Kurzweil K2661

It' a Kurzweil,

mine is standard, no/ROM3 or ROM 4, Version 1.00

128MB. no/Sample Option.... Yet

works very much like a K2600, 2500, 2000

VAST and KDFX

It's loaded...(see above post)

Awsome Sounds!! VAST is a very deep subject.

Very well built. haven't had out gigging yet.

only dealt with them once, and they shiped me exactly what I needed

I'm a big Kurzweil Fan, as you can tell
I've had the K2661 for a few weeks now,
I can really say that Kurweil has out done themself.


This is a awsome board!!

This is the brand new synth from Kurzweil, Model K2661, software version 1.00. It comes with 128MB Sample Ram, 1503K of PRAM, and the Rom1 Orchestral, Rom2 Contemporary, and Rom5 General MIDI blocks all standard. I also got the Rom3 Stereo Dynamic Piano and Rom4 Vintage Electric Pianos sound blocks, which I needed to install. Included were sustain pedal, floppies, CD's, and a SmartMedia card with all the sounds and software on it.
There were a few condensed manuals included, such as guides for the Rom blocks, and a Getting Started manual. All of the manuals are included on the CD, so you could technically print them out, but they are quite large, and it isn't too hard to read them off of the computer. One exception...if you're at a gig and your computer is home.....

The CD also has a tutorial, I needed to watch it a few times, pause and poke around a bit on the keyboard, to start making sense of it. One basic problem...the manuals and tutorial are for the K2600. This keyboard is certainly in the that family (K2661 = K2600 w/61 keys), but not all of the programs are the same, and some of the other features are different, such as no ribbon, etc. The technology and the basics are the same, however.
This is my first Kurzweil, I've always used Rolands. It is a little overwhelming at first, but the deeper I dig into it, the more I realize how awesome it is. Once I got used to the pages upon pages on the screen, I was able to tweak some sounds, but to be honest, the sounds are so incredible the for the most part very little adjustment is needed. But really, plan to spend some quality time with it, it is a professional machine that demands professional commitment, thus I am giving this category a 7.

OK, for the features:
Like I said, it came standard with most of the options from the K2600, being 128 MB RAM, 1503K PRAM, and the Rom1 & Rom2 (as well as the daughterboard). It also has a General MIDI soundset built in, vs. the Rom5 option on the K2600. So what doesn't it have vs. the K2600?
It has a 61-key unweighted synth action keyboard, that actually feels pretty nice, with velocity and aftertouch. There are no ribbon controllers, however, there is an input port for a large ribbon. There is a SmartMedia card (128 MB) slot vs. a floppy (1.4 MB), but it cannot accept an internal SCSI drive. There is a SCSI port on the back. It has a built-in optical output port to connect to an ADAT, 2 stereo prs. of balanced analog output, plus one pair for mix. The display can be adjusted for contrast as well as brightness.

There are 4 inputs for switch pedals, 2 for continuous controller pedals, 1 for a breath controller, and one for a large ribbon controller. There is also a headphone jack. Also, MIDI in/out/thru are there.

The Smartmedia can store programs (patches), setups (combos), and also song data from the sequencer. It is located on the back side, and glows with a blue light to aid in using the card from the front of the keyboard.

It has the famous KDFX, with are a little much to get used to, but worth the time and effort. Unbeleivable effects, if you know Kurzweil, you know what I mean.

Now the reason I bought it....I wanted a Hammond clone for my gigs. I play in a 8 pc. horn band, and there are lots of songs that I wanted a better organ sound. I only wanted to carry one keyboard, however. Roland just came out with the model VR760. I read the reviews posted here, then went and tried one. I wasn't impressed. I started searching and came to Kurzweil. No one, though, had explained too much about the KB3 mode, just said it was good.

It works like this: There are eight sliders that control any and all kinds of MIDI stuff, but when in KB3 mode, they become 8 drawbars, 16' to 1 1/3', thew Mod Wheel becomes the 1' drawbar. Pulling the sliders down toward you is exactly like pulling out drawbars. The mod wheel is opposite, rolling it forward increases the 1' sound, but it doesn't take very long to get used to. The 8 buttons above the sliders, when in KB3 mode, do different things. Button #1 is Rotary Fast/Slow, buttons 2-4 control chorus and vibrato, and buttons 5-8 control percussion.

The rotary effect is stunning, especially when heard in stereo. There are different ramp up and down speeds for the rotor and drum, you can actually hear them. There are several different KB3 organ patches for very clean to very dirty. It easily matches or beats any clonewheel organ out there.
One side effect, however. When in KB3 mode, it actually uses most of the voices for occilators, so there aren't many left over for other things. It is probably best to use the KB3 mode by itself, and use some of the other organ programs in splits and layers. Some of those programs use some sliders as pseudo drawbars, and the mod wheel as a rotary control, and soud pretty good themselves.

The other think it doesn't have is weight. It is sturdily built, a good metal case and all, but it weighs in at just 36 lbs. I've been playing on 76-key synths on my gigs for years. This one is almost a foot shorter than my Roland G1000, and 15 lbs less. I think I can get used to the 61 keys..........

As for MIDI, if this ain't got it, you don't need it! Every slider, wheel, switch, and pedal is fully assignable to whatever parameter you want. There is a 16 track sequencer that is equal to almost any software based sequencing program, add the KDFX with it, plus the onboard sounds, you have a whole production studio at your fingertips.

Thanks to the Rom blocks, there are very few sounds that you cannot find. Most of them are extemely good, some are passable, some are unusable, but then again, it is mostly a matter of personal taste as well as personal need. I don't need spaceships hitting windowpanes too often.........

Playability is very good, the keys feel substantial. Although they are "unweighted" there is enough resistance that it feels almost the same as my semi-weighted Roland. The aftertough really makes the orchestral sounds extremely believable.

I got it a few months ago, it has taken me this long to learn enough about it and to program all my setups (combos) and get ready to swap it out for my Roland. Tomorrow night will be it's debut on a gig. I intend to keep the Roland as a backup anyway.

I take very good care of my stuff, I ordered a flightcase for it as soon as the Kurzy came off the Fedex truck. By the way, I get my cases from www.flytecase.com They are in Toronto, a small company with superb products at extremely attractive pricing. A case to my specs...recessed latches and handle, large ball corners, etc....ran me (US)$295 including shipping.
So anyway, I will use this without a backup, treat it tenderly, and see what happens. But most of my gigs are less than 1 half hour from home, so the Roland won't be far away...

I bought this strictly on reputation and internet research, never played it, and just heard the demos on the internet. I bought it on Ebay. The dealer talked to me by phone, Stevie for Night Sky Sound in New York City. I had a slight problem installing the Rom3 & Rom4, I called him and left a message, he called me right back and solved my problem. I have corresponded with him via email a few times, always quick responses. It helps that he does programming as well as Beta testing for Kurzweil, and is an authorized dealer. He knows this stuff in and out.

It is the most expensive keyboard I have bought so far, but I gig every week and like nice stuff!

I've been playing for 30 years, owned all kinds of gear. I have a full sound system, all top name stuff. I use JBL Eon15G2's for my keyboard amps, simply awesome! The more I learn about the Kurzweil K2661, the more I am impressed with just how powerful it is.

I did buy (on Ebay again) a pair of SynthTek tutorial CD's that more fully explain all about Kurzweil's operating systems, KDFX,programming, etc. That was $30 well spent! I can see an interesting year ahead as I dig deeper into this machine. With the little I have learned so far, if it were to be lost or stolen, I would get another one in a heartbeat.