REQ: Rhythmic Robot Audio Casio HT-6000 Reimagined KONTAKT
PRODUCT OVERVIEW Casio’s uniquely powerful early-digital synthesiser 3 digiwave oscillators with complex, involving waveforms, each with its own modulation and envelope controls 80 factory patches plus instant patch creation with the Glitch button Truly unusual sound palette – grainier and airier than FM or LA Shifting, morphing soundscapes a speciality! Released in 1987, the HT-6000 came just as Casio was making a determined effort to carve out a swathe of the pro audio market. Machines like the CZ-1 phase distortion synth had already staked a claim, suggesting that Casio needn’t just be known for home keyboards; the follow-up FZ-1 sampler was a real eye-opener, offering 16-bit sampling at a shocking low price. Clearly Casio had serious designs on studio space – which makes the arrival of the HT-6000 all the more confusing. On the one hand, it boasted some truly impressive on-paper spec: four digital oscillators each capable of generating 32 different waveforms, plus analogue filters and decent modulation capabilities. On the other hand, it had built-in speakers and an overall vibe that uncertainly straddled the line between studio synth and home keyboard. Probably as a direct result of this, it failed to make a significant mark in either arena, and now remains something of a cult keyboard – largely forgotten, and all but buried under a landslide of DX7s and D50s.