Casio CZ-5000

the presets sound really good, they were exactly what i was looking for when shopping about for an 80's digital synth. there are a couple of bass patches that are cool, but the vibes and organ stuff are sometimes even better for that. the string patch is rad, even with out editing, it sounds very stark and musical. you will need time to learn how to edit if phase distortion synthesis is new to you, but its really about learning how to navigate through its editing menus, at least for me. the manual is a bit cryptic, ive had to read things a few times over and realise what they were talking about. for example, it wasnt very clear how to erase a track on the sequencer, it would refer to erasing "partial data on a track while in manual mode." nothing lke, "this is how you erase a track". once i started getting the hang of the sequencer, i thought it was pretty cool. it has real time and "manual" [meaning, step record]. i use it to make phrases, not for making whole sequences. the sequencer is 8 part multitimbral. i use it with an external sequencer usually for just one patch, im not sure if its also multitimbral in that scenario. a patch editor oculd be evry cool, like soud diver, if they made it user friendly enough.

8 part polyphony. it doesnt haev velocity or aftertouch, but the amount of time you press a key can make a difference in some patches. for example, there is a drum/tom sound with delay, and if you keep your finger pressed down for a while, it decays quickly. and if you jsut quickly tap it, the sound opens up in a way. i suppose you could program any patch you want to do that. very expressive. im looking for a card for it at the mo, also for my CZ101, whihc is also rad. chorus is cool. i may have not spent enogh time with mne, but the mod wheel, the lfo is always at the same speed, and cant seem to find where youd program it otherwise. like i said abotve, the sequencer is cool, it has soem limits, but if your inspired enough you could make all sorts of tripped stuff on it. the quantisation goes up to 32nd notes.

the most realisitc patches are the vibes, organs and sounds of that nature [whihc goes for many other synths] i use its sounds specifically for their electronic nature, and recommend it for industrial/hard electronic bass and stabs and general noise. if your doing rock, id jsut get a newer more modern synth, unless you want to sound dated especially [not a bad thing]. in my case, doing noise, lectronic and folk, its one of my favourite key boards here.

seems very reliable. mine would distort intermittently while playing, after having not played it for a several months. it cleaned up somehow. i would take it to a gig, its rad to see a casio on stage. since im here i might add that for the CZ101, the power cord is an AC adapter. it falls out on mine frequently. could be a loose connection. and i dont ahve a acrd backup, so you could be playing for a while, made a rad sound, and you breathe on it and the power disconnects. the cz5000 has an IEC power cable, much better no probs.

neer tried, never would. id just take it to a synth repair place. i dont imagine that casio has support for this still.

id hate to lose this synth. i have a couple other casios, namely the cz101 and the FZ-1. fz1 is a baddass old sampler. it has a blue lcd screen, and it weighs a ton. cz101 is fun to take to friends places and jam with. the cz5000 stays in my studio. wouldnt sell it for anyting. im selling my jp8000, but keeping my casio. ive been making music since 92, with guitar as my primary instrument. over time i became more interested in synths, and now they are both my first instrument. i have a jp 8000 which i dig but am going to sell. i have an emu E Ultra 5000, a bad ass sampler, but the thing is i hate working on modules. i like big keyboards. likewise i ahve a Korg TR rack and Alesis DM Pro which i dig but am going to sell. the cz5000 is somewhat comparable to the yamaha dx7, tohugh the actually have unique osunds of their own. the dx 7 id frequency modulated synthesis, and the cz is phase distortion. they come from completely different areas, but both have a brownish 80s quality. id sya the dx seven is more rubbery and pliable, the cz more...not like that. its bass synth patch is like a body rising from the grave. thats a compliment. heehee. i wish it had a better menu screen, wish you didnt ahve to press so many buttons. the osunds inspire me though, and it was because of its name and stature that i bought it. its in its own class, even the dx7 had contemporaries with s8imilar sounds. the cz sounds very CASIO! i ouwld say its a bonus to every studio who had one.

The Presets are allright.
The editing is not hard at all, compared to other digi synth(DX7).
With a bit of knowledge and a bit of time( they could have used a data slider instead of these up+down buttons)

Polyphonic.keyboard action is normal for a synth in this range and age.
no velo nor after.
great chorus.Fat
Midi is very basic but allright.(not recommended as aa master)
Sequencer is a great bonus to storage upcomming ideas immediately!!
GRAET

OHHHH Thats the point.
when I bought it and heard it the first time I was totally flashed!!
The sound is really outstanding.
It's a sound of it's own .
Fat basses nice leads.
for a digi the sound is really incredible!!!!!

NO problem.

Never had any Problem , so...

For the money and the other circumstances
this was the best deal i ever made..
I,m thinkin to get me a little brother cz1000
to push my setup with these unique sounds

My rating here is due to not having a manual. I still have to figure out how to split the keyboard and how to make it operate muti-timbral (mono). To program your own sounds you need to push many buttons many times. It can get a little tiring but with determination this thing can make all kinds of interesting noises. The patches are not stored when you turn it off. You need to have a memory cart, which mine has luckily. You can put batteries in it but I think this is only to power the sequencer. Apparently the sequencer is great but I've never used it (no need as I sequence from a computer). It's easier to program than the one-data-slider keyboards. At least every parameter has it's own button and a label. Everything is laid out on the front panel, but still the midi and spilts are a bit foggy for me. Anyone know where to get the manual or an equivalent? I understand this keyboard is the same as the CZ3000 minus the sequencer.

No velocity or aftertouch. I haven't found this a major drawback as I have other keyboards that do these functions. What's great on this is the performance features: SOLO is just that, no big BOOST of volume with it like some keyboards. Portamento is adjustable over a huge range as well as Glide, Vibrato etc. Lots of Waveforms to choose from with up to 8 steps in the DCF and DCA. You can also vary pitch over 8 steps which can get you some pretty interesting choris and phase effects using two oscillators. You can use one osc for a pure sound or two for cross-mod and layering effects. The chorus doesn't work on mine, so I leave the slider off. Big range in volume, no switching between hi and lo levels etc. A few keys on mine don't work but with midi this is not a big deal. No effects really to speak of but many other interesting features reward the diligent tweaker. There is a mod wheel with assignable range which has an on/off switch so you can leave it set somewhere and kick it in when you want it. There is a separate pitch wheel with assignable range.

I have to say this is an interesting and unique sounding instrument. Originally I was nervous that it would sound thin and cheesy. Not at all. The presets give a good idea of the range of sounds, but you can really program some interesting and unique tones that cut right through any mix. Very musical-sounding instrument. You can get the purest simple tones or nasty resonant snarls. Basses are not earth-shattering but are warm enough and cut through very nicely. There are 8 different waveforms, all unique, including 3 resonant ones that sound very nasty in the bass, and up higher give a "zipper-like" sound that I love, especially with the portamento on. Using the portamento you can get a very slippery bassline or with vibes down mid-low range also gives interesting effects. You can make the envelopes open very slowly and settle at any frequency for sustain. The 8 step envelope allows you to assign which step is the sustain and which is the END. You don't have to use all 8 either. You can just use 2 or three or however many you like. Theoretically you could press a key and have the sound vary over a long long time. I haven't done this but if you set all the steps to their slowest time it would probably go on for several minutes.
Some of the factory patches are very useful, and good starting points for programming. I like Synth Strings and Vibraphone, there are noise effects as well. When you program a sound you can select to add noise (fixed amount) and this noise will be effected by the DCF (digital controlled filter). It also has a "Ring Modulation" effect which isn't much different from the noise, though less severe. I haven't found a use for it yet. You can get a huge variety of timbres out of this instrument, and a great variety of pads and really great lead sounds as well as uniqu stuff and sound effects. The leads are gorgeous, and with portamento in SOLO mode with a bit of echo...beautiful. Full marks for the unique sounds on this unique and dirt-cheap keyboard. I got mine for $140 CDN. That's less than $100 US. It is a little bit noisy but I found by turning the volume to about half and increaing the gain on the mixer, it runs fairly quiet. I hear the chorus adds lots of noise.

So far so good, though those dead keys (3 total) were not caused by me.

No idea though I hear it's impossible to get support.

I don't think I would consider selling it. For the price it is extremely versatile and musical. It has really grown on me and I have become fond of it. For comparison my other keys are Korg DW8000, Poly6, Roland JX8P, several Roland samplers, Akai S612, Electro-Harmonix Mini-Synth (in the shop) and a Rhodes Suitcase 88 and Hohner Clavinet. I love them all, though the JX8P can be annoying. You can't lose getting one of these for the price. Remember, I'm looking for a manual so email me if you can help. Thanks!

Extremely Easy to use. All parmateres have an action button to edit. Considering its age the midi functionality allowed me to sync to Soundiver for instant realtime editing. The Presets are awfull. But hey aren't most sysnth presets. Its a synth go make your own noise.....

I think it is 16 note poloyphonic - But you can stack two patches together - more power - but half the polyphony. A sliding chorus, interesting. Portomento and glide - which I have not seen on modern synths. No expansions - Except for the slot where you can place some batteries to keep the sounds and senquences in memory. Midi is good but no aftertouch, or sensitivity from the keyboard. Its an old synth - but it does have that 80's metalic cold sound. Casio really got their stuff together when they made these synths. Its such a shame they went downhill from there on.

80's Synth - Of course it does not sound realistic - But then thats not what you would buy it for. You want those crazy, bizarre. electric sounds - with a gritty edge that S+S synths cannot deliver.
And as you can stack sounds its like having two CZ101's at the same time - !!!

Well its about 17 years old. I bought it second hand. It looks like it has been dropped from the top of a tower block - and suvived to tell the tale. The O/S has never crashed or done anything strange. As I said it runs with Soundiver no worries......Built like a battle cruiser - - and probobly tougher!!! They sure don't make em like they used to.

Who knows????

Lost or stolen - I would run to the nearest hill and cry loudly. Then get straight back down and search out another one......A CZ3000 or CZ-1 would be ok as well.........Cannot compare with another product except I guess A DX-7....But trying to programme one of those - NO WAY!!! Its instand not so many frills or complications - just straight in there with PURE UNADULTERATED CHEESE - YOU GOTTA LOVE IT!!!

Its hard to use...no knobs for tweaking, everything has to be edited by some buttons..very tiring..

has a built in chorus, which sounds great, but too noisy to use..you can use it multitimbral, but i have to admit i really dont know how to use it that way..its kinda complicated to manage that..

THATS THE POINT...THIS SYNTH ROCKS...If you are looking for Depeche Mode, New Order, or some other eighties style bands sounds, this machine is it for you..I am using it for two years now, and i still havent found any other synth with this special "cold" sound to it..

Built like a tank, and weighs as much as one...looks pretty reliable..dont forget to change the batteries sometimes though.

Never tried...i think they dont give any support on this old piece of gear..

if it were lost or stolen, id go looking for the cz 101 i guess, for it looks much smaller, but i am not sure if it has the same big sound as the cz5000..i love the sound, hate the controls of the cz 5000..compared to my juno it sounds very "crystal clear" and cold, a good complementary to the warm and hearty juno sound..i wish it had a lighted display, and an alpha dial or an fader for entering data..

I was looking for that 80's sound and found it in my cz5000!!! I am still learning it but I am happy with this syth! I'm still learning the editing patches and I NEVER GOT A MANUAL since it was bought used! If any one can tell me where to get one I WOULD be so happy! My e-mail is joegomez10@hotmail.com The preset sounds are so,so, I LOVE THE Strings, syth bass, organ and typhoon! But the magic is distortion and this machine is great in that! You can hear these sounds on many 80's songs, techno, pop, etc.

I dont know too much about the polyphony, but the keyboard action is good! The effects are great! It is easy to program and you can make the keyboard sound like the 80's, today's techno or vintage 70's!! I am looking to find an old cartrige, anyone let me know ok! I haven't tried the midi, but I WILL soon with my drum machine! The sequencer is rather boring, but I AM TRING TO work with it!! One more thing! I discovered more creative ways to use it, by expermenting the preset sounds and distortion and playing along with my drum machine, hooked to my amp! Excellent!!!

I love the strings, bass, typhoon, fantastic organ! But the rest of the presets are rather cheeze! BUT YOU can distort the sounds and come with something strange and new! I love using it for retro 80's music, pop, dance, techno! Again the on board effects are excellent! IT REACTS great to my playing, but again it is vintage! One more thing, it is easy to pick up! Fun to play!!

It has lasted this long and in great shape!! It is heavy but need to I WOULD USE IT ON TOUR! It is one of two syths I HAVE on my 2way stand, the other is my Kawai 4!!!!! It is very reliabile and I NEED TO SAY THIS! Casio has gotten a bad rap over the years, being a cheap keyboard found every where in department stores, etc. This keyboard is not one of them! Last of their breed!! A real syth!!! I love it!

I never needed customer support, but I HAVE TRIED TO CALL Casio for advice, supplies and get an answering machine??? Casio should do more I FEEL!!

If it was lost or stolen, I would try to find another but if I CANT i would get another vintage syth!! I have been playing on and off for 15 years! I do more songwriting and producing! I also own the kawai 4 syth, korg drum machine, voxbox voice changer, 4track recorder, yamaha drum machine, 3 mikes, recording machine, etc. I love that I OWN A SYNTH!! I dont hate anything about the casio cz5000, except I WISH i had the manuel and cartrige! I wish I Had a private studio in my home( I'M USING MY BEDROOM!) I wish I HAD A HIT SONG! LOL! I havent compared it to other synths, except my KAWAI, BUT I know one thing this keyboard is unique in sound distortion and feel! I love to write and the cz5000 brings out great things! Again I was looking for a keyboard with an 80's feel and this one is great! I love making music and it's part of my life!!

the preset sounds on this beast are fairly impressive. the synth is very sharp and accurate sounding. as far as editing, its very simple and self-explanatory.

sorry folks, the keyboard is not velocity-sensitive, one of the drawbacks of the cz5000. the built-in effects are cool if u have some programming skills u can come up with some neat sounds.

the guitar preset isn't that great but with some work to the touch u can make it sound like a real one:) this machine is very good for 80's rock and synth.

very dependable, i would definitely use it on a gig without a backup

n/a

this thing is rather heavy so be careful, better than a lot of synths out there! much better, but this is completely digital, which means no vco, vca, vcf,
can someone email me on how to get a regular piano sound? and also, on the beginning of "I'll Wait" by Van Halen, does anyone know what the settings are to get that synth sound eddie uses? thanks in advance

Mmmmhhh.... Before a lot of years using it, it's easy to me. The manual is OK to learn.

Today, poor. In the past, great.

The presets are a real crap. But you can create an interesting sounds if you work hard. Do you want to hear songs created in 1990 ONLY with a CZ5000 (sinthesizer) and a RX8 drum station? Go to http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/112/centinel.html and download "5051" or "Train to Bethleem"

presets are wack, but you know that already. editing patches using the panel buttons are okay..not the best because there's a lot of punching in (8 envelope stages for amp, filter and pitch) but it's not terribly hard. Yesss patch editors make a big difference! (I use unisyn; the freeware one doesn't seem to work for me)

best thing i can say about it by way of features is that it has 8 stage envelopes...which is tremendously...wow. the sequencer is okay, limited as it is but YOU CANNOT LOOP WITHOUT ADDING A BAR OF SILENCE AT THE END!!! if not for this it would have made a cool arpeggiator on its own.

ring mod, noise, no velocity, no aftertouch, wonky chorus (but i leave it on all the time). oh yeah the keys transmit velocity of only 68 or something, very annoying since this is my midi controller at the moment

yes..the sounds...almost anything not analog or realistic: clangs, bells, sweeps, housey stabs. i give it a 10 for the sounds (if you know what to expect and like that kinda thing) not "pristine" though. use this for house, industrial, d&b, hardcore...

too heavy and limited to gig with, better to sample it methinks, otherwise seems solid enough

id like to get a CZ101 instead (velocity, smaller, AND CZ sounds). its the sounds that i love more than anything. if you don't have anything digital/fm, get the casio cz line. people may laugh when they see the casio logo but you can wipe the smile from their faces with the sounds

OK, Firstly I don't have it anymore :-( but this was my first synth I ever owned and I learned a lot about synthesis and step sequencing thanks to this keyboard! Most of the presets arn't that great but the most common trick I used was detuning the two occilators and this easily phattend the sound! Everything is laid out in logical order DCF, DCO, DCA so I found it pretty easy to edit.

16/8 note poly is OK...especially if you consider this an "analog" keyboard! Chorus is simple but adds a bit more depth as required. The only Midi I used was between this and a Casio RZ1 sampling rythm machine which was simply to trigger the tempo which worked fine. Onboard sequencer is basic but I managed to get a lot done with it! (multiple layers of bass-lines & programmed arpeggios was my forte! :-)

This is a SYNTH - it's not meant to be "realistic"! ...but with some "tweaking" I got some sounds I'm still trying to replicate today (without success!) - I now own a Yamaha CS1x & Roland EG101. They are great but the Casio still has a sound of it's own! I think the CZ series are good for brass/bass sounds and other "wierd" sounds (like before I got my RZ1 rythm unit I managed to create some rather funky soundin drum sounds & incl. them in the mix! :-) It also has portamento and glide which react independantly (poly) and add a nice effect!

Never let me down!

Never needed it...fortunately! :-)

Well I had one...moved on...but I miss it! ...and I would like to re-record some songs from "days gone by", so I would like to get another one...maybe a CZ101 will do the trick? A friend of mine bought the CZ1 and I did find the touch sensitivity definitely bought a different dimention to the keyboard!
I now own a Yamaha CS1x (which I love to bitz! - but I do find it a bit limiting and am looking at upgrading to the CS6x - I see it has rave reviews! :-) ...and my other keyboard is a Roland EG101 which I find a rather frustrating keyboard although it does have it's good points!
As I said, the Casio CZ range has a character of their own and it's not a synth you are going to try to run on it's own...but it definitely does have something to offer "in the mix"!