Kawai K1

In terms of ease of use, its pretty easy. I mean hey, this thing is pretty damn old school. Mine came with out a manual, so I had a little stumbling around to do, but its pretty easy to use once you get there.

No onboard effects, but a cheap reverb unit will totally add to it. It has a ram slot in the back, but I've never used it, preferring to program it through sysex instead. There are a number of patches available.. (more later).

In terms of features, its pretty slim, but if you're expecting a full synth, you're looking in the wrong place. It does a few things very well, and for the cost is totall worth it. Don't expect to much out of it, and you'll be very happy.

Features that ARE good though, is the fact that you can program the crap out of it. You can do whole bunches of things with it that i haven't dug into yet, but being programmable is a plus.

It does have a joystick too, which allows you change the sound in real time, but its not midi recordable so I barely use it.

Here is where you set your expectations. This synth SUCKS for doing real life sounds like piano and brass, but don't buy it for that. The real silver lining of this cloud is the Pads and Strings. Oh my! Its a little thin there because of its age, but a simple reverb unit will add the depth. The pads, strings and organ sounds make this unit excellent, very nice stuff. You can make some really spacy sound on this.

Just got it, but its old and used, and has been through a couple of owners so far and its working fine for me..

Kawai US just rules in terms of support. I got it without a manual, and within a day, had one sent to me in the mail. cost $12 plus shipping, but they were very nice. And the tech support guys have been VERY helpful in helping me figure out how to use it in the mean time. they're great!

Yeah, I would get another one if this one disapeared, I'm actually considering tracking down a second one if I can find it cheap, since I can only get one midi channel at a time, I want to stack them. I wouldn't pay over a hundred, but its a fun synth for the pads and strings..

Once you have made friends with your K1, the quirky "dead flesh" buttons, tiny screen and joystick become less of a hinderence. Most K1 users have sufficient love to apply the required patience in matestering the programming and MIDI aspects. I have had my K1 for over 10 years and can race my way through the menu's to make a sound on the fly or make a tweak.

The features of the K1 are more than enough for your money. I won't repeat the comments of other reviewers except to say that the K1 has a certain uniqueness in sound and all the features you'll need to apply those sounds in your tunes.

The K1 excells in strange "mars landing" and "UFO Invasion" styles, also I've emulated some good analogue CZ101 type synth sounds plus the famous, breathy strings and choral arrangement stuff is lovely. I agree with the additional external effects suggestion though - and I too have an old MIDIVerb III on the case! This synth works well sound-wise for any style but will never be everything to everyone. It could be used alone for "soundtrack" work, but dance/pop/rock you'll need other stuff and use the K1 for pads/fx.

I've hoiked my K1 all over the country and although a couple of keys are now a bit flaky, and it rattles cos of all the bits in it, it's going strong 10 hard years on!

Never had any need to contact Kawai.

I love my K1. I've used it as a master keyboard for ever and feel my most creative when sat before it. I use less of the sounds these days having samplers coming out of my ears, but there's a particular place for my ash tray on it, a place where my beer rests. It's one of those synths that feels heavy enough to be a "real" synth, but the keys are light and fluffy which appeals to a non-pianist like me. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed if paying what must be such a low price today for such a solid and faithful all-rounder.

The K1 is easy to use and to programme from its soundarchitecture.
No relations to the parametric battlefield of the big brother K5.
The UserInterface is typical for the late 80,a few buttons wich control
the whole parameters.Without an Editorsoftware it makes no fun to
programm patches.
Anyway,at its time it was the standard on such devices.

Programming is easy,with all necessary features.A good Midi Multi Mode.
Manual describes the functions in an accepptable way.Also total
beginners should be able to have wonderful programmingsessions.

K1 has 8/16 polyphony,depending if in a patch are used 2 or 4 sources.
No buildin effects.Cartridge slot for additional sounds/Multis.
MIDI-Dump.Keyboard is OK with aftertouch.Quality is good.

Synthesis is simple,combine in the four source VM and PCM waves.
Special feature is the Ringmodulation.This RM enables the K1 to have
"dirty/odd"-sounds up to FM-like sounds.
Standard ADSR envelopes.
A joystick for realtimemanipulation for the volumes of each source.

Conclusion: A simple synthesisdevice,with some interesting gimmicks.

Sounds can be varied a lot.The soundquality is 8Bit.But it is OK.
Some noises and buzzes are typical for 8 Bit devices.
Some nice PCM sounds.
Sounds can be edited fast and can have nice expressions,by joystick,
pitchbend and Modulation.
If set to a high value,the LFO gets an own life.

No Filtersection,but at this time,digital Filters were far away from
to be marvelous.Pseudo Filtering can be realized with different
waveforms in row.
Today effectdevices are cheap,so if you own a K1,be nice and give it
such a unit.Sounds will get more life.

The big Clou of the K1 is the Ringmodulation.This is not the place
to explain,what can be done with it,but it is able to get a really
FAT sound out of the K1.A little bit like FM,a little bit analog.
RM also can produce nice phasing effect.Depending on the waves and
the ratio between two ringmodulated Sources.
It needs only experience and careful programming.

I still use the K1 in my Setup.For such sweet sounds-wich it is also
able to produce,but mostly for SciFi-sounds or analogue clones.
Of course I have an external analog 24dB Filter switched behind it.

On gigs still in use.

Never needed

Eventhough an old and cheap device,I still need this tiny device.
Mostly for Ringmodulation.
K1 is K1 and can not be compared with other devices.It has this special
8 Bit sound(LoFi) and is easy to use.
If lost/stolen I would buy a new one.

Not TOO easy, but I have learned. Presets sound VERY good, manual too, and editing is alright.

Good features - an excellent keyboard, which alone is worth much more than I did pay!

HEy man - yo wanna SPACE !?!?!

Well, well, well,.... is is old stuff, isnt it...

Buy this if you can get it !!! Fantastic sounds, fantastic keyboard action!

Editing is pretty easy, since the options are pretty limited... I use an editor on all my synths, so I am not particularly fond of editing from the front panel. Screen is pretty small. Selecting patches and mixes and setting up global parameters is pretty straight forward.

Features are limited, but, that's what you get from an entry level synth from 1989. MIDI capabilities are good considering how old it is. Kybd action good, held up well over the years. Memory cards are still available that work on the K1 but they are expensive (around $100) considering how many patches they hold... I wouldn't bother with them given how much the synth is worth. If you're using it at home only there is a librarian free of charge available in the net. Do a search for soundlib. I've checked it out and it works w/ my K1.

Presets actually don't do justice.. do yourself a favor and check out other patches. kawai's page (www.kawaius.com) has a few extra banks. Check thru the internet because i've found a total of 12-14 extra banks for it. The main thing about the K1 is it sounds dry and thin compared to today's synths, which mostly have built in effects processors. I run mine thru an old midiverb III and I think it allows a better apples to apples comparison to other synths. Lack of filters is a big - ... they could improved the sounds significantly with an LPF and a filter envelope.

Above all this is a subjective category. My other synths are either newer or higher end.. alesis qsr, kurzweil pc88mx, yamaha cs6x. Yep the cs does more and sounds better and it's 10 years younger. '

Works pretty well for weird synth sounds, some acoustic simulations (strings), effects, low-fi drum sounds. again, I definetly recommend running it thru a simple reverb unit.

Reliable so far.. have had it for about 9 years.

Never had to contact Kawai...

They were pretty popular at the time and I've seen them on ebay on several occasions.. wouldn't pay more than $150 personally (more if you can buy from a shop and have a 30 day warranty or something) for a new one though. It was worth at the time what I paid.. and I've got my money's worth.

At the time I bought it was worth every penny... I was in school and had no money but wanted something to practice. I'm still fond of some of the sounds, and I guess I'm quite fond of it since it's piece of gear that i've owned the longest.

I've just gotten this synth from my dad today. It's my first real MIDI synth, so this is what I'll be learning on. In the few hours I've spent with it so far, it's proving to be very user-friendly, with just enough options to really get into making my own patches, but not so many that I get lost (well, not TOOO lost... ;-).

I was with my dad when he got this keyboard last year at a used-gear shop for $200 (too much?) with hold pedal, power-pak, three manuals and one K-8 (?) memory card. Somewhere along the way, the card was lost or misplaced. So, if you have a spare to sell/trade, please let me know!

For an early MIDI-era keyboard, it has pretty cool sounds! And, like most of you other K 1 users out there, I too love those sweet strings sounds!

I've put it through it's paces in the last hour, and seen no signs of wear or trouble.

If anyone out there feels like droping a few hints/tips my way, please email me at huckdunsany@hotmail.com
Thanks!

This is a really nice keyboard to use.
The menu structure is pretty clear - setting up multitimbral combinations is incredibly easy.
The little joystick is a nice feature for setting up sounds and you can use 'live' to edit sounds while playing, though I can't say I do.
As a non-piano player I find the keyboard really pleasant - it is more substantial feeling than many synth keyboards & I think responds well to after-touch.

Comapre with modern synths it is lacking in features - no filters (shame!), no built-in effects, no separate drums, 8 part polyphony only. But for the price you can get it for now (if you can find one) it makes a good master keyboard and a great source for more unusual sounds.
With a bit of programming it can produce some really off-the-wall stuff.

It's an old synth now and those 8-bit pcm samples really don't cut the mustard for reproducing 'natural' sounds. It also won't do analogue-type stuff (no filters). But it does have some really great sounds & great potential for programming. As someone else has said, the strings patch is lovely! (As is the 'Aaah' I think) It can do some good 'digital synth' sounds. It's also great for just plain wierd sounds.

I've had mine for over 10 years without a single problem.

I've never had a reason to contact Kawai.

I would really miss mine if I lost it - I used it as my main synth for many years & I still use it as my controller keyboard & for some key sounds.

I bought my first and only synth/midi controller keyboard, a K1 in 1989. After 10 years, and spendind all of 1998 in a closet, it still WORKS LIKE day 1!!!!!!! In 1990, I had the software chip replaced free where I purchased it. Apparently, when the K-1 II came out, a free upgrade was made available. I grabbed the opportunitity as it was free. The internal battery has held up 10 years now. Impressive. Editing patches has been a BREEZE. It has a very simple OS that has been so easy to use and the joystick helps. Another person wrote that only about 10 patches were good. I do not agree. I have come up with some great Basses and pianos, but there is a CATCH. Because the K-1 is a low end synth so far behind the K-4 of the time with only 8 bit resolution, I have used a lot of reverb on most sounds. A large room or medium hall will make a K-1 "pass" for a K-4. I'm glad I bought it. But I would always rather have had a K-4. Hat's off to Kawai for a great synth!!! As a controller it is fine. I have added rack mounts over the years and as far as a midi controler it could just as easily be a 10K dollar synth. The ease of sysex dumps and loading is great too. I give the K-1 a 5 thumbs up grade. Jonathan Cain of Journey endorsed and owned K-1(s). No patch editor was ever required or desired. The manual was very user freindly. 10 years in the future, I have it memorized. The K-1 OS is in my head.
Sincerely,
James Browning

This Synth belongs in the musical instrument hall of fame.

I own the rackmount version of K-1, model K1r. Editing is the simplest I've seen on a synth, which allows you to concentrate on the sound you want to create and not on the bottomless menus. Manual is adequate. The presets vary in quality but I think there are many that are useful. Some of them make use of the random modulation source to create sounds that are weird in an inspiring way.

No built-in effects is a major limitation in this unit. I solved the problem by buying a cheap reverb unit, and the slightly "wet" sound is much sweeter, although I have to say that many patches have simulated effects built in.
The synth is interesting because it's a PCM-based additive machine. The waveforms in ROM are of two kinds -- fundamental oscillator shapes with varying harmonic content, which allows you to sijulate sweeps in the absense of filters; and PCM samples of attack portions of real instruments sounds.
MIDI: fairly complete. I like the way it resonds to aftertouch and the flexibility with which it's set up. You can create some very expressive sounds by modulating vibrato and pitch from aftertouch and velocity.
Expansion: I have one Voice Crystal sound card which is excellent. There are more available.
No arpeggiator/sequencer.

Because of the ease of programming, there is little that stands in the way of creating a new patch. I used K1r as a lead instrument with auto pitch bend and it sounds quite distinct. In other cases, it makes a wonderful FX unit with bleeps, noises and hisses which offer a pretty good palette for techno, ambient etc.

If you don't count the battery-based expansion card, it seems to be pretty reliable. It never gave me problems and it looks like a tank. The MIDI connector works fine but it feels kind of loose because of the extensive use my unit has seen, so I give it a 9.

N/A

I bought it used at Sam Ash because I thought I would return it if it wasn't good. It turned out to be a good machine, and I effectively paid a bit too much, $200. I would try to buy another one for about $130 should mine get lost.
The unit lacks effects and filters, but it's definitely useful in certain applications. Look for it if you want something remotely similar to Korg M1, M3R but much cheaper.

i have used a variety of public domain patch editors for the k1. There are so many of them on the internet and free, some with very large librarys of patchs. (check some of the old atari 8 bit sites for 900 or more patch librarys!) You would do good to see what is on the internet or bbs in the way of patch editors and sound banks, and probably would not need to buy an editor. Some of the banks have patchs that sound like they were used in some of the space opera music, like 2001. Then there are some really strange patchs that sound like sci fi lazer zaps at one speaker, the sound moves from that speaker across the room, and splatters on the other speaker. This effect is done by making 8 patchs, and giving each of them a different pan position, and a different attack starting time, etc., and then set these 8 patchs so they can all be triggered on the same channel. The sounds of the k1 are great for sci fi, and some killer sounds, but do not sound much like real life instruments. I only liked a few of the presets, but loved what I was able to get in sound banks, and have replaced most of the presets with these patchs. It is fairly easy to edit patchs, but it has some odd options not on most synths that might confuse you at first, such as setting each patch to what channel it will respond to. A patch editor does make a big difference in how easy it is to edit, and allows better storage than carts. The manual is fairly good, it is just so different a synth, that you most likely will feel confused, and the manuel will seem unclear untill you understand the synths unusual options better.

No sequencer, can take a cartrige to store patchs, 8 voice multi timbral with multi sounds, and it is easy to use. Just remember to connect both a midi out and in cable to your computer when you use a patch editor, most need both cables connected.

K1 users will be happy to know about this trick that will let them get large patch librarys of about 900 patchs for free! First you will need to get a k1 editor program. You can easily find these on the internet, for your brand of computer or ask in the newsgroups. You most likely will get several banks of patchs with the editor. Now here is the trick. I found that I also could download K1 editors and or sound banks from other computer bbs, and internet sites that were not the same brand as mine. The editors will not work, but the sound banks will. Yes, I used Atari, amiga, ibm k1 sound banks. It did not matter if these sound banks and editors are archived in zip files, or lha or larc files. I just downloaded the file to floppy and decompressed it using the decompress program for my computer, and found that it works! This means you can get archives of patchs, sound banks, even midi files from many sources than just your type of computer. Mac files seem to do something different, but if I used a decompresser program called unsit, for my computer, I could get those mac files too, that were compressed with the .sit extension. Just remember to not try to run any of the programs, and delete them, and only save the banks, patchs, and midi or sample files.

It seems very reliable, and does not lose its patchs even with power failures of several days. I think it could be used with no backup, but anyone doing gigs should always plan for the worse case event.

I would get one again, but they sell now for about $200. They are very good for that price if you want some space and sci fi or growling synth sounds, and air vent type sounds, but they are a bum for traditional instrument sounds.