From: tapas@esri.com (Tapas Das)
Subject: Re: Advice on Technics Keyboards Sought
Organization: Environmental Systems Research Institute
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 19:44:54 GMT




In,
writes:
>
I currently own a Technics KN-800 and KN-1000 and am VERY pleased with the 
quality of the PCM sounds and the versatility of the machines. I am not      
familiar with the KN 500 (it's a new model I think) but if it's similar
to the KN-600 then you will have a good time with it. I do not know of any
other sub $1500 range keyboards with the same tonal quality of the
technics line, the Korg M1 is a nice "rock" keyboard though, the Technics
lines are more of the classical instruments (piano, horns, organs, strings,
etc..) but does not have nearly the features of the Technics lines.
>

I fully agree with Don in general, but I would like to add my experience
with the KN800, and KN1000.  
 
3 years ago, I bought the KN800 for $2350.  This was pricey, but 
no other *home* keyboard at that time allowed you to program your own
auto accompaniment patterns and carried so many MIDI functions.
The KN800 is a scaled down keyboard version of Technics' popular
home organs, the GN and FN series which retail for around $10,000.
  
I was dissappointed with the following:

1. The onboard effects were noisy.
2. The keys were too hard.
3. You cannot output the drum channel via midi.  Although the 
   Poly1, Poly2, Bass, Accomp1, Accomp2, Accomp3 channels can be
   played via external sound modules.
4. You cannot program your own fills, intros and endings.

5. I had to pay $470 for the disk drive. This is a proprietary
   disk drive.  There is no way out.  And the unit will not do a sysex dump.

Then the KN1000 was introduced.

Immediately I traded the KN800 in to the same dealer and got the KN1000 for 
an upgrade fee of $1500.
Since there are so few Technics dealers, it is hard to find a good bargain.

This fixed the following problems:

1. Now you can program your own 8 bar patterns, including Intro,
   Fill-1, Fill-2, Ending, with bass, drums, accomp 1, 2, and 3.

2. All the channels will output via midi.

3. The unit now talks via sysex.  There is no need to invest on the  
   disk drive.  Although you still need to have it, if you want
   to buy patterns programmed by third parties.  I have had good luck
   with the Technics Music Disk Collection.

4. You can store 10 custom patterns at a time in the 10 registers.
   Any one of them can be assigned to the Intro, Ending or Fills.

However I am still encountering the following problems:

1. The keys do *not* have a good feel.
2. The unit is noisy.  Cannot be used in a recording situation.
   To circumvent this problem, I dont even bother to connect the 
   audio outputs.  I simply use this as a MIDI controller keyboard
   to send out the auto accompanyment parts to drive my sound modules 
   as I play the leads on the O1/W. (The KN1000 is intelligent
   enough to figure out the chords from the left and right hand 
   parts I play on the O1/W....nice feature)

3. The PCM samples are not that great.  Again here is where I 
   dissagree with Don.
   If you compare the KN1000 samples with EMU Protues 1 or 2
   or the on-board drum sounds with an SR-16, the KN1000 falls short.

I do agree that the KN1000 still offers the best MIDI implementation
of all *home* keyboards.  I have compared this against the 
Bachman WS400, Yamaha PSR6000, PSR-SQ16, Roland E35, E70.

However if one wants to get a set of terrific sounds, then I would
strongly recommend to listen to a Korg 01/W or Wavestation, or
a Yamaha SY99, or a Roland JD800, or JV80 or the EMU series.

Once you have heard the lush heavenly textures of an 01/W , or 
the symphonic strings of an SY99, or the deep rumbling bass of a
JD800 or the purity of a Proteus grand, you may not be so excited
about a Technics.

As an ending note, I would like to point out that servicing is poor.
Matshushita took 5 weeks to fix the KN1000 when the power supply
blew out.  I am now using Isobar Surge protectors for all my keyboards
and misfortune hasnt struck yet.

Tapas Das
tdas@esri.com