Casiotone 701 - First Contact | Music Demo

[@KristianWontroba]

Love it! TVs, Ataris, Synths...Everything had to look like living room furniture back then! Cool demo!

[@chrn5207]

Awesome demo! It's neat how much that thing sounds like an organ more than a synth. Great find!

[@kawai4christ]

My mom’s Casio has that same mambo beat pattern! I use to put a piece of paper of the speaker and you would get this cool pooping effect from the vibrations of the sounds!!! Still love Casio!!!

[@ChopperDave42]

Oh boy did this comment give me a good laugh.

[@slowblack3947]

I love vintage Casio keyboards, but I'm here just for your accent! ; }

[@MatthieuPoup]

I just got my hand on a 401! it's actually an awesome instrument. I decided to useit just with my Octatrack, and the results are amazingly surprising

[@spazkong]

It has a very soothing tone along with your soothing music. You could release an album full of such noodling.

[@SynthsandSounds]

Yeah, the Casiotone 701 sounds imsanely warm! A full album is a lot f work, but a better produced track is in the making.

[@spazkong]

@@SynthsandSounds Brill as it is but yeah. Could build around it.

[@acreil]

The drums and sound effect buttons are analog, but the tones are actually entirely digital. It uses additive synthesis with 5 partials per voice, each with its own independent envelope. It might be the first cheap digital keyboard to have a really warm and smooth sound (if the 1980 Hohner C86 doesn't count as cheap), but I think the harsher sound of most other Casio models is more interesting. Casio didn't stick with additive synthesis for long; it's used only in the Casiotone 501, 601, 602, 701, 1000P and MT-70.

[@marsupialmicron]

A masterpiece! Really I loved it

[@oseasgonzalez7828]

saw a 701 for $200 at my local shop today and had to pick it up. Instantly had a blast as soon as I plugged it in. Such a great demo! Love the DJ shadow!!

[@SynthsandSounds]

Well, these go for quite much these days, but it really has a sound that's incomparable to any other keyboard. I found mine online by someone who obviously didn't know what special keyboard was lying in his attic and I just paid 30 bucks. Glad You got the reference, the sequencer is so terrible and my playing so bad I didn't know if anybody would understand!

[@fostervoxproductions]

Brilliant work! Some of this sounded like it could be a Michael Mann score. I have one of these for 20 years and never realised that the fill bar below the keyboard did something lol

[@paulmattle6683]

Watch the first Phantasm movie. I'm pretty sure that this is what was used on the soundtrack. The first two songs he played sounded very close to the Phantasm soundtrack

[@jesuzmario]

wow that 366bpm waltz got me crazy! and that 366bpm arpeggio killed me! so cool what you did with this casio grandpa 🙌

[@SynthsandSounds]

Thanks! I was quite excited as well when I found it, it has such a cool house vibe. It's all about creative use of what You have :)

[@benjaminizzo2551]

You got an organ going there No wonder the sound has so much body. Rob Dougan drums on that first sound. Thanks for making this Synths!

[@johnnydekock]

Very cool demo man!!! I have the MT70 that also has analog drums.

[@faleofastockwell9661]

Wonderful dreamy feel.

[@melanieparker1307]

I recently bought the Casiotone 701 in its carrying case with foot pedal, and it has been a lot of fun! I have played piano for 43 years, so it has been a real treat to play on an instrument I didn't have access to in 1981 as a small child. I especially get a kick out of the 2 "sound effects" buttons which make "pew pew" and laser sounds like in a 1970s sci-fi movie!

[@maleselapete6356]

Hi. Would you like to share where you bought?

[@Kevitohere247]

I have one for sale ​@@maleselapete6356

[@shayneoneill1506]

There was a local Jazz guy, forget his name, but he used to swear by these things. In the right hands these can be *super* funky. Casio made great little keyboards before they switched to that godawful signed 8bit PCM stuff. A friend of mine in the 90s used one of these for a low-fi triphop act (Think Portishead or Massive attack, but played on a Casio and Korg drum machine with a singer who sung like an angel) , and it actually sounded amazing

[@Pizmend]

I used to play Jamaica Farewell with this Casio 701,it had that song in his automatic memory.

[@MBRMEDIA_]

YESSIREE THIS IS BEAUTIFUL

[@NeilVanceNeilVance]

I had the 403 back in the day but this was the dream machine - Cutting edge for the time.

[@SynthsandSounds]

The Casio keyboards from the 1980s belong to the most underrated instruments out there!

[@musicofforester]

Awwww maaan! There's a few of these lying around on second hand online stores here, and I always really wanted one of these. I'm jealous!

[@musicofforester]

It sounds absolutely amazing, btw

[@SynthsandSounds]

You surely would have something different to show on your channel, wouldn't you? It's been quiet on your channel recently

[@musicofforester]

@@SynthsandSounds Ya that's true. I do want to start uploading again, but it's been a busy few months at work. I'll be moving to a new house (with a bigger studio) soon, so I hope to start pushing stuff out again after that...

[@maleselapete6356]

HI.WHERE IS "HERE"?? I REALLY REALLY NEED ONE. FROM SOUTH AFRICA. LIMPOPO PROVINCE. POLOKWANE CITY. CAN YOU PLEASE HELP??

[@BugzKiller]

LOL I had one of those as well until I sold it...1 speaker!! Loved the mambo!

[@Angel-nb2fn]

Nice "Kazziio"

[@paulmattle6683]

I guess this is the synth that was used for the Phantasm soundtrack, seeing that you pretty much just played it. Damn, dude! You played it how it was meant to be played!

[@SynthsandSounds]

I can see the similarities, but it doesn't match up. the first casio keyboards using this engine came out in 1981, Phantasm came out two years earlier. They must have used some other kind of electric organ, they were abundant in the 70s

[@HoxtonGuitarist]

Great video! Also that second drum loop reminds me of a Gorillaz song!

[@andykensley]

Last living souls :)

[@VinceAlvare]

I got one of these about 3 years ago and have gotten so many hours of fun out of it! Only thing is i cant figure out how to work the sequencer to save my life...I would definitely be interested to see how that works if you have time for another video on this!

[@SynthsandSounds]

I haven't put great efforts into figuring out the sequencer, but from what I got so far the sequencer isn't really helpful even if you figuer it out. It has no quantize option and everything is real time, so it's really hard to use in my opinion. I guess if you could write your sequence as barcode then read it with the light pen, you would be able to make precise sequences, but I'm not having the light pen. So I'm really not sure if I will really use the sequencer a lot or will do a video, but I might do one if I find out something new

[@froggyfruitloops]

Very cool! Can you use the arpeggiator without a drum beat?

[@SynthsandSounds]

Unfortunately not :(. I use the Yamaha PS-25 for stand alone arpeggios. Sadly it is a rather uncommon feature in keyboards

[@blegghhhhhhh]

Here because I just found one of these in great condition at a thrift store for $40. It would’ve been disrespectful to leave it behind. I’m excited to play around, but if nothing else it’s safe until another enthusiast can really appreciate it.

[@SynthsandSounds]

Oh congratulations on the deal! Until today, it's still one of my favourite keyboards! It definitely has not a wide spectrum of different sounds, but it has the best organs you can get in any 80s keyboard, in my opinion. Maybe it will stick with You :)

[@paulrose]

I love the sound of the waltz drum beat and would love to get a sample loop of that from somewhere. Anyone know a resource where I can find that?

[@jasonmcgary]

I just bought one today

[@Berto822]

You got an organ going there, no wonder the sound has so much body

[@SynthsandSounds]

weird... 4 years ago, someone wrote exactly the same comment

[@kd3623]

Hello again! I have a question about the arpeggio. (I have the casiotone 405 but I imagine it works the same way with the 701). Is there a way to use the arpeggio without the “casio chord” or “bass” melodies playing at the same time? On my 405, it seems like you have to have the chords and bass play if you want to use the arpeggio and i’m not able to use the arpeggio on its own. Thanks!

[@AxelsoftMusic]

Classic... and btw never underestimate the power of any instrument - for an example watch the video "Little Bitchard - Bontempi House" to see the awesome power of the organ in action :-) Best Regards, Axel.

[@KiMA38]

2:34 It's a common thing at CT-701's sequencer lol

[@jasonmcgary]

Can u make a video of how to program the sequencer?

[@SynthsandSounds]

no, I don't get it myself. I tried it once, but since it has no option on setting an equal step length (it's a real-time sequencer) and I am terrible at playing, I quickly stopped tinkering with it

[@kackalacke66]

Hey, würdest du den ct 701 als Einsteigerinstrument empfehlen? Ich komme von der Gitarre und kann zwar rudimentär klavier spielen, aber nicht der Rede wert. Sind die E-Piano Sounds ausreichend? Grüße

[@eastwoofer]

Hi, do you need to have the drums running to use the arpeggiator, or can arp be used with no percussion?

[@SynthsandSounds]

Unfortunately, the arpeggiator cannot be used stand alone and there is no way to mute the beat respectively

[@juanii_mishima2239]

Hi guys greetings from argentina, i want to know if there is a similar synth casiotone,because here i didnt find any casiotone 701 and i want one of that years with the Same characteristics.

[@juanii_mishima2239]

401 didnt find either

[@SynthsandSounds]

the casiotone 501 is from the same generation, the casiotone 201 is quite different. Other than that I'm out of ideas

[@Kevitohere247]

I jist got a hold of one of these , its unreal , what would you price one of these

[@SynthsandSounds]

On reverb.com, these go for several hundred bucks, but I got mine for 30 bucks from someone who had it lying in his attic. But to me, it's priceless. I use its organ sounds a ton, it's the only keyboard that has a permanent space in my synth rack

[@pianokeyjoe]

Aaargh! And I have my Casiotone 701 collecting dust right now trapped under a large stack of other Casio and Yamaha keyboards so I can not pull it out right now lol! Some day soon though! Seems this keyboard is not that boring like I thought when I first bought it, played it for 5 minutes and then stored it until now.. Yes I still have not played it again since I bought it in 2008!

[@SynthsandSounds]

I wish I had your problems...

[@pianokeyjoe]

@@SynthsandSounds LOL! You only want this ONE problem I have lol! You do not want my other problems! :-P Keep Rocking those keyboards mate!!

[@kaykes7012]

the beginning song reminded me of the postal service

[@Rr0gu3_5uture]

I was actually surprised at how good the 701 is. I bought mine out a junk shop for £20. As I was getting more proficient on guitar I thought it would be a good idea to be able to bash out a few tunes on the keyboard, learn/practice my chords/scales and also use it as a song writing tool.

[@SynthsandSounds]

By now I've added quite some pieces to my 80s keyboard collection. This one really stands out! While it has a fairly limited sound spectrum, its organ sounds are truly marvellous. It's the only keyboard that has gained a permanent spot in my synthesizer rack

[@kd3623]

If you’re still there, I would love to know a little bit more on how the sequencer works. Did you just record a one bar loop and it was able to loop itself? Or did you have to record continuously for however long you had it looping for?

[@SynthsandSounds]

The sequencer is very basic. It just stores one long sequence of note pitches and lengths. As with the light pen function that it once had (You can see a demo of that on synthmania's channel, mine has been lost), it is only meant to store full songs: No quantize, no looping, only one storage space. I didn't use it at all except for this demo and so I didn't spend a lot of time with it, but I am quite sure that it is barely usable for modern sequencing purposes. If You're looking for a Casio with a useful sequencer, You should have a look at the CZ-5000

[@kd3623]

@@SynthsandSounds got it. thanks so much for your reply. i ended up purchasing a casiotone 405 since you can arpeggiate without the drums on that one (the accomp. and rythm have their own volume knobs) thanks !

[@maximilianoibarra3507]

I love this keyboard. I

[@machiavelli4428]

I had this but lighter finish. Might of been a a different model number

[@SynthsandSounds]

or it might be due to extended sunlight exposure. You never know what these guys went through within the last forty years

[@jimwyer4257]

Hello I enjoyed your equipment reviews. Your English is excellent. But there is just one word I’d like to help you with because you use it a lot. The word is accompaniment. Note that in the middle, the “i ” follows the “n”. It is pronounced as if you had joined “accompany” with “ment”. so, like this: accompany-ment. Its that easy. I notice that when you add text to your videos you spell it wrong by placing the “I” before the “n” resulting in accomp-ain-ment. Again, huge respect for you mastery of my language, just wanted to help with this one word 😊

[@SynthsandSounds]

This is so embarassing!several years into fiddling with keyboards, I've recently realised that myself! On my newest videos (there is not many of them yet), I pronounce it right. I feel sorry - by now, it is painful to me as well!

[@tonystephen6312]

Drum machine like a cr78 lol!

[@yujproductions]

first demo felt like a level from mario, like maybe inside one of the evil castles

[@claytonlevibrown]

casio stuff is interesting to me,. I wish they would make a modern synth, like a real synth for people of today but from them, in a compact case/all analog,.

[@SynthsandSounds]

That would be so cool! The professional casio gear (CZ series, FZ-1, RZ-1) is really cool and i would love to see a new casio synth! But honestly I don't think it will happen since casio is very mass market oriented

[@andreivaughn1468]

"Analogue sound engine"? Guess people will believe anything if it's said authoritatively and in an exotic accent. What's analogue about the HD43517 sound chips that power this device?

[@cdwhiley]

5:03 is great.

[@jaredfink725]

oh i thought it was a 401. nice. sounds like the same drum circuit.

[@yvesvanduijl6878]

My very first keyboard....

[@jangbi08]

Did someone donate this organ to you? 🤣

[@SynthsandSounds]

I found it on Switzerland's craigslist for 30 bucks 😁

[@Greaseball120]

Dj Shadow organ donor 🤔

[@gula_rata]

Its a definitely nice keyboard. But the negative is it's so damn big and heavy. If you don't have the space for it, don't get it.

[@AxelsoftMusic]

Classic... and btw never underestimate the power of any instrument - for an example watch the video "Little Bitchard - Bontempi House" to see the awesome power of the organ in action :-) Best Regards, Axel.

[@kd3623]

Hello again! I have a question about the arpeggio. (I have the casiotone 405 but I imagine it works the same way with the 701). Is there a way to use the arpeggio without the “casio chord” or “bass” melodies playing at the same time? On my 405, it seems like you have to have the chords and bass play if you want to use the arpeggio and i’m not able to use the arpeggio on its own. Thanks!

[@SynthsandSounds]

Hello Kevork! I already expected to hear from You again, assuming You would run into this issue. I never had the Casiotone 405, but from my general experience with 80s keyboards, there is usually no way to have the arpeggiator play without the accompaniment. The arpeggio is considered part of the accompaniment and noone thought that anybody would want just the arpeggio by itself. Quite often, You can turn the arpeggiator on or off, but only with the requirement that the accompaniment keeps running. The only 80s keyboard range I know of right now that has a stand alone arpeggiator ist the Yamaha PS-25/35/55 series from 1983, where You have separate volume faders for arpeggio and the rest of the accompaniment.

[@kd3623]

@@SynthsandSounds I figured that would be the case, but wanted a second opinion. Thank you so much for getting back. I really appreciate it!