Kurzweil K2500X

I was composing straight out of the box in minutes, but I do have some background in sequencing/mixing, etc. The Kurzweil's design is very intuitive. Buttons are where you expect them to be, there are numerous ways to do the same thing, so that if you want to do something, you can pretty much figure out how to do it. I didn't rate it a 10, because the programming side of the Kurz is extremely deep. I used to program, and this thing sort of baffles me. But it's good to know that there are so many amazing possibilities.

The presets sound good, but they really don't make the keyboard shine. I was surprised to find that Sweetwater's two CD's that I got with it sound better than the factory stuff: more expressive, more dynamic, and more original.

Editing patches can be a task, because the synth engine is EXTREMELY deep. It is possible to not have to know too much to edit, though.

48 voices, but each voice has 3-4 voices of it's own. This thing can create MASSIVE sound. The architecture is such that voices can interact with each other in millions of ways... I am constantly impressed with and amazed by this machine. Built in effects are by far the suckiest aspect of this unit. There is one effects module, and voices either have an effect or don't, and they can't have varying levels of the same effect. There are workarounds, though. And with the 8 outputs on the back you can route any voice into it's own effects unit. The effects are very easy to use, and they sound very good and are versatile. On my sweetwater disk there are examples of 3d effects just using this chip, so it's quite powerful.

MIDI capabilities are incredible, I've barely touched this. You can route midi parameters to affect output of individual voices within a voice, you can do all sorts of automated stuff... it's pretty mind boggling. But if you just want to sequence and keep it simple, the intuitive interface allows that. It has as much power as you need at any given level. The sequencer is very well done.

Expansion-- can play Akai, Roland, and some other brand. Pretty amazing. You can also record a .wav file from your computer and import it into the Kurzweil! I've used mine as a sampler this way, importing sounds with effects and reverbs that I couldn't produce natively.

The keyboard is great, especially things like being able to press down on a note while it's playing and alter the sound while you're touching the key. Very expressive, with the two ribbons and the other various ways of assigning sliders and such to various parts of a sound.

This thing definately reacts to playing. There are some sounds on here that are very expressive, capturing small nuances of keyboard/finger movement. The drums often sound very alive, not boxy. The sound units are top notch; it's obvious this is a studio quality instrument.

Like everybody says, this thing is a beast. Has never broken down, it hasn't even ever locked up on me! I have never had a crash on this keyboard and I have used it A LOT. And this is a refurbished unit!

Never dealt with them, but I would go through Sweetwater as they are Kurzweil specialists.

I would buy the next step up, the 2600 because it has multiple effects. It is worth what I paid. It has never let me down, creatively. I have been playing for about 17 years. I have very little other gear except for computer stuff. I love it's flexibility and sound. I hate that it only has one effects unit. I compared it to the Korg Trinity which just seemed chintzy to this. Some Roland and Yamaha units, but none sounded so pristine or had the programming flexibility. I also chose it for the 8 outputs, knowing that live I could run various voices into other things. I have run some sounds into guitar amps, for instance. I wish it had more effects. It helps. It is the most 'invisible' piece of equipment I've ever had. It seems to have been made by brilliant musicians. I may have to sell it and I am very sad.

Kurzweil is one of the few who keep their older products supported and updated. The updates are easy to download and load into the K2500.

Great for it's day...

This is why you would purchase this board!

Have had mine for 10 years and never a problem. Built like a tank (and it's heavy, so not good for portability).

I think the Kurzweil team is the "best" in the industry...

Would never part with this master controller. Might consider a K2600, but like what I have.

This is an addendum to the K2500X review I contributed last night (99-06-19).:

The large, two-foot-wide ribbon controller is great to use. I especially like that you can set it to react in two different ways: either bending away from a constant dead-center, or bending from wherever you first put your finger on it. I wish the ribbon on the Roland AX-1 were like that. I should mention that the material on the surface of my ribbon is a bit too sticky sometimes; I tried a newer 76-key unit a few months ago where the ribbon material was actually MORE slippery and better for octave slides.
I thought the Kurzweil's small ribbon would be more useful, considering it registers both the direction and the weight of your finger. But I found I almost never use it.
The conventional pitch and mod wheel are more difficult to use together than I thought. I think I could really use a Korg-type joystick, which lets you bend left and right while modulating up and down - all in the same handy controller.
More nit-pickings?
I have two Kurzweil single switch pedals and one Kurzweil dual-pedal unit. They should really make a triple unit for piano people, but while they're at they should license Roland's RP-4 action as well...
I would have gotten two of the Kurz CC pedals, but the dealer didn't have them and substituted two Roland EV-5 pedals instead. If somebody can recommend CC pedals with more travel and resistance, please E-mail me.

The keymapping for native Kurzweil-mode drum programs is very handy, or at least I like to think so. Most of the instruments in each kit have two keys assigned, if not three, so that rolling or 'flamming' is pretty natural. I find it easier to play these kits than GM types. It's too bad that in those Kurz programs, the decay on most of the crash cymbals seems very short, and I think it's not the sort of thing you can just go in and edit without it sounding contrived.
I had the opportunity to play Sweetwater's Total Stereo Session Drums on CD-ROM. THIS is how all drum kits should be - lots of timbre variation, great depth, good ring, good 'impact'... For $300 US it ought to be that way.

If you hadn't already gotten the message from my previous submission, this IS a fine instrument. There are many, many things I appreciate about it. If I can afford to keep it long enough that it starts to make money for itself, I will continue to discover more wonderful things. It'll be even better if Kurzweil R&D continues to update the OS (which thankfully is free, in the case of the 2500 line). But the road to Kurzweil Nirvana is very long and difficult for a novice such as myself...
Hindsight is a good thing.

Software version 4.04 - for KDFX units. Started with v2.52.
LONG INTRO ALERT: Let me start by saying that I originally bought this synthesizer because of a mad dream. I'm a classically trained pianist with a number of accompaniment jobs, and piano concertos are something I've been involved with for nearly two decades, either as a soloist or as second pianist. After around ten years of being frustrated with the limitations of a mere second acoustic piano, I decided I'd take a plunge and use a synthesizer to generate orchestral textures.
Well boys, I got in REAL deep! This is the very first electronic music instrument I've ever owned, and after fifteen months of use (and heavy monthly payments) I still feel like I'm in over my head. So let me state for the record that this piece of professional equipment is not for first-timers! It is SO damn powerful and flexible that any MIDI veteran with deep enough pockets should be proud to have one in the studio, and the name "Kurzweil" still seems to rightfully command awe and respect. But a guy in my position risks getting bogged down in tons of details, and distracted away from proper music-making. Beware!
I spent over half a year on the Kurzweil Mailing List, hoping to learn little tidbits here and there on the basics of getting around. I must state for the record that most of my fellow members offered a good deal of sympathy, encouragement and raw assistance, but it meant staying on top of the daily load of E-mail. [END LONG INTRO]
The stock ROM presets from #1-199 (or #1-204) were okay, I guess, but none of them were the kind that would sell me on this unit. There are some "farm" disks included with the synth that cover a much wider range of timbres, but the true power of the instrument really comes out once you get into either the ROM boards or external samples. For a pianist, the Piano ROM daughterboard is an ABSOLUTE necessity. I was so relieved to get away from the flat, boring Program #1 and into #774, I could actually feel some classical soul seeping into this synth!
Editing patches is actually a breeze. I still can't claim to really understand the basics of how a synthesizer generates sound, but most primary aspects of a Kurzweil program can be edited quite easily. I didn't have a PC at the time of the purchase, so I have no experience with patch editors.
The two manuals included with the unit are pretty detailed. Once again, not really material for a casual novice, but I'm sure a veteran could absorb them just fine.

As most of the other users' comments point out, the polyphony of the K2500 series is limited to 48 voices. I have never run out when putting together little pop or rock sequences, but running classical piano with lots of pedal against orchestral parts eats 'em up very fast.
After beating on the keyboard this long, I've decided that the 88-key weighted action is not suitable for serious work in classical piano. The Fatar design is really stiff at the end of travel, and there is a loud, wooden THWACK! when you really pound. That's not the way a piano should be - there's a tiny bit of "bottom bounce" that I rely on when I play Rachmaninoff. I've had the Korg SGproX and the Roland RD-600 on loan when upgrading the Kurz, and I must say that those two really felt like a huge relief. As a matter of fact, if I could afford it, I would go for the 76-key Kurzweil and add an RD-600 for pure piano work.
Expansion capabilities are nearly endless as far as importing or creating new sounds are concerned. MIDI features seem very comprehensive.
Ahhhhhh... the onboard sequencer. Terrific stuff. Now that I have a Pentium 450 I'll probably start using a software sequencer, but by golly, that onboard sequencer is the loveliest of its type. Beats the Technics PR-307 and -700 by light-years! ;) The only thing is that you would want to get the extra P-RAM module to store more program and sequence data.

Ummmmm... bit of a difficult question. I mean, why would I have paid so much money for such a big instrument if it didn't have at least SOME realistic, easy-to-use instruments? The truth (at least to me) is that I would prefer much more expressiveness and response in many of the ROM programs. Oh sure, I can eventually program filters and velocity switching and all sorts of funny things, but as I mentioned before this takes away from the musical thought process and I would want all of that stuff RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX!! I must grudgingly admit that some of Roland's stuff (JV-1080, -2080 and -1010) excels at shining out of the box, and for cheaper too.
Effects: man, I paid $899 CDN for the extra KDFX unit and I don't know how to set individual effects per channel (or per program)properly. The docs (KDFX comes with two separate manuals all on its own!) are not so clear to me as a fumbling novice. I think I will have to consider recording separate tracks to multitrack HD and then CD, rather than trying to play sequences live from internal MIDI.
If properly programmed, any sound on this Kurzweil will react naturally. Velocity response is fine, I guess. Aftertouch response is very difficult on a weighted action; I would prefer it on the 76-key semi-weighted action.

I have found that I CAN depend on it, and I HAVE used it on a few gigs without baclup. Many Kurzweil owners have complained bitterly about their instruments flaking out, but in most respects I have been very fortunate to avoid serious problems in my own unit.

The guy at Young Chang Canada seems nice enough, and the local technician at Long & McQuade is incredibly adept at fixing problems. (He installed his first KDFX unit into my keyboard!)
The one complaint I remember vividly was waiting for the small ribbon controller replacement to come in. Grrrrrrrrrrrr
The Plus/Minus button on my keypad is becoming very stubborn, and my Alpha Wheel is starting to move two entries at a time going counterclockwise.

If this Kurzweil beast were lost or stolen, I would have to spend some SERIOUS time reassessing my needs and wants. Especially since I now have a proper computer, a lot of the sampling, sequencing and other MIDI tasks don't have to be handled by the synth itself. I'm sure it's worth the price to the dedicated person who can handle it, but I may not be that person.
I've been playing piano for about 23 years. Organ for five years or so. I have also had a black Roland AX-1 for a few months. (That thing's a b!tch and a half to use, but I'll need to submit a separate article for that.)
I did compare the Kurzweil 2500X to other products, and I thought I would be able to use the extra features (tons of controller inputs, flexible arrangements, etc. etc.) that brought it above the competition - Trinity proX, Roland XP, and maybe other stuff.
What do I love? The power and flexibility. What do I hate? The fact that I can't afford a full-time tech to understand and manage all of this power and flexibilty. Or the fact that I'm too dumb to absorb it all more quickly.
I wish it had better presets for all of the ROM programs, referring particularly to the expressiveness, timbre range and responsiveness. Also, better sample stretching so you could portamento seamlessly over an octave or more. Maybe better real-time modulation of sample start/end/loop points. Maybe a built-in Zip 250 drive. Maybe anti-gravity boosters. Maybe a PC-based K2500 Companion program??

I have a K2500X with version 2.52 operating system. I am really impressed with the quality of the preset sound and effects. I have the piano, Orchestral, and Contempory ROMs and a full PRAM upgrades. The manuals and included videos on how to use the product are excellent. It was very easy to start jamming once I hooked it to my amp.

The sound quality and 48 voice polyphony are the best I ever heard. I auditioned many good Keyboards before purchasing the 2500X and liked this one the best for the detail and "realness" of the presets. The built-in effects are easy to use and very versitile. The weighted keys are very consistant and inspiring when played because of their sensitivity to your every keystroke. The MIDI operates without a hitch and was easy to set up with my PC and software. My only gripe is that Kurzweil should sell this model with all the upgrades already installed, upon first talking to a sales rep, the upgrade options required much explaination before deciding that they are best installed by the factory or dealer before the sale.

I find the pianos the best feature of the Kurzweil. Some of the drum samples need work. I use the Keyboard for soft rock and love to listen to the pianos when I play classical pieces. Velocity and the weighted keys are most inspiring.

I had problems with my first K2500 that I will discuss in the support section. Because of its' weight, I won't move it much from my studio. I do not do any live work presentily, however, if I did, I would get a lighter and cheaper keyboard.

I bought my K2500X from Caruso music in New London, Conn. Brad in sales was most knowledgeable on this product and took the time to explain my many questions. I had a problem with my first K2500X two weeks after delivery. Caruso music and Kurzweil worked very hard to find me a replacement K2500X because I had a session that I couldn't cancel in the near future. Larry Caruso, owner of Caruso Music and Chris Heap of Kurzweil found another K2500X and got it to me within a week. Many thanks to Brad, Larry and Chris for their efforts. I know this was a special situation, but they all pulled together to help me out of a jam. I would recommend purchase of Kurzweil products and other music equipment from Caruso Music because of their support and customer service. Chris Heap of Kurzweil is also very helpful and supportive.

I highly recommend this product for those lovers of sounds that are of the highest qualtity. Great value if you have the ear to appreciate it and pocketbook to afford it.

As a matter of fact, this is The Sound station. Amazing samples infinite possibilities (the stereo piano extention is a must) . The manual is of good quality and there's also a Video tutorial (over 2hours). I didn't give a 10 because of the editing possibilities, so V.A.S.T that it would have been very profitable to have a bigger screen (like on the Korg Trinity) or to provide an external editor .

-48 notes (up to 192 osc) -1 dsp multi effect (global not multichannel unless you get the KDFX option) -there are many extentions available:the first ones to have are the 3 (20meg) rom extentions with 300 samples/programs for extra amazing sounds, the sampling option gives the ability to sample while play. You can extend the ram up to 128meg but with 30pin simms (72pin would have been cheaper and easier to find). There is 2 onboard SCSI plugs for CDrom players or HD devices (internal or external) a must for the cd-rom as the k2500 is able to read the sounds/samples/libraries of nearly all the high-end samplers (like the akai s3000) for unlimited database. There is also an optional interface card for the digitals outputs to the Adat , Tascam etc.. recorders. The keyboard and controllers are one of the best I ever seen with the exclusive ribbon controllers . For 600$ more than the K2500R(rack version) you get the K2500X which is a 88 notes master keyboard with multiple controllers (2 ribbons,8sliders,2wheels,6 inputs for external pedals/breath controller) There is a standard 16tracks sequencer but it's worth using an external product to manage so many possibilities. The possibilities are really huge.

Only one word : Perfection

In my opinion this is the weak point of this incredible machine : Although the hardware seems to be fully reliable, I had several crashes when attempting to read some disks (ie midi files) I had to perform 2 hard resets within the first 2 days after purchase . The best to do is to save your work often waiting for the upgrade of the operating system .

For my several crashes, I contaced the customer support and with their help, my problems were solved in a minute or two .

A bit expensive with the options but unless you already have a lot of instruments this is a real production workstation, from the sound design to the recording in direct to disk . Definitely a best buy .