Casio SA-7 - Review & Output Modification

[@discoveringyolanda]

My mom bought me this keyboard when I was a little girl, years later I learned how to play it by ear, oh how the sweet sounds took me back to childhood. thanks mom your the coolest ever 🎹

[@RetroPlus]

I was going to purchase this keyboard, but realising it has no headphone jack is a deal breaker. And wow, you have one hell of an underrated channel here! This review was fantastic and everything about this video was very well presented, great mic quality, great camera shots and good attention to detail. You've earned your sub!

[@nikpan9744]

At 0:33 he mentioned the sa-1 has one

[@Elazarko]

Any other "better" alternative you can think of with a headphone jack? Casio or Yamaha?

[@iyhgtyea8028]

This was seriously nostalgic, haven't heard these sounds for 30+ years!

[@chrisfost2116]

The narrators voice is fantastic. I realized this was not the video I was looking for but had to keep watching to hear what he said next!

[@chriswick21]

this dude can make an awesome track on literally any toy keyboard, amazing!

[@keshavptech]

Wow, the multi track song recording with such ease shows your amazing talent. Even with an entry level keyboard!

[@antoniobrajkovic1977]

This was a great throwback. I remember hearing the SA1 sounds for the first time and I was blown away since my PT82 had 8 simple instruments.

[@deepakdutta716]

This keyboard was the first toy my dad ever gave to me as a child . This video sent me back in time . Your channel is the best !

[@Desmaad]

10:07 Man, that sound brings back memories! I think Trans Am used it in the opening of one their songs from their debut.

[@michael1234252]

This brings back memories of playing around with my old SA-5 that I grew up with. A lot of the sounds and tones of this SA-7 are what grew up listening to with on my SA-5.

[@BlueParadoxical]

I have had this keyboard since I was about 6 years old, and I loved this video! Amazing job. I loved the track that you made.

[@MaryahVarnado-vm8fj]

I had this when I was a kid. Gosh what a throwback.

[@AdvancePlays]

I just adore the sounds on this, I'm gonna have to pick up one the keyboards with this sound chip

[@notsofunnynowisit]

Another excellent review & HowTo - I'm really diggin' your channel, man! Now I'll be on the lookout at the local thrift shops for one of these dingles. I don't do the "notify" button because it's usually one more annoying attention-getter I can live without in my life, but in this case, I'm making an acception. Cool Demo at the end, too!

[@BuickGeek24]

I have his notifications turned on

[@cameronleggett]

The SA-7 is one of my 3 favorite Casio mini synths. following close behind the SK-60 and SK-1. It's got serious flex with the 100 PCM sound bank. I like the cheesy accompaniment sound loops. Holding a key for an extra loop and then switching to a 3rd patch is part of this board's secret sauce. The telephone busy signal that pulses in time with the Rock beat is pretty sweet. Love your channel.

[@kgbstudio]

I got an SA-1 . such great little instruments. again, a stellar review. Would be cool to see a review of its "bigger" brother MA- 101

[@RothmanHarv]

I love this era of Casio sounds; really unusual sound. "Metal Guitar" is stunning. Was there ever a more professional/synthesiser-like version of the SA Casios? As in customisable pitch envelopes etc. with the same nasty PCMs.

[@BatteryCoverMissing]

you can make crazy pitch envelopes on the cz and vz series. A lot of the sa-series sound like low-res samples of the cz. but the sa could be doing some synthesis also as the envelopes seem too complex to be samples and the chip seems too small to store 100 samples. there isn't any obvious way to interface with the chip so i don't think anyone has reverse engineered exactly how the sa series works.

[@RothmanHarv]

@@BatteryCoverMissing I imagine it's a couple dozen waveforms, modified by envelopes for pitch and amplitude (and doing the fake reverb). I thought some of the waveforms were CZ-ish!

[@BatteryCoverMissing]

@@RothmanHarv I hope someone decaps the chip and figures it out soon. There is not really any other synth that distorts the samples in the same way. They had a lot of patents at the time for doing both PCM and FM/Phase distortion on the same chip so it could be a piano and drum waveforms taking up most of the memory and the rest synthesized. It probably uses 2 bit dac like some earlier casios (internally generates 12 bit sound but only outputs the MSB and LSB. It seems to get the same "woolly" timbre.

[@RothmanHarv]

@@BatteryCoverMissing That's interesting. There's nothing quite like it!

[@cameronleggett]

You might look into the Yamaha CBX-K1-XG (The XG model has a built synth engine and speakers, unlike the controller only CBX-K1) it has a pretty deep ROMpler PCM sound bank but also has basic envelopes, Low Pass and Reverb as well as Pitch and Mod wheels, also MIDI In and Out on 5-pin, also runs off 6 AA Batteries. They tend to be pricey over $100, but in the modern world there really isn't anything like them for size and power.

[@danielatilano3294]

This sa -7 is amazing ! i want one i cant believe this small keyboard can pump out so much good sound !

[@PocketOperatorGuy]

That multi track mix at the end 👌👊👍 I have a Casio rap man that shares the same sounds.

[@chloedevereaux1801]

seriously that was an awesome tune at the end..... :D

[@hadireg]

great multiple skills in one video!👍👍

[@bloubear2557]

This keyboard is rad. That laser beam is lit

[@primtones]

The waw voice always make me smile. It's so silly.

[@bogbastard4243]

holy hell this thing was on one of my favorite albums and i had no idea.

[@Desmaad]

Reminds me of the SA-10 I had when I was little.

[@jorgeegrojjorge]

Great video man! 👌

[@Namiofficial23]

Mom got this for us like back in 1990s. I didn’t know music theory so all I did was annoy my home with funny sounds.😂 Thanks for the video. Sure brings back loads of good memories.

[@EeekiE]

That custom version of Super Accompaniment Classical was sublime

[@WeeInnovate-uk]

Hi Keen On Keys, if you like the sounds on this keyboard (they are good) and want a 4 octave mini-key version, you should aim to find a casio MA 100, 101 or 201. They are not as easy to find as the SA keys, but all have the exact same 100 tones and 100 rhythms (as per service manuals, the same sound chip as with all early SA series, but different package version). The 100 has a poly/texture button and a fill-in button same as the full sized CA-110, which is also the same SA chip. The 101 has a separate accompaniment volume slider (minus poly, fill-in). The 201 has stereo chorus, fill-in, acc volume, no poly. Each of these has casio/fingered chords switch. Hope that helps ;)

[@KeenOnKeys]

Yes I know. I already bought a MA-100 and a SA-10 as well.

[@WeeInnovate-uk]

@@KeenOnKeys lol, I have found that is the problem with vintage keyboards, you always have to have both... just in case ;) btw, suggest you avoid the MA-150 its not a real casio, just a re-badged lo-fi music centre with loads of aliasing noise. terrible

[@KeenOnKeys]

​@@WeeInnovate-uk Good to know. But that could also be a reason to buy one. I thought it was more or less the same as the other SA and MA models.

[@WeeInnovate-uk]

@@KeenOnKeys I plan to do some projects with the SA/MA series later. The 150 was made for the Asian markets, cheap, plus midi out. I have no idea WHY Casio would want their brand on an awful MC-36. Now the DM-100 that's a lovely keyboard... even if it could have been implemented better. ;) BTW, I commend the thoroughness, quality and attention to detail in your videos.

[@diegoteclas]

THis tiny keyboard sounds surprisingly well..

[@jessicalopezrivera1094]

Impresionante. Gracias por el video. He recuperado mi CASIO SA-1 y me encanta como suena, ese ruido de fondo es muy agradable. Un saludo desde España.

[@EmiPianoMX]

So similar to the SA-5 also because of its simplicity! But SA-5 has a tone edit function.

[@ma1nsun]

10:05 These sounds were used in the comedy program Maski-show in 1992-1993, which was a great success in ex-USSR😀

[@raymondleggs5508]

I had the SA65, SA-1, CA101, SA-35 and PK-1 there were a couple of versions with MIDI!

[@Slimek]

Amazing video! I own an SA-1 but for some reason your keyboard sounds much cleaner, even when plugged into the headphone jack, do you have any idea why it is like that?

[@navjotsinghDhanoa]

Now i know to add a headphone jack to keyboards without one 😀 Thankx

[@creatorsremose]

6:21 "All buttons make this noise when pressed, could be a little bit annoying in a live situation." If ANYONE showed up to a live performance with a Casio SA-7, he'd be fired on the spot without even hooking up.

[@jackcimino8822]

The Casio SA-75 doesn't have that problem

[@LeoLouisMusic]

I modded mine years ago, but mine is a sa-9. With the empty audio jack part, my guess or theory is its a 7 pin connector audio jack that just slots in when soldered the pins, then will work like other sa serries models. I am planning on desoldering my jack and looking for one that just slots in and seeing if it works the same I believe the design is close to same as ones with a jack. My guess they did it to cut down on costs

[@cranklabexplosion-labcentr8245]

Dude, you would have a field day at a goodwill or zia buy/sell/trade in the states. So many people donate and sell these for cheap and usually sell from $5-20

[@mr.9931]

You should think about a Casio SA-76! It's basically the same thing as this keyboard, but it has 8 note polyphony and some other features (with a headphone jack too) and it's still being made, you can buy it on places like Amazon or eBay. I'd love to see a video on that!

[@noisydoll168]

Is it the same dinky/trashy sounds? :D I had this SA-7 as a kid and now I kind of want it again.

[@mr.9931]

@@noisydoll168 yes it does with some improvements. You can still buy it on places like eBay or Amazon

[@deepakkumar-bq5bp]

Nice

[@osomdocartucho]

Again, another great video. Would you consider to make a video about Casio SA-46? Thanks a ton!

[@KeenOnKeys]

I'll be doing a review of the SA-46 one day, but it's pretty much at the end of my list right now.

[@Davedarko]

This somehow sounds like the Casio Tone Bank MA-101 that I had as a child o.O

[@BennoWitter]

The SA-1 that I used to own had "Wake me up before you go-go" by Wham as a demo tune.

[@RWL2012]

All SA-1s do.

[@piano42]

I've got a SA-10 from my uncle today and had to search for a review on your channel. Glad that I found it. Are you still searching for this model?

[@KeenOnKeys]

I have one now.

[@Firing_Order]

0:46 YO!! That's the rhythm Holy Fuck used for Tonebank Jungle!!

[@RocketChild]

I have a similar keyboard at home that I want to use for portable music recording. While you did a good job putting the output in, I don't think I have the confidence to be able to do it myself.

[@DJWhisler]

right?! ive done soldering before , but i need to watch this a bunch of times first before i can get the hang of it !!

[@MrTomb789]

Hey, it'd be really great to see a review on the Casio SA-1, a little marvel with lots of sounds..🙂

[@ned_interrobang]

nice mod WOOOOOWWWWWWWWW

[@jesytorres8067]

I recognize the sounds from that Casio SA7 keyboard because I used to have a similar keyboard within the Casio, range the Casio SA-75, but with 37 keys and 4-note polyphony. i played with that keyboard very often. I had it between December of 2009 and March of 2013, long before I recently purchased the Yamaha PSR E463 after having another larger Casio keyboard.

[@aaravamitabhmishra8675]

Presently having this but sa 21

[@eidrag]

I recognize this 100 tone bank haha

[@Agnethatheredhairkid]

I used to have an SA8.

[@nathanp.barclay1518]

13:33 reminds me of Gain Ground from Sega Saturn.

[@jeroendenhertog4975]

I bought a pristine Casio SA-1 (black model) for 2 euro on a flea market. It's cool to mess with.

[@RadioactiveMoth]

I have a different Casio keyboard (ML-I) that I think has the same sounds as the SA-7. I recognized those weird sound effects.

[@deepakkumar-bq5bp]

Hi, can we add line out put in Korg pa300. When i insert head phone jack to Korg pa 300, its speaker turned off. I want to sound both keyboard speaker and head phone, can it is possible. Thanks

[@VISIONMOONLIGHT]

Hi, I also made the same headphone output in my Casio SA2, but after soldering the cables, like in your case, it does not disconnect the speaker. I've tried it on all my legs and I don't know what I'm doing wrong... I have a stereo jack, maybe that's the problem?

[@KeenOnKeys]

It's hard to tell from the distance. It has to be a jack with a switch contact. I showed it more detailed in my Yamaha PSS-100 and Casio PT-87 videos.

[@VISIONMOONLIGHT]

@@KeenOnKeys Thank you for the information, it turned out that the plug I use does not have a cut-off circuit, but I have another one that does :) _ Ok, I know everything now - thank you ;)

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

One of my siblings had the Casio SA-8 model, which only gave you 25 sounds instead of a hundred, but the noise made when you select the tone or rhythm is the same as on this model.

[@luigikoopa8771]

The sound chip that your SA 8 house actually has a hundred samples but the reason you only get twenty-five is because it's culinary

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

@@luigikoopa8771 Interesting.

[@federicomiranda]

did you end up discovering it has stereo sounds or are they mono? (even if wired for stereo from the factory.. they might be stereo I guess)

[@KeenOnKeys]

It's completely mono.

[@jasonmcgary]

Can u send me a link to buy those output jacks or tell me what kind they are I have one of these and need to add the jack

[@AngelinaNorth]

Which do you think is funner just to create cool sounds. This one or the VL tone??

[@PutItAway101]

Sounds a lot like the incredibly cheesy CA100 I had back in the day, maybe the same chip in it?

[@pravoslavdvorak1609]

Ich habe solche Arbeit geleistet. Wartung, Kontaktreinigung. Ich habe die Mikroschalter gewechselt. Roland, Yamaha

[@Simcore999]

👍🏻

[@fermiLiquidDrinker]

I actually have an SA-10 if you'd be interested in it

[@KeenOnKeys]

Thanks, but I already have one.

[@raymondleggs5508]

The only useful super accompaniment is the rock and slow rock ones and the new age one.

[@zonalibrer3357]

The 1989 Casio MA-120 had the same sounds i think. But not all of them. Maybe you can a Review for ma-120

[@MrCachufletas]

Hi1 Did you try adding guitar pedals on it?

[@frien_d]

does any one knows any hack to mute the instrument change clap when you... well, select a different instrument?

[@cillitbanggang470]

12:24 Anyone else think this sounds like the Kakariko Village theme from The Legend of Zelda?

[@m.s.8018]

Could you please explain how you managed to play it without the power plug😊;-)

[@KeenOnKeys]

That's a secret. But I'll give you a hint: It starts with a "B" and ends with "atteries"

[@m.s.8018]

Ohh, sorry I overlooked this obvious detail😊

[@asmusicofficial4390]

Plz relize all sound items.

[@Mike77154]

do you know how to add more polyphony and Midi in and out to this little guy?

[@SuperArgentun]

Activa los subtítulos en tu canal urgente !!!!!!

[@shobujbanglamsm]

How to price sir? I am Bangladeshi

[@PanHoover882]

What type Batteries do you need to power this?

[@KeenOnKeys]

4 x AA

[@satenderrajbhar7303]

3 batan kam nahi kar raha hai

[@weewee2169]

play blues in dallas

[@bloubear2557]

Have you had a chance to play on an Casio SK100?

[@KeenOnKeys]

I have it every day

[@bloubear2557]

@@KeenOnKeys :O will there be an episode on the SK100? Thanks for responding

[@KeenOnKeys]

​@@bloubear2557 maybe next year

[@cheapnoise9014]

@@KeenOnKeys Please do a review on a mini sampling keyboard of this kind. While cheap, the SK-1's synth section and multitrack sequencer are awesome.

[@synthmalicious7541]

9:11 what’s that song?

[@RothmanHarv]

Peter and The Wolf