Kurzweil K2000VP

My Kurz has v3.54 software. The presets are great for the most part -great strings, pianos, etc. The horns are nothing special. This is a very powerful machine with A LOT of capabilities, so by default it's not the easiest thing to operate. However it is easy to navigate - the layout makes sense and is very organized. The manuals leave something to be desired, but are good for reference. Best way to learn is to read the basics and then dive in.

The polyphony is 24, and the action is pretty good. Most of the effects are pretty good and you can, of course, edit them and create your own. You can upgrade the battery backed memory (PRAM), expand the regular RAM and buy the sampling option which upgrades it to a full sampler, meaning you can record your own samples into the machine rather than just loading them from a disk. The sequencer and song arranger are really, really cool. You can assign entire sequences, or a series of sequences to the keys on the board, which is great for techno music. As for the synthesis - I've seen WAY too many reviews and articles claiming the K2000 is great for strings and orchestral sounds, or that excels at a couple different things. Bullshit! The synthesis is AMAZING and is VERY versatile. Even if you're having difficulty getting a certain sound, you can always load a sample of the sound into it and process it and it will sound great. This machine will not give you the instant gratification of knob-and-slider based analogue style synths, but if you actually put some time into learning this machine, it can be a be-all, end-all tool for your electronic music. After doing some reading, it's very apparent that a lot of people are far too lazy and passive with this machine to put it to good use. The presets are cool, but if you're just going to stop there, don't bother buying a k2000.

As I stated above, the presets are very good, and with the synthesis / sampling capabilities, there really isn't anything this machine won't do. Should work well for most music styles. It reacts very well to my playing and you can adjust the velocity and aftertouch and all that stuff. I think the effects are quite good, but you can also get a lot of effects just by programming your patches to sound like they have an effect on them, without actually running the patch through the effects processor. For example - decay and aftertouch can be set to give you a natural echo effect, etc.

It seems like a pretty sturdy box. I wouldn't gig with it, but that's just me! I'm sure it would be great in a live performance and if you take good care of it, you shouldn't need backup.

I haven't dealt with the company. There's k2000 tips and trouble-shooting sites all over the net, so you shouldn't have too much trouble with it. The only upgrade I made was expanding the RAM to 16 meg. If you know a thing or two about computer components, you should be able to do all the upgrading by yourself. Too much trouble to ship it or take it to a dealer!

This is the cornerstone for all of my music, I would definitely replace it if it were broken or stolen. Although if that happened I might consider getting the k2500 or k2600. This synth is already a classic. I chose it by reputation and I can see why so many use it.

Software version: 3.54
Presets Sound Warm an realistic
Editing patches is easy even if you don't know what you're doing
Huge manual that doesn't answer all questions-bonus VHS Tape

Poly=24 voice
Effects are easy to use
many expansion options mostly SCSI & hardware based.
Full midi implementationFlexible onboard sequence
To get the full upgrades need tos spend another $1,000.00.

Excellent realism
Work well for all types ofmusic becuase you can load samples of anything imaginable
Onboard effects areat best less than average. I couldn't ceate a descent distortion yet
reacts well to playing aftertouch and velocity

I've only had it 2days-note the system disk had a computer virus on it.

Only viewed website which I rate a 5 out of 10

Iwould replace it ifit were lost or stolen.
I think it is worth what I paid but the synthesis is not like what I have been used to mainly Roland, Yamaha, Korg, and EMU gear. I think the best thing they could do to improve the unit is to have ability ofgreaterthan 2GB hard Drives.

For the k2000's capabilities, it's surprisingly simple to navigate. The only complicated part is knowing what all the parameters do. Most of the presets are awesome! The manual could have been better. You'll learn more from experimenting with the machine and using the manual as a reference guide.

The polyphony is 24 voices, not much by today's standards, but not bad. The action is fairly good. The built in effects are great, but again there's a LOT of parameters to figure out. The sequencer is pretty easy to use. The synthesis is limitless!!!! Any sound you can imagine!!

I would say this is a good all-purpose synth. There's something for everyone. The piano and string presets are amazing! The endless synth possibilities are what make this thing so cool. I use it to add to ambience to songs, and to program techno/industrial type sequences as the foundations for songs. The effects are pretty impressive. HUGE reverb sound.

Haven't used it in a live setting. It seems pretty durable, though.

If there's one complaint I have, it's that the internal disk drive was disconnected when I bought it! The drive wasn't responding at all, and I thought about sending it back to see what the problem was, but instead my friend and I unscrewed the bottom panel and reconnected it. Good thing I didn't send it back for something that simple!

If this thing were stolen or destroyed, I'd DEFINITELY buy another. If you're looking for a totally all-purpose synth and sampling workstation, I would recommend this very much.

I only rate this as an 8 for those who have worked with some form of music technology before. My first experiences with a workstation type keyboard were with a Roland W30 and Korg M1. If you are looking for a first workstation, this might be a little too much for you. The large display is nice and makes working with the sequencer pretty easy.

I have the fan kit, extra prom, and a cd-rom for this keyboard. To really enjoy using it you have to have at least these accessories. The cd-rom drive is great for loading up samples. The person I bought the keyboard from had several of the sweetwater cd's. Very good sounds on all of them. I have been unable to find a way to send bank change information from this to my jv-1010. Not a big deal, but it would be nice to be able to send this info to the mod. Asked about how to do this on a users group message board and most replys were that it was impossible. Not a major gripe though. The mixer display in the sequencer page is nice, as is the sequencer itself. I have cakewalk on my pc, but usually do most of my sequencing on the K2000VP. Be careful if buying a used board. To my knowledge, some of the very first K2000's (without the VP designation) did not have a full fledged sequencer. This apparently changed when later operating systems came out.

This is the main reason I bought this keyboard. All of the sounds are very rich and expressive sounding. In other words, this board does not sound cheesy. Sure, in a pure numbers to numbers comparison to other keyboards, the Kurzweil looks like the loser. However, the quality of the sounds more than make up for what it lacks in specs. There are some great cd's of sounds out on the market too. I use this board for a variety of jobs, and it sounds great for all of them.

I don't use this keyboard live. I'm really a guitar player and its part of my home project studio. Wouldn't be comfortable taking it into a club, but then I hate taking any equipment to a club. It feels very solid though.

Haven't dealt with young chang on this board. Plenty of net resources for it though, which can't be a bad thing.

I really like this board. There are several good workstations on the market, but the K2000 has a great history and there are a lot of sounds available for it. It is one of those great keyboards that is destined to be a classic, much like the DX7, M1, etc. Not a cookie cutter machine; it's very unique.

Nice Presets (i.e. Dyno)
Takes time to get to know the structures, but the manual is very good

polyphony - 24 voices :-(
effects - 80s style Digitech :-(
expansion capability - more RAM, ROM blocks, Sampling Option... :-)
MIDI... very flexible
sequencer: 190.000 events, 32 tracks :-)

V.A.S.T. abilities!!!

No probs

Helpful via Internet

I bought the K because I wanted a synth and a sampler with a
keyboard and a good ROM. It has been on the market for long long years
now and the main processor isn't very fast, but it's features are
still up to date.

V3.54
Presets are good but the extra sounds on the floppies and from previous incarnations of the k2000 are better. Editing is very different from other keyboards. It seems geared toward someone with a degree in acoustic engineering. If you know anything about sound theory you will get it. Otherwise you will need to fiddle for a few hours with the manual and excellent video Kurzweil provide. I tried MOTU Unisyn patch editor and I think it makes editing worse. There are really cool shortcuts for editing from the front panel and there's a numeric keypad so it's really not that bad.

Polyphony:quality rather than quantity. Once you get over this you will understand why fine vintage instruments are worth more than cheap, throw away flavor of the year instruments. Unlike other synths that require multi effects to sound good, this thing sounds good with just a little reverb coming from the Digitech FX chip. The sounds have FX built in like phasing, chorus, delay, distortion, wah, parametric EQ's, etc. This thing is fully expandable up to a full fledged sampler. But the upgradability it needs the most(more voices) is not an option. Excellent MIDI implementation, no probs so far. Built in sequencer was easy to use but is relatively useless because there isn't enough PRAM (needs $350 PRAM upgrade.

Very realistic in almost every category. Very expressive. Works well in new age, prog rock, orchestral, industrial. It lacks the cheesiness that the Korg M1, O1W, Roland JV to be good for pop. The onboard FX are very limited by todays standards but quite unnecessary given the complexity of voices. This thing is very expressive. Excellent aftertouch (the keys squish just a little bit for the aftertouch).

My unit has an intermittent PRAM problem, but I don't know if I can part with it to get it fixed. Other than that it's built like a tank. I work in the electronics field and I know what good components look like. The PCB and switches are all industrial grade. I can't afford to get a backup, but I would definitely have one for this keyboard. With the limited polyphony you should have two of these things anyway.

I called the repair center and was told what component on the mainboard was probably failing. Not many companies would do that. Convoluted phone system though...

9.9 I would definitely replace it. It is a fine instrument in the sense that it will still be a fine instrument in 20 years.

Not bad. I thought it was going to be difficult to use but I was surprised to find it was nearly as easy as an ASR10. The VAST stuff is a little difficlut to understand as Kurzweils sport extremely unique product architecture. The sequencer is a breeze and I really dig the resolution, (v. 3.54 software) I feel you must have a fairly good understanding programming fundamentals to edit samples on the K2K. I would NOT recommend this board for a newbie to the trade. This is about my 7th board and I'm glad I have a lot of experience under my belt to navigate it. The manual is very straight forward.. though a bit ambiguous in some parts. Thank goodness for all the web resources (another reason I bought a K2 incidentally)

Everyone is pretty familiar with the main stuff (24 voices, one effects bus, 64MB max RAM, PRAM option, ROM block option, etc etc). I feel the keyboard has GREAT action (the earlier K2s were wack if you ask me--felt like a Casio) Buttons are firm. This is a well built machine. About the voices. For the $%&@#$$ life of me I don't understand why they didn't give this baby more polyphony through the years. 24 voices? Please. Then again, you won't get voice stealing if you're doing (eg) hip hop, etc.. 24 voices is enough. For more complex stuff, you'll need a K2500 (48 voices) or another box in your rack to supplement the K2. I bought a Proteus 2000 for that. As far as the MIDI implementation goes.. I'm fresh off the heals of owning a JV 2080 so I'm not crazy about this ONE MIDI CHANNEL OF A MULTI SETUP PER PAGE nonsense. Lots of button clicking. Time for an on screen editor. Go with MOTU or Kurle2... or SoundDiver. The MIDI response is the BEST I have ever experienced. The JV 2080 I had lags behind the K2. The K2 stays in perfect sync with Cubase. This was by far the most pleasant surprise for me. The effects? What effects? Forgetaboutit. They suck. Time for a rack mount with the 8 outs.

**I** feel the 200 ROM presets KICK major A$$. In my opinion the drums are some of the best drums I have ever heard. The synths are smoking, the strings are fat, the setups are STUPENDOUS, the horns rule, etc etc. The pianos suck. Someday a manufacturer will come out with a synth or sampler with a kick a$$ piano sample (s). :)

So far so good. I'd gig with it. No back up??? I'd NEVER use ANY synth without a backup.

Who cares. There is enough support between the list server group and webs to last a lifetime. I don't need to talk to YoungChang.

First off, I can't BELIEVE I have played 9 years and never owned one of these. WHAT WAS I THINKING? The K2 is simply the bomb, despite it's shortcomings. I've accepted it as a two or three instrument sampler rather than a workstation.. because a workstation it is NOT. Compare it to say a JP8000 or Nord Lead in terms of its polyphony. It is certainly not a Proteus 2000 (read: 128 voice) or A3K. In MY opinion the K2 has the very best sonic quality I have heard from a box. And to ALLLLLLLLL the people who told me the K2 is weak for bass and drums, GET REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The bottom end is FAT and WARM and the bass kix KICK hard. And who says this baby doesn't run hot like an Akai?? PUHLEEEEZE!!!! These people apparently have never found the gain switch for a program. The K2 runs even HOTTER than an Akai. The K2 (with the exception of its polyphony limitation and effects) may perhaps be the finest musical instrument ever made and I will debate that until the cows come as I have owned Ensoniqs, Akais, Emus, Phatts, JVs, etc etc etc etc.