Casiotone refers to a series of home electronic keyboars released by Casio Computer Co. in the early 1980s. These first keyboards used a sound synthesis technique known as Vowel-Consonant synthesis to approximate the sounds of other instruments (albeit not very accurately). Most Casiotone keyboards were small, with miniature keys designed for children's fingers, and were not intended for use by professional musicians; they usually contained a rhythm generator, with several user-selectable rhythm patterns, and often the means to automatically play accompaniments. While Casiotone keyboards were discontinued when more accurate synthesis technologies became prevalent, their cheapness and abundance resulted in their being widely used by garage bands.