The Casio CA-100 Line Out Mod

In this video series, I’m highlighting some cool synths from the 60’s-90’s, as detailed by the excellent YouTube channel 8-bit keys. This video shows how to install a line-level output jack onto any vintage keyboard. This is a very, very useful technique. The details start at 2:09:

Performing a line-out modification to the Casio CA-100

The value of the line-out modification

Knowing how to do this lets you turn just about any cheap toy-style instrument into an instrument that can be hooked up easily in just about any professional recording studio situation you can imagine.

Most vintage consumer synths weren’t really designed for the modern professional recording environment. Figuring out how to record their output at a decent level of quality can sometimes be a real pain. And, it’s always frustrating if you’ve spent time writing a cool idea on one of these instruments, only to not be able to capture it properly because it can’t be heard over the hiss and noise coming from a bad output jack.

Once you add a line-level output to your synth, there’s no more fuss, and you can just plug it directly into any computer’s audio interface (or an analog recording console) and record it quickly and easily, with no problems.

Required materials

To execute this mod, you’ll need a soldering iron and an electrical multimeter, along with any miscellaneous screwdrivers required to open up your synth.

You’ll want to find a wiring schematic for the synth you’re working on, and the first step in the process is finding where the line-level signal is located on your instrument’s circuit diagram so you can tap off of it. This will vary a little by each individual model of synth, so this is a custom mod you’ll need to do manually for every instrument. It’s probably only worth doing this mod with an instrument you really love using, and plan to record often.