Kurzweil – keyboard instruments with the hallmark of genius

Ingenious inventions are a shortcut to the future. Raymond Kurzweil is directly connected to the world of the future. One of the greatest current inventors, thinkers and futurists, he has been publishing his predictions about the future with suspicious accuracy for more than 30 years. In total, he owns more than 400 patents. Among other things, he invented the OCR program for character recognition, the first CCD flatbed scanner and the first speech-to-font converter for the blind.

The first user of Kurzweil's reader for the blind was the legendary musician Stevie Wonder. At the same time, the unique invention became the basis of a long friendship between two geniuses – a genius inventor and a genius musician.

Legends that will never be forgotten

Kurzweil K250

In 1982, Stevie confided in Ray that, as a blind person, he could not play various instruments and that he wished to have a digital instrument that could realistically mimic various instrumental sounds.

Ray Kurzweil set about developing, and two years later he introduced under the Kurzweil brand the K250 – the world's first synthesizer, which was able to genuinely reproduce the sound of an acoustic piano. It was the first electronic instrument to use the sampled sounds of real acoustic instruments. In addition, no disk was needed for storage, everything was able to be stored on the ROM drive.

Kurzweil K2000

After sales rocketed, the Kurzweil brand was able to launch the successful K2000 model line with award-winning V.A.S.T. sound synthesis technology, allowing each sound program to be edited and modulated using independent layers with a separate signal path.

The company invested almost $ 16 million in the development of the new model. Investment pays off, and after the launch of the model in 1992, Kurzweil strengthened its position as the market leader and further increased its lead in technology over its competitors.

The K2000 is equipped with an innovative music processor using a Calvin and Hobbes microchip. The successor to the throne – the improved K2500 model – was launched in 1999 and was fitted with the revolutionary KDFX digital effects processor. Its ability to reproduce a much more realistic acoustic sound has resulted in more electronic than traditional acoustic instruments suddenly appearing in recording studios and concert halls around the world.

The bar is set high

The Kurzweil brand is currently owned by Korean piano manufacturer Young Chang, which is part of the Hyundai Development Company conglomerate. However, the research and development department still has its operations in the US.

Although Kurzweil has made history as the synonym for electronic keyboard instruments, today's product portfolio also includes quality loudspeakers, microphones, sound equipment, audio converters, studio monitors, headphones, effects processors, keyboard stands, keyboard cases and others.

The strong point of all electronic instruments from the Kurzweil workshop has always been the faithful sounds of acoustic pianos, electric pianos, hammond organs and string instruments, and quality effects. The sound of synthesizers is emotionally more warm and natural than the sound of comparable instruments from competing manufacturers. The manufacturer knows its strengths and benefits from the advantage in the construction of current models.

It does not leave its stage piano and workstation models to only live with the original version of the operating systems, but also updates them twice a year. The updates with new features are available to users free of charge. Another trump card of the brand is the degree of editability and sound creation. In this respect, Kurzweil hardware electronic keyboard instruments have always been unbeatable.

The flexibility of sound control via MIDI, with which Kurzweil has set the bar quite high, has been causing sleepless nights for their competitors for a long time. The Kurzweil tools allow you to control almost every parameter in real time.

We will introduce a few interesting pieces In various categories of electronic keyboard instrument that deserve a closer look.

Kurzweil Keyboards

Thanks to their simplicity and ease of portability, keyboards are the ideal starting point for the world of key instruments. They allow for the simultaneous playing of melodies and musical accompaniment with the built-in processor diversifying playing with a number of functions and effects.

Their great advantage is their versatility. They can replace the whole orchestra on the stage whilst also serving well at home to practice. Unlike stage pianos, keyboards also have their own speakers.

Kurzweil KP200

This powerful portable arranger can offer a 61-key dynamic keyboard, 128-voice polyphony, 230 auto-accompaniment styles and a wide range of live acoustic and electronic sounds at an affordable price. This includes the popular Kurzweil PC3 sound and organ, guitar, string and sounds synthesizers.

The Synth Action keyboard uses a spring instead of a weight to return the key to its original position. The overall feeling of playing is therefore slightly lighter, and the response a bit faster, compared to more expensive keyboards with a balanced hammer mechanism.

 A simple LCD control panel allows quick access to all of the system functions. The sound is provided by 4 stereo speakers (2 x 15 W and 2 x 25 W). A nice bonus is the easy-to-use function that allows you to record your own songs or audio when connecting an mp3 player or mobile phone. The keyboard can thus be used not only for playing, but also for comfortable music playback with good quality. It comes with a music stand.

Kurzweil Stage Pianos

Thanks to more sophisticated functions, sounds and effects, these electronic instruments are a popular choice for professional players and are designed especially for playing live on stage and working in a music studio.

Although their shape and dimensions resemble keyboards, they do not have a built-in speaker, only outputs for connecting sound equipment or combos. Headphones are used when practising at home.

Kurzweil SP1

The model is a basic version of a stage piano with a hammer mechanism, 88 keys, 256-voice polyphony, a lightweight body and compact dimensions. It is designed especially for students, schools and home recording studios.

Authentic sound simulations arranged in 16 banks and 4 different categories include the sounds of the German D Artis Grand piano, the electronic piano from Kurzweil Forte SE, orchestral string instruments, wind instruments, organs and synthesizer pads.

Each of the audio categories has a separate volume control knob.

The simple operation can be performed directly from the dashboard without the need to click on it via the menu on the display. This is a characteristic feature of the special section of external MIDI instruments and software.

A modulation wheel is also located directly on the front panel. The piano has 4 effects with individual settings: reverb, chorus, tremolo and delay. It also has a separate control for the 3-band master equalizer.

Kurzweil SP6

The more professional version of the SP model line has 88 keys, a fully balanced hammer mechanism, 128-voice polyphony and a clear LCD display. It is equipped with a lightweight body, (weighing 12 kg) and is fitted with 256 factory programs, which can be expanded by up to 1024 user programs.

The instrument offers up to 32 effect units, such as reverb, delay, chorus, flanger, phaser, distortion, rotary amplifier, compressor and many more. 2 GB of sound samples include the sounds of the Japanese Yamaha C7 Grand piano and the German Steinway D Grand piano along with the sounds of the legendary Forte, Forte SE and PC3 models.

The KSR string resonance simulation technology, or Flash-Play technology, also adds a touch of professionalism to the model, thanks to which the piano can be used with a complete 2 GB sound bank 11 seconds after start-up.

The operating system update also supports the import of sounds from the new FM engine from the PC4 series. A free downloadable audio editor is available on the manufacturer's website.

The package includes a power cable, switch pedal and USB cable.

Other Kurzweil Stage Pianos

Kurzweil synthesizers and workstations

They look similar to keyboards, but the main difference is hidden under the lid. The very tone of the desired pitch, tone, volume and duration is created by synthesis. A special type of synthesizer is an electronic instrument known as a workstation. The multifunctional device combines the possibilities of a synthesizer, an effect, a drum machine and a sequencer.

Kurzweil PC4

The combination of a stage piano and a workstation with 88 fully balanced dynamic keys offers patented Flash-Play technology, 256-voice polyphony and a powerful processor. It is an ideal tool for composing music, performing live and working in a recording studio.

It features a simple and intuitive user interface, a large six-button color LCD display, front-panel transposition and tempo controls, 9 programmable rotary controls, 9 switches, tool category selection, and arpeggiator and sequencer controls. It is worth mentioning the keyboard with a hammer mechanism that evokes the feeling of playing an acoustic piano and the aftertouch function, which allows you to further influence various parameters of the respective tone even after playing the note.

The instrument hides 2 GB of built-in sound samples, 2 GB of space for user sounds and samples with 16 zones in multi mode. It also has more than 1000 integrated programs, versatile effects (32 effect units), a 16-track sequencer, 16 arpeggiators, 16 riff generators , universal MIDI control with native editing tools of VAST technology and a powerful FM engine that allows you to import FM audio files from the 80's and 90's. Therefore it is equipped with new and almost inexhaustible audio options.

Kurzweil Forte 7

The brand's flagship was introduced to the world in 2014 as a stage piano, however, with the continuous updates to the operating system, the labelling of 'stage piano' became too tight and today the instrument is considered a kind of hybrid stage piano, synthesizer and workstation.

It offers 76 standard keys with a naturally balanced Italian Fatar TP / 40L hammer mechanism (with aftertouch function), LCD display and 128-voice polyphony. It has up to 16 GB capacity of German and Japanese concert grand piano sounds with new samples of Rhodes, Wurlitzer, harpsichord, clavinet and other traditional instruments complemented by a wide range of sounds from the Kurzweil PC3 series.

The new operating system update package has expanded audio capabilities with a new FM engine that allows you to import audio files from the 80s and 90s. Each program can contain one arpeggiator, a riff, and a 4-track MIDI CC sequencer. Multi-mode serves up to 16 independent arpeggiators and riffs. The instrument has a built-in 16-track sequencer. Up to 3.3 GB of custom samples and sounds in .WAV, .AIF, .P3K, .KRZ, .K25 and .K26 formats can be stored in the independent memory.

In addition, the flagship boasts a built-in 16-layer multitimbral and 322 user programs with the ability to extend to 3072 user programs. It has 186 preset multi sounds which can be expanded to 3072 user multi sounds, and more than 1000 complex effects. Directly on the dashboard is a built-in control for the 3-band equalizer and a master compressor controller.

The model is also available in 88-key version under the name Kurzweil Forte 88.

Kurzweil PC3 LE 6

This extremely successful model combines amazing sounds with an intelligent user interface. It is a lightweight, but no less powerful, version of the legendary PC3 model.

Innovative microchip technology can produce a wide range of sounds from the famous Kurzweil grand piano. Along with this, it can provide the sounds of digital pianos, clavinets, mellotrons, a collection of orchestral and string sounds, analog synthesizers, KB3 organs through to realistic basses, and drums, guitars and percussion.

The model includes more than 700 integrated effect chains with real-time controls. A wide range of samples and rich-sounding VA oscillators along with up to 32-layer programs provide almost endless possibilities. The instrument also boasts a set of more than 100 new drum programs.

Kurzweil Digital Pianos

Electronic pianos can realistically imitate the sound and feel of playing an acoustic piano. They are an ideal means of acquiring piano skills as well as being a charming addition to the interior of your home.

Kurzweil CUP320

The austere shapes look elegant and the clean lines fit into almost any modern space. 88 fully balanced wooden keys and a hammer mechanism with a three-point speed sensor guarantee a truly authentic feeling whilst playing. The range of sounds in the 2 GB database is dominated by usable sounds of the Japanese Yamaha C7 piano and the German Steinway D Grand Piano. The sounds are taken from the Kurzweil Forte SE series of workstations. The model has KSR technology – string resonance emulation. The sound system is provided through a dual stereo sound system with four 25 W speakers.

The piano is equipped with a recorder that can record and store up to 10 of your own compositions. The equipment is complemented by 69 pre-created tracks with recordings of various styles of drums and metronomes. The control panel with monochrome LCD display is simple and clear and provides easy access to various functions as well as the selection of sound, rhythm, songs, transposition and various modes. The instrument has a standard sustain pedal (with a half-compression effect), a sostenuto pedal and a soft pedal.

Kurzweil MP120

This model can also be a good choice for a reasonable price. The sound database also offers the realistic sound of the German grand piano Steinway D Concert Grand, various acoustic and electric pianos or organs and orchestral instruments. The authentic balance of the game is enabled by a fully balanced keyboard with three speed sensors. The elegant panel controls all the functions of the system and the sound system is the result of working with a dual stereo sound system with four 25 W speakers. A nice bonus is the ability to record your own compositions and connect to a smartphone.

Those who are still learning to play will enjoy the opportunity to play along with the most famous piano pieces. They are part of an integrated collection of recorded songs. The body of the instrument is the embodiment of elegance with austere shapes and is produced in three colours: grainy snow, brown rosewood and mahogany.