K2600

Back in 1999, this workstation arrived as Kurzweil's bold evolution of the K2500, packing their legendary V.A.S.T. synthesis into a more user-friendly chassis with standard KDFX effects that pros had been begging for.

At its core, it's a 48-voice polyphonic beast using sample-based digital synthesis with 127 algorithms via Triple Modular Processing, letting you sculpt sounds through a deep mod matrix, polyphonic aftertouch on a 76-note semi-weighted keyboard (or 88 fully weighted on the X model), and filters from 12dB/oct lowpass to notch types. You'll find 8 real-time sliders, pitch/mod wheels, ribbon controller, and a bright 60x640-pixel LCD for navigation, plus a 32-track sequencer with 768 ppq resolution, pattern/step recording, and advanced editing like cut/copy/paste. Connectivity shines with 8 balanced analog outs plus stereo mix, S/PDIF, SCSI, floppy drive, PCMCIA slot, SIMM sockets for RAM/ROM expansions up to 1.5Mb P-RAM and 4x8Mb ROM blocks, and MIDI in/out/thru—ideal for studio integration or live rigs. The KB-3 tonewheel organ mode draws from 9 real-time blendable harmonics with rotary sim and key click, while KDFX delivers up to 5 simultaneous effects like 15 reverbs, 11 modulations, and studio-grade EQ/compression routable per bus.

Players still hunt these down for the hyper-realistic pianos, orchestral depth, and endless tweakability that hold up in modern mixes—BT, Peter Gabriel, and Pink Floyd swore by them—though some note the learning curve rewards dedicated sound designers over quick plug-and-play types.