Help on Kurzweil K2500SX KDFX / Setups / Song

[Toddskins]

I am confused and not getting the results I desire. I'm trying to program my Setups to cooperate with the Songs I have created, to play live performances with background accompaniment.

Can somebody please explain to me in which place to define the KDFX studio to be used? It seems like there are 2 different places it can be done?

1) In Song mode, you tell the Kurzweil to use the channel associated with a certain program on a particular track. Everything is fine if you are hitting "Play" while in Song mode. But, things get complicated when you move over to Setup mode and now play the Song associated with that Setup.

2a) In Setup mode, it has its own KDFX Studio pages.

2b) In Setup mode, under Common, you tell the Setup to use a specific Song, and so now when the Song is being played as accompaniment to the Setup, which KDFX is being used?

- - - - -

Do you see the problem I am having? I cannot ascertain what is happening if KDFX is "on" for a song (using the KDFX associated with a particular Program on a specific track), which is then also being played during a Setup performance, and the Setup also has its own KDFX studio.


I have turned the Setup KDFX studio off, but am getting strange results. For example, when I play the song while in Song mode, I get one result, but cannot duplicate that result when I switch over to Setup mode, and hit the play button for the Song.

I have also turned off the internal FX (the Digitech chip) to see if that was causing the problem, but it is not.

Help please?

 

[monkie]

Geez, wish I could help but I don't even own a Kurzweil. It used to be a dream of mine to own one of those baby, and it still is. It gets my attention all the time whenever I see the name Kurzweil 2600XS. I just want to know what's going on with it. Perhaps you can help me when I get mine?

 

[Toddskins]

Got my answer

Geez, wish I could help but I don't even own a Kurzweil. It used to be a dream of mine to own one of those baby, and it still is. It gets my attention all the time whenever I see the name Kurzweil 2600XS. I just want to know what's going on with it. Perhaps you can help me when I get mine?

I'd be more than happy to help. I love getting into the guts of this kind of stuff with others who share the same passion for synthesis and sound. Fun, fun, fun!

I wrote Kurzweil and got my answer the very next day! They are a superb company in every manner!

Turns out, it was a detail that was addressed in the manual, but seemed insignificant to me all the times I read it.

You are given options of what FX Mode is to be in control, even if you are in an area that you would assume something else is in control. The FX control setting is the setting I had overlooked. Options are Master, Programs, Setups, and Auto. I had mine on Auto, and that was causing the problem for my scenario.


Lastly, Monkie, the Kruzweil PC3X should get a serious look from you. The ONLY thing it lacks is the sampler. The sounds and specs on it, should have caused it to be given a K-series name, i.e. K3000. I'm hoping that they will be introducing that new K3000XS soon.

The K2600XS is still head and shoulders above anything else out there, including Korg's Oasys. The K2600XS has lots better features than my K2500XS, and I still have not scratched the surface of it's potential. Billions of possibilities.

*The PC3X has more than twice the KDFX power over the K2600XS - 16 insert effects over 12 busses, and 2 auxiliaries! Too much power! lol
*128 voice polyphony! The K2600 has 48, like my K2500
*Over 850 improved factory sounds from Kurzweil!
*USB storage and transfer

And instant HELP messages pertaining to the screen you are on. WOW! Very smart stuff.

I so want one.

Just no sampler, yet.


And I am sure one can be had for under $3,000. You just gotta know how to negotiate. I would shoot for $2,700.

 

[monkie]

The K2600XS is still head and shoulders above anything else out there, including Korg's Oasys. The K2600XS has lots better features than my K2500XS, and I still have not scratched the surface of it's potential. Billions of possibilities.

*The PC3X has more than twice the KDFX power over the K2600XS - 16 insert effects over 12 busses, and 2 auxiliaries! Too much power! lol
*128 voice polyphony! The K2600 has 48, like my K2500
*Over 850 improved factory sounds from Kurzweil!
*USB storage and transfer

And instant HELP messages pertaining to the screen you are on. WOW! Very smart stuff.

I so want one.

Just no sampler, yet.


And I am sure one can be had for under $3,000. You just gotta know how to negotiate. I would shoot for $2,700.

Wow! The K2600XS is still even better than Korg OASYS? I'm not very surprised. It's still is my number one favorite keyboard of all times considering it's looks and functionality, there are no other keyboard I would even dream of owning.

What I find "cool" in the K2600XS is the long pitch bend in the center of the keyboard and the sounds. Do you really need all tha KDFX in the K2600XS? Or is it not enough?

I could go on asking thousands of questions but I'll just let you tell me what you think is important about the board.

Cheers

 

[Toddskins]

KDFX processing power

I think having more power is only a good thing. Presently, on my K2500XS, I have to get creative on how to route several different instruments (this is strictly because I'm attempting to be a one-man band, using MIDI songs through the built-in sequencer) through KDFX.

KDFX is limited to 4 units, followed by a 3 unit auxiliary. What's a unit?

A "Delay" algorithm could be a simple one which uses 1 unit of power, or a complicated one which might use all 4. If you have used all 4 units for some sound, you have no units left over for other instruments.

Now, you do have a 3 unit auxiliary which is independent of the main 4, and flowcharted after it, too. The KDFX is mega-flexible. Takes some learning.

Anyway, I will be exploring this very much over the next week. Because with the K2500's Sequencer playing a MIDI song (i.e. Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'), the Drums should have a little effect (reverb?), the bass should have compression, the guitar(s) have distortion.

KDFX can do any of those, but not all of them at the same time, but maybe it can... since I am going to route the guitar through the auxiliary where I can put a 3 unit distortion (bypassing the first part where the 4 units are), and the bass will have compression and bypass the auxiliary so that it does not get distortion.

Lastly, there is the original Digitech effects chip, still in the K2500 which I can use for reverb of the whole shabang.

And if that was not enough, I have a Mackie CFX mixer board with effects builit-in should I still need something.

You really need to be organized and map it all out, and have conventions. For example, I'm going to make sure my drums are always on a given track, and guitar on a given track, etc. This way, when I need to create a different sound effect (called KDFX studio), I won't get lost if various instruments are always on certain signal paths (A, B, C, or D)

A flute, and drums, and piano, might be able to share the same reverb algorithm. I don't know yet, but will write here again in a week or two.

But that new PC3X, would certainly not run into any issues.