Casio FZ-1

The FZ-1 was Casio's first serious run at professional sampling. It was a 16-bit digital sampler keyboard, and it arrived in 1987. Casio was better known then for affordable home keyboards and the CZ series of phase-distortion synths, so this was a bold move. The UK launch price was £1,899 RRP. Studio Sound (July 1987, p.62) noted that this was the first time £1,900 or less bought a keyboard with 16-bit sampling resolution.

The FZ-1 had a built-in graphic LCD for on-board waveform editing, a built-in floppy disk drive, and a keyboard with six-voice polyphony. A year after its introduction, Casio's own advertising in Mix magazine (September 1988, p.140) boasted that third-party developers including Digi Design, Sampleware, and Livewire Audio had created over 150 sound disks for it. The same ad campaign announced the FZ-10M, a rack-mount version of the same sampler engine.

Known specs:

- 16-bit linear sampling

- Keyboard

- 6-voice polyphony

- Built-in graphic LCD for waveform editing

- Built-in floppy disk drive

- UK launch price: £1,899

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