Casio CZ/ VZ/ FZ - Pro Series

On Nov 4, 2016, at 5:52 AM, smw-mail@... [CZsynth] wrote:

> >> My question is, what should I do next? I may change the LCD  
> screen to a backlit one in the future, but first I need advice on  
> the batteries.Which are the best? How long they usually last?
> (1) I am pretty sure there is a pdf scan of the CZ5000 service  
> manual floating around the internet; not sure if it's here, in the  
> CZ/FZ overflow group, or somewhere else.  That might be useful to  
> you. You might want to compare that with the CZ-1 service manual  
> (also around on the internet somewhere).  The CZ-1 has a lighted LCD.

CZ1:

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~damont/CasioCZ1Servicemanual.pdf

CZ5000:

https://www.manualslib.com/download/830267/Casio-Cz-5000.html


> (2) The CZ-5000 uses 3 AA batteries. I am not sure how long they  
> will last to preserve the user patches. In my experience with other  
> things, rechargeable AA batteries continuously lose power (and  
> aren't 1.5 v to begin with) and would probably not work well in the  
> CZ-5000. (Just a guess.) I am also guessing that long-lasting  
> alkaline might last longer than old-fashioned heavy-duty batteries,  
> but you'd have to run some comparative tests.

This was answered with facts written in the manual, not guesses :-).  
They are standard batteries (or alkaline), no need to use  
rechargeable, they will not be recharged in the machine. They will  
last around one year.

> (2) You know it's time to change your batteries when you power up  
> and your user patches are gone or are scrambled.  You can get some  
> really wild patches because the user memory (in my experience) gets  
> filled with parameters that you just can't duplicate from the panel  
> (nor would you want to in most cases).

Of course this can happen but then it's too late to change batteries.
For all cases it's good to have a data back-up on RAM cartridge, tape  
or in SysEx format.
>
> >>Is there a way to permanently change the main MIDI channel to  
> another number?
> (1) Hey, this is from 1985; consider yourself lucky that it has (a)  
> 8-note (2 line) polyphony / 16-note (1 line) polyphony from the  
> keyboard (i.e., not via midi), (b) multi-timbral capability, and (c)  
> a crude, but usable real-time/step-mode sequencer.
> (2) Probably not "out of the box," but you might be able to build a  
> circuit to do this, if for some reason you didn't want to do it  
> manually.

This was answered with facts written in the manual, but I just don't  
know it the change is permanent and will occur after the next  
switching on the instrument. So I have recommended to test it. Until  
now no reaction from the person who asked our advice. Maybe he didn't  
survive first week of heavy work with his CZ, when he forgot to drink  
and eat :-)

> Finally, I have to offer a caveat--all of the above is my own  
> opinion, freely offered to a person who I believe has asked some  
> good questions relevant to a recent acquisition.  I have answered to  
> the best of my ability in hopes that it would be helpful to that  
> individial.

It's nice of you, it is just questionable if opinions and guesses  
concerning the facts are really helpful, as they can be wrong and  
bring more confusion. Facts are facts.

> I am not really interested in arguing semantics (e.g., how what was  
> called polyphony for many years has in recent years been called  
> paraphony--i.e., not really polyphony, but something short of "true"  
> polyphony--by some),

I've never heard about such thing that somebody tries to use a term  
paraphony for polyphony. If yes, then it's totally wrong and I suppose  
we don't need to argue about it.
Despite nobody asked you to bring such example, and despite paraphony  
has nothing to do with CZ synths, or even with polyphony, maybe it's  
the best time to explain it exactly as it's a part of synthesizer  
history.

AFAIK a term "paraphony" was used by Roland on some of their  
multiphonic analog/digital synths in the end of 70's. Despite the  
instrument has more voices of polyphony thanks to multiple  
oscillators, there is only one filter with associated envelope  
generator for all of them. That means that filter envelope, when  
triggered again from the keyboard, restarts it's cycle from the  
beginning and had the same effect on all voices, even on those who  
were sounding in that moment. Instrument plays polyphonically but  
behavior of the filter is monophonic.
The same compromise architecture was used by other instruments as well  
- Moog Polymoog, Korg (even Poly/EX-800, which is interesting because  
older PS6 Polysix had independent filters and EG's for all six  
voices), and few others.

Later instruments  had fully implemented architecture for each voice  
unit (oscillator - filter - amplifier, and associated envelope  
generators) so all timbre and level changes in time are fully  
independent and start with each press of the key, and just for that  
voice. Of course they all have the same setting.

Casio PD and iPD synthesis uses direct transient changes of timbre in  
the oscillator (phase distortion is a kind of waveshaping), so there  
are no filters, and no paraphony.
Similarly other instruments based on phase modulation (like Yamaha FM,  
Elka, Korg FM, Boehm, Wersi... to name some) have no filters, so they  
are not paraphonic.

> the philosophy of using the CZ-5000 v. the CZ-1 (e.g., how the  
> sounds of the CZ-1 are different, superior, inferior to, etc. the  
> CZ-5000),

That's a pity - IMHO the main reason for the existence of any forum is  
a discussion about opinions, not only writing about the facts which  
can be found in the manual :-) Correcting mistakes is also important.

> various other side issues (e.g., why I brought up the two previous  
> examples when the questioner didn't ask about them), etc.

Maybe you had some reason, so why you now refuse further discussion on  
this?
>
> As one member of this forum recently pointed out, anyone can post  
> anything here [as long as it's OK by the Yahoo's ToS and the group's  
> owner doesn't have an objection]. That being said, I would encourage  
> anyone who has experiences with the CZ-5000 that differ from my  
> experiences to write them up as your experiences without referring  
> to what I reported as my experiences.

That's good idea to discuss about experiences, they are similar to  
opinions.

Which doesn't change the fact that facts are facts ;-)

Daniel Forro