Kurzweil K-2000
Eight megabytes of ROM, thirty-one algorithms, and a rack-mount twin that cost real money to sound this good.
Overview
The K2000 arrived with a 240 x 64-pixel backlit graphic display, adjustable contrast, and a 3.5-inch floppy drive that reads both DD and HD disks in DOS format. That told buyers right away this was a computer-based instrument, not a preset box. The keyboard version measures 40 15/16 inches wide, 13 7/16 deep, and 4 1/8 tall, and weighs 26 pounds. The K2000R rack module puts the same engine in a 3-space chassis at 16.9 inches wide (excluding rack brackets), 13.9 deep, 5.1 tall, and 22 pounds. Neither is a featherweight. The rack version was the one that ended up in touring rigs and project studios where space mattered more than a built-in keybed.
Both units run on Kurzweil's VAST - Variable Architecture Synthesis Technology. The engineers coined the term for a system that combines ROM and RAM sample playback with waveform generation and a broad array of processing functions. Each of a program's layers uses its own algorithm, and the machine ships with 31 sound-shaping algorithms and three programmable DSP functions for each voice. The architecture includes filters, distortion, panning, EQ, waveform oscillators, waveform shaper, hard sync oscillators, amplitude modulation, gain, and crossfade. That's the actual signal path, not marketing language, and it's why the K2000 developed a reputation among programmers who wanted to build sounds from scratch rather than scroll through presets.
The factory complement is 199 preset programs and 100 preset setups, with up to three layers per program and up to 32 layers for programs assigned to the drum channel. Polyphony is 24 notes with dynamic voice allocation, and the instrument is multi-timbral for multi-track sequencing and recording. A 15,000-note scratchpad sequencer records from the keyboard or via MIDI, and loads and plays MIDI Type 0 sequences. The three-zone setups transmit on three MIDI channels with independent programmable controls. MIDI In, Thru, and Out are standard, with an LED to indicate activity.
The sample playback engine runs at a 20 kHz maximum bandwidth, enough, as the manual's own glossary notes, to span the entire range of human hearing. The base configuration carries 8 megabytes of 16-bit ROM samples, expandable internally to 24 megabytes. Two 8-megabyte ROM sound blocks (ROM-1 and ROM-2) were sold separately and the user could install them. Sample RAM expands via four standard SIMM memory modules up to 64 megabytes. The program and sequence memory expansion option, DP-RAM, takes battery-backed memory from 120K to 760K. A 3.5-inch floppy drive handles DD and HD disks, and two SCSI buses allow connection to external SCSI disks, CD-ROM drives, or Macintosh computers. Sony and Toshiba CD-ROM drives are compatible. The unit reads sample data from Akai S1000 HD disks.
There are ten analog outputs in total, including four stereo pairs and a stereo master pair. Stereo sample playback is standard, and programmable stereo multi-effects run on the MIX outputs - simultaneous reverb, chorus, delay, flanging, and EQ among them - with real-time internal and MIDI control of effects parameters. The sampling option kit, DSMP-R, adds user sampling via analog, digital, or optical inputs, plus AES-EBU and SPDIF digital ins and outs. Version 2.0 software comes with that kit and is also available separately. It brings extensive sample editing and audio processing: graphic waveform editing on the built-in display, time compression and expansion, sample rate conversion, sample mixing and splicing, normalizing gain, audible sample cueing, crossfade looping, auto looping, fade in/out, and more. Version 2.0 also reads Ensoniq EPS disks and Akai S1000 disks, building programs from the keymaps and samples it finds. It adds user-programmable loop type per sample (forward, bi-directional, off) with direction control (forward, reverse), plus new alternate release parameters that let samples play after the release loop.
An optional internal hard drive was available with capacity up to 240 megabytes or more. The unit shipped standard with version 1.27 software, which allows stereo samples to be ported over the SCSI bus using the SMDI protocol via Passport's Alchemy, or through sample dump over MIDI.
Power handling is more thoughtful than most gear of the era. The AC supply is selectable for 100V, 120V, 220V, or 240V at 0.75 amps at 120 volts nominal. The manual documents safe voltage ranges for each setting: 85-107V for the 100V setting, 95-125V for 120V, 180-232V for 220V, and 190-250V for 240V. Safe frequency range is 48-65 Hz across all settings. The manual notes that if voltage drops below the minimum safe level, the K2000 will reset but no data will be lost. If voltage exceeds the maximum safe level, the unit may overheat. A special circuit halts all activity when line voltage drops below 90 volts at the 120V setting, protecting against software crashes. It restarts automatically when voltage returns to an acceptable level for at least one second. The net effect, per the manual, is the same as performing a soft reset.
Temperature specifications run from 41°F to 104°F (5°C to 40°C) for operation and -13°F to 186°F (-25°C to 85°C) for storage, with relative humidity of 5-95% non-condensing. The manual warns against blocking the rear-panel ventilation openings and recommends at least four inches of clearance from any vertical surface. If an internal hard drive is installed, the underside ventilation opening must stay unobstructed so the cooling fan can run. Dust is the enemy of the floppy drive, and the manual advises against dismantling it. Cleaning the exterior calls for a soft damp cloth with mild detergent, and the manual explicitly warns against strong cleaners, solvents, or spraying anything into the ventilation holes.
Battery voltage runs about 4.5 volts when new, declining gradually to 3.2 volts, at which point the unit begins issuing warnings. Battery replacement is the one maintenance task the manual permits a user to perform. Everything else requires a qualified technician. The service documentation is blunt about it: there are no user-serviceable components or assemblies inside, and any attempt to repair, modify, adjust, or service internal components by non-approved personnel may void all existing warranties. The Kurzweil Service Department has sole authority to decide who qualifies as a competent technician.
The troubleshooting section shows a machine Kurzweil expected to work reliably. Before assuming a fault, the manual suggests checking the voltage selector, the power cable, display contrast (adjustable via the Contrast parameter in Master mode, or by holding ENTER and turning the Alpha Wheel), the volume slider, audio cable connections, and the sound system itself. A power cycle - off, then on - is step seven. A soft reset, pressing the +/-, 0, and CLR buttons simultaneously on the numeric pad, is step eight. A hard reset is the last resort, after saving any RAM objects to disk. The unit warns before deleting, and only RAM objects are affected.
Period coverage of the K2000 was positive. EQ (August 1992, p.92) called it "an excellent synthesizer, capable of many feats that you don't normally find synthesizers able to perform," praising its powerful memory, strong signal processing capabilities, and some great supplied sounds. That same review listed sampling capability and expandable memory as core applications. By 1996, Sound on Sound (September 1996, p.29) was advertising the K2000 V3 at £1899 in the UK, with configurations including 8Mb and EZ135 drives, or 8Mb with the sample option. A 1995 Sound on Sound issue (September 1995, p.71) shows the K2000 already sharing dealer space with newer Kurzweil models, and by April 1996 (p.201) the same publication was directing buyers toward the K2500. The K2000's commercial life overlapped with its successor, and the installed base kept buying ROM blocks and options long after the next model shipped.
The K2000R offered identical features in rack form, and the manual treats them as a single platform: any section not specifically identified with one or the other applies to both units. That includes the diagnostic routines, which can check the built-in panel and performance controls. Moving either wheel or pressing a key displays a controller name and a reading between 0 and 255. The Alpha Wheel counts 0-1-2-3-0-1-2 clockwise and 3-2-1-0-3-2 counterclockwise. Pressing a mode button shows its name and flashes its associated LED. The third line of the diagnostic display shows battery voltage and wheel centering. If the spring-centered wheel falls outside its expected range, it will still center automatically but may not deliver full control range in one direction.
Twenty-four notes of polyphony and 8 megabytes of ROM don't sound like much now, but the K2000's architecture was the point. VAST let a single voice run through three DSP functions chosen from 31 algorithms - filters, distortion, hard sync, amplitude modulation, waveform shaping - and the results could be layered three deep, or 32 deep on drum channels. Most contemporary synths didn't approach that level of programmability. The 20 kHz bandwidth and 16-bit samples put it squarely in professional territory. The dual SCSI buses, ten analog outputs, and AES-EBU/SPDIF digital I/O on the sampling option let studios tie in hardware samplers, computers, and outboard gear. The floppy drive reads Akai S1000 disks, which meant a K2000 owner could tap into an existing sample library without re-sampling everything.
The K2000 asks for patience and a willingness to read the manual. The parameters are deep and the algorithms are numerous. The 240 x 64-pixel display shows enough to navigate but not enough to make programming effortless.
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