{"id":6103,"date":"2012-05-28T09:16:25","date_gmt":"2012-05-28T16:16:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/?p=6103"},"modified":"2012-05-29T11:46:35","modified_gmt":"2012-05-29T18:46:35","slug":"the-crystal-method-helps-casio-launch-new-synth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/2012\/05\/the-crystal-method-helps-casio-launch-new-synth\/","title":{"rendered":"THE CRYSTAL METHOD HELPS CASIO LAUNCH NEW SYNTH"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Crystal Method's Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland perform at Casio's launch party for the XW-G1 Groove Synthesizer in New York.<\/p><\/div>\n

THE CRYSTAL METHOD HELPS CASIO LAUNCH NEW SYNTH<\/h1>\n

By Christopher Walsh<\/strong><\/p>\n

Casio\u2014which debuted the XW-P1 synthesizer at this year\u2019s NAMM show\u2014has now expanded the XW Series with the launch of the XW-G1 Groove Synthesizer. The manufacturer introduced the XW-G1 at a private event this spring at New York\u2019s Highline Ballroom featuring performances by the Crystal Method and DJ Enferno.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe G1 delivers in one package what no one else can: a synthesizer with an interactive step sequencer, sampler and much, much more,\u201d said Stephen Schmidt, VP of Casio\u2019s Electronic Musical Instruments Division. The XW Series, he added, \u201cmarks a return to Casio\u2019s professional roots. We\u2019re enabling a new generation of musicians to create something from nothing\u2014something that is powerful, loud and raw. Musicians and DJs can use the G1 to produce live, original music. It allows musicians to quickly and easily create drumbeats, bass lines and samples on the fly. It\u2019s also the first keyboard synthesizer that is a remixing tool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mike Martin, Casio\u2019s GM of Marketing, Electronic Musical Instruments, demonstrated the XW-G1. \u201cFirst of all, there\u2019s a solo synthesizer that\u2019s capable of doing leads, bass synthesizers, vintage sounds and sounds you\u2019ve never heard before,\u201d he explained. \u201cThat\u2019s combined with a sampler and a step sequencer that allows you to create beats, rhythms and remixes. So it\u2019s great not only for the keyboardist, but also DJs and other people that are doing dance music. It\u2019s a hybrid product in that way.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course the XW-G1 has traditional sounds as well. From the Casio Privia Series you\u2019ll find great piano sounds, electric piano sounds and much more. But the G1 has a much more aggressive nature to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s lots of real-time control using the knobs and sliders,\u201d Martin continued. \u201cOn the right side there\u2019s a perfect place to put an iPad, so integration with other products is really easy. And all the connectivity: USB to connect to your computer, your iPad, your PA system.\u201d The lightweight XW-G1, Martin added, runs for 36 hours on six D batteries.<\/p>\n

We spoke with the Crystal Method\u2019s Scott Kirkland and Ken Jordan just prior to their performance, as DJ Enferno wowed the assembled with a dazzling set. \u201cMy first keyboard was a Casio CZ-101,\u201d Kirkland recalled. \u201cYou could play with the internal sounds that came with it, but I reached beyond that\u2014you could create some funky sounds. That instrument went on to create some of the sub-bass, bottom end, Roland TR-808-type sounds that were part of our first album, Vegas<\/em>. We still have it in the studio today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CRYSTAL<\/p>\n

The Crystal Method\u2019s members expressed enthusiasm about the XW-G1 as well. \u201cIt\u2019s a really powerful synthesizer,\u201d says Jordan, \u201cand if it was just that, it would still be really good, especially for the money. But it\u2019s a really powerful synthesizer and<\/em> it\u2019s got this amazing step sequencer, which is really easy to use and flexible. It has an arpeggiator, a phrase sequencer, and it\u2019s a sampler too. It\u2019s also really good for a lot of other sounds: organ sounds, pad sounds, piano sounds, any of those instruments you can think of. But it really shines as a heavy-duty synth.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, Kirkland notes, \u201cIt communicates to your iOS devices seamlessly. Casio created a spot where you could put your iPad, iPhone, iPod or any other smart device, and with a short USB run right in to your device and seamlessly communicate with the apps that you\u2019ve purchased, whether it be GarageBand or Anamoog or [Fingerlab\u2019s] DM1 [Drum Machine]. This is the device that allows you to expand on that. And it leaves so much open for the future: You can see so many other things coming out of the fact that the XW-G1 can communicate directly to an iOS or Android device; that it has the ability to sequence, phrase sequence, step sequence, arpeggiate. It opens the door for the next generation of musicians who may not have the funds to find studio space or all the gear they want to get. This is the device that, hopefully, will discover the next generation of artists and keep moving music forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s software for it as well,\u201d Jordan adds. \u201cThere\u2019s a sample converter tool: you can get samples in whatever other worlds you have ready to go right into the Casio. And there is a complete editor to set up the whole keyboard. It lays it out where you can see all the different layers, voices, performances and everything like that. You can categorize, back up and manipulate everything on the keyboard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal at Casio is to go beyond sound,\u201d Schmidt declared. \u201cWe look beyond the equipment. It\u2019s about the joy of creating something. Thinking beyond conventional instruments, Casio is exploring new ways to produce music, creating products with unique and innovative technologies. This technology enables more people to enjoy, create and play music. We create new vehicles for self-expression and the ability to produce your own sounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"CRYSTAL<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE CRYSTAL METHOD HELPS CASIO LAUNCH NEW SYNTH By Christopher Walsh Casio\u2014which debuted the XW-P1 synthesizer at this year\u2019s NAMM show\u2014has now expanded the XW Series with the launch of the XW-G1 Groove Synthesizer. The manufacturer introduced the XW-G1 at a private event this spring at New York\u2019s Highline Ballroom featuring performances by the Crystal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2866],"tags":[3689,2601,3296,3688,3684,3691,3692,3690,3358,3298,3359,3687,3685,3686,3294,3682,3683,3681],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6103"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6103"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6103\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6108,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6103\/revisions\/6108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}