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Rare Sough After CASIO SA-35 Song Bank Digital Music Synth Keyboard
Nice clean unmodified example – This Keyboard Can be Modified For the Circuit Bending Enthusiasts
Including the original box, instruction booklet, the SA-35 melody book, fitted battery’s, Michael Jackson Greatest Hits Keyboard Music Book & Hits of the 90s Electronic Music Book
Casio SA-35This great Casio SA serieskeyboard from 1992 (embossed case date stamp) is almost a synthesizer becauseits 100 preset sounds are sorted into groups with “tone edit” variationbutton and the pattern speed and timbre can be drastically changed by thedigital volume control
The sound engine resembles much the Casio SA-1 (see there)and its variants, but unlike these the SA-35 is not that much centeredon imitating natural instruments but instead features lots of strange algorithmiceffect patterns with a lot of howling, buzzing and echoing tekkno noisesthose with some play tricks can be perfectly timed to create meditativegunk structures for trance and gunk musics. This instrument was also releasedas Concertmate 470 (by Realistic?, seen on eBay).A light grey version of this instrument was released (later?) in the CasioClubseries as Casio M-200.main features:32 midsize keys2 built-in speakersmain voice polyphony 4 notes (only 3 with rhythm)100 preset sounds divided into 5 groups with each 5 sounds and each 4 variantsper sound selected by the “tone edit” button:keyboard {piano, elec piano, harpsichord, elec organ, celesta}wind {trumpet, brass ens, clarinet, flute, harmonica}string {strings ens, violin, cello, elec guitar, elec bass}synth {waw voice, bells, plunk extend, twinkle echo, jumping}s.e. {car horn, ambulance, airplane, telephone, chirp}8 preset rhythms {8 beat, 16 beat, swing, slow rock, shuffle, march, samba,waltz} (without accompaniment}8 preset rhythms with accompaniment {rock, pops, jazz, funk, house, country,latin, classical} (fixed- key, thus of little use)8 “funny” accompaniments {fanfare, hopper, computer sound, horror, child’splay, orient, jungle, comedy}preset sounds & rhythms selected through multiple presses of groupbuttonsvolume +/- buttons (5 steps, reduce bit resolution badly)tempo +/- buttons (16 steps)wavetable sound generator with sounds based 2 mixed low- res loop sampleswith independent, partly very complex algorithmic volume and pitch envelopes.CPU “OKI M6387-16, 3332316” (30 narrow pin DIL)crystal clocked10 demo melodies song bank (wonderful complex polyphonic orchestrations)lesson function (to learn playing the demo melodies)jacks for AC- adapter & headphone
eastereggs:volume control setting changes tempo of algorithmic sound patterns (e.g.mandolin ring)notes:The preset sounds are selected by pressing the button of the desired soundgroup multiple (up to 5) times, which always plays the currently selectedsound as a hint. Then the 4 variants of that sound can be tried by pressing”tone edit” multiple times, which also each time plays the current sound.This user interface concept resembles much the small YamahaPSS-7 and is very intuitive, but it also disturbs live performance.In comparison to my CasioPA-31 also the bit resolution of the samples seems to be lower,because the SA-35 makes noticeably more aliasing noise.The main voice sounds of the SA-35 are made from low- res samples butemploy very complex envelopes. While many basic preset sounds are modelledafter natural instruments, especially the 3 additional variants selectedthrough the “tone edit” button usually do artificial modifications of themor select even a totally different sound. Typically the modifications changethe volume envelope, add reverb or echo or modulate the pitch in differentways. But some presets are complex structured synth pad patterns and pulsingtimbres with algorithmic envelope modifications forming repetitive soundtextures those are great for tekkno trance and other meditative music.The preset sounds are partly difficult to describe but I do my bestbecause these include really unusual ones. In the following I indicatethe “tone edit” variations with a number behind the preset name (0 = default,1 to 3 are the “tone edit” variants). In opposite to the sound set of theCasioSA-1 family, the SA-35 presets include neither drum kits nor otherkey split sounds. Most default presets are like the presets of the samename on SA-1 (see there). Most havereverb, thus I mention only its absence. The “piano 1” has a slower attackrate than normal and thus sounds softer, 2 is a honky- tonk and 3 trills2 times during attack phase. “elec piano 1” has a slower attack phase (resemblesa bowed glass), 2 has strong vibrato (like a vibraphone with percussiveclick) and 3 trills 2 times with strong sustain (resembling a harp). “harpsichord1” has slow attack phase (like a short pipe organ tone), 2 is short withvibrato (resembles a koto), 3 is a ringing mandolin. “elec organ” is thewell known squawky Casio SA pop organ: 1 has a less percussive attackphase, 2 howls short during attack, 3 rings like a mandolin. “celesta 1″has a slower attack phase (resembles a bowed glass), 2 howls short duringattack (a bit like a water droplet), 3 has 3 fast echoes when the key isheld. “trumpet 1” has a decay envelope like a picked string, 2 has a delayedvibrato (more a synth violin?), 3 howls up during attack phase. “brassens” is the famous, ridiculously static and artificial tooting CasioSA brass (with chorus but no reverb): 1 has a decay envelope like apicked string, 2 has a delayed, fast fluttering (mosquito- like?) vibratoand sounds greatly unique, 3 has a 2nd voice (5th note?, no reverb) insteadof the chorus (no reverb). “clarinet 1” has a decay envelope like a harp,2 has a delayed strong and slow vibrato (no reverb), 3 trills 2 times duringattack phase with chorus. “flute 1” has a percussive decay envelope likea harp with vibrato, 2 has a detuned chorus, 3 rings like a mandolin. “harmonica1” has a decay envelope (sounds of banjo), 2 has a delayed, fast fluttering(moskito- like?) vibrato and chorus (somewhat brassy and voice- like),3 quickly howls up during attack. “strings ens 1″ has a decay envelope(like picked string), 2 rings like a mandolin, 3 is rather a synth brass.”violin 1” trills 2 times during a fast attack phase, 2 has a detuned chorus,3 has a bassy 2nd voice and resembles a brass ensemble with tuba (and delayedvibrato). The “cello” has a delayed vibrato and sounds brassy (like a synthtuba made from filtered squarewave); 1 has a decay envelope (like pickedstring), 2 has a detuned chorus with rastered vibrato (nice lo-fi basssound), 3 has a different (brassier?) attack phase. “elec guitar” alsohere resembles a harp: 1 is more a flute or high human voice with slowattack phase and vibrato, 2 rings like a mandolin, 3 is a “metal guitar”that resembles more a harsh and distorted church organ or the like (majorchord?). “elec bass 1” is rather a tuba or french horn with a dose of chorus,2 trills 2 times during attack phase, 3 is a slap bass with percussive(snare- like?) clicking attack phase. “waw voice” is the well known maleCasio chorus (howls up during attack phase), 1 adds a 2nd voice (5th note?),2 retriggers the note with a slow ringing going “wah wah wah wah…”, 3is a disharmonic up and down howling and pulsing pattern of this sound.”bells 1″ has a slow attack phase (resembling a bowed glass), 2 has 3 echoesafter fast key release, 3 is a “Big Ben” pattern with portamento betweenits notes. “plunk extend” is a buzzy bubbling sort of synth e-bass whichbass range reminds to a buzzing ruler: 1 howls up and down with decay envelope(short key presses sound longer because the howl repeats in the reverb),2 slowly repeats 2 notes (like a buzzy alarm tone), 3 bubbles up whileit fades quiet. “twinkle echo” is a harp with 3 echoes after key release:1 has a slower attack rate (like a short bowed glass with echo), 2 ringslike a mandolin, 3 buzzes with a fast ringing and howls up and down by1 note (also during reverb). “jumping” is a tekkno siren with bowed glasstimbre that toots and then howls and fades up while it fades silent: 1howls down instead, 2 is a fast howling siren (like car skidding) thatalternatingly switches on and off like a phone signal, with 3 the sirenalternatingly howls on a low and a high center frequency with a pause inbetween (like an ambulance crossed with an US police car).”car horn” toots like what the name suggests (only 1 note on all keys),1 is higher. 2 is a “car motor” which hum turns higher, shifts gear (soundslower again) and so on while it fades quieter (melodically playable). 3is a great rhythmic tekkno pattern that hums (brassy?) with the car motortimbre while the pitch and timbre is irregularly modulated (key pitchesare narrower than normal notes). “ambulance” toots on 2 alternating notes(melodically playable): 1 is a fast siren, 2 is a car motor like “car horn2”, but more synthetic and doesn’t fade quiet. 3 rings like a mandolinon a ceramic bowl timbre. “airplane” is a propeller aeroplane timbre (withchorus) that turns higher (melodically playable), 1 is a helicopter (pitchgoes slowly up and down, narrow key pitches), 2 is a tekkno siren thatretriggers 2 times and goes up like a videogame effect (narrow key pitches),3 is a slowly down and up fading, harsh and thin purring chirping (like”cosmic sound” on SA-1). “telephone” rhythmically toots slowly (ocarinatimbre, narrow key pitches), 1 instead rings rhythmically (narrow key pitches),2 rhythmically toots faster (sine wave, melodically playable), 3 is anorgan tone of 2 added sine waves (5 notes distance). “chirp” is a downpitching bird tweet (short notes resemble a water droplet, narrow key pitches),1 toots and than howls down with a fast trilling siren (a bit like theclassic “Star Trek” communicator whistle, narrow key pitches), 2 resemblesa synthetic human voice saying “aaoooh” (narrow key pitches), 3 is a locustchirp (narrow key pitches).The speed of algorithmic patterns can be adjusted with the digital volumecontrol (the quieter the faster, for technical explanation see CasioSA-1), which also changes the timbre by reducing the sample bitresolution at low volume. (The speed control capability is important tosync down the brain waves for meditation musics.) The ringing sounds (likemandolin) sound always a bit buzzy; especially at fast ring speeds theyturn even buzzier because the timing flutters with strange glitches, thoseseem to be often caused by the chorus effect. With multiple held notesthe speeds of algorithmic patterns often start to interact and synchronizewith each other in interesting ways, and you can even play the same patternwith multiple speeds simultaneously by holding down a key, selecting adifferent volume and than pressing another key, which makes the previouslyheld note keep its old speed and volume while new notes respond to thenew volume setting. This makes of the SA-35 a perfect experimentalgunk and tekkno trance instrument. The volume buttons make some annoyingblip noises with different pitches, but these can be quite well hiddenin the rhythm of the resulting musics.Unlike Casio SA-1 variants, the SA-35 has only 8 preset rhythmswithout accompaniment, and unlike my CasioPA-31 here also normal rhythms reduce polyphony from 4 to 3 notes.The other rhythms contain accompaniments those play only in a fixed- keyand can not be switched off, which severely limits their use for melodyplay, and many are rather monotoes (short melody loops) than accompaniments.Many are similar like on the SA-1 family, but there are also a few newones. “hopper” is a funny howling fast siren (theremin stuff) with tubabass, “horror” is a movie suspense monoto of a bluesy saxophone line withchinking vibraphone and “comedy” is a nice “laughing” tuba pattern.
The instrument has a song bank of 10 wonderful orchestrated polyphonicdemo melodies:Twinkle Twinkle Little StarMinuet (J.S. Bach)Oh! SusannaAura LeeLullaby (Brahms)Home Sweet HomeLittle Brown JugThe Skaters WaltzJingle BellsWhen the Saints Go Marchig InThe lesson function permits to train playing the demo melodies. With the”lesson” button the instrument plays the first pattern of a tune and thenthe player has to repeat it (accompanied by the instrument), then it playsthe next pattern and so on. With the “melody off” button the demos canbe played without melody voice to play on the keyboard to it (like withkaraoke).
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Category: Musical Instruments:Keyboards and Pianos:Electronic Keyboards
Location: Stockton-on-Tees