Chromatic Instruments has released Pistachiotone MR-65, a free Kontakt library that faithfully captures the nostalgic sounds of the Casiotone MT-65 synthesizer. To function, it requires the full version of Kontakt 6.8.0 or later.
For those of us who grew up with—or at least picked up—second-hand vintage Casio keyboards, this release hits right in the nostalgia zone. And if you’ve used Kontakt-based synth recreations in the 2010s, the nostalgia is doubled.
Pistachiotone MR-65 brings the charmingly lo-fi tones of the Casiotone MT-65 back to life while also evoking memories of classic Kontakt libraries from a decade ago.
I especially love its retro aesthetic, which reminds me of classic Kontakt instruments from Synth Magic, Hideaway Studios, Big Fish Audio, and Rhythmic Robot. If you’ve used libraries from these developers, you’ll immediately recognize the familiar design patterns.
As for the features, you really get everything you could expect from a Casio-inspired Kontakt instrument. The control layout is excellent, staying true to the original instrument while adding more features for sound shaping.
The Pistachiotone MR-65 includes all 20 original tone presets, each with four modulation variations. It also offers all the original accompaniment presets, including four bass and four chord variations.
I love how the developers also sampled bright versions of each preset without the filter circuit engaged, so there’s extra room for tonal adjustment.
Another cool feature is how the instrument recreates the unique auto-chord playing modes: Fingered mode, which automatically assigns a bass note to any chord, and Pistachio Chord mode, which selects different chord types based on how many keys you press at once.
The rhythm section features seven original one-shot drum samples with individual tuning, volume, and character controls. You can choose from three rhythm playback modes, accessible via the settings menu.
You can play around with sound design using the included filter and pitch modulation section with bi-polar envelopes, multi-shape LFOs, and formant controls. A set of onboard effects—bit crusher, tape delay, saturation, stereo chorus, and digital reverb—adds more options for turning simple Casio sounds into something bigger.
I also had some fun with the randomize button, which generates new (and often quite chaotic) sounds with a single click.
With over 100 presets, Pistachiotone MR-65 covers a variety of sounds, from classic retro synth tones and pads to chiptune effects and experimental textures. You can also fine-tune various settings in the dedicated menu, including filter tracking, velocity sensitivity, polyphonic and monophonic modes, transposition, tuning, and more.
The only downside is that the library isn’t compatible with Kontakt Player, meaning you’ll need the full version of Kontakt to use it. That said, if you have Kontakt 6.8.0 or later, this is a fantastic freebie that brings an iconic 1980s keyboard back to life.
Pistachiotone MR-65 is available for free with no expiry via Chromatic Instruments’ Ko-fi page.
Download: Pistachiotone MR-65 (FREE, requires the full version of Native Instruments Kontakt)
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