Casio CT-S500 thoughts

[AnotherScott]

17 minutes ago, D. Gauss said:

all this work because Casio can't/won't get some 12 year old kid to write a coupla lines of code.

But even if the registrations were named, you'd still benefit from something like this (or something on smartphone, whatever). Using the above chart as an example, if you were on 1-1 Stage Piano, and you wanted to go to your Synth Brass, it's better to see it all laid out so that you can see it's at 8-2, rather than scrolling and reading until you found it.

 

[AnotherScott]

On 1/17/2023 at 11:00 AM, allan_evett said:

Though the rifle bag I use (Unho) appears to out-of-stock/unavailable, I discovered what appears to be the same bag here: https://tinyurl.com/4tmj8c45 . Looks exactly the same and specs are identical.

Cool. For anyone following, note that the link defaults to the 32.5" version, you'd have to click to change it to 38" -- that bit me. ;-)

[Frenetos]

On 1/27/2023 at 4:47 PM, D. Gauss said:

all this work because Casio can't/won't get some 12 year old kid to write a coupla lines of code.

And it is even more difficult to understand taking into account the keyboard already has implemented the code for changing the names of the 4 "My Setup" configurations, songs, etc... I guess there has to be some good technical reason for it, but I really hope they solve this big flaw in a (not very far) future firmware update.

[AnotherScott]

On 1/31/2023 at 4:17 PM, Frenetos said:

And it is even more difficult to understand taking into account the keyboard already has implemented the code for changing the names of the 4 "My Setup" configurations, songs, etc... I guess there has to be some good technical reason for it, but I really hope they solve this big flaw in a (not very far) future firmware update.

Yes. At a minimum, it seems like, when you hit a button, it should be able to show a name for the registration you've invoked, which is useful even just to confirm that you've selected the correct sound. (Or, if you're using it in conjunction with another board, that it's still on the sound you remember it being on when you last played it, though considering the market for this board, 2-board users are probably not on their radar.)

 

But what you'd really want is for a given registration bank to simultaneously display the names of the registrations currently associated with all four buttons (while also indicating which one was currently active). Looking at the display size and current fonts in use, it looks like that could be done. There are 27 total pixels available above the menu bar. so it should work if they limit each registration display name on that screen to 5 pixels of height (the height of the word "REGISTRATION" on the Registration screen itself). This could mean limiting registration names to all upper case characters (and/or having goofy looking descenders), but it would be functional. They could pick up some spacing between lines (or possibly make each line 6 pixels high) if, instead of putting a number over the selected registration, they indicated the active registration another way, which could be better anyway, like if there are 4 names presented, display the name of the active registration in reverse type. The other thing they'd need to do is not lose so much space to where it now says (on two lines) "REGISTRATION BANK:16" or whatever. That would have to be consolidated to something like "REG: 16" all in the smaller 5-pixel type, all on one line, I'd put it on the lower right, on the same line as the name of the fourth of the 4 registrations, similar to how Tempo is shown on the top right (with the Tempo and Registration buttons continuing to let you manipulate either of those fields). The point is, one way or another, there seems to be enough space to make it all fit.

[D. Gauss]

2 hours ago, AnotherScott said:

Yes. At a minimum, it seems like, when you hit a button, it should be able to show a name for the registration you've invoked, which is useful even just to confirm that you've selected the correct sound.  

 

Ha Ha Ha!  It "should," but hey, it's Casio.  Instead, they'll trot out a totally different keyboard in 6 months that has some new "useful" toy feature like a built-in USB cigarette ash tray rather than addressing/correcting in a firmware update, simple to fix flaws that users request.  Still waiting on that (2014!!!) PX5 replacement model btw.   

[stoken6]

1 hour ago, D. Gauss said:

 

Ha Ha Ha!  It "should," but hey, it's Casio.  Instead, they'll trot out a totally different keyboard in 6 months that has some new "useful" toy feature like a built-in USB cigarette ash tray rather than addressing/correcting in a firmware update, simple to fix flaws that users request.  Still waiting on that (2014!!!) PX5 replacement model btw.   

😁

They did a lot right with the PX5, and don't see the need to change it. Casio - if you're listening you can make a PX6 that's a lotter more righter.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[AnotherScott]

56 minutes ago, stoken6 said:

They did a lot right with the PX5, and don't see the need to change it. Casio - if you're listening you can make a PX6 that's a lotter more righter.

 A PX5S with expression pedal and some interface streamlining (i.e. basically using the touchscreen interface of the PX360/PX560) would be really nice... even if it had to lose the battery operation (the touchscreen would probably require too much power, and/or require extra panel space).

[stoken6]

38 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

 A PX5S with expression pedal and some interface streamlining (i.e. basically using the touchscreen interface of the PX360/PX560) would be really nice... even if it had to lose the battery operation (the touchscreen would probably require too much power, and/or require extra panel space).

Yeah expression pedal is an important add. I want to see 9 sliders and organ capability. 

 

Cheers, Mike.

[AnotherScott]

8 minutes ago, stoken6 said:

I want to see 9 sliders and organ capability. 

 

Good point. They've had it on XW-P1, WK-7600, MZX-500, so it's not like they have no foundation for it. They aren't first-rate organs, but they're better than nothing (and the somewhat competitive Juno DS88 and Kross 88 and MX88 have nothing), and as long as the 9 sliders can send MIDI cc, you always have the option of controlling VB3m or whatever.

[stoken6]

3 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

 

Good point. They've had it on XW-P1, WK-7600, MZX-500, so it's not like they have no foundation for it. They aren't first-rate organs, but they're better than nothing (and the somewhat competitive Juno DS88 and Kross 88 and MX88 have nothing), and as long as the 9 sliders can send MIDI cc, you always have the option of controlling VB3m or whatever.

Plus, as we've discussed in the past, it's not the organ, it's the leslie. And the PX5 can pan sounds L/R if I remember, which adds flexibility. 

 

Cheers, Mike.

[AnotherScott]

2 minutes ago, stoken6 said:

Plus, as we've discussed in the past, it's not the organ, it's the leslie. And the PX5 can pan sounds L/R if I remember, which adds flexibility. 

Yes. Assignable outs would be even better, but I think that's too much to ask of Casio. All the stuff I mentioned is really just borrowing stuff they've already done elsewhere.

[D. Gauss]

16 minutes ago, AnotherScott said:

 

They aren't first-rate organs, but they're better than nothing 

well, they've only had almost a decade to actually program some better organ sounds.   

[AnotherScott]

4 minutes ago, D. Gauss said:

well, they've only had almost a decade to actually program some better organ sounds.   

Organs are tough. Doing them well means using technology other than sampling, and the Leslie/overdrive effect is so tricky that people spend $500 on a pedal to get closer to it. So I don't complain too much, considering that the like-priced competitors to XW-P1, WK-7600, and MZX-500 didn't have drawbar organ at all. And if they added even that much organ to a PX-5S replacement, depending on its price, it might again be a case where even only a passable drawbar emulation is more than any of its competitors have. 

[AnotherScott]

On 1/17/2023 at 11:00 AM, allan_evett said:

Though the rifle bag I use (Unho) appears to out-of-stock/unavailable, I discovered what appears to be the same bag here: https://tinyurl.com/4tmj8c45 . Looks exactly the same and specs are identical.

Unfortunately,  it doesn't accommodate the board's 3.5+ inches of height, and there isn't enough leeway elsewhere to compensate, the zipper won't close.

[Eli K.]

idk if this was discussed already but has anyone checked out the
Casio SC-650B /Casio CT-S Keyboard Bag https://www.thomann.de/intl/casio_ct_s_keyboard_bag.htm  to use with the CT-S500? is it bearable/comfortable to wear? good quality materials?
i can't wait much longer.. i think i'm about to order myself a CT-S500 and i definitely want a protective soft case backpack for it.  Any suggestions?

P.S btw i've been reading a lot of the comments here about the ct-s500/1000v and i just wanted to say thank you everyone! thank you for all the helpful insight! 

 

[D. Gauss]

1 hour ago, Eli K. said:

idk if this was discussed already but has anyone checked out the
Casio SC-650B /Casio CT-S Keyboard Bag https://www.thomann.de/intl/casio_ct_s_keyboard_bag.htm  to use with the CT-S500? is it bearable/comfortable to wear? good quality materials?
i can't wait much longer.. i think i'm about to order myself a CT-S500 and i definitely want a protective soft case backpack for it.  Any suggestions?

 

 

get the gun/rifle bag that's mentioned by me and a few other somewhere on this site. (sorry no link handy).  tight fit, but solid, cheap ($40-ish) and plenty of pockets for extra crap.

[Frenetos]

On 2/6/2023 at 2:14 AM, D. Gauss said:

get the gun/rifle bag that's mentioned by me and a few other somewhere on this site. (sorry no link handy).  tight fit, but solid, cheap ($40-ish) and plenty of pockets for extra crap.

Could it be this one?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L9W2KX5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_GA844A5KMH1TW6V27ZZ8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
 

And the 38" version, right?

[D. Gauss]

4 hours ago, Frenetos said:

Could it be this one?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L9W2KX5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_GA844A5KMH1TW6V27ZZ8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
 

And the 38" version, right?

pretty much like that.  make sure you have the casio measurements.  can't remember if i got 38 or 42".  i'll try to look it up later.

 

edit:  i got this one 42". 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08SMN342V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

even though it says not available there's tons others like it if you compare pics/measurements.  also, when you get it, carefully take a sharp razor blade to the seam/stitching where the foam diver attaches.  if you do it right, the keyboard sites right in the bag and the foam slide right on top of the keys. (if that makes sense)

[AnotherScott]

Here's another "compact pair" I set up, another really tiny combo since the other board is a 49. The Casio is on top, despite being the bigger board, because it allowed for the iPad placement I wanted. But the Samson beneath provides aftertouch and 9 sliders for drawbars, making for a potentially nice "organ+synth" iPad controller with the Casio handling pianos and most other typical "rompler" stuff. (Similar in concept to the even lighter Roland A-500 Pro I mentioned earlier, but I don't own that one.) Or you could put the Casio on bottom more easily if using an iPhone or maybe an iPad Mini instead of the 12.9" Pro. But I'm also showing how nicely that Pro just sits there, held by the magnet of the speaker!

 

 

Realistically, I'm just not psychically prepared yet to rely on software that much, so while that might change in the future, if you asked me to gig with the smallest/lightest 2-board combo I"d be happy with this weekend, I'd probably pair the Casio with either a MODX or Fantom-0.

 

Meanwhile, picking up from an earlier comment...

 

On 1/12/2023 at 6:50 PM, AnotherScott said:

you can't keep playing your current sound while navigating to find your next sound, because your sound will change to every sound you scroll through as you scroll! I wish there were a master setting that would allow you to navigate through the sounds, where the sound wouldn't actually take effect until you hit the Tone button after settling on the one you want, or something like that. (Kurzweil has that selectable option, for example, and Nord had it in some models, they called it Pending Load.) Right now, the only way to switch between non-adjacent sounds without the sound actually changing to every sound you pass through is to create Registrations {etc.}

... and I mentioned how, since the firmware update, you can get around this with an iPad. But I also wanted to mention that, while I wish they did have the option I described there, it's not so unexpected to see this limitation. It's not something unusual or Casio-specific, it's just something I wished could work differently. Heck, at the other extreme in the price categories, Nord Stage 3 has the same issue. (It did not have the "pending load" feature of the NS2, and apparently neither does the NS4.) 

And changing sounds as you scroll is not always a negative, by any means (which is why I look for the option rather than for that to be the only way to navigate). If you're trying different sounds to see what you'd like, it actually would be a nuisance to have to hit "enter" or whatever after every sound you selected. But in actual performance, you may want to call up a sound that you haven't saved in a registration, and if you're doing it in the middle of a song, it's a hinderance to have the sound change as you scroll to find it. So it's nice to have this behavior selectable. But I recognize, Casio's main audience for this board is not live performers. And even most live performers probably don't need to randomly search for a sound in the middle of a song... for mid-song sound changes, they work from things they've set up access to in advance (as you can still do here, via registrations). So while I'd prefer a switchable behavior here, that is a more advanced feature, and if a board is only going to work one way, having the sound automatically change as you go through the patches would probably be preferable for most people, most of the time.

Related, lots of boards (probably most) aren't switchable per se, but they may have alternate ways to get to a sound, particularly if they have touch screens. On a touchscreen board, you normally have a way to scroll through sounds (where they would change), but also ways to "silently" navigate through screens (e.g. sound categories), and then you can directly tap in the sound you want without having to go through anything in between. Boards with lots of buttons can do similar things. There are numerous boards where you could use a button to go directly to a category, and then you could use other buttons to directly select one of the sounds within that category (the names of which might be presented on the screen). But lower cost boards, without tons of buttons or touchscreens, are really not likely to have this. So like 5-pin MIDI, it's something I'd like to see, but not something I'm surprised is not available on the Casio, and while I'd like to see it, it's not something you'd likely find in competitive boards, or something that tons of buyers of this board (i.e. the people the board is primarily aimed at) are likely to need.

[RandyFF]

On 2/7/2023 at 3:30 PM, D. Gauss said:

pretty much like that.  make sure you have the casio measurements.  can't remember if i got 38 or 42".  i'll try to look it up later.

 

edit:  i got this one 42". 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08SMN342V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

even though it says not available there's tons others like it if you compare pics/measurements.  also, when you get it, carefully take a sharp razor blade to the seam/stitching where the foam diver attaches.  if you do it right, the keyboard sites right in the bag and the foam slide right on top of the keys. (if that makes sense)

Drat and dangnabbit!  I ordered one that was 38”w x 10.4”deep, and the damn thing was too small!  

 

The S500 is only 36.5” x 10.25” x 3.25”, but the above, and presumably all bag companies, measure the outside- you’ve got to subtract about 2”.

 

So as D.Gauss shared, 42” x 11.5 x 4” is about as small as you can find and have it fit.  Unfortunately, they’re out of what he ordered, and finding one under $50 is challenging.

[AnotherScott]

A couple more 2-board experiments...

 

CT-S500 ls a light, compact lower manual for a Hammond, as seen here...

 

 

Since there's no 5-pin MIDI, I used a pair of CME WIDI devices (uHost on the Casio's USB, WIDI jack on the Hammond, though a WIDI Master presumably would have worked just as well). Yeah, it's irritating to have to spend $130 to connect the two simply due to the lack of 5-pin MIDI out on the Casio, but... I had the CME pieces anyway. 😉I Latency seemed fine. Anyway, since the Casio board doesn't require you to access many of its controls for this purpose, you can bring the boards quite close, as you'd want to for double manual work. The Casio's 4 patch select buttons are accessible, so without having to access any deeper/hidden buttons/knobs, you can at least easily choose from 4 configs... e.g. one to operate as the Hammond's lower manual, and the other three for internal Casio sounds (say, piano and a couple of EPs). 

 

My other, most recent experimentation is this one... 

 

This could make a nice compact 3-tier with that Hydrasynth Explorer, too.

 

I'll have more to say about CK61 and CT-S500 soon, either here or in the CK61 thread.

[stoken6]

15 hours ago, AnotherScott said:

CK61 and CT-S500

That's quite a cool combination. They're both budget "dark horse" boards.

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Tom Bear]

Hello together

 

I am interested in the Casio CT-S400: Primarily for myself to practice the piano during the vacations. And as a secondary use for an introduction to keyboard playing for my 9 year old, so he can find out if he wants to learn. That's where the CT-S400 seems to be the sweet spot for me.

 

For my use case (piano practice during the vacations), I'm primarily interested in the main piano sound ("the number 1"). And I'm not sure if the main piano sound of the CT-S400 sounds exactly the same as the CT-S1 or CT-S500/CT-S1000? Or do I as a piano player gain a better, fuller sound with CT-S1/CT-S500/CT-S1000 compared to CT-S400? Or is there really no difference in this one piano sound?

 

Thank you very much for your feedback.

[Mike Martin]

Hi Tom,
The CT-S400 is great and you're correct that the piano tone in the CT-S1, CT-S400, CT-S500 are very similar. I've never done a side by side of the first preset tone, but I'd guess that you're correct. Where it is different is with the other tones, including the other piano tones. The CT-S500 does take advantage of the DSP capabilities which will provide you much more variety. In any case, the CT-S400 is a great choice. Thanks for considering Casio.

[PeterOZ]

Another day, I made some modification, I think that how it should be sold to us:

 

http://img4.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=26_whatsappimage2023-10-06at22.23.09_ab42f901.jpg

http://img4.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=26_whatsappimage2023-10-06at22.22.43_fcf99689.jpg

http://img4.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=26_whatsappimage2023-10-06at22.22.42_8880db8c.jpg

 

 

[pjd]

On 10/6/2023 at 11:00 PM, PeterOZ said:

Another day, I made some modification, I think that how it should be sold to us:

 

http://img4.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=26_whatsappimage2023-10-06at22.23.09_ab42f901.jpg

http://img4.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=26_whatsappimage2023-10-06at22.22.43_fcf99689.jpg

http://img4.imagetitan.com/img.php?image=26_whatsappimage2023-10-06at22.22.42_8880db8c.jpg

 

 

 

Nicely done!

[Tom Bear]

I bought a Casio CT-S400 as a travel instrument for piano practice based on your responses. The CT-S1 would be even a little better for pure piano playing. However, I wanted the display so that I can make e.g. metronome settings easier. And my son has a great playing instrument to try out the rhythms. 🙂

I have now used the device for 2 weeks for daily piano practice. And it went amazingly well! I quickly got used to the unweighted keyboard and was able to play with nuance. The sound is very, very good anyway.

 

Conclusion: If you want a light and somewhat shorter instrument for piano practice while traveling, the CT-S400 is very good!

 

Thanks for your help!

[Tenebras]

Hello, does anyone know if the CT-S500 can control a hardware synth, like you play with CT-S500 keybed but you use the sound of an analog synth for example ? I cannot find any source (manual, forums, videos) that can confirm this to me.
Thank you very much

[AnotherScott]

Yes, but since the CT-S500 does not have 5-pin MIDI out, you'd need to add some kind of host device to trigger most other hardware. And I don't think there is any effective way to "mix and match" the internal and external sounds (i.e. splitting the keyboard between an internal and external sound, or switch the whole board between playing an internal or external sound), except I guess by setting it as "Local Off" and managing its sound via controlling software that would essentially treat its own sounds as "external" sounds as well. (Maybe someone will correct me if I'm wrong here...)

[stoken6]

11 hours ago, Tenebras said:

does anyone know if the CT-S500 can control a hardware synth

What hardware synth do you have in mind? If it's something like a Prophet 12 or Moog or something, which has MIDI sockets, Scott's answer is spot-on. However, if by "synth" you mean certain keyboards such as a Kronos, Fantom, Montage which have that "host" capability Scott mentioned, it might be as simple as a single USB cable.

 

Cheers, Mike.