- #Kurzweil pc2x release date software#
- #Kurzweil pc2x release date professional#
- #Kurzweil pc2x release date zip#
The 2661's operating system software resides in Flash ROM and is updateable from Smart Media, over MIDI, or from a SCSI device.
#Kurzweil pc2x release date zip#
A SCSI port is still available for connection of other storage devices (the K2600 had two SCSI ports) and it happily worked with the chain of Jaz, Zip and CD-ROM drives I usually have connected to my faithful old K2000.
Given the relatively low cost and availability of these cards, I'd say this is a good move by Kurzweil. This slot appears on the back of the unit, which seems odd to my way of thinking, but the port is internally illuminated by a beautifully eerie blue light (this seems wasted around the back too.) which makes finding it very easy! Using a Smart Media card is as easy as using any other storage device on these machines: simply go into Disk Mode and dial the device up. Gone is the floppy disk drive of the earlier K2-series machines, and in comes a Smart Media memory card slot.
For a more detailed review of the capabilities of the K2600 itself, take a look at that April 2000 review. Since the K2661 is essentially the soul of a K2600, this review will give a broad outline of its features, coupled with comparisons with the earlier K2600. It's taken four years, but Kurzweil have finally proved me wrong! So is this a case of 'better late than never'? In my review of the K2600 (see SOS April 2000, or I voiced my doubts that we would see a non-weighted version (given the lack of a similar non-weighted version of the earlier K2500). The earlier K2000, on the other hand, with its five-octave (61-note) non-weighted keyboard, was of manageable proportions and weight, making it ideal for gigging, rehearsals and generally being carried around in the back of a car.
#Kurzweil pc2x release date professional#
I well recall carrying one to my upstairs studio to conduct the SOS review - phew! While this kind of bulk may not be a problem for professional musicians with a road crew to hand, to the amateur and semi-professional with live performance in mind, it may well be a strong reason for crossing the 2600 off their short list. There's no doubt that the K2600, in both its 88-note and 76-note form, is formidably large and heavy. As the '90s moved on, Kurzweil continued to develop and expand the K2-series with major software updates (including a highly developed filing system and fully featured sequencer), expansion options and more advanced versions of the hardware, culminating in the K2600, released in 2000, with its choice of 76 semi-weighted or 88-note piano-weighted keyboard, faders, ribbon controllers and wide variety of controller inputs. From the first, VAST proved incredibly powerful and flexible, with a modulation architecture that was the answer to many a synthesist's prayers. Kurzweil had developed a proprietary synthesis system based on DSP building blocks which they termed 'VAST' (Variable Architecture Synthesis Technology).
Not only that, but the quality of the hardware, software and sample set were exemplary. Admittedly, no single aspect of the machine's feature list was startlingly new at the time, but Kurzweil had succeeded in bringing together a number of mouth-watering goodies into a very well-integrated package. When Kurzweil's K2000 first took the stage back in 1992, I felt that it represented a considerable leap forward for synthesizer workstation technology. Is their latest offering still competitive in 2004? Kurzweil's high-quality K-series workstations have always commanded a premium price tag, but it's been a while since the range's underlying technology has been updated.
0 kommentar(er)
