Behringer CZ-1 Mini

I'm an ex CZ101 user.
Programming is more or less the same, if not better than the original. Ring and Noise modulation is there (on the DCO 2 menu).
There are some things I'm missing:
Solo mode, in which, by playing legato along with the 8 stage envelopes you had a complex evolving sound. That said, changing values doesn't retriger notes (as it was happening on the CZ101) so you can tweek your sound while you play notes. Double mode, in the original you could combine 2 sounds for a 2 note polyphony sound.
Filter with resonance is a great addition and it sounds good.
Chorus is not stereo, I have better options via external effects.
3 voice polyphony is limited. I hope it will increased with a future update as it happened with Pro VS mini.
Maybe is the best sound design tool you can buy, for that price.

I was a big fan of the Casio CZs in the 80s. I had tried one out in a music store and loved its individuality and peculiarity. However, when I had saved up enough to buy one they had disappeared from the market. 😢

Fast Forward a few decades and I see, in a trade mag, that Behringer were planning to reintroduce a Phase Distortion Synth in its MINI series based on the CZs. I got all excited!

However, from the announcement to the availability of the device a few years passed! Then, when they finally released it, how could I refuse?

The CZ MINI is sturdily made with a lot of options for connecting it with other devices (Full size MIDI in; Sync jack, USB C and headphones jack). This is a major improvement on my first Behringer MINI Synth (JT 4000) which I never managed to connect to a keyboard and gave away to a kid as a toy.

My initial reaction was not that favourable. The presets it came with were largely bass patches and the others were nothing to write home about, compared with the pre-sets on a Casio CZ1. I was set for disappointment However, once I had watched an excellent YouTube video on how to program new patches on the CZ MINI, I started to have fun with the beast. Once you get the basic idea, it is not as difficult to program as others I have struggled with.

The one thing that would have made this little gem really merit 5 stars would have been more polyphony. The 3 note polyphony it came with limits its use, four should have been the minimum - you can't do 7th chords, for example, without that 4th note. Consequently, I only give the CZ MINI three stars for Features. However, I haven't checked for any updates to the software, as perhaps Behringer may have plans to upgrade that area.

I must admit that I was so disappointed at first that I bought the Arturia Software version of the CZ. That has all the polyphony you'd need and is super simple to program with some very useful pre-sets. But, of course, that means you have to have access to a computer, so I will keep my CZ MINI for those times when I am out of home (holidays coming up) and I can fiddle with the knobs and waveforms to my heart's content!

I was very nervous when I bought this, because of the way it looks. The menu is very small, and if you have difficulty reading small letters, that can be a challenge with this particular synth. I don’t personally have an issue, but I want to mention that so people know and take that into consideration.

The menu is difficult to navigate, but when you learn how to, this synth is very fun. I adore it’s presets and I love the waveforms, especially if it’s possible to use the 1+2 mode. This synth is not for beginners, because of the way the navigation system works. If you like knobs over buttons, this one might not be for you. Handling this synth can quickly become very frustrating in the beginning . I did not personally struggle, because I watched a tutorial on YouTube and I recommend doing that if you buy this. Despite the challenges, I love this synth, because it is very versatile when you learn how to use it. It is my favourite out of the minis, mostly due to versatility. I can sit hours just tweaking it. The sounds are very fun. I do think that I will be using this for the next album of my band. That’s how much I like this little thing.