“…the new SP range is a worthy successor to an already revered instrument series”
Kurzweil Systems was founded in 1982 by Ray Kurzweil, an American renowned author, inventor and futurist. If you’re a follower of the increasingly popular Ted Talks on TED.COM you may have come across him from a talk he did back in 2006 as he set about predicting how technology will transform us.
His predictions were somewhat accurate with regards to where computer technology would be, incidentally. Anyway the story of Kurzweil Music Systems is that his company developed a reading machine for the blind which somehow (I’m still asking myself how?) they adapted this to produce their first musical instrument, the Kurzweil SP4-8
KB250 back in 1983
To cut a long story short, throughout the 80’s Kurzweil keyboard instruments grew in stature and in the 90’s became regular features on tour riders everywhere. A hotly debated issue is the quality of their piano sounds which many have regarded as superior to Yamaha although to be fair, the latter has many supporters who will contest this. Needless to say Kurzweil products certainly developed a reputation for quality sounds and quality products.
However it would be remiss of me not to mention that the company also suffered a somewhat rocky period when, in 2006, Hyundai acquired the Korean company Young Chang whom had owned Kurzweil since 1990 and had been responsible for some of their most significant and endearing models such as the PC and SP series. For a short while after the takeover by Hyundai things seemed to go south for the company with service issues and lack of new product being cited by frustrated customers.
Until the PC3 in 2008! This release seems to have put them firmly back in the hunt as a quality producer of quality keyboard based instruments and it is in fact that birth of the PC3 that has led to the exciting new SP4 series.
SP4-8
The SP4-8 stage piano is the successor to Kurzweil’s best-selling SP88/X range which was significant in affordability, build and most importantly the quality of its piano sounds. Equipped with many of the same sounds and effects as their now acclaimed PC3 family, the SP4-8 offers a variety of acoustic pianos, vintage electric pianos, dazzling string sections, lush pads, KB3 organs, mallets, drums, basses, guitars and more.
The keyboard has up to four programmable zones, allowing one to create splits and layers enabling one to adjust your sound in a live setting on-the-fly. Notably this newer model is lighter than the SP88/X, weighing in at 17.7 kgs, compared to the 23.6 Kgs of its predecessor and having a quick look at some of its competitors reveals up to a 10 kilo difference in weight which will please gigging musicians, no doubt. In fact, aside from the length of the instrument – 140 cm (most are 138 cm) the SP4-8 is a trimmer, slimmer machine in every respect, albeit marginally so. Still every inch counts when it comes to packing and unpacking, I guess.
Anatomy
Unpacking the SP4-8 reveals an instrument that has not changed much in looks from its predecessor and this is probably a good thing as the familiar ergonomics means anybody used to the SP series of old will feel very comfortable from the get-go. It is also a tried and tested layout that has proven very practical and usable onstage so why try fixing what ain’t broke?
Under the hood though, things get a lot meatier. For starters the 16 character LCD display (with front panel contrast adjust for easier viewing) is a far cry from the 3-character LED of old. Closer inspection also reveals 128 presets, as mentioned earlier taken from the acclaimed PC3 soundset, which also includes KB3 organ and KVA synth sounds. There are up to 64 user presets available for storing of your own tweaked sounds. The SP4-8 is also a fully featured midi controller and as such includes 128 midi channels, 64 factory set and 64 user setups available. The user MIDI setup, by the way, has 4 programmable zones for splits and layers.
There are also a host of effects and effects chains available, once again taken from the Pc3, to include the obligatory host of reverbs, but also effects such as amplifier simulations which are useful for getting some of those retro sounds. Controllers come in the form of Pitch wheel, modulation wheel, 1 front panel knob, 1 stereo switch-pedal input (supports two pedals with Y connector), 1 continuous control pedal input and the unit is packaged with a foot-pedal. The analog outputs are two 1/4″ balanced TRS with a rear panel 1/4″ headphone output. Midi connectivity is both the conventional in, out ports as well as USB which includes full midi functionality and is also useful for operating system updates as well as program and file transfers from PC or MAC.
A notable feature of the SP4-8 is that one can also load additional sounds/ programs from the PC3 and PC3LE series keyboards, although these will only work within the limits of the SP4’s DSP capabilities. Additional sounds are also available from the Kurzweil website, although I did not venture over to check what these are.
Playing the SP4-8
The hammer-weighted keys on a Kurzweil keyboard have never disappointed and this tradition continues on the SP4. They feel responsive, have a wonderful after-touch and are just so easy and fun to play. Running through the patches the obvious place to start is the piano sound as this is perhaps what Kurzweil is best known for. Again the SP4 does not disappoint with 8 superb piano sounds and as mentioned earlier the ergonomics of the keyboard means one touch buttons to move between the different presets. The electric piano (a fave of mine) is so warm and inviting but to be honest each of these 8 variants are really engaging. Another highlight is the clavinet and the strings both of which are wonderfully authentic. The organs remain adequate and hugely improved from the legacy models and the woodwind instruments to my ears are very authentic sounding. A host of additional presets to include drums & percussion, basses, pads, guitars, leads and brasses all exist and the sheer depth of the samples makes for a very convincing soundset. I actually had tons of fun simply rocking the electric guitars – made me feel like I was wielding an axe on stage! Like I mentioned earlier, the layout has not changed much and this makes for very quick interchanges between sounds with a set of Group Select buttons to select either Piano, Electric Piano, Clav, Strings etc and from there one can easily pick the sound within the Group with the Sound Select buttons which hosts up to 8 variants for each group. Layering two sounds is also a cinch taking no more than 2 buttons to pick your sounds such as a piano and a string for example. Splitting the keyboard also takes no more than pressing the Split button and then picking your zones at the press of a key. Another great feature Kurzweil includes on all their keyboards is direct access to transposing on the front facia (up or down) something that a lot of its competitors strangely require one to go through menus to find.
Conclusion
With an updated facia yet 100% familiar, tried and tested layout the SP4-8 will certainly please fans of the Kurzweil range. If you are an existing SP76 or 88 user the SP4-8 is a must-have upgrade to the next level. With superior soundsets, layering and midi functionality, not to mention its portability (not that any of the 88 hammer-weighted key derivatives are ever light) the new SP range is a worthy successor to an already revered instrument series. Ease of use and the simplicity with which one can select sounds, split the keyboard or create layered sounds makes this the perfect live performance instrument. But if you factor in the full USB midi functionality which includes loading of different soundsets and naturally the ability to use the SP as a controller, the SP4-8 is a very handy studio instrument too. Lastly the price makes this a truly affordable instrument with superb sounds and features well worth its price.
Supplier: Tradelius | (031) 502-3080 | www.tradelius.co.za – Suggested Retail Price: R 13,695-00
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