MIDI Target Manufacturer(s): Kawai
After the Korg DW-8000 I got another mid 80s hybrid synth recently: a Kawai K3m. This layout is for editing patches, with one page for oscillator and various performance settings and a second one for VCF, VCA and LFO. I have way more fun to very quickly create sounds using this layout than using the synth´s UI.
Furthermore the layout allows to select program numbers or receive an existing program from the K3m. This works either via selecting the program number in the layout and press "Get" or by selecting a program in the synth itself. Unfortunately sometimes the layout would NOT adapt to the incoming data, I could not yet find out, why this is. Anyway for the latter case it is necessary to set the following in the K3m: "Master" > "Excl 1 > "2". Otherwise the synth will not send patch dumps upon program selection.
A "Reset" button sets all controls to default and sends out the values. Again despite using the vintage throttle the synth sometimes does not react to all settings, using the Reset button (or Send All) several times mostly helps.
In all the MIDI capability of the K3m seems not to be the best and fastest and their obscure use of value settings spread over two bytes gave me a tough time (same as for the K5, so this seems to be a special way of the Kawai engineers).
NEW VERSION 2.0:
Update with two major improvements:
Randomize: using MDs new randomize function, either all parameters can be randomized or only those, which are essential for the core sound (OSC, VCF, VCA, envelopes, LFO).
User Wave: two new pages give access to setting the User Wave. Set harmonics and intensities and press "Send To Internal" (sends to the internal user wave memory, not to the cartridge). Keep in mind at the K3m to go to H/I setting in Master and then press the "Write" button to be able to hear the sound! Finally if you would like to keep the User Wave, press "Internal" of "Cartridge" while being in Write mode.
Following additional features:
- Intensities can be randomized,(either all intensities or only some randomly picked ones)
- Intensities can all be reset to "0"
- Harmonics can be set up straight from 1 to 32 (all in a row) or 1 to 63 (only odds in a row) for an easy starting point
- Harmonics can all be reset to "OFF" to start from scratch with a blank and safe setting (see below)
- Two Presets allow intensities and harmonics to be set to create a sawtooth or square waveform as a starting point for experimenting
Caution: any harmonic being set to "OFF" will disable all harmonics to its right (or on the second page). Having a harmonic in the middle set to "OFF" while others left and right are in use, can cause erratic behavior of the K3m.
