CasioCasio SA-46 -Key Portable Keyboard

The media could not be loaded. I've been recording and writing music since 1984, Currently, I mainly write commercial licensed music under BMI, Inc. I play many instruments, but my main instrument is synthesizer, and also the instrument that I have played the longest.I actually played the very first CASIO keyboards when they came out in the early to mid 1980 from the very small Casio VL-1 to the Casio MT-100 . I wanted a Casio keyboard that was very basic like the old Casio MT-100 that I had way back when. So I found this Casio SA-46, and bought it.I have posted a sound clip video in my post here in regards to what the keyboard sounds like, and it should show the awesome capability of this instrument. If your a parent and your Son or Daughter wants to play a synthesizer, buy this first before investing in a large keyboard.If You or some one you know, is looking for a keyboard to add some "color" to their songs, in regards to layering.. this keyboard is awesome. I think it is FM synthesis with some PCM recorded sounds also mixed in.If you have this keyboard, or are getting it, check out these tone (sound) presets (this is what I call them, and they are very close)Tone preset 12: Hammond b3 Organ (Sounds like "Love Song" - by "The Cure")Tone preset: 00 PianoTone preset 14: Fast Leslie sounding organTone preset 08: vibraphoneTone preset: 09 xylophone ( You can play the Peppa Pig theme song... brilliant)Tone preset: 29 thru 32 BassTone preset: 41 synthsTone preset:42 synth slow attackTone preset: 45 orchestra hit (sounds like a few 1990's songs)Tone preset: 46 trumpet (This is one of the original Casio tone presents - "I'm not the one" by The Cars uses this one)Tone preset:50: french hornTone preset::51 Hard Brass - (Play the theme song from "Rocky")I hope that was useful to some of you out there, that are thinking about buying this. Also to note, this is the only keyboard in the low price range that as a "head phone jack" that is 1/8 size, not 1/4// but regardless.. you can buy a 1/8 male to 1/8 male cable here on Amazon to record this into your mic jack on your computer, or you can buy a 1/8 male to 1/4 male cable to hook this up to an amplifier. - Tom

As a studio musician, I have owned and tried more than a few electronic keyboards. Some are beautiful works of art, some have excellent sound, and most boggle the mind with functions and features 99% of people will never use.The Casio SA-46 combines a few features and functions into an attractive and insanely-bargain-priced package. You really get a lot for under $40 US:1. Battery-powered, go anywhere keyboard. Works for weeks on 6 AA batteries (not included).2. Nice, functional drum pads.3. 100 Tones. Are all of them accurate? NO. Are all of them useful? NO. But all the important ones are there, and enough optional tones are included to make it a useful and fun assortment.4. 50 Patterns. All the ones you can really use every day are included. By varying tempo, you can easily make some patterns more useful.5. Song Bank. It is what it is. You will probably not use it too often.This is a musical box built for fun and it accomplishes the goal easily. Anyone from age 5 to 100 will find hours of fun here for a very little price.If you are a more serious musician, and have goals of producing music, it can easily be done with the Casio SA-46 and a free audio program like Audacity. Build a song from multiple, separately-recorded tracks you perform and record using the audio output jack on your keyboard and the microphone input jack on your PC.If you get really motivated or want to use the SA-46 for live performance, I recommend the addition of a Looper Box and battery-operated speaker. You can easily use the stomp box button to record a a basic track and overdub a new track on top of the first one, etc. You can then perform the melody on the keyboard or even sing while your tracks loop and play on your speaker. A basic battery-powered Looper box with unlimited overdubs and 10-15 minutes of loop available is about $45 here on Amazon.Hope this review helps you to understand how fun this SA-46 really can be if you take a little time to practice with it.

My daughter recently began showing interest in playing my stepson's humongous keyboard but of course he doesn't always want her in his room pounding out hits, so I wanted to get her one of her own for her birthday. I had read really good reviews about this particular keyboard, and that is why I bought it, based on the great feedback. So in turn, I'd like to leave my positive feedback for this product as well. For starters, I have only heard good things so far about Casio as a keyboard brand in general. My daughter opened it and she loves it (she's 8), and it fits her perfectly. It has a lot of fund buttons that keep her entertained, and the sound quality of the keys is great. I especially love that it has such a simple to find volume control =) so that she can turn it down and not drive everyone else crazy with her quirky taste in keyboarding! I would definitely recommend this for other parents looking for a fun, entertaining gift for a child around my daughter's age. She is actually pretty picky about what she wants to play with and she's been dragging this keyboard around for the last couple of days since she got it. So if my baby is happy, then I am happy, and I would much rather her be playing a keyboard than a video game or being a couch potato. One happy kid = one happy mom =two thumbs up for this product.