Set the Stage on Fire !
Reinvented , Revived & Re-imagined
The MZ-X Series is the genuine evolutionary successor to Casio ' s epoch-making MZ-2000
pads can also trigger articulations ( MIDI-generated , not alternate audio samples ) that you select from a generous factory bank that ranges from bends and crescendos to choppy dance-floor gate effects .
MZ-X500 Touch Screen I
With the Casio MZ-X500 , Casio tried to give us a new take on an arranger and wound up offering a very robust multi-timbral synth workstation with a contemporary and fun user experience in the bargain . Its bang for buck is off the scale and Casio is ready to give tough competition to all other Manufacturers with its most special offering in the keyboard market till date .
Features Overview
My first impression of the MZ-X500 came from its industrial design . Yes , it ’ s plastic , but the fit and finish are excellent and everything feels very tight .
As on most arranger keyboards , Registrations act as snapshots of pretty much everything in the machine . In general , navigation is very easy , though occasionally “ so easy it ’ s hard ” if you ’ re used to synth workstations of the past 20 years — on the Casio , the thing you ’ re looking for is almost always more in-your-face than you think .
Three buttons on the right side of the color touchscreen assure you that you can always get back to where you came from ; the Main button is home base for everything going on in the current Registration , and the Menu icon offers cheery-looking icons for anything that can be selected or edited , such as Tones , Rhythms , effects , and the extensive mixer , which manages all multi-timbral parts in the machine plus incoming external audio .
Speaking of external audio , the MZ-X500 is well-endowed with inputs — stereo 1 / 4 ” line , TRS mic with a physical trim control , and 3.5mm stereo for an MP3 player . You can apply the keyboard ’ s effects to the mic and line inputs , as well .
In the effects department , two DSP slots function as Inserts and include a variety of useful algorithms . After that , you get Sends with chorus , reverb , and delay . A master EQ and compressor put the final spit and polish on the mix .
The 16 velocity-sensitive pads do several different things . Factory modes include one-shot samples such as drum hits , programmable chords , and musical phrases appropriate to various sounds . The
It gets better . In User mode , you can mix and match these functions on a per-pad basis and save your custom setups . Using the easy Pad Record function , you can play your own phrase into each pad , overdub onto that phrase ( with the same sound ), and program custom chords . You can even sample your own audio to a pad via the audio inputs . The pads can drive or be driven by the accompaniment styles that you interact with via the intro , variation / fill , and fade buttons , with everything syncing to musical key and tempo .
Both audio and MIDI recording are onboard . The former lets you record simply everything — your playing , auto-accompaniment , and incoming external audio — to a USB flash drive as a stereo file . The latter is a full 16-track multi-timbral sequencer , and since it ’ s on a separate internal MIDI port , it exists independently of the live keyboard parts and auto-accompaniment playback . ( Bring up the Mixer and cycle using the Port button , and you ’ ll see the sounds assigned to the tracks change .)
Physically , the only thing that says “ budget ” is the keyboard itself . The piano-lipped keys are nicely sized and feel great with your fingers on them . Play a glissando or wipe , and you ’ ll hear ’ em .
Sounds
Casio told me that under the hood , the MZ-X500 actually has more sonic horsepower than the Privia PX-5S and after checking out its factory Tones ( sound programs ) I believe them . You can play two upper and two lower tones at once , with an adjustable split point . Here are just a few highlights .
Acoustic pianos are on par with what ’ s in the PX-5S , with a lot of dynamic range . I might not use them for a solo jazz or classical recital , but I ’ d do so for just about anything else — definitely any live band gig in any genre . The EPs offer a ton of variation and personality across the Rhodes , Wurly , Dyno , DX , CP , and Clav gamut . ( Oddly , the EP bank is where you ’ ll find mallet instruments .)
The organs are impressive , with drawbar control on the mixer sliders . Buttons toggle harmonic percussion and speed for a rotary simulation that gives a clear sense of distinct bass and treble rotors spinning . Foldback ( repetition of extreme high and low drawbar frequencies ) is reproduced accurately . Nothing is quite in the league of today ’ s dedicated organ clones , but the overall sound is warm , realistic , and miles ahead of the static organ samples you would usually get in a keyboard of this type .
The synth sounds positively shine , and there are tons of them . Subgroups comprise leads , pads , bass synths , and Hex Layers . Originating on Casio ’ s XW-P1 synth , these are six-way stacks that