My CZ101 arrived in the mail yesterday. It is my first CZ synth. I have only been interested in synths for the past year or so and have purchased several pieces of gear as I try to figure out what works best for my various needs. I purchased the CZ101 because it seems to be so widely used in Balkan/Roma/Eastern European music. I am a jazz pianist, playing and teaching professionally, but I have a secrete desire to learn to play like Amza Tairov... and maybe down the road to learn to play Ivo Papasov-style Bulgarian wedding-band music on a synth. Before I get too far with transcriptions it seems like I need to find the right synth sounds and put together a set-up that approximates what I have seen on youtube videos of Bulgarian synth players. I am hoping that finding some inspiring sounds on the CZ101 won't be too daunting. I understand that there are some editing programs that are helpful and that I can likely find some patches to transfer via Sysex. (I've not done this before, so I'll have to figure out that workflow first.)
I am interested to hear how other folks handle the peculiar programming interface of the CZ series and especially to meet others interested in this style of music.
Having only had a few moments with the 101 since it arrived, I've already been pleased with some of the sounds I've fooled around with. The mini-keys are definitely a obstacle to any sort of coordinate playing. I wonder if down the road I will need to get a cz1000 or use a controller to play the cz101. It seems the latter is often the method used by the synth players I've watched on youtube.