Kurzweil K2000

Last updated
K2000
Kurzweil K2000 top.png
Manufacturer Kurzweil Music Systems
Dates1991–2000
Price$2,995 US
£2,769 GBP
Technical specifications
Polyphony 24 voices with dynamic allocation
Timbrality 16-part
Oscillator 8MB of 16-bit waveform ROM (expandable to 24MB), 1 sample-based oscillator plus up to 3 additional DSP-generated oscillators per voice
LFO 2 LFOs
Synthesis type Digital sample-based subtractive, sampling
Filter digital multi-mode with programmable and modulatable resonance
Attenuator 3 envelopes
Aftertouch expression Yes
Velocity expressionYes
Storage memory199 factory ROM programs (up to 800 programmable RAM locations), 100 multi setups; up to 64MB of sample RAM, standard internal + external SCSI interface for mass storage
Effects multi-FX DSP with four simultaneous effects including reverb, chorus, flange, delay, graphic EQ, parametric EQ and four-tap delay
Input/output
Keyboard 61 keys
Left-hand controlMod wheel, Pitch bend
External control MIDI

The Kurzweil K2000 is a digital synthesizer and music workstation produced by Kurzweil Music Systems between 1991 and 2000 in a variety of standard configurations, including rack-mountable versions and models that came with 16-bit user sampling.

Contents

The K2000 features a complex digital synthesis architecture dubbed V.A.S.T., which stands for "Variable Architecture Synthesis Technology", Kurzweil's marketing term for the digital signal processing (DSP) sound processing system used in the K2000 and other members of its K2xxx series.

Features and specifications

Variable Architecture Synthesis Technology (V.A.S.T.)

V.A.S.T. stands for variable-architecture synthesis technology. It is variable in that the user can select different signal paths, which contain different DSP functions, for use in creating and shaping a sound. V.A.S.T. also includes an extensive modulation system, similar in concept to that of analog modular synthesizers. A wide array of modulation sources can be assigned to various parameters within a signal path, and modulation sources can be combined to create new modulation sources.

Expansion options

Models

Notable users

References

  1. "Kurzweil K2000VP". Sound On Sound. September 1998. Archived from the original on 6 June 2015.
  2. "Famous Sounds". SynthMania. 2004–2006. Retrieved 22 January 2007.
  3. "Behind Pink Floyd". Sound on Sound. September 1994. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  4. Chronologie sleeve notes, Disques Dreyfus, 1993, FDM 36152-2
  5. Hrishikesh Hirway (1 January 2014). "Song Exploder Episode 1: The Postal Service 'The District Sleeps Alone Tonight'" (PDF). Song Exploder (Podcast). Retrieved 9 January 2025.
  6. "Paul Shaffer | Equipboard". equipboard.com. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  7. "Paul Shaffer's Keys to The Late Show". KeyboardMag.com. Archived from the original on 22 Mar 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
  8. Ferrante, Michael (January 24, 2006). "Shaffer's Keyboard Rig Setup?". Sweetwater Sound. Retrieved 2023-03-19.

Further reading