(picture taken from eBay, showing my specimen)

This is another oddity in the bizarre world of "MC" keyboards. Although this 49 midsize keys tablehooter looks very much like a real modern sound bank instrument and even selects all functions by typing numbers and pressing "enter", it is rather a toy than a serious instrument because its main voice has only 1 or 2 note polyphony with only 8 different sounds (squarewave, resembling Letron MC-3). But in spite of this it features key split, programmable drum pattern and a variety of 32 trashy rhythms made of 3 low- res samples with street- organ- like tooting squarewave accompaniment. A highlight of this thing is that it includes a song bank with 32(!) different demo melodies arranged in a simple Commodore C64 home computer style, which makes of it an interesting find for a squarewave lover.

(Note: This keyboard sounds nice, but don't buy one of these so far your only intention is to get a keyboard with faithfully imitated natural instrument sounds. Remember, this is a squarewave instrument and though many of its sounds sound not even remotely like what is written on its buttons, though bought with wrong expectation it may disappoint you.)

main features:

• 49 midsize keys
• polyphony only 1 or 2 notes (depends on selected sound, only monophonic with accompaniment)
• 2 built-in speakers
• 8 preset sounds {violin, harpsichord, piano, mandolin, clarinet, xylophone, cowbell, oboe}
• 28 key split preset sounds (combinations of each 2 of the above)
• 32 preset rhythms
• main and accompaniment (with rhythm) volume sliders.
• functions selectable through 10 cipher buttons + "enter"
• 3 rubber drumpad buttons {base, woodblock, snare}
• 3 percussion sounds {base, woodblock, snare} (low- res samples with audible start & end click)
• programmable(!) rhythm pattern ("custom drummer", up to 16 steps)
• single finger chord (only accompaniment made from 2 note polyphonic plain squarewave tones, no organ chord mode).
• tempo +/ - buttons (16 steps)
• 32 demo melodies (with standard accompaniment, monophonic main voice cycles through all preset sounds)
• main voice is squarewave based (different pulse widths, digital envelopes with a little zipper noise); sounds resemble much the Letron MC-3.
• main CPU "SC-MC-22, 213503" (42 pin DIL) + separate monophonic percussion sample IC "MC9109" (9 pin COB module).
• battery alarm (plays 2 notes when not played for a minute - also when mains operated)
• jacks for AC- adapter, headphone and L & R outputs

notes:

The monophonic rhythms consist of 3 low- res percussion samples with audible start and end click, which gives them a fat and bassy, trashy timbre and is well suited to synchronize brain waves for meditative musics. The single finger accompaniment seems to play only 2 note polyphonic plain squarewave organ tones those alternatingly play duet and bass notes (i.e. no real 3 note polyphonic chords). It knows only 3 standard chords and with accompaniment only monophonic main voice play is possible, but at least it recognizes chord changes reasonable fast. The accompaniments have a cute and cheesy orchestrion or fairground organ appeal and the 32 available styles also include many unusual patterns beyond waltz and tango.

With the "custom drummer" a user rhythm pattern can be programmed step by step to any of the given accompaniments. This can even be done while the rhythm is playing, but every button press always makes a blip noise, which limits its use as a realtime drum computer. Strange is that the button press blip seems to use an own squarewave tone channel that works independently from the very limited (3 notes?) polyphony of the rest. Strange is also that the drumpads show instead of {base, woodblock, snare} icons for {base, snare, cymbal}; possibly initially a different rhythm IC was planned.

The blue synthetic rubber drumpads have a weak but disgustingly sweetish lemon smell (like a scented WC disinfectant) that slightly sticks to the fingers after play. (Also certain plastic hot water bottles stink this way, thus it may be a citrate plasticizer.) I also miss a separate rhythm volume control, but this can be certainly upgraded easily. (I haven't examined this hardware closer yet.)

The instrument has a library of 32 demo melodies in minimalistic but nice C64 squarewave sound:

1. Camptown Races
2. Brother John
3. Rain And Tear
4. My Cup Runneth Over
5. The Old Folks At Home
6. House Of Rising Sun
7. A Little Brown Jug
8. Silent Night
9. Jingle Bells
10. Happy Birthday
11. Die Lorelei
12. Five Hundred Miles [also demo of Letron MC-3]
13. When The Saints Go Marching In
14. Brahms Lullaby
15. Michael Row The Boat Ashore
16. Oh! Susanna
17. Love Song Of Kangting
18. Rowing
19. O. Du Lieber Augustin
20. Umterlanders Heimweh
21. Seagull [nice tune!]
22. Joy To The World
23. Red River Valley
24. Auld Land Syne
25. My Bonnie
26. Jambalaya
27. London Bridge Is Falling Down
28. Mary Had a Little Lamb
29. Ode To Joy
30. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
31. Night Of Shanghai
32. Labamda [should be Lambada]

The Elite MC2200 was also released as "Pan Toys MC-2200", "Karcher F4" and "Tristar MC2200". Regarding the CPU type label, also a variant called "MC-22" may exist, which appears to be the genuine name of this hardware class. Possibly this hardware was a successor of the MC-2 hardware class, which was also only 2 note polyphonic with 3 drumpads and simple accompaniment and both even feature the combined tempo/ power LED. A technically very similar instrument is the mini keyboard Bontempi ES3000.
 

removal of these screws voids warranty...
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