Kurzweil K2500 - RELEASE NOTES V2.5, K2500 Release Note

K2500 Operating System V ersion 2.5

x

(KB3 Mode)

Release Notes

What’s New in Version 2.5?

The primary new features of Version 2.5 are in KB3 Mode, which is fully described in this document,
beginning on page 3. Additional enhancements to V2.5 include:

Faster SCSI Operations.

Sample loading is now up to three times faster than in previous versions of the operating system. These
operations are now performed at approximately 1 Meg per second. Sample saving is over twice as fast (Now
approximately

Faster Sample Memory Deletion/Compaction.

Sample memory deletion and compaction have been speeded up considerably in V2.5. The K2500 stores all
sample data contiguously in sample RAM (as opposed to storing on a disk, where a file may be fragmented), so
deleting selected samples from memory requires the K2500 to arrange all remaining samples contiguously;
this keeps the remaining memory in one "chunk". While the amount of time needed still depends on ho w much
is being deleted and how much is currently in memory, this process is now much faster than it was previously.

Faster Object Memory Delete/Save.

Previously, with many hundred objects in memory, deleting or saving an object could take a long time. Now it
is much faster, typically under a second. However, dependent object computation can still take a while.

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Meg per second). Copy and backup are similarly improved.

/3

Multi-Velocity Keymaps

Five multi-velocity keymap templates have been added to ROM (IDs 34-39). Previously only two- and three­level keymaps were available. Use the Chan/Bank buttons to navigate through the various levels while in the
Keymap editor. Switch points are not user editable.

New Control Setup

Control Setup (ID 97) has been changed to include KB3 functionality:

•

EditSetup: COMMON page Mutes parameter defaults to KB3 Control.
PanelSwitch2 now sends MIDI 29.

•

FootSwitch4 now sends MIDI 68 (LegatoSwitch-Leslie Fast/Slow for KB3 programs).

•



1997, All Rights Reserved. K

trademarks of Young Chang Co. Voce is a trademark of Voce, Inc. Hammond and Leslie are trademarks of
Hammond Suzuki USA. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective
owners. Product features and specifications are subject to change without notice.

urzweil is a product line of Young Chang Co. Kurzweil, K2500, and V.A.S.T. are

Part No. 910304, Rev. B

Installing Version 2.5

Installing V ersion 2.5

Note: Back up your RAM objects before performing this installation. All RAM will be erased by the Hard

Reset at the end of the installation.
The complete procedure for installing the operating system and objects is included in Chapter 2 of the

Performance Guide

. For your convenience, here's a summary of the procedure:

K2500

1. Start the K2500

2. Press and release the Exit key while the "Please wait..." message is displayed. This brings up the K2500
Boot Loader.

3. Load the operating system floppy, then use "Install System" from the K2500 Boot Loader to install the new
operating system.

4. Replace the operating system disk (after you've installed it) with the factory objects disk, then use the Boot
Loader's "Install Objects" option to install the correct objects for your configuration.

Object file versions and K2500 ROM configurations for V2.5 are as follows:

OBJ300.K25 for Base ROM
OBJP310.K25 for Base + Piano option
OBJO320.K25 for Base + Piano + Orchestral option
OBJC330.K25 for Base + Piano + Contemporary option
OBJF340.K25 for Base + Piano + Orchestral + Contemporary option

The Object files that accompany Version 2.5 software add ten KB3 organ programs, three effects, and one
Quick Access Bank to the 700’s bank of your K2500.

5. When the installation is finished, choose "Hard Reset" followed by "Run System" from the Boot Loader.
While you won't normally need to reinstall the operating system or objects, you should still put the disks in a
safe place, just in case you may need them again.

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910304, Rev. B

Introducing KB3 Mode

Introducing KB3 Mode

KB3 Mode is a ground-breaking upgrade for the K2500. You can now create and play organ programs that
offer superb realism and unprecedented flexibility. If you are using a keyboard model of the K2500, you’ll also
be able to use your instrument’s mod wheel and sliders to emulate the nine drawbars found on traditional tone
wheel organs. Similarly, if you’re running a K2500R, you’ll be able to respond to external drawbar commands
from MIDI (e.g., a MIDI drawbar device).

Although KB3 Mode is an extension of the V.A.S.T. operating system, its programs work a little differently
than other K2500 programs. You’ll want to read through these release notes to make sure you take full use of
all these new capabilities.

First Some History

Countless blues, jazz, and rock recordings have centered around the distinctive sound created by classic tone
wheel organs (such as the Hammond 
only is the sound great, but it’s supremely versatile, since the player can control timbre in real-time by
adjusting drawbars that add or remove harmonics from the fundamental tone. Other cool sound-shaping tools
include a percussive emphasis that can be added to each note and the capability to change speaker rotation
speed. Many people, in fact, feel that the tone wheel organ was the first popular synthesizer. And although
these organs haven’t been made for years, they are still sought after, restored, and lugged about by legions of
dedicated keyboard players. This despite archaic electronics, inscrutable wiring, and an unwieldy heft that tops
400 pounds.

B-3) played through rotating speaker systems like the Leslie  . Not

Duplicating the sound and flexibility of these organs – without the nasty side effects – is the goal of KB3 Mode.

A Little Science

In creating KB3 Mode, we’v e done extensive testing, measurement, and analysis on several tone wheel or gans.
From there we’ve done our own physical modeling to emulate these organs, taking into account even such
esoteric matters as the way older organs sound different (and arguably better) as their capacitors begin to leak.
(Of course we let you decide if you want your K2500 to sound like an old or new organ.) We’ve also recruited
the best organ players we could find to try out these programs, and have used their feedback to make sure that
all of KB3 Mode’s real-time controls are as convenient as they were on the organs of yore.

To make it all work, we’ve created a new type of program – the KB3 program – that is built around a totally
new model. In a nutshell, KB3 programs use up to 96 oscillators simultaneously, each oscillator having its own
pitch and amplitude. The K2500 has 48 voices, and KB3 Mode provides tw o oscillators per voice, for a total of

96. To get the voices it needs, KB3 Mode employs these oscillator pairs independently of each other.
Furthermore, all voices start up – albeit silently – when you select a KB3 Mode program. In a regular K2500
program, on the other hand, voices only start when you play a note. You can see this if you go to the Voices
display (Master mode Util page) while a regular K2500 or KB3 program is selected. While a KB3 program is
selected, you’ll see that a number of the K2500’s voices are active, even when no notes are being played. And
since these voices are always acti v e, KB3 Mode can rely on tone wheel sharing, as opposed to note stealing, to
maximize usable polyphony.

One more thing. When you create your own KB3 Mode programs, you can use any samples you want for the
upper tone wheels and a variety of waveforms for the lower tonewheels. Not only that, but you can swap the
upper and lower tone wheel groups. The creative possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

910304, Rev. B

3

Before Starting KB3 Mode

Before Starting KB3 Mode

After you’ve loaded the new operating system and KB3 programs, we know you’ll want to get jamming right
away. Before you start, however, take a minute to check the settings of your Drum Channel and Control Setup.

Drum Channel

T o get started with KB3 Mode, first mak e sure that the current MIDI channel is the one designated as the Drum
Channel on the Master page. None of the other channels (including other drum channels) will work with KB3
Mode. If the names of all the KB3 programs are in parentheses, it means that your K2500 is not transmitting on
the Drum Channel; the box at the left of the Program display will indicate the channel you must select.

An important note for PC88 Users: Do not use channel 1 as the Drum Channel on your K2500 if you will be

controlling it from a PC88. This is because the PC88 sends controller 90 for VGM FX selection on channel 1,
while the K2500 uses controller 90 for leakage level.

Control Setup

The current Control Setup, which you set on the MIDI Transmit P age, will affect how MIDI controllers – such
as drawbars – function within KB3 Mode. For predictable results, we suggest you start with "97 Control
Setup". If you create a Setup with a KB3 program, we suggest you either start with "97 Control Setup" as your
editing template, or use the Import Zone function to import the parameters from "97 Control Setup" into the
zone you intend to use for your KB3 program.

For K2500R Owners

See the section "MIDI Control of KB3", near the end of this document.

Get Playing

Once you’ve checked your Drum Channel and Control Setup, all you have to do to get going is select one of
the KB3 programs and start playing.

Drawbars

The drawbars on a tone wheel organ emulate pipes of different lengths on a pipe organ. In either case, they are
controlled by changing the positions of a number of "stops". As the organist pulls out or pushes in these stops,
he adds or reduces harmonics. Whether it’s pipes or drawbars, though, the stops work like this: pull one out to
add more of an overtone; push it in to reduce the volume of the overtone.

1

/3

The stops on the most popular tone wheel organs are: 16’, 5

’, 8’, 4’, 2
they are still measured in feet, a carryover from pipe organ days. The 16’ and 5
subharmonic group, while the third stop, 8’, produces the fundamental of a tone, and stops 4-9 produce
harmonics above the fundamental. By making use of different combinations of these harmonics, a rich sort of
additive synthesis is possible. Best of all, you can make radical changes to the tone dynamically as you play.

2

/3

’, 2’, 1

3

1

/5

’, 1

/3

1

/3

’ stops are considered the

’. and 1’. Note that

On a K2500 keyboard, check out the eight sliders and the mod wheel; together they emulate the nine drawbars
you may be familiar with. To be as close to an actual tone wheel organ as possible, we’ve programmed sliders
A-H to serve as drawbars 1-8; sliding one of these sliders up "pushes in" a drawbar. Conv ersely, "pulling out" a
drawbar involves sliding a slider down.

The mod wheel works a little differently. Since it functions as drawbar 9, often unused by organists, we’ve
made it work more like a conventional mod wheel: roll the mod wheel away from you to pull out the drawbar;
roll it towards you to push the drawbar in. In other words, if you normally keep the mod wheel down all the
way, then this drawbar will normally be in.

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910304, Rev. B

Editing a KB3 Program

KB3 Mode buttons

The eight buttons above the sliders on K2500 ke yboards have special capabilities in KB3 Mode. These include
changing the speed of the rotary speaker emulation, turning vibrato or chorus on and off, and various
percussion features. The buttons control both the K2500’s internal effects, by the way, and also any external
MIDI devices to which you may be connected (see "MIDI Control of KB3", near the end of this document, for
a listing of the controller values transmitted).

Attach the "Assignable Controllers / KB3 Mode" label above the eight buttons on your K2500 keyboard. For
your convenience, a full size copy of this label is included on the last page of this document. These buttons
normally perform zone muting in Setup mode, so to use them as KB3 Mode buttons you must set the Mutes
parameter on the Setup Mode COMMON page (new in Version 2.5 software) to "KB3 Control". These buttons
will still do zone muting, however, unless there is an active KB3 program.

A

ssignable

R

otary

Fast/Slow

ontrollers /

C

ibrato

V

On/Off

KB

3

ode

M

ercussion

P

Select

Depth

1/2/3 On/Off

Volume

Loud/SoftChorus/Vibrato

Decay Pitch

High/LowFast/Slow

Editing a KB3 Program

You can edit a wide assortment of any KB3 program’s parameters. You can also create your own KB3
programs, though you must start with an existing KB3 program to do this. A re gular K2500 program cannot be
turned into a KB3 program. If you’re not sure whether the current program is a KB3 program, check the
information box on the left side of the program display; it will indicate "KB3 Program" if that’s what the
program is.

Enter the KB3 program editor by pressing the Edit button while a KB3 program is selected in program mode.
You’ll quickly see that the KB3 editor differs from the standard V.A.S.T. program editor.

910304, Rev. B

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