Photographers often say, “The best camera is the one that’s with you.” The idea being that it’s all well and good to own an expensive camera, but if you don’t have it with you when the perfect photo opportunity presents itself, what good is it?
The same goes for keyboards and synths. I am a huge fan of lightweight, battery-powered portable keyboards, especially if they also have good-sounding amps and speakers built into them. This is because I always want to take a keyboard whenever I travel (just in case), and I also want a good portable stereo Bluetooth speaker to play music from my phone.
The new Casiotone CT-S1000V and CT-S500 portable keyboards are fantastic solutions to all of these wants. They both offer 800 inspirational tones, from stereo grand pianos, electric pianos, clavs, organs, synthesizer lead, and pads to acoustic and electric guitars, basses, strings, mallets, horns, reeds, acoustic and electronic drums, plus 243 accompaniment rhythms.
But the real magic comes from the incredible (as in “I can’t believe it!”) bass-ported stereo speaker system that makes the built-in instruments sound great. These keyboards also come with Bluetooth dongles that allow you to play room-filling music from your phone. And you can jam on your keyboard at the same time! This is great for your apps that generate backing tracks or grooves.
The CT-S1000V and CT-S500 both feature 61 full-size velocity-sensitive keys, plus pitch bend, modulation, and assignable parameter knobs, buttons, and two pedal jacks. You can add your own audio samples and record your songs via the onboard MIDI recorder with five songs, five tracks, and up to 40,000 notes per song. There are even guitar strap buttons on the back if you ever feel inclined to wear your keyboard.
Per sound, you can choose an EQ, as well as select among more than 150 effects (reverb, chorus, delay, and DSP) and then choose two sounds to layer together for the perfect performance.
So far, I’ve told you everything that’s the same on both of the Casiotone keyboards. Now I’m going to tell you about the feature that takes the CT-S1000V to a new level of fun: Vocal Synthesis.
Imagine being able to type out a word, a phrase, or even entire lyrics using the free Lyric Creator app, and then having those words sing on the notes or chords you play in real time. It’s one of those things that you just have to see and hear to appreciate. (Be sure to watch our CT-S1000V/CT-S500 video.)
Both units can be run on six AA batteries or the included AC power supply. There’s also a detachable music stand for music/lyrics. And finally, both models can use the free Chordana Play application with music score and piano-roll notation to help you learn the 50 built-in songs or any of your own MIDI files. You can even use Chordana Play to transpose keys, change tempos, loop sections of your MIDI, and even cancel out the vocal parts of audio songs. It’s hard to believe that all of this fits in a keyboard that’s under 10 pounds.
