 |
 |
(toy keyboard with effect sounds & bizarre dial
controller) |
This is really an invention this mankind doesn't need - or did you ever
feel the need to emulate the speed behaviour of a crank operated music
box on a toy keyboard?!
This strange little tablehooter from 1995 (embossed case stamp date)
has 8 OBS preset sounds but no rhythms. The unique feature is that it has
a dial controller which turning speed and direction modifies the sound.
Beside the preset sound there are 10 (mainly movie- like) atmospheric effect
sounds those turn the more dramatic or intense the faster the dial is turned,
and also the direction changes the sound. But although this concept may
appear exciting and the case style looks quite professional, the implementation
is stubborn, rather boring and especially it is really nothing unusually
great for tekkno performances. The 6 demo melodies have a mechanical music
box timbre and their speed can be also manually controlled with the dial.
The sound engine resembles much the Casio
SA series. A light grey version of this instrument was released (later?)
in the CasioClub series as Casio M-300.
main features:
-
32 midsize keys
-
built-in speaker
-
main voice polyphony 4 notes
-
8 OBS preset sounds {music box, piano, trumpet, violin, bowed glass, organ,
flute, wood bass}
-
6 OBS "s.e." atmosphere sounds {cats & dogs, old gameshow, steam train,
sirens, baseball organ(?), car race,}
-
4 OBS "phrase" music themes {horror theme, samba, western theme, rap theme}
-
volume +/- buttons (5 steps, reduce bit resolution badly)
-
"magical sound dial" continuous controller
-
wavetable sound generator with sounds based 2 mixed low- res loop samples
with independent, partly very complex algorithmic volume and pitch envelopes.
-
CPU "OKI M6387-22, 5012306" (30 narrow pin DIL)
-
crystal clocked
-
6 demo melodies (music box sound)
-
AC- adapter jack
notes:
The volume can not be set really low and in comparison to my Casio
PA-31 also the bit resolution of the samples seems to be lower,
because the SA-40 makes noticeably more aliasing noise. Like with
My
Music Center and similar toy keyboards, all OBS button presses
play the selected sound as example. Also the volume buttons play a metallic
noise (pitch depends on direction and range end). The dial controller internally
pressed down 3 plastic buttons with silicone rubber contacts. (I haven't
analyzed the hardware further yet.)
 |
 These
are the 3 silicone switches operated by the dial. |
The main voice sounds are made from low- res samples with very complex
envelopes and mainly correspond to Casio
SA-1. They can be modulated by turning the dial, but here only
the speed and not the direction determines the intensity, and the sounds
respond quite slowly by the low controller resolution. All sounds and atmosphere
patterns of the SA-40 have only icons instead of names, thus the
names were chosen by me. The music box resembles "elec piano" on SA-1 but
plays 1 octave higher and clicks louder except in the bass range. The "piano"
and "wood bass" sound like on SA-1 and the dial makes these all ring like
a mandolin (faster = faster). The harsh trumpet is also the same. The bowed
glass sound like "glass harmonica" on SA-1 but doesn't fade silent. The
dial controls their volume (faster = louder, responds slowly, when not
turned = full volume). The "violin" and "flute" are like on SA-1; the dial
makes these in a strange way flutter and pitch up; when turned faster it
howls slower with stronger modulation (like an US police car). When not
turned, there is only a normal delayed vibrato. The organ sounds like "street
organ" on SA-1, but with faster tremolo. The dial speed increases volume
and tremolo until the tone purrs by the high modulation speed (when not
turned = full volume). The dial effect may be also usable for tekkno, but
IMO the Casio SA-35 is a way
more fascinating tekkno instrument.
Each atmosphere sound has only the same fixed sound pattern on all keys
(monophonic, no different notes, also played by the pattern's OBS select
button) and the keys do nothing while the dial is turned. The sound pattern
changes with speed and direction (up to 3 patterns per direction). The
feeling of it resembles somewhat the "jog shuttle" wheel of some VCRs,
although you can not play patterns backward. This is not the great DJ live
performance thing you may expect, but a relatively boring sound toy. This
is what the patterns do:
cats & dogs:
| motion |
sound |
| key |
= cat + dog voices |
| right slow |
= high dog bark |
| right mid |
= additional low dog bark |
| change to left |
= high cat mew |
| left slow |
= low bird tweet |
| left mid |
= additional low bird tweet |
| change to right |
= low cat mew |
|
old gameshow:
| motion |
sound |
| key |
= 2x ding dong, Hammond fanfare (winner jingle) |
| right |
= ascending Hammond portamento (speed sensitive) |
| right stop |
= 2x ding dong |
| left |
= ascending Hammond portamento (speed sensitive) |
| left stop |
= buzzer, organ portamento down (looser jingle) |
|
steam train:
| motion |
sound |
| key |
= train rattling |
| right start |
= train horn |
| right |
= steam train rattling (speed sensitive) |
| right fast |
= additional different noise |
| left start |
= 2x steam whistle |
| left slow |
= low steam train noise (speed sensitive) |
| left mid |
= additional ping noises (speed sensitive) |
| left fast |
= partly different steam train noise (tunnel?) |
|
sirens:
| motion |
sound |
| key |
= space siren up |
| right |
= tinny siren pitching up (speed sensitive, resembles motorcycle noise) |
| left |
= brassy siren pitching up (speed sensitive, resembles formula 1 car
motor noise) |
|
baseball organ:
| motion |
sound |
| key |
= Hammond fanfare |
| right |
= 2 higher growing organ fanfares, brass fanfare, applause |
| right fast |
= starts applause after first fanfare |
| change to left |
= low whistle |
| left slow |
= low organ monoto |
| left mid |
= switch to 2 higher, brassier monotoes |
| left fast |
= winner fanfare, applause |
| change to right |
= high whistle |
|
car race:
| motion |
sound |
| key |
= low car motor pitching up |
| right slow |
= 4 start traffic light toots + car motors up (speed sensitive) |
| right fast |
= additional overtake(?) noises |
| right stop |
= high brake noise |
| left slow |
= car motors up |
| left fast |
= additional police siren, explosion |
| left stop |
= low brake noise |
|
horror movie:
| motion |
sound |
| key |
= e-bass + theremin + slow clock tic |
| right start |
= woody rattling, knock |
| right slow |
= e-bass line |
| right mid |
= additional + slow clock tic |
| right fast |
= additional howling theremin track |
| change to left |
= mid church bell |
| left start |
= woody rattling |
| left slow |
= synth portamento down |
| left mid |
= additional steps (speed sensitive) |
| left fast |
= additional howling "synth- lead" track |
| change to right |
= low church bell |
|
samba:
| motion |
sound |
| key |
= main track with bass + agogo |
| right slow |
= agogo rhythm (2 cowbells) |
| right mid |
= additional bass line |
| right fast |
= additional main track |
| change to left |
= samba whistle |
| left slow |
= base + snare rhythm |
| left mid |
= additional bass line |
| left fast |
= additional main track |
| change to right |
= low samba whistle |
|
western movie:
| motion |
sound |
| key |
= fast banjo + horse gallop |
| right slow |
= fast banjo track |
| right mid |
= additional horse gallop |
| right fast |
= additional pistol shooting |
| change to left |
= pistol shot |
| left slow |
= slow banjo track |
| left mid |
= additional slow horse walk |
| change to right |
= pistol shot |
|
rap music:
| motion |
sound |
| key |
= e-bass + rhythm + scratching |
| right slow |
= drum kit rhythm with scratching |
| right mid |
= additional e-bass |
| right fast |
= additional e-piano |
| change to left |
= additionally 1 low scratch |
| left slow |
= drum kit rhythm with scratching |
| left mid |
= additional e-bass |
| left fast |
= additional "synth- lead" |
| change to right |
= additionally 1 high scratch |
|
The 4 music themes are only short repeating monotoes and always play in
the same key; it would be much more interesting when the keyboard would
be usable to transpose them like with a single finger accompaniment, but
on this boring instrument the keys do nothing in this mode.
With the atmosphere sound I called "baseball organ" I first thought
it would be a 2nd gameshow sound track, but according to some old movies,
such hammond organ fanfares and ascending monotos seem to be traditionally
used in USA to accompany baseball matches in the baseball stadium - similar
like in Europe there is the tradition of circus bands those accompany
the performance of acrobats etc. in the circus with brass and drum kit
music to increase suspension. Later both traditions apparently contributed
a lot to the style of bonus fanfares and level end jingles of historical
videogames.
On Casio SA-40 the 6 demo melodies play polyphonic in a lovely
mechanical music box style. Once the dial is turned, the demo speed becomes
proportional to the turn speed (i.e. stops when you don't turn the dial,
direction is ignored). The demo tunes are:
-
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
-
Old MacDonald had a Farm
-
Pop Goes the Weasel
-
Clap Your Hands
-
Lullaby (Brahms)
-
O Christmas Tree
So far I know, no other Casio keyboard was ever equipped with a
"magical sound dial" controller. The big dial on Casio
Rapman RAP-1 instead simply simulates 2 button presses (playing
2 scratch noises) and also the big red knob on Casio
PA-31 has nothing to do with it but is simply a pitch knob (potentiometer)
for its effect sample buttons. A My Music
Center variant in a case imitating the Casio SA-40 (with
2nd speaker instead of the dial) was released by Medeli as MC-27.
A bigger keyboard with similar atmospheric sound patterns like Casio
SA-40 was the Casio MT-540.
| removal
of these screws voids warranty... |
|
|
 |
|
|
| |
back
|
|
