Casio WK-7500. Keep Your Eye On This.

[McHale]

 

But for organ it beats the hell out of my $2000 Korg SV1.

 

 

If you like that cheap Casio sound, then yes. I agree. But there's a reason that the keyboard (and I use that term lightly in Casio's case) is $499 and the big names cost more. For those of us who don't buy Casio keybaords, we understand the difference.

 

Can we merge this thread with the "Death of the music industry" thread? I think it's time.

[Anderton]

For those of us who don't buy Casio keyboards, we understand the difference.

 

But to be fair, those who can't afford the "big names" understand the difference, too: They get something that works, is built well, sounds decent, and has some nice extras (e.g., recording audio, portability).

 

However, I do think the initial "Kronos killer" hype was a total . Just because the WK-7500 scores really high in the value department doesn't mean it has a 12GB ROM, nine synth engines, solid-state disk drive, etc. etc. etc.

 

I can't see Jordan Rudess rushing out to buy a WK-7500. However, I can easily see the kid who wants to be the next Jordan Rudess starting out with one And as I said earlier, it makes better music than many sound libraries, at a much lower cost. Whether that's by accident or design I don't know, but it does indicate there's more to it than meets the eye.

 

I think what's interesting about the current generation of gear in general is how many professional features have filtered down to more consumer-oriented products. That's why something like the WK-7500 does meet a lot of people's needs - it gives a lot more than they would expect for $500. There was a guy in my pro review of the Venom who wanted a keyboard he could play with his son, who was getting into music, and wondered if the Venom was a good choice for out-of-the-box enjoyment. Well, I think the Venom is very cool, but after reading what he was looking for, I recommended the WK-7500. It's something his kid COULD enjoy out of the box just playing, but when he got tired of that, he could get into sequencing...then singing on top of that...then modifying the patches...hooking it up to his computer...I think he would get a lot of mileage out of it.

 

In any event, times have changed since when getting a $200 guitar or $500 keyboard would be such a product you'd get turned off to music forever rather than getting into it!

[McHale]

I agree and have stated that all along. It's great for what it is. Just don't confuse what it REALLY is. Basically.

 

I owned professional Casios (old analogs back in the day) and some toys since then - I still have a fondness for my SK-1 (I literally wore the first one out after I midi'd it). I still have my second one and it's in near perfect condition. When I was looking at a keyboard controller a year or so ago, I looked at Casio's specifically. I'm not against anyone owning a Casio. Had it not been for the Casios I owned, I'd probably not be playing keys today. I think they are GREAT learning tools, especially for parents to buy their kids in case they decide to stop playing after a few months.

[echochild]

the CZ-101 is one of the greatest synths of all time mini keys and all
toy? mine has 25 years on it and its outlasted several Korgs

so there!

[solomon8]

I bought the WK7500. It's a great little board. You won't find anything this light, with so many features and fun factor around. I also bought the Yamaha XS8, Kork Triton Extreme. Roland X8, Kurzweil K2600, etc., etc., etc. So I think I have a fairly good idea of nice professional sound and great feature sets. I own even more keyboards than the short list I have given you. All of them costly. I have had them for quite some time now. I take turns playing them one after the other. It's fun, but what I have come to the realization is that; it's not the instrument that makes the music it is the musician. A good musician can make almost any instrment sound great. You can't chase true musicianship by purchasing expensive micro chips. You need to do the hard grunt work and build up you chops and theoritical knowledge of music. Don't get me wrong. I like all the new bells and whistles in the new keyboards being offered. One thing that I think is truly sad, is that the manufacturer's are making keyboards that basically play themselves. They are not stupid. These boards can make a person of very limited musical knowledge sound great and make their companies a lot of money. There is noting wrong with that, but you miss out on a lot of joy in learning to play from the printed page, or know why, musically, what comes out of the keyboard with a one to two finger push sounds so good. I am just an old time piano player that also likes the electronic instruments. I know my view may sound stuffy and I mean no offense to anyone. I just no for me the hard part of learning music was many times the most fun part.

Anyway in this long winded post I just wanted to defend this little piss ant of a keyboard and let you know I think it's great.

[McHale]

 

I'm also pretty sure the M50 is as light with 10 times the features, thus 10 times the fun for barely twice the price. Price vs. fun factor - M50 wins.

[kwandar]

I think I've made the point earlier that the original poster was well ... way too enthusiastic. This isn't, as I stated, a Kronos (or even close), but it is a great step forward in the

 

I don't know if I was included in those that you directed your post at, but it sure felt like it. It doesn't really matter if I was or not, because I'm sure others in my shoes will feel the same. I sat on it for 24 hours before I decided to respond.

 

You need to take a hard look at what you've said and the way you've said it. You're dismissive of people simple because they are new here. You may be right on every single point, but you did it in such a way that I don't think I could ever feel welcome here asking a question or making a comment, for fear of being dismissed in such an offhand manner. Yes, I'm new, but I do listen, and I heard what you said, and it was pretty sad.

 

Too bad - I bet you have a lot of knowledge that could have passed on, a lot I could have learned, but I don't have the money to buy a pro keyboard, so I'm just not in your league I guess?

 

I hope others pay attention to this too; I was seriously disheartened to read this.

 

 

 

 

Has anyone noticed that most of those defending the Casio as a potential industry leader have the smallest post counts? The Casio is great for what it is - a keyboard for those that need basic sounds, don't expect authentic reproductions, and don't want to spend a lot of money. A professional keyboard it ain't. Those that think it is or could be, are either Casio employees, 9 year olds, or trolls.

 

[McHale]

Wow, if you're that thick skinned, I would recommend getting off the internet or at the very least, avoiding Harmony Central. The internet and Harmony Central are full of people who aren't going to hold your hand or tell you things to make you feel all warm and fuzzy. So, since you quoted the post that offended you, what part didn't you like? The fact that I said those defending it the hardest had low post counts (I see you have 5, um...) or the part that I said it was great for what it is, a keyboard for those that need basic sounds, don't expect authentic reproductions, or don't want to spend a lot of money? Or the part where I said it's not a professional keyboard? Seriously? Of all the idiotic things I've ever said that I've gotten a stern finger pointing from, you were offended by that?!

[Etienne Rambert]

It has no MIDI IN.

 

It has no MIDI OUT.

 

It could have the best on-board patches in the world and it still wouldn't be worth $99 to me.

[DJ RAZZ]

No midi ports on board killed it for me as well. Who wants to try and rig midi to this thing, very messy. How can they advertise this keyboard as setting a new bar for them and not have midi in and out. This really takes the gigging pro factor out in my opinion. Basically it is a preset machine for playing at home, doing some on board recording and sequencing and maybe some DAW use insofar as a simple controller and sound source. To bad.

 

I would buy it for a practice board if I had the cash but that is about it.

 

I agree with McHale on this one. SAVE a bit longer and buy an M-50. The level of warmth, pro features, better sounds, programability, and self respect is worth the extra time and money it takes to buy the Korg. It is real instrument and will provide several years of use. Remember the Casio has no midi so adding a new board or rack mount to control or layer with later will be a real pain in the butt.

 

I think it is interesting how the THEY put the Casio lettering in black and indent it as almost to hide it. I have seen them do this before on their higher end boards.

Just a thought...

[kwandar]

Seriously? Of all the idiotic things I've ever said that I've gotten a stern finger pointing from, you were offended by that?!

 

 

Yes, I was, and I continue to be.

[McHale]

 

Yes, I was, and I continue to be.

 

 

Since everything I said was true and basically polite, you are way too sensitive for this world. I would suggest helmets, elbow and knee pads, and nerf from here on out. In fact, I probably would get rid of the internet and never leave the house and watch nothing but Home Shopping Network.

 

But you failed to answer my question. WHAT were you offended by? The part where I defended it or the other part?

 

More importantly, HOW OLD ARE YOU?! Do you drive yet?

[kwandar]

No, it wasn't "basically polite". I think I used the word dismissive.

 

You're just full of ad hominen attacks, aren't you? For what it's worth I'm older than you; does it matter?

[AnotherScott]

I bought the WK7500. It's a great little board. You won't find anything this light, with so many features and fun factor around.

 

Fun factor might be hard to define (and different for different people), but there are numerous keyboards about as light (or lighter) and also full featured (though of course the particular feature set differs), that I'd also consider fun to play with... from a Korg PS60 on the low end to a Nord Stage 2 Compact if budget isn't an issue. I actually really like the Microstation, despite the mini-keys... it's great to have something that's 5 pounds that you can easily bring anywhere. Everything has its trade-offs.

 

The discontinued Korg TR was an extremely capable lightweight board... If I were looking at a WK7500, I might consider keeping my eyes out for a use TR-76 instead... nice sounding board, full featured, still gives you 76 keys, weighs about the same, adds more "pro" kinds of features like aftertouch, assignable outs, MIDI in/out/thru, mod controller (joystick), 4 assignable knobs, assignable expression pedal jack, second footswitch jack (also assignable).

 

To Etienne and DJ Razz, I agree, lack of MIDI is a real problem, for a variety of reasons. But if that's the only thing knocking it out of consideration, if iConnectMIDI actually ever ships, it looks like you could use that to add MIDI to the WK7500 for $199 (and as a bonus, the box does some other cool things). Once you have MIDI, to address my other big problem with it, you should be able to add something like a Behringer FCB 1010 (or a MIDI Solutions box, etc.) to add pedal controls. You could probably duplicate the effect of a mod wheel that way, for example. And as I mentioned, there are pedals available to give it a more convincing rotary effect. So if someone likes the basic sounds and feature set of the 7500 but runs into a few roadblocks, they may be addressable. Of course, then it may cost more than, for example, the M50 that was one suggested alternative, so that might change the value equation.

[McHale]

 

No, it wasn't "basically polite". I think I used the word dismissive. You're just full of ad hominen attacks, aren't you? For what it's worth I'm older than you; does it matter?

 

 

I'm sorry that my anti-Casio words offended your P.C. sensitive way of life. I hate to break it to you, we already have an established culture here and despite all of our differences and differences of opinion, we've been getting along quite fine without you and your (now) 7 posts. Feel free to stay and contribute, but if you can't handle criticism, you may want to check the Casio support forums where everyone is congratulating themselves for saving a lot of money on the next Kronos killer.

[soundwave106]

I think they are GREAT learning tools, especially for parents to buy their kids in case they decide to stop playing after a few months.

 

 

This.

 

I think that they honestly don't sound *all* that bad. But they don't sound anything close to a Kronos, or for that mater the GB pro libraries I have in Kontakt / Omnisphere / etc. Hell, even my VK-8 (which isn't the newest clonewheel in the market) can out-Deep Purple that Casio "distorted organ" sound. (Ugh.) But all the samples I've heard seem comparable to good 90s ROMpler technology, which actually is a marked improvement on what Casio had in the 1990s. Good enough to get started.

 

Now, as far as I can tell, the Casio workstations do not have external MIDI in / out, but do have USB MIDI. That's probably the way I would go if I was Casio, too. Yes, it makes this board a bit more useless as a professional gigging instrument, but it does mean that you could easily "upgrade" the Casio via DAWs and software synthesizers.

[berbie]

To me, the Casio WK7500 just doesn't sound as good as even the more inexpensive pro boards such as the Roland Gi, Korg PS60, etc. When you qualify a comment about quality with "good,for what it cost", you have actually also(by the same statement) made a negative comment on the quality of the object in question. And if you purchase anyway, you have decided, for whatever reason, to accept the negative considerations. That is usually a bad thing to do unless forced into it by other concerns. Then "for what it costs" becomes a good thing. I know one thing for sure, though. The WK7500 beats the Yamaha S910(which costs $1750.00) by a great margin. Not in features, but in playability. So it is not all bad. I have a Yamaha Motif XS7 and a Roland Fantom X6 as well as the Casio WK7500(so I can compare). I had a Yamaha S910 before I bought the Casio, but returned it considering it to be the worst keyboard that I had ever bought(and I have owned a good number of them). The Casio is decent for what it cost.

[kwandar]

Its nice that you feel able to pigeonhole people you haven't met, don't know, and don't care to listen to. I can handle legitimate criticism just fine, there has been lots of it here, even from yourself. Read up; that wasn't my concern, was it?

As for the belittling "feel stay and contribute" I wasn't aware you owned the sandbox. Why does it have to be about looking down and belittling people? Really?

I'll drop it at this point. Judging from your reaction, I've made my point, and yes, I understand that you aren't listening.

I'm sorry that my anti-Casio words offended your P.C. sensitive way of life. I hate to break it to you, we already have an established culture here and despite all of our differences and differences of opinion, we've been getting along quite fine without you and your (now) 7 posts. Feel free to stay and contribute, but if you can't handle criticism, you may want to check the Casio support forums where everyone is congratulating themselves for saving a lot of money on the next Kronos killer.

 

[workstation M.I]

the CZ-101 is one of the greatest synths of all time mini keys and all toy? mine has 25 years on it and its outlasted several Korgs so there!

 

 

You know echochild that IS the thing about Casios-They are built to *last*

[Nismology]

The WK7500 beats the Yamaha S910 (which costs $1750.00) by a great margin. Not in features, but in playability.

 

Really? I almost bought the S710, the model down from that (when upgrading from a Casio WK3800) because I loved the Yamaha's great ease of use, Tyros-esque soundset and versatility. I personally would only get the WK7500 over the Yamaha if I needed it's extra keys. However, i must admit that i haven't had the chance to play the 7500 very much.

 

My opinion, for what it's worth, is that Casios are good for learning to play keys (they generally have a very friendly U.I. and a nice varied selection of fun preset sounds), casual gigging, and sources of inspiration for songwriting (that goes for most arranger keyboards). I used to gig casually with my WK3800, and I'd frequently get comments from the audience about how much they liked the keyboard's rich sound! My main keyboard is now an M50 (I'm 19), and I like it very much, however, it's sound is certainly not lightyears ahead of the Casio, as many people insisted it was before I bought it. I would say the 'higher end' Casios sound pretty much on par with something like a Juno D or an MM6, certainly not a 'Kronos killer', a Trinity killer maybe

[McHale]

 

I'll drop it at this point. I understand that you aren't listening.

 

 

Thank God. I was afraid I'd have to use watercolors to make you a "me sowwy" picture. And the fact that you refuse to answer any legitimate questions and just attack me personally, you obviously didn't come here to discuss the Casio, you came to defend it at all costs and pretend the criticisms aren't legitimate. It's also probably not a coincidence that you haven't participated in any thread on this forum except this one - to defend the Casio to the death. Based on your initial posts, I wouldn't be surprised if you were a product specialist for Casio trying a new method of promoting them because they aren't selling well. You're the one that said you'd put it up against anything under $1000 and I would put a Korg M50 against it any day of the week. So, let's discuss. How is the Casio better than an M50?

[ElectricPuppy]

Alright, I think you've made your point, McHale, eh?

 

Sheesh.

[solomon8]

I agree "fun factor" is a very general term. Everyone's idea of fun can be different. I bought the WK7500 so I could set it on my coffee table and practice during commercials. You'd be surprised how much practicing you can do in the number of commerical in an hour program. Probably close to 20 minutes. I would agree for the money, and if I didn't have other keyboards, I certainly would have spent $500.00 on a used M50, Korg Triton or Trinity for that matter. A lot of other boards. I just bought this so I could sit something down, turn it on, and away I go. No connecting to mixer, headphones, da da da. Just turn it on. Plus if I spill my beer in it I haven't lost much.

[McHale]

 

Alright, I think you've made your point, McHale, eh? Sheesh.

 

 

Just trying to get him to discuss the Casio and stop focusing on me, that's all (especially considering I defended it). Isn't that's why we're here?

[workstation M.I]

I bought the WK7500. It's a great little board. You won't find anything this light, with so many features and fun factor around. I also bought the Yamaha XS8, Kork Triton Extreme. Roland X8, Kurzweil K2600, etc., etc., etc. So I think I have a fairly good idea of nice professional sound and great feature sets. I own even more keyboards than the short list I have given you. All of them costly. I have had them for quite some time now. I take turns playing them one after the other. It's fun, but what I have come to the realization is that; it's not the instrument that makes the music it is the musician. A good musician can make almost any instrment sound great. You can't chase true musicianship by purchasing expensive micro chips. You need to do the hard grunt work and build up you chops and theoritical knowledge of music. Don't get me wrong. I like all the new bells and whistles in the new keyboards being offered. One thing that I think is truly sad, is that the manufacturer's are making keyboards that basically play themselves. They are not stupid. These boards can make a person of very limited musical knowledge sound great and make their companies a lot of money. There is noting wrong with that, but you miss out on a lot of joy in learning to play from the printed page, or know why, musically, what comes out of the keyboard with a one to two finger push sounds so good. I am just an old time piano player that also likes the electronic instruments. I know my view may sound stuffy and I mean no offense to anyone. I just no for me the hard part of learning music was many times the most fun part. Anyway in this long winded post I just wanted to defend this little piss ant of a keyboard and let you know I think it's great.

 

 

A Pro can make the most of what MOST people won't (or can't) make the most of.

The first three panels of this,illustrates my philosophy, so to speak.

 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qZK742rc1hc/TECjsQVFGWI/AAAAAAAAZSU/zaYX6eqszCo/s1600/Action_452_17.jpg