Casio CT-S500: Ohhh the SOUNDS you can make! 

Contemplating buying one. Could you give any feedback on playing live in a band setting? Would you use as standard line out through pa? If so what's that quality like? Any help would be appreciated

@@jonathanbolger6173 Well, this demo was recorded using the headphone out socket and I think it sounds pretty good. Overall I'd say it's an excellent live instrument. Light, solid, easy access to favorite sounds. The price to professionalism ratio is really quite superb.

How does the vocoder work? It's one of the instruments in the voice section. No I'm not confusing the 1000V

It’s such an amazing keyboard, right? Thanks for watching Gearfacts ;)

​@@gearfacts This keyboard is amazing. CASIO did a great job with this synthesizer. I am more than happy with this purchase. Designers and engineers put real love into this keyboard. And I say this even though I'm a big Roland fan (and have four Rolands).

Thanks for the positive feedback, very sustaining!

Awesome bro thank you

Enjoy it :)

@@gearfacts Sure wil 😁

As far as I can tell (so far), the speech synthesizer is the only difference. Everything else apart form the color appears to be exactly the same.

Aw, great! Does this mean the applause sound, if this particular keyboard has one, is similar to the cTK line? Can someone explain?

I haven't tried any really big USB sticks with it. I just used an old 8GB I had lying around because I figured I'd have to make hundreds and hundreds of samples to even approach capacity. Gratitude from Australia (we have a lot to be thankful for here)

Haha, the Homer cup ...sooo impractical but very video-friendly! As for resale, I think I'll keep this one for a while and sell/trade the CT-S1000V as the vocoder, while fun, is the only difference and it's not really my scene. Just a personal thing, some ppl might love it.

Thanks Jeremy. With this synth I think Casio have improved their user-friendliness, but it's still not what I'd call 'easy'. Logical enough I guess, but there's a heck of a lot of key pressing to do some pretty simple things. If it's specifically synthing you want, I'd look for something that has more dials and sliders on the front panel - instant, logical and gratifying. I've been having a lot of fun with the Korg Monolog lately, though it's not much good for actually playing the keys. Deepminds are great too, and more of a 'piano player' synth. Workstations tend to be pretty baffling, I've never found one that could be described as 'easy'. A lot of it depends if you want styles and beats, like an all-in-one solution or a synth-specialized instrument (generally the easiest to use). See what's on the second hand market I reckon, and feel free to search my old reviews and/or get back in touch with any discoveries that pique your interest! Glynn

*An update to my previous comment above. Again, I stress, choose wisely with your budget, wants and needs to get what is best for you. There are so much great choices, if they are available where you are, either locally, or online, etc. Even maybe used, but be wary for scams and poor condition equipment. Case in point. I love music and playing, but because of work, and the other things I do, I modify my strategies, and reevaluate my needs, and often have been glad I did not buy on impulse and waited, because many times, things, whatever they may be, came out with something new and better down the road, often at the same price, or not much more, with everything, or almost, that I wanted that the previous ones did not have, or, the original ones become more affordable. A good example, the upgraded Casio CT-S500, and especially, the CT-S1000V was appealing with the updates and improvements, especially the vocal synthesizers, but as my good friend Jeremy See stated, there are other vocal options, and sometimes cheaper, and it still has its limitations. So, yes, IMHO aka in my humble opinion, as stated earlier, the Yamaha PSR-EW425 is definitely a recommended choice over the PSR-E473 if you want the louder amplified speakers, 76 keys and upgraded sounds for the added price. I definitely am still considering this in the future, over my later more expensive options, if I find the legitimate need for them later, specifically the Roland Fantom-07, and RD 88. But before that, I still think the CT-S1 is the best bang for the buck for its sound and everything it is for the bargain price of $200 USD, and everything in its design. Like my Roland Go:Keys at about $350 USD, both are great, but have their different perks, which validates having both for me. This also it true for the Yamaha Reface CP and YC, if you want a compact, full featured organ, for a limited space home studio, but are nice to have, but not essential. The CT-S1 and Go:Keys are not designed primarily targeted for the gigging professional with the 3.5mm stereo audio output and heaphone jacks, but they have their perks, and you still can use adapter plugs and cables for your home studio, or to hook-up to ¼" equipment if you need to do so. But, yes, I wish Casio gave it those ¼" jacks, and the pitch bend wheel, or come out with a CT-S2 with that, and metal speaker grills. But for what I need and want, the CT-S1 is just fine for the price over the other two Casio, because I still think those two do not have the exact sounds and effects of the CT-S1, and I don't need the extra voice tones, or the auto accompaniment features, because my Go:Keys has all those voices and 128 key polyphony, plus a variation of the pitch/modulation features, and a whole lot more, including built in Bluetooth functions, instead of the optional, but still good BT dongle for the Casio keyboards. So yes, the CT-S1 is still a sweet keyboard, especially to start off with, if you don't need the auto accompaniment features, and even good if you are studying formal piano, if you don't have, or can't afford a real 88 weighted key acoustic or digital piano at home, or you want sonething compact and portable to take with you. The CT-S1 I plan on getting soon, hopefully before years end. To me it's a must have. Jeremy See, Masataka Kono and many other professional keyboardists still love and use it, even with so many other keyboards at their disposal in their audio arsenal. It's a gem. So yes, with the right cables or adapters, some that may not be easily found in stores, but available online, you can hook up these mini USB keyboards like the two I mentioned, also the Yamaha PSS-A50 as keyboard controllers to interface with DAWs and other music software to Android/Apple smartphones, tablets and computers with USB-A/USB-C or Lightning connectors. As far as amplification for these keyboards with the mini stereo headphone jack, you can use a 3mm mini jack cable, or Y adapter, with ¼" jacks or plugs to fit your needs. It's just not as convenient as pro level type keyboards, but possible. It's great that these keyboards have the convenience of their own amplified speakers and headphone jacks, as do most digital pianos like the Roland FP series and others, and even the pro level RD-88 stage piano, that has many perks over the much more expensive and heavier RD2000 without speakers. I also have a Roland Cube Mobile speaker with multiple outputs, great for my multifunction professional Roland CD-2 CD/CF recorder, and also, a portable JBL 30 watt Charge 4 BT speaker I prefer over the latest 40 watt Charge 5 speaker, because the Charge 4 has the 3mm jack audio input they omitted in the later version. But if I want more amplification, I can get the brand new JBL Boombox3 for $429 USD, $500 MSRP, with 136 watts on battery power, and 180 watts on battery-powered with BT, back up phone charger, and much more compact, lighter and portable, and sometimes at a lower price than a big, heavy conventional keyboard amp or PA. I could even use the latest Roland Go:Mixer Pro X or other compact mixer for multi input versatility. There are many other similar options available out there. So yes, the possibilities are endless for your wants, needs and budgets. But a word of advice for fellow and aspiring musicians, music enthusiasts and such with techno-gear lust. Do your research, and listen to what Jeremy See, myself and others offer to make wise choices. Take care of business, the vital and important things in life, and for emergencies. That's the priority. Spend wisely, for what you need now, upgrade, trade in for more later if you need, but don't over spend, especially if it's just a hobby, for enjoyment, and not part of your career, livelihood and such as a professional musician, performer, or something else. Take joy in all the choices available, especially more affordable and often lighter, more compact to take with you. And also, above all, especially when out and about. Don't get inattentive and complacent with you gear and personal items and provide the opportunity for unscrupulous individuals to convert its use for their own, and deprive same from you. I other words, watch your stuff! Greedy dishonest people have sticky hands and fingers. Yes, my law enforcement/security background is kicking in. Be safe, happy and heathy!! God bless! 🎶

Do you think this Casio is way more better than the PSR-E473? Here in Mexico costs 250 dollars more than the casio.

@juan chacon The Casiotone CT-500 and the Yamaha PSR-473 are comparable, bring in the same price range. However there are differences. I like them both, but regarding these two examples, if I got the Yamaha, I would spend a little more and get the 76 note PSR-EW425 instead, for the extended keyboard range, additional higher quality tones, and loud speaker amplification, but I would probably get the CT-S500 for my personal preference, even though I like both. The Yamaha is said to have an edge on the quality of sounds, which can be objective, but I believe it's true, though they both have high quality sounds, but the Casio has all the sounds of my CT-S1 that I love, plus many more, including an ukulele, and I'm from Hawai'i. :P The Casio is also more compact and lighter. And the control panel is simpler and cleaner in appearance, though the Yamaha has more control knobs and buttons for quicker access to all of its features, which there are many. Also, the Yamaha has glossy smooth surface keys, while the Casio has textured ones. So it all depends on your needs and wants, budget, and availability at your location. So if you are keeping it at home or mostly one location and do a lot of composing/arranging with a DAW, you may want to boot for the Yamaha, but if you are going to take it with you a lot, the Casio is sleeker, more compact and lighter, and seems to be more rugged and solidly built for the road, and has that guitar strap posts, too. *Most of what I just stated a over was already stated in my original post and second comment. If the Casio costs that much less and suits your needs, get that. Btw, I did finally get the CT-S1 recently, so it's hard yo decide if I want to play that, or my Roland Go:Keys. What a bad situation to be in. Not really. They both are great, the Roland costs more, but they each hsve their own features the other one lacks, so thru compliment each other, and great to hsve Teo keyboards for certain things, like me and my two expensive Android smartphone I now carry daily, thst gives me more flexibility to multitasking.

@@jjacob25101 Thanks for taking your time for answering me man! I've been strugling for a while of which decide for doing gigs, and you gave valuable advice!

@@juanchacon8846 Both of those two keyboards have proper ¼" stereo audio and headphone outputs. I believe the Yamaha has a ¼" microphone input with effects of you need that, but the Casio is easier to take with you and fit in a vehicle if you don't need a mic. I just got a nice Casio soft case for my CT-S1 that is made for that same series keyboards like the CT-S500. Yamaha should have their own case, or another brand. You can't lose with either keyboard, they get better for each new series, and like the most popular smartphones have lots support, accessories and people posting videos about it.

They are quite soft to play, with even pressure all the way down. I like it because it's comfortable and mechanically very quiet, but serious players don't like it.

Should be the same feel throughout the whole recent Casio line, I think. Touch-sensitive, in other words.

@@GaryR55 yep 👍

This is a very flattering message! I am humbled, sir :)

It does have both, but compared to the general standard of sounds they’re not particularly inspiring.

Yes I agree.

Registrations.

The sequencer is just your basic pattern-mapper so no excitement there. But the sounds - and I didn't want to admit this - I've found the sounds to be more engaging than MANY of the higher-end synths and modules I've used. And the choice is broader too. I tend to use the selection of EPs as my "meter" for assessing overall sound quality (just personal bias, not everyone's thing I know) and this keyboard gives you a rainbow.

Pattern mapper..? How usable is for laying down a basic song for scratchpad purposes? Thanks

@@jazway27 Oh yeah it can get a basic scratchpad idea recorded

Yes you can trigger fills from the pedal, in fact you can have a sustain pedal and a second pedal attached, and the second one can do a range of functions, fills being just one of them. The keybeds, personally I like them because the action is mellow and mechanically very quiet (family appreciates that). There is no up/down 'click' to the keys at all.

@@gearfacts thanks pal, all that sounds really good...may have to reconsider Casio, if they make a 76note model with these features

At the time I had both and I didn't notice any difference other than the voice feature - but that doesn't mean I'm right, I could have missed something :)

Thanks Jay :)

Yamaha DJX would be the closest, but it’s an old keyboard. The Yamaha PSR-E463 is also similar but much newer

All of them😂😂. This is sick to be a Casio. I’m going to order on for sure. The synths are crazy. Strings sound good and the piano, if you were to play this behind a curtain, I’d swear you were playing a Roland fantom X. Anything that has AIX or AIL on it from Casio is going to sound like it’s 800 dollars or more

Had better, had worse. Back to the day job today (it's 5am, I'm up way early)

I’m 95% sure it does

Yes

Yep. Even the classic Casio series sounds. This thing is absolutely loaded. I want to surprise lots of bands with this 😎😎😎

Agreed!

First thing, I suggest you get a fresh USB and format it from the actual keyboard. Casio boards are very fussy about their USB's! Certain file names and lengths can be problematic too, and also check which directory they have to be stored in. I'd put them in the root directory just to be safe. But like I said - Casio - everything has to be jussssst right or they will play nothing.

Definitely :)

I'd choose the CT-S500. Better sounds, better sampler.

@@gearfacts How is the S500 vs the CT-X3000 or 5000?

I think the Yamaha has better quality timbres, but the CT-S500 is still pretty impressive. Also it's ultra-fun and has more effects, as well as a sampler which is a huge difference between the two. I guess a pro would choose the Yamaha, and someone having fun with friends, jamming etc, would choose the Casio in this comparison. Hope that helps :)

@@gearfacts Thx👍🏻🙏

Firmware update maybe? I'd check Casio's website

or the CZ line.....

Yeah I would like to go back and make more videos about this keyboard. Keeping an eye out for one.

The sampler is what the extra hundred Euros is for, I think. Also it has dynamic controls that work (they don't really work on the go:keys) and a lot more beats and effects. The more I think about it, the more the S500 seems very superior.

@@gearfacts Thanks a lot! How is the layered recording feature on the casio? I'v not seen anyone demo this on any video? There are some ppl on youtube making really amazing (layered) music with the go:keys.

@@1326573 you mean using beats, accompaniments and lead sound all together? It works very differently on the Casio but it sounds just as good imho

@@gearfacts just bought the casio, happy w/ the sound and functions. The only thing I can't get right is sometime the notes are unintentionally very load or faint. I'm not sure if it's the instrument, or that I'm really not accustumed to the spring action, which feels rather poor to me. But to be fair in my mind i'm comparing to the roland pha4 action. Also a finer point but the black keys are shorter than a regular piano and therfore also the leverage is different. Finad it very hard to get used to. Perhaps I would have the same with the Roland though.

@@1326573 there are three velocity sensitivity levels in the menu, try adjusting that.

Yep I was certainly surprised :)

They’re are the same apart from the color and the vocalizer. It’s a lit extra to pay, so unless you’re serious about either of those things, I suggest the cts500

We’ll mainly the sampling. Tone quality is pretty much identical.

Me too!😃

​@@gearfacts But the CT-S 500 has 200 more sounds than the 400? How good are the “new” sounds actually? I wanted a really comprehensive video of the CT-S 500 with many, many sound examples! Please please Mr Gearfacts 😇

@@tombola3121 Oh yes, the CT-S500 has some great sounds over the 400, and then the sampling. It's MUCH better.

I can tell you right now, I would take the CTS-500 :-)

@@gearfacts it would be cool to find keyboard that have features of mzx500 and quality sound of cts. Nevertheless i bought both and i have returned cts cause i really wanted all the features from mzx. Overal sound of mzx is good, it is just that cts have better sound processor. Even though Iam satisfied with my purchase, especially because of the low price. In Poland mzx is hard to find and its original price was about 4k PLN cts was about 2k but I have bought second hand mzx in excellent condition so it costed me the same and I got extra suitcase for keyboard too. Also what is vert important to point that main factor with starting with mzx was that the interface is very complex but transparent at the same time, so it is much easier to have everything you need on the stage, presets, samples and so on. One more thing I returned (actually it was v1000) because i wasnt able to turn of effect modulator (i dont know if it was mechanical issue or what) but the fact that keyboard comes with such a problem claims that he build isnt that solid and damage proof. :) Nevertheless it makes me smile and for real cts have one of the best sound qualities from low priced Casios :) Well i guess that it! Have a nice day !

True, but there are dynamic controls and the operating system is much easier :)

@@gearfacts oh yes, with a midi controller and a usb host, I can have those controls and more, and yes, the operating system is simpler, but it has less functions and possibilities than the CTX...usb host about 30€ a controller midi with knobs or a mini keyboard anyone has it... I still think that the price is not justified.

@@tafallablas You make a good point :)

Nope 😞

@@HubertEtAlice A couple of the preset sounds do, but it's not "genuine" synthesizer after-touch

Got for 326 on Amazon italy just today!

Some mic’d, some direct. It’s a good sounding keyboard, don’t overthink based on my cheap gear :)

With Gearfacts, the idea is to put the sounds at the forefront because there are so many other channels that discuss the finer details at length. It's like a team effort :)

@@gearfacts Understood. I just appreciate when content creators are clear about what they're presenting. Your title is somewhat vague, and I spent too much time fast forwarding before I discovered this was devoid of anything other than a tour of the patches. Thanks for your reply, and best to you.

​@@patrickwal55this review was exactly what I was looking for, actually.

The point I was making is that this is a keyboard. If you try to fool your listener into believing that they are hearing a real saxophone then you’re just insulting them, and insulting the real instrument.

Gotta stick to your principles, absolutely.

You are a Champ for this one! 😁👌💪@@gearfacts

Booo! We love it ya big ol’ wowser

He seems nice.

Stop saying the same thing on every video. You're not funny, at all.

@@Mr.Face222 Maybe he's a bot?

I see this guy on every Casio instrument video, get's a bit boring..