CatSynth Pic: Kurzweil K250

A handsome tuxedo cat introduces the Kurzweil K250 synthesizer. By Jamie Breustedt via Facebook.

The K250 was the first of the Kurzweil’s “K” series of synthesizers in the 1980s and 1990s. Released in 1984, it was among the first to allow ROM-based samples to be layered and played on a keyboard – although the Synclavier and Fairlight CMI already offered sampling at this time. But it did have features such as variable rates and 16-bit sources that gave it the ability to play long samples and get closer to that holy grail of sampling a grand piano – indeed the K250 was supposedly inspired by a bet between Ray Kurzweil and Stevie Wonder on whether he could make a synthesizer that sounded like a “real piano.”

One thought on “CatSynth Pic: Kurzweil K250

  1. That is a picture of my Missy Prissypuss.
    Sadly, Prissy passed away in 2015 from kidney failure. Her sister Auntsy Fancypants (aka Shadow) succumbed to the same thing in 2017. They were both wonderful kitties.
    As for the the 250, it arrived to me in very poor condition, but still mostly functioning. I have always “required” a Kurzweil in my rig. I still have the 250 in storage in week of someone who needs it for parts or as a refurb. I now get my Kurzweil sounds from a PC2r rack unit.

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