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Suggested "first steps" for new users

 

Hi all,

We've had a K1000 since about 2018 but haven't really dug into the manuals too much (we figured out how to peruse the presets and just enjoyed playing those).
?
I did get familiar with k1000.net and obtained manuals from there. I'd started to read the "Kurzweil K1000 Keyboard Musician's Guide" (K1000MG.pdf) here and there, but not in earnest until recently.
?
When we got the original K1000 in 2018, the seller did tell us that it had been upgraded to some degree, but didn't know the details (and after having done some digging in k1000.net, I don't think in retrospect that we would have understood them at the time anyway!).
?
I remember being a bit puzzled how the manual seemed to indicate a program range up to 127, but I was seeing things in these "100", "200", "300" and "400" ranges, with a lot of repetition. I did find program lists on the site and I did some manual verification of what was in the original keyboard from 2018 (see below).
?
Recently I got a K1000 SE from one of the list members here. It needs a new volume slider (and maybe some other fixes; TBD) and I'm looking to correctly identify it.
?
I've been revisiting the original keyboard as well and am wondering if I've been reading the wrong manual!
?
In my notes for the original keyboard, I have this written down:
?
Engine: v5.32
Setups: v5.10
?
I have a hand-scrawled list I must have done several years ago, starting from "000" (which says "No Prg Assigned") up to "099" (the unit skips over "100"), then "101" to "163" (this one says "Tuning Note/Click"), then it skips over "164" to "200", then "201" to "299" (it skips over "300") then "301" to "363" (skipping the rest through "400" similarly as before", then for "401" to "493" it just says "(not found)" for each. After "493" it goes back to "000". I have another note saying "Verified to match the "Pro 1 Sounds" list."
?
I might do a similar exercise for the newly-arrived K1000 SE, but I would like to make sure I read the correct manuals.?
?
I note that the K1000 SE came with a few bound volumes; sorry for the painful detail here, but I wanted to reproduce the title pages, as I don't believe these particular volumes appear on the "Manuals" section of k1000.net:
?
First one:
?
Musician's Guide
Kurzweil K1000 SE Keyboard
By Ralph Jones
Gary Davis & Associates
?
Updated and Amended by
Romeo Music, Inc.
?
(at the bottom is the KMS address block)
?
Second one:
?
Musician's Guide
Kurzweil K1000 SE II
& SE II Extended
?
(address block)
?
Third one:
?
Version 5 Addendum
?
Musician's Guide
Kurzweil 1000 Series
Synthesizers
With Version 5 Software
?
Would it be helpful to add these to the PDF files on the "Manuals" page, or, if anyone is familiar with these, were they superseded by files already available there?
?
Finally to the actual point of my post here:
?
I got the idea to provide a kind if "first steps" procedure for someone who acquires a 1000-series instrument of any kind. Considering the upgradeability of these instruments, what it says on the front panel from the original factory instrument may belie what lies under the hood.
?
I'm imagining such a procedure would tell you to press some sequence of buttons to get info like those "Engine" and "Setups" numbers, and maybe some other kinds of identifying info.
?
Hopefully having that info, it could be mapped into a table that would include a mapping to the proper manuals and maybe even the proper program lists etc.
?
Is this a silly or infeasible idea?
?
Apparently our original 2018 K1000 is in reality a "Version 5" machine - I had no idea what "v5.32" really meant until I got these new manuals when the K1000 SE showed up the other day! That is probably more due to my ignorance in properly digesting what is on k1000.net, but I'm wondering if there's a way to provide a bit more direct guidance for total noobs. I'm feeling I should forget reading "K1000MG.pdf" or "K1000ProgRef.pdf" and instead use the new ones that just arrived...
?
Any thoughts, suggestions, etc. appreciated!
?
Thanks,
Chuck
 

Okay, first thing -- the earlier Kurzweil units use the same bank system as Oberheim and Korg gear from the era -- 100 programs per bank, numbered 00-99, then bank changes are two program changes, the bank number and then the program number, starting with 100 -- so changing to bank 0 is done using a program change command through MIDI of 100, bank 1 is 101, and so on. You'll run out of memory long before you run out of program numbers.

Yes, the Musician's Guide is the right thing to be reading. There's at least one update for later setup and OS upgrades. There's a whole lot to unpack in that manual, and some of the ways to modify sound may be a bit obscure at first, but wow, what it can do.

It sounds like you've got a fully upgraded K1000, which is a good thing. The version 5.0 notes will be useful. For one thing, the early versions didn't automatically map CC10 to pan. And turning off the machine didn't keep the channel off data, which meant if a large setup the user had to go and set the note range to the highest note MIDI can do. (I did this several times)

If you want to have the right info, use the right manual for your setup, though so much of it stayed the same across the versions. I can't make a call on the website, though I'd like for it to stay as blind accessible as possible, which used to mean W3C compliance, but I haven't dealt with that in some time. But yes, simple checks that can determine the number of setups, along with the one to determine the version and setup numbers(IIRC, the mode button, then up arrow to Master, then up-arrow again to the end of that menu to get to "Show Version?" then the yes button should do it) would be helpful both to new owners and also sellers and those considering purchase of one. Others might have suggestions for other useful things to document in it.

I love that there's still a passion for these instruments.
Nicole

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of charles.d.lutz@...
Sent: Friday, September 13, 2024 10:47 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [K1000-K1200] Suggested "first steps" for new users

Hi all,

We've had a K1000 since about 2018 but haven't really dug into the manuals too much (we figured out how to peruse the presets and just enjoyed playing those).

I did get familiar with k1000.net and obtained manuals from there. I'd started to read the "Kurzweil K1000 Keyboard Musician's Guide" (K1000MG.pdf) here and there, but not in earnest until recently.

When we got the original K1000 in 2018, the seller did tell us that it had been upgraded to some degree, but didn't know the details (and after having done some digging in k1000.net, I don't think in retrospect that we would have understood them at the time anyway!).

I remember being a bit puzzled how the manual seemed to indicate a program range up to 127, but I was seeing things in these "100", "200", "300" and "400" ranges, with a lot of repetition. I did find program lists on the site and I did some manual verification of what was in the original keyboard from 2018 (see below).

Recently I got a K1000 SE from one of the list members here. It needs a new volume slider (and maybe some other fixes; TBD) and I'm looking to correctly identify it.

I've been revisiting the original keyboard as well and am wondering if I've been reading the wrong manual!

In my notes for the original keyboard, I have this written down:

Engine: v5.32
Setups: v5.10

I have a hand-scrawled list I must have done several years ago, starting from "000" (which says "No Prg Assigned") up to "099" (the unit skips over "100"), then "101" to "163" (this one says "Tuning Note/Click"), then it skips over "164" to "200", then "201" to "299" (it skips over "300") then "301" to "363" (skipping the rest through "400" similarly as before", then for "401" to "493" it just says "(not found)" for each. After "493" it goes back to "000". I have another note saying "Verified to match the "Pro 1 Sounds" list."

I might do a similar exercise for the newly-arrived K1000 SE, but I would like to make sure I read the correct manuals.

I note that the K1000 SE came with a few bound volumes; sorry for the painful detail here, but I wanted to reproduce the title pages, as I don't believe these particular volumes appear on the "Manuals" section of k1000.net:

First one:

Musician's Guide
Kurzweil K1000 SE Keyboard
By Ralph Jones
Gary Davis & Associates

Updated and Amended by
Romeo Music, Inc.

(at the bottom is the KMS address block)

Second one:

Musician's Guide
Kurzweil K1000 SE II
& SE II Extended

(address block)

Third one:

Version 5 Addendum

Musician's Guide
Kurzweil 1000 Series
Synthesizers
With Version 5 Software

Would it be helpful to add these to the PDF files on the "Manuals" page, or, if anyone is familiar with these, were they superseded by files already available there?

Finally to the actual point of my post here:

I got the idea to provide a kind if "first steps" procedure for someone who acquires a 1000-series instrument of any kind. Considering the upgradeability of these instruments, what it says on the front panel from the original factory instrument may belie what lies under the hood.

I'm imagining such a procedure would tell you to press some sequence of buttons to get info like those "Engine" and "Setups" numbers, and maybe some other kinds of identifying info.

Hopefully having that info, it could be mapped into a table that would include a mapping to the proper manuals and maybe even the proper program lists etc.

Is this a silly or infeasible idea?

Apparently our original 2018 K1000 is in reality a "Version 5" machine - I had no idea what "v5.32" really meant until I got these new manuals when the K1000 SE showed up the other day! That is probably more due to my ignorance in properly digesting what is on k1000.net, but I'm wondering if there's a way to provide a bit more direct guidance for total noobs. I'm feeling I should forget reading "K1000MG.pdf" or "K1000ProgRef.pdf" and instead use the new ones that just arrived...

Any thoughts, suggestions, etc. appreciated!

Thanks,
Chuck
 

Thanks for the tips!
?
Today I worked through the "Musician's Guide", which was the introductory volume apparently in the original documentation (I had also grabbed the "Programing Reference 1000 Series Synthesizers" (K1000ProgRefMan.pdf on k1000.net); the v5 addendum manual I mentioned says that most of that manual still applies, since most of the v5 changes were in the "Master" menu and in the program organization scheme. Apparently later on, they combined the two manuals into one big volume.
?
Going along with the manual, I made some simple mods to the "Hardstrike Piano" sound (added two layers, one being some kind of 'bell' sound, to which I added tremolo with a green noise shape!). Fun. Looking forward to digging around in the programming manual.
?
I see that the two volumes found in k1000.net that I had mentioned, "K1000MG.pdf" and "K1000ProgRefMan.pdf", are what are available on Kurzweil's own support page for the K1000 series. I'd asked if having this "v5 addendum" scanned for inclusion on k1000.net would be helpful to anyone, but I'm not sure of the copyright status. Does K1000.net have any kind of arrangement w/ Kurzweil about archiving their materials?
?
Thanks,
Chuck
 

Charles and everyone else,
This is one of those areas where it's more a matter of dealing with the instrument manufacturer getting upset. Of course they can sue someone, but it'll be a troubled one. The simple key to it all is that manuals that describe the operation of something cannot be copyrighted. I'm surprised the v.5 update isn't in the files here, but it'd be seriously helpful for it to be.
Nicole

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of charles.d.lutz@...
Sent: Saturday, September 14, 2024 4:47 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [K1000-K1200] Suggested "first steps" for new users

Thanks for the tips!

Today I worked through the "Musician's Guide", which was the introductory volume apparently in the original documentation (I had also grabbed the "Programing Reference 1000 Series Synthesizers" (K1000ProgRefMan.pdf on k1000.net); the v5 addendum manual I mentioned says that most of that manual still applies, since most of the v5 changes were in the "Master" menu and in the program organization scheme. Apparently later on, they combined the two manuals into one big volume.

Going along with the manual, I made some simple mods to the "Hardstrike Piano" sound (added two layers, one being some kind of 'bell' sound, to which I added tremolo with a green noise shape!). Fun. Looking forward to digging around in the programming manual.

I see that the two volumes found in k1000.net that I had mentioned, "K1000MG.pdf" and "K1000ProgRefMan.pdf", are what are available on Kurzweil's own support page for the K1000 series. I'd asked if having this "v5 addendum" scanned for inclusion on k1000.net would be helpful to anyone, but I'm not sure of the copyright status. Does K1000.net have any kind of arrangement w/ Kurzweil about archiving their materials?

Thanks,
Chuck

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