, both of which were damaged in shipping. One was shipped in an Anvil Forge case with maybe a half inch of space between the end of the keyboard and the padded inner wall of the case, and it still broke. Fortunately I was able to make a complete FZ-1 from the two, with a parts unit besides.
I think casio rapman would be in the list.
Greets
There was an Austin 90s band The FukkEmos whose band sound depended on down shifted vocals- from a Rapman. Mine needs some love to work again
@@geraldfriend256 Wow!!
I often use the VL-1 drums in my musics
What a great video!!! 🎉
Another famoius song of the Nineties in which the VL-1 appeared was "Your woman" by White town, playing the piano melody and some unmistakeable beats towards the end of the song 😀
Good call!
A Casio Pt-82 can be spotted in Tera Melos's music video for their cover of Hey Sandy.
Jean Michel Jarre used a Casio CZ 5000 on "Rendez Vous IV". The sound is the same as on CZ 3000, the CZ5000 just added a sequencer.
Great video!
I have only one of them, but it's number 1. In fact it's my only synth.
I couldn't find the exact Casio keyboard they used (if any), but I thought you would mention Ruby Vroom's Casiotone Nation. Go check it if you don't know them already.
Cheers!
Very cool video. it shows that even "toys" can be powerful in the right hands. I learned a lot here. I myself got the beautiful looking 403, with wooden case and old-school swithces. It is used by the keyboardist in the Australian band Parcels.
I’ve got one too! It’s probably my favourite keyboard. Vibes for days.
My album Mini is made with 90% various casio keyboards. Especially mt-40 and sk01
I once owned and started out with a Casio PT-80 back in the eighties. Now I own a Casio CT-X 3000 keyboard featured on my more recent TH-cam channel music videos. Casio is an icon in affordable and sometimes quirky keyboards. Trio is one of my favorite retro bands of the eighties. Another Trio hit was Boom Boom, classic stuff!
I really should find that photo of me with the Casio and see if I can identify it ...
( - it's tugging at me heart to find it ! )
The Casio 1000p. Underrated
the mt-30 was also featured in hunt for the wilderpeople!
Surprised you kept Trio for last. No mention of Thriller?
And did I miss it or did you skip the SK1 and SK5?
I still have a MT-520 , my first keyboard
The song Push it by Salt N Peppa was actually recorded with the Casio CZ1 which I saw in one of their MTV videos, not the live but actual Music video. All that time I thought it was a Roland D50 being played when I was a kid and when I moved to the mainland USA and saw MTV, I saw it was a Casio CZ1! That they used a CZ101 for the live shows is not a surprise and makes sense since the CZ1 was heavy and prone to damages from touring but the CZ101 was light and small and ideal for touring. CASIO.. where miracles never do cease!
In the Dutch speaking part of the world, the Netherlands and Flanders, we have a song :
‘Het loze vissertje’
About a ‘fisherman’
Des winters als het regent, dan zijn de paadjes diep.
Dan komt het loze vissertje, al vissen in het riet
….
I found a video on TH-cam for ‘Het loze vissertje’, and I can certainly hear some similarities with the VL-1's "German Folk Song"/ "Unterlanders Heimweh"!
No mention of everybody's favorite, the SK-1? It was like a toy version of the FZ-1 in capabilities, with a sampler and additive synthesizer.
I had a huge collection of Casio keyboards at one time. I was never able to acquire an AZ-1 keytar, unfortunately.
Sk 1...Best of samplers !
Nice video!
Thanks!
I am a fine musician
I practice every day
And when I < something something >
Can you come and hear me play.
'Twas a childs song in the '70s from a childrens TV skoe in Austratia.
So, way before the Casio VL1 demo song.
There’s a PAUL McCARTNEY video with a CZ-1 out there somewhere from that late 80’s era. I’ll find it and share it…
14:54 The rythms used in that lovesong are written deeply to my memory... I had SA-20 ,so it could be this, or related model (SA-10, or so...) Anyway,great work, great video !
Thanks for that! The drum sounds do come across as late 80s/ early 90s smaller Casios, and that would definitely tie them in with the SA series. thumb 👍
Have you ever looked into the "I Just Wanna See" by Smash Mouth's Astro Lounge album? I definitely here a Casio rhythm in the background. It might be a MT-100 model.
The Zappa part blew my mind :D
Zappa was a genius!
Nice as all your videos. Hope the ctx can continue the story, i'm working on it😉😅👍
SK-1 goes underrated here!
Please read the pinned comment! I explained why the SK didn't make the list.
Man Parrish use Casio CZ-101 in his "Boogie Down Bronx" (he said)
Had the VL-tone as a kid followed by the cz 101, a band called Trio released a tune called "da da da da" which used the little VL. Commenting early in video so youre prib gonna mention it. Lol.
;-)
🤙🤙 This is Brillient!
Thank you so much!
this first song (riff) is from the Almann Brotehrs' s Band's Jessica
You are indeed correct, and I should've pointed this out in the video. Top Gear has used ABB's song "Jessica" as their theme tune for many years!
@@CasioChaosTheory ❤
sounds like one of the honourible mentions was on a casio CA-110. I have one, so that's what it sounded like to me.
Thank you for the heads up! 👍
Anyone have info on the Casio HT-6000 ??? I have one. Would love to have a manual for all the options. Would especially love to find the internal disc or cassette.🧐
I like! You missed some: The Fashion Police used Casios on their 1988 album "A Secret Policeman Patrols The Night" and I remember hearing an interview with Richard Butler of The Psychedelic Furs mentioning using one on something. A few more New Age/Ambient type bands in the '80s used them, also, Crystalised, Book of Shadows, and Clouds of Zen, all used them.🤩
Cheers for the heads up! My list isn't exhaustive, and there are many other Casio keyboard connections with well known artists but the video was already getting rather long! Others that didn't get mentioned are They Might Be Giants apparently made use of a CZ101 on some of their tracks, and Julian Cope (solo and ex-Teardrop Explodes) talked about using an MT70 to write songs with, in his biography "Head On/ Re-possessed". Also in an online interview with Midge Ure, he said that the melody for Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was written with "a little Casio"! What is apparent, and that I hope my video showed, is that Casio keyboards had a far greater impact on modern music than many give them credit for. :-)
@@CasioChaosTheory it is amazing how many there are. i had to watch this thing, twice lol!
@@puarea Yeah, I was quite amazed, too !
Had to listen to several sections multiple times, also, to activate certain memories - and it just felt real good! :)
@@CasioChaosTheory - I've had several Casio keyboards (a VL-1 and several MT or PT models) over the years, and still have 2 Casio units, albeit more modern versions - and still love them. Even composed and recorded some songs/tracks on them.
At some point, I should work up a video on my keyboard "history".
There is a lot to tell ! :)
Fun vid... I wonder if the Casiotone 1000P every wound up on a hit tune?
#10 is vibraphone with some percussion
Thank you so so much!!!
You are most welcome! Thank you for watching! :-)
The SK-1 is missing, I'd assume it at number 3.
Yesss mate, i‘m missing it too!
I've got one of it....VL1.
Classic WK series synths?
Can you give me examples of hit songs that they were used on, and pop promos, TV appearances and famous connections that they were seen in?
@@CasioChaosTheory I’ll have to look. They were pretty rare to begin with, especially for the silver-tops. And several look very similar. But I’ll try to find a few.
I think I love Casio I've had a lot
Great video! Not a casio keyboard but the RZ-1 sampling drum machine was extensively used by Prince Paul on De La Soul's debut album 3 feet high and rising.
You can get some pretty convincing drum tracks from the RZ-1 if you follow the advice of author Ray F. Badness and don't program something that a human drummer can't physically play.
Didnt Gizmo play on a Casio in gremlins??
Yes! You can see a clip of this at 38:28 in the "More Honorable Mentions" segment.
How is the Casio CT-670 not on this list?
Please read the pinned comment!
incrível!!!!
How could you forget the Yamaha killer MZ 2000
Way to go!
Fantastic video thank you
Thank you for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed the video :-)
Did we gloss over the VZ-1 ?
I couldn't find many confirmed references and uses of it in famous recordings, and other than a few spots on TV with Kim Wilde and in the Taylor Dane "Love Will Lead You Back" promo video, it wasn't sighted much. It's a great synth for sure (I have one), and I did give it an Honorable Mention!
This is the best video I've ever seen it's good that Casio gets a mention
The Casio CZ's arent at all FM> They are anaglue-ike with Ringmodulation.
The CZ range uses Casio's PD "Phase Distortion" synthesis. A fully digital algorithm based sound synthesis utilizing a user interface programming signal path modelled on analogue subtractive synthesis. Feel free to check out my CZ-101 vs CZ-1 video where I compare the two and also give some background and history to Casio's Phase Distortion synthesizers.
th-cam.com/video/JoBt1043JQU/w-d-xo.htmlsi=xRWpJ-y0DMWh03QQ
What was that clip featuring the PT-50 from?
The 1984 movie "Gremlins". Remember, don't feed them after midnight, and don't ever get them wet! ;-)
@@CasioChaosTheory I have not ever seen that movie.
@@Lachlant1984 - you should definitely see it - around Christmas time, or even on (or before) Halloween ! I's cute and creepy all in one ! :) lol
Missed the PT-1
14:24 - I show the PT-1 in the first honorable mentions list.
Must include the xw-p1
I will nominate Gene Belcher's SK-5 from Bob's Burgers.
Good call!
great video introducing the much underrated Casiotone keyboards to the unsuspecting public! 🙂and yes, there are MANY other truly nice and and 'toy' Casio keyboards out there that can do great jobs in the right professional hands ... having Kitaro and Tomia among the names using some Casiotones for example, tells a lot ... i had a PT-50 and PT-31 once and i played some really nice performances on the duo for quite a number of people who did eventually admit how good these little things are despite their childish looks and cheesy sounds at first glance ...
point is, in the high range, almost all big and small names in the industry do really well, although some very expensive models by any of them certainly do much better than the lower-cost ones ... but in the low end, at least between Casio and Yamaha, the former's always done a much better job, especially in terms of sound and voice quality ...
I am more of a “Realistic Concertmate” man myself
Someone should make a "Top 10 Famous Realistic Concertmate Keyboards" video!
What about "Da Da dah" by Treo! ??? -Hee-Hee! OK you got it! Very Good BRAVO!! ': )
;-)
Hello. Can you review the Casio ctk-240 fa. I'm looking for a 49 key keyboard
I generally review keyboards that I own, and unfortunately I don't own a CTK-240. If I get one in the future, then I'll try to make a review of it.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Nice touch, with the Casio televisions.
Casio 7000 4eva!
Is there a Casio keyboard with 49 key and with a sustain button?
Yes, lots. Though they tend to be older models from the 80s and 90s. My MT65 has 49 keys and a sustain option, and many of the other MT models from that era also have sustain buttons. If you don't mind having slightly less than 49 keys, the just released SA80/ 81 has 44 keys and a sustain option, along with a lot of other features too.
Are you an alien roach or thats just an insane vocal fry?
Thank you for showing that clip of Jarvis using that particular Casio. I didn’t realize he used the pads to play drums while he played the chords with his other hand.