Kawai K1

i remember programming it right out of the box, after having read half the (btw.well-written!) manual. the presets sound nice, but they are too dated to be of much use, exc. for the occasional string pad. that's why it's a synth, folks. so you can make it your own.

a lot of complaints are voiced about the keyboard, but its not quite THAT bad. you are not going on solistic flights with this machine, it's rather the perfect texture maker, or background instrument. the pressure sensitivity is pretty crap, though.
fortunately no fx, they don't really belong on a synth, and you wouldn't want to use them much nowadays. do your k1 the favour to run it thru sth decent, and it will reward you with out of this worlds, beautiful ethereal pads and bizarro pseude-modular insect drones.

i would use it for electronica, ambient, film music, whatever. not per se an techno synth, though. (no filter)
none of the instruments are "realistic", but the string sounds are very very beautiful, not just for this price range.
btw, the noise mainly seems to stem from the pcm samples (the attack sounds and percussive sounds) , so i mainly use the additive waveforms, and with a decent fx processor, there's nothing to complain about.

its actually surprisingly well built for a cheap keyboard of its age.

i often hook it up to my kawai phm module, even lusher textures ooze out of this pair. this review is coming from someone who also plays yamaha cs-60, roland jupitre, moog etc. if you only ever own one digital synth, it should be the k1.

As far as I know, there was never any specific user-available software
designed for this synth, unless you include the dc-8 mem'ry, which really should be considered a hardware peripheral, I believe. Patch editing , along with all of the other adjustable functions are real easy if you red the manual first. The manual is one of the simplest on the market - it got straight to the point of the most common issues
and eliminated a lot of red mental tape by avoiding obscure possibilities and micro-tech dialect.

8 note polyphony. 96 preconstructed patches, 64 single, 32 multi's
which can be divided into 8 sections apiece. Vibrato and auto-bend are the only effects, but that doesn't undermine the extent to which the vm tone generator allowed enhancement manipulation control.DC-8
cards gave the machine a good reputation for expansion possibilities.
The midi capabilities continue to be useful(if not necessary) for those who continue using this machine in 2003. Velocity information can be transmitted on this machine as did most midi-capable synths could which had velocity capabilities in the late 80's. No sequencing,
but with a little sweat one could modify the "drum" patches to arpeggiate in ways that perhaps even the Kawai techs didn't consider.

The various string elements remind one of the sweet warmth that used to be associated with the Crumar Performer(at least when it first came out of the box!) I still listen carefully when playing the French Horn patch. I found the machine endlessly useful for clean, expressive orchestrated patches when it came to giving small symphonic impressions(don't you think that this is an important way of thinking when engineering ballads? Remember - good art invokes the
audiences to supply the details of overall structure through their imagination, expression can then be brought forth full strength by the artist. The Kawai K1 was masterful in it's abilities as a tool for the essntial backrounds. It never got in the way, yet, it was fully supportive - you know, like a B1.)
The K1 was excellent for ballads of all sorts of musical genre. However, no lead synth could it be without the retro on the fly oscillation and filter adjusters. To be fair, the pitch bend and modulation wheels were beautifully engineered, along with the multi-functional joy stick that came with the machine. Problem is, all of these still had to have there performance parameters selected way before you hit the stage. I don't know about everyone else but I never
gave up my potential for improvisaional expressionism without a fight.
As so many of even today's entry class synths, unweighted keys sacrifice a lot. The K1 does do well when used with a controller - and in this regards is still quite amazing to me when mixed with updated synths. The aftertouch sucks...

The K1 was the most reliable keyboard I have ever used. 15 years on the same battery. It looks great - yet, I've never once put it in a bag or a shell(shame on me!).It's too old to fool myself that it shouldn't have a back-up now, but, man, can you dig the reliability
history?! I'm 46 - all these years and keyboards later, if I could only have one keyboard - Kawai would be its name because of this one factor!

You know, I'm just needing information for things like the battery,
extra DC8 cards, and some other things. Maybe this format can help me.

I've seen some of these keys in pawn shops for 150.00. They are well worth having as stackable entries in your studio needs. If you have the moolah for all the toys available today - forget looking for this one - an S80 would blow this machine away. But I'm holding on to mine for future use - not just sentimentally, mind you, but, I'm just used to using it in my studio as an outstanding ballad enhancement tool. Yes, I usually hook it up as a midi slave. If your looking for a pawn bargain, there you go.

Note to potential K1 buyers or enthusiasts:

please see my review under the K1m (the module version) as it is relevant to the K1 keyboard or rack mount versions.
The only thing I would like to re-emphasize is that as much as I like this synth as it is, a good stereo multi-effects processor can make this thing come ALIVE. I recently picked up a Roland/Boss SE50 to use exclusively with the K1, and man, it sounds incredible. Before this I was mostly using a Yamaha FX500, which was ok, but only had mono input, so a lot of the stereo imaging was lost, especially on those wonderful airy pads that the K1 is known for. Having the stereo inputs made a big difference. I picked up the SE50 used for only $60 and it was a great investment, as it expanded the sonic capability of the K1 by a lot.
The only other thing I would add is that the presets are a mixed bag, with a lot of them not being that great. However, if you take the time to program this synth, or at least download some good tweaked patches, you will be surprised how good this thing can sound.

This was my first digital synth way back in 1989. Since then I've found it to be very easy to program and it doesn't take long to do it either - even with the tiny display. The manual is OK, very to understand with nothing lost in the translation from Japanese, unlike others I could mention. Only when you start to tinker does the potential of this beast hit you.

The polyphony is a bit limited, put you can improve things by cutting down on the number of voices within a single patch. You lose some texture to the sounds, but it can be useful at times when creating a multi patch.
The keyboard is great for a #500 synth with nice weight and aftertouch. No onboard effects but no hardship really.

When I bought the K1 I tried everything from Roland, Yamaha and Korg had at the time below #1000. The strings on the K1 blew them into the weeds! I have still to hear a string sound that has such depth as this machine can produce. It cuts at the top end and the bass is deep. Compared to an M1 or a D50 this thing just takes things to a higher level. One patch, Fairmarket, has become my sound. I tweaked it and it is so deep and different than any other string sound out there. I love it. Mix it with a pure string sound (say from an EMT10) and you have the instant dirtiness off the good ol' mellotron! Wonderful. All the pad and effect sounds are great, the organs are OK, the basses good, the acoustic pianos poor, the electric pianos/clavinets are good but the drums are awful! The Ahh and Voice sounds are brilliant though, such depth.

Only one problem about six months after I bought it, the aftertouch disappeared. It was quickly fixed but over the years has faded again. It still works but you have to press VERY hard! The original battery is still in though after 14 years - but I make sure all my stuff is sysex dumped just in case.
It weighs a ton, and is very tough. Metal chassis and tough plastic case. You could hammer nails in with it.

Quick to repair the aftertouch, no problems since. They give out free patches and patch editors on the website (or did the last time I looked - but it was a while back.)

I would break my legs to get this replaced if anything happened to it. A wonderful synth that has aged better than its contemporaries which sound dated now. A cracking second hand buy - I wouldn't mind a K1R too!

The K1 keyboard does not have built-in effects. I was only referring
to the module having sound effects in the previous post.

Excellent for Dark Industrial, Trance, New Age, and Groove. Very nyce
strings and Rhodes Piano. Other pianos, well forget them. Satisfactory
drum kits included also. Very airy, Dark and warm sounds (metals
pinging, mist rising.

The presets to this machine are well established, strangely but greatly. The patches are fairly easy to edit once some experience
is obtained. You can also save and access more memory to the card
(or cards). The K1 has no filter, once you tweak with the LFO and
ringmodulation, I don't assume that you'll have any complaints
about not having one.

This is a nyce synth for capabilities of keyboard splitting, a decent polyphony, not to mention velocity and aftertouch sensitive
keys. It works well as a master MIDI. The K1 also employs built-in
sound effects. Chorous, reverb to name a few. Full MIDI - IN,THRU,
and OUT ports for well communication of abilities. The K1, however,
does not accompany an onboard sequencer. Concerning patches, there
are several new ones that can be downloaded free from the Kawai
website.

Instrument patches of the K1 are different. The strings and brass are
very compatable to being real, the piano patches could be improved to
some point (except for the Rhodes piano which is prefferably hypersonic and plastic. The ability to modify the LFO out of it's
boundaries and ringmodulation allow the K1 to produce an array of
sounds that's blown completely out of proportion, unlike none I've
ever heard before! Very strange, ethereal, mystic and nasty. It
would be an excellent synth for an Industrial, Gothic Rock, New Age
or even a groove band. And yes, there are some impressive drum kits included. Being that it is a velocity and pressure sensitive keyboard, it works suprisingly well with many units of percussion.

It is a well built synth, however like any other synth will require
some maintenance and upkeep, usually minor things such as battery replacement, cleaning electrical contacts for the keys, and perhaps
replacing the display light after several years use.

I haven't dealt with the company before, but I know of someone who
needed a backlight, which he obtained directly from Kawai, and was
very satisfied with their speed and service.

Go find a used K1 in acceptable condition and buy it. Experiment with
it. If you are unique and elemental, you'll enjoy this synth that
only few have came to appreciate.

After reading the manual,this synth is easy to use,eventhough there
are only a few buttons for programming.
Once familiar with the programming Menue,sounds can be easily developed.
The manual explains a lot,but not enough.A disease of the eighthies
synths.Especially the explanation of FM theory in the DX7 manual
was joke.And in the K1 we find it again.

2 to 4 independent waveforms at a time with ADSR for each Wave.
256 Waveforms.Most are static K5 sounds with an add of some PCM Samples
Multisamples..
AMPLITUDEMODULATION !
Vectorjoystick for blending through the 4 waveforms during play.
8 Multitimbral.8/16Voice polyphony,depending on the singlesoundsetting.

An ordinary preset waveform synth,like the Korg M1.Soundquality is
8 Bit.Not crispy clean and a little weak in the bass.A unique sound-
character.
For standard sounds,Pads and Brass are fine.They really sound good for
such a limited device.
The big over mufty cracker is the AM-function.It is not a Ringmodulation like the manual
explains.AM is two pole and RM is four pole,if compared to Lowpass-
FiltersIN RM you only here the differencs and summary of the used
waveforms.In AM still here the original waveforms.Anyway....

The AM is the KillerAPP of the K1.Here you can produce really dirty
and muddy sounds,far away from digital and cold crispness.
Here you can make the sound fat,dirty or really weird.This is the
FX-section of the K1.
Another thing is the LFO.If set to extreme,then the IC can not calculate correct anymore
and offers a kinf of Random LFO with a special flavour.

For FX Sounds Freaks like me a real good source of inspiration.

As FX device I give it a 10,as ROM based synth a 7.So it is 8,5 with
rounding a nine

After 13 years of usage,it needs a new puffer battery.
Buttons are not of good quality-like in the K5.

Not yet needed

The K1 has Wolfemansoul in the body of a sheep.
Using it only for Pads or Brass is OK,but then you miss the dark
heart of it.
This dark heart will appear with the AM function.Amazing.
Not to forget the sick LFO at extreme settings.

Multimode is fine and well arranged.The sound is 8Bit,wich fits to
the AM.Here you can get dirt in the sound.
At its time the K1 was a cheap and flexible synth with a lot of
sound and functions for a small money.Most users preferred it to use it as Korg M1 clone.
What a pity.
The real heart is in the AM function.And here the K1 sounds incredible.

NO FX on board.But with programming you can produce pseudo chorus,
flanging and phaser effect and also a kind of pseudo reverb.
Pseudo delay can be also set.

I got this keyboard as a gift from a friend. He didn't have a manual and he also had forgot how to edit the patches. I have had a good time using it to play with preset sounds and so has everyone I know who has played it. I have had some good ideas for patches but I cant seem to figure out how to save them. If anyone knows the process post a review with instructions or e-mail me.

For a simple keyboard it has excellent action and superb polyphony. I havent found any built in effects so I don't know if it even has any, but it can accept cards so I imagine that it can be expanded.

I agree with the guy who posted about the string and pad sounds. They are Outrageous!

I think that this is a pretty hardcore keyboard as far as construction goes... so I would definetly carry it around without a backup.

Its a good keyboard if your just getting into synthesisers.

This synth is easier to use than any Korg I've owned.
OK. That's not saying much. It's as easy as my MU90 also.
In fact, it is set up in the classic synth framework.
Multiple patches and single patches. 4 banks for each.
Editing is very interesting and advanced. This is an
additive synth folks! It sells for $100 on Ebay and
it is an additive synth. One of the first. You can add
waves to each other in the editing process to produce
very unusual sounds.

8 polyphony.
Keyboard action is excellent for a synth.
I always thought Kawai had excellent key action.
The early additive synthesis feature is unique
in its time. It is an excellent little midi controller.

The strings and pads on the K-1 are famous.
There are hundreds of sounds for this thing free on the internet.
But where the K-1 reputation will always rest is on the strings and pads. Unique and wonderful! The strings are the best I've heard for my own music. I have come to be dependent on the string pad sound.

I have used it since 1989 without a problem.
I would rate it an 11.

Fantastic customer support. Perhaps because Kawai still keeps their two synth guys employed (Troy and another Gent), despite the fact that they stopped manufacturing synths a few years ago. I got to know Troy reasonably well. You call 'em up or email them. They answer your questions.
Not like Korg.

It was an inexpensive synth in its time.
Over the years, mainly because of the strings and pads,
its reputation has grown. They sell for $100-200 on Ebay.
Can you believe it? I've purchased a second one.

It is easy to use. Easier to edit with a patch editor such as midiquest, of course, this what I used. Never had manual, can't comment on it. Editing to a beginner could be daunting and only a beginner would want this synth.

Standard/Run of the Mill features. Nothing to get hard nips over. 8 part multi , however the polyphone (not sure) is too low to make serious use of this capability. oh yeah, joystick is a joke.
I hate the position and feel of the mod and pitch wheel. keyboard nice to play

The sounds are so bland in this thing. I hate it. I created 100s of patches and couldn't get anything out of the range of run of the mill.
noises even suck. leads, bass, - nothing has punch or balls.
Good for filler. I used it for background stuff in a couple recordings. Good beginner keyboard.

It's plastic. As with all gear, be gentle and you'll have it forever.
I've never had a problem. Living proof that smoke doesn't hurt your gear too much - kept in a very smoky home studio.

n/a

This is a bland board - all in all. I'd only recommend it to beginners. Don't take me wrong, you can get stock sounds out of it.
But if you've got one, you'll eventually yearn for something more.
After making 100s of patches for it, I pretty much learned that there were no stellar sounds lurking somewhere in the circuitry waithing to be found. I wouldn't pay more than $150 for one - if you have to do it.