Kurzweil K2000 - MUSICIANS GUIDE Musician's Manual page 307

The digital meters at the lower right of the display give a good indication of your sample level.
When you send a signal from your sample source, you should see the meters respond.
Src (Rack models only)
The K2vxR and K2vxRS have an additional parameter related to input: Src. The possible values
for the Src parameter are Internal(Int) or External (Ext). Choose a value of Ext when you want
to sample the signal from an external source thatÕs connected to one of the K2vxÕs sampling
inputs. Use a value of Int if you want to sample the K2vxÕs own output. (This can be done on
the keyboard models of the K2vx by selecting Analog input and removing any cable connected
to the analog sampling input). For sampling the K2vxÕs own output, the Monitor parameter
must be Off to prevent signal attenuation.
Gain
The meters are calibrated in -dB units. A level of 0 dB indicates the maximum signal without
clipping. The sample will be free of clipping as long as the meter levels donÕt exceed 0 dB. For
optimum results, you should adjust the K2vxÕs Gain parameter (or the gain from your sample
source) so that the signal stays below 0 dB. Otherwise, the signal will be clipped, causing the
loss of sample data, and usually resulting in audible distortion of the resulting sample. A few
clips (fewer than 100) may not cause any appreciable distortion. YouÕll get the best signal-to-
noise ratio with meter levels as close to 0 dB as possible, although youÕll Þnd that samples with
maximum meter readings as low as -12 dB can sound remarkably noise-free.
The relatively slow LCD output of the meter levels cannot show every peak in the incoming
signal, therefore, you wonÕt necessarily see every transient in every sample you take. You will
be able to see any transient that is clipped, however, since whenever a clip occurs, the K2vx will
display the word ÒCLIPÓ above the meters, and will ßash the Master mode LED. It will also
give you the number of clips in each sample before you save it.
The meters are inoperative during actual sampling, so make a few tests of your levels before
you begin to record.
Rate
After youÕve set your levels, you need to select the sample rate. You have four rates to choose
from. The trade-offs that determine your best sampling rate are frequency response and storage
requirements. Higher sample rates will capture more frequency content from your samples, but
will take up more memory. Lower rates give you more sample time, but donÕt give the same
frequency response as higher rates. Rates of 29.4 or 32 KHz will yield a ßat response up to
about 14 and 15 KHz, respectively. 44.1 and 48 KHz yield a ßat response up to 20 KHz, which is
the upper limit of audibility for most humans. The lower rates may be adequate for most
sounds, since many sounds have little content above 15 KHz. Sounds with a great deal of high-
frequency content, such as cymbals, should probably be sampled at the higher rates. You can
save memory by using lower sample rates for sounds without much high-frequency contentÑ
acoustic or electric bass, for example.
Another consideration in selecting sample rate is the K2vxÕs transposition range during sample
playback. The K2vx transposes samples by changing the sample playback rate; the higher the
playback rate, the higher the pitch of the sample. The K2vx can achieve a maximum sample
playback rate of 96 KHz. A sample made at 48 KHz can be transposed up only one octave, since
the playback rate doubles for every octave of upward transposition. A sample made at 29.4
KHz can be transposed up approximately 21 semitones (an octave and a sixth). There is no limit
on downward transposition, regardless of the sample rate.
Each portion of a sample (each individual sample element made by the K2vx during the
sampling process) takes up two bytes of sample memory. A one-second stereo sample at 48
Sampling and Sample Editing
Setting Up For Sampling
15-3