Product: Technics KN-2000
Price Paid: US $1000 used
Submitted
11/25/2001
at
11:02am
by
Scott
Ease of Use
:
10
The manual for this keyboard is very well written. Other keyboard makers could benefit by examining the format and grammar used in the instructions.
I have never seen a keyboard that is easier to use than this one. It has a very large display that is easy to read. It is also organized in such a way that you don't have to scroll through four pages just to change the reverb. All functions can be accessed very quickly. If you have any experience with keyboards at all, you probably won't even need to read the manual.
This keyboard certainly gets my highest rating for user friendliness.
Features
:
10
The polyphony is sixty-four, very respectable for an arranger keyboard even by present standards. This is certainly higher than most arranger keyboards made by Suzuki, Casio, and Yamaha.
The keyboard action is very similar to the action found on the Yamaha PSR series. In other words, it is not very good.
The built in effects include phaser, reverb, distortion, chorus, overdrive, exciter, flanger, delay, and stereo delay. There is also a sound editor that allows for changes in the envelope, octave, vibrato, and modulation. All of these features are very easy to use.
This keyboard contains a floppy disk drive, which is standard for any serious arranger keyboard.
The MIDI jacks include MIDI in, out, and thru. I often play this keyboard through a Technics P30, and I have not had any problems doing this.
The on-board sequencer is exceptional, better than most I have tried. You have sixteen tracks to work with, and you can even merge two tracks into one. You would need to sequence through a computer to have better editing abilities. The sequencer even allows separate DSP settings for each track. Not every arranger keyboard will allow this. I have to say that this sequencer is easier to use than any of the sequencers found on Yamaha keyboards, and it buries anything resembling a sequencer on a Casio keyboard.
It is also worth pointing out that this instrument has two hundred auto accompaniment rhythms. These rhythms can also be edited very easily. Each rhythm has an introduction, two fills, a variation, and an ending. This feature can also be adjusted to have two variations to accomodate a total of three different sections in a song.
I must say that this keyboard is truly loaded as far as arranger keyboards are concerned.
Expressiveness/Sounds
:
7
The piano and electric piano sounds are the best that I have ever heard on any keyboard. This should not come as a surprise because Technics is very highly respected in the realm of digital pianos. These particular sounds are very expressive as they employ velocity switching. This means that the tone changes as the dynamic level changes. This keyboard is an excellent choice if you really need good piano sounds.
The woodwind sounds are not at all convincing. The brass sounds are average. The percussion sounds are usable within the context of this keyboard. To be honest, most of the preset sounds are the same quality that you would find in a Casio or Suzuki board. I don't mean this as an insult, the sounds are just not very good overall. This is the one drawback with this keyboard.
The onboard effects are average.
This keyboard is very responsive in the auto accompaniment mode. The accompaniment rhythms react to the style of playing employed by the performer. This is referred to as dynamic accompaniment by some makers. This is similar to the Karma feature found on the Korg Karma, but it is not nearly as powerful.
If this keyboard had better sounds outside of its pianos, it would be an absolute monster in the world of arranger keyboards. As it is, it is a great tool for a cocktail pianist working a gig in a very confined area that would be too small for a real piano.
Reliability
:
8
I have never had a problem with this in my studio. If it was not for its weight, I would have no problem bringing this to school to use in elementary school general classroom music. I would not recommend this board to any players with "heavy hands" because the keys do not look like they can take a serious pounding.
This keyboard has never frozen on me, and I doubt that it ever will.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I have never dealt directly with the company, but my local piano store is an authorized dealer for Technics. If I ever have a problem with this keyboard, I will go to them.
Overall Rating
:
7
As I stated earlier, if this keyboard had better non-piano sounds it would be absolutely fantastic. The interface is extremely well designed, and it is identical to the ones found on some of Technics higher priced digital pianos.
As far as comparisons go, this is a much better instrument than most of the arranger boards built by Casio and Suzuki. Its polyphony, dynamic accompaniment, and sequencer are great strengths. I must also say that the higher priced arrangers made by Yamaha, Korg, and Roland sound better.
If this keyboard dies, I will replace it with a Technics KN6500. I have heard that keyboard recently, and it is a monster! However, it is rather pricey so I hope that my KN2000 has a long life.
