Casio CT-S400 : Finally, the Perfect Casiotone Keyboard? Review / Demo of 2021

[@CasioChaosTheory]

Great video Robert! You really covered and demonstrated all the main features very well, and in just the right detail. You also made it easy to see what the CT-S400 can do, and how to do it. Excellent work! You also made me look at my CT-S300 and wonder whether I should upgrade to a CT-S400 (the 400 hadn't been released when I got my 300). But I'm also wondering if Casio are going to be releasing the "studio" Casiotone that they teased us with back in the middle of this year. Decisions decisions!

[@RobertSaintJohn]

Thank Chas! It wasn’t originally supposed to be *this* long 😄 but I couldn’t resist a) talking about why I care and why it was worth a look, and b) showing something built from scratch. The ease and resulting quality are what impressed me the most, and I didn’t want to just say “it was really easy to make this!” Thanks for the comment, my fellow Keeper of the Flame 🙂

[@ricklarson9312]

This is July 2023 I own the Casiotone CT-S 410 61 key the sounds are truly wonderful.. Love the Casiotone 410 .. 53 Piano's electric pianos amazing... Lee Happy!

[@caster1939]

İm planning to buy it and I thought I already know everything there is to know about it, watching this video shocks me because there’s a lot more feature that makes me want to buy it more, Thank You So Much for this video

[@rondosal]

I bought the CTS 410 for a fun go anywhere keyboard. I am happy! I take it everywhere! It is not my Roland RD88, but I am having just as much fun!! It is worth it. Thanks for the review! Great information!

[@ms.curious4446]

yay! i am a happy, proud owner of casio cts400!

[@digitalhillbilly8863]

Interesting review. Thanks for this. I started playing keys in working bands in the very early 80's. After starting with a MiniMoog and Arp Omni II as my rig, the bass player suggested that I get one of those new little Casio portable keyboards. I actually used it as piano for a while until my rig finally filled out. Even then, we played a lot of Cars and some of the sounds on the Casio are dead on. I may go for one of these just to relive my youth.

[@SUGAR_XYLER]

Love the Cars 💋

[@googlepigs7027]

Best product review I've seen to date out of MANY. I think I'am gonna get one. Thanks Friend ! 👍

[@thatlovejones]

Excellent. Just ordered one to use as a travel keyboard, thanks for the video!

[@ahmed.aldabbagh]

Thanks for the straightforward and genuine review! Very helpful!

[@tzodearf2596]

I liked this review. It was worth the wait for my after dinner cigarette. You give: Context about product development. A balanced view pro/con. An insider view of an acural afficianado. Plus, you give a song demo, audio quality minus bad noodling through 600 sounds.

[@Halijohnmcphee]

Really helpful information and additional kudos for the links to channels that explore other aspects of the keyboard. Thanks!

[@paracog]

Solid appraisal, easy to understand. Thanks!

[@twotwinpeaks]

Rob, excellent video!

[@RobertSaintJohn]

Thanks! This was a lot of fun to put together

[@srdjangojkovic1994]

Thanks for a really nice review. I'm thinking about buying pre-owned one.

[@ttt-toms_tipps_tricks]

Thank you very much for the great video! You explained all the important details in a short time! Fine! I also think it's an excellent keyboard, especially for the money! The keyboard alone is excellent, the roughened surface also makes it feel very good and can be played very quietly and precisely! I have repeatedly compared this Casio with some other devices and am most impressed by the handling and the sounds! (I also have some videos about it on KZbin.) 😉 unfortunately it has no editing options. Four or five knobs for filter and envelope would be perfect! My selection included Roland Go:Keys, Kork Triton tactile and a few others, but none of them convinced me in terms of sound or handling. only the Yamaha mx49 was slightly superior in some cases. Thank you again for the video and all the best for the new year 🍀🍾🎇

[@betothelerch8937]

Well done and great info. Thank you

[@unique-unesi]

Please is it possible to connect the Casio ct-400 and use it in home studio for music production?

[@SunnyHomeVideos]

Just got mine recently. Great keyboard

[@DanielHidalgo]

thanks so much, very grear video. God bless you

[@alanblight9233]

“ that probably exceeds its target audience “ that’s why we love you St. John we’re not all bowfins . I had a few back in the day . I once compared my Jupiter Xm to one , you know , rhythm and noise , speakers on the box . I love them all though the casios didn’t satisfy like the Jupiter does . Hey best wishes .

[@RobertSaintJohn]

When I first ordered my Xm, I thought “it’s going to be like a 21st century Casiotone, and that’s a good thing!” 😄 Of course, it wasn’t and the Xm justifies its price difference in comparison. But I do think the CT-S400 can do a surprising amount of intermediate tasks more easily than the X/Xm or a number of other synths and keyboards. Setting up a performance from scratch with layers + independently arp’ing split + drums with variations takes less than a minute on the Casiotone. That’s fantastic. Using SysEx to make program changes to externally control and sequence the Casiotone… not so much! That’s an example of something that *could* be done on the CT-S400, but it’s not made easy as things like that arguably are not the point of a Casiotone, or those who buy them.

[@Imagineyourmusiccom]

Hello, thank you very much , I just bought it, but I have a pedal problem: I did everything, put the pedal on "sostenuto" and switched off the U1 U2 and lower part, also in" TONE" but the sustain pedal does still not work after keys played , I have a small hand, and am used and need to use the pedal, what am I doing wrong please? thank you very much for your help

[@ashutoshtripathi4192]

Would you recommend this to someone who has to regularly audio/video record himself playing the keyboard? Is it possible to do it directly like we can do with Yamaha's Rec N Share app by using just a piano to phone cable? Is there a workaround for that in CT-S400. Thank you!

[@RobertSaintJohn]

No, it does not support audio over USB or lightning. I used a Roland GO:Mixer Pro for much of this, to record video with direct and clean audio from the keyboard

[@sugarfreemints]

Hello, I bought the casiotone cts 400 and the cts 500, but I realized that it is only compatible with Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, does anyone know if there is a driver for them to work with Windows 11?

[@shimmy1003]

How about integration with Mac and GarageBand?

[@romulo353]

I really wanna buy this keyboard, but midi to usb is complicated? Unusable sort of complicated? :( I'm looking for a good songwriting tool: a digital piano which is also a great midi controller. No bells and whistles.

[@neezus3123]

Does the pitch bend work when controlling vsts in DAWs like Ableton, FL studio or in general? It's my deciding factor between it and the S1. Love the review

[@jamietopolski4019]

Is the key action and the texture on the keys the same as on the CT-S1?

[@pisderata]

do you feel the 48 polyphony falls short vs the 64 of the s1? also, the keys sound the same ore the cst1 are lees because the red cloth

[@digiziko]

Is the durability and silence of the key quality the same as the CTS1?

[@ttattx]

Hello! In the midst of researching a keyboard like this. I had a cheap sampling casio in the late 70’s… early eighties and I remember making burp and fart sample - as any 9 or 10 year old boy would do. It wore out and never until recently with my own children taking interest in music and playing with instruments- I’ve long had a liking for the keys m, but always felt too intimidated to take it seriously- theory, reading, writing. But maybe now is the perfect time to give it a go. The CT-S1 has been my first choice until now. I think this keyboard has greater potential for FUN. otherwise i have to give everything else to the s1. But for me and my family- should be just perfect. Who knows. If it goes well maybe we get the S1 too. 😊

[@olive1992]

Hi. Thx for this wonderful video. I can't see if the screen light is blue or purple? Can you tell me?thx. Regards. Olivier

[@RobertSaintJohn]

Screens like this tend to capture strangely on video, but I’d characterize it as a blue tinted grayscale when viewed in person

[@deauvillevrienden]

Hi, can the USB to host be used as a midi IN so you can play the CT-S400 with an external 88 keys midi keyboard? without using a DAW !

[@RobertSaintJohn]

No, you'll need another device, like Kenton's MIDI USB Host

[@deauvillevrienden]

@@RobertSaintJohn Thanks for the info, so the USB port of the Kenton connected to the USB to Host and my Yamaha MOXF8 midi out to the midi IN of the Kenton should work. I want to use the CT-S1 as a sound module when in the studio. The Kenton is pricey so i want to make sure it will work

[@blindsidesdarjeeling5544]

Which one would you recommend between cts1 and 400?

[@danpan11]

This is a GREAT video. I want to ask you. On my region the S400 and the S1 are basically the same price. I have a MIDI controller for live performances, but I want one with great basic sounds (A great Piano, a great E. Piano, a good Organ), which one should I get? which one do you recommend?

[@tzodearf2596]

How many hit records were made with Yamaha home keyboard's?

[@WELIVEWEDIEOMY]

Are all of the voices that are on the CT-S1 available on the CT-S400? I am particularly interested in the organ sounds. Thank You!

[@RobertSaintJohn]

No the CT-S1 definitely has some exclusive patches. You can check out their PDF docs which list them.

[@SmartWizzard]

can we use this for giving music grade 8?

[@tompastian3447]

Robert, if you have a Casio CTS1, I have a new one, and have had trouble layering. I was able to layer organ with strings, and strings with organ. After saving those two, I can't get the unit to layer any other voices. I did find out that you can layer on top of a layer that you have saved, but that third layer can't be saved, it can only be used while the machine is on. I.e. I saved the organ preset layered with strings, then layered the Farfisa sounding organ preset over the saved preset using organ and strings. But after I did that, I could not do any more layering. I've also had problems engaging the various reverb settings. I follow the manual as much as I can figure out, but can't get any of the reverbs to engage. Any clues as to what I can try ? Somewhere I read that you are supposed to be able to save up to 7 layered presets. I also tried shutting the machine off, then turning it on again, but no luck.

[@RobertSaintJohn]

There’s a lot here and KZbin comments make it hard to diagnose/solve. Two things, make sure you get the big PDF manual from the Casio site , 80 some pages. Most of what you’re asking is covered in depth in pages 30-35. You can save 7 custom registrations, including the data for layered tones (p 23), but “third layer” does not ring a bell, unless you’re starting off with one of those tones like Piano Pad which already sounds layered. But the S1 does not support layering 3 tones that I recall, unless you’re doing some external MIDI trick. If all else fails, try a factory reset (p 58, but shouldn’t be needed). You should definitely visit casiomusicforums.com, there’s a whole CT-S section there with lots of active members, including me

[@QSDigitalVideo]

I had the 401 in the early 80s!

[@yenide84]

marvelous keyboard.

[@danpangil]

Thanks ,hope more video to learn play a song with effects combinations, 👍

[@oazlast8844]

Is it possible to connect the amp to the Casio?

[@RobertSaintJohn]

The CT-S400 has a single 3.5mm stereo minijack audio output in the back, intended for headphones. With proper adapters, you could probably output to an external amp.

[@oazlast8844]

@@RobertSaintJohn thank you very much, can I watch it on youtube to see how it looks?

[@ttt-toms_tipps_tricks]

​@@oazlast8844It's very simple, you just need an audio cable, a 3.5mm jack plug on one side and the right one for your amplifier on the other. So 6.3mm jack or 2 x RCA

[@rockboy4470]

Check out the upcoming cts-500 and cts1000v... New features galore.

[@RobertSaintJohn]

Already have the S1000V on order!

[@DEATHVIPER1777]

Does it have a Synthesizer? Thanks

[@RobertSaintJohn]

No, I would not characterize it as (or having) a synthesizer with programmable elements such as an oscillator, envelopes, filter, etc. It has many sample-based synth sounds, but relatively few ways to shape them.

[@caster1939]

Which is better, Cts400 or roland ex10?

[@RobertSaintJohn]

I've never used an E-X10

[@caster1939]

@@RobertSaintJohn ohh alright

[@yamidachannel]

Bluetooth adapter should be cheaper than it is... 20$ tops. it could even be integrated into the actual keyboard and raise it's price slightly. Just like the Roland:GO Keys.

[@dougie6897]

Hi a splendid demonstration, Can you advise me , when I try and save my registrations ,it often won’t save the tempo and accompaniment on settings correctly. I’ve experimented with the FREEZE setting but this only seems hit or miss….. I’m obviously missing something? Any idea s many thanks

[@RobertSaintJohn]

Hi Keith, I have noticed something similar, but I think I have a workaround. I found that if you load the Registration and then go to the Tone page, it seems that it did not recall the Tempo. But if I press Home, Registration, select Registration, then go directly to the Rhythm page, my Registration has been properly loaded with the Temp and accompaniment that I'd saved. If we're talking about the same issue (bug or by design?), then try those steps and see if it makes a difference. I just happened upon it by accident when I also thought I had to dial up the tempo again. But when I did the recall in that order, I always got the Registration just as I had saved it.

[@Dankflamio]

Reviewing a $250 Casio while sitting in front of the amazing Roland phantom was really funny. Thanks for the review and tutorial.

[@calwonder7313]

Does the measly $50 price difference really make this a viable choice over the CT-X3000? The CT-S a stripped down version of the CT-X. In other words, a step BACKWARDS by Casio. Despite having the older AHS engine, the Casiotone series peaked with the CTK7200, which had a broad and redundant UI, including programmable sliders. Casio trimmed that from the newer CT-X line. The older CTK and CT-X series also offered 16 track sequencers with event editing. The CT-S has a piddly 5-track system with no editing features. A step backwards.

[@RobertSaintJohn]

As mentioned in the video, I’m not comparing it to other keyboards on the market today, and I’ve no experience with the CT-Xs. I think the S400 is a killer deal at $200. Your mileage may vary.

[@RetroPlus]

I think the CT-S500 might have taken the 400's place now

[@RobertSaintJohn]

Definitely, all that and more, even without the 1000V vocal processor

[@RobertSaintJohn]

I’m also late to every party 😄

[@prairienyx]

Yes… but since the CT-S400/410 is selling for $199 now at Guitar Center, I’m giving a few to my grandkids! I have the CT-S500 as well and love the extra features, but BOTH models share the same “essential” core.

[@jannmueller4255]

can you loop your own recording?

[@RobertSaintJohn]

No, I don't see any way in the menu or detailed in the manual that would allow the playback to loop and continue playing again

[@SUGAR_XYLER]

I probably need a college course to play this thing 😂🤣🤣

[@MetaView7]

can't wait for the WIFI/Bluetooth version.

[@anonymike8280]

@anonymike8280 0 seconds ago Au contraire! My early assessment as a qualified -know-it-all- researcher is that these keyboards are superb beginner instruments for adults, in addition to their uses for intermediate (that's me!) and advanced players. I am not so sure that they are good instruments for child and youth beginners. Casio has come up with great tone and good acoustic piano emulation for the price point. The issue is, the tones are very mature in their feeling. Kids needs an instrument that defaults to tone which is more appealing to youthful ears. The brightness of the Yamaha sound is still better for kids.

[@lilodickerson1781]

Nope. I got a CTS1000 last night at Guitar Center for $350 brand spanking new.

[@TamirOrkobysPiano]

CT-S500 much better