The Casio VZ10M:
An Overrated Underrated Synthesizer

I bought a VZ10M used on eBay a few months ago. I was on a brief buying spree thanks to a cash windfall and it was one of half a dozen rack units I picked up at the time.

I wanted one because it was the most powerful of the Casio line and I had seen people raving about how awesome and underrated it was on various review sites and message boards. I hadn’t any real experience with a phase distortion synthesizer. When it arrived I tinkered with a handful of the presets and thought “Ho-hum, dated FM, I guess I’ll have to dig into programming to get anything useful,” and moved on to other toys, intending to come back to it later.

When I tried the RPM Challenge, which involves composing a whole CD of songs during the month of February, I pulled out all of my underused toys for ideas and inspiration.

When the VZ10M’s turn came, the first thing I did was work through all 128 of the programs. Some of these were the factory programs and some were probably created by a previous user. When I work through presets normally I play a few things and listen for any hints that there are building blocks inside the synth that I can use and tweak to get the sounds I’m looking for.

In playing with the presets I discovered a few things. The patches were extremely heavy on what I call “bland FM”. That category includes things like electric pianos (which I despise), lifeless pads, pseudo-synth strings with very little timbre or character, high-pitched bell-like tones, electronic brass, basses, and various klunks and plonks.

I have or have owned quite a few FM synthesizers (a close cousin of iPD synthesis). The VZ10M was being compared to the FS1r, TX81Z, FB-01, DX7, TX802, TG-77, DS-8, and TG-33 units. Compared to the Yamaha TX81Z, almost all the patches lacked some edge and brightness. The only real potential I saw was in the unit was for basses and “weird noises”. The saw waveforms were good, but didn’t sound very suitable for leads because they lacked an edge. It would be like trying to cut down a tree with a butter knife.

Maybe a more dedicated programmer or someone with an actual physical manual would be able to get farther, but all I managed to do was give up in frustration.

I sat down to program the thing, and without a manual all I could do was fumble around and mash buttons blindly for a bit. I managed to find a copy of the book “Power Play VZ” online (try Yahoo groups and search for Casio CZ) and it had a little bit of useful information, but for all my tinkering I really had a hard time coming up with any sounds that I liked. Maybe a more dedicated programmer or someone with an actual physical manual would be able to get farther, but all I managed to do was give up in frustration. Synthesizers like the VZ10M are why software has become so popular.

This might be a great synth for someone with a lot of patience. I, however, have very little patience for the thing knowing that I have access to a lot better and easier-to-obtain sounds from the Yamaha FM line.

Like many rack units, it is practically indestructible. It has the added advantage of not having any knobs that jut out from the control panel just waiting to be bent or broken on a bad day. The rack ears, which are thicker and more solid than on most units, actually stick out farther than any of the buttons. Give the thing the beating it deserves. I doubt it will notice. In fact, tour with it, and when one of your bandmates bets you 20 bucks you won’t throw it off of a bridge, make sure you win that bet.

The VZ10M has found itself evicted thanks to my love-hate relationship with eBay. May it never darken my doorstep or waste my time again.

Sound: 4
Features: 6
Versatility: 5
Simplicity: 2
Playability: 4
Reliability: 9
Control: 7
Class: 2

-Xangis