Kurzweil K250
Encyclopedia
The Kurzweil K250 a.k.a. "Kurzweil 250", "K250" or "K-250", manufactured by Kurzweil Music Systems
was the first electronic musical instrument
which produced sound derived from sampled sounds (see:Sampler (musical instrument)
) burned onto integrated circuit
s known as Read Only Memory (ROM) without the requirement for any type of disk drive. Acoustic
sounds from brass, percussion, string and woodwind instruments as well as sounds created using waveform
s from oscillators were utilized. Primarily designed for the professional musician, it was conceived and invented by Raymond Kurzweil
, original founder of Kurzweil Computer Products, Inc., Kurzweil Music Systems
and Kurzweil Educational Systems
with consultation from Stevie Wonder
, twenty-two time Grammy Award
winning singer, songwriter and music producer; Lyle Mays
, an American jazz pianist; Alan R. Pearlman, founder of ARP Instruments Inc.; and Robert Moog
, the inventor of the Moog synthesizer
.
s for the blind (such as the Kurzweil Reading Machine) and adapted them for musical purposes. Reading machines work by sampling characters found in a document or text of some sort at pre-programmed intervals to reproduce a usable image of a document without any noticeable loss in intelligibility. The reading machine then converts the image into digital data (see:digitizer), stores the digital data onto Random Access Memory (RAM) and/or Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM
) and presents the finished product as spoken text via a text to speech synthesizer. The Kurzweil K250 utilized a similar concept: Sounds were sampled, converted into digital data, stored onto Read-Only Memory
(ROM) and are reproduced as sound. A prototype of the Kurzweil K250 was manufactured for Stevie Wonder in 1983. It featured Braille
buttons along with sliders (potentiometer
s) for various controls and functions, an extensive choice of acoustic and synthesized sounds to choose from, a sampler to record sounds onto RAM and a music sequencer
utilizing battery-backed RAM for compositional purposes. During production of the Kurzweil K250 at least five units were manufactured for Stevie Wonder.
The Kurzweil K250 was officially unveiled to the music industry during the 1984 Summer NAMM trade show. Shortly thereafter the Kurzweil K250 was commercially manufactured until 1990 and was initially available as an 88-key fully weighted keyboard and as an expander unit without keys called the Kurzweil K250 XP. A few years later into production a rack mount version called the Kurzweil K250 RMX a.k.a K250 X also became available.
The Kurzweil K250 is generally recognized as the first electronic instrument to faithfully reproduce the sounds of an acoustic grand piano. It could play up to 12 notes simultaneously (also known as 12-note polyphony - see: Polyphony (instrument)
) by utilizing individual sounds as well as layered sounds (playing multiple sounds on the same note simultaneously, also known as being multitimbral
). Up to that point in time the majority of electronic keyboards utilized synthesized sounds and emulated acoustical instrument sounds created in other electronic instruments using various waveforms produced by oscillators. Five other manufactured digital sampled sound musical instruments were available at that time: E-mu Corporation's E-mu Emulator
and E-mu Emulator II; Fairlight Corporation's Fairlight CMI
; and New England Digital's Synclavier
I and Synclavier II. However, there were major differences between the Kurzweil K250 and these other instruments:
The Kurzweil K250 was highly engineered. For example, the J12 connector on the back of the Kurzweil K250 where the power pod connects to the unit is similar to connectors used in the NASA
Space Shuttle
. It has hi and low current/voltage rated pins and a lock ring on a collar with a barrel connector. Other details, such as an array of multiple output options, a click track, a sync source (for synchronizing music with another device), an analog output board that produced inaudible noise levels with the widest amplitude
(see envelope (disambiguation)
) available (even at maximum volume), multiple sliders to assign multiple functions, the sampler previously mentioned and a twelve-track sequencer with advanced functionality were all state-of-the-art at the time of production.
The Kurzweil K250 was initially priced at $10,715 plus options (in 1983 U.S. dollars). Memory (Computer data storage) along with costs in designing, engineering, research and development of such a revolutionary product contributed to this cost. Those who could afford the Kurzweil K250 enjoyed a musical composition
, MIDI composition and performance instrument unparalleled to any other at the time. An Apple Macintosh
computer typically could be connected to the instrument for sound contouring/sound modeling (see Sound synthesis) and musical compositional purposes. Almost 4,000 units were manufactured.
In the latter years of production two related instruments were also manufactured:
The Kurzweil K250 (with wooden keys manufactured by the Baldwin Piano Company
) is heavy and bulky to move; it weighs 95 pounds (plus a few pounds for optional boards and components) and measures 57 inches length x 27 inches width x 9 inches height. The power pod weighs 22 pounds and measures 17¾ inches length x 11⅛ inches width x 4⅛ inches height. The Kurzweil K250 is used today by musicians in recording studios, movie studio
s, orchestras, ballet/theater companies (see ballet company
), college
s/ universities, Bell Labs
(the research arm of Alcatel-Lucent
), religious organizations, churches and Kurzweil K250 enthusiasts throughout the world.
Today either the end user has to install components themselves or a third-party vendor will need to install components since Kurzweil Music Systems no longer provides service or support for this instrument series.
Kurzweil Music Systems
Kurzweil Music Systems is a company that produces electronic musical instruments for professionals and home users. Founded in 1982 by Raymond Kurzweil, a developer of reading machines for the blind, the company made use of many of the technologies originally designed for reading machines and...
was the first electronic musical instrument
Electronic musical instrument
An electronic musical instrument is a musical instrument that produces its sounds using electronics. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical audio signal that ultimately drives a loudspeaker....
which produced sound derived from sampled sounds (see:Sampler (musical instrument)
Sampler (musical instrument)
A sampler is an electronic musical instrument similar in some respects to a synthesizer but, instead of generating sounds, it uses recordings of sounds that are loaded or recorded into it by the user and then played back by means of a keyboard, sequencer or other triggering device to perform or...
) burned onto integrated circuit
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
s known as Read Only Memory (ROM) without the requirement for any type of disk drive. Acoustic
Musical acoustics
Musical acoustics or music acoustics is the branch of acoustics concerned with researching and describing the physics of music – how sounds employed as music work...
sounds from brass, percussion, string and woodwind instruments as well as sounds created using waveform
Waveform
Waveform means the shape and form of a signal such as a wave moving in a physical medium or an abstract representation.In many cases the medium in which the wave is being propagated does not permit a direct visual image of the form. In these cases, the term 'waveform' refers to the shape of a graph...
s from oscillators were utilized. Primarily designed for the professional musician, it was conceived and invented by Raymond Kurzweil
Raymond Kurzweil
Raymond "Ray" Kurzweil is an American author, inventor and futurist. He is involved in fields such as optical character recognition , text-to-speech synthesis, speech recognition technology, and electronic keyboard instruments...
, original founder of Kurzweil Computer Products, Inc., Kurzweil Music Systems
Kurzweil Music Systems
Kurzweil Music Systems is a company that produces electronic musical instruments for professionals and home users. Founded in 1982 by Raymond Kurzweil, a developer of reading machines for the blind, the company made use of many of the technologies originally designed for reading machines and...
and Kurzweil Educational Systems
Kurzweil Educational Systems
Kurzweil Educational Systems, Inc. is an American based company that specializes in providing reading and writing software to assist people who are blind or partially sighted, or who have learning disabilities, such as dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder...
with consultation from Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, twenty-two time Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winning singer, songwriter and music producer; Lyle Mays
Lyle Mays
Lyle Mays is an American jazz pianist and composer from Wausaukee, Wisconsin. He is best known for his work with guitarist Pat Metheny as a member of the Pat Metheny Group...
, an American jazz pianist; Alan R. Pearlman, founder of ARP Instruments Inc.; and Robert Moog
Robert Moog
Robert Arthur Moog , commonly called Bob Moog was an American pioneer of electronic music, best known as the inventor of the Moog synthesizer.-Life:...
, the inventor of the Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
.
History
In 1982 Stevie Wonder asked Raymond Kurzweil if "we could use the extraordinarily flexible computer control methods on the beautiful sounds of acoustic instruments?" In response to this query, Raymond Kurzweil made use of fundamental sampling concepts that had originally been exploited in reading machineOptical character recognition
Optical character recognition, usually abbreviated to OCR, is the mechanical or electronic translation of scanned images of handwritten, typewritten or printed text into machine-encoded text. It is widely used to convert books and documents into electronic files, to computerize a record-keeping...
s for the blind (such as the Kurzweil Reading Machine) and adapted them for musical purposes. Reading machines work by sampling characters found in a document or text of some sort at pre-programmed intervals to reproduce a usable image of a document without any noticeable loss in intelligibility. The reading machine then converts the image into digital data (see:digitizer), stores the digital data onto Random Access Memory (RAM) and/or Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM
EPROM
An EPROM , or erasable programmable read only memory, is a type of memory chip that retains its data when its power supply is switched off. In other words, it is non-volatile. It is an array of floating-gate transistors individually programmed by an electronic device that supplies higher voltages...
) and presents the finished product as spoken text via a text to speech synthesizer. The Kurzweil K250 utilized a similar concept: Sounds were sampled, converted into digital data, stored onto Read-Only Memory
Read-only memory
Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
(ROM) and are reproduced as sound. A prototype of the Kurzweil K250 was manufactured for Stevie Wonder in 1983. It featured Braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
buttons along with sliders (potentiometer
Potentiometer
A potentiometer , informally, a pot, is a three-terminal resistor with a sliding contact that forms an adjustable voltage divider. If only two terminals are used , it acts as a variable resistor or rheostat. Potentiometers are commonly used to control electrical devices such as volume controls on...
s) for various controls and functions, an extensive choice of acoustic and synthesized sounds to choose from, a sampler to record sounds onto RAM and a music sequencer
Music sequencer
The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
utilizing battery-backed RAM for compositional purposes. During production of the Kurzweil K250 at least five units were manufactured for Stevie Wonder.
The Kurzweil K250 was officially unveiled to the music industry during the 1984 Summer NAMM trade show. Shortly thereafter the Kurzweil K250 was commercially manufactured until 1990 and was initially available as an 88-key fully weighted keyboard and as an expander unit without keys called the Kurzweil K250 XP. A few years later into production a rack mount version called the Kurzweil K250 RMX a.k.a K250 X also became available.
The Kurzweil K250 is generally recognized as the first electronic instrument to faithfully reproduce the sounds of an acoustic grand piano. It could play up to 12 notes simultaneously (also known as 12-note polyphony - see: Polyphony (instrument)
Polyphony (instrument)
Polyphony Instruments that are not capable of polyphony are monophonic.-Synthesizer:Most of early synthesizers were monophonic musical instruments which can play only one note at a time, and are often called monosynth as opposed to polysynth...
) by utilizing individual sounds as well as layered sounds (playing multiple sounds on the same note simultaneously, also known as being multitimbral
Multitimbral
Monotimbral is usually used in reference to electronic synthesisers which can produce a single timbre at a given pitch upon pressing a single or multiple keys .An electronic musical instrument may be...
). Up to that point in time the majority of electronic keyboards utilized synthesized sounds and emulated acoustical instrument sounds created in other electronic instruments using various waveforms produced by oscillators. Five other manufactured digital sampled sound musical instruments were available at that time: E-mu Corporation's E-mu Emulator
E-mu Emulator
The Emulator is the name given to a series of disk-based digital sampling keyboards manufactured by E-mu Systems from 1982 until 1990. Though not the first commercial sampler, the Emulator was among the first to find wide use among ordinary musicians, due to its relatively low price and its size,...
and E-mu Emulator II; Fairlight Corporation's Fairlight CMI
Fairlight CMI
The Fairlight CMI is a digital sampling synthesizer. It was designed in 1979 by the founders of Fairlight, Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie, and based on a dual-6800 microprocessor computer designed by Tony Furse in Sydney, Australia...
; and New England Digital's Synclavier
Synclavier
The Synclavier System was an early digital synthesizer, polyphonic digital sampling system, and music workstation, manufactured by New England Digital Corporation, Norwich, VT. The original design and development of the Synclavier prototype occurred at Dartmouth College with the collaboration of...
I and Synclavier II. However, there were major differences between the Kurzweil K250 and these other instruments:
- The acoustic piano sound contained in and produced by the Kurzweil K250 was so realistic tests were conducted with listeners blindfolded to differentiate sonic differences between a 9-foot grand piano playing and the Kurzweil K250 playing. Both were played through the same high quality $40,000 US dollar sound system. According to Kurzweil, "There was general agreement that it was not possible to tell the difference between the piano and the K250." This was achieved despite the fact that the sounds in the Kurzweil K250 are 10-bit sampled sounds and utilized a proprietary sound contouring model to reduce memory requirements.
- The Kurzweil K250 could be played as a solo instrument, as an instrument in a bandBand (music)In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, musical ensembleMusical ensembleA musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
or in an orchestraOrchestraAn orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
. It could also be played as any of these musical groups. Because of this capability, the instrument was one of the first to be used as a Virtual OrchestraVirtual OrchestraVirtual Orchestra is a term used to identify a variety of different types of technology and art forms. Most commonly used to refer to orchestral simulation, either for pre-recorded or live environments, it also has been used to describe other activities, such as IRCAM’s Virtual Orchestra...
.
- Expanding upon this concept a new technology at the time - MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface, multiple units and/or other MIDI capable devices could be connected (in a daisy chainDaisy chainDaisy chain may refer to a daisy garland created from daisy flowers, the original meaning and the one from which the following derive by analogy:*Daisy chain *Daisy chain *Daisy chain...
fashion) and played together simultaneously or separately. MIDI is utilized to transmit and receive other messaging in controlling other MIDI devices as desired. For example, if twelve Kurzweil K250's were connected together up to 144 notes could be played simultaneously, more than a typical symphony orchestra could typically produce simultaneously with all members playing at any moment.
- SCSISCSISmall Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it...
technology is utilized in its system architecture, which was the fastest data transfer technology available at the time.
- It utilized a Motorola 68000Motorola 68000The Motorola 68000 is a 16/32-bit CISC microprocessor core designed and marketed by Freescale Semiconductor...
32-bit 10 MHz processor, which was one of the fastest processors available at the time.
- With the sampling option a sound could be sampled up to 50 kHz. (Such a high sampling rate, much higher than the highest frequency humans can hear, is needed because samples of sound at a given rate can represent at best half that audio frequency; see Nyquist frequencyNyquist frequencyThe Nyquist frequency, named after the Swedish-American engineer Harry Nyquist or the Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem, is half the sampling frequency of a discrete signal processing system...
.)
- The pitch of a sound could be transposed (see: transposition (music)Transposition (music)In music transposition refers to the process, or operation, of moving a collection of notes up or down in pitch by a constant interval.For example, one might transpose an entire piece of music into another key...
) up or down using five different transposition modes without much change in timbreTimbreIn music, timbre is the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices and musical instruments, such as string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments. The physical characteristics of sound that determine the...
, as long as the transposition was not more than a few semitones.
The Kurzweil K250 was highly engineered. For example, the J12 connector on the back of the Kurzweil K250 where the power pod connects to the unit is similar to connectors used in the NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
. It has hi and low current/voltage rated pins and a lock ring on a collar with a barrel connector. Other details, such as an array of multiple output options, a click track, a sync source (for synchronizing music with another device), an analog output board that produced inaudible noise levels with the widest amplitude
Amplitude
Amplitude is the magnitude of change in the oscillating variable with each oscillation within an oscillating system. For example, sound waves in air are oscillations in atmospheric pressure and their amplitudes are proportional to the change in pressure during one oscillation...
(see envelope (disambiguation)
Envelope (disambiguation)
An envelope is the paper container used to hold a letter being sent by post.Envelope may also refer to:In mathematics:* Envelope , a curve, surface, or higher dimensional object defined as being tangent to a given family of lines or curves In science:* Viral envelope, the membranal covering...
) available (even at maximum volume), multiple sliders to assign multiple functions, the sampler previously mentioned and a twelve-track sequencer with advanced functionality were all state-of-the-art at the time of production.
The Kurzweil K250 was initially priced at $10,715 plus options (in 1983 U.S. dollars). Memory (Computer data storage) along with costs in designing, engineering, research and development of such a revolutionary product contributed to this cost. Those who could afford the Kurzweil K250 enjoyed a musical composition
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
, MIDI composition and performance instrument unparalleled to any other at the time. An Apple Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
computer typically could be connected to the instrument for sound contouring/sound modeling (see Sound synthesis) and musical compositional purposes. Almost 4,000 units were manufactured.
In the latter years of production two related instruments were also manufactured:
- The Kurzweil K225 RMX. The Kurzweil K225 RMX was similar to the Kurzweil K250 RMX and it was more affordable. The Kurzweil K225 RMX contained about half of the sounds available on the Kurzweil K250 and utilized early production Kurzweil K250 hardware. In some cases a sticker identifying the unit as a Kurzweil 225 RMX was used instead of the standard silk screening imprinting.
- The Hyper Kurzweil K250 http://cmcgilton.byethost22.com/hyper250.html or http://cmcgilton.ifastnet.com/hyper250.html. Very little is known about this model other than the RAM cartridge was relocated to the left front panel, the right front panel possibly had other functionality (unknown), five additional buttons with some sort of SCSI functionality (unknown) were placed above the tuning control, 88 red LEDLEdLEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
's (Light-emitting diodes) were placed above each key (apparently to light up as the corresponding key was depressed), the manufacturer name KURZWEIL had raised letters instead of imprinted letters on the front panel and the slider caps were different (the slightly rounded edges were squared off). A SCSI hard drive may also have been added below the front right panel area. It is suspected this may have been one of the last Kurzweil K250's developed.
The Kurzweil K250 (with wooden keys manufactured by the Baldwin Piano Company
Baldwin Piano Company
The Baldwin Piano Company was the largest US-based manufacturer of keyboard instruments, most notably pianos. It remains a subsidiary of the Gibson Guitar Corporation, although it ceased domestic production of pianos in December 2008.-History:...
) is heavy and bulky to move; it weighs 95 pounds (plus a few pounds for optional boards and components) and measures 57 inches length x 27 inches width x 9 inches height. The power pod weighs 22 pounds and measures 17¾ inches length x 11⅛ inches width x 4⅛ inches height. The Kurzweil K250 is used today by musicians in recording studios, movie studio
Movie studio
A movie studio is a term used to describe a major entertainment company or production company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to film movies...
s, orchestras, ballet/theater companies (see ballet company
Ballet company
A ballet company is a group of dancers who perform ballet, plus managerial and support staff. Most major ballet companies employ dancers on a year-round basis, except in the United States, where contracts for part of the year are the norm...
), college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s/ universities, Bell Labs
Bell Labs
Bell Laboratories is the research and development subsidiary of the French-owned Alcatel-Lucent and previously of the American Telephone & Telegraph Company , half-owned through its Western Electric manufacturing subsidiary.Bell Laboratories operates its...
(the research arm of Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent is a global telecommunications corporation, headquartered in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France. It provides telecommunications solutions to service providers, enterprises, and governments around the world, enabling these customers to deliver voice, data, and video services...
), religious organizations, churches and Kurzweil K250 enthusiasts throughout the world.
Technical specifications
- 12-track music sequencerMusic sequencerThe music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
, polyphonic, 12,012 events (with version 3 software and higher), fully editable including quantization (see Quantization (music)Quantization (music)In digital music processing technology, quantization is the process of transforming performed musical notes to an underlying musical representation that eliminates this imprecision. The process results in notes being set on beats and on exact fractions of beats...
), section call, sequence chaining, punch-in/out, mute/solo/fader automation, event editing, channel stealing, rhythm change, tempo change, MIDI and tape sync. - TempoTempoIn musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
control, plus or minus up to 700 beats per minute (can be additionally manipulated if using the on-board sequencer), real time. - Chorus (five different modes - doublingDoublingDoubling may refer to:*in math:**multiplication by 2**doubling the cube, a geometric problem**doubling time, the period of time required for a quantity to double in size or value**doubling map**period-doubling bifurcation***in music:...
, full chorus, flangingFlangingFlanging is an audio effect produced by mixing two identical signals together, with one signal delayed by a small and gradually changing period, usually smaller than 20 milliseconds. This produces a swept comb filter effect: peaks and notches are produced in the resultant frequency spectrum,...
, echo and microtonal) with delay and detuning capability (all editable and adjustable), switchable in real time. - Transpose (five different modes - octaveOctaveIn music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
pitch shiftPitch shiftPitch shifting is a sound recording technique in which the original pitch of a sound is raised or lowered. Effects units that raise or lower pitch by a pre-designated musical interval are called "pitch shifters" or "pitch benders".-Pitch/time shifting:...
, chromatic pitch shift, octave transpose, chromatic transpose and timbreTimbreIn music, timbre is the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices and musical instruments, such as string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments. The physical characteristics of sound that determine the...
shift); maximum range of 2 octaves up to 5 octaves down depending upon the mode selected, real time. Note - timbre shift is an application of the technology where the keymap is transposed one way and the pitch is transposed the other way so the pitch stays the same but the digital artifacts are used in the sound. - Fine Tuning (center position is concert or standardized pitch A=440), real time.
- Brightness (of the sound), real time.
- Sound volume, real time.
- Volume swell, real time (see Expression pedalExpression pedalAn expression pedal is an important control found on many organs and synthesizers, as well as in the pedal steel guitar, that allows the volume of the sound to be manipulated...
). - TremoloTremoloTremolo, or tremolando, is a musical term that describes various trembling effects, falling roughly into two types. The first is a rapid reiteration...
, real time. - VibratoVibratoVibrato is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. Vibrato is typically characterised in terms of two factors: the amount of pitch variation and the speed with which the pitch is varied .-Vibrato and...
, real time. - Sound velocity, both positive (increase) and negative (known as reverse velocity), real time (see keyboard expressionKeyboard expressionKeyboard expression often shortened to expression is the ability of a keyboard instrument to respond to the dynamics of the music or change the tone of the sound in response to the way that the performer depresses the keys of the musical keyboard...
). - AliasingAliasingIn signal processing and related disciplines, aliasing refers to an effect that causes different signals to become indistinguishable when sampled...
, real time. - Pitch bend, up or down, real time.
- Touch sensitivity, real time.
- Two sustain modes, normal sustain and sustained release (which is a quick dampening of sound after a note is struck), real time.
- 96 non-destructive ROMRead-only memoryRead-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...
sounds (basic sound block). - 341 presets.
- 12 voice polyphonyPolyphonyIn music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....
, 12 oscillators per voice, 256 segment amplitude envelope generator. - 12-bit multitimbral, 16 channels, 144 parts.
- Fully assignable filters and envelopes.
- 2 Low-frequency oscillators (LFO's) per voice, 24 multi-form LFO's total, all adjustable, 12 different adjustable options (see Low-frequency oscillation).
- Variable sampling rate.
- 18-bit floating pointFloating pointIn computing, floating point describes a method of representing real numbers in a way that can support a wide range of values. Numbers are, in general, represented approximately to a fixed number of significant digits and scaled using an exponent. The base for the scaling is normally 2, 10 or 16...
resolution. - Truncation, looping (see music loopMusic loopIn electroacoustic music, a loop is a repeating section of sound material. Short sections of material can be repeated to create ostinato patterns...
), velocity crossfading. - Two separate signal buses (see electrical busElectrical busElectric bus is a bus powered by electric energy. "Electric bus" can also refer to:* Bus , used for connecting components of a computer or communication between computers* Busbars, thick conductors acting as nodes in electrical substations...
). - SCSISCSISmall Computer System Interface is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, and electrical and optical interfaces. SCSI is most commonly used for hard disks and tape drives, but it...
system architecture. - Separate outputs on both balanced XLR and 1/4 inch high and low power signal outputs as well as a 1/4 inch headphone jack.
- Click track (built in metronomeMetronomeA metronome is any device that produces regular, metrical ticks — settable in beats per minute. These ticks represent a fixed, regular aural pulse; some metronomes also include synchronized visual motion...
) for timing purposes, switchable on or off. - Trigger in via 1/4 inch jack.
- Two full-size brass pedals built into the power pod, used for sustain, sound dampening and sostenutoSostenutoIn music, sostenuto is a term from Italian which means "sustained." It occasionally implies a slowing of tempo, though more often it refers to a very legato style in which the notes are performed in a sustained manner beyond their normal values....
just like an acoustic piano. - Full size 88 note velocity-sensitive fully weighted keyboard using lead weights in the keys (excluding RMX models).
- Keyboards can be split, layered or set up with dual-amplitude 6 layers deep. 87 split keyboards in one keyboard setup is possible. Approximately 40 user-created keyboard setups can be programmed, depending upon the keyboard types that are programmed.
- MIDI capable IN, OUT and THRU with limitations on MIDI functionality (not MIDI GM standard - GM standard was implemented in 1991, one year after the Kurzweil K250 ceased to be manufactured).
- Kurzweil K1000 remote mode capable with message display and remote button operation.
- Main Unit Size = 54" width x 27" length x 9" height.
- Main Unit Weight = 95 pounds plus a few pounds for optional components.
- Power Pod Size = 11⅛" width x 17¾" length x 4⅛" height (283 x 451 x 105 mm).
- Power Pod Weight = 22 pounds (10 kg).
- Power input = 110-120 volts AC, 50/60 Hz, 380 watts (typical, an option was available for 220-240 volts AC). Later units had a different internal power supply and selectable 110/220 volts AC, 50/60 Hz, 380 watts.
Voices
- Resident Voices: Concert Grand Piano, Harpsichord, Violin Section, Viola Section, Cello Section, Bass Section, Plucked Acoustic Bass, Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Tom-Tom (2 octave chromatic), Hi-Hat Open, Hi-Hat Closing, Hi-Hat Closed, Crash Cymbals, Ride Cymbals, Guiro, Ratchet, Sleigh Bells, Cowbell, Sandpaper, Hammond tm B-3 Organ (3 settings without percussion, 1 with percussion), Trumpet, Baritone Horn, Valve Trombone, Sine Wave, "Endless Glissando", Nylon-Stringed Acoustic Guitar, Hand Claps, Finger Snaps, Temple Blocks, Grater Up, Grater Down, White Noise
- Sound Block A: Choir, Flute, Electric Bass (open), Electric Bass (slap), Clarinet, Oboe, Harp Arpeggios, Harp Glissando, Conga (open), Conga (slap), Conga (ringing), Chimes, Marimba, Vibes, Timpani
- Sound Block B: Electric Guitar (mutes), Electric Guitar (Lead Strings), Electric Guitar (harmonics), Snare Drums (5 types), Kick Drums (5 types), Hi-Hat Open, Hi-Hat Closed, Hi-Hat Closing, Rim Shot, Claps, Crash Cymbal, Ride Cymbal (rim), Ride Cymbal (Bell), Toms (3 types), Electric Piano (Fender Rhodes tm), Mini Moog tm
- Sound Block C: Solo Violin, Solo Cello, Celeste, Pizzicato Strings, Bassoon, Cathedral Pipe Organ, Hand Bells, Plucked Harp, Sawtooth Wave, Church Pipe Organ
- Sound Block D: Nine Brass instruments
Manufacturer optional components
- Sampler: 12-bit sample rate of 5 kHz to 50 kHz, 100 to 10 seconds of sampling time respectively. Six different sampling modes: quick take, de-emphasis, slow decay, normal decay, fast decay and speech. Samples are fully editable. 1MB ROM standard. 1/4 inch microphone input jack for sampling source.
- 2 MB SuperRAM (increases the sampling RAM available from 1 MB to 2 MB).
- 4 MB SuperRAM II (increases the sampling RAM available from 1 MB to 4 MB).
- Sound Block A - a.k.a "Expanded Basic Sound Block" (adds an additional 88 non-destructive ROM sounds).
- Sound Block B - a.k.a "Rock Sound Block" (adds an additional 59 non-destructive ROM sounds).
- Sound Block C - a.k.a "Classical Sound Block" (adds an additional 43 non-destructive ROM sounds).
- Sound Block D - a.k.a "Brass Sound Block" (adds an additional 35 non-destructive ROM sounds).
- Separate output board (providing twelve 1/4 inch jack discrete monophonic outputs in addition to the polyphonic stereo outputs). See MonophonyMonophonyIn music, monophony is the simplest of textures, consisting of melody without accompanying harmony. This may be realized as just one note at a time, or with the same note duplicated at the octave . If the entire melody is sung by two voices or a choir with an interval between the notes or in...
and Polyphony (instrument)Polyphony (instrument)Polyphony Instruments that are not capable of polyphony are monophonic.-Synthesizer:Most of early synthesizers were monophonic musical instruments which can play only one note at a time, and are often called monosynth as opposed to polysynth...
. - Plexiglas sheet music stand.
- Performance (tubular) keyboard stand.
- Volume swell pedal.
- DaughterboardDaughterboardA daughterboard, daughtercard or piggyback board is a circuit board meant to be an extension or "daughter" of a motherboard , or occasionally of another card...
for installing up to two additional ROM sound blocks beyond the capability of adding four sound blocks. - Kurzweil 250 Quick Load System (QLS)
- For Apple/Macintosh Computers (See: Apple Inc.) - Latest version is version 3.8. Will work with most Apple/Macintosh computers using Macintosh System 6 to Mac OS 9.2 (and possibly later, not verified) for use in uploading/downloading information to/from the Kurzweil K250 and working with that data. Data could also be viewed and/or manipulated using other third party software. A serial interface on the Apple/Macintosh computer is required; on early Apple/Macintosh computers (typical) it is known as a DB-9 connector or Mini-DIN 8 connector (typical) and on later Apple/Macintosh computers it is known as a GeoportGeoPortGeoPort was a serial data system used on some models of the Apple Macintosh. GeoPort slightly modified the existing Mac serial port pins to allow the computer's internal sound hardware to emulate various devices such as modems and fax machines. GeoPort could be found on late-model m68k-based...
, which is a Mini-DIN 9 connector. Some early Geoports using Mac OS 7.5.3 or earlier may not work with the Apple-supplied hardware driver - a driver that is known to work is the Opcode Open Music System 2.3.8 SerialDMA driver (freeware) available at: http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/1565/open-music-system- If the Apple/Macintosh does not natively contain a DB-9 connector or Mini-DIN 8 connector or Geoport an adapter will be required for interfacing the K250 to the Macintosh—the only known third-party adapter is available at the GeeThree Stealth Serial Port adapter website: http://www.geethree.com/stealth/index.html - For IBM PC compatibleIBM PC compatibleIBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
personal computers (PC's) - See Third Party Optional Components below.
- For Apple/Macintosh Computers (See: Apple Inc.) - Latest version is version 3.8. Will work with most Apple/Macintosh computers using Macintosh System 6 to Mac OS 9.2 (and possibly later, not verified) for use in uploading/downloading information to/from the Kurzweil K250 and working with that data. Data could also be viewed and/or manipulated using other third party software. A serial interface on the Apple/Macintosh computer is required; on early Apple/Macintosh computers (typical) it is known as a DB-9 connector or Mini-DIN 8 connector (typical) and on later Apple/Macintosh computers it is known as a Geoport
- QLS cable for connecting the Apple/Macintosh DB-9 or Mini-DIN 8 (typical) or Geoport port to the Kurzweil DB-37 computer jack (DB-9 Male or Mini-DIN 8 Male or Geoport Male to DB-37 Male) -or- the PC DB-9 to the Kurzweil DB-37 computer jack (DB-9 male to DB-37 male).
- QLS Modem Board (SCSI Board) - Apple/Macintosh or PC computer interface for saving/loading of samples, setups, keyboards, sequences and bins using QLS or MacAttach software (predecessor to QLS software for Apple/Macintosh).
- Battery-operated 256 KB RAM cartridge and optional cartridge adapter kit for data storage and retrieval. (Note: Kurzweil indicated a cartridge kit is required, however it has been verified by the author of this article that the cartridge kit is not required if care is taken while inserting and removing cartridges to/from the cartridge slot).
Manufacturer transitional components
During the manufacturing of the Kurzweil K250 several improvements were made to the instrument. This section deals with typical updates and upgrades other than third-party additional components. For those who purchased the instrument later in the manufacturing run, expanded, improved and upgraded components as well as software updates were typically installed in the instrument (unless the instrument was older stock and was not upgraded for some reason). The following lists those components. For those who did not have a particular expanded, improved or upgraded component and/or software update and desired it, the item needed to be purchased and if necessary, installation charges were added, either by Kurzweil or by a third-party vendor. The following items are:- Software ROM upgrades. From the very early instruments to software version 4.X, then software version 5.X then software version 6.X. and lastly software version 7.2. These upgrades offered improved hardware and software functionality, signal processing improvements, bug fixes, maintenance improvements, feature additions/enhancements and increased reliability. The last known operating system created for the Kurzweil K250 was version 7.2 in 1989.
- Hardware upgrades. The CGP (ROM) board was modified to allow additional ROM blocks and the processor board was modified for improved signal processing. The upgraded hardware was typically found in Kurzweil K250's manufactured in 1986 or later and was a highly recommended upgrade for older Kurzweil K250 units being upgraded to use version 5.X or 6.X software.
- Power pod upgrades. Revised the type of power supply used and allowed for 110/220 volt AC selectable input.
- Front panel button slider and button design and shape.
- Front panel button labeling changes to match major software enhancements from software version 3.X to 4.X and later.
- Complete Parallel SCSI Type 1 implementation in version 7.0 and up. A 50-pin Narrow SCSI port was added above the computer jack on the rear of the K250. The K250 could then theoretically provide direct connectivity up to eight other SCSI devices (for example to connect directly to a hard drive without the need for a separate computer). It is not known if a pre-version 7 machine can be retrofitted to version 7.
Today either the end user has to install components themselves or a third-party vendor will need to install components since Kurzweil Music Systems no longer provides service or support for this instrument series.
Third party optional components
- Apple II computer or nearly any compact Macintosh computer (Macintosh 512 up to Macintosh IIciMacintosh IIciThe Apple Macintosh IIci was an improvement on the Macintosh IIcx. Sharing the same compact case design with three expansion slots, the IIci improved upon the IIcx's 16 MHz Motorola 68030 CPU and 68882 FPU, replacing them with 25 MHz versions of these chips. The IIci came with either a 40 or...
) computer using Mac OS version 6 (documented). A later model Macintosh with the proper interfacing hardware (GeoPort) and Mac OS 7 - 9.2 (and perhaps later OS's) has been proven to work. - MacAttach software for use in uploading/downloading information to/from the K250 using an Apple/Macintosh computer (this was superseded by QLS, which was available optionally by Kurzweil Music Systems). The data could also be viewed and/or manipulated using other third party software.
- Sweetwater SoundSweetwater SoundSweetwater Sound, Inc. is one of the United States' largest dealers in musical equipment for musicians, recording studios, schools, houses of worship, concert sound companies and broadcasters...
Block SW800 - a.k.a. "Sweetwater Orchestral Sound Block" (adds an additional 54 non-destructive ROM sounds). - Sweetwater SoundSweetwater SoundSweetwater Sound, Inc. is one of the United States' largest dealers in musical equipment for musicians, recording studios, schools, houses of worship, concert sound companies and broadcasters...
Block SW900 - a.k.a. "Sweetwater Contemporary Sound Block" (adds an additional 52 non-destructive ROM sounds). - Various sampled sounds were available via the "Sweetwater network" that Sweetwater SoundSweetwater SoundSweetwater Sound, Inc. is one of the United States' largest dealers in musical equipment for musicians, recording studios, schools, houses of worship, concert sound companies and broadcasters...
established in the mid to late 1980s for the purpose of creating and swapping user-created sounds. Some of those sounds were incorporated on the Sweetwater SW800 and SW900 Sound Blocks. - Sweetwater SoundSweetwater SoundSweetwater Sound, Inc. is one of the United States' largest dealers in musical equipment for musicians, recording studios, schools, houses of worship, concert sound companies and broadcasters...
K250 Editor Librarian software. Required QLS and a separate MIDI interface from the K250 to the Apple/Macintosh computer. - Kurzweil Quick Load System (QLS) for PC's - (Note: Information about the following is not well known to the author of this article.) Latest known version is version 1.0 and it is not known if a later version was made for the PC. It is interesting to note Kurzweil Music Systems did not create QLS for the PC even though their name is on the label of the QLS 5¼" floppy disk. (It is not known to the author of this article the company that created QLS for the PC). It is not definitively known which PC platforms or operating systems this will operate on, even though it is suspected it will work on 286 and 386 computers using some early form of DOS. Like the Apple/Macintosh version it is used for uploading/downloading information to/from the Kurzweil K250 and working with that data. Data could also be viewed and/or manipulated using other third party software. A DB-9 serial interface on the PC is required.
Undocumented functions
- Mono Pressure - The User's Guide and Reference Manual indicates this feature is not available. However if the Kurzweil K250 is connected to a MIDI device not utilizing the Rock/Pop General MIDI standard (such as a real Church organ) this function can control the volume of that MIDI device independently of any other MIDI device connected utilizing the Rock/Pop General MIDI standard. This feature has been verified to work with Kurzweil 250 software version 6 by the author of this article.
- Channel Stealing - If the parameters for "Steal Ahead with Sustain" (Function 10 -> STL4) and "Steal Ahead without Sustain" (Function 10 -> STL5) are both set to 11 apiece it is possible for the Kurzweil K250 to produce more than 12 notes simultaneously with certain keyboard sounds despite the fact there are only twelve analog channels available. This feature has been verified to work with Kurzweil K250 software versions 5 and 6 by the author of this article.
- Sequence Chaining (natural, not silenced) using the on board sequencer without inserting a note release on the initiating sequence before chaining to the next sequence - This is very useful if chaining sequences which require note(s) to be held over from one sequence to another:
- If the sequence being chained to contains a note release event corresponding to the note attack on the same track.
- The track number utilized must be the same on both sequences.
- Both tracks utilized must use the same keyboard setup during the period of time involved (the keyboard setup can change after the note release event).
- Note: If utilizing MIDI OUT on the tracks involved undesired consequences may occur on the MIDI device connected as that device may not process the note release. This is because the MIDI device may not see a note release at the end of the first sequence involved possibly resulting in a hung note that may need to be reset manually. Some MIDI devices are able to accommodate this arrangement and others are not. It is possible to overcome this problem by utilizing this feature only for tracks not requiring MIDI and then if MIDI is required duplicate the track for MIDI only and insert a note release at the end of the first sequence (even though this may not produce a satisfactory result). This feature has been verified to work with Kurzweil 250 software versions 4, 5 and 6 by the author of this article.
Artists and musical groups who have used the Kurzweil K250 with articles on Wikipedia
Reference: Kurzweil 250 User's Guide, Pages 140 - 148 Appendix C: The Kurzweil 250 In the Real World Copyright 1988 Kurzweil Music Systems Incorporated- 2nd Chapter of Acts2nd Chapter of ActsThe 2nd Chapter of Acts was a Jesus Music and early Contemporary Christian Music group composed of sisters Annie Herring and Nelly Greisen and brother Matthew Ward. They began performing in 1973 and enjoyed their period of greatest success during the 1970s...
, band - Tori AmosTori AmosTori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
, singer, songwriter, record producer, pianist - Art of Noise, band
- George BensonGeorge BensonGeorge Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist....
, musician - Jeff BovaJeff BovaJeff Bova is an American Grammy Award winning keyboardist, composer, arranger and record producer. He has been active in music industry since the mid-1970s, contributing to dozens of recordings by significant mainstream artists like Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, Blondie, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker,...
, arranger, composer, keyboardist and record producer - Richard CarpenterRichard Carpenter (musician)Richard Lynn Carpenter is an American pop musician, best known as one half of the brother/sister duo The Carpenters, along with his sister Karen Carpenter. He was a producer, arranger, pianist and keyboardist, and occasional lyricist, as well as joining with Karen on harmony...
, composer, musician - ChicagoChicago (band)Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
, band - Eric ClaptonEric ClaptonEric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, Singer, songwriter, composer, guitarist - Stewart CopelandStewart CopelandStewart Armstrong Copeland is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the band The Police. During the group's extended hiatus from the mid-1980s to 2007, he played in other bands and composed soundtracks...
, musician, drummer - Anthony J. RestaAnthony J. RestaAnthony J. Resta is an American record producer and musician. A multi-instrumentalist, he is a known for his use of vintage audio gear in creating expansive sonic atmospheres. He has earned twelve RIAA certified gold and multi-platinum awards and has been featured in many articles for his...
, producer, musician, composer - Chick CoreaChick CoreaArmando Anthony "Chick" Corea is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer.Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever...
, jazz pianist/keyboardist, composer - Neil DiamondNeil DiamondNeil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
, singer, songwriter, actor - Don DorseyDon DorseyDon Dorsey is an American audio production consultant, and a designer and director of fireworks and nighttime spectacular shows From 1975 to 1992 he served as the main audio recording and post-production engineer for the Entertainment Division of Disneyland Park, manning console knobs and faders...
, audio production consultant - Ray EllisRay EllisRay Ellis was an American record producer, arranger and conductor. The orchestration for Billie Holiday's Lady in Satin is probably his best known work in the jazz vein.-Biography:...
, record producer, arranger and conductor - Keith EmersonKeith EmersonKeith Noel Emerson is an English keyboard player and composer. Formerly a member of the Keith Emerson Trio, John Brown's Bodies, The T-Bones, V.I.P.s, P.P. Arnold's backing band, and The Nice , he was a founder of Emerson, Lake & Palmer , one of the early supergroups, in 1970...
, keyboardist, composer - Emerson, Lake & PowellEmerson, Lake & PowellEmerson, Lake & Powell, sometimes abbreviated as ELPowell, were an English rock band, an offshoot or variant lineup of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, that released one official studio album in 1986....
, band - Flood (Marc Ellis), alternative rock and post-punk producer
- Dominic FrontiereDominic FrontiereDominic Frontiere is an American composer, arranger, and jazz accordionist. He is known for composing the theme and much of the music for the first season of the television series The Outer Limits.-Early years:...
, composer, arranger and jazz accordionist - David FosterDavid FosterDavid Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
, composer, musician and record producer - K250 provided signature staccato violin sound on Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire - Grateful DeadGrateful DeadThe Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, band - Lee GreenwoodLee GreenwoodMelvin Lee Greenwood is an American country music artist. Active since the early 1980s, he has released more than twenty major-label albums and has charted more than 35 singles on the Billboard country music charts....
, singer, songwriter - Arlo GuthrieArlo GuthrieArlo Davy Guthrie is an American folk singer. Like his father, Woody Guthrie, Arlo often sings songs of protest against social injustice...
, singer - Herbie HancockHerbie HancockHerbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
, jazz pianist and composer - Gregory Hillman, musician and band leader
- Ray SharpeRay SharpeRay Sharpe is an American R&B and rockabilly singer, guitarist and songwriter.He grew up influenced by country as well as blues music, and many of his recordings are classed as rockabilly – he was described by one record producer as "the greatest white-sounding black dude ever"...
, composer, musician and record producer - James HornerJames HornerJames Roy Horner is an American composer, orchestrator and conductor of orchestral and film music. He is noted for the integration of choral and electronic elements in many of his film scores, and for frequent use of Celtic musical elements...
, composer - Doug IngleDoug IngleDoug Ingle is a founding member and former organist, vocalist and primary composer for the band Iron Butterfly. He also had a short stint with the pop group Stark Naked and the Car Thieves in the early 1970s after he left Iron Butterfly.- Biography :Ingle's father Lloyd, a church organist,...
, organist, vocalist, composer - Stanley JordanStanley JordanStanley Jordan is an American jazz/jazz fusion guitarist and pianist, best known for his development of the tapping technique for the guitar....
, jazz guitarist - JourneyJourney (band)Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
, band - The JuddsThe JuddsThe Judds were an American country music duo composed of Naomi Judd and her daughter, Wynonna Judd. Signed to RCA Records in 1983, the duo released six studio albums between then and 1991. One of the most successful acts in country music history, The Judds won five Grammy Awards for Best Country...
, mother/daughter duo - Michael KamenMichael KamenMichael Arnold Kamen was an American composer , orchestral arranger, orchestral conductor, song writer, and session musician.-Background:...
, composer - KitarōKitaro, better known as , is an award winning Japanese musician, composer and multi-instrumentalist who is regarded as one of the pioneers of new age music.-Early life:...
, composer, multi-instrumentalist - Steve LevineSteve LevineSteve Levine is a British record producer, most famous for his work on Culture Club's studio albums.Levine also has produced work for John Howard, China Crisis, Motorhead, Ziggy Marley, Westworld, The Beach Boys, and Gary Moore....
, record producer - Huey Lewis and the NewsHuey Lewis and the NewsHuey Lewis and the News is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually scoring a total of 19 top-ten singles across the Billboard Hot 100, Adult Contemporary and Mainstream Rock charts...
, band - Barbara MandrellBarbara MandrellBarbara Ann Mandrell is an American country music singer best known for a 1970s–1980s series of Top 10 hits and TV shows that helped her become one of country's most successful female vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s...
, singer - Lyle MaysLyle MaysLyle Mays is an American jazz pianist and composer from Wausaukee, Wisconsin. He is best known for his work with guitarist Pat Metheny as a member of the Pat Metheny Group...
, jazz pianist - Pat MethenyPat MethenyPatrick Bruce "Pat" Metheny is an American jazz guitarist and composer.One of the most successful and critically acclaimed jazz musicians to come to prominence in the 1970s and '80s, he is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works and other side projects...
, jazz guitarist and composer - Dudley MooreDudley MooreDudley Stuart John Moore, CBE was an English actor, comedian, composer and musician.Moore first came to prominence as one of the four writer-performers in the ground-breaking comedy revue Beyond the Fringe in the early 1960s, and then became famous as half of the highly popular television...
, actor, comedian, musician - Patrick MorazPatrick MorazPatrick Philippe Moraz is a progressive rock keyboard player. He is best known as the keyboardist for the progressive rock band Yes, from 1974 to 1976, and the Moody Blues from 1978 to 1991...
, progressive Rock keyboardist - Anne MurrayAnne MurrayMorna Anne Murray CC, ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country and adult contemporary styles whose albums have sold over 54 million copies....
, singer - Mickey NewburyMickey NewburyMickey Newbury was an American songwriter, a critically acclaimed recording artist, and a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.-Biography:...
, singer, songwriter - Olivia Newton-JohnOlivia Newton-JohnOlivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
, singer, songwriter, actress - Alan O'DayAlan O'DayAlan O'Day is an American singer-songwriter, best known for writing and singing "Undercover Angel," a song which was number 1 in 1977. He also wrote songs for several other notable performers, such as 1974's Helen Reddy number 1 hit "Angie Baby" and the Righteous Brothers' number 3 hit "Rock And...
, singer, songwriter - Our Lady PeaceOur Lady PeaceOur Lady Peace is a Canadian alternative rock band that formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1992. Headed by lead vocalist Raine Maida since its formation, the band additionally consists of Jeremy Taggart on percussion, Duncan Coutts on bass, and Steve Mazur as lead guitarist...
, band - Dolly PartonDolly PartonDolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, singer, songwriter, composer, author, actress, philanthropist - PrincePrince (musician)Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, musician - Lionel RichieLionel RichieLionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor - Richard Robbins, composer
- Kenny RogersKenny RogersKenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
, singer, photographer, songwriter, producer, actor - Nile RodgersNile RodgersNile Gregory Rodgers is an American musician, producer, composer, arranger, and guitarist.-Biography:...
, composer, arranger, guitarist, music producer - Paul Schaffer, Music Director of the CBS Orchestra on Late Show with David LettermanLate Show with David LettermanLate Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
- Bob SegerBob SegerRobert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
, musician - Simple MindsSimple MindsSimple Minds are a Scottish rock band who achieved worldwide popularity from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. The band produced a handful of critically acclaimed albums in the early 1980s and best known for their #1 US, Canada and Netherlands hit single "Don't You ", from the soundtrack of the...
, band - Spandau BalletSpandau BalletSpandau Ballet are a British band formed in London in the late 1970s. Initially inspired by, and an integral part of, the New Romantic fashion, their music has featured a mixture of funk, jazz, soul and synthpop. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s, achieving ten Top Ten singles...
, band - Jim SteinmanJim SteinmanJames Richard "Jim" Steinman is an American composer, lyricist, and Grammy Award-winning record producer responsible for several hit songs. He has also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer...
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, composer - UltravoxUltravoxUltravox is a British New Wave rock band. They were one of the primary exponents of the British electronic pop music movement of the late 1970s/early 1980s. The band was particularly associated with the New Romantic and New Wave movements....
, band - Eddie Van HalenEddie Van HalenEdward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen is a Dutch-American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer, best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
, guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, producer - VangelisVangelisEvangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
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, band - Barry WhiteBarry WhiteBarry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
, record producer, songwriter, singer - John WilliamsJohn WilliamsJohn Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
, composer, conductor and pianist - Stevie WonderStevie WonderStevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, musician and composer - Christopher YavelowChristopher YavelowChristopher Yavelow , the son of a film professor and visual artist, is a composer and proponent of computer assisted composition....
, composer
Audio
- The Virtual Kurzweil 250 Sound Sheet - Play the 45 RPM Kurzweil 250 Demo Record virtually!http://www.keyboardmuseum.org/soundsheet/k250demo1.html
- The Kurzweil 250 Rock Block - Play the 45 RPM Kurzweil 250 Demo Record virtually! http://www.keyboardmuseum.org/swf/soundsheets/k250rblock.swf
- The Kurzweil Rocks! - Play the 45 RPM Kurzweil 250 Demo Record virtually!http://www.keyboardmuseum.org/soundsheet/k250rocks.html
- Christopher YavelowChristopher YavelowChristopher Yavelow , the son of a film professor and visual artist, is a composer and proponent of computer assisted composition....
- Countdown (For the Nuclear Age) - The Worlds First Computer Opera, completely synchronized from the baton of the conductor to the Kurzweil K250 http://chrisyavelow.com/countdown.html - Christopher McGilton - Religious/Sacred Music in .mp3 format performed on the Kurzweil 250 and Yamaha MU-50/80 Sound Module http://cmcgilton.byethost22.com/music.html or http://cmcgilton.ifastnet.com/music.html
- Jane Brockman - Kurzweil Etudes excerpts in the tradition of Chopin performed on the Kurzweil 250, in three series:http://www.janebrockman.org/music/KurzEt15.ramhttp://www.janebrockman.org/music/KurzEt7.ramhttp://www.janebrockman.org/music/KurzEt46.ram
- Steven Johannessen - Music Showcase at the Middle Of Nowhere http://www.middleofnowhere.com/music_archive.asp
- Pamela J. Marshall - Spindrift Recordings - Noises, Sounds & Strange Airs, "Child's Play"http://www.spindrift.com/ctbio3.html
- Pauline Oliveros - Dear. John: A Canon on the Name of Cage http://eamusic.dartmouth.edu/~larry/dear.john/DearJohnNotes.html
- Craig D. Tollis - The Happy Frog: Kurzweil K250 - Two demo recordings of the Kurzweil 250 http://www.thehappyfrog.org/music/Kurzweil250.html
- "All I Ask of You" - from: Phantom of the Opera composed by: Andrew Lloyd Webber - performed by Christopher McGilton and Nancy Smith using the Kurzweil 250 solely as the accompainment http://www.singsnap.com/snap/watchAndListen/play/bde93374
- "Jesu Bambino" composed by: Pietro A. Yon - performed by Christopher McGilton and Nancy Smith using the Kurzweil 250 solely as the accompainment http://www.singsnap.com/snap/watchAndListen/play/a8a9d4bc
Audio and video
- Ray Kurzweil - Ray Kurzweil Appearing on Worldnet - Demonstration of the Kurzweil 250 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyBs0Jzh_Bg
- Keith Emerson - Emerson, Lake and Powell with Paul Schaffer and the CBS Orchestra on the Late Show with David Letterman (Note that two Kurzweil K250's are being played live - one by Keith Emerson and the other by Paul Schaffer)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa5aobSoBYw
- Chick Corea Electrik Band - The Dragon - (Note the Kurzweil 250 is to Chick's left on the bottom and string sounds are played on it during the performance)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KfwqHrX4R0
- CBS News Interview With Joel Spiegelman in September, 1988 on New Age Bach and the Kurzweil 250 http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=b1USs08cIJ8
- Joel Spiegelman Interview on the Joe Franklin Show, August 1988 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kjz188Jwx0
- Bach's Nightmare: The Ultimate Rape, or The Art of Kitsch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VucCUisEUFY
- Steven Johannessen - Visual Music Showcase at the Middle Of Nowhere http://www.middleofnowhere.com/video_los.asp
- Kurzweil 250 Demo Cassette (With voiceover explaining history and features) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8DO2qHSwww
- Kurzweil 250 Demo Cassette (Jazz / Orchestral demo from a great sampler-synth) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K92sw1uMDVU
Articles on the internet
- Sound on Sound - Size Does Matter Kurzweil K250 Workstation Keyboard (Retro) http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb99/articles/kurzweilk250.668.htm
- Sound on Sound - Synth Secrets http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Oct02/articles/synthsecrets10.asp
- Biography of Ray Kurzweil http://www.kurzweiltech.com/raybio.html
- Additional Article of Ray Kurzweil with picture of Stevie Wonder http://www.kurzweiltech.com/kms.html
- The Age of Spiritual Machines http://us.penguingroup.com/static/packages/us/kurzweil/bio.htm or http://www.kurzweiltech.com/kms.html
- The Man and the Machine:An Interview With Ray Kurzweil http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw050505
- Time Magazine - Can We Talk? An article about Speech-to-Text recognition and about the Kurzweil 250 http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,961274,00.html
- Virtual Organ - Virtual Instruments:Joe Barron, Present at the 1984 NAMM Show when the Kurzweil 250 was introduced: http://www.virtualorgan.com/Default.asp?page=32
- What's New In Electronic Music; The Art Advances At Warp Drive: A. Arnold Anderson, New York Times http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE5D6103CF931A15752C1A961948260
- Synthony's Synth & MIDI Museum http://www.synthony.com/vintage/k250rmxex.html
- Mastering the Kurzweil 250, Volume One: User's Guide and Volume Two: Reference Manual, Copyright 1988 Kurzweil Music Systems, Inc. http://cmcgilton.ifastnet.com/parts.html
- Synrise - Brief information on the Kurzweil 250 (In German) http://www.synrise.de/user/k250.htm
- Byrd, Donald, & Yavelow, ChristopherChristopher YavelowChristopher Yavelow , the son of a film professor and visual artist, is a composer and proponent of computer assisted composition....
(1986). The Kurzweil 250 Digital Synthesizer. Computer Music Journal 10, no. 1, pp. 64–86.http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0148-9267%28198621%2910%3A1%3C64%3ATK2DS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-L&size=LARGE&origin=JSTOR-enlargePage