Instrument Review - Suzuki Keyman PK-37

What happens when you are a fledgling Italian synthesizer and keyboard manufacturer?  Whore out your manufacturing and capabilities for other companies, and in this instant Siel built a keyboard for Japanese company Suzuki Corporation, not to be confused with Suzuki Motor Corporation.  While not rare, these keyboards can be somewhat uncommon with the PK-37 being on the lower end and this particular instrument has some interesting aspects but nothing too impressive.

Build

This keyboard probably has the quality expectations of a lower end keyboard but does contain some interesting aspects.  While this instrument can probably be considered a toy or introductory learning device, as evidenced by the presence of a "Demo Song" button, it does feature full-sized keys that, much like the other Italian synthesizers I have come across, have spring mechanisms for the keys which provide for a better feel.  The buttons can seem finicky.  Their odd shape and construction can sometimes cause the functions to not fully engage or cause a stutter when depressing.  The 4 volume and tempo potentiometers can also be a bit scratchy.

Cosmetics

Slanted buttons and knobs, color coordinated from light orange to red (and blue), minimally spaced with a place to hold sheet music.  This keyboard looks exactly like what someone would think a entry level home keyboard from the eighties would look like.  The button layout is interesting and somewhat appealing but can be distracting since the accompanying text is also at an angle so it takes a little bit to get used to reading with your head turned sideways, but this isn't as terrible as it may sound.

Sound

What is there to say?

The sound is basic.  The instruments have that early in-name-only nomenclature because they barely sound like Pianos or Clarinets, but they do have somewhat nice sounds, slightly different from a Casio or Yamaha.  While definitely dated they are simple and clearly understandable.  The real shining aspect of this keyboard are the analog rhythms.  The accompaniment is pleasant and not overproduced and the arpeggio is simple but depending on how many keys are depressed can sometimes sound too busy at faster tempos.  There does appear to be an occasional hum and minor noise that emanates from time to time but when plugged in directly using the 1/8" audio jack some well-rounded sounds that are not extremely tinny can be produced.  

There are plenty of single-key chord options depending on which keys are depressed and the synchronization button can provide a little bit of expression by giving you some percussive control, like playing a hit or breaking up the rhythm.  The accompaniment and arpeggio also change as soon as a different note is played and not at the end of the measure.  With practice this can provide for some pleasant variations.

Features

What features?

This keyboard has basic volume control for the various parts (rhythm, accompaniment, and main voice), tempo control,  Arpeggio, an bass and chord variation, a counter melody, and sustain (excluded on the "celeste" voice because, per the manual, it has "automatical" sustain).

The two interesting features on this keyboard are located on the back.  There is an 1/8" jack on the back marked "SERIAL IN-OUT" that allows for hookup to a compatible keyboard or computer (Commodore 64 or SX-64).  This pretty much acts as a MIDI port and transmits at the astonishingly fast signal of 2400 baud.  There is a "TR-RC" switch, which identifies whether the keyboard will receive or send signals, like a MIDI IN/OUT port.

The second amazing feature is the demo song, which is stored in the keyboard and can be recalled at anytime (unless connected to a computer).  You can even add accompaniment or change the instrument in which it plays.

Overall

The keyword for the Keyman is "simple."  This is a no frills beginner keyboard with nice analog rhythms and early home keyboard sounds than this is your instrument.  They can be found relatively cheap online (between $0.01 and $100) and if so desired can be used as a controller for music software on 30-year-old computers or for circuit bending (the casing has ample room for modifications, both inside and out.

Instrument Review - Bontempi AZ-9000

The Bontempi AZ-9000 is an electronic keyboard dating back to the mid-eighties from Italian organ manufacturer Bontempi.  I could find little information regarding this instrument except a couple circuit bending videos and images of other models in the AZ series, which much like the X series featured similar looking keyboards but with diminishing features the lower the number of the keyboard.  Much like the X-451, I couldn't find much about this keyboard but was drawn to it because it seemed to be the top-of-the-line of that particular series and because of a few intriguing features that I had not really seen or that appeared to be uncommon in a synthesizer from that era.

Because I am not a trained pianist, have limited technical skill regarding the electronics, and am not the greatest reviewer in the world, I will attempt to offer a simple review of this synthesizer and hope that it helps build a better resource for these musical gems from the early days of home keyboarding.

Build

The build of this synthesizer seems to be quiet good.  Considering Bontempis are known for their cheap sounds similar to that of a Casio, I was assuming the worst when I got this thing.  When I received the package I was surprised by the weight of the keyboard and would probably place it upwards of ten to fifteen pounds.  Even the key construction surprised me - it had spring mechanisms much like the fellow Italian synth maker Siel.

The speakers were of good quality and there was foam surrounding the speakers inside which was nice because the keyboard could achieve rather loud sounds clearly and without causing any unnecessary sounds, such as rattling from the plastic like that experienced with the Seiko DS-202.  Even the buttons and sliders seem pretty sturdy.  The various buttons don't wiggle or move except in the direction they were intended to go, which is down.

There were some issues but I would attribute them mostly due to age.  For instance, a couple of the housings for the screws would break off at the base when attempting to unscrew and open the keyboard.  This is an easy enough fix and would probably require a bit of caution proceeding in the future.

Also, not quite sure if this is the norm of synthesizer and home keyboard construction of the early and mid eighties (all keyboards I have taken apart point to "no"), but I had noticed that the various boards run underneath the keyboard so to see the fully requires removal of the keyboard.  All other keyboards I have seen typically had any circuitry above the keyboard.

Cosmetic

The appearance of this keyboard is nothing special.  The casing is a kind of dark gray color.  The color-coded buttons are nicely arranged and easy to identify purpose and use and provide a kind of uniformity but they are not that stylistic, like say a futuristic and sleek Bontempi Prof organ.  

I have also noticed that other versions of this keyboard feature a different font.  While this one has strange (and kind of cheap-looking) block lettering that was undoubtedly chosen to push the digital nature of this keyboard, other versions had equally cheap-looking italics.

Sound

What can I say about the sound?

This is a keyboard from the eighties that promotes its use of PCM sounds.  While this presented the user with more "realistic" sounds and was a departure from analog, to someone who is using the keyboard after thirty years the sounds appear to be dated and when compared with PCM Casios or Yamahas, they kind of still sound more like their analog counterparts, and it might actually still be analog sounds since the only location that identifies as PCM is the rhythm section.  If you are a fan of that kind of sound, then you may not be totally displeased with this synthesizer.  In addition to to the "digital sampled" section that provides various instruments, the keyboard also offers a "digital synth" section that allows some parameters to be altered.

The keyboard also offers a nice assortment of chorus effects, such as "orchestra," "accomp," and "fast," as well as vibrato and sustain giving the limited number of voices some variance.

Along with the main sound there are also "accompaniment" and "bass" sounds that play with the rhythm and when compared to older (presumably) synths like the X-451 they were kind of underwhelming.

As for rhythm, it is your typical PCM fare.  The rhythms are punchy and not too overproduced like many Casio rhythms and I think play nicely with the various tones.  

Features

This is where the keyboard might be worth buying - the oddball features that Bontempi added.

For one, while this allows for a DC 12V input using a generic power supply, this keyboard also uses the same proprietary power supply found on other Bontempis, like the X-451.  There are either direct plug-in versions of this power supply or ones that are battery compartments.  Either way it is an interesting feature, but also somewhat redundant.

This keyboard is also MIDI compatible, with several buttons appearing to have multiple functions, although I am uncertain as to how the MIDI capabilities are activated or operated.  The words "MIDI mode" appear beneath a selector button but it is unclear just how this relates to the MIDI controls other than sharing the same color lettering.

In addition to the things like audio outputs and the ability to plug in foot pedals, the most interesting feature on this keyboard is the "digital synth" capabilities.  While these features are by no means a complex synthesis engine, they offer some versatility to an otherwise generic mid-eighties PCM keyboard.

The "digital synth" options allow for a user to select one of four envelopes, up to two of four different waves (2 square, 1 triangle, 1 sine), 4 different mixes of the waves (20/80, 40/60, 60/40, and 80/20), and the ability to select 2 different sounds to make a "custom program," which can also include the 16 different "digital sampled" orchestra sounds.  This may also provide for some prime circuit-bending opportunities being that these are functions that already exist that alter the sound (along with the various chorus effects).  While you may not get some fat bass sounds or sweeping pads from this basic synthesizer you might be able to get some nice accompaniment sounds or when processed some interesting leads.  I personally like this sound more-so than early Yamaha home keyboards, more particularly synths like the PSS-570, which offered a good amount of variation.  I find these Bontempi tones to be of a more personal nature.

Overall

Overall this is a nice basic keyboard with generic PCM rhythms.  It offers some interesting features that place it slightly above some of its competitors from the same time.  The most surprising aspect of this keyboard is the quality of the construction.  Considering the type of instrument and the reputation of the company as being cheap, I expected lightweight plastic, simple circuit boards, and poor key mechanisms, like the solid bendable plastic of some inexpensive Casio models.