Casio Casiotone, 61-Key Portable Keyboard (CT-S200BK)

Product Information

With the modern Casiotone range now up to seven models, we’ve decided to run you through their development, and help you figure out which one might be right for you. Some other keyboards (such as the MT-35 and MT-45) use a combination of two different binary weighted numbers (1 and 64). The larger weight bit provides the fundamental, and the smaller weight bit provides the harmonic complexity.

As well as the USB connection, which has been present on all modern Casiotone keyboards, the CT-S400 is compatible with Casio’s WU-BT10 Bluetooth Dongle. This handy gadget turns your instrument into a Bluetooth device, allowing you to wirelessly transfer MIDI and audio data for a variety of functions. Special mention should go to the speakers, which we’re led to believe are the same as those on the excellent Casiotone CT-S1. They deliver a surprising amount of punch, and are certainly good enough to be used for listening to music in a bedroom (or similar). The Bluetooth audio connectivity makes this very convenient, too. This instrument offers something truly unique, giving it wide appeal. Hobbyists and pros alike will find a use for the CT-S1000V.

Chord Detector

As suggested by the sudden jump from 500 to 1000, this keyboard takes a significant step forward from its predecessor. The tiny but mighty SA-76 is a colourful and fun way to start your kids off on the path to exploring the world of music. It’s affordable enough to help determine whether or not you have a budding Mozart in the house, without breaking the bank. Here at MusicRadar, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing, creating and product testing between us. We live and breathe everything music gear related, and we draw on this knowledge and experience of using products in live, recording and rehearsal scenarios when selecting the products for our guides. Pre-1980, Casiowere known primarily as a computing company. Established in Tokyo, they had experienced success from the ‘50s onwards with their ground-breaking electronic calculator designs. However, besides a couple of sound-producing gizmos and toys, they’d never built anything even approaching a musical instrument.

It adds 200 more tones (800 in total), 43 more rhythms (243 in total), and allows 50 user rhythms. There are 24 reverbs, 12 choruses, 15 delays, 10 EQ pre-sets and 100 DSP pre-sets! On top of this, the polyphony is upped to 64 notes.

If the vocal stuff was all that the CT-S1000V had then you’d probably feel a little short-changed, but fortunately, it’s also an excellent portable keyboard. There’s a great variety of sounds, and while the keyboard action can sometimes feel a light to get the most out of them (when you're playing the electric pianos, for example), you’ve got everything you need. All of the products on this list can be powered via a standard power supply or USB, and some enable you to use batteries – a handy option for those who need some portability. There are 24 reverbs, and settings for chorus, delay, and DSP and EQ pre-sets. The connections are for sustain pedal, headphones, AUDIO IN, USB to HOST, and you can connect the Bluetooth dongle as well. In exchange, the CT-S400 has 600 tones, 200 rhythms (allowing 10 user rhythms), 20 reverbs, 10 choruses, and 10 EQ pre-sets. There are a total of 160 songs, and you can record 10 user songs. There’s also an extra touch-sensitivity setting, as well as layer and split functions, and an arpeggiator. The CT-S1 is a return to what Casio intended to create with the very first Casiotone keyboard: a simple instrument which looks as good as it sounds.