Casio CT-S500 Keyboard

General

For decades, Casio was one of the biggest names in the keyboard world - especially for kids and student musicians on a budget - so unless it's a stray phase-distortion synth from the eighties, you're unlikely to see many Casios in recording studios. Basically, Casios carry a toy-like, entry-level image that's been hard to shake. Until now. Meet the Casio CT-S500 keyboard. This surprising chunk of hardware departs completely from the old-school Casio style and supplies modern high-grade sound and a neat and future-thinking control layout with a central display screen and a main function knob and a neat handful of buttons that provide fast menu access.

The Casio CT-S500 Keyboard: What You Get

800 different sounds have been loaded in, each backed up by a polyphony of 64, so as soon as you select the built-in grand piano sound, the sheer quality of it immediately makes you wonder why this model doesn't come at twice the price. The other sounds are just as impressive, and since you get set up with a stack of 243 rhythm styles as well, you're looking at a fully-fledged keyboard with an utterly fresh and modern sound that never gets cheesy. Arpeggiator patterns have also been supplied, with different basses, guitars, strumming styles, and more, and you even get an on-board sequencer, a full bank of effects, and in-depth access via the Casio Music Space app which can be downloaded to an iOS or Android device.

Extra Options

The integrated sampler is another up-to-date perk that can be used to capture snippets of audio streamed via Bluetooth or loaded in WAV files. You can even plug in an external audio player and this Casio will suppress the melody to make space for you to play along. A sustain, expression, or switch pedal can be plugged in to expand the potential of your playing, and a Bluetooth MIDI adapter comes included for linking your new music-maker to a computer, as well as a music rest. The keyboard itself weighs barely anything, and can powered by six AA batteries, so it's also fully portable. In short, the CT-S500 offers a whole lot of keyboard for a surprisingly low price and manages to wipe away everything you ever thought you knew about Casio keyboards.