Rajib's Blog

64 Responses to “Casio CTK-4000 : Bring Home The Music”

1. Harim
   August 2nd, 2009 at 11:10 pm

   

   Hello, do you can to put someone a demo song piano from casio ctk 4000??? I’m interested in piano tones. I want to buy this keyboard.

2. Rajib Ghosh
   August 3rd, 2009 at 1:59 pm

   

   I have uploaded some demo songs to esnips and embedded the player within the article.
   You can also visit the esnips playlist at: http://www.esnips.com/playlist/4235cfd8-9ee1-4dfd-bdc6-e975338375c6

3. Harim
   August 13th, 2009 at 3:04 am

   

   1- The Casio CTK 4000 not have line out. How do you can to record theses demo mp3 to PC???

   2- Do you thinked ctk-4000’s piano tone realistic? Do liked it?

4. Rajib Ghosh
   August 13th, 2009 at 8:26 am

   

   Hi Harim,

   I connected the headphone out of the keyboard to the Line-In of my Creative Soundcard.

   The Casio features a 6.3 mm Stereo jack, while the soundcard features a 3.5 mm Stereo jack. I used a 5 feet 3.5 mm stereo male to 3.5 mm stereo male cable with a 3.5 mm to 6.3 mm Jack adapter connected at one end, to connect the keyboard to the line-in of the sound-card.

   On the computer, I set the Line-In as the record source and Un-muted Line-in Playback. By carefully adjust the output volume and record volumes on the keyboard and soundcard, I was able to achieve distortion free stereo recordings.

   The default ‘Stereo Piano’ sound on the keyboard is very rich and sounds very good for a keyboard in Casio’s price class. I have compared the sound to Yamaha 413 and found the Casio CTK-4000/5000 sound to be marginally better. Far better stereo panning, depth and grand. The Casio also features numerous other Pianos (conventional, electric) and when the sounds are layered, the effect is truly very wonderful.

   On my sound-card, I have the facility to load sound-fonts. I have a 21 MB Steinberg Stereo Piano sound that outclasses piano sounds on most keyboards (below $1000). If I need that sound, I use the USB-MIDI out from the Casio into a MIDI recorder and use the Steinberg sound-font.

   http://www.ImageShack.us” />

   Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!

   The Casio Demo songs don’t seem to use the ‘Stereo Piano’ instrument and actually use the General-MIDI compatible instruments. I will try and upload a demo made with the stereo piano.

5. Harim
   August 21st, 2009 at 4:34 am

   

   Hello again,

   When you will upload a demo of the piano sounding? I am eagerly awaiting it!

   hehe

6. Rajib Ghosh
   August 22nd, 2009 at 2:00 am

   

   Hi Harim,
   I have uploaded a new demo song of the Casio CTK-4000 Piano at http://www.esnips.com/web/CasioCTK-4000

   The demo was created in the following way:
   - Standard MIDI file of Yanni – One Man’s Dream was downloaded from the Internet.
   - Using a MIDI editor, I opened the file and inserted ‘Patch Change Event’ at the beginning of each track so select instruments. For ex: for Piano, I inserted the patch change event for Stereo Mellow Piano (Patch 0, Bank 3) to ensure that the piano parts were not being played using the default GM Piano (which is rather weak when compared to the Stereo Grand Piano & Stereo Mellow Piano sounds).
   - The MIDI file was played on the keyboard using MIDI-over-USB and audio-out from the headphone socket was captured on the computer using the Line-in socket.
   - The resulting audio file (WAV, 44.1Khz Stereo) was boosted in volume only and converted to MP3 (128 Kbps, 44.1 Khz, Joint-Stereo) using Lame 3.96 Binary (using RazorLame frontend)

   Please note that, the MIDI editor I used did not send patch change events, until I embedded patch change events in the MIDI tracks. More description in another article. Perhaps another demo song too – this time using the Stereo Grand Piano sound. The only problem is availability of a suitable MIDI file.

   HTH

7. Harim
   August 24th, 2009 at 12:10 am

   

   Thanks for upload your piano demo song ‘One man’s Dreams’

   But, I still have a doubt. I’m not sure what casio keyboard to buy by internet. I am doubt between casio ctk-4000 (AHL Source sound) and ctk-810 (HL Source sound)

   I have founded over internet a Casio WK-110 piano demo song (it uses o HL Source sound system – a little older than the AHL Source system). I loved very much this HL Source sounding piano:

   http://www.4shared.com/file/87591459/a17bd7d4/piano_CASIO_WK_110.html

   Is the casio ctk-4000 piano sounding so deep and reverberezed as WK-110?

   What’s your technical opinion???

8. Harim
   September 2nd, 2009 at 10:39 am

   

   Is it more fragile, better or equal the casio ctk-4000 than ctk-5000? (physical keys, made up of plastic etc…)

9. Rajib Ghosh
   September 2nd, 2009 at 9:25 pm

   

   Hi Harim,

   The sound quality of the piano on the CTK-4000/5000 is definitely the same as WK-110 if not better.

   Regarding build quality, the build quality across the new CTK series seems to be identical. The build of the keys, underlying sensors etc. is exactly the same.

   Since you intend to use it primarily as a piano, you must know that the CTK series does not feature weighted/hammer action keys. The key tactile response is slow and not suitable for playing 32nd notes; you can barely manage 16th notes.

   You may also consider the Casio Privia series pianos. I checked one out at a store. It features the exact sound quality of the CTK series, 6 octaves, sustain pedal (included for free in promotion) and weighted keys. It cost about 2x of the CTK 4000 and I though it was very good value.

10. mohit
    October 14th, 2009 at 8:01 pm

    

    hello rajiv… thanks for sharing your views ….
    today i was going to buy a ctk2100 or 3000 or 4000 …. but i thought why not have alook at net about their prices and reviews….

    your views about ctk 4000 are very elaborated..thanks again … my range is between 8-11k only…. and although the features are impressive…but their are few things i felt are serious…
    a plastic body is just unacceptable…how could the manufactures neglect such a importand part of a instrument…

    no sd card….no permanent memory…wtf !!!

    u tell me which one i go for…. between that range… (leaving pitchwheel feature )

    pls revert back at my id…

    pls brother…ur views are valuable !!!

11. Rajib Ghosh
    October 14th, 2009 at 8:29 pm

    

    Thanks for visiting my blog and making the effort to leave a comment.

    For the budget you have set (8-11K), you can buy either the CTK-3000 or the CTK-4000. The CTK-5000 is about 12.5K (max), so if you stretch your budget a little, maybe you can buy that.

    Even at 11K, you can only buy an entry level Yamaha, so I guess we can eliminate that as a brand.

    w.r.t. using a Plastic body for the keyboard, most keyboards use plastics extensively. Not only this has the advantage of strength & light-weight, also plastics can be molded and painted much more easily. Even high-end keyboards like Roland, Korg use plastic extensively.

    I once used a CME MIDI controller whose body was made of metal. Not only did it weigh a ton, but also the paint got chipped and it started looking bad.

    The CTK-5000 has a SD Card option, but it only save song data in a proprietary format and cannot be edited on the PC. This makes it limited. The Yamaha’s don’t feature any storage in basic models. If you however connect the keyboard to a computer/laptop via USB, you can use a MIDI Editing software for ultimate flexibility in composition and editing. So, don’t worry about the lack of storage.

    I hope you realize that the CTK Series is an entry level keyboard and since it doesn’t feature graded-hammer-action-keys, you cannot use it to play concert-type piano. That said, the CTK series delivers lot more value that the Yamaha’s at the same price point.

    I suggest that you go in for the CTK-4000 since it will easily fit in your budget and leave you enough money to buy an adaptor, soft-case and stand.

12. viney
    October 17th, 2009 at 11:01 pm

    

    thanks MAN ! i need this info….

    i want to ask a question …. for learning piano skills … which one u recommend for beginners casio ctk 4000 or yamaha psr 313 ….

    i think casio has many many features as compared to yamaha… may be !

    and for a paino player … the feel pf piano keys is also important…
    what’s your say ?
    pls comment ….
    waiting

13. Rajib Ghosh
    October 18th, 2009 at 12:52 pm

    

    Neither the Casio nor the Yamaha keyboards offer structured Piano lessons. Both of them offer some songs (categorized in A/B/C/D levels of toughness) and allow you to play along in various modes such as key-wait/left-hand/right-hand/all-hands. But there is a lot to learn about Piano playing than just pressing keys. Notes, scales, chords, fingering, transitions, reading & writing music etc. which these keyboards do not offer and you will have to attend classes for that or teach yourself.

    At beginner level, the feel of piano keys and sounds are not important. But as you progress more and start learning about playback styles, dotted notes, damping and sustain, the feel & sound of a real piano become important.

    If you are aiming at casual playback and bollywood songs, keyboards like Casio/Yamaha are just fine. But if you aiming at western classical music, then it is better to buy a digital piano rather than a portable keyboard. Casio Privia series of digital pianos start around Rs. 21K.

    HTH

14. viney
    October 19th, 2009 at 8:12 pm

    

    ok…but i will be buying either of a casio ctk 4000 or yamaha psr e 313… in coming days…so i just wanted you to advice…which one i should go for…. both have the same price tag…

    if you say yamaha…then for a begineer ..interested in piano learning…how about yamaha psr e 213….the prior model but it lacks touch responce …. and it makes me upset…

    i am very much confused …and need help …. pls

15. Siva
    October 20th, 2009 at 5:14 pm

    

    Hi Rajib. Thanks for the blog and for the comments therein. I am torn between the CTK 810 IN & the CTK 4000. My intended usage is to experiment some compositions and classical Indian (say carnatic). That said, I also love western classical symphonies… Feature wise the CTK 4000 looks rich and varied and newer while the selection of instruments looks better on 810 IN. I was planning for CTK 2000 initially until I ran into some reviews on the web and then into your blog and then expanded my budget to around 10K. Your inputs would help me greatly in this regard.
    Rgds, Siva

16. Rajib Ghosh
    October 20th, 2009 at 10:39 pm

    

    The CTK-4000 has a better sound engine and more tones. However the 810IN has a pitch bender which is useful for carnatic music.
    The CTK-810IN sound quite good but is slightly more expensive than the CTK-4000. IMHO, you should go for the CTK-810IN; the CTK-2000 is too basic. Consider the CTK-3000 instead; it has a pitch bender.

17. Rajib Ghosh
    October 20th, 2009 at 10:42 pm

    

    You cannot hope to learn piano if the keyboard does not support touch response. Touch response is absolutely critical; semi/full/graded hammer action helps.

    I really doubt if the Yamaha PSR e313 is at the same price-point as the Casio CTK-4000. If it is, then it boils down to brand preference. Most Yamaha users claim that the Yamaha keys are far more tactile than Casio keys. In my tests, I found that keys on basic Yamaha keyboards are as soft as the Casio. Soft keys make it very difficult to strike 16th notes; forget about 32nd notes.

    I suggest that you get a feel of the keyboard before buying it.

18. Surender
    October 25th, 2009 at 7:50 pm

    

    Hi
    Rajeev pls tel me which is the best keyboard beetween ctk 810in and ctk 5000 pls compare it.

19. Rajib Ghosh
    October 25th, 2009 at 11:14 pm

    

    Hi Surender,

    The CTK-5000 is clearly a superior keyboard. It was launched nearly a year after the 810IN. Functionally, the CTK-5000 is a culmination of the features found in the CTK-x000 series and features tons of sounds, styles & arranging features.

20. Surender
    October 26th, 2009 at 11:52 am

    

    Hi
    Rajeev, tnks for this information,but i m not satisfied, because i m just want ,pls compare both ctk 5000 & ctk 810in same as u compare psr i425 & ctk 5000.

21. Rajib Ghosh
    October 26th, 2009 at 11:39 pm

    

    Hi Surender,

    I do not have ready access to either the CTK-810IN or the CTK-5000. These products are available at Tata Croma and can be tested side by side there (as I tested briefly).
    I suggest that you visit the nearest Reliance Digital or Tata Croma store to compare these products yourself and determine which is right for you.

    - Rajib

22. sana
    November 15th, 2009 at 1:18 pm

    

    hi rajib….
    i want a keyboard that has good piano sound…
    what are ur views about casio ctk 810in?
    …. i checked it in croma….thay have few models like ctk 3000.
    You have a brief knowledge about these eqipments..about their +ve and -ve points….tell me about 810 in model …coz i dont want to repent afterwards abt the instrument…so pls tell me.
    and..
    Is it reliable to it buy from croma?

    thanks

23. Rajib Ghosh
    November 15th, 2009 at 6:55 pm

    

    Hi Sana,

    The CTK-810IN is a dated model that will be phased out by Casio in favor of the CTK-xxxx series.
    You will find that the CTK-4000 & CTK-5000 have much better and mature piano sounds. However, the CTK-810IN features a Pitch-Bend wheel whereas the slightly lower priced CTK-4000 does not have it.

    I have checked out the sounds in 810IN and found them to be quite good, hence a good bundle overall. In the end, it is your ears that have to make the decision. Ask for a headphone or carry your own while listening to the keyboards. Ensure that your headphone can be connected to a 6.3mm jack (large headphone plug). You can easily buy 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter jacks for this purpose.

    Tata Croma is a good store, though you will find local stores offering the keyboards at a lower price. In the end, warranty is directly handled by Casio as long as you have a Casio warranty card (has a hologram sticker on it).

    HTH

24. sana
    November 15th, 2009 at 8:50 pm

    

    Leave the pitch band feature …then would u recommend me ctk 810in or 4000…coz u said the piano sounds in later are more realistic than in 810in…coz in store they dont have 4000 model so i cant actually compare the sounds…

    and do tell …i spotted 2 models on net…. one names 810 and other is 810in … any diff ?

    and one more thing… what is one touch present feature ? it is in 4000 … and i dont know what is it and is it a important one for which i should look for ?

25. Rajib Ghosh
    November 16th, 2009 at 8:57 am

    

    The CTK-4000 any day. Not only the sounds in CTK-4000 are better, but are also more in number.

    Try playing the Stereo Grand Piano & Stereo Mellow Piano sounds. Very real.

26. Jacky
    November 23rd, 2009 at 8:44 pm

    

    Hi Rajib, i learned that CTK-4000 & LK-220 both have 48 note polyphony & AHL sound, but found that they sound differently, the CTK-4000 sounds more like real piano but why?

27. Rajib Ghosh
    November 23rd, 2009 at 11:59 pm

    

    Hi Jacky,

    Congrats on asking this really smart question and actually noticing the issue in real world.

    Though the Casio CTK-4000 & LK-220 feature similar sound specs, their sounds are really different; with the CTK series sounding marginally better. This is due to the ROM that is used in the CTK series.

    Sound samples on a keyboard are stored in a ROM chip and these sounds are processed in real-time, depending on the key you press. For ex: The ROM chip may store a single-middle-C-note of Grand Piano. Depending on which key you press, how long you press and how fast you press, the sound processing chip will interpolate (mathematically modify) the middle-C tone to sound like the key you pressed (for ex C of 8th octave).

    Advanced keyboards store multiple notes per instrument (for ex: instead of just 1 note, 1 note for each octave or 8 notes on an 8 octave keyboard). This reduces the artifacts that are introduced in sound, when it is interpolated over a wide range. Advanced keyboards also store each note at multiple velocity levels, thus requiring even lesser interpolation and generating cleaner sound.

    Thus if the ROM used in CTK-4000 has more samples and cleaner samples, then it will sound way better than the LK-200, though technically their specs maybe similar.

    You will also notice this if you compare the CTK-3000 with the CTK-4000. While these two models are identical in Octaves, Sounds, Processors; the CTK-3000 sound lacks the depth of the CTK-4000 sounds. The CTK-3000 is also substantially cheaper. While the CTK-2000 & CTK-3000 have similar sounds, the CTK-4000 & the CTK-5000 have similar sounds.

    Casio does not disclose the ROM size on it’s keyboards, but I would guess it to be between 32MB & 64MB (for CTK-5000). Professional grade keyboards have ROM sizes of 256MB or better. Some keyboards allow you to load custom sound samples, where each tone (for ex: Piano) may weigh in at 2+ GB! If you were to store 500 tones (each at 2GB), the keyboard will require 1 Terabyte memory.

    HTH

28. Cai Fen
    November 24th, 2009 at 9:49 am

    

    Hi , Read your comments on CTK4000 with interest.

    This is my 1st acquisition of a keyboard. I am a beginner level piano player looking for a keyboard to assist me in my piano playing as well as a tool to encourage my young son to play the piano. I would expect some reluctant hammering/torturing of the keys.

    I am told by Casio that the transfer of midi files from the net is a mere drag and drop from the computer to the keyboard. You have mentioned some complicated procedures??? Would be good if you do given some guidance .. thanks in advance..

    I am having 2 models in mind, CTK4000 and Yamaha PSR-E413 both hovering around the same pricing. (Yamaha having some promotion sales!!) .

    Which would be a better choice?

    Thanks and have a great day..

29. Rajib Ghosh
    November 24th, 2009 at 11:59 pm

    

    Hi Cai Fen,

    For starters, the Casio keyboards do not support drag-drop playback of MIDI files. Only the CTK-5000 has an SD Card reader on which you can copy MIDI files from the computer and play on the keyboard.
    However, the Casio keyboards connect to any computer (Windows, Mac, Linux) over USB and using any software capable of sending MIDI notes to the keyboard (for ex: Winamp on Windows), you can play MIDI files on the computer and sound will come from the Casio.

    It’s a similar story with the Yamaha PSR E-413 with the exception that the Yamaha keyboards come with software that allow download of MIDI tracks from the Internet and uploading them to the keyboard for playback. The number of tracks that can be downloaded are limited though.

    Keyboard build quality wise, I found that both Casio and Yamaha feature similar build quality. The Yamaha keyboards have slightly better keys (more springy) and are generally considered more reliable.
    For you & your son, I would recommend the Yamaha PSR-E413. It’s an excellent keyboard that is also geared better towards education. If both Casio and Yamaha are available at the same price, then Yamaha wins hands-down. In general though, Casio delivers better value for money.

30. Cai Fen
    November 26th, 2009 at 4:37 am

    

    Many thanks for your advise.

    You are absolutely right. With a bit of negotation Casio’s price has dropped by RM270/- compared to Yamaha.

    That makes it really difficult when I am seeking endorsement on a Yamaha. Anyhow I need to decide today as the ‘2 days offer’ from Casio ends today.

    Thanks again..

31. Rajib Ghosh
    November 26th, 2009 at 11:05 am

    

    Hi Cai Fen,

    It seems to me that you would prefer the Yamaha over the Casio. IMHO if you don’t mind spending the RM270, then you should go for your heart. You will achieve greater sense of satisfaction.

32. caifen
    November 27th, 2009 at 6:12 am

    

    Hi,

    Yeah I was prepared to fork out that sum….. somehow yesterday when I went to Yamaha I was not impressed with their service… bad day I guess.

    But the scene was different with Casio… they relentlessly assisted me, downloaded what is needed on my laptop and viola…. !!! MIDI transfer was easy for my simple brain. Ecstacy clouded everything and I bought the CTK4000.

    The crux came to the fact that the people were all out to assist. So I shall make my peace with this set.

    And hopefully I can learn some skills from you on its operation.

    Thank you …

33. Rajib Ghosh
    November 27th, 2009 at 8:32 am

    

    Hi Cai Fen,

    Let me congratulate you on your purchase.

    Somehow your Yamaha buying experience is not very different from mine. When I bought my keyboard, I had set a mental budget of about Rs. 10K. One store showed me a Yamaha for about 11.5K, what he failed to tell me was that the piece was cracked! Another store quoted 12K for the same unit. Both these stores had arrogant salesmen who did not even bother to switch on the keyboard far less play and show it.

    The store I bought the Casio from, did not snigger on my choice of brand. He showed me the CTK-4000 which was very feature rich (the nearest Yamaha containing these features was costing 17.5K) and allowed me to play with it before committing to it.

34. Alex
    November 27th, 2009 at 9:08 am

    

    I play keyboard in a band. I consider myself intermediate. I need a keyboard for effects and have told me that the Casio are excellent. I am considering buying a Casio CTK-4000 or a Yamaha PSR-E313. Considering the fragility that you indicate on the casio I’m in doubt between which to buy. I wanted to ask, what keyboard has better sound quality for musical effects, the CASIO CTK-4000 or the yamaha psr-e313? And what do you recommend to buy. Thank you very much for your help. Take care of yourself.

35. caifen
    November 27th, 2009 at 12:29 pm

    

    Hi again,

    Thank you…I was seeking for Yamaha endorsement from a Casio owner and was out to tell myself it’s a right decision but it JUST did not happen..

    Looks like you do a fantastic run down on LCD TV as well…(and more I am sure when I take time to go thro…

    Great work !

36. Rajib Ghosh
    November 27th, 2009 at 3:54 pm

    

    Hi Alex!

    Casio keyboards are not intended for heavy handed players. For beginner to intermediate players though, they are just fine.

    Sound quality wise, IMHO the Casio scores higher in some departments while the Yamaha wins in other. I have described this in an earlier comment. The keyboard that exceeds the Casio CTK-4000 is the Yamaha e413. The Yamaha e313 is tied with Casio CTK-4000 and it is purely up-to the buyer to make the purchase based on brand preference.

    Higher models of Yamaha keyboards (for ex: i425) come with controller knobs to manipulate the sound in real-time! Even with the Casio CTK-5000 you are limited to either doing this in post-production or using a Virtual Instrument on the computer and using the Casio purely as a MIDI input device.

    For ultimate in sound tweaking, I suggest that you invest in a MIDI controller and Virtual Instrument software rather than a budget keyboard. This is particularly true for those artists who spend more time in a studio than a stage.

    HTH

37. Alex
    November 28th, 2009 at 2:12 am

    

    Thank you Very Much. Also wanted to mention something: The Casio CTK-4000 is worth U.S. $ 280 while on YAMAHA PSR-E313 is worth $ 223. I hope to be so kind to clarify something. 1 – Which of the two keyboards is better effects such as trumpet, saxophone, flute. 2 – Which is a better investment. 3 – Which of the two buy you being in my place.

38. Rajib Ghosh
    November 28th, 2009 at 9:07 am

    

    Dear Alex,

    I think the pricing you have received is incorrect. I purchased the Casio CTK-4000 for approx $228 almost a year back. If you see the Amazon links in my article, you will notice that the CTK-4000 bundle is worth only about $180!

    w.r.t. the sounds, I have not heard the sounds on a Yamaha E313, but on a Yamaha I425 I really liked the Sax sound. It was very real with all the fine nuances such as breath. The trumpets & flute on the CTK-400 are better (IMHO). They are clean and nice to hear. Perhaps I should upload the CTK-4000 sounds so that you can hear them to compare.

    Investment wise, the Casio keyboards are cheap and in second-hand they sell even cheaper. Yamaha keyboards on the other hand command a good price in the second hand market. That said, both these keyboards do not require substantial investment that you should worry about second-sale.

    As I mentioned earlier, I felt that the overall bundle of features & pricing is better for Casio and hence I bought the Casio.

39. Alex
    November 28th, 2009 at 10:20 pm

    

    Really Thank you for your time and your help. It is true what you say, the CTK-4000 can be purchased at $ 180, but the store if it costs $ 280. I think by now that I think is a better option than the PSR-E313 costs $ 223 more or less. Considering the price and sound quality, you think it’s better buys the PSR-E313?

40. Rajib Ghosh
    November 28th, 2009 at 11:51 pm

    

    Hi Alex,

    At $223 the PSR-E313 is definitely a good buy! I suggest you go for it.

41. Alex
    November 29th, 2009 at 10:25 pm

    

    Haha!!!, Sorry, is not $223 it’s $225. Ok, Thank you, Very much; I think that I Buy it!!; Thank you

42. Rajneesh
    November 30th, 2009 at 4:30 pm

    

    Hello,
    Rajiv sir.
    thanx for guiding all of us.
    Which one among yamaha psr i425 and casio wk 500 is better. I prefer indian styles. I came to know that both have same price around 20k.

43. Rajib Ghosh
    November 30th, 2009 at 11:18 pm

    

    Hi Rajneesh,

    The Casio WK500 is simply the 76-key version of the Casio CTK5000 (61 key).
    Tones wise, the Casio offers lot more tones, registration setups, SD card facility and sampling support.

    The Yamaha on the other hand offers 2 knobs to tweak the sound and beautiful arpeggio patterns.

    Which one is better depends on the use you want to put it into. For stage performance, I would prefer the Yamaha but for Studio setups I would prefer the Casio.

    HTH

44. Rajneesh
    December 1st, 2009 at 12:49 am

    

    So which one should I buy? Psr i425 or ctk 5000? I know the price gap between the two……cosidering price which one is best in terms of sound quality, tones,(indian tones and style) features. I will consider your opinion last and final.

45. Rajib Ghosh
    December 1st, 2009 at 8:15 am

    

    Hi Rajneesh!

    You will have to make the decision yourself. The CTK-5000 is marginally cheaper than the i425, but the i425 has a unique set of features that are not available on the Casio. In the end, it is you who should perform a listening test and make the choice!

    Regards

46. Joel
    December 15th, 2009 at 4:11 am

    

    Hi need some help to use the CTK as midi with fruity loops software after the install of the software and connection of keyboard using the USB cable installing the drivers FL software does not pick the device. I have made sure that the keyboard is working as there is no conflict in device manager using XP 32 bit also if you can advice me some software which will allow the Casio CTK 5000 to perform the task and allow configuration. If possible please let me know the settings on the keyboard so we can get the midi working.

47. Rajib Ghosh
    December 15th, 2009 at 8:59 am

    

    Hi Joel,

    I think this video should help:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJyQ_im_8cA

48. Joel
    December 20th, 2009 at 6:27 am

    

    Thank you very much the issue is resolved sorry for the delay just checked and got the issue fixed.

49. Rohit Jain
    January 4th, 2010 at 5:23 pm

    

    Rajib.
    I have just one word on your blog and the information you have shared “WOW”

    I started my research on keyboard for my daughter and stumbled upon your site after doing a google. The article on Casio vs Yamaha is very informative. Since I donot understand the technical terms you have used, my inference is that Casio & yamaha are basically similar except for the price. On the other hand how would you rate them on service? and have you come across people (beginners) who have faced problems with either of the two brands.

    Thanks
    Rohit

50. Rajib Ghosh
    January 5th, 2010 at 1:14 am

    

    Hi Rohit,
    Thanks for the compliment. You are on-the-mark when you say that today the amateur keyboards from Casio & Yamaha are very similar except the price. That too is quite close. I know of someone who purchased a Yamaha PSR i425 with Yamaha adaptor and Keyboard stand for 16.5K. This is very similar to the Casio bundle of CTK-5000+Casio adaptor and Stand for 15.5K.

    Product wise, I maintain that the Casio is a great product for those who will primarily use it at home or home-studio, while the Yamaha is better for on-stage performance. While the Casio leads in terms of tones & options, the Yamaha is designed for quick manipulation of the keyboard.

    Service wise, Casio has authorised service centres in many cities. Yamaha too has a service network in India, just not that extensive. In these products, defects are rare and damage is usually user-caused.
    Sure you can get the keyboard serviced, but in case of extensive damage, you will find it cheaper to just to buy a new one!

    On my Casio, ants had started eating the rubber inside the keyboard (I used some cockroach repellent chalk and napthalene balls to fix this). Yamaha people have not reported any such thing. The shop I purchased the Casio from, said that every part of the keyboard is replaceable but not very cheap; so take care of the keyboard. Sample price quoted was Rs. 600/- for every Octave (B&W key-set). There are five octaves on the keyboard. Hence, it would cost Rs. 3000/- to replace all the B&W keys on the keyboard.

    HTH

51. mark
    January 27th, 2010 at 11:01 pm

    

    Hello Rajib, i have taken the plunge and ordered a CTK 4000, i’m in the intermediate to advance and appreciate the reviews and inputs you have. I was thinking of the CTK 5000 but was out of my budget. Looking forward for the arrival of my piano. Been playing with yamaha psr for a few years can’t complain, first casio keyboard. looks good .

    cheers

    mark

52. Mitesh
    February 7th, 2010 at 11:59 pm

    

    Hi Rajiv – nice blog and thanks for the info

    I’ve zeroed in on CTK-3000 for personal use. However, you mention in your post that CTK-4000 has better sound.
    I checked the specifications on Casio site – both 3000 and 4000 have AHL and hence i assume their sound quality should be the same
    Can you pls elaborate y u feel 4000 has better sound?

53. Rajib Ghosh
    February 8th, 2010 at 3:55 pm

    

    Dear Mitesh,

    While the CTK-3000 indeed has AHL sound, perhaps it’s ROM (permanent memory where sound samples are stored) is not as big as the CTK-4000. Tones on the CTK-3000 sound a little less “Full” than the CTK-4000.

    If you try playing the Piano samples & Strings samples, you can instantly note the difference. Tones on the CTK-4000 have a little more depth that the ones on CTK-3000.

    Since Casio has not published the ROM size of the keyboards, there is no definite way of proving this. It could very well be my ears and natural bias (I have a CTK-4000) or it could be real. I hope you will check this out yourself and let me know on this blog.

    HTH

54. Mitesh
    February 9th, 2010 at 10:29 pm

    

    Okay – thanks for the reply.

    Just one more question – do you think this difference in sound is perceptable in general and worth the extra 2k for CTK 4000?

    Regards,
    Mitesh

55. Rajib Ghosh
    February 10th, 2010 at 12:27 am

    

    Hi Mitesh,

    The CTK-4000 delivers a few extra features when compared to the CTK-3000; apart from slightly superior sound.
    If you are a casual player buying a keyboard for personal use and learning, the CTK-3000 is good enough. If you intend to use the keyboard on stage/recording, buy the higher models.

    HTH

56. Vadiraj
    February 26th, 2010 at 11:00 am

    

    Hi Rajib,

    I am planning to buy a keyboard and mainly looking for Indian tones, especially Santoor. I found that CTK5000 has this tone. Does the Yamaha keyboards have this tone in any model?. if yes, which one you recommended ?

    Thanks,
    Vadiraj

57. Rajib Ghosh
    February 26th, 2010 at 1:16 pm

    

    Hi Vadiraj,

    The Yamaha i425 which features Indian tones has this sound. In fact this sound is part of the General MIDI specifications and hence is available on practically all keyboards.

    The Dulcimer instrument is also very similar to Santoor. You can find this instrument in the Piano category of sounds on most keyboards.

    HTH

58. mark
    March 1st, 2010 at 6:39 am

    

    Hello, recieved my ctk4000 and was happy to make the plunge, good quality and nice sounds..

59. Jayesh
    March 1st, 2010 at 11:12 pm

    

    Nice Review!!

    Can you please review CTK 5000 also? If you, please upload demo of CTK 5000.

    In CTK 4000 there is no direct way to export the songs/samples stored on the keyboard as files. Is this is possible in CTK 5000?

    Thanks.

60. Rajib Ghosh
    March 6th, 2010 at 2:02 pm

    

    Hi Jayesh,

    Regretfully I cannot do a detailed review of the CTK-5000 because I do not have a unit handy. However, I do find it available at many malls and find it very similar to the CTK-4000 in sound quality.
    The CTK-4000 cannot export song/sample data on a card/floppy, but features a USB MIDI port. By connecting a computer with suitable MIDI Editor installed to the keyboard, you can easily capture the Song Data.

    To the best of my knowledge, though the CTK-5000 can export songs onto a SD Card, it does not save them in MIDI format; saving them in a Casio proprietory format instead.

    HTH

61. Jayesh
    March 9th, 2010 at 5:18 pm

    

    Hi Rajib,

    So finally I purchased CTK 5000. I just want to say thanks to you for all your useful advices.

    I am really satisfied with this keyboard but I must mention that build quality of keys is average.

    One question, If by mistake I delete everything using DELETE ALL then will it also delete built in tones and rhythms of keyboard? If yes, then how can I take back up of all built in instruments and rhythms to my SD card?

    Again THANKS.

62. Rajib Ghosh
    March 10th, 2010 at 9:35 am

    

    Hi Jayesh,

    Congratulations on your new purchase.

    w.r.t. the build quality of the keyboard, it is meant for light playback. Playback styles that require quick hammering of the keyboard may actually be impossible because of the slow tactile response of the keyboard.

    ‘Delete All’ only deletes user samples (tones & rhythms). The built-in sounds exist on a ROM Chip (Read Only Memory) and can neither be erased nor backed up.

    Regards

63. Jayesh
    March 10th, 2010 at 10:19 pm

    

    Hello,
    Is there any way to change time signature of built in rhythms of my CTK 5000?

64. Rajib Ghosh
    March 11th, 2010 at 8:14 am

    

    Hi Jayesh,

    The built-in rhythms are not alterable time signature wise. You can modify their instrument set and save it as a custom rhythm.

    HTH