Casio PT-82 /// A blast from the past!

Years ago (almost 22 years is a bit more accurate) I got my first electronic keyboard, the Casio VL-1. I was 10 years old and there was nothing any cooler to me. I put it in my book bag and took it to school and had a crowd standing around my desk the minute I got it out and hit rhythm select/start. It starting pulsing away with its blip beat sound and I was king of the classroom for the 30 seconds before the teacher told me to put it away or it would be hers.

I also still have a Casio SK-1 Sampler which I am in the process of circuit bending at the moment. I have finished all of the wiring and soldering but have yet to build a case for it that will hold all of the new buttons, knobs, and sensors I have added, but that will be a different post in the future.

OK, got a little off track there. What I was getting at is that a year or two ago a friend of mine gave me her Casio PT-82 she had from way back. I put in in a closet forever. Then I let my son play with it for a while, but I never really messed with it myself. I recently had a minor surgery and while picking my son up from Grandma's I saw the PT-82 in a pile of toys, I had honestly forgot I even had it. I asked her if I could take it back home and she said sure so I brought it home and dropped 5 double A's in it. It's crazy how we forget just how far we have advanced in technology but trying to play this thing will remind you real quick.

Believe it or not I have been playing with this thing for 3 days now (well, me and the kids). Its amazing how much we get used to the synths and drum machines today that do all of the work for us. With my Korg EA1 and ER1 I can hit play and when one of the pattern starts it sounds so good I really don't have to do anything except add more patterns to it to get something that will still impress people who don't know how they work. I'm not saying that it takes no talent to make electronic music, I'm just saying its getting so easy it makes us lazy. I sat around pushing 1 key at a time trying to get a cool bass line or lead melody and came up with some good stuff that I plan to sample and use in the future. Since it really doesn't do ANYTHING on its own it will be nice to say that the finished product is all my idea and not sampled or a preset sound or pattern.

I don't think I will be getting rid of the PT-82 anyway soon, Its kinda nice to go back in time and play with the synths and boards that got us where we are today.