Alicia Witt, a Casio brand ambassador, seen playing the Casio PX-S7000
For so many artists, music in 2024 is a hybrid of the organic and technology. As Stephen Schmidt, VP of Casio’s Electronic Musical Instrument Division, explains when we sit down over a lengthy Zoom to talk about Casio’s role in 2024, neither the digital nor the acoustic are going anywhere. Both will continue to live on. As such, musicians are understanding more and more they can co-exist.
That melding of the two worlds is at the heart of Casio’s award-winning PX-S7000 digital keyboard, the centerpiece of their recent keyboards (though the Privia series remains successful and will continue to expand).
Musician/actress Alicia Witt is an official Casio brand ambassador, a title she got after becoming a Casio convert on her own. “I discovered their keyboards probably six or seven years ago and was delighted to find out they were making piano sounds and a piano feel that felt the most like a grand piano to me as a classically trained piano player. Once I started playing Casio’s I started posting about them as I do with many things, not because there’s any endorsement happening. But just because I like to share products that I’m a fan of,” she tells me.
As a classically trained pianist, Witt is very impressed with how they bring the feel and sounds of a grand piano to the digital keyboard. “Casio’s incredible technology with replicating grand piano sounds and feels also evolved and grew over these last few years. So, in 2022, they launched the PX-S7000,” she says. “I love this keyboard and I love that it allows you to create multiple different grand piano sounds. The PX-S7000 allows you to switch between keyboards and to play electronic keyboard sounds, many of which are sampled from songs that feature electric sounds we’re already very familiar with, like Billy Joel’s ‘Just the Way You Are,’ for example. Another thing I love about this, which is I think unique to keyboards, is the stand that it comes on, which, for someone that plays hard, some of the time, I love that I’m not wobbling, and the keyboard isn’t moving anywhere on its stand. The pedal throne, as well, is connected to the stand itself. So, you have a real piece of furniture, just playing like a grand piano. It feels more like a grand piano, as well as the sound of it. So, it’s a no-brainer for me to want to play this when I’m not at a grand piano.”
For Sage Bava, a new touring artist who will be playing BottleRock next month before selected summer tour dates, the mobility and diversity of the PX-S7000 are hugely appealing. “As a musician, it’s crucial to have not only great playability and feel with your instrument but also reliability. The Casio PX-S7000 keyboard delivers on both fronts with its sturdy build and dependable performance. Featuring dozens of high-quality sounds and a built-in speaker, it offers remarkable mobility. Its diverse range of sounds, spanning from classic to high-tech, further enhances its appeal, making it an exceptional keyboard,” she says. “The smooth and weighted keys of the Casio PX-S7000 significantly enhance the playing experience, closely replicating the feel of a traditional piano. This tactile feedback contributes to a more expressive performance, enabling musicians to feel the emotional dynamics possible. Moreover, I appreciate the simplicity and accessibility of sound selection on this keyboard. Switching between sounds, from piano to electric piano, is effortless. Unlike some keyboards that complicate this process, the PX-S7000 ensures a seamless transition, never disrupting the creative flow during performances or practice sessions. So, whether I want to write with a grand piano sound or have a craving to switch to a warm electric keyboard sound, there are many options to choose from, all easily accessible.”
I spoke with Schmidt about how Casio will continue to merge the worlds of digital and acoustic keyboards,
Steve Baltin: How long have you been at Casio?
Stephen Schmidt: Eighteen years now, 18 years running the division and had come from a non-musical background.
Baltin: Where did you come from?
Schmidt: Originally, I was in the fashion business. Fendi, Gucci type of thing. Then I went to Samsung, and we did the whole digital revolution when it changed from analog to digital. So, I guess 2006, I joined Casio.
Baltin: Obviously you’re very passionate about music. What tipped you off that it was time to make the change to work in music?
Schmidt: I had been, as I said, through the transition from analog to digital and had grown that business by hundreds of millions of dollars. I felt content that I did what I set out to do, and I wanted to get onto something that wasn’t just day-to-day rat race. I was looking around and some odd occurrence happened where some friends of mine from Samsung moved to Casio and they were like, “Come on over.” I’m like, “Nah, I don’t want to do this.” They’re like, “You could work, you could run the music division for us.” I’m saying to myself, “That would be my dream. Music is my life. I’m passionate about music.” As you can tell more of the ’70s, but I like Foo Fighters. I like tons of other bands afterwards. I just said, “I’m done here. I’m moving on.” That was it. I took the chance and I thought, “This is something I’d like.” To this day, as I’m in my 60s, I’m very, very happy with that decision.
Baltin: As a music fan, when you started to work at Casio, did it take away the mystery for you?
Schmidt: I had an engineering background, technical as it was. My world is more of the technical background. I’m the guy that organizes the show and makes everything happen. So, for me, it was natural. I just went into it. That’s what I do. We work with musicians all the time, but that’s not our main business. Our main business is the product and consumers and satisfying their needs. So, for me, that technical side was absolutely no problem. The harder part is working with the musicians. I remember when I first got there, I was working across divisions as well, because I had experience in watches, electronics and music in general, but particularly electronic digital pianos. I was doing a watch event with Kanye [West] and he was supposed to be there at 11 for his performance and stuff. I think he showed at one and I was freaking. I just couldn’t believe the audacity of this guy but that is life, that’s what they are. He was phenomenal, he was kind and courteous. I’m not speaking about him today because that was a long time ago. But I have to say it was a completely different world like you’re talking about and I wasn’t prepared for that. I did learn quick, but it was tough. I’m the technical guy not the creative guy. The creative guys concerned me a little.
Baltin: Talk about the relationship between Casio and musicians.
Schmidt: I think we’re a little different than some of the other companies. We’ve always believed that everyone should have the ability to enjoy and make music. So, what we’ve done is we’ve tried not to just partner with the top musicians. Alicia [Witt] exempted of course. We’ve worked with Keith Emerson, and we’ve worked with a lot of different folks down the line. But our intention is to work with musicians who are trying to make a name for themselves. Because they’re really the bread and butter of our business. So, if you go to our website you’ll see there’s influencers there, people that play music but there’s musicians that play in bars. They’re out there. Our perspective is we want to be the everybody piano for different levels and things. We try to work with people that are honest, sincere, we’re not buying them because anybody can say anything about your product and within today’s day and age are you just paying for them to say it and then they move on to something, whoever pays them the next time? We want a real advocate. Alicia, for example, she already was one, that’s why we reached out to her. Keith Emerson, the same. Tons of different people we’ve had come to our booth because they want our piano for their kids. We’re not and they’re not endorsing us; we’re not asking them to. We want to be that piano that everyone wants, everyone wants to learn from, and everyone can enjoy. We’re trying to make these people approachable, not these top guys. You’ll never talk to Elton John in your life. He’s a wonderful performer. Well, you would. But the normal person that’s looking at trying to find something that they can enjoy, a hobby, a way to make a living, just whatever. You want an endorsement from somebody else doing that that’s legit. That’s how we’ve approached that and reached out. I will admit we’ve had top talent including, Alicia is classically trained, she’s an actress first and foremost because of her experience and she’s wonderful but she’s an incredible piano player and she was a good transition because she was a Casio fan before we even talked to her. That’s the kind of people we like and we want to build on.
Baltin: How have you found people have responded to that everyman approach?
Schmidt: There is an angle, don’t get me wrong. If you spend enough money, you can get everybody to endorse. And we know endorsements sell products, right? So, you can do that. I’ve been in marketing and sales for a long time. To pay for the marketing, you have to charge more money. Because that’s how you do your advertising and your promotion. Our strategy is we’re going to give you the best we can at the most affordable price we can. It’s not the cheapest always, but you get the best quality product out there equal to anything that’s out there. So how do we do that? We don’t spend millions of dollars per endorsement from a top name artist. Larry Dunn, Earth Wind and Fire, plays our pianos and endorses us. Great guy. He was playing them before we brought him on. He performed at a bunch of NAMM shows for us. Guys like that, guys that are the salt of the earth. They’re not looking for money. They want to enjoy the business. That’s what they live for. What we’re saying is when you do that and you represent yourself as an honest brand, that is there to give entertainment and enjoyment to a consumer, that translates. People seem to trust our brand. We’ve been around for over 40 years with keyboards and pianos, so there’s got to be something. That’s what we’ve seen from those relationships. Yes, we’ve paid for stuff in the past, so we’re not perfect. But we’ve found better connection with our users when they’re more relatable people.
Baltin: When you make the equipment part of the family it feels more accessible. Are you seeing that?
Schmidt: Kenny [Loggins] came by our booth. He wanted our Privia for his daughter. We were like, “We’ll take care. We’ll give it.” He said, “No, I’m paying for it.” He’s one of those artists that does nothing for nothing. He wants to be responsible. And he was my second concert in 1975, I think it was.
Baltin: I have to ask as a music geek, what was the first one?
Schmidt: Eric Clapton tour of ’74 with Love, if you remember that band. They were the openers. I didn’t even realize it at the time. I have a buddy who’s a DJ in Boston that reminded me because we went together. But it was, first of all, a thrill to see him. And a thrill that he would come to us out of all the brands at NAMM and say, “Listen, I love your products. I don’t play them, but I love them. And my daughter’s going to be playing. I want to see if I can get one.” He paid for it, I got my picture with him. I still have that. I’m thrilled to death with any of that stuff. I still swoon over some celebrities, those kind of guys, Joe Sample and The Crusaders. He was tired of playing auto-tune acoustic pianos whenever he went out. And he was complaining about it. Then he was bringing digital pianos and they were killing his fingers when he was playing them. I think it was 2015, we had just launched our hybrid piano, which had full size wooden keys, and we did a collaboration with C Bechstein company, a very famous acoustic piano company, and he started playing on that piano and he was thrilled to death. Feel was everything and he could play it and his fingers were great. For everybody today, not too many people know him. But it was incredible getting an endorsement and he would do a few things for us from time to time, NAMM show, speak and people connected with what he had to say, maybe not everyone with who he was. You and I know who he was, but there’s a lot of people that don’t know who the Crusaders are. Phenomenal musician but that thing just resonated with people, we launched that product at the same time, and it’s just incredible business. Because of endorsements like his and some other artists around New York, we launched at Lincoln Center. We got with a very classical pianist, and with her recommendations everything was so well accepted, that for a company that never made a $6,000 digital piano, it was amazing how well the pianos were accepted.
Baltin: What trends are you noticing in what the customers what in instrumentation?
Schmidt: What I see is the transition more to digital continued. I think that there’s playback for acoustics, but it’s small. I would say over the last 15 years, or 20 even, that the acoustic business has been rapidly declining. Because of things like this and all kinds of technology. The younger generation has been accepting more of that. Like I told you, at Samsung it went from analog to digital and that was a big change. We see there’s a vintage and acoustic trend that’s going on, but it’s more of a trend, not a directional change. What’s happened is over the many years, digital has solidified itself because if you take the piano, because that’s what I know. Acoustic pianos are big and bulky, and digital pianos, whether they’re a portable piano or a digital console, even the grand hybrid is much less bulky than an acoustic piano. So, we’re seeing that the digital is going nowhere, and will continue to get stronger because all us manufacturers are trying to get closer to an acoustic piano touch feel and sound. That’s what we do. You’ll see in the grand hybrid using the wooden keys enhancing. We have things where you put the damper pedal down and you hear that creek sound, just like in an acoustic piano. We’re replicating everything in an acoustic. There are better versions and not so better versions depending upon the model and the price and the technology and the brand. It’s across the board. That’s what we do. And in our latest, PX-S7000, which you mentioned, we’ve coupled that technology perfectly with the wooden sides to the keys with the resin keys. So, they have that feel of a piano at a lower price point, an acoustic piano. But it also has the current design. For example, in today’s day and age, you shop at Pottery Barn, you shop at West Elm, you shop at a lot of different stores where there’s more modern furniture. You’re not buying that traditional oak front China cabinet anymore. Some people are, but it’s less and less. With ours, we’re hitting this mid-century modern design, which is so popular today in vibrant colors. So, you are trying to appeal to today. You are perfecting the sound, you’re appealing to the look of today, you’re appealing to the lifestyle of your consumer. Whereas the classical traditional piano is more of the traditional lifestyle of the past. There is always a place for it though. There is always a place for a large, acoustic grand piano on stage. The presence and the sound, if it’s mic’d properly, is incredible. So, there’s a place for everything.
Baltin: You have won so many awards for the PX-S7000. Do you continue to build on that? Where do you go from here?
Schmidt: You never rest as a company, because if you do, you’re dead. We’re going to continue to expand on the Privia line, which starts with a basic 88-key portable piano, to the 7000, which has some beautiful design elements with the legs and the cover. That covers the keys. And the E, the glass music rest that keeps it cool. And the glass panel, touch panel that is invisible until you touch it and then the lights come up. Those are cool things that are really the epitome of today, of what the trends are today and what the technologies are of today. We’re going to continue with that, whether it be enhancing the similarities between an acoustic and technology of acoustic piano to make it more and more realistic, to enhance connectivity. We have programs now that you can use to control the piano, so you don’t even have to press the buttons. You use the program on your phone. It’s so advanced now. So, we’re going to continue to do that. We made a guitar effects product, which we call Dimension Tripper. We have a group in our company that’s not with any division per se, but it’s like product concept development. Throw a dice, see if it sticks, and if it works, let’s make it. Casio is going to continue to evolve and develop products that people need in both everyday affordable instruments and premium instruments, whether it be piano keyboards or something entirely different. Look at our history. We made horns, we made guitars, we made drums.
