Those swell chaps from my previous post, Starbase109, have been kindly written up their experience of the Casio Mt-400v. Many thanks from myself and all the Casio Lovers out there, and if anyone would like to add to any Casio of the Week posting or to write one up please do! Casio produced an incredibly huge array of keyboards in the 80’s - if enough of us write up our experiences of our casios in the Casio of the Week then my dream will be fulfilled and there will be an online archive of 80’s Casio Keyboards.
Come in Starbase109, we are ready for to receive your data…

Review of the Casio MT-400V by John Collins from Electro duo Starbase 109

Believe it or not, before Starbase was formed, Rohan Adams found an MT-400V abandoned on a railway lane. Just left there to rot and decay. When he took it home and dried it out and plugged it in it Worked!!!!!! So there you have it MT-400vs are as tough as old boots.

Read on…

Rohan at the time was using his battered old MT-400v for his comedy act at the Britons Protection in Manchester. I wanted one because it brought back good memories of my first ever keyboard the MT 68.

So I looked in the Loot adds paper and saw this add for a Casio not knowing what it was I drove over to check it out. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was an MT-400v in perfect condition, box, manual, everything. I bought it for £15.00, bargin.

What makes the MT-400V so different is the way the preset sounds can be changed with the on board filter control. If you have WAW on, you can get some great sweeping effects that sound amazing for live solos riffs and melody lines. Iv’e used this on alot of our songs. Try getting the same sound on any other keyboard is impossible.
I also like the reverb effect and the delayed vibrato.

I love sampling the original accomp bass sounds and sequencing it on my Akai MPC200XL. I used this on song called Vacuume Cleaner about the mundane chores of domestic home life.

One thing iv’e not done is sample a drum loop from it yet. Would sound great with the filter effect/chorus all different possibilties.

If you play the bass and chord accomp together without it playing the rhythm and put it somewhere in a tune it sounds really retro. So different to the synths you hear every day.

I think the appearance is great if you like retro type things like myself.

If you are in desperate need of a Casio MT-400V try looking on the railway line or in a skip.

All the best John Collins/Krayon (Starbase109)