Kurzweil 2000 VP

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The Kurzweil 2000 VP kicked off much of the inspiration for Monotude, my first new album of recordings in 20 years. It fell into my hands, literally, at the start of the new millenium, and gestated for a while in my storage units before finally pushing itself forward and making demands for my attention.

Having been introduced to the use of analog oscillators in the mid-70s with my first, a Roland SH-1000, and having also owned the Yamaha pre-cursor to the DX-7, a CE-20, I have seen first hand and familiarized myself with the advances in synthesis technology over the years. From analog, through digital control and sampled wave forms, (including the Fairlight CMI which was put to use on one of my Future MC’s rap records in 1984), to additive and hybrid techniques. All have their unique traits and admirable characteristics.

However, the Kurzweil gave me micro-control over so many disparate elements such as tuning, frequency and combinant forms. It wasn’t like the synths I had worked with previously, and went far beyond the limitations of Yamaha’s frequency mod approach. It was nice to see that a single synth could accomplish what I used to have to string together through layers of tracks then through use of MIDI as it came about.

Of course, all of this happened when I stepped away from electronic music in the 90s to concentrate on other forms of technology. So it was really refreshing to open up the box, and be wonderfully overwhelmed at just how far music technology had advanced.

Some of the sounds you will hear on Monotude are standard Kurzweil sounds. Only minor adjustments were needed to take advantage of its wonderful piano and string constructions. Others were built off existing presets as start points that twisted and turned into completely unrecognizable step-children. Overall, the Kurzweil blended rather harmoniously with whatever I threw at it, including software virtual synths. It became my main MIDI controller as well for some rack mount modules that weren’t nearly as much fun to program. My great wish at the end of the project is that I had an additional unit with full range and weighted keys. Perhaps next time around.