The Best Keyboard Ever Made? (For This Type Of Experiment)

[@retrothing]

The VA-10 has been my secret weapon for a while. I even did all production and post for a few radio spots using pretty much just the VA-10. So weird that it’s uncommon to put a DSP (or whatever it is) into a toy keyboard. It extends the anemic sounding voices so much, as well being a workaround for lack of polyphony. Love these explorations!

[@drakeeldridge9693]

Every time I start looking at new gear then the dust in my wallet. I turn on one of your videos and realize the stuff I already have has way more to offer. Thank you for inspiration and saving me money.

[@SimonTheMagpie]

Glad to hear it 😁😁 thank you!

[@RadonX9]

8:14 very cool that this keyboard comes with a built in Mega Man X button lol

[@SimonTheMagpie]

😆😆

[@EBHawellsGames]

Thank u, this one is top 5 in old keyboard videos for me! Also, it's a good starter video for the keyboard curious. It helps to explain why people like us get obsessed with old toy keyboards.

[@juno6]

Two big things were left out... The effects are actually programmable/editable, with the big buttons called "parameter". Each algorithm have two editable parameters. Other amazing feature is that you can record any melody, and then the keyboard analyse what you played and invent the harmony. If you don't like what it did, you can tell it to make it again (but different) as many times as you want. You can also quantize the melody. It's great for making ideas.

[@Chalepastel]

I'm definitely getting some "fuck buttons - street horrrsing" vibes and shit

[@travisguide4516]

Beautiful video i agree there are quite a few options here

[@PeteJohnson1471]

That's great, gotta love your quirky experiments.

[@telumatramenti7250]

0:50 Exactly 1 week after Simon made a video about that orange "Cat Synth" I saw exactly the same one tossed out at the curb. I don't know what made me pick it up, because it looked scary not cute at all. But I did and I made lots of samples of that thing's meows. I cleaned it up and sprayed it with a touch of acrylic lacquer. With how bizarre it looks I think it will be my wall display piece now.

[@AndreijRublev]

This sounds so cool! I really love it!

[@royconway8700]

I bought one of these when they came out just because it looked so wild and was cheap- maybe $50 US. The boomerang space sound from the effect control/hand percussion section is burned into my brain permanently.

[@guitfidle]

Well that was way more fun than I was expecting! I have a couple old Casio keyboards I've picked up at second hand stores, I really need to mess around with them. The one keyboard that looks like a toy but is actually super powerful, with a ridiculous amount of adjustable parameters is a Yamaha PSS-480. I've had mine for 20+ years and absolutely love it! It can get all kinds of weird glitchy bent sounds without being circuit bent. And a built in portamento gives weird bendy sounds like a pitch knob but with more control. Seriously highly recommend the Yamaha PSS-480.

[@eboyvolkihar616]

Dude the rapman sounded incredible! I gotta try that. It'd be so cool for like Reggae Dub sound fx! A casio MT40 with it and you have instant reggae generator!

[@GizzyDillespee]

I've been glitching out the Reface CP's delay lately. You get 1.5s with the "digital delay", and the feedback maxes at like 99.5%, and the Time knob glitches out in nicely percussive ways, and the Wah is actually a pretty cool digi filter with LFO, and there's a Phaser/Chorus, and Drive, and 7 different base sounds that are all high quaity... so the Drive hits them nicely😁. It makes a fun groovebox too, like the Casio, if almost as limited.

[@SimonTheMagpie]

That sounds really cool!

[@JellyMonster1]

I have one of those. The six demo tunes are fantastic, best I've heard on any of these type of sophisticated 'toy' keyboards.

[@PhillipRaymondGoodman]

"my tomorrow, your Wednesday" why does that seem so profound

[@RomPackRomPack]

Woah, you did the thing I asked in the comments. Thank you, thank you. I need to dig my va10 and make some of that. 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@SimonTheMagpie]

😁😁😁

[@vixrobinshood]

i did some cool stuff... ill do more tomorrow. best exit. after my job i love hearing your sounds. thanks man. im leaving this video with a laugh and a huge grin

[@emptyvesselnz]

you know what? I'm going to no input my Elektron Octatrack, and the ASR10 when I fix it. This series really has me just looking round for any gear I have that has inputs of some sort! 🙏💙

[@VarionJimmy]

Proper left ear feedback 😁😁 (For a while, I looked at the paper. But.. it was just for a while.) I had no idea this keyboard existed. For a long time I’ve looked for interesting things at Tradera but I’ve never seen this one. Oh, and the ending of the video! 😁 Never stop being you. Please. (Edit: Just discovered that it really is Wednesday! Right now! What a ..coincidence?)

[@DetroitMicroSound]

Keep it up man! You're really cranking out great stuff, since you came back! Idea! My first sampler ever, was the Yamaha VSS-30, my mom got me for my 14th birthday. I bet you would add some cool features to it... they are ever so slightly spendy, for one in good shape..but I think YOU ARE THE GUY who can circuit bend it to something stunning!

[@MirlitronOne]

I feel an album coming on: "Variations on a cheesy keyboard Demo tune."

[@makeperceive]

really great sounds, actually quite useable

[@jeffryarchambeau5441]

Please look into this conspiracy theory: Does Sweden have a special deal with KZbin? So many of my favorite YTers are in Sweden - Simon, Bo Beats, Woody Pianoshack, Jakob Hak, Accurate Beats...

[@miserirken]

10:45 IMAGINE THERE'S NO HEAVEN~

[@keyhoarder]

i've had it in the past and i regret selling. The effects are unique, there is no other Casio with these features, which is quite strange, because Casio is a champion in making 20 models for 20 years with the same-hardware. But VA-10 is one of its kind. Never before, never after. Well, some part of the effects were avaiable in the same era (1993-1994) Casio CTK - 1000 (great keyboard btw top of the line), but unfortunately, the best ones like feedback and all input driven ones were missing. Or maybe i don't know something and there is another magic Casio out there?

[@keyhoarder]

UPDATE I have found VA-10 in all working condition for small price!

[@JSlackArt]

I had this Baldwin discoverer organ that had an input on it and I was doing feedback loop and blew the whole thing up you should really try to get your hands on that organ it also has a really cool sequence for in it that took me years to figure out how it worked

[@socalwill9876]

Never too much! More of everything! Next episode: Roland Fantom!

[@TheEthanMiller]

Such a melancholy chord really made me feel your regret for "subtle."

[@schulenheimer]

u wont stop me looking at that paper

[@travisguide4516]

6:46 i have a song in this voicing 65 (cathedral) on a casio sa21 short stabs have a nice echo for me

[@alfonsalenius2482]

Ridiculously cool. Might get one just as a noise generator, if i can find another one in Sweden LOL

[@meow--77]

12:48 dj got the club scared!!

[@ChllBlck]

Casio now just owes you money

[@timburlingame5893]

I LOOKED AT THE PAPER I'M SORRY

[@MreenalMams]

Stop reading this comment

[@timburlingame5893]

@@MreenalMams o no

[@SimonTheMagpie]

😆

[@felixtrismegistus7489]

at 9:07 I swear this was about to turn into a Panda Bear song (Mr. Noah)

[@jasonmcgary]

When the rapman came out we used to use the mic and the pitch shifting all the time.i think i was 13 or 14 at that time

[@Philtoid]

I keep looking at the paper

[@GhastlyH]

Well... I guess I now have new prey to hunt in the thrift stores.

[@gylp2]

i have a crazy idea what you should do with the inside of your guitar pedals take a hair dryer and heat op the electronics then see if it changes the sound you may also do it with you mixers electronic components i don't know if it already been done but culd be a nice experiment and mayby the whil sound more analog

[@macneilsketchley]

Came for the experimental sounds, stayed for the piano skill and fucked up demo track

[@cln5510]

i did a no input thing with my casio rapman, i plugged in a microphone and put it near the speaker, i heard the same noises as in this video.

[@Oberheim2001]

Amazing experiment my friend. Do you know other toy keyboards to do the same experiment???

[@SimonTheMagpie]

I have a couple. None like this though but some with cassette players and such as well 😆 will cover all and everything in the future. Just takes a lot of time 😅

[@shawnlennon1947]

2:14 sounds straight up like a train track and train horn

[@Zen_Mox]

There is only 3.5 hours left in my Wednesday...

[@g-starthefirst]

you must unlock the SECRET TREASURE!

[@JohnPaulsonJohnisaStegosaurus]

highly bendable within, too, i hear.

[@SimonTheMagpie]

I would imagine simply clocking down the cpu for all the effects would be wonderful! Must do that at some point soon 😁

[@evilrainbow]

maybe playing with the I/O and the affirmationed clocking, but this board is as digital as they come

[@jeanbonnefoy1377]

8:00 dunno why but it reminds me of Laurie Anderson (meant as a compliment 😉)

[@MreenalMams]

Subtle with a non-silent b

[@BasicRift]

ngl being awoken and hella tired at the same time feals like the sound of 17:12 to me

[@paulhermansen6196]

Please give me that thing

[@DJHollowLife69]

Woooo first and great video

[@jonahselwood7017]

theres no way this is the first video

[@GizzyDillespee]

"The first video was of Thomas Edison's buttocks, sent to a competitor, a Mr. Toshiba, who spent many decades developing his own tech, to play the message." - Nic Cage, in that movie

[@SloppyLarry]

Too much money ! Maybe before people caught on to it, but the internet price is way too high for what you get.

[@Lutzifer31337]

xD

[@EVILJAMARR]

I like Simon a lot but this channel has lost my interest. I’m not into niche effects pedals and I certainly don’t care much for barely listenable audio experiments. No hate just not my thing

[@SimonTheMagpie]

I have had to remake my whole daw-setup after I finished my last album. So have focused on doing that behind the scenes and making experimental content in front of camera! Will finallt start moving back to incorporate more music production content soon 😁 Like this type of experiment is totally something where I would have loved to ”tame the beast” and add beats and grooves to it in daw. So will be fun to try and mix both worlds together asap 😁

[@T.H.W.O.T.H]