CASiO RZ-1 KONTAKT

DiSCOVER | 22 March 2015 | 4 MB

Continuing our obsession with 80s low-bit-rate sampling gear, let’s introduce the big grey slab that is the RZ-1. Casio’s built-like-a-brick RZ-1 was one of the early brigade of sampling drum machines, offering twelve onboard PCM sounds plus the opportunity for the user to sample their own sounds to four assignable pads. Admittedly, these pads only offered 0.2 seconds of sampling each, but there was the cool option of chaining all that sample memory together to get one, single, massive 0.8-second burst of sound. Bitchin’! All right, the sampling time was pretty limited. But the sonic specs were better: 20kHz sampling frequency, which at least let some top end through, plus a fader-bank to allow you to balance the sounds, and a decent onboard sequencer to chain patterns together. The RZ-1 has a sonic signature all of its own: very brisk and crisp, with enough grit to slam through a mix but an undeniably lo-fi tone to its kit which has made it something of a cult hit among Hip Hop and House producers.