About AKAIPERC.KRZ             ( 3/31/95)
--------------------------------------------

In response to a discussion on converting samples from other
platforms to Kurzweil K2000 format, I have prepared this file.
It is a drumset which you may use or tweak to your liking, but
it also demonstrates the potential for converting Akai samples to
the K2000.

Much of what follows is conjecture.

This sample was originally found on the internet, at the Keyboard
Magazine Web Page, under the AKAI sample section.  The ftp URL
is:

    ftp://ftp.mfi.com/pub/keyboard/AKAI

This sample set was found in the subdirectory called
/synthballad.  All of the Akai sample sets on line at the
Keyboard Magazine site have each sample contained in a separate
.SND file, with a .PGM file that most likely contains keymap
information.  I presume that is a standard Akai data format.

The problem with these samples, as far as the K2000 is concerned,
is that the K2000 can only translate Akai samples when it reads
them from from an Akai formatted disk.  Files downloaded from the
internet will not be on such a disk, hence the K2000 will not
recognize any Akai samples that may be contained there.

But here's the workaround I used.

First, I discarded the .PGM file.  Didn't seem to be of much use
to me.  Then I read each individual .SND file into a .WAV editor.
(Both Wave-SE and Cool-Edit seemed to work fine for the job).

The problem with reading the files into such an editor is that
you have to do a little guesswork to do it.

In the IBM platform, the .SND files used in the Akai are
considered raw PCM files. Any utilities I had that attempted to
do auto-conversions interpreted the Akai .SND files as 11000 khz,
8-bit samples.  Now I know an Akai sampler is no K2000, but we
should expect them to be at least comparable in sound quality to
the average SoundBlaster ;->

When you use a .WAV editor such as the ones I discussed above,
you can state the nature of the sample prior to conversion, and
the editor will follow your orders.  As I converted each sample,
I told the editor we were using 16-bit mono, 44100 khz samples.
I believe that this was a pretty good guess--as far as the
enclosed sample set is concerned--I noticed aliasing and sound
degradation if I went below 44100.

I also noticed that when reading each of these samples into a
sample editor, there was a small bit of noise at the beginning of
each sample, which degraded the quality of the original sample by
adding an extraneous "noise" attack.  This was especially
noticable in cleaner chime and cymbal samples.

I realized that this clump of noise at the beginning of the
sample was caused by the header information.  Although, for the
most part, the Akai sample is a raw PCM sound file, it contains
a header that appears to be about 38 bytes long.  This must be
edited out with the editor.

I later discovered a quicker way to convert the samples, but I
don't know of a way to reproduce it on Macintosh computers--only
on the IBM platform.

There is a popular shareware sample converter for IBM computers
currently called CONVERT.EXE (traveling under the name
CONVERT14.ZIP).  Along with CONVERT.EXE, the author includes a
translator for raw PCM files called SND2WAV.  You can easily
convert AKAI samples from the DOS command line using SND2WAV and
this command:

        snd2wav [akaisample].SND  -16 -s -i -b38

This tells SND2WAV to properly convert the sound file, and skip
the first 38 bytes before converting anything.  I found that this
utility does not respond to global file names; i.e.,
SND2WAV*.SND doesn't work properly.

(CONVERT14.ZIP can be FTP'd as of the time of this writing, from
bach.nevada.edu, under /pub/software)
                                   
Once the .SND files were properly ported over to .WAVs, I saved
them on a floppy, loaded them into the K2k and began building
keymaps.  As you'll see, my keymaps are very elementary, but the
quality of the samples is quite good.


Keymap specifics
----------------

I mimicked the Mirror Image Drum Map that Kurzweil began using
with its Orchestral Bank.  Kurzweil's theory is that it is easier
to play rhythmically if you mirror drum parts so that both hands
can play.  The black keys keep you oriented, as they put it...

"It is easy to memorize the placement of instruments if you think
of the double and triple groupings of the black keys as one
instrument or instrument type.  Look at the center group of black
keys, C#4 and D#4.  Think of that grouping as the snare drum.
Fanning out on both sides to the next group of black keys, F#3,
G#3, A#3 on the left-hand side, and F#4, G#4, A#4 on the
right-hand side, are the toms.  Fanning out farther to the next
set of double black keys are the cymbals.  The next set of triple
black keys are the timbales, and the next set of double black
keys are the congas.  The four white keys under the toms are the
hi-hats."

...and C4 and E4 hold the kicks.  I more or less implemented the
above as follows.


C7   Dominant Horn Hits
         :
         :
         :
C6   Dominant Horn Hits

B5   Tonic Horn Hits
         :
         :
         :
C5   Tonic Horn Hits

B4   Kick
A#4  Chain Cymbal (High)
A4   Shaker
G#4  Chain Cymbal (Low)
G4   Blox
F#4  Tambourine
F4   Claps
E4   Rim Shot 4
D#4  Rim Shot 3
D4   Rim Shot 2
C#4  Rim Shot 1
C4   Bright Snare

B3   Cowbell
       :
G#3  Cowbell

G3   Metal Perc 2
       :
F3   Metal Perc 2

E3   Metal Perc 1
       :
C#3  Metal Perc 1

C3   Bass Drum/Bass Guitar Hits
       :
       :
       :
C2   Bass Drum/Bass Guitar Hits


Hope you have some fun with this.


Keith Cowgill    kcowgill@infinet.com

K2000 Programmers' Corner
http://metro.turnpike.net/kcowgill/index.html