Casio SK-1: This legendary lo-fi sampler from 1986 is still worth it

The Refractions VST plug is on sale here: decentsamples.c...
The Patreon sample library I made in this video can be found here: / patron-exclusive-10839...

[@garethbarnett6389]

Being able to reproduce Axel F in fart sounds was one hell of a flex as a 13 year old in 86.

[@johncitizen8828]

RESPECT. 👊

[@jeffrice6403]

This is absolutely what I did. My friends with no playing abilities were big fans of cussing into the sampler and then hitting the "Demo" button.

[@AdamDoesntReadPinnedComments]

Found Gene Belcher's KZbin SN

[@mklcjnsn2116]

I had one much earlier than 1986. That’s the year I graduated, and I know I had one in middle school.

[@eastwellwines]

Ha! - I did the same with mine!

[@TheFibtastic]

And now I'm remembering something else I did with this thing. My best friend and I, in high school in the late '80s/early 90s, did a sort of 'podcast' before podcasts existed, distributed by tape to our friends. It was just us screwing around, doing comedy bits and social observation, in front of a (stereo) microphone and tape recorder. And we had this sort of imagined 'robot' sidekick which was just the SK-1. We'd pre-record its parts and play them back at different notes, usually just "yes yes yes" or "no no no", and we'd build a whole bit around this silly thing. Now I need another one.

[@SomePeopleCallMeWulfman]

That sounds like fun!

[@losfogo7149]

wow that's so cool!

[@DavidHilowitzMusic]

that’s hilarious

[@Synthetrix]

I had one when they came out. It was fun and affordable sampling. I wonder what ever happened to mine.

[@TheFibtastic]

I had one of these when I was a kid. It was s Christmas present in probably 1986? I LOVED IT. More than almost anything I owned from back then, I remember playing with this thing endlessly. I wish I still have it, but unfortunately at some point it just...went away. I probably left it at my parents' house when I moved out, and they probably sold it at a garage sale or donated it at some point in the 1990s.

[@sohl947]

I still have mine! I used in the 80s in a hard rock band. I put in a foot switch jack in it so I could foot-tap chord sequences during the Rush covers our band played.

[@noahskaroff]

I was actually about to write this exact comment. My grandpa gave me a pink one for Christmas in 86 when I was 2, and it became my most treasured childhood possession. He must have known something, because to this day music is still the only thing I'm good at.

[@infn8loopmusic]

​@@noahskaroff awww 😢 but no videos posted in your account? Show the world your gift 🌞

[@davepayne164]

Are you me? Exactly the same here

[@christopherkiyui8071]

@@TheFibtastic seems like this little synth has a reputation for disappearing. I used to own one too. I wonder where it went.

[@laotree8224]

Finding an SK-5 at a garage sale in 1996 for $10 is basically my villain origin story, set me on a lifetime journey of making weird music. Still have it, and recently added an sk-1. Great machines.

[@waynefarrellvoiceovers]

@@laotree8224 Outstanding! 🙏🏻

[@g3ng4rb0i3]

I actually loved the highs rolled off. It sounds so warm and inviting.

[@EricDFreak]

no fucking way, my dad had one of those and I used the shit out of it until it completely broke, its was how my love for music was born

[@Sandy-dd4le]

It's been here from the beginning and it will be here til the end. Back in the days when the kids were mean, sometimes it was my only friend. I used to sit for hours in my room recording loops. Hell, I was inside making tape edits while the kids we're playing hoops. Anytime I was ever grounded, they'd take my TV away. I used to get in trouble so I could play in my room all day. It saved me from years of boredom so that is what I gotta let you know. That I have a special place in my heart for my good friend, my Casio. Brett Johnson.

[@johnnyyesno8236]

This is beautiful.

[@dexterhuizenga2866]

I found of these for $15 CAD at the thrift store last month and I absolutely love it! I strongly believe that limitations encourage creativity, and the SK-1 is a perfect case study. Thanks for the great video David

[@DavidHilowitzMusic]

That's a great deal!

[@GhtrefgFromCanada]

canadollars

[@LukeHennisch]

A new David Hilowitz video is the best birthday gift I could ask for

[@GirlOnAQuest]

And he didn't even comment :( Happy birthday!

[@kosadface6103]

happy birthday

[@DavidHilowitzMusic]

happy birthday!!🎉

[@LukeHennisch]

thank you so much!!

[@GhtrefgFromCanada]

Happy birthday!!!!

[@Jukestar]

You absolutely KNOW that any of these that were ever on display at stores had a previous "F*ck you!" sampled from the mysterious customer before you.

[@jamesslick4790]

👍👍

[@BurntValleyRoad]

What nostalgia! I bought one in '86 and relished the not-yet-described as 'lo-fi' quality. I would sample sounds like trains and other outside noises, then bounce them from cassette tape to cassette tape before I even knew what a multi-track recorder was. Just experimental soundscapes using the SK-1. Thanks for making this one.

[@bluehipstahnelms3684]

I got one a Goodwill for 5 bux about 10 years ago. Loved to sample a tenor recorder in it. The result was a close facsimile to a Mellotron.

[@Silly-g]

Somehow I managed to find one for only $3 a few years back at a goodwill with only a missing battery cover

[@flatpicknut]

I bought one of these in the ‘80’s after college and it has survived three sons and now three grandkids. All have loved it.

[@pipefx64]

I've made a few lo-fi ambient albums using just the sk-1 with a loop pedal, reverb pedal and delay pedal. The sk-1 was also the main thing used for years by James Ferraro and Spencer Clark in all their early music incl. as The Skaters, as well as a lot of other underground noise / new age musicians. Definitely still an incredibly versatile instrument for something that was essentially just a toy from ~40 years ago. If you're looking for a really incredible modern equivalent should look into the Chompi sampler, it was explicitly modelled on replicating and updating much of what made the sk-1 so great. (And if you want to check out those albums I made with just the sk-1 you can find them on my channel from a few years ago, they're called 'stumbling into eden' and 'a teardrop descends the last face of heaven'.)

[@jermainelong1843]

We had these in my school back in the 80s. Endless fun! My teacher let me take one home as he saw potential in me. Fast forward decades on and I'm still making beats one way or another.

[@RetroPlus]

I recently picked one of these up "broken" on ebay too, lovely keyboard with some nice features. One of the best casios for sound design and experimenting, it's so inspiring that i want to make an entire album using it.

[@seaniii]

awesome video man, your passion for this stuff is infectious

[@jamesslick4790]

Radio Shack sold this model rebranded as the "Realistic Concertmate 500". I recognized it INTANTLY! Source: I worked at Radio Shack in the '80s and bought one for myself! Like you I don't know what happened to it. This brought back memories! Oh, no I'm off to Ebay now, LOL.

[@evankeal]

I had that too as soon as it hit the Radio Shack in my mall. It was quite fun with a tape recorder to do skits with friends and I got a few tracks done with it, one was using a few lyrics from One Night In Bangkok.

[@RussPaladino]

Your videos are as entertaining as the beautiful sounds you share. Thanks David.

[@144digital]

And hour ago?

[@amckinna]

You've inspired me to see if I can get my old PT-280 working again - or even better, mod it to take a mic input.

[@dtower3316]

holy hell man that bit at 7:01 is nuts, sounds like childhood

[@emiliofajardo6785]

I love the music nerdiness aspect of this channel, but to me, David's passion for this stuff is inspiring! Thanks man!

[@timoheinrich8763]

The Yamaha VSS line actually targets the exact same niche. I have both an SK-1 and A VSS-200 and both just spark instant inspiration

[@MrRossnz]

I used to have a VSS-200, wish I still did!

[@SidBarnhoorn]

I love my SK-1! It's such a fun keyboard and I love using the sampler section to create looping samples for recording. Great tool as well to create poly-rhythmical samples.

[@pixelfrenzy]

Not only can he compose, play, sing and repair obscure instruments, but he can also whip out an editor and code a plugin in C++! 🙃 This was fun to watch and the $29 on-sale Refractions plugin is now sitting burbling away in Ableton alongside Decent Sampler and the 'Korg Prototype' kalimba-type thing from the Berlin episode. Thank you so much!

[@RobotronSage]

29$ for a plugin jesus wow

[@p1nkb0yreal]

youre the reason im making music and i love your vids

[@80sRetroVibes]

I picked one up on eBay a few months ago after playing with it as a kid and remembering how fun it was, and it's still an amazing little keyboard. The fact that it's multitimbral and can play two independent parts with different sounds via its internal sequencer is awesome, and even better, if you select your sampled sound as the current instrument, it will use that sound as the automatic accompaniment for its rythm patterns (albeit at a lower volume). I sample house music-style piano chord stabs and let the samba rythm pattern play them back. Super cool.

[@ruslannunez4449]

Like many other commentators, I also had a couple of these units back in 1981. I thought it was a joke but after months of experimentation with the sounds and sample capabilities, it became a good way to entertain myself and learn some basic keyboard wizardry .

[@manonthemoonint]

I think Chompi has done a great job taking this concept to modern levels (but its not dirt cheap so I guess you are still correct with stating no-one has done something like this 😁) thanks for another entertaining video. I have one of these and had a lot of fun playing it sampling from sk1 prepped sample pack from my phone, Its like adding 100s of presets 😁

[@jcchaconjr]

Oh man - fond memories indeed. My parents got me this for Christmas back in ‘86. I didn’t really ask for it, but it turned out to be the gift I played with the most! Many laughs were had with that SK-1 - yes, as I’ve already read in other comments. Making music with sampled fart sounds was the ultimate pastime for pretty much everyone that had one of these, lol. Seeing the price of it today makes me wish I still had it; I handed it down to my brother years later, complete in box as many of the things I’ve had throughout my life. What he did with it, I have no idea. Casio would totally make Bank if they reissued this mini-synth. I’m sure they have the molds tucked away somewhere.

[@gilesmoss5860]

The combination of these sounds and Refractions.. wow *chef's kiss* - absolutely wonderful. Your closing comments about how the shortcomings of old are now desirable was spot on too. A great closing monologue. Thanks again David, great video (and thanks for the sample pack)

[@mymusicaljesus]

When I was a teenager, I picked up an SK-1 around 2000 for less than $5 at Goodwill. Used it for a few demos and in one real recording for texture. It was fun to bring along trips with an acoustic because it was so compact.

[@NicholasBryantBonzaiSequoias]

The SK-1 has a built-in additive synthesis function. Harmonics with levels IIRC, just by pressing keys. I have the Yamaha equivalent (the VSS-30) and it is awesome too!

[@charliedalencour5141]

this video came out at literally the perfect time. it released right when a listing on facebook for $95 popped on my screen and once i saw your video i purchased it right away! as a producer who’s big into lofi sampling this is probably the best instrument i’ve ever bought, thank you so much!!!

[@QuaaludeCharlie]

This is like having The Whole Band on a Keyboard , So Retro Too :) QC

[@anthonyk5496]

The envelopes are a nice touch and can change the feel of the samples quite a bit

[@funnyfacemaker1]

Thanks so so much David for your hard work! I use your DS instruments a lot and they make so much of how my music sounds. Amongst others, your Minifreak is magical.

[@aramdavid]

wow this thing and the UKE sound amazing together

[@stephenbenderplus]

I still have the SK-1 I got for Christmas in 1985. Thanks for showing this early accessible sampler some love!

[@tonoormusic]

I have its successor, the SK5 and it is my most precious piece of kit. I love it

[@MisterMoccasin]

Love my sk-1. A bass going direct into the sampling jack sounds surprisingly good

[@MrMusicbyMartin]

I had one of these, and it was beautiful! It had such a limited sample time but its limitations are its strength. My favourite approach was to sample one of the times on a comb as I plucked it, a tiny sample which would sound beautiful when looped.

[@gigasipke]

My brother got one for Christmas in the 80's, I remember using it to make a really good Halloween tape for our Trick or Treater horror display. Scary music for the kids then jump out of a box or bushes and get them all screaming. Good times, wish I knew where the tape went.

[@kevinwhite6176]

Like everyone else, I had one of these as a kid. It both introduced me to the idea of doing musical things, and also probably drove my parents insane with me playing the Toy Symphony using farts. The additive sine wave synthesizer makes for a weird organ.

[@zachysnack]

just impulse bought this off ebay for $89 after hearing this. I'm in loooove with the quirks of its sampling, can't wait to spend hours with it!

[@Spunkman]

Found one of these at an estate sale for $50. Came with a soft carrying case and looked like it hadn't ever been used. Love it!

[@bigtizzo]

The Casio SK-1 and Yamaha VSS-30 were my go-to keyboards back in the day. Both are amazing and exciting with all the techniques/hacks you learn experimenting with them. The Casio SK-1 was my first. The Yamaha VSS-30 has an overdub feature that was a game changer. 🙂

[@pookyghost]

ive been wanting a casio sk-1 for a while now, but this video has fully convinced me to do so. thanks!

[@MankyGit]

I remember buying one of these as a kid in the late eighties and loving the sampler, it blew my mind when I saw it

[@transfiguration8865]

Another amazing video. I absolutely love your overall style in video production. I don’t think there’s any YT’r who makes vids like this. Keep ‘em coming. 😎

[@wattage2007]

Great trip down memory lane. Got one of these as soon as they came out back in '86. Absolutely loved it, despite it's horrible shortcomings!

[@shonthelawn]

I've had a circuit bent sk-1 since 2015. My absolute favorite keyboard - I treat it like gold because I want it to work forever.

[@adawofford2732]

I grew up with one of these. As a teenager, my band took it to too many gigs and it was inevitably dropped, so it's missing some black keys but I found if you carefully put thumbtacks into the buttons underneath, you can still play it fine. And my microphone still works! I love this silly thing.

[@carlweston4808]

My first sampler, I got it used in 89....eventually I upgraded to the Akai S-950

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

At the end of 1987, there was an extended family get together at my house for the holidays. One of our cousins brought with her the SK-1 that her father had given her. I jumped at the chance to have one of my own when my dad offered to get it for me early the following year for my eighth birthday. What I didn’t realize at the time was that it wasn’t just a toy keyboard the way it was marketed. It actually had a small additive synthesizer section in it. I gravitated more toward the presets and that sampling section. It was like a broadside seeing the listing for it in Vintage Synth Explorer, along with those for other Casio instruments that had been marketed as a toys.

[@cronkitesatellite]

Great vid. I recently found an SK-1 at a flea market in Rome for €5. It was incredible. I still have it and it works perfectly.

[@stevencsmith7644]

Glad your video popped up in my feed. I still have my SK-1 that I bought back when it was first released (late 80s). It’s in the top of the closet in my home office. I used to do a lot of home recordings of my own electronic music. Now I need to bring it down to see if it still works.

[@SuperToastytoast]

David, I love your videos, your style and your highly educated voice overs of each product. Storytelling at it's finest. After watching 10+ of your videos, I'd love to see you experiment with different effects on the synths. I'm a huge fan of reverb, but what if you used these synths in other genres of music? Funk, Hip Hop, VGM? What kind of effects would bring out the dry sound a little more? Thank you for all the entertainment, looking forward to seeing so much more!

[@joelsmith552]

I had the SK-5 as a kid. It could store four samples at once! My very first way to make music

[@zombieattacker5221]

I got one of these a couple of years ago at a yard sale for 3 dollars and it's probably one of my favorite instruments I own.

[@parkerconnors9333]

i was in my grandmas basement and found one just a few weeks ago and i have fallen in love with it, you can get some crazy cool drum beats by putting the built in rhythms through a pedal. i’ve been using a electro harmonics canyon delay and looper pedal with it and it is endless fun haha

[@macsnafu]

The Casio SK-1 was a surprisingly versatile instrument, with some good presets, the sampling of course, and another feature you didn't cover: the additive synth sound, great for making various organ type sounds. Admittedly it was difficult, but not impossible to make the additive synth sound like something OTHER than an organ!

[@raysmith7511]

Had one and borrowed another from a school friend to double up on sampling time! A real achievement to loop a beat whic, of course was all I was obsessed with in 1990.

[@9sheri9]

I still have mine from childhood, it works great although it's missing one of the black keys 😭 cool to see this featured

[@Aithan83]

Oooh I had this one when I was a kid, around 1990. Thanks for the memories!

[@Varmitlife]

I got mine for Christmas in 1989

[@dyscotopia]

There are so many free plugins out there, and I still have so much to explore with my hardware, but I appreciate what you and Venus Theory and other contributors to decent samples do, that I went to buy the plugin right away. Anything that can make an sk-1 sound ethereal is well worth having in one's toolkit.

[@2handsomeforlaw]

I knew I had found "the one" when my girlfriend showed me the SK-1 her parrents bought for her in 86 ❤

[@discopants68]

I used to hook mine up to my TV audio output and had a blast capturing samples off shows.

[@andrewfarrell6120]

A high school friend of mine had one of these. It was 1986. Grace Jones' Slave to the Rhythm had just come out and I was (and still am) a Laurie Anderson fanatic. OMG that thing so fascinated me. Sampling was really becoming a thing and to be able to do it so simply was mind-blowing. A truly elegant bit of synthesis. I've always wondered why it was replicated more.

[@crispyotter]

My first keyboard!! LOVED it and modded it way-back-when! Now I'm sampling instruments for my first feature I'm composing for - what a journey!! Thanks for making this video!! :) PS I had the RadioShack version (it was exactly the same, but with different colored buttons and their Realistic logo swapping out Casio's).

[@MC-sg5yr]

I have an sk 1 and an sk 5 i got at goodwill many years ago and they are some of my favorite instruments to keep near my desk and pop out a quick jam. I wish i could get a brand new sk1. You are right that no one else has seemed to make something like it

[@jeremymetzger7969]

David does it again

[@retrothing]

I’m happy to hear someone else muse about how there’s not been a real equivalent to the SK-1 since the 80s. I’m surprised given how successful the SK-1 was at time. Pretty much everyone but me had one, so i had to thrift my own in the 90s.

[@scuzzertransmission2472]

Hi I still have my SK-1. It quickly became my writing keyboard. I still have it, and it still works 😊

[@ahsmeg4069]

I bought my SK-1 in 1993 at Canadian Tire for $45. It was on sale for 66% off on clearance. I still have it and it still works perfectly!

[@Arcane0]

Thank you for your videos, it's always a pleasure to explore those nice instruments ! ❤

[@TheGreatAtario]

I remember playing with this thing on the keyboard display at Gemco. Good times.

[@ochreJ]

I used to own an SK-5 which holds 4 samples and also offers trigger pads. And another model (cant recall the number) which would cycle thru all 4 samples with each keypress which was a cool effect. If ur thinking of picking up an SK-1 as more than a curiosity, I’d recommend finding a CIRCUIT BENT one though.

[@MakeSomething]

I have the Yamaha VSS-30 from around the same time. A great alternative if you can’t find the SK1. And as always you make it sound so beautiful. ♥️

[@HenritheHorse]

VSS is more rare and expensive.

[@charles_van_doren]

I had this as a kid and it is what got me interested in making music. Awesome video!

[@kmturley1]

"The highest form of creativity is found by improvising within a set of restrictions."

[@JulianHarris]

This was my first sampler! While my dad played with the Emulator 2 and Ensoniq Mirage this was all I could afford. There was a fun hack where you could record incredibly short samples by simply tapping the microphone percussively and the autoloop would be so short generate a pitch so you could get some very interesting sounds with ultra ultra short samples.

[@socks7545]

I hope teachers find your content and show their class. I love this today but I know this would inspire younger me so much too.

[@infinitemusic1017]

I just found one in a storage box in my room, I’m very excited

[@blakebarr3768]

This video is awesome, I got an sk1 a couple months ago, It's my favorite music thing I own, and pretty much every ambient song i've made since has featured it.

[@Lambev81]

I own one of these from my childhood. Now my eight years daughter play with it ♥

[@jazewade3481]

I still use mine I purchased in 1986. Unique unit.

[@DetroitMicroSound]

In 1987, Yamaha whooped the SK-1 badly, with the VSS-30. My mom gave the VSS-30 to me as a birthday present that year.

[@jackispax1633]

❤Had mine since they were new. Worth mentioning that its sine wave synthesizer is actually an additive type with selectable wavelengths! I keep mine connected to a utility output on my mixer so it can catch any sound any time. You also need a guitar pick with an SK-1, to hold a key down for you

[@FloChai]

Wonderful presentation as usual! Beautiful sounds at 9:25 Thanks David for sharing!

[@CharlieMagic_]

First keyboard was a Casio MT-260 (or similar). Played it till it died. Casio really changed the game and inspired so many kids.

[@ashevillevideoproduction]

An easy way I found to transform the keyboard into cool overdriven synth tones is to slightly pull out the power cable, while playing a note, and then plugging it back it. Makes for an amazing unique sound when I get it just right. Tone resets with a reboot.

[@photasticimages363]

I still have mine!

[@luxbuster2087]

Wonderful video David! Always love seeing more about these old keyboard. Glad you found that experimentalists anonymous website as well! I used that for some circuit bending the other day. I was wondering if youve ever seen or heard about a keyboard called the Hing Hon EK-001. It was produced in the 1990s and comes in all shapes and sizes. On its own its a cute little squarewave keyboard, but when circuit bent, its a full blown synthesizer. I think you should check it out, seems like something youd enjoy :)

[@SanDiegoHarry1]

I had one of those! Cost $99 as I recall. Got it for Christmas in 1987 - years later gave it to a buddy who likely still has it.

[@gravityfreaksmusic]

MY SK-1 finds its way into every song that I record. I just love it. It beats all the VST Mellotrons. Just gather the band, all sing one note and boom.

[@opiejaye]

Very nice! I've still got the SK-5 I had when I was a kid and have been meaning to see what I can create with it.

[@aquieteveningmusic]

Ooooo David it would be cool to see you do something with a Yamaha VSS-30. Sigur Ros used it to sample vocals!

[@twjamjam]

Tysm for putting refractions back on sale, I wasn't making music at the time it was originally but I am now and I am excited to try it out :D