Kurzweil goes back to the ’90s with the new K20 series synths

Released in 1991, the Kurzweil K2000 was a 24-voice ‘VAST’ synth/ sampler that, at the time, boasted some pretty powerful features. Now it’s returning – sort of – in the 21st century form of the new K2061 and K2088.

“We asked ourselves, what if we could rebuild the legendary K2000 VAST synthesiser, but using today’s technology?” says Kurzweil, and the new K20 series is the answer. This was first spotted at NAMM in prototype form, but it has now been announced as 'official' on the Kurzweil website.

You can choose from 61- and 88-note keyboard options, both of which support aftertouch, and the VAST tone generation system, which enables you to process multisamples, noise and waveforms with a wide variety of synth techniques, is back in play.

The same can be said of the original K2000 preset library – available here in a “resculpted” form – which forms part of the 2GB factory soundset. You also get 2GB of sample memory; no need for the 3.5-inch floppy disk drive that was fitted to the K2000, then.

Each K20 program can have up to 32 layers, and the supported synthesis methods include sample playback, virtual analogue, FM and KB3 organ. You can set up effects chains and dial in master effects, and there’s 256-voice polyphony.

There are 16 MIDI control zones and each zone can be tweaked with one of more than 30 hands-on controllers. You also get 16 arpeggiators, 16 MIDI CC sequencers and 16 Riff generators.

We’re still waiting on exact prices and a release date, but Kurzweil has said that more info will be available soon.