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Kurzweil PC1X Stage Piano
encountered when covering many different
kinds of parts on a weighted keyboard. It was
sluggish when I tried rapid-fire Hammond
key-slapping a la "Fly Like an Eagle," but less
so than a heavier 88's would've been.
The four Zone buttons access a performance
feature that existed on the PC2, but it's so
darned useful it bears repeating. AutoSplit is a
procedure for creating multitimbral setups on
the fly, and here's how it works: Left to right, the
buttons are labeled Main, Layer, Split, and Split
Layer. Let's say you're playing piano in Program
mode and want to add strings. Hit Layer, select
a sound, and voila. Uh-oh! Your bass player
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K E Y B O A R D
M A R C H 2 0 0 4
broke a string and the next song is being
counted off! Press Split, call up a bass sound,
and the keyboard will now play it up to G#3
(the default split point, and yes, you can
change it), while leaving the piano-string
layer intact above that point. Split Layer is for
adding a second program to whatever's in the
lower range of the keyboard. A very nice
touch is that whichever of the four zones
are active or muted, single-clicking on a
button will select that Zone for the purpose
of assigning a sound; pressing it again will then
make the Zone active if it was muted, or
vice-versa, with an inset LED showing that
w w w. k e y b o a rd m a g . c o m
status. Of course, results can be saved as a User
Setup, and to get outside the format of a
two-range split with up to two layers per
range, you'll have to create or edit one in the
more usual way. Having often done exactly this
on my K2600 between songs, or during songs
as I held a pad on another keyboard, I can
assure you AutoSplit is comfortably superior
when under the gun.
Overlap — my word for the ability to sustain
notes, change sounds, and have the old notes
continue speaking until released — is silky
smooth, save for very subtle bumps heard
when the new sound uses markedly different
effects. In Program mode, I could hold a pad
with one hand, switch to a piano with the
other, and solo away with the pad still there.
Trying a similar move in Setup mode, the
button I pressed flashed, and the old Setup
remained active across the whole keyboard
until all notes were released. Whichever way
you like more, the ability to go on a sound hunt
without getting cut off by your button-presses
is a vital tool for hitting curve balls thrown at
you during a set, especially if your "bottom"
keyboard is your only keyboard.
A word of caution about handling: Though
knobs on anything should never bear strong
downward pressure, the PC1X's seem more
delicate than average. In particular, the LCD
contrast shaft protrudes farther than anything
else on the rear panel, and resting the keyboard
on its backside will put a lot of weight on that
little knob, possibly damaging the circuit
board on which it's mounted. Recessing it
or putting a protective flange near it would be
a good design move.
Conclusions
The PC1X is basic and yet thoroughly professional.
Kurzweil has chosen to trim a few features instead
of giving the user fewer (or lesser-quality)
sounds, and in my opinion they chose exactly the
ones that a broad segment of cost-conscious
and busy keyboardists are least likely to miss.
As a versatile "bottom keyboard," it makes few
compromises. However, it also has loads of "top
keyboard" sound and application not necessarily
found on comparable stage pianos. The closest
competitor with similar sonic diversity and
quality is likely the Yamaha S90, which is more
programmable, more expandable, and more
expensive. If you're looking to plug in and
sound great in a hurry, the PC1X's value can't
be overstated. k
Steve Fortner is a keyboardist, philosophy professor,
producer, and music journalist working in Los
Angeles and Santa Barbara, California.
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