From: bstone@acs.ucalgary.ca (Blake Stone)
Subject: Re: K2000R. You don't scare me. Nyah!
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 92 18:16:47 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: The University of Calgary, Alberta

> OK, so it has all this power in the voice architecture. But is
> it *useful* power? Have any of you K2000 owners found your
> creativity enhanced and your music improved by having one?

Well.... I'd argue that no instrument is going to "enhance" my
creativity.  The K2000 sure gets in the way a LOT less than any
other synth I've ever owned.

An example of a sound I've just slapped together:  I wanted a
grungy electric piano with a really bright bell-like shimmering
attack and some stereo separation so...

Two layers: Both based on samples from the FMLA sample disk.

The electric piano layer is simple: panned based on key position
and processed with a sweeping parametric EQ, 1.5 octaves wide
with a boost ranging from 18 DB to 48 DB via aftertouch to add
some grunge.  The LFO runs slowly (.5 cycles per second) until
aftertouch is used then ramps up to 2 cycles per second over a
period of 5 seconds (so long as aftertouch is maintained).

The bell-like attack is a little more complex: the sample is
processed through a path that splits the signal in two, routs one
half through a low pass filter (cutoff at 2KHz) and the other
half through a high pass filter (cutoff also at 2KHz) and then
puts the low end on the left side of the stereo image and the
high end on the right side.  The bell rings for only the first
second but during that time the pitch is modulated as follows:
50 times a second the pitch is randomly shifted via a
sample-and-hold mechanism.  The pitch variance starts out great
(1000 cents) and drops to 0 cents within 1/8th of a second to
provide just a little "shimmer" at the beginning of the sample.

-----

The sound just evolved over time... as a new idea would arise
I'd just implement it.  Bang.  No figuring out what compromises
to make or how to use something in a way it wasn't intended to be
used.  The patch uses most of the areas of the K2000:  Loadable
samples, FUNs (for sample and hold on the bell-like timbre), DSP
processing (for the stereo separation in the bells and the grit
in the piano), ENVs (standard envelopes for amplitude and amount
of shimmer), ASRs (triggered envelopes for the ramping LFO
speed).

Better yet, it doesn't use half of the available resources.
There are LFOs, ASRs, FUNs and ENVs to spare that may come in
handy for future ideas...

-----

If you're right, and I'm wrong, I'll buy one in a year in the US,
rather than pay $3500+ for one now. It's just that I see lots of
posturing right now, just like there was a few years ago when the
Proteus was announced: so much chatter about how wonderful it
was, when it is IMHO just a nice-sounding but boring sample
player.

In answer: I love the K2000 ... it helps me be "as musical as I
wanna be".  But thats always a personal thing.  It just may not
"do it" for you.  So be it.  Choose something that works for you!

I'd just like there to be no mistake:  The K2000 deserves the
hype.  I don't think anyone ever pretended the Proteus was
anything other than a nice-sounding but boring sample player (at
the time it was a cheap, one-of-a-kind great sounding sample
player and sample players were just beginning to bore most
people!).  The K2000, on the other hand, is much, much more.
About the only instruments it doesn't replace:

- A Wavestation A/D (That's why I own one ... and lucky you, you've
  already got one!)

- A Yamaha FM beast like the SY99 (When I can get one for the
  $1500 Canadian I paid for the WS A/D I'll get one)

- A good effects box like the DP/4 (Which I also heartily
  recommend... you won't find me complaining about the K2000's
  effects any more... If I need something fancy, the DP'll do it).

Blake
Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.synth