Kurzweil K2000

It takes a bit of learning to understand it, but the K2000 is a bit like Reason or similar all-in-one DAW programs out there. The main difference is it has lower latency. It will even "learn" knob mappings like the newer DAW software (hold down "enter" while twisting a knob on your controller to assign it to tweak a parameter). The learning curve is a bit steep, but if you think of it as a DAW instead of synth you'll get a lot closer to understand what it can do. I rate it a "5", not because it's hard to use but it is deep and takes some thinking to really understand and appreciate.

24 voice polyphony, with up to three oscillators per voice for a grand total of 96 oscillators running at any one time.

I have the K2000RS, which doesn't have a keyboard. I use a Keystation Pro 88 to control it. The action isn't as nice as the K2000 keyboard's but the plethora of sliders/knobs/buttons more than makes up for it.

The base model (K2000/K2000R) can have an additional "sampling" option installed (making it a K2000S/K2000RS). The OS is upgradeable by swapping two EPROMS, the latest version is 3.87 (I run 3.54 currently). You can add memory (up to 64 mb) and what's called "p-ram" or program memory. P-ram allows you to expand the total number of programs and songs available at the same time. The internal hard drive can be swapped out for larger ones in later OS versions (above 3.0, I think), up to 2GB (and, I think, 4GB with v3.87). There's a company called "SCSI for Samplers" that sells SCSI memory card readers that can be installed, hence you can replace your hard drive and floppy drive with memory cards (and kill the noise made by the hard drive in the process).

MIDI implementation is very extensive. It responds to (but does not generate) polyphonic aftertouch (which can be assigned as a modulation source for anything in a patch). All the usual MIDI CCs are supported, along with pitch/mod wheel, breath controller, foot controllers, etc. Midi jacks include in/out/thru with the thru switchable to act as another out.

I haven't messed around with the sequencer too much, but among other things you can create sequences and assign them to keys, so that when you hit the key the sequence will play. You can use this feature to arrange songs in real-time (kinda like Ableton Live), bearing in mind the 24-voice polyphony limit. Sequencer resolution is 784 PPQ (parts per quarter note), and you can determine the percentage of quantization used on a part (for instance, if you don't want a drum part locked exactly to the beat, you can quantize it so that all hits are within +/- 5% of the beat), something that I haven't really seen elsewhere.

You can pretty much program anything on a K2000. Even if you don't have the sampling option installed, you can still load samples if you want to go that route. The DSP engine generates sine/square/saw waves that you can use in a patch instead of samples.

The basic structure is Layer:Program. A program can have multiple layers, and within a layer you can choose one of 31 different "algorithms". Each algorithm has up to 3 assignable processing blocks. For instance, an algorithm might look like [saw+]-[saw+]-[lp2res]-[amp], which would combine two sawtooth waves and send them through a 2-pole resonant low-pass filter. This would constitute one "layer", and you can have up to 32. Other algorithms do things like split a signal or have two signal paths, allow for AM (via the [xamp] and [xgain] blocks) and FM (via [shaper] and [saw+shaper] blocks) synthesis, and do other interesting things.

On later versions (starting with the K2600) up to three layers can be set up in series. Later versions of the K2500 and above also features a "live mode" where anything coming in through the analog inputs (if you have the sampling option) can be treated as an oscillator and sent through these algorithms. So, in essence, anything can become an oscillator.

This is only a small slice of what the K2000 and related synths can do. Modulation sources can be combined using simple equations or functions called FUNs. There's something like 19 sources for LFO's within a layer, at least 3 envelopes, all of the MIDI controllers can be assigned independently per layer... Kurzweil calls this "V.A.S.T.", which I think is quite an understatement.

Mine is used in my studio, I haven't tried to gig with it or anything. I've never had issues, I bought it second-hand for $500 five or so years ago and it's still going strong. I'm not really a gigging musician, though (most of what I do is hobby-level studio stuff), so I don't have an opinion for how it stands up to nightly abuse. For my uses it rates a 10.

The manual is very good. It runs about 530 pages but what's amazing is that doesn't really begin to cover everything you can do with a K2000. For instance, I just figured out that the thing makes a nice submixer so that I can run keyboards through it so they won't eat up inputs elsewhere in my system. There's literally almost a decade's worth of email group postings available on the internet, where people have hashed out most (but not all) of what these can do. Numerous posts have been made by Kurzweil tech support, and they've supported the community in coming up with new and interesting ways to use and/or abuse the K2000. I've never had to call Kurzweil, so I don't know how they are on the phone. Otherwise, it's a very solid 10.

The great irony is nowadays these things go for about $200 - $300 bucks on Ebay. It's a steal, and I recommend getting something with a fair number of knobs and sliders to control it so you can maximize your fun. It's a bit of a time commitment to learn how to use it fully, so this may not be the best solution if you're casually interested in synthesis or just playing ROM sounds. However, there are many, many rewards for the patient user who's willing to put some thought and effort into coming up with patches. I used to lust after a CS-80, or a Moog Modular, or a Fairlight or Syncalvier. I honestly think the Kurzweil can do most (if not 100% convincingly) of that and way more. It's not as big or unreliable as those old beasts, and it's nowhere near as expensive. Finally, it doesn't use up any CPU cycles or RAM, so it's a great way to expand your sound options for relatively little money while taking some of the load off your computer.

If this thing got stolen or lost I would get another. There seems to be a steady supply at cut-rate prices, making it one of the best bargains on the internet.

It is a statement to the quality of the forward-thinking minds at Kurzweil that they created an instrument over 15 years ago that will hang with most (if not all) modern workstations and still do tricks that the others don't do. And, that with the deluge of cheap MIDI controllers there are a huge number of new possibilities for this box. For instance, the M-audio trigger finger can send polyphonic aftertouch (find anything else under $800 that can do that, let alone under $150) and do other interesting MIDI mapping things...

The world is just starting to catch up to the K2000. If you want an amazing synth (well, more like a DAW really) for an amazing price, this is it.

I've had the K2000 for years and only used it as a controller for my home studio and never really dove into what it can do until recently. The sounds are second to none. Editting is a bit cumbersome. Sampling is fairly easy. There are so many options and program abilities if you can't find the sound your looking for you find a close patch and customize it to your liking.

I love the "Quick Access" function. I use this board live and I can have all my patches in one quick access location which puts them all just one or two button pushes away - which helps on the songs with multi patch changes.

If your reading this then you know what MIDI and SEQUENCE features this board has.

Lately I've been experimenting with the 303 and 304 patches as well as pads and vintage analog sounds. This board simply amazes me.

15 years old and works like new and now not only in my studio but live in the clubs every weekend. Never a problem.

I have several keyboards and modules. I was thinking of hauling a rack, patch bay,etc... but found I could do everything I needed with this board. If you think I'm kidding check Jordan Rudess who for years only used "ONE" Kurzweil for everything. www.jordanrudess.com

(He uses the K2500X however I'm finding there isn't much difference from the K2000 to the K2600.)

I've sent emails and received helpfull responces.

I own Korg, Roland, Ensoniq, Alesis and Kurzweil keyboards along with several Virtual instrument plugins and without question the Kurzweil is by far superior.

i have the os 3.18 janice in my kurzweil sence i bought it.
The presets are incredible, all the organs that come with it sound superb, the strings have a warm fat sound to it, heck, every sound is awesome.

the manual is a bit big though, and i find it pretty hard to find what i want in it, BUT the keyboard in it self is so easy to use so you would hardly need it.

to ad for the later part: i have tried Roland XA and the X7 and ive tried all the Korg Triton models, and triton sounds like a rippoff from this one, but without the phat sound, and kurzweil k2000 can do the same as the three of them together.

Sadly it misses out some in the polyphony,
if you are going to use multiple layers it would be recomended to copy them to a computer and merge two samples and then load them back, so you dont use upp all voices when you start adding other instruments. (i think it has about 24 voices polyphony)
The effects that come with it are awesome, thats all i have to say.
the expansion capabilities are pretty good, you can upgrade the sample/program-ram pretty easy. another sad point is that its pretty hard to change the bios sence you actually have to remove the circuit in the keyboard and replace it.
it does also have alot of pressure levels on the keys and it has a pretty easy to use sequencer.

Kurzweil seem to be specialized in phat sounds, such as church organs and heavy strings, when you hear them you will fall over and cry out of joy. ;)
This keyboard can do anything, rave, trance, rock, blues, classical, blackmetal, you name it. i even managed to copy the sound of roland tb 303 with a couple of easy keystrokes.
The onboard effects are awesome, i love the reverbs that come with it, sadly they seem to be static, but sence the keys are pressure sensetive you can emulate dynamics in the effects.

The early versions of kurzweil k2000 where made with an broken solderingmachine, so almost every circuit was coldsoldered(if thats what its called in english).. so most of the early machines have had alot of problems, but if you have the fresh ones with janice os you should be clear of this and it wont bug up.
so i would not use the first built kurzweils in a gig.
But you can trust the later ones, so i would gladly use those in a gig.

i never dealt with the support, but what i have heard its supposed to be great.

I would never trade my kurzweil for any other keyboard or workstation, except another, and better, kurzweil. the only reason to get an analog synth would be because its easier to tweak with knobs then to make a program (but if you have an external controller with knobs you can tweak with those too ;D).
I have been using my kurzweil for about a year now, and i have tried alot of other keyboards/workstations, and they all look like casio ctk series if you compare them to kurzweil.
what i love about the kurzweil is that it sounds so good, its easy to use, and you can create youre own sounds easy.
but i have to say that i hate that you have to use scsi to transfer sounds to it, but its an old keyboard so i cant really complain.

the only thing i miss in this kurzweil is usb support and alot of knobs for controlling various effects (eg. reso, cutoff on analog sounds).


if you want a keyboard that sound fat without being amplified or put through an hellish large effect line, this is the keyboard for you, there is no such thing as an competor to kurzweil exept them selfes.

I had this a couple years ago, and after having owned a few synths,
I just had to rave how easy and intuitive it was to use. Kurzweil has
got the idea on what 'user-friendly' means. Korg is halfway there.
Yammy has just got some catching up to do, Motif would be killed by
it's awkward interface and display, if not for its other outstanding
features that save its neck. This old synth has such a contemporary
display screen! You can see envelopes on it, wave samples, and even
play Pong!

It has 24 poly of VAST algorithm. Good algol, not enough poly. I have
to emphasise how good this algorithm is, combined with the ease-of-use
and user friendly interface, you'll be programming patches in no time.
The sound engine is so intuitive, and powerful, you can assign LFO's
and Envelopes to MIDI controls. It can give a vibrato that slowly
increases the oscillation rate, which i think the current Yammy/Korg
may not be able to do. You can change other parameters as well,
with a mathematical formula in the engine that you can use.
However the filters in the engine could sound stronger.
Kurzweil definitely has it in the Sound Engine department.

Totally no effects whatsoever, just like the amount of musical
training William Hung had.
Its a sampler, has a disk drive.
For an old synth, it still gets a 7 because it uses VAST.

Great sound engine. Patches can be programmed using its algorithm, that
can help create sounds. You can mimick how a real person plays the
instrument with only aftertouch and mod wheels, fabulous!

Unfortunately, its let down by a small sample ROM soundset that in
this day and age, can't compete with the current low-end synths.
So, its lacking in quality and sound definition.
No effects. So I rate this a 6.

Can't overcome this unless you take the effort to use the sampler
for each and every patch.

However i distinctly remember a very convincing flute patch
that just blew my mind away. NO EFFECTS! SMALL ROM! How do they
program it...

Only had it for a few months. No opinion. It gets really hot at
the place where the power supply is plugged in. A bit worrying
because its hot enough to keep your cup of coffee warm. An
AC adapter there perhaps?

Never dealt with customer support

Gets a 6, because I value the sound department most.

Nope, won't buy it again. Its an aging synth. Hate the fact that
it has no effects, and its sample ROM isn't very good.

With an up-to-date ROM soundset, KDFX effects, and better
polyphony, it'll be a killer synth. (Hey, doesn't that sound
like the Kurzweil K2661? But its way to expensive. Kurzweil hasn't
got the cost department right. Thats where they lose to Yammy.)

K2000 Vast
Presets:Very Good.

Other commentary TBA

K2000 VAST
Construct = good.
Cons:The keys could have been designed with more holding power [aka heavier plastic composite]. Let the engineers figure on this as crucial for the trained pianists who do utilize synthesizers in their works. Certainly, we would not beat on it, but, the expressive player might like a bit more "weight" even onthe 61 note.
Further commentary to follow...

Of the sounds discovered at this hour, YES, absolutely wonderful!
For the New Age/Atmospheres songwriter, it is perfect.
I like dial panning versus press and spin/or + - to edit patches. I like Dial panning/editing like Korg Z1's design, older analog - mission controls
Since this world's theme tends towards a cyclical pattern of things, perhaps Kurzweil will consider?

I just bought this K2000 preowned. Well maintained.
Again, the construct of the keys are fine, could have been heavier to the touch,

Simple maintanance is important. Air in a can. Back up battery stock. And some fuses. All inexpensive. Cover when not in use :)

TBA

Yes, i would buy it again.

The sounds, i like them. Sampled wonderfully!

The one thing that could be improved is the visual screen. Bigger would have been better, perhaps like the Triton, but not touchable :)

i am using 3.18. but 3.8.7 is better because you can read standard ISO-CD-ROMS.
Usability is excellent. that is why there is no computer editor.
the more you use this thing, the deeper you get. and discover a lot of shorcuts which make it even faster to work with

excellent midi which makes it a great masterkeyboard. it even has polyphone aftertouch.
you can edit romsounds and .wav samples, even if you do not have the sampling option installed.
polyphony is only 24 but this does not hurt.
sequencer os ok. but not perfect.

standard sounds are more the rock-type.
but if you get hold of the techno-collection, you get the best and very convincing electro drums and really fat sounds.
sound is very versatile and fits perfectly in the mix.

very durable. but only 9 because it resets sometimes. during programming. and my drive ist broken at the moment.

nice.

this is the only synth i bought twice.
1. bought a k2000 sold it to geht the k2600.
2. decided that the k2600 is too big and replaced this beast with another k2000.

even the masterkeyboard functions are worth the price.
k2000 are the most consequent, flexible, good sounding synhts i have ever used.
(i have used : yamaha, waldorf, clavia, kawai, dave smith's evolver, etc.)

Calvin, V3.87, sampling option, internal SCSI and fan kits.
Mo PRAM or sound expansions.

I am quite convinced about the flexibility of VAST, but then again,
the interface is not up to par. For sampling I prefer my Akai, for
complex synthesis with much modulation I prefer the Xpander (although
logic functions of VAST can do things the Xpander can't).

...so the K2000 has a wishy-washy position in my setup. For
those wishing to integrate the two in one unit, I think the K2000
is a serious contender.

I can live with the polyphony for how I use the unit. A glissando on
sounds with medium release times can pose problems at times.
Kurzweil claims very competent voice stealing, with which I agree.

I dislike the effects, I prefer outboards (mostly TC and some Sony
racks, many stompboxes for distortion/gain)...

As of 2003, plug-ins generally sound better than the K2000. But then
again the K2000 is no 2003 unit, it sounded very good for its time.

Those that are in need of more voices and/or effects should look into
K2500/K2600 anyways...

I'm no fan of the aftertouch of the keyboard.
...and also dislike the drums/piano samples.

I enjoy strings/pads/shimmers off its internal waves both sampled
and generated, which is the main reason I have
kept the unit over the years. The WaveStation is my other pad machine.

The K2000 sounds better on "washes" with a more hi-fi texture.
The WaveStation generally like to sound either peaky or grainy -- aggresive. Both have their uses.

I think it's 7 years now... I've had doubts, but the only time
it actually went in for service was when I had the sampling option
installed. Experience seems to vary though, check out the Kurzweil
mailing list for more opinions on this one.

For a while I experienced freezes with file operations on SCSI
devices, but never once after upgrading to 3.87. I was using a
then-unsupported hard disk, so I'd attribute the phenomenon to
user error. (i.e. my own stupidity)

Sampling option installation was the only time I contacted them.
Went smooth...

Great for the combination of what it does.

Despite its chameleon-like character and flexibility, its internal
waves and filters sound unique. It definitely complements my other
gear, but will not replace the other stuff I own (WaveStation,
Xpander, Microwave I, Fizmo, assorted analogs).

If I lose it now, I think I'll start looking for alternatives.
To its credit, this is the longest-living PCM synth in my setup.

K2000 VER 3.14, 100 MEG Hard Drive, 32 MEG ram.
Anybody that is familiar with menu-driven synth/keyboards over the last 10-15 years should be able to find their way around easy enough.
Granted, the presets are not the greatest but with a keyboard like this, who in their right mind wouldn't want to create their own? The presets are merely a guideline meant to show basically what this keyboard is capable of. This machine does have a fairly steep learning
curve when it comes to programming, but the owners manual & supplement
are available online in .pdf form at the Kurzweil website. If you do not have the manual, do yourself a favor & download it online. Terminology is different from say a Roland, Korg or Yamaha so when it comes to naming or saving "dependent objects" as opposed to the more familiar "patch" or "preset" or "voice", the manual goes a long way to clarify these kind of issues. I do not use a patch editor per se,
but I do a lot of editing sampled waveforms on the pc first before loading to the K2000 because it's much easier on a bigger screen.

61 note, 5 octave. Keyboard action as opposed to comparable Roland or Korg is definitely on the "squishy" side. It doesn't bother me, but
I can't say I really like it. No problems with loose or stuck keys & the aftertouch does seem consistent across the whole range. Yes, everybody hates the on-board effects. So if you don't like them, use
outboard effects or no effects at all. Or incorporate them into your sound because it's all relative anyway. Besides, if you have the sampling option (and use it!), possibilities are limitless. Not to mention the V.A.S.T. programming architecture.

Once again, don't complain about the presets. If you don't like them, program or sample something else. This keyboard is meant to be tweaked! If you don't want/care to learn what the K2000 will do, then
buy something else. This is not for the faint of heart or lazy musician.

My K2000 is taken to all my gigs/rehearsals. Throw it in the back of my truck with all the other equipment and never one problem. It is not my only keyboard (I use a Yamaha KX88 MIDI master controller running various other rack modules) but I need/use it for a lot of songs that wouldn't sound the same without it. I would definitely buy another K2000 if this one was ever incapacitated beyond repair or stolen.

The Kurzweil website is very clear about which version is which & in
providing the owners manual to download. Beyond that, I have never needed service.

Other than the "ease of use" issues & no knowledge whatsoever of actual Kurzweil support, this keyboard is probably the most versatile
professional 61 note keyboard to date. Consider this, with the beyond
CD sound quality & sampling feature, there is virtually no sound that can not be emulated on the K2000. Granted, you need to know how to get the sounds into the machine & then program/processs them, but the effort is worthwhile. And the stock sounds are not that bad either.
Not recommended for beginners/novice keyboardists & the concept of samples depicted as linear waveforms very rudimentary to realizing potential of this keyboard.

This is a K-2000V2, version 3.54j. Well I was a bit dissapointed in this "Ease of Use" deparment, its a rather technical keyboard to negotiate. I can play through all the patches okay but to get into any type of layering, splitting, editing, or midi seems to be a nightmare compared to my previous keyboards (a Roland man for the past 20 years). Layering, splitting and midi assignments on a Roland takes about 3 seconds, and I couldn't even get it done on my first attempts. The previous owner provided me the manual and startup video and I'll be spending plenty of time with these for sure. The LCD screen isn't bright enough for my tastes, but again it is used. The editing of each category is not really clear and there are just to many menus and to small of a screen. The keyboard itself needs more labeling, look at the Roland XP's and even my old Roland D-20 was clearly labeled and I new how to get to submenus without the manual because of all the clearly marked diagrams on the keyboard itself. This keyboard is extremely manual dependant and I'm a player not a reader, but I can see I'll have to be reading and studying to really unlock its potential. I must say the Roland XP-50 was way more complicated than the D-series, my D-20 and D-70 were setup and play kind of keyboards and in no time I was into advanced use (with only minimal manual time).

The keyboard action is fine for me, I've always played these type of synths. It seems to have great expandability and sampling capabilities plus scsi and midi however my first attempts at using it with Cakewalk failed miserably, whereas all my past Roland keyboards worked instantly. I could not get it to respond to previous multi-track midi sequences even after switching Cakewalk instrument assignments to Kurzweil. Many or all of the midi channels were set to multi and I only heard one channel. Oh well, manual time.........

Heres the big category. I'm coming off of a long line (15 years) of Rolands, D-20, D-70, U-110, U-220, and XP-10, XP-50. Right off the bat the pianos blow away Rolands. The Xp-50 had a decent piano but the rest of that techno-digital nightmare sucked (go with the Xp30,60 or 80). The Kurzweil pianos have an acoustic hammering sound that is quite realistic. There is some odd decay overtones at times but they are not to annoying. The Orchestral, Strings, and guitar sounds are also superior to Rolands. Its so nice to have a useable "Fast" string sound. The Orchestra sounds have detectable brass, woodwind and strings sounds, very impressive and big. The brass, organs and pads are so far not quite Rolands, the D-70 had some incredible wide lush pad sounds, but it had alot of software bugs too. I haven't spent anytime tweaking or searching out other Kurzweil samples yet, but out of the box The Kurzweil wins hands down for Piano, Orchestra, Strings, Guitar and flute. The Xp-50 had a decent guitar, but this 12-string is awesome! The drums were also a nice surprise, I've had the Roland drum sounds and an Alesis Dm5 and these Kurzweil kits are great, extremely realistic and great dynamics, hitting the key lightly on the snare makes for great realistic dynamics. The cymbals are decent too however the Alesis stereo cymbal patches are tough to compete with.

Well I haven't had it long enough to really know, but its a fairly old keyboard and still working well. Some of the buttons have to be pushed fairly hard to work but for the price I got it for (on Ebay) I'm not complaining.

Don't know yet, but I'll take the other advice I've read in this column.

I'm definitely sold on Kurzweil I use mostly Piano, Strings, Drums, Organ, so for my needs these are top notch sounds. My opinion after 20 years of Roland is these are different and more realistic sounds to work with and as we all know, sometimes just different is enough for some new motivation.

Great effects! Good stacking cap

I am a local male R&B recording artist who started using the kurtzweil 2000 with a few other sound modules. I primarily used the board, because its sound capabilities,easy recording/mixing,sampling, Great Horns,Keys,Strings!!!! Great velocity, soft toucvh, built in effects!!It was also easy to migrate the software from the keyboard floppy, straight to my home pc..I STRONGLY recommend the k2000 to everyone...Just look on tv..hint(Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder)..And the list goes on and on!!!...Does anyone have one for sell!!

Very Dependable, although its almost impossible to get them serviced by any local vendor....

Bad follow up
No repair

Yes i would buy it again
worth evey penny, i've ben playing keys since age 5, I also own other sound mods like planet patt, Protues,KP20,alessisound modules.
i compared it to casio,yamaha,korg,alesis,etc