Casio VL-1 (1979)

Name: Casio vl-tone
Brand: Casio

A miniature keyboard from 1979 that doubles as a synthesizer, sequencer, and calculator

Overview

The Casio VL-1, often called the VL-Tone, is a miniature keyboard released in 1979. It was one of Casio's first electronic musical instruments. It was sold as an affordable, fun device, and it packed a simple synthesizer, a fully editable sequencer, and a working calculator into one small unit. People treated it as a toy, but the VL-1 picked up a cult following for its lo-fi sound, and musicians took to it. It sold well at its launch price of around $70 and helped establish Casio in the electronic instrument market alongside the PT series.

Specifications

Sound synthesis	simple sound synthesis with only one filtered multipulse wave
Polyphony	monophonic
Features	simple, but fully workable synthesizer, complete with selectable waveforms and editable envelopes
Features	complete editable sequencer into the little box, with realtime recording and step-by-step editing
Features	fully working calculator

Context

The VL-1 was one of Casio's first electronic musical instruments, arriving in the early 1980s as part of a line of products described as "cheap, cheerful, and marketed primarily as toys." Its low price and multifunctional design got it a lot of publicity and made it a smash hit. It sat alongside the PT series and helped pave the way for Casio's later work in digital music technology.

Reception & Use

The VL-1's preset sounds were noted for their "raw, buzzy charm," and the "Fantasy" voice stood out. Artists who found the lo-fi sound musically distinctive picked it up. The Human League sampled it. The German band Trio used it as the lead instrument on "Da Da Da," a major international hit. It is recognized as "one of the most sampled instruments in hip-hop history."

Market

Claims on eBay suggest the VL-1 is rare, but it is not. One source puts it this way: "People on Ebay keep pretending they're rare, which makes me laugh. The VL-1 is everything but ra[re]."