Get rid of the Kurzweil K2000R, or not...

[musicalweather]

Hi all,

I'm contemplating selling my K2000R (probably to Guitar Center, since that seems to be the easiest...) I really haven't used it for several years. I'm checking to make sure it works okay this afternoon, and now that I'm playing around with it, I'm feeling a little nostalgic. But still not enough to keep me from selling it. Most of the 200 patches sound very synthy and dated. The only one I'll miss is the Arrakis Grand, still very cool sounding.

So i guess my question is, is there any good argument to made for keeping this box? Are the rest of you composers keeping your hardware synths, or getting rid of them?

Thanks!

[mojobone]

I would keep it only if I had an extensive collection of custom programmed or purchased patches or if I had a lot of MIDI sequences that relied on the K2000 sounds, or if I anticipated needing a few extra oscillators in a pinch. Really, rack samplers don't take up all that much space, compared to the pittance you'd likely get for them, and they don't really wear out, like a keyboard action can. Yeah, I think I'd keep it if it had one patch I still wanted to use, heh.

[musicalweather]

Thanks, Mojo. I'm definitely leaning toward keeping it. I found a box with about 50 floppy disks full of sounds for the K2000 that someone had given me. Believe it or not, I had never tried them out until now, so I tried a few and they sounded kinda cool. I don't know whether I'll take the time to use them, or the unit, when I'm under the pressure of composing under a deadline. But, I think the thing will last. Twenty years from now, it probably still will work, unlike the various computers I have right now.

[T&V Marino]

I sold my old Kurzweil K1000 to Guitar Center about 2 years ago because it was just taking up space. You're right -- the sounds can be very "synthy" and dated sounding, but I STILL miss the piano & strings patch -- and the harp!

We ran into a very successful TV music composer who said he STILL uses his old Kurzweil to do mock-ups or even final recordings of music for some big-time TV shows. He said he's never found a keyboard that sounded as good.

It's probably because I was so used to hearing those patches, but I'd have to agree. I swear my old Kurzweil (from 1989!!!) had some far superior sounds than the new Yamaha Clavinova and Kawai digital pianos!!! A friend of ours bought a Yamaha Clavinova and uses that to record. The critiques from the TAXI screeners are constantly saying the sounds are "too synthy, MIDI, and dated sounding," even though the digital keyboard is only two years old.

Keep that old keyboard if you have the space. But once your ears get used to the really good sample libraries (such as Ivory), it's not so tough to get rid of the Kurzweil.

~ Tracey Marino

[Len911]

If you like the K2000 sounds, they are free to download at sweetwater.
http://www.sweetwater.com/k2000/sounds.html#keyboard

Then you can buy a file converter from awave and convert the kurzweil formatted files to a beau coup number of other formats to play or use on other samplers, so there really isn't a huge need to be sentimental.
http://www.fmjsoft.com/awframe.html

[jrkocian]

I'd sell it it in a heartbeat.
I've got a ton of old synths and racks laying around (unused), being sold as we speak (but I've already sold a bunch).

They just collect dust at this point.

If you listen to East-West Pianos, or any of the QL library, you'll never go back.

I say clean out the old and bring in the new.

Sound is everything in the composing game. Old stuff has no use, except for the '80's/90's' listings.

I don't think you'd regret it one bit - I sure haven't.

[cameron]

I use my K1000 as my midi controller, and I still use its dynoed Rhodes sound on a regular basis. Just about everything else has been replaced by a VST plug-in.

I agree that the K1000's grand piano patch, while a little lacking in dynamic range, still sounds better than the modern-day Yamahas and Rolands. I used it until about a year ago when I replaced it with the Galaxy Vintage-D plug-in.

Cam

[dannydep]

You didn't mention on whether or not you were planning to replace it with something else.
I'm sort of in the same predicament in that I'm thinking of replacing my Triton Studio with a Hammond XK3C.

Since my beginnings with music, playing trumpet and finding that my jaws would ache from just playing a little bit, I have always wanted to play an organ, specifically a Hammond B3.
I had the good fortune to sit behind one of the originals way back when and i can remember as though it were yesterday the sensation i got right down to my fingertips when my hands first touched that keyboard.
It was magical. The expressiveness that one can project with that keyboard is astounding.

The only reason I would keep a keyboard was if I had a similar experience from playing on it.
But in the end, you have to make that decision. Good luck.