CASIO CZ 230 S

If you thought you couldn't take up synthesizer until you first picked up a degree in computer science, you've got to get your hands on a Casio CZ-230S.

The time-consuming task of programming sounds that most synthesizers require is simply not part of its program.

Casio's unique PD. sound source provides you with 100 preprogrammed sounds of exceptional, professional quality simply by pushing a few buttons.

And does it have rhythm—20 preset patterns, plus an almost infinite number of patterns you can create by choosing from the 12 PCM tones and 100 PD tones.

These can be stored independently in one of the 10 rhythm banks.

In addition, the 230S has a song memory which can hold up to 199 measures.

As you would expect from Casio, there's more: MIDI in, out and thru are built in for system-building versatility.

It's multi-timbral. A pitch bender and portamento are included to create a wide variety of effects. And anon-board speaker (almost unheard of in a synthesizer) makes taking the CZ-230S around as easy as it is to take it up.

But then again, perhaps the easiest thing to take about it is its low price.

If you'd rather play around with a keyboard than a computer, test play a Casio CZ-230S—the synthesizer you don't need a master's degree in science to master.