Kawai K5000 Rack *Advanced Additive Synthesizer*

[palladinopaul]

I just bought one of these because of this awesome demo. Thanks!

[kolossaeis]

666laughingtarget I don't listen to the radio, I just know in which decade I am and I simply hate it! And I agree with you my friend.

[hongdekong]

@retrosound72 so a rackmount synth is just a synth but you have to use a midi controller to play it?

[666laughingtarget]

@hongdekong yes. one controls the other. just use midi out to midi in. then it's master and slave. the notes you touch will be told to the slave and it will act concordantly.

[locomotifx]

Additive synthesis - bit of a tautology, of course, but such a refreshing difference from the Moog VCA-VCF-VCA configuration. It took 30 years for analog synths to be exploited for what they could really do - stuff like this was overlooked, I feel.

[retrotape99]

warm sound.. kawai is the oldest and best

[rail0r]

This sounds really nice

[ChemicalComedown]

Great sound !!!

How much do these units go for ?

[Ciaran55]

what does additive synthesis do exactly? I'm aware of subtractrive synthesis; how do the two compare?

Which types would be good at doing what?

[abscrete]

@Ciaran55 additive is based on the fact that any sound could be achieved by adding partials and harmonics, any sound you hear are composed by a number of partials this means a single sound is in fact a mix of many single sounds if you want to see it like that so basicly additive use sine waves wich is the purest wave form so if you stack many sine waves with different volume and pitch each you can create complex and virtually any sound you imagine.....

[abscrete]

now to create an intresting sound could need a massive number of sinewaves thats why substractive came to play substractive is basicly the oposite but is intended to achieve the same result in substractive you can choose from waveforms wich alredy have complex partials lets say a sawthoot or square waves or fm so you very quick end up with alot of harmonics and partials so now you use filters to eliminate the partials you dont want so basicly is the oposite aproach but same result mostly.

[Ciaran55]

@abscrete thanks! Additive synthesis sounds like a lengthy process

[abscrete]

@Ciaran55 you are welcome well yeah i would think about it as a bit more puristic way of making sounds it is always nice to have options the drawback in additive is the amount of sines you need and the amount of sines available in the hardware i think in software is a whole new story we dont have that problem in digital domain additive is the main trick behind fourier analisis and resynthesis and other stuff so is worthy to check it out :)

[albedoshader]

@abscrete: The most obvious drawback is that you don't get non-harmonic partials in the case of the Kawai synths.

But this limitation also gives additive synthesis it's distinct character.

Listen to Ian Hammer's songs, like the Miami Vice TV show soundtrack.

To overcome this problem you can add inharmonic samples or noise to the sounds of the K5000 synths.

You could make non-harmonic resynthesis if you could define each sine frequency. Computer programs do that, like Spear do that.

[albedoshader]

@albedoshader: Oops, that's a double "do that" ;) Sorry.

[kolossaeis]

It's a pity. We have all the technology we want today and we don't have soul in music any more...

[maccagrabme]

I think that music is lacking soul because its easier to make music and people get lazy with cliches and presets also we have the likes of Simon Cowell teaching youngsters that anyone can sing. I also think that because there is far more music coming out its harder to hear the better stuff.

[abscrete]

@maccagrabme I agree and also people just get lock into sound and not in composition so many people is making nice sounds but lacks music knowledge it doesnt need to be apealing for everyone but at least they should have a musical idea behind of what they are trying to do and yes now everyone can make music at home and that lead to 2 situations there is now lots of crap music from people who thinks that just tweeking garage band they are musicians and ...

[abscrete]

the other is that people who are really talented but didnt have the chance before now they can easily have a home studio and they are making good stuff but the bad music is of course more in front of all this also pop music alredy is a boring waste of time there is no art or music anymore just money at the end of the day people get screw because there is always the same boring music on the radio and media music is a bussines and not art for them....ugly

[fleskebille]

@abscrete The money is spent on artists they think people want. People like "bad" music, which means it's not bad to them. If they want to listen to that crap, fine. I don't have to, and i don't, and i don't want to force anyone to listen to the things i like. Hopefully the music industry is dying as we know it. And death to intellectual property!

[abscrete]

@fleskebille I know i try to do the same to listen what i like and not get pissed by what people like to hear as composer i do the same i just do what i like and people who likes my work are welcome to listen to it and for people who doesnt like it there is plenty of pop or what ever the spend their time listen to :) but is such pitty people are kind of sleeping in a very cheap dream real culture is vanishing there are just products now not art.

[PrivateBuckwheat]

@maccagrabme Isn't Simon Cowell the one who tells everyone that they have horrible voices?

[grimisstacks]

it's because not everybody should make music but everybody thinks they can and they have the worst taste

[666laughingtarget]

@kolossaeis stop listening to the radio. it's out there but not pushed in your face. al jourgensen said something smart. he said back then when they didn't have instruments that could sound like anything you could want. the bands were very different. but now everyone wants to sound the same. though they have the tools to do anything. i think it's the general attitude of then being different and an individual. now it's being popular and accepted. also live music isn't as popular. sad really.

[MrProdipe]

i have Omnisphere and i have Kawai K5000S(keyboard),and believe me,it's not the same thing!!!! Kawai is very best,very nice,very strong,very and very and very........i love my Kawai K5000S......

[maccagrabme]

Its very nice but I'd say that software like Omnisphere is easily as good but for its time this sounds good.

[Frequenzial]

holy kawaii ..

[pmgodfrey]

I have one of these that my brother gave me along with 30 other synths, most of them rack modules - haven't played with it much...but it sounds like it's going to be a nice piece of equipment to work with.

Thanks for posting!

[PROJECTamateur]

@pmgodfrey : Do you sell any of this stuff?

[pmgodfrey]

- @PROJECTamateur -

Unfortunately not. Should he want them back at a later date I'd like to have them available.

I'd rather see him sell all of them -- he could use the money, but he doesn't want to...I suppose hes more of a gear whore than anything.

If you append this to the end of your URL

watch?v=BUelhQ5eGYY

you can hear one of the many songs hes written. My nephew posted one of his songs.

I plan on posting the entire CD soon...I don't think he'll mind.

[pierstheoneandonly]

Nice glassy, bells and glassy organs/pads. Inhabits some of the territory of the Yam FM synths, but the DX's seem to exhibit more balls and own other territory as well. Haven't heard a Vangelis lead brass out of one of these yet.

[nuggie9511]

AMAZING what a classic I want one now!!

[louxien]

incredible!-an ecstasy for sinth programmers

[ux256]

hi R-S ....fantastic machine i want it!

[MeuronDB]

This thing could write a good film score.  It just has that sound that would fit well with a science fiction movie. : )

[ossilation]

Or a nature documentary.

[MeuronDB]

agreed

[genxtargetmarket]

I've got an "S" series. These are great synths and the keyboards are really nice as well. Very unique.

[Synthmusician]

I have a K5000S in the studio and would never get rid of it. Kawai was just to far ahead of the curve when this unit came out. It is and was one of the best synthesizes produced. Kawai sadly gave up on the professional synth market to soon. So if you have one hold on to it. If you really want to fatten it up run it through a tubessence preamp!

[Craigc93]

4:35 sounds like an old 80s science video i watched at school lol

[depechetosco]

nice demo.

Fat and warm pads.

[CkyGuy69]

badass shit bro

[Bartnick81]

incredible sounds

[Sensenwerk]

Nice demo.

The first three notes remind me of a protoss track from starcraft.

I am currently trading my DSI Mono Evolver Rack for a K5000. Really looking forward to this complex synthesis. And I really missed polyphony.

[retrosound72]

thank you (:

[mamonu72]

as usual nice work.

im getting one (k5000s) partly because of the combination of a good price and your demo.

Yous should stop making these demos your making me skint :)

[retrosound72]

cool :)

thanks

[KR34KX]

AMAZING !!!!, all the songs is perfect : the bells, the bass, the leads, the strings O_O, the effects too, this is the perfect synth !!!!!, and MIDI O_O, if i find this synth rack i buy it directly !!!!

Thx a lot one time again retrosound, your collection is really incredible !!!!! ^-^

[retrosound72]

thx a lot :)

[ElasticMinds]

man, this makes me want to dig into my digital synths. hearing this demo reminds me why I have such a love affair with vintage digital synths, or not so vintage. I like digital as much as analog. My studio is split in the middle between analog and digital. I try to keep it down to just the essentials.

[retrosound72]

yes,

not all digital synths are bad and all analog synths are good

the k5k is the perfect addition to analog gear

[FLEETDARKSTAR]

I have an older kawai K-5 multi dimentional synth(NO ARP) is there a way to add an Arpeggiator?, what sofware is best, thank's brother.

[retrosound72]

hardware stand-alone arpeggiator: Oberheim Cyclone, Waldorf Gecko, MAM MAP-1, Akai Arpeggiator

software: ARP-X8

[eddiefa]

Amazing sound...definetely on my wish list...

Tnx retrosound!

[retrosound72]

thank you

[Plasmobe]

I had gotten the 5000S, the keyboard version. I have Soundiver on my old mac OS8 system which has an editor for this. Definitely got to get into messing with parameters again and see what happens.

[retrosound72]

yes... the k5000 is only for hardcore synth freaks ;-)

[puggo]

sold mine last summer :(

thx as always retrosound!

[retrosound72]

This is sadly. ):

thanks

[thekilon]

If i heard one more time how digital something sound I will explode. Wake up people , analogue , fat , warm sounds have been done to the death. It may sound excellent but it is boring.

The whole purpose of additive is to bring soemthing unique in your sounds. There is no way the synth will sound thin , "digital" or whatever nonsense word you sue if you invest the time.

Additive can be the surgical knife of sound synthesis, if it used rigth can achieve sound quality no other synth can reach.

[retrosound72]

I agree with you. Digital sounds are also good as analogue but different. She are a good addition of the analogue sounds and I will my digital synths never missed.

[thekilon]

by the way , thank you for taking the time posting all these videos . Your effort are very appreciated. After watching your videos I was convinced to buy a used K5m.

It costed me 100 euros. A ridiculous price for such a monstrous synth. I had not the oprtunity to get my hand dirty with it but today after work I am planing to go home and make a very good sound effect with it from scratch.

Thank you for inspiring me.

[retrosound72]

cool!

thanks for the nice feedback :)

[Paardekut]

Definitely an underrated synth, but it sounds a bit too digital. Probably one of the best bargains out there. They pop up quite frequently on eBay. Fun to play with for a while, but it might bore soon as all sounds are very much alike.

Sorry Retrosound, I have to give this one a miss. Keep up the good work.

[retrosound72]

thanks for your comment

[analoggeek]

i have to say that this is a programmers synth. the factory presets and ones found on the web suck. if your into playing presets then the k5000 is not for you. i absolutely love this board! great job RetroSound. ;)

[Plasmobe]

Bought one when they were being blown out. I paid $300 for it, brand spanking new. Great synth!

[furyplum44]

cheers for the video! Once again!!!

[retrosound72]

thanks a lot :)

[lavakava]

kawai and casio had so much potential like the other big 3 - yamaha/korg/roland. unfortunately, most of the useless market wants romplers instead of real synths and thats why these companies died when it comes to professional synths.

[retrosound72]

absolutly!

[zinoff]

additive synthesis is totally underrated

[retrosound72]

additive synthesis and the K5000!

thanks :)

[Lachlant1984]

When were these units made?

[retrosound72]

1995

[wendlinka]

like a trip to different worlds:) great demo!

[retrosound72]

thank you (:

[KosmynC64]

No comment,just... oh my ... wonde...

[retrosound72]

;-)

[footinmouthindustrys]

it has good bass

[maupivetz]

amazing sound texture!

great demo as usual!

what about a kurzweil k2000 demo?

[retrosound72]

thank you :)

...the K2000 is a great synth but I have none..