Trend price : 150€
Synthesizer based on digital synthesis PD-Phase Distortion, strongly inspired by Yamaha FM technology. The Cz-101 is the same machine but portable with minikeys.
Overview
(weight: 3 Kg) 49 keys. The main panel features a 16 x 2 lines display and 52 push buttons. On the left side there is a single pitch wheel.
Terminal connectors:
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Midi interface (no Thru)
-
cartridge slot
-
line out
-
headphones
Voice
system manages 8 digital voices based on PD synthesis. A basic patch is composed by 1 or 2 DCO or LINES which are detunable digital sinewave-cosine oscillators processed by logic mathematical operations. DCO LINES can be
mixed with noise (no gain) or ringmodulated together with fixed depth.
Phase Distortion
process periodically distorts the phase angle of the oscillator altering the harmonic content, consequently creating new rich waveforms, 8 to be precise in the CZ series.
The pattern of the distorted reading phase angle determines the DCO, while the amount of distortion of the reading phase angle (the depth) is determined by a dedicated EG DCW (digitally controlled wave) which transforms the harmonics from pure sine to full distorted wave (99 stepped values).
Wave
each DCO is composed by 1 or 2 rich waves out of the 8 available. The second wave follows the first one
for each periodic cycle, thus creating even more waveforms. However there are some hardware restriction: it it not possible to mix 2 waves from group 2. Following this rule, it is possible to obtain 33 different combo.
Performance
DCO lines can be set to 4 different path modes:
- line 1: just DCO1, 8 voices polyphony
- line 2: just DCO2, 8 voices polyphony
- line
1+2: DCO1 + DCO2, 4 voices polyphony with detune
- line 1+1: stacks 2 times DCO1, 4 voices polyphony with detune
LFO
a single delayed amplitude modulator for DCA 1-2 at same time. The LFO
features variable depth and 4 waveforms: sine, saw, square and ramp
Envelope
3 EGs for each line DCO (6 in total):
- DCW PD: 8-stages + 8 levels + 8 sustain points that determines the level at which a sound is held as long as a key is pressed
- DCO pitch: same structure as DCW
- DCA amplitude: same structure as DCW
Memory
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16 ROM sounds
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16 RAM slots
Audio demo:
Video Clip:
Review
OK: PD / cheap
NOT : display / memory
"PD synthesis is very harsh good for digital noise with distorted sounds. Cz-1000 is not the most powerful of CZ family but sure interesting if you like digital sounds with something special"
Text , review, special demos copyright polynominal.com / Eric Pochesci