Why do I sometimes scroll to a program that has ( ) around the name and no sound plays?
Although a regular program can have up to 3 layers, the Kurzweil can create programs that have as many as 32 layers! These are called Drum Programs because a typical use for a program with that many layers would be for drums, but they can have any sounds in them – not just drums. (And a program containing drum sounds can be three layers or less, so it would not be considered a Drum Program).
If you have a K2500 or K2600, there are also special programs called KB3 program. KB3 programs can only be called up on a single channel. (See below for more detail.)
For the K2000 Series
For units with v3.18 or earlier of the operating system, the K2000 can play only one Drum Program at a time. A Drum Program can only be played on the MIDI channel designated as the Drum Channel, which you can set. If you select a different MIDI channel other than the one you’ve designated for the drum channel and scroll to a Drum Program you will notice a ( ) around the program name and no sound will play. To see the selected MIDI drum channel assignment press the Master button; you will see DRUMCHAN and the MIDI channel # that is currently selected.
If you have v3.54 or later AND the PRAM option, then you will have 8 drum channels instead of one. The Drum Channels are 1-8 or 1-7 plus a higher numbered channel you can select using the Drum Channel parameter on the Master page. If you have v3.54 and do not have the PRAM, then you will only have a single Drum Channel, as described above.
For the K2500 Series
The K2500 can play up to 8 Drum Programs at a time. A Drum Program can only be played on a MIDI channel designated as the Drum Channel, which you can set. If you select a different MIDI channel other than the one you’ve designated for the drum channel and scroll to a Drum Program you will notice a ( ) around the program name and no sound will play. The Drum Channels are 1-8 or 1-7 plus a higher numbered channel you can select using the Drum Channel parameter on the Master page.
For KB3 Programs, they must be called up on the channel designated as the Drum Channel.
For the K2600 Series
The K2600 can have drum programs on all 16 MIDI channels, so there is no need to designate a Drum Channel. But you still can only call up a KB3 programs on a single channel. For this reason, the Drum Channel parameter is renamed KB3 Channel on the K2600
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