UVI launches Vintage Casio Legacy – with six software versions of classic Casio synths

UVI has unveiled its new VST suite Vintage Casio Legacy, offering software versions of six classic Casio synthesizers.

As UVI explains, in the landscape of the early ’80s, many synths on the market boasted premium price tags, putting them out of reach of many would-be players. “Casio took a different path,” the brand says, specialising in more affordable digital synths, like the now-iconic CZ range.

Now, with UVI’s new Vintage Casio Legacy pack, producers can access the early digital synths that inspired a wave of burgeoning electronic music makers some four decades ago.

The package includes software versions of six classic Casio machines, and, of course, is Casio approved.

As such, in developing the plugins, UVI had access to the original Casio hardware and recorded them in multiple sessions to capture their unique characteristics, like tonal variations, voicing, and signal path colour, on top of the faithful sound.

Here is the lineup of synths included in the package:

• CZ, which is based on the flagship CZ-1 that’s known for its phase distortion.
• FZ, the popular 16-bit sampler.
• VZ, the interactive phase distortion.
• HZ, based on the spectrum dynamic synthesis of the HZ-600.
• CTK, modelled after the Integrated Cross-Sound Architecture (iXA) from the rare CTK-1000.
• RZ drum engine, inspired by the RZ-1, and also featuring additional Casio-sourced material.

On top of the individual machines, all six of them can be combined with Multi mode into one workstation. Plus, UVI has added contemporary features to the old school machines via sound-shaping tools, performance controls, and hundreds of presets.

Vintage Casio Legacy is available now, priced at €199. Head to UVI to learn more.

Harry Levin is a freelance journalist with credits in SPIN, Billboard, MusicTech, Grammy.com, Los Angeles Magazine, and more. His musical journey began 20 years ago with a Led Zeppelin CD. He played jazz trombone through college, produced large-scale electronic music events, and now spends his professional time writing and editing.