The Kawai K5000 is a series of digital synthesizers / music workstation

Music workstation

A music workstation is an electronic musical instrument providing the facilities of:*a sound module,*a music sequencer and* a musical keyboard.It enables a musician to compose electronic music using just one piece of equipment.-History:...

 manufactured by Kawai Musical Instruments of Japan.

History

The first of the series was the K5000W keyboard workstation introduced in 1996. Soon afterwards the K5000S was introduced, followed its rackmounted sibling the K5000R. In Japan, Kawai stopped production of all models of the K5000 by the summer of 1999, although they were officially discontinued months earlier in other parts of the world. The K5000 is credited as one of the few commercial synthesizers to use additive synthesis

Additive synthesis

Additive synthesis is a technique of sound synthesis that creates musical timbre by explicitly adding sinusoidal overtones together.The timbre of an instrument is composed of multiple harmonic or inharmonic partials , of different frequencies and amplitudes, that change over time...

. Even today this technology is mostly found in software synthesizers. It was Kawai's second attempt at additive synthesis

Additive synthesis

Additive synthesis is a technique of sound synthesis that creates musical timbre by explicitly adding sinusoidal overtones together.The timbre of an instrument is composed of multiple harmonic or inharmonic partials , of different frequencies and amplitudes, that change over time...

. The first was the Kawai K5 nearly ten years earlier.

Synthesis

A K5000 sound is composed of up to six different layers, each of which could use the "advanced additive" synthesis engine or perform fairly standard subtractive synthesis using the internal PCM sound bank. Each source that used additive synthesis could use up to 64 harmonics per source (tuned in a harmonic series, each with their own amplitude envelope) and had its own formant filter that could be modulated by an LFO or its own envelope. The standard digital filter, available with both additive and subtractive synthesis, is known for its rather extreme self-oscillation at higher resonance settings. Another useful feature is that most functions of the synthesizer can be tied to velocity, location of a note on the keyboard, and MIDI controllers, allowing for timbral variation in response to player dynamics.

Models

The K5000W and the K5000S both have the same semi-weighted 61-key keyboard. There are pitch and assignable modulation wheels. The keys are velocity sensitive with aftertouch that can be programed to control various parameters.

Kawai K5000W.
The K5000W was intended as a songwriting workstation. Its Compose Mode includes a 40-track MIDI sequencer, Automatic Phrase Generator (APG, an auto-arranger type function) and has two supplemental sound banks not available to the K5000S/K5000R: BBank and GM (General MIDI

General MIDI

General MIDI or GM is a standardized specification for music synthesizers that respond to MIDI messages. GM was developed by the MIDI Manufacturers Association and the Japan MIDI Standards Committee and first published in 1991...

), which both feature Sample-based sounds and 12dB/Oct High- and Low-Pass Resonant filters as compared to the Additive (ADD) bank's 24dB/Oct High- and Low-Pass resonant filters.

Kawai K5000S
The K5000S was intended for live performance and it includes sixteen realtime control knobs (four of them assignable), a programmable arpeggiator, two assignable front panel buttons, a damper and (assignable) expression pedal, and two assignable foot switches.

Kawai K5000R
The K5000R has the same functionality as the K5000S, but is controlled via MIDI.

Sounds and Reputation

Most people who use the K5000 know it for its ability to create strange pads and evolving soundscapes not unlike the Korg Wavestation

Korg Wavestation

The Korg Wavestation is a vector synthesis synthesizer first produced in the early 1990s and later re-released as a software synthesizer in 2004. Its primary innovation was Wave Sequencing, a method of multi-timbral sound generation in which different PCM waveform data are played successively,...

. Some argue that the K5000 is cold and digital as others say it is warm and organic. This is heavily dependent on how the programmer balances the additive and pcm waveforms. It is also known for being very difficult to program. The manual is poorly written but there is an aftermarket book called Wizoo Guide Kawai K5000 that can be used as a comprehensive substitute. The book is discontinued but can be found in pdf format on the web.

External links

Audio Demos

K5000W Specs

K5000S Specs

K5000 S/r info, sounds and manual