Arturia CZ V – Phase Distortion Synthesizer Virtual Instrument (VST/AU/AAX) Arturia

CZ V is a software reimagining of Casio’s® CZ-1 and CZ-101 synthesizers, designed as a response to the FM instruments of the ‘80s. Explore the distinctly malleable sounds of phase distortion synthesis, reshaped with cutting-edge plugin flexibility.

Features:

• Two synthesis lines and independent noise source
• All CZ-101/CZ-1000 original parameters
• 8 original waveform and custom waveform editor
• Original CZ SysEx import
• CZ, DADSR and Multi-Segments envelopes (syncable and loopable) to control pitch, DCW and amplitude
• 2 Modulation envelopes
• 4 assignable macros
• Advanced modulation matrix
• A Sample and Hold module, 2 LFOs with 6 waveforms, 3 sources combinators and an Arpeggiator
• 4 FXs slots that can be routed in serie or per synthesis line
• A synthesis line state viewer for real-time feedback
• Emulation of the original CZ DAC
• 32 voices of polyphony
• Up to 8 voices of unison with unison detune
• Over 400 factory presets

Digital done differently. Modeling done flawlessly. Casio’s phase distortion synthesis was a relative of FM but simpler to use, achieving patches that sounded both ‘digital’ and ‘analog’ with equal ease. It became a sonic staple for artists including Eurythmics, Salt-N-Pepa, and Vince Clarke (Depeche Mode, Yaz, Erasure), who famously stacked up eight CZ-101 synths and a sequencer. CZ V gives you more of what the CZ was loved for in every way – and more.

Expertly Engineered
ARTURIA’s DSP crew reverse-engineered the core code of the CZ, then added features to make phase distortion even more compelling today.

Shockingly Flexible
The CZ series is used on all kinds of songs because it produced so many sounds so well. Let CZ V do the same for you.

CZ = EZ
Wringing a ton of sonic range out of just a handful of parameters, CZ V is one of the quickest paths from a sound in your head to sound in your speakers.

Turbocharged
ARTURIA amped up the CZ with up to 32 voices of polyphony, four FX slots, eight envelopes, and everything but a flux capacitor.

More than just a phase
The CZ-101 defined a whole new way of creating the sounds keyboardists and producers wanted. This put Casio® on the map as a maker of serious professional synthesizers. CZ V puts phase distortion back on the map with the ultimate version of this groundbreaking synthesis technology.

In the early ’80s, Casio wasn’t about to sit still while the DX7 took over the world. Fortunately, they had a platform to build on — a high-end synth workstation called Cosmo. It’s the direct ancestor of the CZ-101, whose mini keys and $499 price tag put real synthesis in the hands of a new generation of musicians.

A different kind of distortion
Phase distortion, like FM, involves one oscillator modulating another. Phase distortion’s uniqueness comes into play by altering the time domain of the carrier wave, yielding a different oscillator wave shape entirely. By changing the linearity of how a simple waveform plays, like speeding up the start of the cycle, it’s no longer a simple waveform. That’s the concept at the heart of phase distortion synthesis and CZ V’s sound.

DCO – DCW – DCA
Each DCO in CZ V lets you select from the 8 original waveforms or draw your own. Some serial combinations of two different waveforms are provided for, resulting in many more possibilities. Each DCO is followed by a corresponding digitally controlled waveshaper (DCW) section, including key follow and an 8-stage envelope generator. This animates the amount of waveshaping from the modulator over time. There’s also an eight-stage envelope for DCO frequency, allowing for pitch-change effects far beyond vibrato, trills and lasers. A digitally controlled amplifier (DCA) with its own eight-stage envelope rounds out a DCO-DCW-DCA signal chain roughly equivalent to that of analog VCO-VCF-VCA.

Between the lines
Like the original, the CZ V has two complete DCO-DCW-DCA signal lines that you can use individually or in parallel. Duplicate settings in each line allows for a fatter sound given the ability to transpose and/or detune them, while separate settings provide for much more complex timbres. You might, for example, shape a hyper-percussive sound in one line and craft a pad in the other to combine into a compound timbre. Other goodies faithful to the original include a dedicated vibrato section, polyphonic portamento, ring modulation and noise modulation.

Simple Synthesis
Ultimately, the beauty of PD compared to the better-known FM is that there are only four primary things that really control the timbre of each CZ line: the DCO’s modulating waveform and the three envelopes. Both PD and FM have made significant and instantly recognizable contributions to music, but the simpler concept of PD can ironically get a lot closer to analog bass, brass, strings and more with a lot less fiddling.

ARTURIA’s DSP team reverse-engineered the code inside the CZ-series and even modeled the DAC outputs, delivering the perfect combination of authentic PD behavior and that crunchy, almost-lo-fi sound of the ‘80s, right in your DAW.

A CZ for Today
The CZ-101 had an instant and intuitive interface, especially for an early digital synth – yet CZ V is quicker and more performance-oriented in every way. Everything you need for breathtaking tracks and gig-ready sounds is arranged for maximum connection between thoughts, hands, and music.

01. Eyes Meet Ears
See exactly what’s happening to your sound as you play and the waveforms morph, right in the central display area.

02. Drop the Bass, Tweak the FX
Four sliders can each control multiple parameters at once for performance gestures from subtle to drastic.

03. Dedicated Vibrato
ARTURIA upgraded the CZ’s stand-alone vibrato section with more waveforms, tempo sync, and adjustable delay.

04. Guilty Pleasure Generator
What would an ’80s synth be without a classic arpeggiator? CZ V features six patterns (including as-played and random) and up to a 4-octave range.

05. Line Up
Choose to hear Line 1, Line 2, both, or Line 1 plus a copy of itself. Then, ring- or noise-modulate them here.

06. Poly or Mono
Toggle into mono mode for thick unison leads on solos, then back to poly for playing chords, with one button.

A CZ for Tomorrow
Massive synthesis power lurks just beneath the surface in CZ V’s Advanced Panel. CZ V makes all of it fun and easy to use. If this much capability had been packed into hardware, phase distortion might have become the dominant synthesis method in music. Our Advanced interface makes it more intuitive than ever to see just how far PD can go.

The Heart of CZ V
With different target waveforms for the first and second cycle in each Line, creating ear-grabbing harmonic motion is a snap!

Draw Your Own
CZ V duplicates the hardware’s eight waveform choices, but if you want something different, just draw and save your own to produce any sound imaginable.

Eight Envelopes
Separate envelopes for pitch, PD amount (DCW), amp, and modulation for each Line power sounds that move, evolve, and interweave.

Bottomless Mod Matrix
Assign multiple sources including the Macro sliders to a staggering number of destinations here — no hardware CZ had this many modulation options.

Combinate! Combinate!
CZ V adds assignable LFOs and envelopes. Then, blend any two modulation sources into something completely different using the Combinator slots.

Effects Rack
Run Lines 1 and 2 in series or parallel through studio-quality effects. Missing that analog-style synth filter? It’s here!

Presets
CZ V is surprising because it can sound like an analog synth. It can sound like a DX. It can sound like a PPG Wave. It can generate evocative pads and choirs. And much more. Check out some select highlights from its built-in library of 500+ presets.