I was thinking of selling my 13 year old Kurzweil PC3 which I had not played for 12 years! Well, then I decided to plug it in and play it! ;) This video is just a brief showcase of the PC3's orchestra presets, nothing more.
Tim, this video is sooooo eerily prophetic!! I will tell you why. I LITERALLY just traded in one of my studio keyboards TODAY at my local music store to purchase another keyboard. I strongly contemplated for about a week trading my Kurzweil PC3K, but I held on to it for the EXACT same reason you outlined in this video. No joke. I keep my Kurzweil around solely for the Orchestra bank. All of my local musician friends know how much I love this board because of this bank of sounds. This board is a staple in my setup for that reason alone...so ironic that you made this video today of all days. Very cool, Sir!!!!
I am lucky to have Korg Kronos, Nord Stage 3, Prophet X, Roland Fantom 7,Yamaha MODX, Masses of Sample libraries and loads of other keyboards, but I cannot bring myself to sell my PC3 it is a great musical keyboard, I am Happy you Feel the same, as I respect your opinion
Funny... ironically, I just pulled my PC3K8 out of storage after 2 years for exact same reason. But man it sounds so amazing! Seems to be a trend right now. Keep the Kurzweils!
1. Yesterday I needed (for a client) a quick Notation of the "Bolero" by Ravel in a "simple" Form. And with quick I mean at the same day. So I decidet to search the Web for a midifile. i was impressed that there were 3 Files with beautiful transcriptions. And everytime I do a midifile with classical music, there are 4 Options for the Playback: My Yamaha MODX, my Roland Fantom X, my Steinberg Halionsonic 3 and my 15 Year old Kurzweil PC3 LE. And everytime the PC3 Sounds, without changing any of the GM Sounds to specific ones, incredible. And any other Solution sounds like...1990 GM. 2. I know personally 3 well paid Film Music Composers. Of course they all work now with the Vienna or other high Class expensive Orchestra Libraries. But when every single one of them need a quick Demo...they all come back to their Kurzweil PC3s, PC4s or the Flagships from this or the last Generation. The Kurzweil is packed with so many Variations of Strings....always find something that sounds better than Session Strings & Co. And we all know: There is nothing worse than "cheap" Strings ;-) 3. Kurzweil Gear is the Nr. 1 Gear for Live Music in a Theater Buiz. Period.
A 1 year old Krz, a 20 year old Krz, a 40 year old Kurzweil, it doesn't matter. It's still one of the few brands where you really can't go wrong. The piano rom update for the older K series alone still contains some of the best pianos ever made. And that was 30 years ago... Also really nice demo of these more than usable still awesome sounding orch sounds 👌👍
Hey Tim I'm a huge fan of Kurzweil, and whilst not as realistic and as detailed orchestral instruments such as BBC spitfire, Kontakt libraries etc, I find for strings etc in pop music and pop dance music they sit in the mix really well and in my opinion actually sound better than these complex libraries for these genres. Sometimes we need just good quality keyboard strings and brass we don't need to be pop meets John Williams. I have Kurzweil SP6 and K2000r.
An absolutely terrific synth, one of my favorites... but you'll be thrice as impresses once you dig into programming it, among others your control over effects parameters, and the Setup mode. Great video !
Question: What are some of your favorite ways to program with this board? I would love to hear what you are doing so I can apply some fresh ideas to my work on my PC3K.
Exactly. There is also inside this synth, millions if not more of synthesis architectures inside. You could avoid Samples completely and still build pure DSP synths inside.
Nice video and topic. I kept my fully expanded K2600R in the spare closet for years. In the over crowded world of Kontakt libraries and soft synths I now find it refreshing to pull out the K2600R every so often, set it on my desk (not rack mounted), and spend a little time appreciating everything it has to offer and using a few patches in my track, then I’ll put it back until the urge strikes me again. Fun fact, in the 90’s Rhys Fulber used K2XXX synths all over the Fear Factory albums of the 90’s and 2000’s with that heavy industrial cyberpunk future apocalyptic electronic sound. Everything from strings, sampling, and vintage synth sounds, straight from Kurzweil.
FLA also used Yamaha ex5 on the Implode album and K2000s are all over Millenium and Hard Wired. (you have to hunt a little bit to hear them on that album though.) And FWIW, if you're a NIN fan, I can say without doubt that K2000 was on the Broken album. I accidentally recreated the breakdown drums from "Happiness in Slavery."
Lovely as always, Tim! Thanks for this video - because this "synth/Rompler" was released in the middle of my "Not interested in all this music stuff any more" period so I have absolutely no idea about it. It sounds great! I, personally, would love to hear the CP80 piano sounds as they are a part of my youth and I lust after them! A second video, perhaps? Big Hugs and many thanks!
I went through the same thing with my 1995 EMU Ultraproteus. I got it out of the closet and plugged it in after about 4 years, played my old patches, and changed my mind quickly lol. After listening to the PC3, I would have made that same choice ...Sounds excellent!
Tonight was Tim Shoebridge night. I had a good time with four of your videos on Moog and Moog clone synthesizers and this one concluded my session. Kurzweil's sampled sounds will never become obsolete. I bought a PC-3 K6 after having heard my elder brother's keyboard player demonstrating one. I had owned and sold a fully expanded K-2500 and realizing how good and timeless these sounds are, I bought the PC soon after that demonstration. It's not just the sound. Almost everything breathes professionality. A few examples. Sound levels are stated in dB. Midi controllers can be mapped so you can change your aftertouch messages in modulation wheel messages or vice versa. On the downside, the sequencer can't record or play time signature changes. No Kurzweil sequencer can up till now, which is a shame, as reviewers have complained about this time and again. My absolute favourite sound is the marimba. The KORE expansion is a worthy option. There are so many cymbal sounds that I could use on one track without repeating them. On the other hand, the virtual analogue sounds are best left unused. They hurt my ears. I intend to make an orchestral album using several samplers to layer the sounds and the PC-3 K6 will definitely be part of the orchestra.
Its fun to see how similar the GUi/screen of these machines are to my old Emulator 4 from 1995, and yes, i agree. I think Kurzweil has the best Orchestra sounds of any of the big synth manufacturers.
Hey Tim - I always wannted a Kurzweil - ANY Kurzweil! 😀 - back in the 90s. Wonderful keyboards. I bought a Yamaha SY77 back in 1989 and that also had a good collection of instrument sounds (and it was 16-part multi-tumbral) although not quite up to PC3 standards. Did sell it, though, for various reasons. Also have a lot of sample libraries but much prefer playing a direct sound on a synth if available.
Hi Tim, thx a lot - yep, I used to have PC3 in past and now, also due your perfect orchestral demo, I took it form aftermarket / my friend. Must agree, 90. were the best sounding era. Now only Waldord, Arturia a Kodamo stands.
Kurzweil was the Pinnacle of the late 90s early 2000s rompers when I think of Kurzweil I think of mid-to-late 90s "coil" my favorite era of theirs stuff like "worship the glitch" and "black light district" just has Kurzweil all over it!🎹🎧💫💀😵👌😎👍
Not a ROMpler although you can use it as such: it can also be an advanced Sampler, do Sampling + Synthesis too. Or you can set Keymap to NONE and still create DSP synths only internally with ZERO samples to be heard anywhere.
I have been composing and including using Kurzweil's for quite a long time starting with the K2000 and now including the PC3K6. The Kore expansion is very nice too and well worth it. But something interesting here though. I also have a K2500R and in my opinion it sounds different to the PC3K series. Its deeper and warmer and fatter to a degree. I believe the K2500/K2600 period was a peak for that 90's Kurzweil sound. My PC3K6 has broken down a few times too. I have been able to repair it and keep it going so far but it has come at a cost. They are not quite as well built compared to that 90's series. Someone has recently released a set of new fresh sounds for the K2000/2500 series and it is amazing. Its like modern programming on an older instrument but the result is quite breathtaking. It makes your existing Kurzweil sound different which is quite something. Just showing off how great Kurzweil's do sound. There is a lot going on inside a PC3K6 though. I love its complexity and power. Lots of effects processors too. Huge layers can be built for amazing atmospheric soundscapes. Its deep when you want to get into it deeply and program it. The software editor for it works very well too. It's a great way to see it and control it remotely. It would be a good deserted island choice for sure. But I see the K2700 is here and that looks like a ripper.
Hi, I have a K2000 on my desk not being used, can you point me to the new sound design patches? I'd like to fire it up and new patches would be great! Thanks :)
Yeah, I know what you mean. I just dusted off an old Mellotron M400, had'nt turned it on since 1975. And you would'nt believe it, the thing worked just like it did 47 years ago! It even managed to mangle the tapes just like in days of yore. Actually, I think the Chamberlain/Mellotron 3 Violins still sounds really good, even in 2022!
Thank you for making this vid. I really like the sounds - solo strings excepted - but I have all the same string samples that you probably have anyway. My Roland XP80 needs to be retired so if I can pick up one of these on the cheap I reckon I will have done well for myself. 👍
That's the exact route I took 8 years ago - I still have my trusty XP80 but it's semi retired and I only have it loaded up with setups for one specific gig now. I bought a PC3K7 mainly because of its awesome MIDI routing capabilities but the sounds are so great I use it as my main instrument to this day.
The Kurzweils are particularly amazing in terms of how playable the sounds are and how well they blend in a (live) mix. As you mentioned they might not be the most high fidelity sounds in a contemporary context, but anyone who ever tried to play a Spitfire library (other brands are available) live will appreciate how amazing the Kurzweils are.
Thanks a lot for the video. Quite interested in getting a PC3, of course there's the 4, Forte and K2700 now, but I just went through a spreadsheet of the waveforms, and other than the Kore 64 waveforms (which you can upgrade the PC3 with), the waveforms are almost the same in the PC3 and 4! (2700 and Forte have a few new things, not nearly as much as you would think though.) The main updates the new models have are some flash ROM (useful, but the new models are $$$), new pianos (cool for piano players, but otherwise everyone has good pianos), and orchestral sounds. This video shows why simply adding higher resolution versions of the same presets, plus adding more orchestral sounds, is a bit redundant on new K models. They already have these bases covered! We could probably go back to the K2500 or even maybe the 1200 Pro/1000 for a whole lot of these sounds even. Thanks Tim :)
Great video, Tim, as always! Really nice sounding keyboard. It almost sounded like you said you put it into storage and then you have not played it "synths." 1:00. :)
Just got rid of my PC3K8 (gave it to a young cousin studying music). But only because I replaced it with a K2700. I still have a K2600rs too. Nothing else sounds like a Kurzweil. There's a reason that these are still the go-to instrument in Broadway theatre shows.
I got the PC2R with all the expansions the year it was released and hung on to it. There's something about layering the Full Bloom Piano preset with one of my favs from Pianoteq that really works for me. The orchestral expansion is nice - I've heard it's actually the same as what came with the PC3.
So very musical! I recently sold my Roland Fantom X7; it was fun and useful when I had little other gear, but when I revisited it, it just felt so insipid and uninspiring. Even the piano sounds that I so loved at the time just felt lo-fi and two-dimensional. These layered orchestral sounds seem so responsive, and although dated, they are evocative, and sound so dynamic and useable.
I love the keybed and CP80 sounds from Kurzweil! I have a MODX too, but the CP80 sound is not so good than this! The Orchetra presets are wonderful too!
Tim, I have two K2000's ( bought in 1991 from new) and the quality of the sounds is still amazing. I don't have the orchestral ROMs but I do have a massive sound library I load from scsi to USB. It can do analog better than many analog synths I've heard! I don't use them now, gawd knows why, perhaps I should! The interface scares people away from them.
I have a PC3K8 but it’s seen constant duty for 8+ years, my daughter has it in her room now for Zoom piano lessons. I figured I would like a new workstation that has modern interactivity, like a Roland Fantom, but I love the sound sets on the Kurzweil and will probably just keep it and get buried with it.
I have the PC3X and think the piano action and response is second only to higher end grand pianos. I agree that the lingering strengths are the orchestral and piano sounds. The KB3 mode organ stuff with a good synth action and drawbar controller (unless one has the PC3) is still pretty good. For live performance and portability, I would keep the PC3X and have to think about the PC3. Really like that real piano action on stage and in the studio.
@@DaraM73 I didn't say that. Although Tim is playing the PC3, I referenced the PC3x. Let's review what I posted. I said I think the PC3x action and response is second only to higher end grand pianos. Per Kurzweil, the PC3x is "Next generation, 88-note, fully-weighted hammer-action". It is a TP40L Fatar, while the PC3 uses a semi weighted TP8 Fatar. I stand by my statement. Someone else may prefer a different portable keyboard action for acoustic piano sounds.
@@georgelincoln5041 L stands for Light. A light action. A piano, even an upright has on average 50g down weight and 26g up weight. I’ve owned 4 PC2-3k8 and they’re all nothing like a piano.
I wish I could get a hold of an old PC 88; they were fantastic, even though they had very few sounds. I still miss it. On the other hand, I also kept my PC three, because I think it’s the best synthesizer I’ve ever played and the Kurzweil line.
@@tenderlyone PC88 units come up for sale very frequently in my area. The PC88MX version includes the expansion board for double polyphony plus lots of new General MIDI sounds and drumsets.
@@ShallRemainUnknown I would appreciate it if you would let me know when one of them comes for sale. I really miss it, and I would like to buy it as soon as I can.
Sound-wise it's not worse (I think it's better actually) than Miroslav Philarmonik 2 library (costs around 500 GBP) for example and that's quite impressive for such old keyboard!
Make me tempted to dig my PC3LE7 out... I too bought it as a midi controller (most powerful there is!) but changed out after a year or so. It's a bit of a beast to program... in a bad way :P
We bought it as the first learning keyboard a while ago. Still serving that purpose so far. Can't find a major reason to upgrade yet. But yeah, even setting up a metronome is a bit of a pain.
It’s such a timeless masterpiece of KURZ. and I have a KORE64 ROM menu and tomorrow I will also get GERMAN D GRAND one! Both EXT. ROMs Must be installed soon.
Had Pc3x around the same time, and bought the pc3k and always loved the ROM's. Have to fiddle with the keybed setup to get it to you liking, but they are still awesome. Trade it for a K2700 ;)
I must confess that I have them both open parenthesis PC three and PC two). However, my main problem is with Kurzweil, as much as I love them, Is the fact that they don’t respect instrument ranges. That is the reason you hear many people playing and reasonable ranges in guitar trumpet or other instruments that would sound very nice if used in the correct ranges. All this and that, I love Kurzweil.!
Very nice video. I have used the same presets but with a kurzweil sp47, which is way cheaper but you can barely edit the sounds. I wonder if in the newer version, the PC4, they added new orchestral samples and strings and how they compare.
To this day I regret selling my PC2X. I think the sound selections in the 2X were better for live performance than any synth that Kurzweil has put out since. I'm happy that i kept my PC161...it has all the same sounds as the 2X
Hola Tim, trying to shrink my wires and cable situation so not sure which kurweil to replace gear I don't use much? PC3LE is in the budget but don't think it samples? Plus I do prefer quality orchestral sounds. Any suggestions maestro.
Good video. I'm not the target demographic for ROMples or their more sophisticated descendents but those sounds are definitely a cut above those in my unloved Proteus/1.
It’s far from a rompler, it’s fully semi modular when you start diggin, but it IS marketed as an 70s cover band rompler for reasons only know to kurzweil
@@dbefore7165 that's typical isn't it? Manufacturers pitch instruments like this at the ROMpler market and keep quiet on more creative features. In my view there are generally two types of keyboard customers. The ones who want a huge range of presets that are mostly "realistic" sounds with a few synth sounds that will fit their covers band's needs. They almost exclusively select a preset and play with both hands on the keys. Then there are those of us whose teeth hurt at the very thought of a typically naff solo violin ROMple and want to be creative with the instrument and dig in to create unique sounds or at least manipulate good sounds dynamically. I see a similar divide in the Aerophone AE-30 market but Roland's imagination gap is they see wind players who dabble in synthesis and despite including the Zen-core engine seem to have little understanding of synthesists who dabble in saxophony! 😀
I have a 1st gen. Add KORE64; you won’t be sorry! I have an arsenal (incl. a max’d K2500 & max’d 2661) Kurzs are monster controllers. My gigging trinity is the K2661 (w/ribbon), PC3, & Kronos2-88. They blend quite well!✌🏻😎🎹🌴🌞
Thoughts on the new PC4 or K2700 Tim? I truly wish Kurzweil would do a desktop module of their sounds. Best string sounds I've heard in a hardware synth.
can anyone help me turn the thing that is on "slider I" (the 9th slider) off? it seems to be on some sort of tuner and it is exceedingly dangerous during live performances. it will go microtonally off if nudged even slightly. help!
The keyboard is astonishing good in giving one the impression of a virtual acoustic reality. I love the magic of that sounds. But I‘d appreciate it more if you could play a bit less nervous, so that one can listen to the sounds without the feeling of being hunted. And, by the way, a big part of the illusion by synthesized acoustic instruments is to play in a way the acoustic instrument would/could be played. Not easy, I know, and it requires a lot of knowledge about the instruments and their playing culture. Some instruments cannot be reproduced using a keyboard, this is the crux.
You can always use the PC3's built-in mod and pitch bend wheels, aftertouch, and 9 programmable sliders, PLUS add 2-foot/3-way splittable pressure ribbon, 5 pedals, and breath controller to try to mimic expressiveness of acoustic instruments!
Great video, I discovered sample libraries recently and it helped me improve my production quality. My content proves you don't have to know music theory to make fairly good covers, technology can do wonders sometimes,lol Peace, from a Pink Floyd fan
I have a PC3 that I have been playing live for many years and a PC3K8 in my studio for a number of years now. I also have a Yamaha CP88 piano. From time to time I consider to sell one of the keyboards. Guess which keyboard is always most likely to be sold at the end of my considerations? Hint: It´s none of the Kurzweils... I just can't sell a Kurzweil...
I have a QUESTION -- If I bought a PC3 on ebay, how can I make sure I have ALL THOSE ORCHESTRAL layered sounds you play in this demo? You put a special card to insert or what? Please let me know. The best orchestra sounds EVER!!
Almost same generation as my motif xf…. I don’t sell those workstations. I also have a korg m3 . Been buying analog keys the last ten years. Last digital I bought was a Roland Jupiter 80 and will never sell that cause I love the 256 poly, 30 oscillators at once and 4 different filters.
Hi Tim! Quick question, what exact camera are you using to record this video? It's beautiful quality! Exactly what I'm looking for. I'd love to know the name of it!
@@NealNot I grade it for sure, it's shot in log. A lot of the look that people tend to comment on is down to the lens, I use a Zhongyi Mitakon Speedmaster 25mm f/0.95 most of the time.
@@TimShoebridge Ah I see! This is such great info! Thank you! I assume the lense your using is what's adding the film grain look to your videos? Or are you manually adding on a film grain on manually? I'm highly considering getting the same camera and lense that you have, are there any tips you can give me settings wise, to get somewhat close to how your video looks here? I know light settings is to each their own, as you would have different lighting than me, but if there's any other settings you can share, I'd really appreciate it!
Man! I thought that the PC3k came out in 2010. Maybe the 88 key version came out in 2010. Let me know when you think they came out. Thanks for the video.
The PC3-series (models PC3X, PC3, and PC361) debuted in early 2008, and PC3K-series (models PC3K8, PC3K7, and PC3K6,) debuted in early 2011. The two series are identical, except for three differences (plus some OS convenience enhancements); 1) The absolutely inconsequential: for patch/program memory - not samples - xD memory card on PC3-series vs. USB stick on PC3K. (And PC3 still had USB-computer port). 2) The essentially inconsequential: 2,000-object memory vs. 16,000-object memory. (But even 2,000 objects is huge). 3) Possibly very consequential - to certain users - BUT you must factor-in its limitations: PC3-series has no user-sample storage vs. PC3K-series has 128MB FLASH-ROM for samples, which takes very long to load, and from which samples cannot be erased individually (necessitating a complete overwrite once capacity is reached) and further requires manual tweaking for K2xxx-series patch compatibility, which sometimes is still not perfect. Plus, 128MB might be huge, or just adequate, or hopelessly small - depending on the user. Moving on, the final PC3-series was the PC3A (models PC3A8, PC3A7, PC3A6) debuting in late 2014, which were identical to the PC3K-series except the sample flash-ROM SIMM board was replaced by the 128MB Artis German Piano ROM (which could be optionally installed in PC3K-series replacing the sample flash-ROM SIMM), and the extra KORE64 64MB ROM SIMM board was factory-installed standard (which could be optionally installed in both PC3-series and PC3K-series). Finally, the cost-reduced PC3LE-series, debuting early 2010, had identical Dynamic VAST synth engine as other series, but with halved polyphony to 64 voices, lesser effects processing capacity and effects editability (which thereby also removes the full KB3 organ-emulation mode), some different front-panel hardware controls, fewer back-panel audio and controller connections, and no KORE64 ROM expansion slot (but adds some OS convenience enhancements, greater object-memory, and USB memory stick port compared to PC3-series).
I sold a Juno 106, a DW 8000 and an Emu Emax in the late ‘80s. I felt like crap afterwards and don’t particularly want to revisit synth mourning again. I do need more closets, though.
You're right not to sell it, these kind of sounds are always usefull, either in their "full 90s glory" but also as underlayers of some more up-to-date pro super quality orchestral libraries for some mass effects. Furthermore for quick sketching these presets with their orchestral combinations are realy valuable.
Lol - and I speak as a K2600x and K2500rs user - they might be old - but they sound V.A.S.T ;-) ! unfortunately they get written off as "workstations" rather than actual synthesisers. Even so - they make pretty good controllers.
I love Tim Shoebridge and his channel, but I find his good looks and velvet voice distracting and intoxicating 🥂 This man is gorgeous and it's difficult to focus lol. Tim represents the United Kingdom in the most sexiest way ❤❤❤❤❤ Sending respect and my huge crush ( no disrespect to Mrs Shoebridge ) from Southern California 🌴🌞😍😍😍
PC3 has VAST synthesis significantly more advanced than even K2600 (with 32-layer Cascade, VA1 oscillators, user modular algorithms, new filters, 16 arpeggiators, etc.) and about 2.5x KDFX effects processing (16 simultaneous processors + 2 master fx + user chains), and also more advanced than PC2, but PC3 series cannot load user samples like K2xxx family (need PC3K-series for that, which is otherwise same as PC3- and PC3A-series and PC3LE-series is similar but downgraded in ways). All Kurz VAST synths from very first K2000 are still monsters, though!
@@yashnuThanks, I'm definitely interested in K2500S/2600S Live Mode, but it's hard to determine what it can actually do and find practical, real-world applications for it (not to mention reports that it's quite complex to use). Do you have any suggested links/vids/resources that can clearly demo and explain Live Mode?
@@ShallRemainUnknownLive Mode allows a V.A.S.T. chain to process Audio before the signal goes to KDFX. Therefore, it is equivalent to V.A.S.T.-augmented Effects.
@@yashnuYes, I'm aware of basically what Live Mode does theoretically, on paper, and that Kurzweil has good, extensive, documentation, but I'm looking for audio (and/or video) real-world examples of what it offers (i.e. what others have actually done with Live Mode) in the almost 30 years since its introduction, so that I can gauge its practical value, beyond that it is a complex/esoteric/unique form of DSP/synthesis. I've only seen one such video, and it seemed a bit of an interesting novelty. Thanks anyway... 👍
Had a PC3 for as long as I can remember. I will never sell it. Because of the orchestral sounds. Here is an orchestral piece I improvised as an idea for an overture on my PC3 using a custom patch: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0eaPBB4iBbo.html
The Problem with Kurz synthesis = sounds OLD!!!! Sure VAST can do this and that but at the end of the day it still sounds OLD. Sometimes old is good and sometimes old is the new. But with Kurz old is definetely old. Good for playing in coverbands or doing some retro stuff. Those orchestral sounds would have been nice feature in Xena soundtrack or in some PS1 soundtrack made in the 90's. The year is turning to 2022 and time of Kurzweil has come. Software orchestral sounds wins this race too. Still. Good synth for old geezers or retro rockers. Nostalgia. Another thing is the reliability of PC3 and PC4 but that's another story to be told. But again, it's nice Kurzweil still exists...but personally i think it's a synth for retro rockers or home users novadays. There was a time when Kurz and Roland were together the King of the Hill. 20-25 years ago. That time is long gone by now. Both got left behind. They are recycling 90's over and over again.
Maybe...but in a live setting, it is wonderful....at least that is how it feels and sounds to me when I take it out of my studio and use it live on stage.
BUT! This has a character to them. Something most Symphonic Library sounds don't have. Unfortunately there is a lot of overlap with modern libraries in terms of sonic pallet. Even listening to soundtracks that use real orchestras or high quality VSTs and compare it to a score even done on the original K250 like Friday The 13th Part 8 by Fred Mollin or Killer Klowns From Outer Space by John Massari and there is an unmistakable character to them. Perhaps this is why Arturia has done recreations of things like the Emulator or Fairlight. Sonically they are outdated....but characteristically they are unique and stand out. Even Brad Fidel turned down scoring T2: Judgement Day with a real orchestra and went with 2 Fairlights because of the character.
Ha, I just bought 2 PC3 'boards (c. 2008) over past couple months, 1 with a smashed endcap/dented bracket, and both work perfectly! Also bought a slightly beat K2500 (c. 1995) and K2000R (c. 1993) over past year that both work perfectly. (Although a 2nd K2000RS I recently bought boots to blank screen; luckily there's LOTS of support in online community). So, I'd say they're fairly reliable!
@@ShallRemainUnknown obviously you’re a wiz at sorting wheat from chaff 😀 I couldn’t sort a PC1 with crumbled acrylic keybed action parts, which I’ve seen a fair bit. Maybe I should blame Fatar?
@@DaraM73 If it's purely a keybed issue, then Fatar should be faulted, as they manufactured the keybed on the Kurzweils. Of course, you bought it as a Kurzweil product, so Kurzweil should supply service, but they have a fairly stellar reputation of after-sales support, communication, and upgrades to their gear. Certain hammer-action Fatars are known to have chronic problems, often the plastic was reportedly not formed/composed properly (something about dust in the molding rooms), and the encased metal weights would break away from keys. That said, Fatar is the probably largest OEM for pro/semi-pro synth keybeds, and have a good reputation, too.
You’ve hit the nail on the head there. I love the sounds, but couldn’t quite put my finger on what the sounds would be used for other than, what I described as, “Disney Magic”.
