Casio MZ-X500 Arranger reisited

Now here is something that they should "Remake" I kinda like the overall concept but sadly it never took off...

As I understand, MZ-X500 is still a current keyboard, as for it hasn’t been discontinued.
The concept is interesting. But as for the sound I don’t see how it can compete with PSR-S670, which can be bought even cheaper, and as a result I think this is how X500 became an outsider.

Casio introduced this keyboard as a continue of MZ line, but I can speculate that the people who had designed the legendary MZ-2000 had nothing to do with this new model. MZ-2000 still looks kool, and to my taste X500 is not that impressive.

In the same time with some tweaking some people get an impressive result from this machine. Also, Casio has a Privia PX-560, which is also special in its own way, but, again, Casio’s are not really cheaper than Yamaha in any significant way, and when I’m thinking about getting PX-560 then I have an argument in my head that with an extra $500 there’s an option to buy Yamaha MODX7 which is like a totally different story. So in reality the dilemma looks like “well, okay, this Casio is nice, but do I really want to spend my money on this to end up with something entertaining or I would rather save this money in order to get something not only entertaining but also capable of providing some professional opportunities (like making music for commercials, TV, etc. )”.

The concept is brilliant..
The build quallity and sound quallity where disputable at best,,

But in concept its more workstation them the Genos...

now is Casio's chance lets see what they do..

That thing has a lot going for it. I can see where, especially, younger people might love it. It has some features I wish other brands had.
For example, it has great speakers and some of them point to the audience while others point to the player.
It has a lot of programmable pads, sliders, etc. In the demos I've heard the sounds are pretty good. Nice touch screen...
Not sure if it has much in the way of traditional styles?

It sounds nice, very similar to how I remember the PSR8000 sounding.

Agreed... Pads on the new arranger models
eg:pa5x etc, would be great

For all intents and purposes it's now a discontinued model. Casio shows it as current and appears to be holding the line on price (at least in the US) until the remaining stock is depleted. Meanwhile they have shifted their development resources to the CT-X series, which is downmarket in features and a lower price point, but has the newer AIX sound engine.

Casio tried to crack the MOTL arranger market with this board and failed. Price was too high, the quality and reputation just aren't there vs. established players. And young people who might be intrigued by the pads and sound editing don't have $1100 to spend.

A few features are missing from the venerable MZ-2000, but it's easily the best Casio arranger in ~16 years. The multipad implementation is extremely flexible. Pads can be used for one-hit, phrases, or even to trigger chord progressions that temporarily take over arranger control. Clear touch screen, in-depth sound editing, full sequencer with separate chord track, note-to-arranger, organ drawbars. There's a string quartet style that (combined with sync stop- the first recent Casio to have this) is almost like a Yamaha Free Play style. Very complete feature set.

Where it falls down is sound quality, and the keybed is rubbish. Same clunky, wobbly keys used on lower-end models that you often see broken in music store displays. Anyone who test-played one probably would have looked at the price and left it on the shelf.

The MIDI implementation is also limited compared to the big 3. It probably won't get another OS update and that's a shame. If the MIDI implementation were better it could be used as a module and combined with a decent-quality master keyboard. Better sound could be obtained by MIDI'ing to a Ketron SD2, etc. It wasn't popular, and I'm guessing that's the end of Casio's strategy to move upmarket.

The one that needs the physical pads most, with the launchpads is the sd9 by ketron.
Imagine 16 pads and a 16 part launchpad..

I’m not in the arranger market anymore, but I still have the Casio MZX-500. I feel the need to address a few things as this keyboard has been a controversial topic here on the Zone.

The MZX series (much like the previous MZ-2000) could have been a huge game changer for Casio. Casio did put a lot of resources into the development of the series. It’s a very unique keyboard too. However, I think the line is a good example of Casio once again trying to appeal to a much wider demographic by including a vast array of not so common arranger keyboard features, and a huge priority on trying to balance that with cost of production.

Casio jumped into the now very crowded swimming pool much too late in the game. While it was great to see the new KVT tones, they honestly weren’t anything more than dated Mega type voices in terms of the articulations. The overall sound pallet is decent, and an enormous amount of effort was focused on keeping the line “relevant” in terms of the styles and synth sounds. It’s very EDM oriented, but still does fairly decent with traditional styles.

Casio’s biggest mistake with the series was using IMO one of the worst keybeds on the market for their flagship model. The quality of the keys is below sub par. Fresh out of the box the keys feel great, but due to the horrible design of the keys, within a month they will develop a few issues. It’s nothing that can be fixed from the users end either. It’s just a horrible design. I’ve taken my unit apart, and was shocked to find such a cheap keybed on a unit costing over $1000 new.

Add the piss poor midi implementation and it just gets worse. You can’t even midi up another keyboard and use the 500 as it was intended for, and that’s an arranger workstation. Casio left off one of the most common things regarding midi. Any controller you use will be for real-time play purposes only. You cannot use a better set of keys to input midi data for any of the 500’s internal sequencing. It’s a real shame too as my keys are IMO worthless. They literally feel like they’re going to break when you try and use the signature KVT tones articulations. The rattle and thin flimsy plastic makes the board useless for serious work IMO.

I’ve thought about selling it, but honestly don’t believe anyone would want it once they played the thing. Even an amateur player would be disappointed in the quality of the keys. Casio IMO should have passed on the touch screen, and put that development cost into a better set of keys. They still could have had a decent screen, but by jamming so much into one keyboard, they cut costs on one of the most important areas.

Sqk

Squeak, thanks for your honest review. It’s a shame that what was marketed as a pro keyboard...was anything but.
JM

The features are certainly pro.., but unfortunately the keys ruin the whole thing. I consider mine unplayable because of the keys. Sure, I can “play” the board, but hot damn, it requires a MAJOR adjustment in playing technique, and constantly having to adjust the velocity setting based on the tones played. It has been officially retired to my storage closet because the midi limitations prevent it from being used as a workstation via another keybed.

Sqk