| Soundware Scene By Daniel Fisher, Chief Soundware Engineer |
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Regular readers of Sweet Notes know that our Soundware Scene column is the place to go for the latest on all our soundware development projects. But today I'd like to address those who may have heard a lot about Kurzweil keyboards, but want to know exactly why we feel
they're the most extraordinary synthesizers and samplers yet made and why Sweetwater Sound is the most logical place to buy them.
If you watch way too much TV (guilty!), you've probably noticed that there's an army of professional musicians out there who all have the word KURZWEIL on their keyboard rigs. Do they all know something that you don't? Well, if you don't own a K2000/K2vx/K2500 or PC-88 then, "Yes, they do!"
Kurzweil's current flagship line, the K2500 Series, is a remarkable achievement in both synth and sampler design. There are four keyboard versions: the K2500 which has 76 semi-weighted keys, the K2500S which adds the Sampling Option, the K2500X with 88 weighted keys, and K2500XS which has 88 notes plus the Sampling Option.
There's a tremendous choice of physical controllers on these instruments like 8 fully assignable sliders, 8 zone switches, 2 assignable switches, 2 assignable wheels, a long and short assignable ribbon controller, a breath controller input, 4 foot switch controllers, 2 continuous foot controllers, plus key pressure and velocity sensitivity.
Add to this a fantastic stereo sampler that can have up to 128 megs of RAM onboard (sold separately), combined with a powerful sample editor and you have the makings of a true world class sampling setup. But that's just the beginning. Now take your samples and run them through
the single most powerful digital synthesizer engine on the planet, appropriately named V.A.S.T. (an acronym for Variable Architecture Synthesis Technology), which can warp your samples in so many ways that they haven't all been discovered yet! There's also 8 megs of professional quality ROM samples and waveforms onboard with the option to add 8 more megs of Orchestral ROM, 8 more megs of Contemporary ROM, and a stunning 4 meg Stereo Grand Piano. Now you're beginning to see the unlimited creative potential of this fantastic machine.
But there's even more to come. The K2500 Series keeps getting upgraded operating systems that add exciting new features simply by loading in a floppy. (See The Future of V.A.S.T section for more info.) And new hardware options like the KDFX full-bandwidth Multi-Effects Processor and DMTi Digital Multitrack Interface are going to blast this machine into the next century.
And I know, without bias, that Sweetwater Sound is by far the most VAST-savvy retailer in the business. With a machine as deep as the K2000/K2500, your enjoyment and success with this instrument is directly related to the quality of Product Support, service, and the extensive knowledge of your salesperson. You're going to want to know what's coming, what it will do, and when it will really be available. You want to buy your Kurzweil from a company that sells and maintains thousands of Kurzweil products and options every year.
This is probably the most serious musical instrument decision you will ever make. Don't settle for lame support from a store that has one dusty K2000 (Version 1.0) and where no one is quite sure how it works. Sweetwater has made a commitment to be the single most knowledgeable source for Kurzweil information. We go the extra mile to support your Kurzweil purchase with extra goodies like our Power Pack floppy disks and our Top 20 Kurzweil Questions list that'll get you up and running while other stores are still scrambling through the owner's manual trying to figure it out.
We've also got the best stockpile of new, demo, and used K2000s, K2500s and PC-88s to help you get a machine that fits your budget.
One of the most exciting aspects of owning a Kurzweil product is knowing that there's always something new just around the corner for your keyboard. And you know that the Sweetwater Team is going to be hip to the new stuff before it even ships.
Here's the current state of the operating systems: The K2000 and K2vx keyboards and racks are currently running on engine version 3.18. There has been an announcement from Kurzweil that a version 3.5x is coming soon which will add 8 Drum Channels (!) with P-RAM, a new sustain pedal feature (Sus2) which will not recapture ringing notes, and the ability to import Type 1 Standard MIDI Files. Disk features will include the ability to verify files when saving or backing up and v3.5x will support hard drives up to 2 gigabytes!
The current K2500 operating system is v2.31 (which you can download from our Web Site). Forthcoming operating systems will include the KB3 Mode which features an incredibly realistic B3 Organ simulation including real-time drawbars with the K2500's sliders and mod wheel. Other future operating systems will have cool features like LIVE Mode, which will allow you to bring audio into your K2500 for real-time V.A.S.T. processing.
For Kurzweil owners with the Sweetwater connection, the future is indeed VAST!
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