Kurzweil K2088 workstation

General

Kurzweil is a brand that today's young generation may not even know, but back in the 1980s the brand was already making high-end synths. The K250, for example, a keyboard sampler from 1984 that was used by the greats. The K2000 from the 1990s thoroughly changed course and was again eagerly used by well-known producers. Kurzweil adds another new member to the family with the K2088. Needless to say, the present day is not exactly comparable to the 90s, so the specifications go light years beyond the once vaunted K2000. And it has to; in this day and age, production work is increasingly shifting to the computer, so if you want to be able to make a dent in a packet of butter as a workstation, you have to have something up your sleeve.

Features of the Kurzweil K2088

Fortunately, those features are in good order; a polyphony of 256 and the availability of multiple sound engines. The VAST technology (once new in the K2000) is still the way Kurzweil handles samples. For samples, you have 2GB of ROM samples at your disposal, with another 2GB of RAM for your own samples. In principle, this is already enough to make it an endless synth that doesn't sound the same every time. But then: FM synthesis, with six operators even, this too makes it an endless synth. There is also a virtual analogue engine and a tonewheel organ engine. Of course, there are more than enough effects, and the extensive arpeggiators in particular are fun to play with.

Physical features

As it should be these days: a nice colour screen for all the machine's eye-candy. Faders then, obviously handy for the aforementioned organ engine, but is of course usable with other parameters as well. Aftertouch, always handy, and even a long touch strip. The back is uncluttered; two sets of outputs, one set of inputs, four connectors for separately available pedals, and the MIDI stuff. Sequencing is there too, of course, so handy for your own songs! Long story short: this really is a wonderful synth/workstation, for a price that could normally have been quite a bit higher.