Kurzweil PC1XREVIEW Overview

Korg D1600 Korg D1600
Kurzweil PC1X
S T A G E P I A N O
Two of four
programmable buttons.
Tweak sound and
FX parameters in
real time with these,
including the
great-sounding
3-band EQ.
In Setup mode,
these select and
mute zones. In
Program mode,
they do quick
splits and layers.
b y S t e p h e n F o r t n e r
I n a typical two-tier gig rig, the bottom
keyboard is weighted and covers
piano and meat-and-potatoes sounds,
leaving the smaller top keyboard to
deal with synth comps and leads,
orchestral stuff, and other timbres
for which I won't attempt a food metaphor. For
gigs where budget, space, or cartage issues
58
K E Y B O A R D M A R C H 2 0 0 4
Reports
Reports
Kurzweil's signature
incremental dial.
make bringing just one axe attractive, it's
nice to have a "bottom" board that can do
some "toppish" things well. This is one reason
Kurzweil's PC2X has long been a respected
stage workhorse. Now comes the PC1X,
essentially a streamlined PC2X at a more
aggressive price. Does it belong on a tier of your
keyboard stand?
w w w. k e y b o a rd m a g . c o m
Color-changing
LEDs and labeling
aid hunting for the
Parameters that
right sound.
can be altered are
accessed here.
As on the PC2X, the nerve center is Setup mode,
used for playing the keyboard multitimbrally
and as a master controller. A Setup can include
up to four Zones, each of which consists of
an internal and/or external sound program as
well as an independent set of MIDI control
assignments. Editing is geared towards creating
your own Setups, and towards altering the
Overview