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Average rating:
4.7 out of 5
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Dr. Washington -
I've never had problems with my unit, but you do... Try asking at the K5000 group @Yahoo.com. Replacing the LCD screen shouldn't be too much trouble...
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thanks to all of you reviewers, i bought my k5000s after reading the many positive postings here.
and i agree: it is one of the best sounding synths ever. so far, no kawai synths has dissapointed me. while programming may be hard, it is worth it as you can come up with amazing sounds. it has that quality that yamaha synths exhibit (like the DX-7): absolutely awesome sonic quality, like the sounds are right there, in front of you, sort of physical.
a crazy world where you can buy them in mint condition for 400 Euros. In my ears, it doesn´t sound harsh or cold, if you program it right, instead deep and lush and aquatic. one of the very best, most professional machines ever.
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First, the machine is simply amazingly capable, it is true. I cannot take issue with that fact. However, the UI, though great for the time, could simply be made much, much faster and easier to use if this synth were refined and re-released today. My K5000 had from the get go buttons that didn't always register, probably due to smoke or some other contact-sullying airborne substance. Maybe it's just house dust, I don't know. The LCD finally crapped out on me, as it has with others, and I don't know where or how to get it replaced. I really wish there were more K5K resources on the web, like an enthusiasts' webring or something: there seem to be enough of us by now. I've been using this with SoundDiver for the longest time, but the "waiting for K5000S to finish backup" pauses are about to drive me mad: so disruptive, so annoying. Is there any way to disable this behavior or otherwise circumvent it? I really would love to get further under the hood of this thing manually, but it's never really been an option due to the button issue. I opened it to clean it, but it would take more time than I have available to remove umpteen circuit boards to get to the buttons, and now with the LCD out, I'm pretty much forced to use it with SoundDiver, or not at all. I might just buy me another one if I can spring for it. Yes, it really is that good, this is a simply breathtaking musical instrument, and it truly is a tank, so much so that it's been master conroller ever since I've owned it, and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's not perfect, but there really is nothing else quite like it: this is a machine you use for its uniqueness and sizzle. And, as far as sizzle goes, this thing singes, crackles, and spits sparks like a volcano if you know how to twist and tweak its knobs just right. Nothing else I have ever heard (and I've heard a lot) can do what this thing does, and boy, oh boy, would I love to be able to use it more often. Any advice, anyone? It's much appreciated.
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This synth is as deep as the ocean. I have not come across any other machine as capable of utter weirdness and sublime beauty, and i have owned many, and heard many synthesizers. I have created patches that sound like running water, pads that never stop evolving and analog acid sounds that i can modulate with a complex combination of formant and digital filtering that sound unbelievable and unique. Dig in deep and you will not be dissapointed as the possibilities are just endless. Only very recently has computer software started to offer additive synthesizers, but whether they sound as good or are as comprehensive i do not know and do not care, i would NEVER part with mine !
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Geez, has anybody ever seen or heard of the K5000W? Yes, W, not R, not S. Anyway that's what I have. I assume it's because it's got a full sequencer onboard so it stands for workstation. I was surprised not to see it here. It looks almost identical to the S but has a bunch of seqencer control buttons in place of the bank of knobs to the left of the display. Had to have that sequencer at the time, though... I wish I had those real-time knobs for fudging the parameters more easily now.... Yes, it's a bizarre but inspirational synth when you dig deep. Just mess with it and you end up "finding" sounds that didn't exist before and thus create "signature" sounds that are uniquely your own. What you come up with is all the more likely to be unique since there aren't many of these around, it seems. A real sleeper.
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