ThankstothesuccessofYamaha’sDX7,
80smusicianswerespoiledfordigital
synthesisoptions.BecauseYamahaheldtheir
FMsynthesislicencedearly,othermakers
werelefttosortoutotherapproachestocash
inonthetrend.Mostjustwhippeda few
simpledigitalwaveformsthrougha Curtis
filterandslatheredtheword‘digital’in
garishly-colouredlettersacrossthe
instrument’sfrontpanel.Someofthemwere
prettygood,aswell.
Casiowerea manufacturerofconsumer
electronics,knowntomostfortheirdigital
watchesandcalculators,nottomentionbattery-
poweredtoykeyboardswithmini-keysandbuilt-
inspeakers.It wasa surprisewhentheyentered
theworldofpromusicalinstruments,evenif it
wasa battery-poweredkeyboardwithmini-keys.
Thatinstrumentwasthenow-legendary
CZ-101,a powerfulpolyphonicsynththatoffered
a reasonablealternativetoYamaha’sFM
synthesiswithCasio’sownPhaseDistortion
technology,whichCasiowiselypresentedina
waythatwouldbefamiliartosynthesists
weanedonyearsofanalogueterminology.
TheCZ-101wasa massivehit,sellingin
numbersothersynthmanufacturerscouldonlydreamof.Inall,thecompanyshifted70,000
CZ-101sandanother45,000ofitsfull-sized
follow-up,theCZ-1000.Comparethatto,say,the
paltry13,000Minimoogssoldduringthat
instrument’sheyday.
You’dhavethoughtCasiowouldhavebeen
quitepleasedwiththemselves,butthefactis
thatsuchnumberspaledincomparisontothat
ofconsumerproducts,andthecompany’s
interestinthepromusicmarketwouldbeshort-
lived.Still,theywouldn’tleavethescenewithout
a finalvolleyortwointheformoftwo
thoroughlyproinstruments:theFZ-1sampler
andVZ-1digitalsynthesiser.
Withitsfull-sizedvelocityandaftertouch-
capable61-notekeyboard,theVZ-1wasnever
goingtobemistakenfora mereplaything.This
sentimentwasonlyreinforcedbythedeepand
intimidatingtakeondigitalsynthesisthatlurked
beneathitssleekblackexterior.Eachofits 16
voicesmadeuseofofeight‘modules’(arranged
infourpairs),capableofproducingvarious
digitalwaveformswhereinoneofthepairmight
modulatetheotherviaringmodulationor
phasemodulation.Thatlastbitsoundsa little
likewhatwasactuallygoingonunderthehood
inYamaha’s‘FM’synths...Casio VZ-1 and VZ-10M
Three great plugin alternatives
from
blast the past
Plugin Boutique VirtualCZ
With so many CZ-101s sold, it’s no surprise that
software developers have chosen to clone that
digital darling over its more professionally
appointed successor. In fact, searching for a
full-on VZ emu turns up only a series of dead-
ends. Still, this high-quality CZ clone from Oli
Larkin is a fine means by which to add some
crispy PD tones to your tracks.
pluginboutique.comThe most advanced pro synth
Casio made, the digital VZ series
would be their last foray into real
synthesis for three decades
Indeed it was, and the VZ-1 (and its
rackmounted sibling, the VZ-10M) could produce
many of the same sorts of sound that made the
DX series so popular: crispy kalimbas, crunchy
clavinets and crystalline bells, but also brash
basses, brass blasts and all manner of sizzling,
screeching mad scientist noises.
Unfortunately, the onboard operating system
was nothing short of impenetrable, so users
were by and large forced to rely on the presets –
which simply couldn’t compare with the many
DX-compatible sounds on the market, and
certainly not with the realism of the growing
number of samplers then in the shops.
Still, for the modern muso, the VZ offers a
unique approach to digital timbres and,
combined with a capable software editor, its
interface’s shortcomings are easily overcome.
An interesting and inspiring machine for those
willing to put in the effort.natiVeinstrumentsFm 8
The previous two options we’ve given are
based on Casio’s CZ series and, as we’ve
pointed out, the VZ units were more akin to
Yamaha’s FM synths. It’s only reasonable to
assume, therefore, that an FM synth might
serve as quite a good substitute. For that
reason, we’re including Native Instruments’
modern take on FM.
native-instruments.com$149
soniCassaultKassioPeia
With its included phase distortion oscillator,
Jeff McClintock’s save-as-VST SynthEdit
reintroduced the concept of phase distortion
to the plugin users of the 2000s. Almost upon
its release, the scene was deluged in CZ-alikes,
and Kassiopeia was one of the best. Though
it’s a bit long in the tooth by now, it’s still worth
a cheeky look.
bit.ly/kassiopeia$69 FREE
114 / ComputermusiC / July 2019
make music now / blast from the past
techSPecS
Year of manufacture
1988
Original sale value
£1299
Current price
£250 - £350
Number made
Unknown