Full Overview of the Kurzweil K2700 Workstation! - Will Jack Like it More than his Nord?

[@modeswitching]

When I was a freshman in college in 1997, first day of dorm move-in I walk in with my cheap Yamaha keyboard and find that my roommate has a flipping K2500 set up in the middle of the room like a religious idol. That thing was an absolute beast. Everyone coveted it, and god even knows what it cost her. It was the first workstation I ever used, and it had levels of customization that I don’t think you can find today even on a Kronos. It makes my Nord Stage feel like a toy in some ways. But oh lord - the Kurzweil was the keyboard that “menu diving” was invented to describe. To learn how to use it, you had to watch two full length vhs tapes of a very young very long-haired Jordan Rudess walking you through pages of byzantine text menu screens on a tiny backlit lcd. You can still find them on KZbin. It’s nice to see Kurzweil continuing the tradition, but I can see why these huge workstations fell out of fashion for all but a few niche uses. I’ll take the elegant hands-on simplicity of the Nord any day - I want my keyboard to feel like an instrument, not another computer.

[@JayTheLane]

Yep, I'd take a Nord over this every day of the week.

[@davetbassbos]

The K series were absolute magic when they came out especially the K2600 with the B3 emulation, I thought they were a lot better than the Korgs and Rolands for a while but they caught up, I think it was a business decision by the new parent company to just ride that original technology for a loooong time, including this one, sounds like lol!

[@ior4341]

K2700 is a "workstation" ..supposed to be used on stage and in studio, with or without a Daw Nord Stage is a Stage Piano, made to be used on stage, with simple and immediate knobs and buttons...but with less, much less functions than K2700

[@Kaffimusic]

You can use any Kurzweil as a presetmachine - like a Nord - anytime. Making splits and layers is not more complex than doing that on a Nord. It´s just the sound programming that is tedious. So, paying less and getting more - even when you do not use it - is still a better deal.

[@HighlandStudio91]

I love Kurzweil's sounds, build quality & key-action...but as a workstation, it's an absolute turd( in terms of workflow.) Though the display screen size has improved a bit, it's still a joke....as it is just tedious & mentally & visually exhausting to write, play, record, mix & menu-dive. Even though Kurzweil is made in China now....it's still too expensive(given the severe limitations of the display screen.) In a world replete with desktop PC DAW's...NO ONE wants to menu-dive of a display the size of an ancient calculator. The brand new Roland Fantom-0 series sounds just as good as the Kurzweil(in my opinion)....has just as many physical knobs, buttons, pads & sliders as the K2700...and even has an additional pitch/mod lever(located just to the left of the key-bed, where it should be)...and has nearly the same speed of workflow as an actual PC DAW and the 88-key version is $1,000 less than the Kurzweil!! Kurzweil is still a great instrument for gigging & it's very road-worthy....but seriously, Kurzweil needs to step down, as a manufacturer of workstations( as this new Roland will absolute destroy Kurzweil in he workstation arena....even Korg cannot compete with Roland at this point) and this is coming from a guy who was NEVER a Roland workstation fan.

[@rayderrich]

Decades ago I purchased the then brand new Kurzweil K2000. Last year I spent 3 months looking for a good piano bed synth and looked at all the manufacturers only to find out that Kurzweil was again to the rescue: I enjoy their PC4 ever since. I am proud to own Kurzweil for so many years and this K2700 will fit many musicians out there for sure!

[@jonochalker7244]

Im a Kurzweil geek. Bloody love them to bits had a k2600x for years and now have a PC3K8 Nothing beats the action and sounds and as I do a lot of theatre shows they are perfect for me! Spend hours programming setups and sampling

[@komalthecoolk]

Sorry newbie here. What theatre is getting referred to here?

[@peterkadarmusic9728]

Hey Jack, The Kurzweils have been popular with the theatre world for a few reasons: 1) When the K2000 came out, it had the best, most musical acoustic samples by a long shot. 2) Their overall sound may seem flat in headphones, but they have a tendency to sit in a mix really well. 3) Patch Remain. Other manufacturers have been bragging about smooth sound transitions for the last decade, but Kurzweil instruments have been able to do that with their sounds - if not the FX- since at least 1992. This is important when you’re switching through multi patches in a show. 4) Sample Integration. You could load, record and manipulate samples in ways that other gear can barely do to this day which brings me to… 5) V.A.S.T. Is their synth engine which is very deep but very configurable. You had virtual analog oscillators in DSP before anyone else ever spoke about physical modelling. Trent Reznor was a big K2000 series user for trashing and manipulating samples before such things were possible in a computer. 6) Later models like the K2500 had KB3 mode and a high quality multi FX chip option called KDFX. Their gear had multiple synthesis methods well before other instruments like the Kronos and Oasys. 7) Polyphony. The way they allocated voices was really keen. When they said 48 note polyphony on the 2500, they meant it; even with a four oscillator patch. That meant 192 oscillators. It could handle big layers and splits and not choke.

[@shabbee]

And macro load!

[@procta2343]

@Christian Kramer new order ran the same rig,

[@jensngerj]

Thank you for this great overview. Our church has had the K2500 and K2600 and we're looking to get the K2700. I had considered switching to the Nord, but once you play a Kurzweil and experience the sound transitions and piano like keys, it's really hard to play anything else. Thanks again for reviewing the K2700.

[@Screaming-Trees]

Kurzweil is still the most interesting digital synth of all time. Not only is it incredibly musical sounding but the architecture is still eminently relevant to this day. It works great as a studio workhorse that can impersonate just about anything you want. It would be impossible to overstate how valuable this is in a production context. The new ones have added a fully functional DX7 engine, with backwards compatibility, to the whole VAST digital modular architecture so you have digital modular, which can do FM anyway, and a fully featured separate FM engine onboard as well now. Plus you can use the DX7 engine as modular blocks in the digital modular architecture. It's a unique synth that sounds great even today. To my ears it is one of the nicest sounding digital synths of all time. And this isn't even everything either. You get that KDFX thing as well which is kind of Lexicon quality FX onboard. Kurzweil used to make rack outboard effects (most famously the KSP8) which sounded great. As good as Eventide or lexicon. You get that inside these keyboards now. And with stereo inputs and such you can use that as a hardware send in Pro Tools or whatever DAW as a high quality hardware FX box.

[@keithhoffman1864]

I've been gigging with my Kurzweil PC4 for about 8 months now. Love it. Got rid of Roland and their complicated mess of menus. I can gig with just one board, and have up to 16 zones per patch - programable any way I want. Can't do that with a Nord

[@markseagraves5486]

From the K250 back in the day all way through to k2700. Hands down my favorite workstation built on an incredibly powerful and well reasoned synth/sampler architecture. Super tight timing, massive voice count with shed loads of very usable patches. User multi sampling, sequencers, arpeggiators, well placed controllers. A Bulletin proof build and extraordinary sound quality. The Steinway of synths.

[@vacation_generation]

Great video as always. Purchased a Kurzweil 2500 back in the day (it's still alive and breathing....solid and built to last). Was a dream machine to own because its sound was exceptionally real, rich and full bodied. Excellent as a controller keyboard, highly configurable as you say. From your demo I see Kurzweil have honoured the main features which have proven their worth for use in live environments. It's a brand you can trust for quality and reliability. At gigs I always received praise from it's tone and sound quality. Will be definitely considering K2700 as a next purchase.

[@procta2343]

I have the Kurzweil K2600xs and it has the sweetest of pianos, in fact that was why i bought it. I have not even dialled into what it can really do at all! The say the older K2500 and 2600 were Rolls Royce of synths. I wonder if this is backwards compatible too, like the others were. Its nice to give Kurzweil a nod and a good run! i wonder if it will give the roland fantom a run on sounds.

[@jakob5947]

Great video as always Jack! Kurzweil really deserves more wide spread attention...Regarding your question what you should cover: I think every Kurzweil user uses their board a little different - and that's the beauty in it, you really can make it your own, wish you'd covered the PC4 at some point too! A basic sound comparison of nord stage, Yamaha yc and this would be probably a bit unfair, because of the sheer depth of kurzweils editing capabilities...maybe against montage or fantom...? I actually used to be a nord guy for 8 odd years...sold my stage 3 and now a Kurzweil Forte is my main board - so I know both sides. When I first got the Kurzweil I missed the "one knob per function" philosophy of the nords and even was kind of upset that I'd have to learn how to program the fully modular VAST Engine first before I could program the sounds I wanted. But there is a HUGE learning curve - now I can create sounds I couldn't dream of creating in any nord (let alone that huge user sample memory)! Although the pianos sounding imho more natural and balanced than nords, I wish Kurzweil would update their samples to match the little details/ imperfections/ key off samples(!) to nords or Yamaha CP /YC standards that make a sound more alive and inspiring to play. That said, they fit in the mix/live band unlike any other and you gotta love the Kurzweil community!

[@yvesflorendo5422]

sir, just a noob question, why did you choose the Forte over K2700? is it because the sound quality is much better than the K2700? and also the Forte is not complicated to use as conpared to the K2700?

[@jakob5947]

@@yvesflorendo5422 the K2700 wasn't out when I bought it, but because of its weight I wouldn't even have considered the K2700. Regarding the sound quality, there are videos out there comparing the Forte to other Kurzweils with the same Program and the Forte always seems to have the edge over the others. I wouldn't base my purchase on that tho, either one will sound great. If portability isn't an issue I would go with the most recent keyboard, just because of processing power and warranty. My Forte starts to show its age when for example switching programs. It takes a couple of split seconds doing that, making it a challenge using in a live situation. Hope that helps.

[@billhenley2332]

Excellent job of providing a fairly comprehensive overview of the best workstation I've ever owned. I'm a keyboardist of 50+ years and always looking for the "Next Benchmark" and this was definitely it. My Studio/Keyboard Setup is very unique. A Korg PA4x actually lives at the heart of my system. It allows things most keyboardists never consider. Kurtzweil''s sequencer has allowed me to do somethin g that's eluded me for 5+ years, create a 16 channel midi song and alllow Korg's "Style Creator" in OS NEXT to take my newly created MIDI Song/Sequence and turn it into a Style for live play use. The Style Creator's output is only as good as the input so as one who prefers the "OLD WAYS" of doing things vs a mouse and computer keyboard. In actuality I guess I have 2 master keyboards, the PA4x & K2700. When using a master keyboard with the PA4x Korg has done an incredible job of allowing what I guess you'd call "Hybrid Master Control". Either my K2700 or the PA4x will fully function and control the PA4x and Vice Versa. As a Classically trained organist of over a half century ago, this combination of two keyboards has opened up limitless possibilities for me. Most of my playing these days is for personal consumption. Having these two keybords and an MP117 Pedalboard has turned a very good system into the best combination I can imagine. I do have reems of additional hardware in the mix that would take a mini novel to describe so we won't go there now. I'll just say the K2700 has completed what is probably the best keyboard system on the planet for live play execution whether it's 80's Rock or current EDM. Thanks again for taking the time to explain the many features on the K2700.

[@sharingmatters]

It is much more difficult to play famous covers than with Modx with Soundomondo?

[@iandavidfarquhar]

I'm still using my old PC88.... about 25 years old and the keyboard still feels better than most. Sounds really dated now though so used as a control keyboard for software instruments.....

[@pyjama9556]

The sounds, the keys, the quick shtick shortcuts and crossovers!! Jacks getting onboard that Kurzweil train with a ticket to everywhere…chooooooo chooooooo!

[@alijanahabdullah]

My first rackmounted module was a Kurzweil K2000R triggered by the Ensoniq ASR-10 sampler back in the early 90's. What a time that was.

[@brianmichaelmusicetc]

I bought the Ensoniq EPS sampler when it was brand new in 1988. A few months later I'd convinced the music director for a theater gig to get a 2nd EPS and 2 Kurzweil sound modules. Since I was a pianist and trumpet player, I played my EPS and the Kurzweil horn module and as he was a pianist and violinist, he played the theater's EPS and the Kurzweil string module. Good times! Losing power meant reloading the operating system and sounds from floppy discs. Fortunately, that only happened at rehearsal, not during a performance. Then there was the time I showed the music director I'd sequenced the intro music just for fun and the solo dancer that started the show thought it was starting and began a minute early. Oops! : )

[@chillwalker]

The variation of Strings on a Kurzweil (and I own just an older PC3LE) is so rich, it beats in usability even NIs Sesion Strings.

[@BrunoPicard974]

One of the very best KZbinrs (without reducing you sir to only that) on the Web. Wow.. thank you very much.

[@MatthewChristianMurray]

I’m still a little way off from being able to upgrade my gear and customize my home studio. I was 100% sure that I wanted to have an 88-key keyboard with weighted keys AND aftertouch. At first I was thinking PC4, but this has everything the PC4 has, plus extra patches, more piano samples, and the ability to send audio via USB. Now I’m hoping to one day own a K2700. 😊

[@leighgoldstein3119]

Really fantastic video. I have owned Kurzweil keyboards all my life. Always have the most awesome sounds. Been very happy with every keyboard I have owned.

[@nightwishlover8913]

Absolutely beautiful sounds - quality! But then you expect that from a Kurzweil.

[@s.kxx1956]

Im personally not a nord fan in the sense of the stage and electro, they are great but not my thing. I always associate nord with the lead and wave synthesizers which have always been great. The k2700 as well as the older k26 k25 and k2000 synths are very powerful especially with vast and there sampled sounds are incredible

[@ChristianMartirano]

Actually, the architecture allows 32 layers in a single program, and then you can layer or split 16 programs whichever you choose. Each of the 32 layers in a program can be split or layered or triggered from alternate controllers.

[@davidcarroll8735]

I attended the Elton John concert last week, and there were many Kurzweils on stage with just endless depth!! I have a 2500 and Nord Stage 3 - love them for their diversity!

[@penponds]

Yep - I saw Elton last year in Perth Australia and I thought incredible they had a couple 2500’s - especially to the fore on things like Funeral for a Friend and where whackier & orchestral sounds needed. Unfortunately my budget runs only to an SP4, but still incredible sounds available and closest feel to an upright I’ve tried. I especially love the Mellotron emulation, which I’ve not heard better on any Roland or Yammy in my price range!

[@RandyPiscione]

@@penponds I thought Elton was using K2600s, at least awhile ago.

[@daveslastchance]

@@RandyPiscione saw him in 2015 and was using a 2600 and a Motif X8

[@pianistdavidberriman]

Great video. Ordered one of these last summer but it never came due to the shipping problems so I cancelled the order in April. Still considering it, however. I have used Kurzweil keyboards (Kurz PC2X and PC3K8) for the last 20 years and have been very happy. The K2700 looks like a great keyboard but my PC3K8 is still getting the job done. Thanks for this video. Would rather have heard a clean vocal through the interface than with the Vocoder, which sounded a bit muddy, but all in all this was a great take on this instrument. Thank you.

[@JeffPalmer83]

I’d love to see a deeper dive into the VAST engine and how to program new sounds on this. At face value, most of the features seem very similar to what you can achieve on, say, a Kronos.

[@ElliotPooley]

There’s a reason that you don’t see many people other than Kurzweil reps demonstrating VAST: Ray Kurzweil, in all his computer-whizzery in the 90s, forgot that the average musician is not also a mathematician and computer scientist’

[@Hugues1961]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6DNfZSVnbahq5Y

[@geecen]

Totally. I have a k2000 and even that instrument from 92 is incredible in terms of depth. One of the modular synth guys at andertons should demo it.

[@floydkeys]

Decided after this video to sell my Nord Stage 3 to fund a k2700

[@dr.emilschaffhausen4683]

Did u get one?

[@floydkeys]

​@@dr.emilschaffhausen4683I did yes! Although haven't had enough time to play with it yet!

[@EverettDudgeon138]

One thing I would love to see you cover Jack is the K2700's orchestral sounds.

[@eugenephillips481]

Ditto!

[@sivabala5425]

This the Aston Martin of workstations. Roland and Korg lay claim to be kings but this is GOAT

[@nolanchiat3810]

Something that always seems to be skipped over in all these presentations of the newer kurzweil boards is VAST, the algorithms, FUNS, the modulation and modulation control structures and cascading layers. You take all that, the FM engine and the KDFX and you have a serious 'electronica' side to this instrument...sort of like UVI Falcon , but with more modularity and cross synthesis. You could have 32 sound designs per patch and then times that by 16, hook it all up as a multi...real polyphony without any latency concerns as you would have with VSTs. So, besides being an amazing live instrument and general studio addition, it is also a mean techno machine if you are willing to build a relationship with it over time. Kurzweil also has a history of adding new algorithms. I remember way back when my K2500 suddenly got gifted a beautiful sounding Vocoder!

[@1heUndertaker]

Hi @Nolan Chiat, you mention the very things which interest me about the Kurzweil - the VAST / KDFX and the FM possibilities ! Do you know of any good demonstration videos of these features? I have searched, but not found *any* deep and creative examples of programming these. Please share any great examples you have seen, or have created yourself? Many thanks !

[@eugenephillips481]

@@1heUndertaker There are no deep and creative examples online. The only videos "talking" about V.A.S.T. are old, dated and confusing. Outside of stuff shown from old Jordan Rudess instructional VHS videos from back in the day, there is NOTHING current, real world or musical SHOWCASING V.A.S.T. Even Jordan himself left supporting Kurzweil products over a decade ago to embrace the Korg platform over the Kurzweil V.A.S.T. platform. I WISH someone would show me otherwise...they won't. Don't get me wrong: V.A.S.T. is as SPECTACULAR and amazing as Nolan Chiat mentioned...seriously!!! However, most people have no idea how to make it musical, which defeats the purpose of having a musical instrument that will help invoke musical creativity. Until the light bulb goes off in the marketing department for Young Chang that they need to better promote and support Kurzweil products, nobody outside of a very niche market will ever use their products. I will give you an example: Nord. Go to the Nord website right now and browse away. When you leave that site, you will come away seeing musician after musician after musician using their "Red Board" products. You will leave with no doubt that those are musical instruments. Then go to Kurzweil's website...crickets!!! I really hope Young Chang reads my post (probably not...they could care less...it shows in their garbage product promotions). Disclaimer: I AM a Kurzweil fan and past owner of their products and I would LOVE for their products to improve because they could totally run this space if they actually tried hard enough.

[@1heUndertaker]

@@eugenephillips481 Yes, as you say, there is a great lack in both explaining and promoting the most attractive (to me at least) possibilities of the VAST engine. I have been considering the PC4 as a future purchase, but not sure if it would be of benefit due to this lack :-/

[@eugenephillips481]

@@1heUndertaker Understood. Keep us posted on what you eventually decide to purchase.

[@malekkushimuzik3580]

This may be my next purchase. Gonna take a few months to save for it, but I definitely need to move on from my Korg M-50. I can make great use of this board as an MD and Producer.

[@EverettDudgeon138]

Some film soundtracks that have featured the original Kurzweil K250 Big Trouble In Little China Retribution Prince Of Darkness Killer Klowns From Outer Space Friday The 13th Part 7 Friday The 13th Part 8 Friday The 13th (TV series) Forever Knight (TV Series) Composer Shuki Levy also used Kurzweil extensively on his scores for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Inspector Gadget, He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe, Dawn Of The Mummy etc.

[@SuperBriansmoke]

‘When I was starting out, there were two roads….. and one was a Rhodes’!

[@jetpilot1971]

It’s not a German pronunciation. It’s named for American Ray Kurzweil. Pronounced Kerz-wile, English W, not German.

[@NURREDIN]

I own a Kurzweil ME-1 in my rack and I love the Rhodes and Grand sounds. I'm looking to upgrade to a K2700.

[@mystscot9814]

Jacks back!!

[@TheFakeMikeLWatts]

A deeper look into VAST would be awesome.

[@beesmith5379]

I used the Kurzweil 2500S regularly in the 1990’s and it was great when I saw this board I fell in love. I will buy one at some point. Great presentation, you are always such at presenter my friend. Much love from Brooklyn, New York.

[@johnkasonga6634]

I want one of these K2700s. I own a K2600X right now.

[@gameon2000]

I had the K2000 back then. Back then it was like the holy grail.

[@instrumentenfreak]

If you wanna say "Kurzweil" correctly, try the first part like a short spoken "cool", the "r" sounds a bit like a cat purring, the "z" sounds like "it's" without the i, and "weil" sounds like "while" but the "w" is like in "beaver". Kurzweil = kʊɐ̯t͡svaɪ̯l

[@timdanyo898]

I still have my K2000R!

[@ianpritchard6375]

I have a hunch that if I bought such an awesome instrument, every time I sat at it I'd feel weighed down with guilt that I was only using 0.05%of the features.

[@downpatmusic]

I have a Kurz PC3X as a controller and the best things about it is it’s all around keyboard keybed weighted that you can play piano on but also play fairly fast string lines on. For super fast string lines and synth parts another keyboard such as the Nord Wave 2 makes it easy to play fast light synth and string parts but the Kurz is best all around. A Kawaii VPC-1 can’t be beat for controlling/playing piano sample libraries. I believe the high end Nords for piano use the Kawaii keybeds. You can’t beat the sound of massive piano sample libraries like VSL’s Syncrhon Pianos. However for a quick all around er piano sound kirezweils are handy. For solo piano sojnds of stunning depth and layers and quality try the VSL Synchron pianos. Best piano libraries available.

[@suitela01]

Ok Jack, You want some input on what to do next ? Imagine this, you arrive at a gig and you need to cover as a replacement. To do this you have to * split the keys (left piano's , right brass) * make a proper huge piano ballad pad to do the intro * have arpeggios synced to the an external tempo running on pads and sweeps * change the program fx/eq to match the stage requirements * make all significant programs/multis visible on one screen (as you don't know which song comes next) * have the response on your attack a bit more towards the end of the gig, as more and more people start to get drunk and tend to talk louder. so you want to be able to control it with slider C This is what you can do, in any circumstance and on any machine (after the PC3) , so this is , imo, the only thing that kurzweil users are looking for. I have been a kurzweil adept since 1995, and I have never regretted the choice, as all still works the same. If you can explain that in a video (that will take you max 2 minutes to get this done), then you know why it is kurzweil that is rocking the place. Always :-)

[@dr.emilschaffhausen4683]

Apparently Jack doesn't do "input"!

[@theworld2781]

Kurzweil smells like “professionalism” ! Pretty delightful in the right hands 🧐

[@georgecoles7268]

I bought a PC4 because I need something light, but its the same idea. I really like these things, its a really good stage piano but also a very deep synth, arpeggiator, midi controller. they should be more popular, I think.

[@Spidouz]

I don’t understand how we can have $3k-$4k workstation keyboards in 2022 that don’t have 32-64GB RAM and 2-4TB SSD… like we can easily get on our computers. Memory is memory and it’s pretty cheap to include. Why virtually no manufacturer really embrasses the technology to include large amount of memory and storage that would compete with the kind of hardware we can get in computers. It would allow to run more and larger libraries, like we do with software in DAW…. but by keeping an old school hardware user interface.

[@brianmichaelmusicetc]

When I bought the Open Labs Miko back in 2009, its 512 note polyphony, 2 TB hard drive, DVD recorder, touch screen and audio I/O were pretty impressive. But with its small 3 octave keyboard, I always needed another bigger keyboard connected to it to get anything done or just to play. They were trying to utilize the latest computer tech in keyboards back then.... and then they went out of business. Someone else should pick up the basic idea and run with it.

[@lrblouie]

Helpful as always! Appreciate your honesty and context.

[@yakirarbib1670]

Bro you're hilarious and cool. Just one small request: in shootout videos please say by voice at the beginning of the vid what's the order of keyboards that you're trying and keep it consistent. Blind or visually impaired musicians want to know what instrument you're playing but we are left guessing... Thanks a lot! Keep it up

[@187onasimp]

Every player has their brand. For one thing I notice Kurzweil players are unbelievably faithful to Kurzweil keyboards. Like they don't play anything else.

[@dbefore7165]

probably because you have to invest lot of time to learn it...a LOT

[@rasmusjvindnielsen253]

Would love to see a demo - perhaps with an outside guest? - of what cascading VAST layers can actually do. Die-hard Kurz-fans on various synth forums seem to believe that VAST is deeper and more advanced than almost anything else ever built in the synth world. If that is true, you would think that people would be doing really advanced electronic music with it. But where are the demos? Please do a Waldorf Quantum vs Kurzweil K2700 so we can see how deep the rabbit hole goes.

[@jakob5947]

Great idea! I feel like it would be really helpful to so many if Jack or a guest demystified VAST a bit. I really had no clue what I was getting into when I got my Forte xD

[@dbefore7165]

I’ve used kurz boards for decades, sold my last one for the quantum. The kurzweils are prob deepest boards on the market, and certainly the best effects section I’ve ever seen. But ironically the user base is quite conservative.

[@ElliotPooley]

From a Kurzweil owner, VAST is super overhyped to be honest. People go on about the specs because it sounds impressive, but look at it in practice: One layer is 4 blocks A decent oscillator takes up at least 2 slots (there are 1 slot oscillators but they're very prone to aliasing). A normal filter with resonance takes up at least 2 slots. So that's one layer for a very basic synth sound. And above all, with the direction keys and the menu system, it's just a bore to program, and takes about 20 minutes to program something that you could do on any software instrument in 10 seconds. Wouldn't recommend getting into VAST unless you use the PC editor

[@jakob5947]

@@ElliotPooley yeah, if you „only“ use it as pure VA Synth there are easier ways to do it (love modal cobalt with the app if you want the best inbetween hard- and software)…great it can do that nevertheless - and still that’s deeper than the synth in nord stage 3 or any other stage piano i can think of (not counting workstations like fantom, Montage and Kronos)

[@dbefore7165]

@@ElliotPooley thats the thing, programming super deep sounds takes ages, but so does programming fairly simple sounds.. a big touch screen would negate a lot of the hassle. but vast can do sounds other boards cant, if they did a 61 key version then id be all over this.

[@crandallexpo0648]

this is just flat out crazy good 👍👍👍👍👍 love the ending by the way

[@ferenclucas2842]

I got a new k2000 first ed. In 91 or 92. Then got a 2661 when they were just getting discontinued. Love these keyboards

[@AntonisAdelfidis_UnderGround]

I use Kurzweil since 2004 and K2661. Give us a K2700 with 61 keys, please!!!

[@richardrobbins1422]

You are the real deal on your reviews -THX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Zwopper]

You should inviter David Weisser or Jim Alfrdson to teach Jack the ropes on this masterpiece of an instrument. Then sales would pick up! I love my PC4-7 which is basicalky the same at a bargain price! Bring on the VAST!

[@DrMax0]

I have a Kurzweil PC3K8 with a Nord Stage 3 stacked upon. Sound heaven. Total different characters, ideal supplement.

[@rhydderc127]

Something like the Yamaha Montage would be a better point of comparison than Nord pianos right?

[@user-cr2gj8kw4e]

Sounds good, thanks, but I'll stick with the monster pc3k8 KORE64 and German D Grand as well😊

[@penponds]

Beautiful pianos, IMHO

[@mounirlucmaghraoui357]

Hi Jack, Thanks for this overview. it would be very nice to have some dig -in to show out the sequencer and if it possible to make a song from scratch to finish! For now, impossible to test it here in Paris (France); no unit available! Sheers,

[@francescodefendi3201]

23:40 Jack Jacob Duxcollier 😂😂💪🏼🤘🏼👍🏼👍🏼👏🏼👏🏼😉

[@mrdavies7894]

I _am_ that Kurzweil fanboy. :D I ordered my K2700 almost a year ago and still awaiting delivery! But yes, I do musical theatre and like to get really tweaky with my synths in the studio. However, since I've had to wait so long for delivery, I've started making much more use (by necessity) of software synths and samplers and such, particularly Spitfire BBCSO and Albion One. So I'd be really interested to see two things: 1) More about using the K2700 as a studio controller; there's obviously a lot of control there, but how easy is it to map? 2) On its own, what are the capabilities of the Riff generator (briefly demo'd in this video)? Is it easy to set up beats for when the drummer doesn't show up? One-man-band? Thanks for consistently great and enjoyable content!

[@mrdavies7894]

After 11 months, it has arrived! Don’t bother me, I’ll be in the cave for the next month!

[@penponds]

@@mrdavies7894 Have you emerged yet like a butterfly from its Kurtzi-chrysalis… lucky guy to have one. Hope it’s providing hours no fun!!!

[@dr.emilschaffhausen4683]

Are you liking it?

[@Robin_S78]

I love my K2700, what a sound!!

[@rexeffect7122]

Incredible keyboard player!

[@danielcolfer4671]

I want one now.

[@DavidBauer38]

Love my K2600X, but man is it getting hard to lug around the older I get! Looking into the PC4…

[@entropybentwhistle]

“It’s really heavy!” Laughs at you in Kurzweil PC3K8 owner hernia.

[@8636daniel]

Hey. Bro...what's the wall color behind you? I'm a Kurzweil guy but I have a problem withe the sustain input on the keyboard itself. Anyone else?

[@RandyPiscione]

Still have my K2600XS, and at least to my ears, it still keeps up with much newer keyboards. The keyboard action needs some work so maybe it's time for a K2700?

[@KurzweilMusicSystems-]

Nice video !

[@jaydezproductions2081]

Hey Jack, can you do another review on the k2700 I'm really feeling this board!!

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

Been playing piano, organ and synths for 56 years now, digital pianos for 35 years... In 2023 I bought 4 pianos in frustration over finding a good replacement for my Yamaha P95. Roland RD2000, Kurzweil PC4, Korg Krome, Yamaha DGX-670. For pure piano and piano recording, the Yamaha DGX-670 is far superior to all of them at over half the cost. Make sure to get the stand and pedal system with it. .I bought the PC4 with VAST/FM. I don't understand the string resonance control of the acoustic piano patches; it functions more like a filter than resonance, after 6 months gave up. The gigantic sample of the Korg Krome was the worst. The Roland RD2000 was good but had several keys about C5 that were not consistent with the rest of the keyboard at high velocity levels. The PC4 with VAST/FM. I don't understand the string resonance control of the acoustic piano patches; it functions more like a filter than resonance. The Yamaha DGX-670 has a beautiful, even, playable piano across the entire keyboard, which can then be easily sound designed to match your headphones or speakers. DGX control includes filter, EQ, string resonance, delay, reverb, custom user designed effects, mastering control. And you can record to the on-board CD quality audio recorder or MIDI recorder. The included speakers are good, not for a pro pianist, but okay for beginners. The soft pedal and half damper are the best I have ever used, a must buy is the pedals.

[@PeanutButterAM]

I don’t even want it. I NEED it.

[@billhenley2332]

A tutorial explaining the 16 part sequencer would be very beneficial. The user manual covers this however it's more complex than I'd prefer as I use the K2700 as a Master Keyboard for my PA4x. Also, the MIIDI Mapping of the PA4x channels to the 16 K2700 MIDI Channels would be very beneficial for 2 reasons. 1, I could create .mid files for the Auto Style Generator on the PA4x as well as use the K2700 effects on the PA4x samples.

[@richardjanes1695]

I thought, that I was originally going to purchase the Kurzweil SP7/Grand.. After checking out the Kurzweil 2700 I changed my mind about the SP7 Grand.

[@KeskeinenAika]

Kurzweil is the best synth if you are looking for a really good string, pad and lead sounds. The piano, rhodes, wurlizer stuff is really good too. Timeless, good sounds. Easy to split and layer. The only complain is the reliability. Since they released PC3 it's been downfall with the reliability. Pity. I own the PC4 and it's a really good synth. But i don't want to use it on gigs. There is a reason for that. Kurzweill has the best sounds n hardware market. Easy to edit. But the reliability....it could be better.

[@Jason75913]

Looks aesthetically Fantom/FA-inspired Sounds awesome overall

[@robertmichalscheck3072]

What is load up start time for this keyboard?

[@SamLowryDZ-015]

Be interested to see if it can load and play the infamous Pink Floyd 'On the Run' patch And it's it's overall backward compatibility with the K2xxx range. Been a longtime devotee so would like to know if upgrading is going to be easy as the PC3K would load old patches but they were not always what you would expect because the ROM objects had moved about internally. Also the Ribbon marks are there because it has a tap mode - where it can function as a second keyboard.

[@chromatic-me]

Yeah, good demo, looks like a great keyboard, but are there any in the UK that I can try?! Contacted Kurzweil before Christmas 2021, they forwarded the query to a UK distributor, and I’ve heard nothing since :-(. People like me aren’t going to buy them if we can’t try them. The feel of the action is everything, plus the ergonomics of the sliders, knobs, mod and pitch bend wheels and even the ribbon.

[@geecen]

To be fair with supply chains, chip shortages etc it’s hard to buy a lot of stuff, even from the bigger players.

[@neilloughran4437]

I'd like to know how the keyboard feels compared to Nord, Roland RD2000 and Yamaha CP88.

[@permanentwave]

Great demo wow.

[@lycancatt4248]

always curious how these modern workstation type keyboards do drums? i'm a drummer at heart so its a soft spot for me, how good is jack at playing keyboard drums?

[@eyesintheskies]

Wish they’d release one with half the keys purely as a sampler and spend the money saved on whatever produced that magic in the ensoniq asr10. But that’s mainly cos I’m not really a keys player just a one handed synth/sampler geek! If I where you I’d get one & spray paint it red 👍

[@kristiandawe85]

Omg he did play jump in this one 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@TCordy]

I sure hope those factory drum programs are better than the ones,that came with the K2500.

[@BucF16]

Have they finally figured out how to make a simple song mode? My biggest Kurzweil gripe.

[@Khordmaster]

Time to watch and see how this compares to the Roland Fantom 👀

[@keneokpareke1753]

I think they are miles apart. The Fantom adds a large touchscreen, multi sampler, full sequencer, TR and step recording, etc etc etc. More $$ though.

[@Khordmaster]

@@keneokpareke1753 trueeeeee! Well I’m getting a brand new one from Roland for about $2500 with an artist discount. Just a matter of when they’ll have them back in stock 😫😫

[@keneokpareke1753]

@@Khordmaster For what it's worth, I own the new Fantom 6, and I think it's phenomenal.

[@Khordmaster]

@@keneokpareke1753 awesome! I sold my 6 because I needed the 8 (I’m a piano player and weighted keys as I’ve realized are close to essential for me)

[@darrickkeels6387]

@@Khordmaster What's an "Artist Discount?" I want one! Wait...do you have to be an artist? 😂

[@themightykonrad1071]

Good demo. Thank you. I'd like to see you (or someone) demonstrate string legatos. All the best, --Konrad

[@geecen]

Can we please get someone to deep dive the VAST engine?

[@Kaffimusic]

You mentioned Nord several times. I had a Stage for roughly 4 month. Everytime I wanted to do something on it, I met limits. It can´t do this, it can´t do that. The pricepoint of a Stage is ridiculous for what it actually can do. Yeah, they sound solid and are very easy to use. That´s it. The synth section was fun to program for some time, but at one point it was too limited. And well, the synth sounds Nord gives you are pretty poor in my opinion. I ended up programming whole new banks for myself. When you want synth sounds, Nord pretty much leaves you alone. AND for every sample-keymap they give you as bread and butter sounds, you have to program a suitable synthprogram yourself. Imagine any other company would do that. Most users are not even able to do that. This is also quite poor service coming from Nord. Again: Pricepoint - what you pay and what you get is too far apart. Not worth it. But it has a nice colour, well...

[@stefansegi2540]

"They sound solid and are very easy to use." Thats more than enough for me and countless other musicians. Kurzweil is great. But I need the manual for everything.

[@Kaffimusic]

@@stefansegi2540 You don´t when you are familiar with it. Like many other things. Just programming sounds is more complex, making splits, layers, lay out stuff for songs to play is not. Once you find your way how to do it, it becomes routine. But i understand why the Nords are successful. It just wasn´t my thing and not my workflow and what I expect from a main keyboard. With the new series starting with the Forte you get a different menu structure and a bigger display when building splits and layers. In fact I think it is easier to get things done in that structure than on a Nord Stage. You can see 4 layers/parts the same time, see a representation of the keybed where the sounds are and there is little hopping between 2 pages to set up splitpoints, volumes etc. Much better overview than on a NS. And well, you get free placement of splitpoints and 16 parts of any sound to choose overall to get things done.

[@stefansegi2540]

@@Kaffimusic I am Forte 7 owner and You are 100% right. For splits, zones, layers etc, Kurzweil works nice and intuitive. It must be great for theater or pop. But nord is much more intuitive when it comes to controlling effect od programming synths. I have Forte for more than a Year and I still dont remember, which effect I assigned to which slider for particular soud and if it is a split or layer, it might be somewhere else. With Nord, it takes me 3 seconds to find out. Again, VAST is super complex, but if I want simple square lead with filter envelope and bit of delay, I can make program it on Stage in few secons. That being said, I like Kurz pianos and eps very much. They seem more dynamic than nord.

[@Kaffimusic]

@@stefansegi2540 Yes. I´d still have the NS if it wasn´t so little for so much money. They are good, but ridiculously overpriced. When I was professional musician, well, that might not matter since I would declare that as expenses for the tax, but I am just a hobbyguy. A Kurz delivers so much more for less money. And yeah, it´s the sound.

[@dynoroad]

I feel like the Nord crowd is more liken to a cult, similar to 'apple' fanatics. When Nord implements a feature which has already been a staple in keyboards for years, the nord fans react as if it's a totally new innovation. I think that the usual nord buyer isn't so much interested in keyboards generally, but simply feel the need own the most "trendy" brand.

[@alexmcallister492]

I had a kurzweil pc3 using it in a tribute band best keyboard I've had for orchestral and Huge sounds. Kurzweil sounds also record very well.

[@luucdentoom6955]

If you’re referring to the original German pronunciation of the name Kurzweil, I assume it’s more like “coordz while”. Don’t know how to write this correctly phonetically. But the “u” in German is pronounced as “oo” as in “loot” or “fruit”. But Kurzweil is an American company derived from the American Raymond Kurzweil. Pretty sure his ancestors were German, though… correct me if I’m wrong haha!

[@luucdentoom6955]

Check: Ray pronounces his name the same way Jack pronounces it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGObfYOth511mrs

[@kuyasvlogs]

i thought that intro was.... "Closer I get to you" hahahhaha i was preparing to sing.... what a scam hahahaha

[@chrisj777]

Got to wonder if Roland and Kurzweil did some collaboration. The controls sort of look like the Fantom 8. Always loved Kurzweil, but was out of my budget. Great sounding board. Great Overview.

[@shabbee]

I see what you mean, have a look at the PC which has remarkable similarities

[@joshjamesuk]

Great review Jack! It sounds great and is obviously extremely powerful but it does look like it’s from the early 80’s!

[@DavidKfilmmaker]

Haven’t seen a kurzweil on a stage since Paul Schaffer

[@gooneybird808]

some bangin keyboards out right now... love watching jack destroy

[@reginaldgeorge5363]

I am a blind musician who performs live and I don’t think this board is for me. It’s too heavy it’s too big I need something with these features. I got interested in this because Stevie Wonder has it and supposedly they’ve included a bunch of things in here for people that are visually impaired. But when I need to know is between this and a Nord stage, which one I would be able to operate more easily without Having to navigate through multiple pages and menu, dive into the screens to edit and save my presets, and sounds. I looked at a YC61 but it just did not have enough physical preset buttons. I’d like to have at least 10.