Maker
Casio
Multinational electronics manufacturing company
Casio is a Japanese electronics company founded in 1957 whose musical division is known for digital keyboards and home synthesizers, including the CZ and VL-Tone lines.
Models
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Casio VL-1
Synthesizer · Japan
The Casio VL-1 (VL-Tone), released in 1981, is a tiny combined calculator, monophonic synthesizer, and sequencer. A novelty consumer instrument, its quirky preset sounds—famously heard in Trio's 'Da Da Da'—gave it lasting cult status.
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Casio CZ-101
Japan
The Casio CZ-101, released in 1984, is a compact, battery-capable digital synthesizer and the first in Casio's CZ line. Using Phase Distortion synthesis, it offers polyphonic (and multitimbral) operation on a mini keyboard at a very affordable price.
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Casio SK-1
Sampler · Japan
The Casio SK-1, released in 1985, is a small, affordable consumer keyboard that included a low-fidelity sampler, letting users record short sounds and play them across the keyboard. Its lo-fi charm made it a beloved tool for circuit-bending and experimental music.
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Casio CZ synthesizers
Synthesizer · Japan
The Casio CZ synthesizers are a family of affordable digital synthesizers introduced in 1984 using Casio's Phase Distortion synthesis, a technique that produced varied digital tones at low cost. The line, including the CZ-101 and CZ-1000, helped bring digital synthesis to a wide audience.
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Casio MT-40
Electronic keyboard · Japan
The Casio MT-40 is a small consumer Casiotone keyboard from the early 1980s. Though a budget home instrument, its preset rhythm and bass patterns became foundational to Jamaican dancehall through the 'Sleng Teng' riddim.
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Casio CZ-1000
Japan
The Casio CZ-1000 is a digital synthesizer in Casio's CZ line, essentially a full-size-key version of the CZ-101, using Phase Distortion synthesis to produce a wide range of digital sounds affordably.
Sources
Categories
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Samplers
Hardware samplers and production workstations centered on sample playback or sequencing.
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Synthesizers
Hardware synthesizers, synth model families, and related electronic instruments.
Representative model
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Casio CZ-101
Japan
The Casio CZ-101, released in 1984, is a compact, battery-capable digital synthesizer and the first in Casio's CZ line. Using Phase Distortion synthesis, it offers polyphonic (and multitimbral) operation on a mini keyboard at a very affordable price.