Casio Casiotone, 61-Key Portable Keyboard (CT-S200BK)

Product Information

The famous VL-Tone VL-1 (1981) [2] [3] uses a method of sound synthesis based on the Walsh function.

We’ve included a few digital pianos in this guide, so it’s worth making the distinction even though there’s often a lot of overlap between them and arranger keyboards. Modern electronics allow Casio to fit far more quality-of-life features into their budget keyboards than they could in the 1980’s, however. The CT-S100 comes with a built-in metronome, key transposition, and tuning control (A4 from 415.5Hz to 465.9Hz). There are also four different reverb settings, as well as a headphoneconnection and two 2W amplifiers for the built-in speakers. The functionality of the CT-S400 is enormous, making this an excellent instrument for somebody looking for a serious keyboard. The CT-S400 uses Casio’s AiX Sound Source. AiX stands for Acoustic Intelligent Expression (sort of), and it combines high-performance EQ and DSP effects with carefully designed instrument noises. This results in highly expressive acoustic instrument noises with incredible clarity.There is no longer a suite of songs though, the S500 having its bank cut down to only one demo song. With the modern Casiotone range now up to seven models, we’ve decided to run you through their development, and help you figure out which one might be right for you. Similarly, the widespread success of the first Casiotone keyboards is responsible for propelling Casio further into the musical instrument business, where they went on to cement themselves as one of the major players for electronic keyboards and digital pianos. The fact that all Casiotone keyboards have USB connections means they can all be used as MIDI controllers. The CT-S300 and CT-S1 stand out as good choices for those seeking a keyboard to use mainly as a controller for their DAWdue to their touch-sensitive keys. The easily-carried CT-S300 would be good for somebody seeking a portable, laptop-based setup; whilst the refined styling of the CT-S1 would look excellent in a home studioenvironment. For improved projection, the CT-S300 also has new, more powerful speakers. They’re powered by two 2.5W amplifiers, so you can pump up the volume if you want!

After the release of the Casio SK-1 in 1985, gradually PCM sample-based tone generators became dominant in Casio's keyboards line. After the 1990s, most Casio keyboards utilized PCM tone generator or its variants. The CT-S400 is a big change from the previous models. The first three iterations of the modern Casiotone line added more and more features and sounds to the same body. The CT-S400 is a total redesign, body and all. Roland's take on the portable keyboard concept features 61 keys, more than 500 sounds, onboard Bluetooth and a Loop Mix feature.

In fact, one of our criticisms of the Lyric Creator app would be the number of presses it takes to go through the transfer process. It’d be great if Casio could streamline this a bit in an update. As well as the USB connection, which has been present on all modern Casiotone keyboards, the CT-S400 is compatible with Casio’s WU-BT10 Bluetooth Dongle. This handy gadget turns your instrument into a Bluetooth device, allowing you to wirelessly transfer MIDI and audio data for a variety of functions. The CT-S1 is a return to what Casio intended to create with the very first Casiotone keyboard: a simple instrument which looks as good as it sounds. All of this fits inside a super lightweight and portable body. The keyboard can run off either battery or mains power, and there’s a handy integrated handle in the top of the body for super-convenient mobility. Casio’s onboard lesson system can teach you how to play a selection of pre-programmed popular songs (these will vary depending on which model of keyboard you have). It’ll let you practise certain phrases of your chosen song, enabling you to learn the left-hand and right-hand parts separately or together – and you can even speed up or slow down the tempo according to your prowess. Overall, it’s quite a useful feature for beginners wanting to learn their favourite songs, though the process can be quite involved.

If you require any further information relating to the Delivery service used, please call us at +44 (0)20 8208 9567. It adds 200 more tones (800 in total), 43 more rhythms (243 in total), and allows 50 user rhythms. There are 24 reverbs, 12 choruses, 15 delays, 10 EQ pre-sets and 100 DSP pre-sets! On top of this, the polyphony is upped to 64 notes.

Here at MusicRadar, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing, creating and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything music gear related, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products in live, recording and rehearsal scenarios when selecting the products for our guides. Pre-1980, Casiowere known primarily as a computing company. Established in Tokyo, they had experienced success from the ‘50s onwards with their ground-breaking electronic calculator designs. However, besides a couple of sound-producing gizmos and toys, they’d never built anything even approaching a musical instrument. Despite its toy-like looks, it’s more than just a plaything. One hundred tones with shortcuts to piano, trumpet and drums, 50 built-in rhythms and 32 note polyphony make it an intriguing learning tool for young minds, plus they’ll get access to free lessons at Casio’s Music Academy.

The CT-S100 is the spiritual successor to the original Casiotone 201. It’s simple – basic, even – but it does what it does very well. Some early 1980s models in the PT series of keyboards, such as the PT-30, PT-50, PT-80 and PT-82, were not marketed under the Casiotone name. The name was revived again later for models such as the PT-87 (which is basically the same as the PT-82) which was again sold as Casiotone. This is a ground-breaking technology, which revolutionises the process of adding vocals to music. You only have to write your lyrics into Casio’s LyricCreator app, and then you can perform them on the keyboard – choosing from 100 different lyric tones! Harness the power of classic talkboxes and vocoders, or even create choral parts. Find out more about Casio Vocal Synthesis here. Some other keyboards (such as the MT-35 and MT-45) use a combination of two different binary weighted numbers (1 and 64). The larger weight bit provides the fundamental, and the smaller weight bit provides the harmonic complexity. Other supplied accessories include a power supply (the CT-S1000V can also run on six AA batteries) and a music stand. Performance & Verdict

Compatibility with new Privia models PX-S5000/S6000/S7000

It utilised “vowel-consonant” synthesis – a form of subtractive synthesis using filter patterns based on human speech tones. To select one of the 29 pre-set voices, you simply pressed the tone select button and then any of the white keys on the keyboard. This uncomplicated layout made the Casiotone extremely simple to navigate. The CT-S1WE is a portable keyboard that delivers incredible sound quality, style, and simplicity. Whether you need an affordable first 61 key keyboard, a portable piano for practice or performance, or an always-ready songwriting partner, the CT-S1WE goes beyond your expectations and redefines what a portable keyboard should be. Arranger keyboards often ship with hundreds of different instrument presets, representing practically every instrument that exists and probably quite a few that don’t. Bear in mind that quantity isn’t always a measure of quality, though – it’s far better to have fewer usable voices than hundreds you’ll never bother with, especially if you’re more in the market for a digital piano than a portable keyboard. For more information on the differences between the two types of instrument, see our digital piano vs keyboard article here.