Three great plugin alternatives

TOGU AUDIO LINE TAL-SAMPLER

Designed to recapture the gritty magic of vintage samplers, TAL-Sampler allows you to ratchet down the fidelity in order to match that of old-school digital instruments like E-MU’s Emulator II and Akai’s S-series. Though even its lowest settings might make a Casio fan blush, like with the SK-1, its fast workflow makes it a lot of fun to use. www.tal-software.com

ARMAN BOHN SK-CROONER

It may not be a carbon-copy clone of the original SK-1, but this Windows-only one-off does capture the spirit of one specific – and beloved – sound from the original SK-1: the 8-bit, PCM-based Human Voice patch. SK-crooner adds a resonant filter and reverb to the original’s vibrato. The envelope, meanwhile, is of the ADSR variety. www.armanbohn.com

SEAWEED FACTORY CASIO SK-1 RHYTHM AND TONE SAMPLE PACK

Not a plugin, but rather a free set of samples encompassing all of the preset rhythm patterns and fills, alongside one-shot drum sounds. There are also 24 samples of the various synth sounds multi-sampled across octaves including the quirky piano, trumpet and more. www.seaweedfactory.blogspot.com