I've had the CTK-7000 for a few months now so some updates/observations for those who might be looking at this keyboard as a potential purchase. Sound from the built in speakers is ok for personal use in a small room - but lacks body and depth without the use of an external amp. Has a stereo line out which means you can go to an amp and listen to the built in speakers simultaneously which is a plus (the sepakers can also be switched off). Haven't figured out the rhythm editor (to make your own backing). I've used Casio's conversion program which converts SMF (.mid) to CKF but it only allows 1 x drum 1 x bass and 3 x chords which is a bit limiting The differences between the normal rhythm (backing) and variation is very slight in many cases which is a disappointment, and the fill-ins are a bit of a non-event. The 4 button rhythm section (Intro, Normal/Fill, Variation/Fill, Ending) means it is difficult to cut over to a variation using a fill-in) The recessed buttons are hard to use - especially while playing. When auto harmony is used at the same time as layering, the auto harmony only applies to the first voice, not to the layered voice While the tones can be edited, there's not much altering you can do to the fundamental sound (unless I haven't found it yet) Compared to my (very) old Yamaha PSR, the strings sound harsh, It's hard to get a rich violin sound too - sounds very thin. I end up using the er-hu voice instead - which is surprisingly useful. The brass is bright. The pipes are ok (oboe, GM bagpipes, Shakuhachi). Piano's are a step up from my old machine, and organs are fine. I wish the board would tell you if you were running on batteries (not when they're low already!) instead of AC power (when you forget to plug it in!!) Playing songs from the SD card - can be really slow getting to songs - you can't directly access a position - you have to scroll though - hint do NOT use the wheel for this - it only goes through a song at a time. Use the up/down buttons which you can hold down The music sheet holder is *very* shallow - I occasionally have sheet music falling down onto my keys while playing. It's also not tall enough to support an A4 page, which can fold over backwards and flip over.... As others have mentioned - once the music sheet holder is in place - it covers up the labels to the rear jacks - so you need to memorise where your headphone jack is etc I am a bit worried that I can see what looks like the back of circuit boards between my keys - if the occasional liquid spill makes its way in.... Overall, I am still happy with the purchase given the price vs functions/features for my purposes. The Y-man
Hi Y-man, You've said it all! I own a WK7500 since a few months, I agree totally with your opinion and find the same pro's and cons. The sound from the build in speakers is very average but I use a small mixer for my 2 keyboards (WK7500 and a PSR2000) and feed the mix into powered speakers. That makes a BIG difference. Yes, for the money it is still a heck of a keyboard. DickR Bali
Bitch bitch bitch ... Bitch bitch bitch ... I remember buying a small 49-key (non-velocity-sensitive) stand-up keyboard in the mid 70's that had only 8 different voices (non-variable), 8 rhythms (non-variable, just tempo) and a mechanical reverb unit (I thought it funny when I opened it up to look inside, it had long springs inside that xmitted the sound from end of the spring's coils to the other, it explained why bumping the keyboard added fun sound FX), a polyphony of 8 notes (you could use all fingers, but not add a thumb), and it cost me over $4,500 .... ON SALE. You people are SO effing spoiled! LOL!!
Actually I had a complaint from the Church members last Sunday that my playing was too loud! Oh well.... must please the audience.... The Y-man
i want to use ctk-7000 as midi player. i have a question. can i browse to SDcard midi file while the ctk-7000 is currently playing midi file so that when the song is finished i am ready to play the next file? it will not be interrupted? unlike the KORG micro arranger it has 2 sequencer player, you can load file to sequencer2 while sequencer1 is playing back midi file.
Unfortunately NO. You need to stop the play, and then search. It is very primitive interface - and even looking for the right song is a pain - because it can only search sequentially. The Y-man
I'm curious how you guys think it compares to the WK 3*** line. The WK3800 contains many of the functions of the WK7500, and you can buy one for about half the price. The 3800 also has the added feature of a full-blown sampler (you can load in sounds you build from WAV files). I also like the contrast of the buttons to the case on the 3800 over the all-black look of the WK7500 (easier to see what you're doing). And, finally, the speakers on the 3800 blow away the 7500. All I can see that the 7500 has over the 3800 is a slightly better sequencer and a digital recorder, but you almost lose more than you gain (since there is no sampler). The 3800 also has a MOD wheel. The 7500 only has a MOD button like the WK3000, WK3200, and WK3300. I've also read that people prefer the old ZPI technology (that was first introduced on the professional MZ2000 workstation ) over the AHL (which is only available on Casio's home and semi-pro keyboards). I have a WK500 and a WK3200, and with headphones I can't detect a whole lot of difference between the sounds, but I've heard that others can. So, my recommendation, don't purchase a 7500. Find an old WK3700 or WK3800. I prefer the slightly older 3700 (even though it has a Smartmedia card instead of SD) because it has REAL MIDI ports...rather than USB. But, I'm an old-school kind of guy.
