The story of Stevie Wonder’s technical challenge to Ray Kurzweil that ultimately motivates the inception of Kurzweil Music Systems.
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Kurzweil Music Systems
Video Source: Kurzweil Music Systems
About Kurzweil Music Systems
Kurzweil Music Systems was founded in 1982 by Ray Kurzweil, who, at that time, had been working with Stevie Wonder on developing a reading machine for the blind. It was during their collaboration that the inspiration for a Kurzweil digital musical instrument was born.
In 1983 Kurzweil Music Systems (KMS) released the K250, which presented to the world the first successful attempt to realistically emulate the sound of a grand piano in a digital keyboard. Over the next 25+ years, KMS released in succession a series of digital keyboards that were considered to represent the pinnacle of music technology in their day, among them the K2000, the PC88x and K2500. As a testament to how far ahead of their time these instruments were, they are still commonly used and requested by high profile artists around the world.
The current offerings from KMS, which include the highly successful PC3 family, are used by some of the biggest names in the music industry: Andrew Lloyd Weber, Roger Waters, The Who, Earth Wind and Fire, The Boston Pops, Amanda Palmer, Billy Joel, and Paul McCartney, to name a few.
With a small R&D facility located 12 miles west of Boston, the KMS team still meets regularly with Ray Kurzweil, who now serves as a strategic consultant for the company. The full time staff includes hardware, software and sound engineers, most of whom are also professional or amateur musicians. KMS continues to build on its legacy as a major innovator in the music technology industry and moves forward today under the proven leadership of Hyundai Development Company.
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ABC | Justin Bieber on a Kurzweil piano performing at Times Square 2012 ‘New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’
January 5, 2012
Source: ABC
Kurzweil Music Systems | Cool new videos from KMS senior soundware engineer Dave Weiser, on stage with Roger Waters: The Wall Live
December 27, 2011
Here are some new videos with Jon Carin, keyboardist for Roger Waters, currently on tour with Roger Waters: The Wall Live, using Kurzweil keyboards exclusively.
The first clip features John Teele (software dept. manager) and me (senior soundware engineer) on stage about 20 minutes before the show started.
The next two clips are interviews with Jon. I thought the readers might enjoy these! — Dave Weiser, Kurzweil… read more
Kurzweil Music Systems | Kurzweil stronger than ever for new year, debuts new products at NAMM 2011
January 4, 2011
Source: Kurzweil Music Systems — January 4, 2011
Kurzweil Music Systems will be showing off a wide array of exciting new products at the 2011 NAMM show in Anaheim this year. With strong new additions to both our home and pro lines, we’re expecting even more traffic than we saw during last year’s successful show.
Kurzweil pro products will be shown at the large American Music and Sound booth, located in a prime spot on… read more
Kurzweil Music Systems | Kurzweil PC3 OS V2.0, a whole new instrument
December 23, 2010
Source: Kurzweil Music Systems — December 23, 2010
Kurzweil Music Systems is proud to announce the release of OS V2.0 for the PC3 line. Included are many new features and over 200 new presets, many of which are the result of direct input and feedback from our customers.
V2.0 demonstrates our continued focus on the concept of non-obsolescence by design and our commitment to our customers, which lasts long after a Kurzweil keyboard is purchased.
One… read more
Paul McCartney with a Kurzweil synthesizer on “Saturday Night Live”
December 11, 2010
Paul McCartney and his band perform on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” with a Kurzweil synthesizer on stage, on December 11, 2010.
Also see:
NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” official website
Video of Paul McCartney’s “Saturday Night Live” performance on Hulu
Kurzweil Music Systems | A legacy of non-obsolescence by design
November 18, 2010
Source: Kurzweil Music Systems — November 18, 2010 | KMS staff
Click here to view the new Kurzweil PC3K8 brochure, which opens as an Adobe pdf.
Keyboard | Keyboard magazine tours Kurzweil R&D
November 17, 2010
Kurzweil Music Systems | Ray Kurzweil on the PC3K and the legacy of Kurzweil products
November 17, 2010
Source: Kurzweil Music Systems — November 10, 2010 | Ray Kurzweil
Stevie Wonder was our first customer for the Kurzweil Reading Machine (the first print-to-speech reading machine) in 1976. We became friends and had many conversations about technology as applied to both disabilities and music.
In 1982, while giving me a tour of his new ‘Wonderland’ music studio, Stevie asked if it would be possible to build a bridge between the powerful control methods of computer music (in which a… read more
Kurzweil Music Systems | Kurzweil PC3K plays starring role in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s upcoming sequel to Phantom of the Opera
March 18, 2010
Source: Kurzweil Music Systems — December 2009
Love Never Dies, a continuation of the epic story of The Phantom of the Opera, will open in London’s West End at the Adelphi Theatre in March of 2009 … with Kurzweil’s new PC3K serving as a cornerstone of the musical production. Long a favorite of Broadway and stage productions worldwide, the Kurzweil K2600 had for years played a crucial role in both
Kurzweil Music Systems | New Kurzweil PC3K combines game-changing technology with K series sample library
March 17, 2010
Source: Kurzweil Music Systems — December, 2009 | KMS Staff
Kurzweil Music Systems proudly announces the release of the PC3K keyboard, expanding the PC3 line to include key new features along with backwards compatibility with the legendary K Series product line.
In addition to all of the innovative features that made the PC3 a major success, the PC3K features 128 MB of non-volatile user sample memory. Utilizing a breakthrough in sample flash technology, the PC3K allows user samples to… read more
A Kurzweil PC3K8 keyboard is featured live on stage with Roger Daltrey and the Who at the Super Bowl’s halftime show on February 7, 2010.
NAMM Oral History Project | History of Kurzweil Music Systems
January 20, 2010
Source: NAMM Oral History Project — January 20, 2007 | NAMM staff
Ray Kurzweil appeared on the popular 1950s and 1960s quiz show “I’ve Got a Secret” to reveal that he had made a computer that could make music. Since those early days, Ray has come to define the computer age of music making.
Founder of Kurzweil Music, Ray designed some of the industry’s most noted electronic instruments of the 1980s and 1990s.
Ray was a pioneer in the field… read more
MusicRadar | NAMM 2010: Stevie Wonder joins Ray Kurzweil for synth launch, PC3K gets Motown legend’s blessing
January 20, 2010
Source: MusicRadar — January 18, 2010
25 years since the launch of Kurzweil’s K250 ground-breaking synthesizer, Stevie Wonder joined Ray Kurzweil for the launch of Kurzweil’s new flagship model, the PC3K. On Friday night, in a small suite at the Anaheim Hilton, an invited audience saw Kurzweil present Stevie with the new model who then enthralled the audience with an impromptu performance of two songs.
The PC3K keyboard expands the PC3 line to include key… read more