Arturia CZ V Virtual Instrument, Download

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.

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

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.

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.

A CZ for Tomorrow
Massive synthesis power lurks just beneath the surface in CZ V's Advanced Panel. We've made 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.

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.