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Casio CTK2400 Introduction

Casio operates a lot of businesses and while they are leaders in many, the keyboard side of their operations aren’t exactly known for path breaking reasons. Most of the time they make keyboards that are affordable but never really worth it for folks beyond the novice level. Nevertheless, this has never stopped them from making a huge number of keyboards, which is probably one of the key reasons why they continue to keep doing well in the keyboard industry.

The Casio CTK2400 is a simple portable keyboard that is affordable in the true Casio sense. Its features make it a decent sampling keyboard and an alright standalone instrument for someone beginning to learn playing a keyboard. This 61 note keyboard comes with the standard array of features such as sound effects, tunes to play along, built-in speakers, several control functions and semi-weighted blocked-end keys.

What truly makes the CTK-2400 stand out though is its compact size and yet reasonable sound quality. Who would have thought that something so small could manage a true sound experience? 400 AHL tones, several sampling functions, a built-in mic and the ability to record are all excellent opportunities for a budding musician to have some fun and make their first foray into the acoustic world.

Casio CTK2400 Review & Experience

For someone who has hardly any experience playing a piano, the CTK-2400 is a perfect choice. Nothing too fancy and yet a lot of fun to play, that’s what we thought of this Casio keyboard. When we Initially ordered it for our review, we did so simply looking at thousands of rave reviews online. It astonished us how something so affordable and meant for beginners could garner such a fan following. As it turns out though, this Casio offering leaves a mark on your soul with all the amazing features it packs in. Probably the most standout feature among the lot is its USB MIDI controller. Yup, grand pianos thrice as expensive as the CTK-2400 don’t always get a USB MIDI and yet this one does! Considering its price tag, it makes for an excellent production tool with studio and electronic music production programs such as FL studio and Logic.

Beyond the USB MIDI controller though, there are many other added benefits of this Casio model. You could use your computer and learn playing a piano or rely on the preprogrammed 110 songs for this purpose. We gave the keyboard’s tutorial program a whirl and it is self-sufficient to get you going. Once you do get sufficient control over the keys and how to mix it up, you could record not just music but also vocals thanks to the built-in microphone. Now, don’t get all excited about it though. The mic is actually a vocoder. For those who do not know what a vocoder is, it basically captures your voice and then blends sound over it depending on the notes you play on the keyboard to produce a synthesized symphony or at least attempts to do so. Not that we were particularly fond of this feature but can imagine younger children having fun with the vocoder.

Considering the fact that this keyboard is angled towards newcomers, 61 keys is actually more than sufficient besides, it is smaller because of it and weighs much less as opposed to a Yamaha keyboard. One downside to the sizing though is that the keys are not exactly piano size. Quite naturally, this keyboard is not ideal for piano lessons but someone who simply wishes to fool around, have some fun or is a kid in other words, it is a pretty decent fun machine. If only it came with touch sensitivity, one could learn piano the right way but without weighted keys or touch sensitivity, learning a piano the right way is kind of useless.

If we wanted to jam out a few songs or make new material, we would not use this kind of a keyboard but if it were mainly to MIDI sequence, then yes this is an obvious choice ahead of many other expensive keyboards. In our opinion, the Casio CTK2400 is best suited as a beginner’s learning tool, a kid’s play thing or a sequencing keyboard for music software. For purposes other than these, try the higher version of the CTK series. When paired with the best DAW recording software for PC, your dreams of recording high quality audio and music can become a reality. Check out the linked guide from Amidio to find out more about DAW software.

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Casio CTK2400 Pros

•  Simple to use, loads of fun with plenty of tones and voices.
• At least the keys are full sized if not weighted so you instantly get acclimatized to actual piano key sizes but not the weight.
• Vocoder or a built-in microphone is a neat addition, not usually seen in many keyboards nowadays.
• Built-in songs and tutorial are sufficient to get beginners grooving in no time at all. Not only does it teach well but also packs in additional fun components such as voice recording and such to make the learning experience more interactive.
• Comes with USB MIDI connectivity, which means you can use it as a sequencing unit and connect it to your computer to work in tandem with music composing and producing tools.
• Lightweight and compact.
• The LCD screen helps keep track of active options and selections while coming handy when using the lessons built into the keyboard.
• Affordable and yet well built with decent finish.

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Casio CTK2400 Cons

•  Could have included touch sensitivity controls, without which learning a piano and all its subtleties is near impossible.
• Sound reproduction is not top notch, as the speakers are underpowered and not exactly clear in their tonality.
• Could have used semi-weighted proper piano keys instead considering it is just 61 keys in total.
• Even at this cost, it was possible to provide more songs to play with or the option of adding more over the internet.

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Casio CTK2400 Features

•  61 keys piano style keyboard with compact frame and body.
• Total of 48 notes AHL GM voices
• Comes with EFX and sampling that helps explore the instrument and keeps beginners interested.
• 2 second recording feature allows for capturing hand-claps, clicks and other sound effects.
• USB MIDI connection enables it to be used as a synthesizer with music software programs.
• Comes with tuning and transpose functionality plus several inbuilt sounds and accompaniment features.
• Speed control helps speed or slow down songs.
• The lesson segment packs a total of 110 songs and exercises that are displayed on the LCD display with the right notes and fingers to use.
• Built-in speakers produce clear realistic sounds.
• Microphone built-in allows to record voice and control its pitch and tonality.

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Casio CTK2400 Conclusion

The Casio CTK2400 61 keys keyboard is never winning any “design of the year” award. It looks like something designed for learners and does not attempt to venture past the beginner status either. At best you could use it as an interface for your music programs thanks to the USB MIDI connectivity but other than that there’s nothing much more you could manage. Basically, if you are an aspiring keyboard player or an electronic music composer/producer then the CTK2400 is an excellent affordable choice. However, for those looking for a bit more bite, there are slightly higher models than the 2400 in the CTK range that would prove more useful.

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