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Kawai K5m - Image 1

Kawai K5m

RackmountDigitalPolyphonic

Back in 1987, this rackmount module brought additive synthesis to bedroom studios and pro racks at a price that didn't break the bank, letting anyone stack up to 126 sine wave harmonics for sounds no subtractive synth could touch.

Its hybrid engine shines in full mode with all 126 harmonics in series or twin mode splitting two detunable sets of 63, each assignable to one of four 6-stage envelopes for amplitude shaping, plus dedicated 6-stage envelopes for pitch, a resonant lowpass digital filter, and 7-stage amp. A single LFO with saw, triangle, square, and other waves modulates via velocity, aftertouch, or MIDI, while 16-voice polyphony handles 15-part multitimbral setups across four individual outs plus stereo mix. MIDI In/Out/Thru, sustain pedal, and 48 internal patches (expandable via card) make it studio-ready, all in a compact 4U chassis at 4.8kg.

Players dig its expressive response to velocity and pressure for organic feels from digital bones, and those bar-graph displays make harmonic tweaking visual and fun, though programming takes patience away from analog habits. Jan Hammer tapped it for its thick, evolving textures that still cut through mixes today.

Released

1987

Status

Discontinued

Synthesizer
Format
Rackmount
Type
Additive
Internal Battery
No
Voice
A/D
Digital
Polyphony
Polyphonic
Oscillators
-
Oscillator Type
Digital
Voices
16
Filter
Lowpass
Envelopes
6
LFO
1
Effects
No
Expression
Aftertouch
-
Velocity
Yes
MPE
No
Additional
-
Software
-
I/O
Audio In
-
Audio Out
4 individual + 1 stereo mix
Headphone
-
MIDI
In, Out, Thru
MIDI Type
DIN (5-pin)
Ports
Sustain Pedal
Wi-Fi
No
Workflow
Arpeggiator
-
Sequencer
-
Mod Matrix
-
Memory
48 patches internal, 48 patches external memory card, 48 multi-mode memories
Measurements
Dimensions
483 x 120 x 177 mm
Weight
4.8 kg
Last updated Feb 26, 2026