Casio CZ-5000

presets kind of stink, there is one or 2 I like. But take one of the presets and tweak some of the settings and you can get some real cool techno sounds. Editing the patches with the on board buttons and lcd is kind of time consuming. I just downloaded this free Windows program by Alfonso Hermida called CZ Sysex Editor that makes it way easier. It puts all the options and settings in front of you in a graphical layout, you tweak what you want or load patches downloaded from the Web, then hit the Send button, and it loads it into the currently selected bank through the Midi In port on the CZ. Way easier. I got the manual with mine (bought used) but it seems technical... i am pretty new to this stuff and don't even know what Portomento means... the manual just says things like Portamento: Hit this button to change Portmento. Oh well, I am figuring out this stuff as I go. I just like changing whatever settings I see until a sound comes out that I like.

I use a PC sequencer, so I don't use the one on board. I figured why waste the time to learn it when the the one on my PC probably blows it away anyway. Has a couple effects, jus turn them on or off, no expansion options I can see other than some outdated hard to find cartridge. The most basic MIDI controller keyboard that you can buy new today I'm sure blows this keybaord away, the CZ isn't pressure sensitive or anything.

The built in sounds kind of suck. I am using this to make crazy sweeps and basses and other techno sounds. It seems to be good for that for what I can tell. Seems to have some noise hiss with the chorus reverb so I might keep that off more often than on, but on some sounds I don't hear the noise and it does add some cool effects to some of the sounds. I just found out how to load patches found on the Web, so now I am playing with a whole lot of new sounds, and having fun!

Seems reliable. It just sits on my keyboard stand, I don't take it anywhere. I can't see anyone using this for a gig. It's kind of heavy and doesn't seem like it's probably not great for changing sounds on the fly and who'd use the built in sounds for any gig unless they were going for a cheezy sound. Definitely though I would sample this baby and use the sounds on other gear at a gig. A couple times I had an anger/rage fit/tantrum and smashed down on the keys as hard as I could, and it is still working fine. =:^))

I searched for CZ-5000 on casios site, had no results found. Guess they don't care to admit it is theirs. Seems like there are still some user sites out there, like Temple of CZ. I was able to find several patch editors and many many patches out there on the Web. There are a few companies selling sounds/patches for it too. One site, dreamweb.com or something, said they even still have some Casio RAM cartridges for sale, but I didn't look into it. (Aug. 2001)

if lost or stolen, probably buy something new just because I like getting new different toys to play with. I oriignally bought this at a pawn shop, didn't really know what I was getting into, I just wanted a keyboard that could do MIDI so I could trigger this sampler that I have. But now that I am learning about it, I will be sampling alot of the sweeps and stuff I am getting out of the CZ. (and then probably play them back through the sampler using the keys on the CZ or with my step sequencer or a combination.) If this sounds backwards, whatever... it works for me!

I've been borrowing this for about 6 months or so now. The presets are
REAL crap. A couple of basses are *OK* and the brass are good starting
points for programming. Which leads to the next part...

I can't seem to get the sequencer to work, I don't have a manual. It's
either broken or I'm really stupid. The chorus sounds okay, but again
you don't have any control over it. plus the chorus "slider" is rea-
lly nothing more than an on/off switch that generates a bit of noise
when you cross over to "off" mode. It's got a 16 note polyphony, but if
you can actually max that out on this limited gear you're a noise god.

Midi is not very comprehensive at all--in fact it downright blows.
MIDI send/recieve note on/off is all it really does. It might do
program changes, but I haven't done it. It doesn't even have velocity
sensitivity.

The mod wheel is alright,
but it is global like the portamento/mono mode and has to be
reprogrammed for every patch--it doesn't save them individually.

Programming is
a tedious process. There is no control for cutoff or resonance, so you have
to program those parameters into the envelopes. Which is the good part--
you have 8 stage envelopes on every envelope section. You can make
some damn crazy sounds if you're willing to work. In my opinion, it is
best at monophonic bass sounds, but portamento and mono mode are global
so you have to redo/undo those parameters manually. This is a bit of
a chore, so for this reason I do not consider it a good live synth.
The ring mod is not programmable and therefore makes it almost useless.
It's good to toy with, it can either sound like sh*t or give a nice
sound. Noise mod is almost useless--it's not programmable either,
but if you toy with it when making more percussive sounds it can add
a good character. Also there is a very slight hiss when it's playing
that sounds like a normal bias tape being played.

In the end, though I really like the sound it makes.

It's never crashed, and it's been dropped a couple of times. It's
plastic, but it's still put together well.

N/A

I think when I get my own cz synth I'll get a CZ-1 or a CZ-101. I need
just a tad bit more diversity. But if you want a cheap but good
entry into electronic keyboards there is no reason why you shouldn't
buy this, esp since they can be had really cheaply. I'm gonna sample the
living sh*t out of this synth b4 I give it back, the electronic sounds
are really nice when you program them. It DOES have a sound of it's
own, but I'm gonna end up doing most processing through my K2500.

I like it's sound despite it's limitations.

* Except for the string and brass sounds, most of the presets are a waste, simply because, the CZ-5000 is for making weird techno sounds, not "real" acoustic instruments, in my opinion.
* The manual is worth very little. It contains mostly technical information, although it came with a "Data Book" containing a few useful patches. But again, only the organ and string sounds were useful.
* Editing patches is painful, because the interface contains no sliders, everything is numeric, and it's very difficult to visualize the envelopes you're creating and how they relate to one another. I'm positive a patch editor would help that. I'd be eternally grateful if someone could point me to one (heypat@bigfoot.com).

* Forget about the sequencer. It's a toy.
* The chorus effect sounds very low-fi. You might like it.

* I have an anecdote that may explain how durable these units are: I've had my keyboard since 1990. In 1994, a large, drunk person *fell* onto one end of the keyboard, launching it onto a concrete floor. I was sure he had killed it, but it didn't even put a dent in it. It works perfectly.

I like it, even though I got ripped off when I bought it. If you can find a patch editor for it, you've got a Nice Piece of gear.

Patch editing is simple, with everything laid out on the front panel
for you. Multi-timbral operation, however, is very quirky - changing
patches for different MIDI channels requires either external program
changes (from a sequencer, perhaps) or plugging the CZ-5000's MIDI
OUT to its MIDI IN, manually changing channels, then changing the
patch (!). The onboard sequencer is a bit klutzy too.

Note that this machine does not have a velocity or aftertouch sensing
keyboard (and the synth doesn't respond to either of these either).
8 voice polyphony, multitimbral operation (but no dynamic voice
allocation). Very noisy fixed rate stereo chorus (with depth slider).
MIDI system-exclusive dumping is not exactly standard so editor/librarian
software is really required. The onboard sequencer isn't really
worth bothering with.

The sounds are 80's, very 80's, but it does some things very well.
Analogue-ish sweeps work well, basses are good, and the ring modulator
adds some interest. Noise modulation is also available and it's very,
very ROUGH sounding (you decide if this is good!). Some keyboard
scaling options (for waveshaping and amplitude envelopes). Portamento
in "solo" mode helps for expressive playing. There are also layered
and split keyboard modes, and the envelopes are more flexible than
standard ADSRs.

Mine seems fine although some buttons stick a bit. I would never
take it on a gig though - the case is very plasticky even though
the thing is incredibly heavy (another reason not to gig with it!).

No idea here but I doubt Casio cares that these exist.

Not bad if you want that wonderful 80's Casio phase distortion sound.
However, if I needed to replace it, I would get the much smaller
CZ-101 instead, or alternatively try and find a CZ-1 which has a
velocity-sensitive keyboard. The CZ-5000's only real advantage over any
of its siblings is the sequencer, which in my opinion isn't worth
bothering with.

That said, I still like its ease of programming, and you can wring
some interesting noises out of it. It has a different sound than
any of my sample-playback, FM or analogue boards.

Presets are, by modern standards, abysmal with the exception of a couple of string patches and the 'Typhoon' at D-8. However, with a little bit of experimentation you can make your own with ease. Patches are based around one or two voices per note; in the two voice mode detuning +/- 3 octaves, ringmodulation (excellent) or noise modulation are available. This is a digital synth using Casio's Phase Distortion Architecture which involves modulation of a basic waveform by an 8-stage envelope (sounding something like opening and closing a filter). Waveforms available include sawtooth, square, saw-pulse, double sine and some resonant waveforms. Pitch and amplitude envelopes are also 8-stage and don't have to be ASDR, any stage can go down or up, thus useful. This synth works with patch editors for the more common CZ-101 and CZ-1000 synths, but the available editors I've found are old DOS-based ones which didn't work on my PC (but that may just be my incompetence). An editor might be useful as there is no slider or wheel for parameter values - just up and down scroll buttons - a bit of a pain really. I have no idea about the manual as mine did not come with one - the guy who sold it to the shop I bought it from used to throw all his manuals away - what a waste...

Polyphony is 16 notes using a single voice (or 'line' in Casio's terminology) per note - but the good sounds use 2 voices, which cuts you to 8 notes. Keyboard action is very light - not bad. The CZ5000 is not velocity sensitive and transmits velocity 64 if used as a MIDI controller. Also aftertouch is not supported. One built in effect - a stereo chorus controlled by slider, which works very well for some of the more ambient sounds. There is a slot for RAM cartridges if you needed them and you could find any after all this time. MIDI in and out (no thru), also another DIN socket labelled MT which I originally thught stood for 'MIDI Thru' - I was completely wide of the mark - it's for storage via audio cassette! ('Magnetic Tape'). Haven't tried it. MIDI capabilities are not bad for a mid-80s synth - you can specify send and receive channels and putting it into MIDI mono mode gives you up to 8-part multitimbrality. Each channel will be mono only although you could of course specify the same patch on different channels for chords in a multitimbral setup. In poly mode there are also options for splitting the keyboard to play two different patches and patch mix (two timbres at once). There is an onboard sequencer - this is one area where not having a manual was a serious handicap - I couldn't record anything sensible. I imagine the sequencing would be very limited in comparison with a modern workstation but there was something on the internet which suggested it could be used to run step sequences on different channels in different time signatures. I don't know whether this is true.

I would never really be interested in trying to emulate acoustic instruments on this - like the DX7, it does quite good electric pianos although as you have no velocity sensitivity they will be very flat sounding. It does do much better string and string-synth sounds than the DX7 (which was seen as the main competitor at the time of release). Where this synth scores highly is for weird ambient and techno synth sounds - with the ring modulation and the complex envelopes you can get bizarre textures which are reminiscent of an FM synthesiser but they are a bit more beefy, warmer in some cases. Similarly for bass sounds it delivers interesting 'analog-ish but not quite' timbres. I've started to explore the possibilities of using it as a drum-box in multitimbral mode - for percussion it's quite weird, hard sounding, as you shape the noise using the DCW envelope. Tip for owners: to do percussion sounds set the DCA envelope for Line 1 to step 1, time 99, level 0 (end) and that gives you just the noise on Line 2, which you can fiddle around with. This is a good synth for ambient, techno, and maybe drum & bass, and it was also a feature of mid-80s Chicago house. For real-time tweaking on dance tracks it's not great because you can't do real-time filter sweeps via a knob - there isn't a proper filter and there aren't any knobs! One small thing I should mention which is interesting though is that the modulation wheel has a button to switch it on and off so you can go from 0% modulation to 100% (or whatever) straight away, which is potentially useful - I think...

It's seemed utterly reliable for the 6 months I've had it so far - it is well-built although obviously they are getting on a bit now, this was released in 1985 I think. One thing to note is that patch and sequencer data storage is powered by 3 cylindrical batteries, it doesn't seem to drain power form these very fast, but you might want to use computer patch storage as an alternative if you don't want the hassle.

Don't know anything about Casio but they haven't made 'professional' keyboards for 10 years, so I would not be hopeful.

I think this is a good piece of kit for the money they are available for now (be careful because second hand prices in the UK are very variable for both this and the lower Casios - I've seen anything between #100 and #300 being offered). You get a synth which is relatively easy to program which, if used in an inventive way, gives you a unique set of sounds. Alternatives for similar money would be a Yamaha DX7 (harder to program, a bit more brittle sounding, but supports velocity/aftertouch), other Yamaha FM synths (also harder to program), or Casio's own VZ1/VZ10M (more flexible but also VERY HARD to program - even harder than the DXs. Also, seems to lack 'warmth' compared to the CZ - but I'll put up a full review when I've explored the VZ a bit more). I'd properly look around for another CZ if this one went missing. Overall, I'm very pleased with it.

Throw away the manual, unless se habla espanol, solamente. Ignore presets, all 32 sound childish. Editing patches is easy since there are fewer menus, more buttons, and logical DCO-DCF-DCA layout. The only patch editor I've used, is one I made with HyperMIDI--good but unneeded. CZ-Librarian (for MacSE sys 6.0.5) is ok, but a much better solution is to use the data transfer cable to record onto minidiscs. That way, you can create your own, convenient library of patches. A cable can even be made by splicing a MIDI cable to audio cables with some electronics aptitude. On the downside, live use isn't easy if you need instant configurations (less than 25 seconds for downloads).

Polyphony for anyone creating the thicker textures is feels like 7. If you sequence via external master, then you can have 8 sep. mono coolies. The only built-in FX are a stereo chorus via a fader--easy but pathetic... buy outboard FX--easy enuff. Expansion is most possible via cable downloads, since cards are hard to find. The downloads sound like modem noise for about 20 seconds, and can be stored real well on miniDiscs, DAT's, and computer snd,AIFF,WAV files. Keyboard action is NOT velocity sensitive, but the 8-step ENV's help simulation. MIDI capabilities are very minimal, and many signals are sent as SysEx instead of standard (all notes off, volume). No aftertouch or any other frills, but the onboard sequencer is GOD for arpeggiation, if you know how to count beats. Easy sequencer if you read music or program drum machines manually. NO quantization, tho, so you'd better take piano lessons first. The inadequate features are flexible and easy, but that's a matter of opinion and dependent on polyphony needed for whatever style of music you do. Program changes are recorded excellently in the sequencer, so voices can be multiplexed.

Techno, R&B, Dance, Industrial, and Moog-type instruments are realistic, all others take years to create, but can be done via layering, complex ENV's, precise synthesis, and serendipity. Skinny Puppy, Technotronic, Yaz, Eurhythmics, KMFDM, etc. can be emulated quite well, if you get comfortable and buy FX. Reactivity depends upon your envelope programming skills. No velocity, No aftertouch. Learn how to deal with your limitations and you'll go far, kid. Ring modulation is the CZ's secret weapon of total destruction. Why don't you buy a vocoder while you're at it, and annihilate all sonic enemies.

My CZ-5000 I prefer to the Korg M1, Korg FD/W, Alesis Q stuff, etc. etc. It's cheap, light, mysterious, and does what I make it. Other more advanced keyboards are too tedious to edit, too expensive, or don't have any bite. The CZ keyboards are dependable AND expendible. Someday they shall be collector's items, though... and their chips are probably an endangered species. Why don't you buy an Ensoniq ASR-10 as a backup, and us [Prodigy/KMFDM/Front 242] as a backup.

Casio is cordial, unhelpful, and automated via the phone. The web site (and company) is irrelevant for CZ upgrades, repairs, and info. Luckily, other users are on the Internet, as are electronics hobbyists. A note of caution: CZ's aren't difficult to repair, but exploratory surgury can make put the chips into an astable state of error requiring digital logic understanding. If you need an upgrade, buy Kraftwerk or a sampler/digital recorder. If you need a repair, fix it yourself or make do. On the other hand, at least Casio gave out sysEx codes and phase distortion info about CZ. Casio had its CZ synthesis technique imitated by other companies who are rich now, so I'm not in the mood to further slam on the company since I love my CZ.

CZ-5000 is worth what I paid for her, worth apt. insurance too. If stolen, I'd buy another CZ, or get a digital multitrack and remix my old recordings of CZ inferno. I've been playing piano for 18 years, synths for about 5 years. Other gear: MacSE, Alesis HR-16 drums mach., Zoom 1202 FX, Sony JE510 miniDisc rec., optimus SSM-50 mixer, and a bunch of other cheap radio shack junk. I love CZ sounds, hate the lack of MIDI control, velocity sensitivity. I choose this one cause it was the cheapest, editable 61-key, true synth I had ever seen... I never spend more than $400 at a time on audio stuff, and by comparison, used gear rules. I wish I had multitrack Hard Disk Recorder, and a isolation booth for recording vocals. CZ helps me make music, but gets in the way of anything earthy. CZ's worst enemy is the piano, in that realm. One last thing... always buy cheap AND/OR used, that way you can buy a few cool things every few months, instead of one cool flavor of the month once in a lifetime. Be inventive. No one cares what crap you use if it sounds awesome--they think you're Trent Reznor's Evil Twin, instead.