CASIO - MT 520 (Service Manual) Service Manual CASIO MT 520 - This Service Manual or Workshop Manual or Repair Manual is the technical document containing instructions on how to keep the. CASIO CTK-520 KEYBOARD POWER SUPPLY REPLACEMENT ADAPTER UK 9V $ 10.81. CASIO CASIOTONE MT-520 KEYBOARD POWER SUPPLY REPLACEMENT ADAPTER UK 9V $ 10.81. This is Local Pick-up Only. This Sale is AS IS.
CASIO | keyboard with warm timbres, drumpads & versatile accompaniment |
This keyboard was the direct predecessor of the Casio MT-520. It has quite warm semi- analogue sound, sample based percussion and 4 rubber drumpads for 'Super Drums' accompaniment.
Most features and the sound engine correspond to the MT-520, but in opposite to this it has even 20 semi- OBS preset sounds and 4 chord variations, but only 4 drumpads those each can be switched among 3 preset sounds. (Alternatively 4 external pads can be connected through 2 stereo jacks.) The accompaniment sounds warmer than with MT-520.Important: Very annoying is that the 4 Super Drums tracks of the rhythm section here can not be muted but only switched among each 4 variants, which severely limits its usability. Thus do not pay too much for the Casio MT-500 if you intend to use it as a drum machine. On eBay people tend to pay crazy prices for this thing while the MT-520 goes much cheaper and is apparently still considered a toy, despite in practise its rhythm section far superior; it also has more drumpad inputs and intro/ ending feature, those all lack on the MT-500.
The original German retail price of the MT-500 in a German Conrad catalogue from 1988 was 799DM (about 400€). Due to the many similarities I only describe here the differences to the Casio MT-520.
different main features:
- 20 semi- OBS preset sounds {piano, vibraphone, flute, human voice, bells, jazz organ 1, harpsichord, double reed, synth. sound 1, elec. guitar | elec. piano, violin, panpipe, pipe organ, glockenspiel, jazz organ 2, clavichord, synth. reed, synth. sound 2, synth. guitar} (selected through 10 locking OBS buttons + bank switch button)
- 12 semi- OBS preset rhythms {rock, disco, pops 1, swing, samba, march | slow rock, 16 beat, pops 2, reggae, bossa nova, waltz} (selected through 6 locking OBS buttons + bank switch button)
- no rhythm intro/ ending feature
- 4 'Super Drums' rhythm variation slide switches {bass drum/ bass, snare drum/ rim shot/ tom, cymbal/ high hat, hand clap/ agogo/ bongo} (each 4 variations, no mute)
- 4 accompaniment variations slide switch
- stepless tempo slider
- 4 rubber drumpads switchable to each 3 sounds (very responsive):
- bass drum, hand clap, cymbal
- snare drum, rim shot, agogo
- open high hat, synth. hi tom, hi bongo
- closed high hat, synth. lo tom, low bongo
- no sequencer
- slightly different percussion samples & less intense stereo chorus. Some timbres are more squarewave- like (by different filters?). Accompaniment is warmer, duller and has some sustain.
- complex multi- chip hardware:
- accompaniment CPU?= 'NEC D930G 022, 86...(?), Japan' (80 pin SMD)
- sample rhythm IC?= 'NEC D934G, 8606KK, Japan' (80 pin SMD)
- main voice sound IC= 'NEC D931C 011, 8530KY, Japan' (42 pin DIL, same like Casio CT-410V)
- ROM?= 'NEC D23C64EC 026, 8605E7, Japan' (28 pin DIL)
- RAM?= 'HN613256P, 6A3, CM4, Japan' (28 pin DIL)
- 3x IC 'NEC C4570C, 549AP, Japan' (8 pin DIL)
- 2x IC 'NEC C4570C, 550AA, Japan' (8 pin DIL)
- IC 'NEC C4558C, 551C, Japan' (8 pin DIL)
- IC 'LC3514A, L20 5M8' (18 pin DIL)
- IC '2064, 611' (16 pin SMD)
- stereo chorus IC?= 'MN3102, 5.7' (8 pin DIL)
- IC 'MN3207, 56' (8 pin DIL)
- hybrid 'HD216AP' (20 pin)
- only 2 drumpad jacks (3.5mm stereo jacks, for each 2 pads)
different main features:
- 20 semi- OBS preset sounds {piano, vibraphone, flute, human voice, bells, jazz organ 1, harpsichord, double reed, synth. sound 1, elec. guitar | elec. piano, violin, panpipe, pipe organ, glockenspiel, jazz organ 2, clavichord, synth. reed, synth. sound 2, synth. guitar} (selected through 10 locking OBS buttons + bank switch button)
- 12 semi- OBS preset rhythms {rock, disco, pops 1, swing, samba, march | slow rock, 16 beat, pops 2, reggae, bossa nova, waltz} (selected through 6 locking OBS buttons + bank switch button)
- no rhythm intro/ ending feature
- 4 'Super Drums' rhythm variation slide switches {bass drum/ bass, snare drum/ rim shot/ tom, cymbal/ high hat, hand clap/ agogo/ bongo} (each 4 variations, no mute)
- 4 accompaniment variations slide switch
- stepless tempo slider
- 4 rubber drumpads switchable to each 3 sounds (very responsive):
- bass drum, hand clap, cymbal
- snare drum, rim shot, agogo
- open high hat, synth. hi tom, hi bongo
- closed high hat, synth. lo tom, low bongo
- no sequencer
- slightly different percussion samples & less intense stereo chorus. Some timbres are more squarewave- like (by different filters?). Accompaniment is warmer, duller and has some sustain.
- complex multi- chip hardware:
- accompaniment CPU?= 'NEC D930G 022, 86...(?), Japan' (80 pin SMD)
- sample rhythm IC?= 'NEC D934G, 8606KK, Japan' (80 pin SMD)
- main voice sound IC= 'NEC D931C 011, 8530KY, Japan' (42 pin DIL, same like Casio CT-410V)
- ROM?= 'NEC D23C64EC 026, 8605E7, Japan' (28 pin DIL)
- RAM?= 'HN613256P, 6A3, CM4, Japan' (28 pin DIL)
- 3x IC 'NEC C4570C, 549AP, Japan' (8 pin DIL)
- 2x IC 'NEC C4570C, 550AA, Japan' (8 pin DIL)
- IC 'NEC C4558C, 551C, Japan' (8 pin DIL)
- IC 'LC3514A, L20 5M8' (18 pin DIL)
- IC '2064, 611' (16 pin SMD)
- stereo chorus IC?= 'MN3102, 5.7' (8 pin DIL)
- IC 'MN3207, 56' (8 pin DIL)
- hybrid 'HD216AP' (20 pin)
- only 2 drumpad jacks (3.5mm stereo jacks, for each 2 pads)
modifications:
- polarity protection diode added, power supply jack polarity corrected.
notes:
In comparison toCasio Professional Keyboards
Casio MT-520 the case of the MT-500 has no stair step at the lower speaker rim. The electronics is a very complex multi- chip hardware on 2 large PCBs with many discrete components.Walmart Casio Keyboard
The sound engine of the preset sounds resembles the MT-520, but the stereo chorus effect is narrower and most sounds contain less reverb. Many timbres also sound more squarewave- like - likely by different filters. I will describe the preset sounds in comparison to MT-520 if present. The 'piano' here sounds a bit more synthetic than on MT-520 and has no sustain, thus notes stop immediately after key release. The 'elec. piano' has a mild attack, a dose of chorus and long sustain; its timbre resembles more a sitar than the MT-520 version. 'vibraphone' is more percussive, brighter and octave higher than on MT-520, which makes it more realistic. 'violin' otherwise sounds vs. MT-520 an octave higher, duller (less realistic) and has some reverb. 'flute' is vs. MT-520 an octave higher, more squarewave- like and has no reverb; thus is it more a wooden recorder flute than a metal flute. 'panpipe' is duller, 1 octave lower and has reverb. 'human voice' is like MT-520 with longer sustain. The 'jazz organ 1' resembles 'jazz organ' on MT-520 but sounds more Hammond- like with less buzzy bass range; it also resembles here a sung 'ah'. 'jazz organ 2' is duller, a bit thinner and has reverb. 'pipe organ' resembles MT-520 but has more percussive attack. 'bells' is a squarewave musicbox timbre with 3Hz vibrato and a dose of chorus; 'glockenspiel' sounds 1 octave lower with sonorous multipulse bass range. 'harpsichord' has much reverb and a 3Hz chorus vibrato that makes it badly unrealistic; 'clavichord' is duller with shorter reverb (but MT-520 'funky clavi' still sounds more powerful and 1 octave lower). 'double reed' sounds rather like a french horn with chorus vibrato and much reverb. 'synth. reed' is a variant that sounds thinner and thus more like a trumpet or tenor saxophone. (Unlike expected, both have no similarities with a reed organ.) 'synth. sound 2' resembles a slightly dull sitar with sustain; 1 is similar but grows duller and thicker during attack like layered with a short pipe organ tone with sustain. The 'elec. guitar' sounds duller than MT-520 and has reverb, while 'synth. guitar' has a very dry and harsh buzzing timbre that resembles the MT-520 'funky clavi' but sounds thinner, has chorus vibrato and reverb. Unlike MT-520, the MT-500 employs real locking semi- OBS preset sound buttons, those make it easier to see the selected sound but make them harder to trill them for live play tricks. (Like with Casio CT-410V they have no technical reasons since the electronics memorizes the last pushed button anyway.)
The rhythms employ quite similar woody sample percussion like Casio CZ-230S (that seems to be based on the Casio RZ-1 drum computer); e.g. the 'handclap' has the same unusual mechanical typewriter timbre, but the sound set has also differences; e.g. the snare is duller and the bongos have different pitch (likely by changed sample playback frequency). The MT-500 percussion samples are different from MT-520; the individual sounds have changed pitches (some lower, some higher) and also the sample resolution may be slightly lower because e.g. the cymbal sounds thinner and the snare duller. Unlike MT-520 the accompaniment sounds include short sustain and sound warmer, duller and less dry, which gives the bass voice more pressure. (The bass reminds to Casio MT-800.) The automatic accompaniment algorithm is programmed simpler than with MT-520; it does not recognize played chords and play different patterns for them but only inserts the up to 4 notes of pressed keys into a given pattern (a bit like the archaic Antonelli Star 2379). Thus the played chord is never split into melody lines of alternating notes but only chopped as a staccato. But the benefit of it is that you can not only play any disharmonic non- chords (the MT-520 still could do them) but also rapidly trill multiple accompaniment keys faster than the pattern plays. And in spite of the simple algorithm the available patterns are still reasonably complex (partly contain arpeggios, walking bass lines etc.) and you can manually switch between 4 accompaniment variations per rhythm. Instead of intro and ending there is only a fill-in pattern (with accompaniment) for each rhythm.
Very annoying is that the individual percussion tracks of the 'Super Drums' can not be muted individually. Touching any drumpad mutes the rhythm until any key in chord section is pressed; the 'bass drum pattern' switch determined whether the base drum of the rhythm stays audible or mutes also. (Unlike MT-520 the 'casio chord' switch doesn't disturb running rhythms here.) Each of the 4 drumpads can be quickly switched to 3 different percussion samples; despite this way 12 sounds in total can be played, the 8 fixed OBS drumpads of the MT-520 are more fun to play.
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Casio Electric Keyboard
During the 80s, money was always tight. Acquiring musical gear was achieved one of three ways: hand-me downs, home made amps or effects that my dad built, or – occasionally – a budget piece of gear.
Radio programs like Hearts of Space and Echoes inspired me to explore sound as texture, and Power 99 FM out of Philly instilled an interest in beats and other sounds that were becoming popular in dance music, 80s new wave, and proto-rap. There were a lot of artists making interesting sounds, and though I was very far removed from the culture of rap, the sounds and production still reached me via radio. Only looking back now do I see how those early influences led me to my present interests and abilities.
In 1987 I convinced my parents that I just had to have a keyboard (or at least whatever was passing for one in my price range). Names like Korg, Roland and even Yamaha were out of the question. If you couldn't buy it in the electronics department of a retail store, or Radio Shack, then it wasn't happening. We landed on a Casio Casiotone MT-520 on sale at Hills Dept Store in Hazleton. I don't remember how much it was, but it was enough that we couldn't buy it outright and had to put it on 'layaway'. I still have the stock slip taped to the original box. Today's click-and-buy culture may not understand what layaway is, so I probably should explain…
Layaway is an alternative to buying something outright. If you don't have the money, but the item is available or on sale, you can make a small downpayment to reserve the item for the sale price. You then make payments until it is paid off. Usually there is a surcharge or stocking fee if you don't pick it up. My family used layaway often while I was growing up, even for necessities, because often the money just wasn't there. Any purchase over $100 was likely made via layaway, particularly if it wasn't a necessity. This method of shopping is foreign to many people today, but I believe the practice still exists in many 'big box' stores.
As you can imagine, bringing the Casio home that first day was a big deal. It's hard to remember, but I think it was a birthday present because it holds that much nostalgia, and explains why I never sold it. One give-away that this is not a 'pro instrument' is the mid-sized keys. Since I never had piano lessons, that wasn't a big deal. But it did contribute to some bad habits and poor playing form and pretty much ruined any chance of learning 'proper' keyboarding skills down the road.
The MT-520 did not have MIDI capability, so you were stuck with playing parts by hand (imagine that!) or using the small temporary memory. The other thing that makes this unit less desirable to 'real' keyboardists is the built-in speakers, which are a sure sign it is meant for kids or dabbling. However, these limitations are not enough for me to call the MT-520 a toy, even after growing up and using a Korg Triton. It's better to look at this as a unique tool, and indeed some in the electro community cherish these devices. In fact, I believe U2 used the drum module on at least one song.
What it lacked in pro specs, it made up for in fun and inspiration. The 'Super Drums', though cheesy by today's standards, were one of the best things about the MT-520. Among other later creations, this keyboard is largely responsible for my first original instrumental, 'The Rains Shall Fall', which involved an arpeggiated chord sequence. Originally written on guitar, the piece expanded into several directions as soon as I got the Casio. The temporary memory allowed me to record the arpeggio and the onboard drums kept everything moving along. This was a revelation at the time. I could now see my musical ideas take shape. While I've recorded the piece in many different ways since then (non of which have been released yet), nothing seems to compare to that first sonic palette, limitations and all. Recently, I've begun performing the song live at electro events and in Second Life on much more modern gear. It's a tribute to the power of one simple device to inspire so much creativity.
In an ironic twist, small keyboards with mid-sized keys, like the AKAI LPK25 would come back in style in professional circles as desk space became a concern for laptop and computer-based musicians. Composition software and sampling may be more advanced now, but the controllers are based on the same technology seen in the MT-520 and similar keyboards of the same period. These are particularly popular with the DJ and electronic music crowds who do not always care about 'proper' playing position or form, and are more interested in the sounds produced from the sampler.
Since 1987, economics have changed. I do not need to use layaway. I have access to more sounds (free and purchased) than I could possibly use in one lifetime. Programs like Propellerhead's Reason are mind-boggling in their depth and breadth, right out of the box. There are so many tonal options that it is easy to get bogged down. So seeing the MT-520, taking this little walk down memory lane, and hearing stuff I did with it so long ago provides some perspective. It isn't the gear that matters. It is the material, and the artist behind it.