Electronic music - evaluation

Whole Earth Review, Winter, 1986 by Jim Stockford

Electronic Music

There are two clear winners among the many, many electronic musical instruments on the market: Casio's CZ-101 and Yamaha's DX-7. If your budget allows, buy both. If not, buy the first one, then the other later when you can afford it. I recommended these partly because they are very capable instruments with a wide variety of sound possibilities and partly because these are the most widely purchased instruments in the market.

Each offers cutomizable sound capabilities. Each lets you play several different sounding noises at the same time (polyphonic). Each has many present sounds, so you can play right away without having to create your own tones. The differences? The more expensive DX-7 has more buttons and a bigger, heftier keyboard while the CZ-101 has fewer control buttons and that "inexpensive" feel. Both create their sounds using the FM synthesis method, yet each has its characteristic ableti subtle color.

Both the DX-7 and CZ-101 are tremendously popular. The former has single-handedly deposed the lead guitar from the limelight role in popular music -- most musicians own or have access to a study DX-7. The CZ-101 offers FM synthesis for a small fraction of the DX-7's price and is generally available from mass merchandisers at a discount or on a time-payment basis. If recommending the two most ubiquitous instruments seems to be superficial, let me reassure you that the reverse is true. Machines should be as transparent as possible. The machine should allow possibilities, not limit them. The best computerized machine (and you can't walk into a music store any longer to play keyboard unless it is connected to a computer) is that which has the most and the best software written for it. If you want the greatest flexibility, you must choose the machine which hosts the greatest amount of software development -- the most popular machine.

This monopolist philosophy makes it possible for developers to pour in money to create software imitations of a grand piano, a bassoon, or the sound of the sea. Both of these keyboards let you pick and choose among the latest sounds of session musicians working in the big studios for the big record labels. Simply put, the DX-7 and CZ-101 offer you the widest choices for synthesized music. -- Jim Stockford

PHOTO: All the features and functions of the CZ-1000 in a min keyboard configuration. Battery powered operation allows full portability.

Yamaha DX-7 (Inset: Casio CZ-101).

Yamaha DX-7 $2095

Information free from: Yamaha International Corporation P. O. Box 6600 Buena Park, CA 90622

Casio CZ-101 $349

Information free from: EMP 2915 South 160th Street New Berlin, WI 53151