Anyone remember the Casio VZ1 from the 1980's? It was a very unique sounding synth and apparently you could created sounds on it that you could not create on any other synth. It used iPD (interactive Phase Distortion)and was capable of brilliant sounds.

It would be great if there was an emulation of this synth for the PC/Mac or a vsti as this was a very underrated synthesizer. Anyone know of any vsti's that come close?


Artmuzz

Try http://www.kvr-vst.com/get/1036.html

I think it's supposed to be a CZ emulation of sorts.

Oh, man...sorry, I just realized that you were inquiring about the VZ and not the CZ

Artmuzz wrote:

Anyone remember the Casio VZ1 from the 1980's?

Yeah, I had a VZ1. Its sounds included brassy, bell-like, feedback guitar and strange ethereal glass-like textures.
I have to say that I preferred my old CZ230-S, though. The CZ included resonant waveforms which IMO gave its sounds more variety.

nice synth the casio VZ-1
there are many phaze distortion synth on kvr...
but i don't know if there are close to the casion you're looking for ... ?!

You probably can get close to the sound with a FM synth that supports Ringmod, like e.g. Sytrus or Digital.

Summa wrote:

You probably can get close to the sound with a FM synth that supports Ringmod, like e.g. Sytrus or Digital.

Yep CoFx - Digital would IMHO probably be the closest you'll get to that sound at the moment.

Shouldn't google and answer old postings, without checking the date...

Summa wrote:

Shouldn't google and answer old postings, without checking the date...

He could aleady be dead or something.

Hi - I have both the VZ-10M and the smaller VZ-8M. (The VZ-8M has special modes for Midi Guitars and Casio DH 100 Midi Horns. Also the screen on the VZ-8M doesn't get dim with age like the screen of the VZ-10M). The VZ has a lot more variety than the CZ in the way the oscillators could modulate each other. Probably 50 or more phase, ring and mix combinations with each of the 8 oscillators having a selection of 8 wave forms to choose from.

I can't quite figure out the envelope programming so I just tweak other people's sounds. Randomizing doesn't work very well because then the enevlopes commonly don't stop sounding (stuck note effects).

If we had a VZ emulation maybe it would be easier to tell what was going on in a patch.

Do you have my VZ tutorial? It's in its early stage but explains how to convert FM Sounds to the VZ and how to fade between ringmod and AM, what hopefully makes understanding the system behind the synth a little easier...

When it comes to the stuck notes, make sure the end level is 0 for every END Stage of every Mx Envelope that isn't set to Phase.

Mandala Music wrote:

I can't quite figure out the envelope programming so I just tweak other people's sounds.

If I remember correctly, Casio used some ridiculous upside-down system for their envelopes - i.e. a fast Attack was 100 rather than 0, etc. I always struggled with this when I had the FZ-1.

It's not ridiculous, it's simply level/rate instead of level/time based. So it's not an absulute time distance you enter but a gradient, since the CZ-1 was my first own synth, I'm used to that system...

http://www.refx.de/pro_PlastiCZ.htm?lang=eng

Mandala Music wrote:

I can't quite figure out the envelope programming so I just tweak other people's sounds. Randomizing doesn't work very well because then the enevlopes commonly don't stop sounding (stuck note effects). If we had a VZ emulation maybe it would be easier to tell what was going on in a patch.

hi! as summa said you have to set end and sustain points for the envelopes ( do that with the buttons: intern. sustain & card end ) ... also swapping to "diplay mode" can help understanding the env´s a lot.

But you are randomizing patches? so you are using an editor?

for people who wants the casio vz sound, my simple advice would be to buy one. they are pretty cheap. maybe because nobody likes to programm them?

dunno know if there is a vsti that can do veezee