CZounds has announced 4 new patch sets for classic Casio CZ synths, including Casio CZ-1, CZ-101, CZ-1000, CZ-3000 and CZ-5000 synthesizers.
The new Casio CZ synth patches are inspired by 1980s synthpop bands:
- CZingles 1984 – 64 Casio CZ patches inspired by radio hits of 1984
- PhyCZical Attraction – 64 Casio CZ patches inspired by the songs and sounds of Madonna
- TranCZistor – 64 Casio CZ patches inspired by the songs and sounds of Kraftwerk
- RelaCZ – 16 free Casio CZ patches inspired by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Pricing and Availability
The Patch Sets are available now, priced at US $10 each, except for the free RelaCZ patch set.
Who would have thought the 80s sounds could start to sound cool again…………………..yet there is something interesting about us revisiting them again
Again? I was born in 79 and these sounds touch me in ways no ex or current girlfriend has
A lot of fun. I really enjoyed the last sets. Can’t wait to get these and thanks for the free pack.
Only wish my CZ-101 had more memory for preset storage! But sysex and midi-ox is fine enough.
ha nice…been on the lookout for a casio…not sure which one
Try a cz101. It is nice and small to put in front of a computer screen.
Definitely start with the 101. If you like the sound and want to move up, then go for a 1000 or 5000. The 5000 is a hell of a lot of fun to mess around on, but is pretty large.
If you don’t like the sound, then these are super easy to sell off for what you paid.
Anyone used a CZ vsti? Which are the best ones that could use these patches? Ta.
The best CZ vsti is VirtualCZ. You can buy it at http://www.pluginboutique.com
She wants us for our hot patches….
@robman84 – Plugin Boutique’s Virtual CZ plugin is a very good emulation. It lacks a little “bite” of the original but is quite close in most respects.
Virtual CZ can use Casio CZ patches (as .SYX SysEx files) but not everything translates as expected. Most of the patches by CZounds work as expected and here is a short list of ones that don’t:
http://czounds.com/virtualcz
Sound like a General MIDI version of famous sound, not like a CZ synth…
That’s exactly what these remind me of….old General MIDI files downloaded off a BBS and played on your Alpha Juno or something.
There are lots of little hints that it is phase distortion sound though.
Pretty impressive feat. It’s quite difficult to program sounds on one of these that don’t immediately remind you they’re coming from a CZ.
Strange question, but would it also work with the newer generation of Phase Distortion Synthesis, like Casio VZ-1?
No. Very different synthesis method.
I was actually surprised after they said that even the drums were CZ101. Those drums sounded pretty cool to me.
Nice, also the Depeche Mode or New Order stuff. 🙂
I’m guessing there was no licensing agreement to use all of those classic songs in the demos. Don’t get me wrong, the demos are great!
It’s often relatively easily and not horribly expensive to obtain licenses for regular recordings, performances, and broadcasts of cover versions from the appropriate agency, but advertising is presumably in a different category.
I’d still like to see Casio bring back a phase distortion multitimbral synth in 2017
something like the reface but 8 parts and 32 note poly.
maybe even add in a RZ style user sampler drum section 🙂
hey i can dream right?
Wasn’t there a mega mother of all the CZs, called a COSMO? Looking it up it was made for Tomita. I am sure that would have been the multitimbral one we all wanted. I too want a proper Casio synth. Completely unlikely though.
<3 Phase Distortion. 12 bits should be enough for anyone. 😉