A Stupid Song for the Casio VL-5

Published on Aug 12, 2013 stexe·79 videos

"Da-Da-Dumb. A stupid song for a stupid instrument, the Casio VL-5.

It has a great rhythm section, and four-note polyphony. But there's a selection of only ten toylike patches. Selecting the patches and rhythm patterns is a convoluted process involving pushbuttons and a two-way toggle switch. There are no indicator lights, just a faint LCD display no larger than a watch face, so it's easily left on, expending the batteries. The chiclet keyboard is nearly unplayable. And despite its tiny size, I weighed it in at six pounds, seven ounces. That's with batteries, but without the pen.

Yes, the optical Scanner Pen, technological wonder of the 80's, destined to change musical creativity forever after. The keyboard includes a "songbook" (pictured), with a handful of tunes you can load into the VL's sequencer by scanning about 20 lines of code (ten each for pitch and note interval). I still can't get it to import an entire song successfully, and why should I bother? Technically it's RAM, but it's no more than a few unmodifiable, auto playing sequences. For this reason above all others, I declare the Casio VL-5 to be the Mostest Stupidest Keyboard that Ever Smelled.

Trio did Use a Casio VL rhythm in "Da Da Da", but it was the VL-1. Same sound, slightly different pattern."