Musikmesse 2016: New Flagship Casio Keyboards
Casio is showing off two brand new keyboards at the 2016 Musikmesse. These 'Music Arrangers', called the MZ-X300 and MZ-X500, are definitely the two new flagship models in Casio's line, if you ask us. Don't let their clear control panels fool you, these keyboards are filled to the brim with sounds, rhythms and features.
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Inspiring
At their core, the MZ-X keyboards have everything a good keyboard should have: 61 keys, a large number of different sounds and automatic accompaniment in various styles. If you're a dedicated keyboard player, there will usually come a time where a simple keyboard is not enough for your creative desires, and you'd need to move on to something bigger and better. Something like the MZ-X300 or MZ-X500. These instruments set themselves apart with their wide range of possibilities, so that they can do exactly what you want when inspiration hits. Better yet, if you've run out of inspiration, these keyboards offer plenty of remarkable sounds and features that can help you revive it in no time.
Expression
Both models have a striking colour display that is touch-sensitive. This reduces the amount of knobs and buttons on the keyboards to a number that's manageable even for beginners. Directly above the keys, you'll find various controls that can be used while you're playing, allowing you to quickly switch sounds or accompaniment styles, or adjusting an organ sound using 9 draw bars. Furthermore, there are pads to offer you additional means of expression. The MZ-X300's four pads are great for starting your own custom samples, for instance, while the MZ-X500 takes things a step further with 16 velocity-sensitive pads that you can even use to switch chords—the function being adjustable per pad.
The right sound
Not only can the pads be adjusted to suit your preferences, even the sounds and rhythms can do exactly what you require of them. You can adjust an instrument's character, with the MZ-X500 even allowing you—through its Hex layer functionality—to build custom sounds that are made up of six different instruments. Another unique features of this model is the Bass synthesizer function that makes you feel like you're working on a classic analogue bass synthesizer. Finally, that everything will sound fantastic is not just because of the high-quality MXi sound engine, but also because of the four built-in speakers that are powered by an impressive 2 x 20W amplifier. Record your creations using the 16-track MIDI recorder (128 or 256 MBs), or save the result as an audio file on a USB stick.
Keep an eye on the product page for up-to-date information on availability and pricing.
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