MIDI COmpanion (formerly Kurzweil Companion)
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The Kurzweil/MIDI Companion is your connection between your Macintosh and your K2500/K2600. The MIDI/Kurzweil Companion reproduces your K2500/K2600 front panel on your Mac (either 68K or PowerMac), allowing you to click all the buttons and spin all the dials without ever having to touch the front of your K2500. It also includes a ribbon controller, an X-Y controller, and a list of Objects (programs, songs, etc.) that are installed on your K2500/K2600! Save wear and tear on your buttons, rename programs from your computer keyboard, navigate lists of songs, or programs with your mouse. Easy and fast, you won't know how you lived without it.Go here! Check out the user documentation. |
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NOTE: 
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No, there will never be a Windows version of the Companion. Macintoshes are available at Apple.com.
Note: I've taken my mirrored versions of the K2500 OS's down from this site. Young Chang/Kurzweils' web site has been improved both in look and feel and in reliability, I don't feel a need to carry the OS's here any more.
Please go to the Kurzweil dowload page to get the latest OS's.
K2500 Samples, tutorials and programs
A whole bunch of stuff. Click here to go to the directory, or keep scrolling to see a list with descriptions!
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Tutorials |
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krapmatter (DOS) file |
Kurz Native |
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KDFX Sample Song I got my KDFX. I wanted to write a song that used it. I did. Along the way I took notes to share, here is a HTML file that contains the steps to use KDFX in a SONG, creating an effects controlling track to drive effects easily and cleanly. Enjoy! Download the song at right, and read the tutorial linked above. |
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32 Tracks of Music!The K2500 Sequencer is a real 32 track beast. But getting to all those 32 tracks can seem difficult or impossible. Here is a sample SONG and a tutorial file that will show you quickly and easily how to get 32 tracks out of your K2500. Read the Tutorial online.
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Reviews! |
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KDFX Sound Impressions OK, so that's how I use it, how does it sound? Blake Stone gives a very thorough sound review of KDFX on this page. |
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My Impressions of KDFX |
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PowerTools CD my review |
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Secret Techniques! |
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Pseudo-Vocoding From Carl Schroder: Hey everybody, who said this thing can't vocode? Ok so it's not real vocoding. But I have made a series of vocoder-like effects using the amp mod family of DSPs. The idea is to modulate your sample with a sine in the amp mods (I used algs 17, 18, 21), using the leftover DSPs to suggest formants based on their frequency strengths (LOPASS for low, SHAPERS for mid, HIPASS for high...). |
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Multiple Velocity-Switching Keymaps from Kurzweil. Switch layers and keymaps based on key velocity! VELKEY.KRZ contains five different Keymaps, with 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8 levels of velocity switching. SNR8.KRZ contains an example file of a snare with 8 different velocity switching samples. |
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Samples |
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Anvil The K2500 doesn't have an anvil hit. My KS-32 does. Now my K2500 does. This is a good heavy-metal hit, not like the lighter "plinks". |
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Kalimba African thumb piano. Nice tined instrument, mod wheel adds tremelo like wiggling your fingers in the voicing hole on the Kalimba. I bought this Kalimba in Illinois in 1978, by the way. |
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Kiss This is a synth-like "twwwwwwweeeeeeeeepppppppp" with tons of overtones and harmonics that is really a wonderful thing. I usually use it between G3 and C5 for the best sharp impact, but playing it down at G1-G2 has some really killer sound too. |
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Korg770 This is a set of three samples and appropriate programs and keymaps that samples some of the essense of the Korg 770 analoge synth.This is a 1977 vintage synth (the first I owned outright, I couldn't afford a MiniMoog, only US$700). The 770 was the first Korg synth that did not require patch cords, has actual switches and knobs on the front. Basic single-voice (though it had a second osc. for ring modulation) buzzy mid-70s machine. There are three samples and programs in here, the controls for each are the same so I'll hit those first: Slider A (if configured for "data") High pass filter. Slider B (if configured for "control B") Low pass filter Mod wheel LFO speed.The first patch is the basic 770 sound, a simple triangle wave. Sounds nice. Second is the bass-ier sound, use the low end of the keyboard for best results. Third is a bell-like thing, kinda nice.The two sliders perfectly mimic the traveller on the front panel. Normal setting was with the high all the way to the right and lo all the way to the left, on the K2500 that become up and down. For the bass sound, you will get a fatter, really rich, bass if you leave A all the way up and have B about 1/4 of the way from the bottom |
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Voices The ROM voices (I mean human-type voices) on the K2500 don't thrill me, but the ones on my ensoniq KS-32 do. This file contains 5 sampled sylables (you spell it) from my KS-32,ohhh,uhhh, unnnn,ahhh,teh that sound pretty good, very crisp and short and expressive. There are also keymaps and programs for each sound allowing play across the keys, as well as one "master" program including all of them, each one occuping one octave. |
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Guns Two guns being cocked (armed). The first is a Tarus .357 revolver, the second is a Beretta FS92 9mm. Having both a revolver and a semi-auto should fill your arming needs. Even if you don't need a gun cocking sound, check these out for your metallic needs. The 9mm in particular has a lot of nice clicks-snaps-clanks in it, split it up into even smaller chunks for your metal hit needs. Try it two octaves below middle C and it sounds like a spooky vault door opening. Hey, I just realized that the name of this file will probably get this page blocked by NetNanny.... | |||
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Kalava Drums From our friend <vex>, here are some Drums. Here's his take.... This is a collection of good dirty, grungy, low-fi drum samples Each zip file containing a kit comprised of about 10-30 wave sounds each. mainly used for toolkits to use for building drumkits with DSP blocks for killer abrasive percussion, beats, and loops.These kits have everything...kicks, snares, percussion, hihats, etc. I DID NOT sample these drum sounds contained in the zip files. I simply found these from a link posted a long time ago and grabbed them. Dont know if the URL still exists. anyways...........enjoy:) <vex>
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ChaosFun from <vex> A small set of experimental, dark ,edgy, sounds for the K2000/K2500. Heavy use of DSP and FUN modulation sources were used to create a more "natural" "organic" feel to the sounds. Minimal use of layering and external control modulation were intentional to show the complex modulation capabilities when using FUN's. These sounds were programmed on a K2500RS and should be backwards compatible with all K2000 systems. All backwards compatibility issues have been checked. (effect ID's, keymap ID's, and drum keymaps) for problems or questions send email to: vex23@gte.net | |||
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Documentation and general utilities |
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PC Exchange If you are a Mac user, you can easily move files between your K2500 hard drive, floppies, or K2500 format CDs (or any DOS disks) with the PC Exchange control panel. However, the version shipped in Mac OS 8.1 lost some ability to do so. Here is the previous version to use instead. NOTE: You do NOT need this version with system 8.5! Only 8.1 |
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PowerTools directory Powertools is a excellent CD from Kurzweil containing tons and tons of programs, samples, OS versions, and other things. Here is a directory listing of the CD so you can browse before you buy. |
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K2500 base ROM Programs I've included a few versions of the K2500 program listing here, please pick the one that best suits your needs . K25progt.zip The program list in tab-delimited text file, ZIP compressed. K25progx.zip- The program list in Excel spreadsheet file, ZIP compressed. K25PrgTxt.cpt.hqx-The program list in tab-delimited text file,Compactor compressed and BinHexed. K25PrgCW.cpt.hqx. The program list in ClarisWorks spreadsheet file,Compactor compressed and BinHexed. |
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Interested in hearing what a K2500 in use sounds like? Interested in hearing how a K2500 can be your total ensemble? Interested in supporting this page and all the samples and utilities created at Ravenware? The latest release from C.K. Haun and Ravenware is "Postcards from the Undermind", composed, performed, sequenced, mixed, and mastered to DAT all on the K2500. You can obtain this CD for FREE by emalling your postal address to music.
Please also visit our Music page for the latest, hottest tracks!
Need More? Go to Sonik, the best resource on the Web for everything Kurzweil related.
Submissions? Please email them to K25Sub@ravenware.com or drop them in the Ravenware FTP in box. No copyright material unless you own the copyright and provide explicit release permission.
Back to the RavenWare homepage
page last updated: 22 April 2006 ckh
All site contents copyright © 1996-2006 Ravenware Industries, all rights reserved except where otherwise indicated. Note that this page retains the grey/chunky interface of the 1995 Web. That's on purpose, it's a museaum, bucky!
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