A wonderful synthesizer that have power

This keyboard was a great buy i have bought in Reverb, i gotten the k2000j model which is the south korean model but it exactly the same as the US model.

it also a keyboard that should be used for programming your own sounds and also have many amazing effects included and it really recommend to learn VAST as well as you can create very nice and interesting complex presets.

You can also have two expansions like Contemporary and Orchestral but they do required the daughter board which also includes soldering.

if you don't want to do that, it best to have a person who very experienced with soldering and all of that stuff.

But regardless this is a to go keyboard with midi control which also feels nice and smooth.

It does get hot for a while and i recommend not touching the outputs through when using it for a hour or so.

My final pros that i have in mind, you can actually imported your samples via CD-R through SCSI drive which also makes things easier.

There also a another way to store your samples via a Gotek Floppy Emulator or anything similar.

You also can upgrade the rom to 64 MB which gives you so much memory in fact.

My cons is the display, in my opinion it has a nice interface but the display is really hard to see without any light.

I recommend getting a backlight mod for the k2000 that makes it easier to use.

Installing the expansions can be a hassle to deal with if you have no experienced with soldering and all certain requirements.

It best to buy the k2000 with one of the expansions included which make's things easier.

The 24 voice polyphony is also a bit of a con as it pretty limited for today standards but it uses a special voice stealer that makes the polyphony more tolerable.

Some sounds will be outdated in today's world of music product, but some presets like the piano and acoustic guitar do standout the most.

Due to them sounding very realistic for the time.

My final cons is that it uses AAA batteries instead of the coin watch batteries which can leak when not being used for a long time.

The floppy drives tend to die once for a while but that can be resolved via Gotek Floppy Emulator.

Other then that, i love this keyboard very much based on how it feels and etc.

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The forgoten King!

This Synth/Sampler owned the 90's. It allowed creativity and enabled artists to think outside of the box with Variable Architecture Synthesis Technology (VAST). Imagine taking a sample and then changing the sample right there on the board to become a component of a multi-layer sound. This board cost me nearly 4k in the 90's and now you can grab it or it's rack mount version for under $400. The LCD screens go bad which is a very big negative, but there are plenty of aftermarket replacements. Grab these up while they are $400. They are absolutely worth the money. God I love this machine.

Quite Old, But Blends Into the New

Despite the age of this keyboard (1991-2003) and the floppy disk drive, this synthesizer can pack a pretty powerful punch.This Kurzweil model has a total of 61 mono pressure (velocity sensitive) keys and 16 bit sampler software. There are a total of 199 preset programs on the Program Menu and 100 on another that contains split keyboard presets and layering of programs from the previous menu. These sounds are composed from V.A.S.T. (Variable Architecture Synthesis Technology), a DSP based sound processing system built into the synthesizer. Sounds ranging from basic pianos and keyboards to modular leads can be made with V.A.S.T., many of which can be used for modern music. Effects such as reverberation, chorus, and delay are easily accessible by the push of a button as well as MIDI control. The synthesizer has MIDI input, output, and MIDI thru. The outputs for mono and stereo audio fit the standard balanced 1/4" cable and there is an input for a foot pedal as well.

The only downside to this synthesizer is the price. I bought mine at around $4,000.00 and if you were to find this on Ebay or Craigslist, the price may have inclined or declined depending on the seller's thoughts about the product. Overall, this synthesizer is a must have for production and performance, no matter your genre.

Greatest sequencer, sampler, synthesizer of all time IMHO that still stands up today

What more can be said that hasn't already been about this amazing & fantastic piece of kit

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I played the Kurzweil K2000 throughout the 1990's into the 2000's...

The K2000 served me well for about fourteen years but started going out of tune after years of it being my main ax. I had Sweetwater evaluate it and determine what it would take to repair it. Since it could end up being more than the board is worth at this point, it is sitting in storage until I sell it for parts on E-bay. I miss playing it.

Still today, a VAST synth

The K-2000 V3 is an extremely advanced piece of gear. VAST can do everything: subctrative synthesis, additive synthesis, FM, it can route everything to everything... a real monster. Very well built. More than 20 years after its release it still can be easily repaired and upgraded (thanks to ebay sellers). When fully expanded, it has internal HD, scsi port, digital outs... A real programmer and performer synth.

Powerfull friend, just be careful of the built in effect noise

I have been a long time fan of this machine. Easy to design sounds on. Never used the internal sequencer though, but the midi implementation is spot on so use your DAW of choice. Great built in sounds and loads on the net to add, but you can have a lot of fun with the FUNS.

ahead of its time.....

this thing keeps up with today's machines.. only draw back is the limited programming interface.. which makes since given its age and the fact the Ray Kurzweil was inspired to create it by a blind dude...