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.

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?

Hello again,

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

hehe

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???

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 !

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.

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?

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

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

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

Hi Joel,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

Hi,

Is it possible to compose MIDI music by using the on-board instrument sounds of the CTK-4000, or do I have to use some soft synths?

I’ll be using Cakewalk Sonar 8.5 Producer, so I assume an instrument definition file is needed also. Does Sonar include such a file for the CTK-4000, or if not, is there a place where I can download one?

Hi Jayesh,

Your computer’s line-in port is a 3.5mm stereo jack. It probably looks like this.

All Casio output stereo audio over the a 6.3 mm Stereo EP (headphone) jack. You can use a 3.5mm to 3.5mm EP stereo cable to connect the Casio to the computer. You will need a 6.3mm to 3.5mm convertor at the Casio end. The cable can be seen here. The convertor looks like this. Both the cable and the convertor are actually cheap and available in India.

The casio CTK-5000 also outputs audio over Line-Out. I am unsure of what the output jacks look like. Maybe they are RCA-out and you will need a RCA to 3.5mm Stereo cable like this. The image actually shows a RCA to 3.5mm Female jack so that you can connect a 3.5mm male to 3.5mm male stereo cable to connect to the computer.

Always prefer Line-Out audio over Headphone-Out. Line-out is at lower level but much cleaner and has little to no distortion. Also using Headphone-out when headphone volume is set very high can burn your recording device.

HTH

Hi Al,

It’s been a while since it was possible to dump audio samples out of the keyboard. Today, the best you can do is send/receive MIDI data to the keyboard and hear the sound being generated by the keyboard’s internal sound engine. High end keyboards allow you to load your sound samples and even fewer actually output the data in digital domain. All keyboard output data in analog domain over headphone out or Line out.

The analog output though is quite good and can be recorded with pristine clarity on computer systems/digital recorders. On my lowly P4 PC featuring a basic Creative Sound Blaster Live sound card, I was able to record the audio from my Casio CTK 4000 keyboard and playback without any noise/distortion creeping in. You can hear the sample recordings that I uploaded.

w.r.t. using a software to compose your music and then playing it back either through the keyboard or a virtual instrument, it’s perfectly possible to use these low end keyboards to accomplish that. If you want to compose in Cakewalk and then assign the tracks to a specific patch on the keyboard, so that when played back through the Keyboard it uses the desired instrument and not the nearest equivalent in General MIDI soundset, it is possible to do so. No program comes preloaded with the patch definitions of keyboards (there being so many models which are frequently updated). All keyboards though come with documentation that illustrate parameters like LSB/MSB that can be used with Bank Select command to access a particular patch on the keyboard out of thousands in it’s portfolio instead of the default 127 in the GM set.

It took me a while to figure out, but I was able to finally configure Cakewalk Sonar (v1) to set the Casio Keyboard to use the ‘Stereo Mellow Piano’ sound when I wanted to playback Yanni’s One Man’s Dream.

I hope I was able to answer your question, would love to hear from you further on this.

Regards

Dear Prachi,

From your email, I am assuming that you do not know how to play a keyboard instrument but you are willing to learn.

If you intend to pursue learning seriously and achieve some mastery, then I would suggest you to go for the Casio CTK-5000 or the Yamaha PSR I-425. Both these keyboards are similar in many ways with the Yamaha being slightly more expensive.

If you just want a keyboard for home for an occasional bout of tinkering and maybe beginner level learning, you may want to consider the Casio CTK-2100 or the CTK-3000. Both these keyboards are quite economical and excellent for beginners.

The Casio CTK-5000 at 12.5K on offer is an excellent deal and you can go for it without any doubts in mind.

HTH

Dear Claus,

I am surprised that the Yamaha PSR E423 is retailing cheaper than the Casio CTK-4000.
The Casio CTK-4000 is technically superior to the Yamaha PSR E423, but you should check out both the products to decide which one you like better. This is particularly because many have a brand preference for the Yamaha and the Casio CTK-4000/5000 are not so far ahead of the Yamaha that they make a compulsory buy.

HTH

Hi Dominique,

You can connect the Casio to the comp in two ways: as a MIDI device (only notes are communicated,not sounds) or as a Sound Source.

If you are a good player, you can connect the Casio as a Sound source. This is simple to setup, allows you to take advantage of the Casio sound chip and allows extensive editing, effects & mixing. To do this, simply connect the headphone out of the CTK 3000 to the Line-in on the PC.

Since headphone out current levels are way higher than Line-in, start by setting the PC’s Line Input levels at 75% and the Casio volume at 0. As you play a demo song, increase the casio volume till your PC’s Line input monitor is showing input at about -3dB. I use SoundForge (ver 5, really old but good) for this. It’s line level monitor is fast and reactive.

Once this setting is done, you don’t have to worry much about exceeding peak levels in the course of recording.

You can play songs on the Casio, one layer at a time and record invidual layers into your favorite multi-track audio editor. Reaper is an excellent option as a multi-track editor.

Start with recording the drum track. This will help you keep pace as you play the lead tracks later on. You can also only record the metronome for starters. Add the Bass and backing Chord track. Add lead in sections. All the while, since you are using the Casio as a sound source, you can change the tones, layer them up, split the keyboard etc.

For post-production, you can add additional tracks with sound effects, ambient sounds and filters to add effects such as echo/reverb.

HTH

Dear Nishikant,

All keyboard instruments are based on the same 12-key octave system. All that changes is the playback style.

Instruments such as Piano / Dulcimer / Xylophone produce sounds based on hammers striking wires/metal and can be played with both hands. Instruments such as Organs produce sound by blowing air through pipes and can be played by both hands. Instuments such as Accordion and Harmonium are mini-organs and require one hand to keep pumping air while the other hand plays the keys.

And electronic keyboard such as Casio allows the best of all worlds. You can not only play keyboard instruments, but instrument types such as pipes, strings and drums too.

You can either invest in a Casio CTK-810IN or the CTK-5000 (more advanced) as they both have the pitch wheel which is essential to play flue and string type of instruments. The CTK-4000 does not have a pitch-wheel but has excellent sounds (and within your budget) and will be right for you if you intend to focus on primarily playing keyboard type of instruments.

HTH