Amstrad Fidelity CKX100 - Full Review
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- Опубликовано: 31 июл 2024
- The CKX100 is a small keyboard with 49 keys, 8 note polyphony, 10 voices, 28 rhythms, 7 demos, vibrato, sustain, auto harmony, playright mode and a simple recorder. It also has MIDI out and a tape interface. It was released in 1988.
Support this channel and buy a song or album on Bandcamp: keenonkeys.bandcamp.com
0:00 Intro
0:11 Overview
1:54 Amstrad History
3:31 A Look Inside
6:05 Sounds
10:35 Rhythms
15:47 Auto Harmony
17:28 Demos
18:48 Playright Mode
22:11 Recorder
23:25 Tape Interface
26:05 MIDI
27:39 Conclusion
28:57 Final Performance
Listen to some tracks on Soundcloud:
/ user-229361059 
Видеоклипы
my mom has this keyboard as she was child. now its mine and i love it so so much
I don't know how I managed to survive without this channel
"A mug's eyeful." Alan Michael Sugar.
The final performance is an absolute masterpiece ✨
i always love the production and quality of your videos. i clicked as soon as i saw the notification.
Ah, so you did add it to the list! Great review, super-detailed as always.
Dude i was waiting for this video!
I always come back to this video because I love the final performance. Indeed I made my máximum effort to play it. Thank you keen on keys :)
The KOK Song in the end of the video is just WOW!!! Stunning Performance- Great Work
I loved the sounds on this thing... im getting one asap
Love the video. Just wanted to thank you for covering the Yamaha PSS-A50. I got one on your recommendation and I couldn’t be happier! Cheers!
Cool Keen, You Are Amazing!
This is very good review. Thank You very much 🙂
That ending sequence was fantastic. 😍🤯
Beautiful 😍 thanks for this video
In 18:12, the ABBA song that plays here is "Money, Money, Money" for those who are wondering
great job as always KOK! interesting how these almost 4--decades old keyboard instruments (and even quite a number of older ones from the 1970s or 1960s) still look so charming and modern after such a long time, don't you agree? they're quite a sighte to behold and enjoy the art and craft put into making them ...
I've been looking forward to this review. For an Amstrad product it's surprisingly high quality.
Except for the organone finger chord sound
what do you mean, amstrad computers were awesome
Surprisingly it has some usable sounds!
18:35 This is why I watch this channel
This was my first keyboard in the 80s! Thanks for reminding me 👏🏼
Great sounds 👾
3:32 - Oh dear. That is a strong first song. That bassy, slightly rough chord integrates so well into a Keen melody I did not expect it!
Your first-look songs are usually some of the best, but this is the best one yet, on par with MT-41’s reggae rendition. I’m in love.
Speaking of being in love, is 6:51 a reference to something? That is one of the sickest sequences of chords I’ve heard in a while!
No, that's nothing special, I just wanted to have something were both hands move in opposite directions.
Maybe it is just me, but I had trouble hearing you explain the electronics because the music was a bit loud. Otherwise, the quality of this videos is astonishing! Good work!!
This keyboard has a lot of untapped potential, it's a very fun little keyboard no doubt.
It will just be something armstrad had thrown together . I'm glad you managed to get a decent tune out of it. In the 80s I used to repair armstrad "hifi" systems , they weren't great
8:05 That flute sounds really nice, like a mellow organ
I love that "guitar" sound, absolutely nothing like a guitar, but its absolutely asking for some Karl Finlow action, reminds me of "Anomaly".
damn this sounds great !
This keyboard looks very, very eighties :-)
I just get one, brand as new in his box :) love the guitar sound !
The tape data storage signal sounded like a ZX Spectrum format. Maybe you can use one of the many Spectrum tape manipulation utilities to fiddle with it.
if i'm not mistaken, Amstrad also bought the Sinclair and produced at least one Sinclair/Amstrad computer too ... (or was it the other way around: Sinclair bought Amstrad?) :-)
@@dadautube Amstrad definitely bought Sinclair, rather than the other way around.
@@dadautube it was definitely Amstrad bought Sinclair, mainly because Sinclair was in serious financial trouble after the QL computer and C5 electric trike disasters.
wow this is on my wishlist now, having Midi out
The sounds are very synthetic and simple sounding on this keyboard. Nearly "chiptune" sounding. I think this would be a great choice for retrowave music.
Thanks sir.... Little amazing
Awesome keyboard
Keen - are you familiar with the band Optangonally Yours ? I think you would like them.
Thanks for the recommendation!
I owned one of these when I was a teenager and I think it actively made me worse at playing keys. My parents made me take it home with me this weekend so I thought I should investigate it on youtube. This is a terrific review of this endearingly rubbish keyboard - glad I found it!
Man I'm early! Nice!
Well if that wasn't a big pile of lemons waiting to be squeezed! Fascinating as always~!
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...wow... lookit all the pro-tubers taking notice! Simon the Magpie? Fergosh sakes, don't let him anywhere near your Yamamha Keytar!
The angled button/controls layout reminds me of the E-MU Emax/Emax II.
That's nice :)
2:44 Anyone know where I can find that image of the catalogue cover? I really like it.
Never before have I seen an AC Adaptor with a polarity switch on it, what a great idea, I always struggled with changing the polarity on those plugs, where you had to pull the plug off the cord and turn it around and then put it back on to change the polarity. Since I'm legally blind, I always found it hard to see the polarity markings on the plug tips.
I mean, from a technical standpoint, this keyboard is hopeless, but it does sound... kind of good, I guess? Especially on multitrack! It has it's charm. Also, I noted the weirdly shaped/angled PCB. That's pretty rare for stuff from any time at any price point.
Talking about MIDI, do you have .mid version of your intro melody? I would love to try it with some soundfonts.
Remind me of the omnichord principle, Nice :)
Does anyone know how to play the individual drum sounds, as pictured on the lowest keys? I just bought one of these to sample the internal rhythms, but mine didn't come with a manual either 🤔
Hmm, given that fat EEPROM sitting right next to the cpu, I'd be tempted to fix some of these issues in firmware...
Amazing review and music, you are making me want to pick up a cheap synth and start toying with them.
Exactly what I'm doing with my Keytek CTS-5000 right now. Though I will say decompiling the firmware is a big, big task haha
I want one!!!
You plan to get the exclusive Elta KE-491 (MIDI Out capable) keyboard?
It is very exclusive indeed, I haven't seen one so far.
I like this kind of keyboards. It's a pity we don't see more auto-arranging features in today's keyboards.
Most manufacturers have auto arranging keyboards, from Korg and Roland, to Casio, Kurzweill, and of course Yamaha (from $300 PSR keyboards, up to $4000 Genos models)
And Medeli, and other less expensive Chinese companies, have some that aren't quite up to the top of the line in 2023... but you sometimes can find "classic" old patterns on those
does anyone have a good recording of the last demo song? There's a video of demo songs from this keyboard but the last one isn't in there and it's the one I want to listen to the most.
What a distinctive sound the Amstrad has, easily recognisable. Interesting that this uses an HD63 cpu. That is similar to the one used in the PSS-100. 64 pins vs 70 pins, but its possible they are both the same CPU cut from the same die and just connected/packaged into 64 and 70 pin variants, depending on features required. If you were curious, you could compare pin-outs for both. Both require external memory too. ;)
The micrcontroller is actually HItachi HD630 series. Available in different configurations, depending on how many I/Os needed, clock speed, some with internal ROM options, etc. I believe the HD630 is software compatible with Motorola 6800 8-bit processor.
Synth 2 - low octaves without vibrato and sustain could be used for main melody in Depeche Mode - Behind the Wheel song, album version.
Love it ! What camera do you use?
Lumix G70
Reminded me of Bizarre Love Triangle at the end.
21:52 "and hopefully it will make him turn off the mode and try to play right" xD brilliant
Listening to the demo of this keyboard makes me want to play 8 bit & 16 bit video games, and I don’t even play video games.
The studio 100 4 track !😀
I think I had that Amstrad Studio 100.
Can you say please, what power supply it's need exactly, what's mean negative polarity? Does it mean that plus - outside an minus - inside? Thank you!
Yes, exactly.
16:45 groovy
9:30 Harpso and Organ are the most usable sounds there I'd say. Too many of the others have too much sustain and don't really sound like what they're supposed to at all.
This keyboard actually sounds good, why do I remember it sounding really basic when I looked it up years ago?
I got two of these :)
@Marcangelus I am the market!
Lovely 'mugs eyeful' as the sugar would say :)
My friend? Can you tell me if I can get ahold of that custom sequence you did during the sequencer portion of this video? Not only do I really like it, it seems to be similar to a tune I came up with as a teen but in a different root chord and key. Usually I can find songs like this as play listed songs from the keyboardist featuring their toys, but I do not think I have ever seen such a play list from you. Ya play really well and really fast like I like so maybe share the wealth? Please? Pretty piano key please?
I do not know exactly what you mean. Playlist? You mean the sheet music? That doesn't exist, it was just an improvisation.
@@KeenOnKeys No, I was thinking maybe you had your improvisations and other music on sound cloud or youtube like Espen Kraft, Anders Jensen, Audio Pilz, Dr Mix and Simon the Magpie. I do like your improvisations!
@@pianokeyjoe I got a Soundcloud and Bandcamp site (links in the video description) were you can find a lot of music made with the keyboards I've reviewed. Not the particular bit you were asking for, but a couple of tracks made with each keyboard.
@@KeenOnKeys Thankyou! I am on your channel in soundcloud now. Great stuff!
What is the music form "Flute" sound at 8:10?
I improvised that. It doesn't have a name yet.
The demo song at the end of this is pretty rinsing. Have you uploaded it as a standalone video, for when I want to play it at a party without 28 minutes of keyboard demo attached?
You can listen to it at Bandcamp: keenonkeys.bandcamp.com/album/amstrad-fidelity-ckx100
For once I don't fully agree. The playright mode is great - if, just like me, you can't play very well (which is obviously not your case), it's a simple way to find & play arrangments. Sure, you can't play everything, but at least, live, you can't make mistakes! (I'm a bass player & sometimes switch to synth).
More & more master keyboards now have a scale quantize & a chord mode. Hopefully soon they'll use this more raffinate mode.
btw I wish you would have done this video a month earlier. I lost hours understanding what you explain here :)
Haha, the manual is missing... I mean how complicated is it?!
I find it amusing the guitar voice sounds more like a piano then the actual piano voice.
I have the manual at home!
Is there something in it that I haven't figured out?
@@KeenOnKeys i have never read it 😂
@@KeenOnKeys but i thought there were functions that were a bit obscure
You should get your hands on a Kawai fs Siri‘s keyboard. Interesting things.
12:42 sounds very sonic the hedgehog
That's why the Keytek CTS2000 sounds so awful, it has the sound generator of a cheap keyboard :-D
samples have no soul. will you present mighty Casio KX-101 in the future?
Probably not. Hard to find and way too expensive.
@@KeenOnKeys we all know that youtubers have milions daily. don't be a sissy. also you are a talented square wave composer and not afraid to dig and exploit glitches. any history about chiptunes?
This was a good kind review of the worst junk. No midi in? It's the equivalent of those 'nicks' trainers when you wanted some Adidas. Amstrad was absolutely awful quality across the board.😎❤️👍I'm surprised matsui never made keyboards as they were actually good!
There wasn't any keyboards sold under Matsui house-brand, however in the late 80s Dixons did a couple of keyboards under their Saisho house-brand, like the Saisho Pro Synth made in Hong Kong. Matsui was originally a Currys house-brand, and Dixons bought out Currys.
is this a keyboard for children or do you have giant hands?
it maybe limited but its differnt from those horrible casio tone bank keyboards( such as the sa20 ) which had pointless "accompaniments" and crappy samples- i dismissed this keyboard as a kid as amstrad ususally made crap ! but id have been a happy with it i had a pss 100 too which i hated everything sounded the same!
Sounds like toy version of PPG Wave...
Having this in the 80 s would have been ....wow..
I guess i will buy a pss a50 awful keyboard
the fact that it achieves everything achieved in the most awkward and/or half-baked way as possible is so, so very amstrad. trying to sell you on their expensive special datacorder cable; doubly so.
Cheesy af. Only 10 voices and first time I see more rhythms than voices. Cheapy feeling keys. Weird selection methods.
I instantly bought my own on auction site.
Just a rip-off copy brand, everything was utter junk
Not this synth, afaik
And yet, look at the amazing things you can do within those limits! That's the full awesomeness that is KEEN and what he has to show you - that music can be beautiful and complex, fun and original even if you are constrained by boundaries. Your only true limit is your talent and if you're inventive and creative enough, you can even overcome that.
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Best part: instructions included!