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Casio WK-7500. Keep Your Eye On This.


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The Casio WK-7500

********************************************

 

Casio already seems to have a ton of back orders on this.

 

Talked to Sweetwater about this-they are "hopeful" that they get some of these in stock sometime next week.Meanwhile there's a line a mile long, just to get in on the ground floor.

 

I don't know what has motivated Casio to this point, but I had written them off completely(at the time that the "dreadful" WK-500 was announced/released). They appeared not to care anymore, so, they would just "ride off into the sunset" and continue to "be what they were" , much to the chagrin of their "former fans".

 

I thought that then, they had finally accepted their fate as a punchline to numerous jokes

and their never-ending status as a so-called "toy"...

 

A lot of nice things are still said about Casios flagship "mistake", the MZ2000. In most circles, they have become all but collectibles among a small but devoted following.

 

The concept was good, the price was way out of range for Casio's "normal " audience, it would seem. Casio, no doubt stung by the rejection, retreated for awhile and continued "business as usual" trying to bring the MZ2000's price down for a *new* series of the WK line of musical instruments.

 

This strategy succeeded for a time, but not for long, because the succeeding "WK's", like the 3800, appeared to be just "old wine in new bottles", so to speak. Yes the "ZPI sound source" remained, but, the "same old, same old" endured (6 track LINEAR sequencing, combo line/headphone out etc.)

 

And , then, the WK-500. The MIDI spec is trashed, you're lucky if you get any sort of "output" at all and the "music demos"-well, lets just say I've heard better on a "Bontempi". And more enthusiasm from a mother of 12 at the end of a long day.

 

Cut to today and now, Casio has released something that may well define keyboard structures for many years to come.

 

The WK-7500 has a listed price of $699 US, on their website, but most everyone knows that is just a "statement". The REAL deal is $499 and the price might appear to be the biggest part of this bargain, but, in reality, it isn't. The feature set IS the biggest part of this bargain-the price is almost an afterthought. This keyboard is going to prove to be the *best* as far as "performance to price" ratio is concerned.

 

Sure, there are keyboards out there, RIGHT NOW, that have *most* everything that the WK-7500 has (and more) Feature-wise, take your pick-at about $2500 a snap, average. And even the "Pros" have problems, in and of themselves, according to people who frequent boards like this and others. They want a "be-all, end-all" instrument.

 

Give my regards to St. Peter when THIS happens because I'll probably be RIGHT behind

you!

 

NOTHING is perfect, but most things are approximate. EVERYTHING, is a "work in progress....*everything*.....

 

Including the WK-7500, because it has taken 11 years from the MZ200 to reach *this* point, in Casios history.

 

Punch up the WK-7500 on any of the online music retail sites-you can peruse the specs for yourself, at your leisure......do the research...I already have...a *thousand* times over....

 

For starters, you can get, maybe,*part* of the features in any of the competing keyboards, at a $1000 minimum asking price , be they "arrangers" or "Pro" keyboards.

 

(Side note: Just because you spend thousands on an implement, doesn't make "it" or *you* a "Pro". A true Pro, can make the best out of most any situation, or implement.

This includes "Arrangers", so stop pretending like you know what the f**k you are talking about.)

 

I've talked with plenty of "Pros" who had thousands of dollars in equipment, but yet, didn't know how to make a good recording of any type. They were surrounded by $money$ but severely lacking in skills. These are the type of people I enjoy "taking down", make no mistake.

 

What the WK-7500 contains is enough to make your head spin, no matter what you own already.

 

I don't care if it's the XF, G8, M3 or *whatever*....the WK-7500, basically wipes these suckers *out*.

 

Casios reach is worldwide-they have a popular audience "built-in" because musical instruments wasn't their first choice...calculators *were* and , from there, they decided to branch out. Everyone has this right, but not everyone follows up on it....

 

Korg doesn't make calculators, Roland doesn't make cellos, and Yamaha doesn't make digital cameras...

 

There are more "common people" in the world than there are niche groups.

SINCE there are more common people, Casio, has a broader base JUST in musical instruments than Korg, Roland AND Yamaha *combined*.

 

Casio is a proven brand, time after time, in general terms.The world *loves* Casio, even if they are not aware of it!!!

 

BUT, for $499.99, the WK-7500 proves that Casio will NOT stand still while the competition passes them by....

 

They have STEPPED UP with the WK-7500 and announced to the WORLD that they can comback from seeming "defeat", so to speak.

 

I , for one, am glad that they decided to mix it up with the "big boys".

Complacency is no excuse for being *lazy*....

 

You LOOK for the Casio WK-7500 to change the playing field, from this time on......

 

************************************************************************************

PS.

If KORG thinks, even for a *second* that delaying the "Kronos" until May is going to "up their "market share"......well....*good luck*......

 

I don't care how *good* it is.......WK-7500 is going to *beat* you......in terms....

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I have never seen a stack of Casios on any stage, at any time.

Casios are played until they break, then thrown away.

Never even heard of a repair shop fixing one, labor is more $$$$ than the unit is worth.

Where can I get what you are smoking?????? Richard

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I have never seen a stack of Casios on any stage, at any time.

Casios are played until they break, then thrown away.

Never even heard of a repair shop fixing one, labor is more $$$$ than the unit is worth.

Where can I get what you are smoking?????? Richard

 

 

Casio Privia pianos are quite good, and very reliable.

 

I took a brief look at the WK-7500. It may provide a hobbyist a lot for his money, but I wouldn't be interested. In key ways, it's a big step backwards from the MZ2000. No MIDI In/Out jacks. No aftertouch. No support for an expression medal. No mod wheel. The combination of those last three means there's no way at all to add any kind of performance expression (except pitch, there is a pitch bend wheel). The closest you can get is that there's a modulation button, but it's simply an on-off button, nothing you can vary the amount of in performance. The lack of MIDI (except via USB) and any expressive performance controls kill it for me.

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I played a show last year and there were two acts, my band and the closing band. I had my two Korgs, the Quik-Lok Z stand, my mini PA for mixing and monitor duties and my pedals. I've used this rig for a while and have spent a LONG time getting every patch for every song as close as possible. Many are exact. When we got off stage the band after us started to load up. The (new) keyboard player had some Casio keyboard on an X stand and that was it. I knew the band did a lot of the same material we did so I was curious how the music would sound using stock patches. I know it was his first show with the band.

 

One word: HORRIBLE. Even though the keyboard player was decent and he played a lot of the songs correctly, by using a vibraphone sound for Don't Stop Believin' or a piano sound for Separate Ways, many of the songs were unrecognizable. He was fired immediately after the show.

 

That's what using a new Casio keyboard will get you if you use it in a paying gig - fired.

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Is this an advertisement for Casio or something?

 

 

Wow, I hope not. That video Bernard posted above proves how relatively unchanged Casio's {censored}ty sounds are. I'm not sure it's worth $499. KRONOS killer? um.... sure.

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Wow, I hope not. That video Bernard posted above proves how relatively unchanged Casio's {censored}ty sounds are. I'm not sure it's worth $499. KRONOS killer? um.... sure.

 

 

Agree, those sounds are pretty bad.

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I just re-read the first post again.

 

 

I don't care if it's the XF, G8, M3 or *whatever*....the WK-7500, basically wipes these suckers *out*.

 

 

Holy {censored}, hilarious. Probably the best piece of Satire I've read on here in a long time. The reader ALMOST believes it.

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(trimmed)

One word: HORRIBLE. Even though the keyboard player was decent and he played a lot of the songs correctly, by using a vibraphone sound for Don't Stop Believin' or a piano sound for Separate Ways, many of the songs were unrecognizable. He was fired immediately after the show.


That's what using a new Casio keyboard will get you if you use it in a paying gig - fired.

 

 

Imitating the sound of another instrument is a pretty stiff test, and many now famous instruments would have failed it at the time they were introduced: A Moog doesn't sound remotely like a piano, and a Hammond Organ won't fool many people into believing that it is a classical church organ.

 

Easy street for an instrument is having a composer write something that exhibits its strengths and hides its weaknesses. That might happen to the Casio - especially if there are composers out there with more talent than money - in which case twenty years from now keyboard players in tribute bands might be carefully getting their patches to sound like the Casio WK-7500.

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Wow, I hope not. That video Bernard posted above proves how relatively unchanged Casio's {censored}ty sounds are. I'm not sure it's worth $499. KRONOS killer? um.... sure.

 

 

The piano sound was pretty ok, to be honest (considering that I'm not expecting Kronos or VST level quality with such an instrument.)

 

Then the electric piano sound came on, and I was like, WTF? My 10 year old JV1010 has much better electric piano sounds. Ditto for that harpsicord, that was awful.

 

C'mon, Casio, you're letting mid-90s Roland kick your ass.

 

That's ROLAND. KSS's favorite whipping boy. Do better, Casio.

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Don't forget, people compare Roland to Korg to Yamaha to Kurz to ... all the time. People compare Casio to, well, other Casios. Casio couldn't compete in the professional market no matter how hard they tried or how much money they threw at R&D It's a low priced, mediocre, home brand and nothing more. That's all they are aiming at and doing fairly well with it. They may have a higher profit margin on their home crap than Korg does on their professional stuff. So, they are successful, just not successful with serious players. There's nothing wrong with that.

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The piano sound was pretty ok, to be honest (considering that I'm not expecting Kronos or VST level quality with such an instrument.)


Then the electric piano sound came on, and I was like, WTF? My 10 year old JV1010 has much better electric piano sounds.

 

 

There were no electric piano samples in that clip. They were electric grand, which is different. Electric grand implies a sound reminiscent of Yamaha CP70/CP80, and that does seem to be what they're going for in those clips. I'm sure the instrument also has electric piano patches (reminiscent of rhodes and/or wurli), but we didn't hear them in that clip.

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The Casio WK-7500

********************************************


Casio already seems to have a ton of back orders on this.


Talked to Sweetwater about this-they are "hopeful" that they get some of these in stock sometime next week.Meanwhile there's a line a mile long, just to get in on the ground floor.


I don't know what has motivated Casio to this point, but I had written them off completely(at the time that the "dreadful" WK-500 was announced/released). They appeared not to care anymore, so, they would just "ride off into the sunset" and continue to "be what they were" , much to the chagrin of their "former fans".


I thought that then, they had finally accepted their fate as a punchline to numerous jokes

and their never-ending status as a so-called "toy"...


A lot of nice things are still said about Casios flagship "mistake", the MZ2000. In most circles, they have become all but collectibles among a small but devoted following.


The concept was good, the price was way out of range for Casio's "normal " audience, it would seem. Casio, no doubt stung by the rejection, retreated for awhile and continued "business as usual" trying to bring the MZ2000's price down for a *new* series of the WK line of musical instruments.


This strategy succeeded for a time, but not for long, because the succeeding "WK's", like the 3800, appeared to be just "old wine in new bottles", so to speak. Yes the "ZPI sound source" remained, but, the "same old, same old" endured (6 track LINEAR sequencing, combo line/headphone out etc.)


And , then, the WK-500. The MIDI spec is trashed, you're lucky if you get any sort of "output" at all and the "music demos"-well, lets just say I've heard better on a "Bontempi". And more enthusiasm from a mother of 12 at the end of a long day.


Cut to today and now, Casio has released something that may well define keyboard structures for many years to come.


The WK-7500 has a listed price of $699 US, on their website, but most everyone knows that is just a "statement". The REAL deal is $499 and the price might appear to be the biggest part of this bargain, but, in reality, it isn't. The feature set IS the biggest part of this bargain-the price is almost an afterthought. This keyboard is going to prove to be the *best* as far as "performance to price" ratio is concerned.


Sure, there are keyboards out there, RIGHT NOW, that have *most* everything that the WK-7500 has (and more) Feature-wise, take your pick-at about $2500 a snap, average. And even the "Pros" have problems, in and of themselves, according to people who frequent boards like this and others. They want a "be-all, end-all" instrument.


Give my regards to St. Peter when THIS happens because I'll probably be RIGHT behind

you!


NOTHING is perfect, but most things are approximate. EVERYTHING, is a "work in progress....*everything*.....


Including the WK-7500, because it has taken 11 years from the MZ200 to reach *this* point, in Casios history.


Punch up the WK-7500 on any of the online music retail sites-you can peruse the specs for yourself, at your leisure......do the research...I already have...a *thousand* times over....


For starters, you can get, maybe,*part* of the features in any of the competing keyboards, at a $1000 minimum asking price , be they "arrangers" or "Pro" keyboards.


(Side note: Just because you spend thousands on an implement, doesn't make "it" or *you* a "Pro". A true Pro, can make the best out of most any situation, or implement.

This includes "Arrangers", so stop pretending like you know what the f**k you are talking about.)


I've talked with plenty of "Pros" who had thousands of dollars in equipment, but yet, didn't know how to make a good recording of any type. They were surrounded by $money$ but severely lacking in skills. These are the type of people I enjoy "taking down", make no mistake.


What the WK-7500 contains is enough to make your head spin, no matter what you own already.


I don't care if it's the XF, G8, M3 or *whatever*....the WK-7500, basically wipes these suckers *out*.


Casios reach is worldwide-they have a popular audience "built-in" because musical instruments wasn't their first choice...calculators *were* and , from there, they decided to branch out. Everyone has this right, but not everyone follows up on it....


Korg doesn't make calculators, Roland doesn't make cellos, and Yamaha doesn't make digital cameras...


There are more "common people" in the world than there are niche groups.

SINCE there are more common people, Casio, has a broader base JUST in musical instruments than Korg, Roland AND Yamaha *combined*.


Casio is a proven brand, time after time, in general terms.The world *loves* Casio, even if they are not aware of it!!!


BUT, for $499.99, the WK-7500 proves that Casio will NOT stand still while the competition passes them by....


They have STEPPED UP with the WK-7500 and announced to the WORLD that they can comback from seeming "defeat", so to speak.


I , for one, am glad that they decided to mix it up with the "big boys".

Complacency is no excuse for being *lazy*....


You LOOK for the Casio WK-7500 to change the playing field, from this time on......


************************************************************************************

PS.

If KORG thinks, even for a *second* that delaying the "Kronos" until May is going to "up their "market share"......well....*good luck*......


I don't care how *good* it is.......WK-7500 is going to *beat* you......in terms....

 

 

"this post" is *absolutely* brilliant

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There were no electric piano samples in that clip. They were electric grand, which is different.

 

 

Ah. Well, in that case, I would love to see someone play some actual Yamaha CP songs (like

or this) with the Casio "electric grand".

 

If only for the LULZ.

 

Because those samples sounded nothing like a Yamaha CP either.

 

(Granted, I don't think I have a decent CP on my JV, I'd have to get something like a Nord Electro for that...)

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I bought one for playing around. I'd put it up against most anything under $1,000, and maybe up to $1,500; it is value for money.

 

The original poster is correct that these are selling and I suspect selling very well (given that Guitar Center has upped the price considerably to Canadians $669 and currency at par, who can't get it elsewhere) and that no this is not a toy. That doesn't mean it is meant for all, and just because it is selling a lot does not make it excellent (anymore than McDonalds makes the best hamburger because they sell more).

 

Also, to some of the critics, just because Casio sells to the masses, doesn't mean it is bad. In fact, since they can spread their costs over more buyers it generally means you get more value for money.

 

The WK-7500 is primarily and above all a "workstation". Lots to play with, and I'm still figuring it all out. I might use it for performance but I don't think that would be the primary use. Piano and organ sounds are decent, and I thought electric piano sounds were okay too. Brass .... not so good imho. But, your mileage may vary. Don't like the sounds, then change them.

 

There are a few flaws such as the headphone jack being in the rear, no mod wheel, sounds could always be improved upon.

 

To be clear, the WK-7500 will NOT compete with the high end instruments like Kronos. Maybe the next iteration, who knows, but not this iteration.

 

To address the poster who heard someone play a Casio in a band and it sucked and got someone fired, I've never heard anything so ridiculous in my life. Could as well have been a low end Yamaha or Roland. There is this concept where a company like Casio or Korg or Yamaha will create different models, some better and some worse ... so it is kind of model specific.

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I've spent quite a bit of time with the WK-7500. It's an "arranger keyboard" at heart, with patterns, portability, different musical styles, built-in speakers, etc. However, given the under-$500 street price, I'd give it some serious slack. No, it's not going to beat a Motif or M3 or equivalent as a pro studio keyboard, but jeez, what you get for the price is simply amazing. You can also record vocals or other instruments to an SD card.

 

I always dismissed arranger keyboards (well, who can blame me?) until I started doing lots of audio-for-video work. So many times you're asked to create music in a particular style ("Hey, the guy goes into a club here looking for the dealer, it needs like a house music feel but darker"), and I used to pore through music libraries and then play a bunch of parts myself. Something like the WK-7500 costs WAY less than an equivalent collection of music libraries, there are NO copyright constraints or royalty issues (important), and enough styles that you can lay down a credible bed, then put some solos over it.

 

To say it's equivalent to a Kronos or Motif XF is ludicrous, but to dismiss it out of hand is ludicrous, too. It's a very capable keyboard at a really pretty remarkable price. For its intended audience, it's fabulous (and even for some non-intended audiences, like people who do soundtracks).

 

Just tryin' to give some perspective here. I think Casio implemented their design goals very well.

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