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Casio WK-3500 Keyboard 76 Full Size Keys and Pro Quality Touch Sensitive Responseby CASIO
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Features
- SmartMEDIA Card slot to upload MIDI files, timbres, drum sets, rhythms, wave data and much more
- Integrated floppy disk drive to upload files
- 76 Full-Size key Musical Keyboard
- 790 Tones and 232 Digital Effect with a Digital Equalizer
- Powerful bass reflex loudspeaker adds volume to the lower range
Product Description
The WK-3500 could be the most advance portable keyboard in this price range! Packed with pro features like SmartMedia Storage, built-in disk drive, Internet Data Expansion System, Standard MIDI File compatibility, 6-track sequencer, Bass Reflex Speaker system and more. Highlights 76 full-size keys 32-note poly Touch Sensitive (with on/off) 790 tones including 566 preset tones 300 advanced tones 128 GM, 72 various, 16 drum sets, 50 Drawbar organs plus 224 User programmable tones (100 User tone, 20 User tone +wave, 4 Drum set +wave, 100 user Drawbar). Piano Setting Switch for instant access to the Stereo Piano Sound Drawbar Organ lets you control simulated organ sounds easily Synthesizer function lets you create and store your own sounds 232 Digital Effects: 100 DSP; 100 User Effects; 16 Reverb; 16 Chorus Digital EQ Split and Layer function 140 Preset Rhythms including 20 piano patterns and 16 User Rhythms 156 One-Touch Presets Auto Accompaniment System includes: Casio Chord; Fingered Chord; Full Range Chord Auto-Harmonize SMF Player (Standard MIDI File) Backlit LCD Mixer function allows control over each MIDI channel and accompaniment part 6-track / 5 songs Song Memory Pitch Bend and Modulation wheels 16-part multi-timbral Transpose and Tuning control 1/4" stereo lineout/headphone jack Operates on "D" batteries or AD-12 AC adapterReviews
Beyond the average for an attractive priceThere are plenty of professional synthesizers on the market. Pro gear, semi professional and beginner's level. This one is in the middle range as to its technical capabilities and in the highest range as to its value for money. The good sides are plenty:
1) you can load into the synth new sounds transformed from standard wav files and the synth has in-built sound editing capabilities; 2)new sounds and effects constantly emerge from the Casio music site; 3)the synth has a good many keys (light keys, unfortunately) spanning 5+ octaves, two programmable wheels, audio/midi ports; 4) the sounds are very very good (especially the organ sounds); 5) the price compared to competitors such as Yamaxa or Roland is simply marvellous. The drawbacks as I see them are mainly related to the software which accompanies and supports the keyboard, namely: 1) the software absolutely fails to respond when transferring large files (500 KB to 1MB) through the MIDI connection (that's where Smart Media Card helps immensely); 2) the manufacturer was EXTREMELY niggardly with respect to the internal memory size. It's far too small. Why provide large sounds on the Website if there is no sufficient storage space for them? Nevertheless, I rate the device at 5 stars.
Excellent for the price!to save space and time, mine as well as yours, let's view the good and the not so good sides, features and capabilities (one cannot call them altogether bad) of the keyboard.
In the good to excellent range: price and functionality ratio. 76 keys, 2 wheels, programmable and uploadable sounds, digital sound effects for the small price! That's more than you would ever need not to think twice.
Shortcomings: uploaded sounds can be very large and quickly take up all the internal memory. The option of using a SmartMedia card saves the situation but nevertheless Casio's approach in this respect shows a desire to mark the line between semi-professional and pro instruments very clearly. This instrument is clearly above the beginner's level so what's the use in the manufacturer being so niggardly with respect to the internal memory?
Good Sound - Low CostThis keyboard is not a toy, but it's not the expensive Performance keyboard either. It uses Smart Media or floppy disk for storage, and feeds into your computer via a Midisport Uno plug. The keyboard comes with a power cord. I added a sustain pedal (the keyboard allows you to program it for other functions as well), for $30.00, the Midisport Uno plug, and headphones (with the larger jack). You may also need a keyboard stand and a case if you want to tote it.
The primary purpose for us getting the keyboard was to feed into Finale for song-writing/arranging. It works fine. We've also created song tracks and look forward to discovering what else it will do.
It is not designed to teach people how to play. This is good. I'm a piano teacher, and I think music should be taught by people, not machines. But it does display the location of pitches played both on the keyboard and on the grand staff, so it's useful for beginning students who want to check their accuracy.
The salesman at Guitar Center told me the Zpi sound chip was taken from a $2000 performance keyboard. And if you don't like the sounds it's set with (300 of them), you can create your own with the sound synthesizer, or split the keyboard to play two at once. When recording your own songs, it allows up to 6 different tracks, including a rhythm track with 139 different rhythm options, and space to create and save 16 more of your own. The organ drawbar feature lets you create your own organ sounds as well.
