Synth-Tek's K2600 Intermediate CD

October 2, 2002

Introduction:

Synth-Tek is a company dedicated to create computer-based tutorials for electronic music products. They have developed a group of CD-ROMs for Macs and PCs that help explain the intricacies of Kurzweil music keyboards. They have also prepared a CD that explains the details of the digital home studio. Well known are the Kurzweil K2500 and K2600 Beginner CD-ROMs. Kurzweil Music Systems previously provided video tutorials with their flagship keyboards, but for those who purchased the K2600, these videos have been substituted by the interactive Synth-Tek K2600 Beginner CD.

Synth-Tek has now gone beyond the scope of the beginner tutorial by creating the K2500 and K2600 Intermediate CDs. Production of the third and fourth in the series, the Advanced CD and the VAST CD respectively, are in the works. Their motto, "keep it simple" should give you a clue of what their goal is.

Overview:

This interactive manual takes the user deep into the dark 'caves' of the Kurzweil synthesizer. It is comprised of 95 new tutorials which lead you through different chambers -- from the basic understanding of analog sampling, to quantizing as you go, to remapping controllers on a track. The clarity of the graphics and narration is superb, helping the biggest of neophytes to follow each tutorial while they plug along on their keyboards. Unless you are well versed, you will be using the on-screen pause button a lot to follow many of the steps.

Figure 1 - A well organized index of topics to select from is presented in Linear Mode.

One of the biggest achievements in this Kurzweil 'cave' system is the ability for the user to choose different paths along the way. Not only does the tutorial lead from the simplest of concepts to the more complex chambers, it also enables you to choose the next path, and on many occasions will suggest that there are other tutorials you may have not considered and will either give you the option to go back or continue on your exploratory endeavor. It will occasionally revert to tutorials included in the Beginner CD or in the soon to be available Advanced CD.

As we all know, the Kurzweil keyboard may be daunting at first because it is a programmable beast full of hidden tweakable parameters. This CD may ease some of the 'anguish' you may feel when you power it up and think, "what do I do now?" Remember that this interactive manual is a tool -- do not expect it to explain everything there is to know. The software is designed to show you the basics of Kurzweil at an intermediate level as it guides you by suggesting several parameter changes to assist you in your programming. However, it is possible to reach your desired level of programmability bliss with this CD, dedication and prior knowledge in the matter.

The Intermediate CD, loaded with hours of information, could possibly be the next best thing to having a personal tutor at home -- without the costs incurred in hiring someone. Even though it is not the scope of this review to talk about all 95 tutorials I will mention a few which will very likely pique your curiosity.

Tutorials:

If you are wondering which tutorials are included in the Intermediate CD-Rom, there is a large list on the Synth-Tek web site and a complete list at the end of this review. There are a few that I think you might find very useful:

• Importing From…
  "How do I import those Akai (S1000 and S3000), Ensoniq (EPS, EPS 16+, and ASR10) and Roland 700 series sample files I have lying around?" That is a topic I am sure has run through everyone's mind at least once or twice. The tutorial walks you easily through the hierarchy, selection and loading of sample files for each of the formats. Just remember that not all of the program data will be preserved when imported, therefore effects, modulation, controller assignments, etc. will have to be assigned post-import.

• Recording 32 Tracks
  Recording a 32-track sequence on the Kurzweil will be a breeze when you follow this specific tutorial. Granted it will not write your latest hit for you but it will walk you through the creation of two 16-track songs and will explain the different parameters to be used in your sequence.

• Chaining Songs
  Remember how the Kurzweil can only hold up to 64Kb per song? One of the tutorials in this CD explains how to chain portions of a song larger than 64Kb together seamlessly through the use of the Chain-to parameter. Yet another tutorial gives us an in-depth view of how the chaining of several song objects will facilitate the playback of these songs consecutively.

• Intro to Control Sources
  For those of you who are ready to jump into programming, the Introduction to Control Sources tutorial is a very good tutorial which effectively focuses on programming and the use of different sources for pitch and function modification controls.
  
  

Figure 2 - All the tutorials use screen images and explanatory texts to facilitate comprehension.

Visuals and Audio

This is probably the second most important feature of the CD after the quantity of information provided. The inclusion of different Kurzweil screens in every step of the tutorials, the blending of images in addition to the use of graphics, arrows, and almost always correct wording enhances the functionality of this CD. The male voice is appropriate and lively but if you are going to go through a series of sessions you might get a bit tired after a while. A combination of male-female voices explaining different sections within the same tutorial would be of great help to our ears.

Pros:

The depiction and careful planning used in each tutorial helps lay the foundation for the following section. Each tutorial exposes basic concepts clearly and follows step by step instructions, walking the user through each parameter while suggesting specific changes on each screen. These tutorials are professionally narrated and graphically explained with simplicity.

The quantity of information supplied by the Synth-Tek Intermediate CD and the amount of visual information and knowledge included in it is truly amazing, and is without a doubt the most you will find compiled out there for this specific keyboard.

Even though the original price was very reasonable, at the time of this review these prices have been reduced drastically.

Almost all of the tutorials are intermediate level and all of them are enjoyable and easy to follow.

Another strength is the included list of general midi and Kurzweil proprietary controller numbers and descriptions found in the CD sleeve.

Figure 3 – When selecting tutorials, the program may suggest that you review other materials before continuing, ...nice.

Cons:

These cons are for the most part cosmetic in nature and should not discourage anyone from looking into the product itself. That said, I found some wording to be erroneously typed. In a fine professional product such as this a spellchecker would have been appropriate.

I also found the loading time on my computer of the Intermediate CD to be approximately four to five times slower than the Synth-Tek Beginner CD (using a 450 Mhz Pentium III, Win 98, 512 Mb RAM, 24x CDRom reader). This speed issue is known by Synth-Tek and should not be a problem with faster computers.

This may be subject to interpretation but some of the intermediate tutorials - for example "auditioning samples from disk", "stealer display" - would have fit very nicely in the Beginner CD.

The use of stock K2600 sounds to demonstrate actual parameter changes would have been a big plus.

This CD contains a large number of intermediate tutorials (95 tutorials), but not as many as the Beginner CD (105 tutorials). The quality of the intermediate tutorials is, however, superb and comparable to the Beginner CD. I would have expected to see at least as many tutorials in this one as in the previous one but I am sure many more will be addressed in the Advanced CD.

I was a bit disappointed with the FAQ and Troubleshooting sections. I expected the FAQ to be packed with answers. However, the number of questions was approximately one third of those found in the Beginner CD. I believe they should contain more specific information, but to be fair it should be noted that probably not many people have reached the intermediate level to get to ask those questions in the first place. This is the main reason this CD has been created -- to take the Kurzweil user to that level.

Some minor discrepancies between narration-text and text-image such as the counterclockwise-clockwise reference in the "sampling option" tutorial were noted, but none that would completely confuse anyone.

Figure 4 – A graphical explanation on quantizing for the K2600.

Conclusion

Regardless of the mostly cosmetic cons of this electronic manual which do not take away from the clear, concise and superb information provided, this is a must have CD for all Kurzweilers. The price on these CDs has dropped dramatically from $99.00 to $69.00 at the time of this review so there should absolutely be no excuse for having a copy of the Beginner and Intermediate CDs next to your synth.

Lets hope that Synth-Tek keep up the good work, work on minor tweaks, maintain the high level of information and imagery and provide us with the Advanced and VAST tutorials in the near future.