Tweet
1982 - the year of the awesome - when all the planets aligned, the stars cooperated, and the guitar was finally erased from the menu in the music-cafe of the now.. Stevie Wonder was slightly buttsore that there wasn't a keyboard expensive and heavy enough to impress him, punchdrunk as he was with music technology.. Luckily, Ray Kurzweil was on hand to realize Stevie's dream of playing an instrument so awesome it would powder Your pelvis just by turning it on.. The K-250 was the result of a year+ of consultation and fine-tuning.. It had everything that was in vogue at the time - sampling(sort of), additive synthesis, a big fu*k-off weighted keyboard, and a pricetag that would worry a rockerfeller..
Natch, only Stevie could afford the roadcrew to move it from place to place at first, but that didn't matter - so GOOD was the K series, it not only delivered when it arrived, it failed to break down the moment it was moved, and survived touring.. So hardcore and macho were the Early k's, they still live today..
I bought a K2000 *NEW* when they came out, and paid the most money i had ever paid anyone for a musical instrument for it, and would gladly give another one a home at the drop of a hat - they are that good to play. Oh yes, PLAY. that's right, they are inspirational to touch.. There is some of the usual stuff under the hood - like envelopes, and waveforms and whatever, but it's the low-level modulation and manipulation You can achieve that completely change the game.. other digital synths were still really subtractive - start with a source, and osc or a looped sample or gang of same, and then effect it - but not the k series.. it could mess with stuff at a granular level.. well, it SOUNDS like it can
heheh.
The later K's were made in Korea as Ray sold the company, but the heart is still a K IMHO, and even the most basic or oldschool K is worthy - i guarantee it will make sounds that You have never heard before, and will do so without breaking down every time you move it.. Add to this a rugged construction, lovely keyboard, SCSI, sequencer, sampling, onboard floppydrive, multitimbral blah and enough menus and stuff to boggle even the most twitchy twitcher, and You will feel the burn within the hour of first turning on a k-series machine..
Natch, only Stevie could afford the roadcrew to move it from place to place at first, but that didn't matter - so GOOD was the K series, it not only delivered when it arrived, it failed to break down the moment it was moved, and survived touring.. So hardcore and macho were the Early k's, they still live today..
I bought a K2000 *NEW* when they came out, and paid the most money i had ever paid anyone for a musical instrument for it, and would gladly give another one a home at the drop of a hat - they are that good to play. Oh yes, PLAY. that's right, they are inspirational to touch.. There is some of the usual stuff under the hood - like envelopes, and waveforms and whatever, but it's the low-level modulation and manipulation You can achieve that completely change the game.. other digital synths were still really subtractive - start with a source, and osc or a looped sample or gang of same, and then effect it - but not the k series.. it could mess with stuff at a granular level.. well, it SOUNDS like it can
heheh. The later K's were made in Korea as Ray sold the company, but the heart is still a K IMHO, and even the most basic or oldschool K is worthy - i guarantee it will make sounds that You have never heard before, and will do so without breaking down every time you move it.. Add to this a rugged construction, lovely keyboard, SCSI, sequencer, sampling, onboard floppydrive, multitimbral blah and enough menus and stuff to boggle even the most twitchy twitcher, and You will feel the burn within the hour of first turning on a k-series machine..