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Mr. Make Believe
10-10-2003, 08:58 AM
Hi there,

I'm seriously thinking about buying a 2661 in the future. I already have a 88 weighted synth, so it would be cool to have a 2661 on top of that.

I checked out all the specs, but still have a few questions.
The 2661 has all the features that the 2600 has right??

What about the ribbon. On the kurz site it says that a 600 mm ribbon is optional. Will it be integrated in the board?? or will they put a expressionmate on top of it?? I haven;t seen pictures of a 2661 with a ribbon so I was just wondering.

Hope someone can help me out on this one..

thnx anyway.
maJ estY
10-10-2003, 09:29 AM
What I know is that the 2661 does NOT include all the features of a 2600!
I've read: "All K2000, K2500, and K2600 Series libraries are forward compatible with the K2661" - compatible is something different.
I'd propose you read the whole article on the kurzweil site:

http://www.kurzweilmusicsystems.com/html/k2661.html
Mr. Make Believe
10-10-2003, 09:49 AM
I read the article, I know the sounds aren't completely the same, but the features.. possibilities... are.. Or I'm i missing something.
Over The Edge
10-10-2003, 09:58 AM
Now this board is THE REAL DEAL for gigging musicians.
Imagine the same keyboard JR uses on stage, minus ribbon controllers, floppy drive (it uses smart med-cards) and 88 weighted keys and
you have a powerful, extremely portable instrument capable of
doing anything you want in a live setting.


FL
www.franklucas.net
Mr. Make Believe
10-12-2003, 04:57 AM
Ok, cool!

That would be very usefull,
Do you know anything about the ribbon?
The specs say the 600 mm ribbin is an option.
How will the ribbon be integrated in the board??
I would love to see some pics of a 2661 with a riboon included!
maJ estY
10-12-2003, 07:21 AM
I think there should be a contact site on this kurzweil site - maybe you ask the people themselves ;)
JackJens
10-12-2003, 08:00 AM
This how a K2661 looks with the optional RIBBON !!!!!

Wow it's very COOL !!!!

http://www.hellsky.com/images/k2661_PC1x.jpg
Quili
10-12-2003, 08:11 AM
Just curious, what is the US retail price for the 2661?
maJ estY
10-12-2003, 10:11 AM
So, it is, indeed, only an Expression Mate put on the keyboard, but you have to say that it fits good and it looks very kewl!
Kurzweilfreak
10-12-2003, 01:00 PM
What I know is that the 2661 does NOT include all the features of a 2600!
I've read: "All K2000, K2500, and K2600 Series libraries are forward compatible with the K2661" - compatible is something different.
I'd propose you read the whole article on the kurzweil site:

http://www.kurzweilmusicsystems.com/html/k2661.html

You are incorrect. The K2661 DOES include all of the features of the K2600. All it is is a 61 key version of the K2600.

Well.... that's not exactly true either. The K2661 is a little bit MORE than just a K2600. It includes ROMs 1 & 2 as part of the Base ROM now (rather than being optional). It also includes ADAT lightpipe connection as standard rather than optional, removing the need for a DMTI. Using this, you can set up a very tightly integrated system with a DAW to do really cool things such as use the K2661 as your master MIDI controller for your DAW, and send the output (8 channels at a time) into the K2661 for processing.

So basically, you can build VAST and KDFX programs around Gigasampler and other softsynth sounds. :twisted: \m/ :twisted: \m/

For a better understanding, look at Geosync's pages:

http://www.geosyncmusic.com/K2661ADAT/K2661ADAT.htm

and also:

http://www.geosyncmusic.com/K2661ADAT/ADATFAQ.htm
maJ estY
10-12-2003, 01:07 PM
OK, sorry!
I just read a bit in the article on the Kurzweil site - and what I got first is that it doesn't have everything of a K2600!
But if it is even more, it's a really great keyboard!!! :shock:
Irish
10-12-2003, 01:16 PM
And it looks really cool, too! It's like the wave of the future, or something.. I wish I could afford to buy a decent synth. =/
maJ estY
10-12-2003, 02:26 PM
By the way: Where do you have this picture from, JackJens?
It looks like the setup from this year's Musikmesse! They also had a 2661 on top of a red PC1x there... If these are the same, I've already played exactly those two babies!!! :o 8)
JackJens
10-12-2003, 04:00 PM
Yeah.......

Probably It's the Musikmesse !!!!!
Sol
10-12-2003, 04:07 PM
My gods, I hate the Expression mate... I haven't used mine since the week I got it. I need to sell that soon...
Kurzweilfreak
10-12-2003, 05:59 PM
Dude, why do you hate your expressionmate? It's one of the coolest products Kurzweil has made. It's ashame they were discontinued, but it's Kurz's fault for not marketting them properly. :-\

IMHO, they should come out with an XM-2, kinda like Korg now has a newer version of their cool Kaoss Pad.
Mr. Make Believe
10-12-2003, 06:24 PM
Ok, THNX Jack for the info and the pics..
And offcourse thnx to the rest of you.

Hey Sol you think of selling your expressionMate??
Just name me your price, I might be interested!!!

I would love to have one.. Then all I need is a 2661
Sol
10-12-2003, 07:41 PM
Dude, why do you hate your expressionmate? It's one of the coolest products Kurzweil has made. It's ashame they were discontinued, but it's Kurz's fault for not marketting them properly. :-\

IMHO, they should come out with an XM-2, kinda like Korg now has a newer version of their cool Kaoss Pad.

I don't know if it's just because I was using it with the keyboard I was using it with, but it was totally useless and redundant for me. In fact, I think it was stifling my polyphony, if that's even possible. Usually when I use my SymphonyOrchestra performance patch, I can do a lot with it, without it sounding stupid... with the XPM hooked up and turned on, I could play about 2 notes at a time, IF THAT. On top of that, my Motif already has an amazing arpegiator. The only benefit would be the ribbon controller for bends and dives... but no, they screwed that up too, because you have to set your boards internal settings to the same range that the ribbon would have. So your pitch bend is the same as the ribbon. And everything "special" I could do with a ribbon, I can just do with either my pitch bend or a lead set to mono.

That's why it was useless for me :?
Over The Edge
10-12-2003, 07:47 PM
That's one thing I wish the ES8 had. Ribbon controllers.


FL
www.franklucas.net
Thiago
10-12-2003, 07:54 PM
and how about the price? , should K2661 price make for only 5 oct. I don't think it will be a much cheaper than the 2600...
:(
:x
:?
:lol:
:)
:o
:D
8)
Over The Edge
10-12-2003, 09:04 PM
It's considerably cheaper.


FL
www.franklucas.net
Kurzweilfreak
10-12-2003, 09:14 PM
In fact, I think it was stifling my polyphony, if that's even possible. Usually when I use my SymphonyOrchestra performance patch, I can do a lot with it, without it sounding stupid... with the XPM hooked up and turned on, I could play about 2 notes at a time, IF THAT.

Sounds like you had a MIDI loop going. If you had the XM-1 connected to both the MIDI IN and OUT of your keyboard without disabling local off, you'd be getting a MIDI loop and for every note you played, you'd actually be playing two: one from the keyboard to the internal sound engine, and one going out the MIDI out, to the XM-1, and back into the MIDI IN on the Motif, to the sound engine. That's where your polyphony problems are coming from.

More likely than not, on that particular patch, each key press is already using up a large amount of polyphony (up to four for a patch times # of patches in the Performance.) If you had a MIDI loop going, each key press was using double that.

I recommend you read through the manual. If you don't have one, you can download one here:

ftp://ftp.youngchang.com/pub/Kurzweil/Pro_Products/Other_Pro_Products/Manuals/EXPMATE.ZIP

As far as the pitch bend, you have to set the DEPTH on the receiving instrument. The XM-1 can only send out MIDI pitchbend messages, but it's up to the receiving instrument what to do with these messages. So yeah, you have to determine the rate on the Motif, nothing else can do that for you.
Spacehog
10-13-2003, 01:28 AM
Currently in the UK (at Turnkey at least, haven't seen one anywhere else) the K2661 is actually £100 more than the K2600... explain that one ;-) It's probably cos it's a new model, and cos Turnkey are a rip-off... but still, seems a bit of totally bizarre pricing there! :)

Martin
maJ estY
10-13-2003, 06:55 AM
I can't use it with my XP-30, can I?
If I could use it, I would buy it!!!
Over The Edge
10-13-2003, 09:32 AM
Spacehog,

That pricing makes absolutely no sense. It's like charging more
money for a BMW over a Rolls Royce Bentley.


FL
www.franklucas.net
Over The Edge
10-13-2003, 09:34 AM
Oh, and Majesty,

You can use Expressionmate with your synth.
Might be kinda long for it though.



FL
www.franklucas.net
maJ estY
10-13-2003, 10:31 AM
Can I really use it with mine? Which input would that be?
Tigerfolly
10-13-2003, 10:35 AM
That's one thing I wish the ES8 had. Ribbon controllers.


FL
www.franklucas.net

Doesn't it have one of those small ribbons under the pitch/mod wheels like the CS6X and the Trinity/Triton?
Kurzweilfreak
10-13-2003, 10:47 AM
Can I really use it with mine? Which input would that be?

You would connect them through MIDI.
maJ estY
10-13-2003, 01:14 PM
Through MIDI?
I simply connect them with MIDI from Expression Mate to Keyboard? And the RExpression Mate wouldn't need anything else? :shock:
Scrap
10-13-2003, 01:27 PM
Sorry folks, I have dibs on Sol's ExpressionMate already. ;) Just waiting on him to send me shipping/billing details. ;)
Over The Edge
10-13-2003, 01:28 PM
Awww man...too slow! :P


FL
www.franklucas.net
maJ estY
10-13-2003, 01:55 PM
Huh? But I said that I'd buy it first... :(
Scrap
10-13-2003, 02:43 PM
Huh? But I said that I'd buy it first... :(

I PM'd him about it right after he posted his message about selling it. :)
Over The Edge
10-13-2003, 03:35 PM
Nice. :D


FL
www.franklucas.net
Sol
10-13-2003, 06:33 PM
Damn! Had I not already promised it to Scrap, I could've made an ebay auction for it.... oh well :twisted:
Over The Edge
10-13-2003, 11:22 PM
Hey Sol,


On an unrelated topic...how do you save your songs and patterns?
Do you need a smart card to do it or can you store on board?
When you turn the power off are your songs saved?


FL
www.franklucas.net
Sol
10-13-2003, 11:29 PM
They're stored in RAM until you turn off the board. However, my 64mb SM card has all of mine nicely stored. Speaking of which, I was gonna go through and organize it tonight... but yeah. Smart media card storage. No permanent "built-in" storage.
maJ estY
10-14-2003, 04:34 AM
Aww :(
Over The Edge
10-14-2003, 11:39 AM
Sol,

I had a conversation with Mike Martin of Yamaha regarding seek times
for external USB drives. I forgot to ask about 64MB and 128MB
smart media cards.

Do you have your 64MB filled up. If so, about how long does it take
to load your Voices, Perfs, Seq's and Samples? Is it pretty fast?


FL
www.franklucas.net
Sol
10-14-2003, 03:18 PM
Umm... to load an "All" file (user voice bank, all performances, all songs, all patterns, samples, and Master settings), it takes about... jeez, this is probably inaccurate, but a few minutes, 3-4 I think. Don't quote me on that. I'll save everything I have done right now to my card, restore factory defaults, and load it all up again, and see how long it takes. I'll get back to you on that :)