The Casio FZ-1 is an impressive sampler/synthesizer keyboard from 1987. Its offerings at the time were very professional features. In an 8-voice polyphonic full 61-note keyboard synthesizer you get a 16-bit digital sampler with variable 9kHz to 36kHz sampling rates. 1MB of memory expandable to 2MB could provide a maximum time of almost 2 minutes sample time at 9kHz. Up to 64 samples can be held in memory and placed across the keyboard. Graphic editing on the big LCD screen provides intuitive and easier editing of your samples with tuning, truncating, looping and much more. It also has eight outputs and analog-like 8-stage filters (DCF) and envelopes (DCA).

FZ-10M

Surprisingly the FZ-1 also has a built-in synthesizer section. It uses digital synthesis employing both harmonic additive synthesis and waveform drawing. Basic waveforms available include sawtooth, square, pulse, double sine, saw/pulse, random waves and 48 harmonics. The FZ-10M (pictured above) is the rack-module version of the FZ-1 with 2MB internal memory and XLR inputs and outputs. Dated by today's standards, the FZ-1 is a neat piece of Casio history to own but could never replace your current sampler. With the look and features you'd expect from a vintage pro-sampler, this Casio has been used by Underworld, Kronos Quartet, Dee Lite, 2 Live Crew, and Kitaro.

The Hohner HS-1 is a German version of the Casio FZ-1. Only its case is light in color. This version has been used by Coldcut.

jens

October 10, 2011 @ 3:28 pm

any portamento on FZ1?

mark jardim

July 1, 2011 @ 4:13 pm

I had anticipated a lively debate due to the prevailiing assertion that the dca and dcf are digital processes being challenged, I hope the point that the nature of the signal path is entirely analogue is accepted.The digital envelopes however can make certain patches sound extremely digital .It doesn't matter what technology is involved in producing the sound,only what it sounds like is important.I must say I love mine. and was amazed at how cheap they are now.I paid £15 on ebay.
Peace

mark jardim

June 30, 2011 @ 1:09 pm

sorry esq as ensoniq mirage apparently also used analogue filters

mark jardim

June 30, 2011 @ 1:06 pm

correction analogue wasn't the ONLY way to filter and control the volume envelope
but digital processing was primitive and expensive.The advent of midi was a major force driving the move to digital,oscillators and control (lfo's and envelopes first) s+s as in mt32,esq and d50 was still a way off and early all digital samplers had no filters.

mark jardim

June 30, 2011 @ 12:36 pm

originally analogue synths had no memory presets and were monophonic. sometime in
the 80's poly synths came out. these used dco's and dcf's digitally controlled analogue
circuits to process the sound enabling memory,presets,midi control etc.this is the stage of development and technology that gavebirth to amongst other things the casio fz1.
while the widescale use of i.c's killed a lot of the character of the earlier generation of analogue synths the fact remains that the reason the dco's go straight to the dac's is because the only known way at the time to filter and vol env was analogue

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