Dude also has a playlist of full kurzweil tracks !
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlXcHMiSyDLfCWwjFpUvESk6e0GmSerth
Yea I love my k2000. Need to replace the tact switches though! Once you’ve got the hang of it it’s super well designed menu system you can fly around. They have all pretty much the same vast architecture, except the newer ones have more samples, some organ models and dx7 style fm.
I love the acreil videos. This one is also a great example of a more experimental performance using the vast engine:
https://youtu.be/0AIglUK_Mqs
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That’s awesome ! I KNOW WHAT IM LISTENING TO ON THE WAY HOME FROM WORK.!
So… you’re telling me to set it up and give it another chance?
🫠
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Yeah dude send midi from m8 !!
lmao sound like this
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I sent some MIDI from the Teensy to some Fors’ stuff in Live and I could not believe how well it worked!
Time to take some measurements lol
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The crazy thing about the K25/26:
- up to 32 layers in a single program, spread and layered over the keyboard as you like it;
- up to 48 layers in one performance, again spread and layered over the keyboard as needed and in up to 16 MIDI zones. Those zones can still be triggered from a single channel master keyboard, thanks to keyboard channel mode.
That’s live stage heaven. Unfortunately, back in the day, CPU power was not yet powerful enough to reserve polyphony for seamless transitions. Always had to plan my program changes ahead, which could become stressful when performing faster passages. And the sound does not disappoint: cuts through a mix like butter, unlike my Kronos which I always have to tweak to make it through the guitars.
Here is a video of one of our live performances back then with the K2600r (one of the “KFM” sounds at around 5:10):
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i think it’s one of those things you need to make your whole world for like a month to get into it and get something out of it. what ya got there is a 90s era electronic music computer w/wicked DSP algos. don’t feel guilty. i mean… modern life, kids, blocks of time etc… there’s only so many hours in a day yo… but maybe one day you’ll get to it and have that AH HA! moment. or someone will slap $800 in your hand and take it away giggling.
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You ever come out East, you know it’s yours. 
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More kurzweil inspiration please! I picked up a beat up k2000vp from a flea market a while back, did a few cool things with it but it’s so hard to stay in that headspace with other options around.
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I was doing really well taking all these 90s samplers out of my reverb cart until I read this thread 
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This thread has definitely made me lust after Kurzweil synths a bit.
Just when I thought I don’t want any new gear lol.
It would be interesting to hear about the programming experiences from those who have used them. Most of the UI’s don’t seem v immediate for an untrained eye.
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The UI itself is very well done, it is quite easy to find a given parameter. The issue is the vast complexity of the synth algos. Yes, you can change the routing of certain synthesis components. The 2-3 manuals have the volume of telephone books if you remember those.
I sometimes programmed my own sounds from scratch but most often configured the layering and performance parameters. That alone allowed for many possibilities. The sequencing interface is much more immediate than what you can find in a Korg Kronos.
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Thanks for the answer. That makes sense and I’ve seen those massive manuals and I guess that’s partly where my doubts of these being suitable instruments for me is coming from.
What would you say are the most unique and determining aspects of Kurzweil’s synthesis capabilities compared to other manufacturers?
VAST was and still is one of the most configurable hardware-based sample synthesis in the non-modular realm. It did not lack in the expressive and performance compartments either.
Plus, its sound is premium all over and cuts very well through the mix. It is like jam on butter. Even its more “analog” sounds still sound great, for example:
The only gripes I would have with it today:
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For today’s quickly rewarding like-focused mentality, deep screen-focused synths like the K2xxx or the Kronos may be just too complex. In a context of growing popularity of virtual analog and the emergence of software synths back in the day, Kurzweil failed to renew itself, which was probably a consequence of the lack of financial backing for doing more serious R&D. It was owned by Korean piano manufacturer YoungChang.
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the expansion ROMs are wonderful but they obviously show their age. With the sampling option you can improve on this but without it (like mine) at least sample wise you will be partially “stuck” with its nonetheless premium 90s/2000 sound.
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I happened to watch this video earlier today and really liked what I was hearing.
It’s weird how rarely Kurzweil synths are mentioned here or other synth forums for that matter.
Being stuck with the 90’s and 00’s sounds might not be an issue for me since I really like the sounds of that era a lot. I might change my mind after a while though.
With the K2700 there would be new terrain to explore for aeons to come so maybe it would make more sense to start putting money aside and try to find a used one at some point.
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Aww, you guys have got me checking eBay for a K2000 rack now.
I hate you all!
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They used the Kurzweil K2000 extensively for vocal mangling in the Musick to Play in the Dark era.
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For me, it’s a matter of “The JV-1080 won.” While VAST is objectively more capable and I think even the ROM samples are superior (not to mention custom samples, if you had hardware that supported it!), it’s so complicated that it’s hard to get into without at least a cursory knowledge of DSP.
The JVs, on the other hand, are pretty approachable to anyone with a subtractive background and are super easy to tweak. Programming a K2xxx to me is like, “I’m going to spend two days perfecting this patch” kind of thing. The JV is “find something close and adjust the filter.” It’s not as rewarding, so I don’t go as deep, but not going deep is sometimes it’s own reward?
So unless you had a studio tech to follow you around, expert preset packs kind of became the name of the game. And there, too, Roland stole the show with the jv80 boards and cards.
But mostly, I recall the JV-1080 being half the price at launch, 1/2 or 1/3 the rack space, and sooo much lighter. It quickly became ubiquitous and was “good enough” that it didn’t make sense to have a Kurzweil as well. 
Now here we are and the victors have written history. No one talks about Betamax tape emulation pedals, after all 
But also, there seems to be a level of technical complexity and processing that just can’t get absorbed by a community and so is constantly forgotten and rediscovered. Roland’s own VariPhrase is like that. And it seems VAST also crosses that threshold.
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The JV/XV were all bread and butter sounds, nothing spectacular and all you needed in a mix. That’s why those had been so popular.
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