this is exciting:

"K4 Emulation coming?
Most probably, yes. Hereby confirmed. The K4 is technically quite similar to a K1. It will be challenging to model the K4s filters though and how similar it will sound, I can’t give any guarantee yet, but I already have an idea how to do it."

https://www.nilsschneider.de/wp/category/private-programming/kawaik1emulation/kawai-k4-emulation/

For completeness here is the VSTi Download page for the K1 Emu: https://www.nilsschneider.de/wp/nils-k1v/

 

Last edited by a moderator: Jul 10, 2021

That's good news! How does it sound?
Synth Stuff Ep. 27 - Kawai K4

 

there is one on eBay for 500$.
if someone offered me 500 mine would be in a box at UPS in a NYC NYE minute.

they sound dated. if you like lo-fi or 80s retro, you might like one. for like 100.

 

Owned the K4m when it was current, many moons ago.
Ditched it for the Korg M3R.
A world of difference with the two, especially the Korg sounding superior, being multitimbral and having decent effects.

 

his K1 emulation sounds fantastic, highly recommended 8bit goodness

 

if it's anything like his K1 emulation it ought to sound good, but he admits in his article that the filter is going to be a challenge to emulate. The filter is really good. I want this synth. He's very thorough and meticulous, this is going to be good.

 

It would be great if Cytomic or someone on that level would help with choosing the right filter algo.

(accidental double post)

 

Everything you need to know about Roland’s PCM synthesizers.

A PCM synthesizer uses samples as it’s primary sound source. In case you didn’t know, PCM stands for Pulse Code Modulation. A piano sound will start out with a sound engineer recording a real piano, or a guitar patch will be a recording of a guitar, etc.
The advantage of PCM over other types of synthesis is that recreations of acoustic instruments can sound very authentic. This can be very difficult with other types of synthesis.

PCM differs from other forms of synthesis because it doesn’t use oscillators. In their place, recorded samples are the sound source. These samples are lined up on a keyboard in different zones. Each sample is pitch-shifted to span about 4 to 5 notes until a new sample is needed (otherwise the sample begins to sound noticeably different).

This process is meant to emulate real instruments by recalling actual samples of those instruments when you play the keyboard. These types of synthesizers can take up a lot of processing power due to the storage and instant recall of these samples.

Source: https://rolandcorp.com.au/blog/what-is-a-pcm-synthesizer

The Kawai K4 is a 61 key synthesizer manufactured in 1989 by Kawai. It contains several features beyond those offered on Kawai's K1, adding resonant filters and a DAC PCM wavetable. The K4 incorporated a new type of synthesis called Digital Multi Spectrum.

 

I wasn't sure if there was a thread for the K1v, just assumed there was one already since it made a bit of a splash when it released. This developer is one to watch for sure.

 

very good!

and thank you very much for supplying a x64 version of the plugin!

(which for some cumbersome and obvious ego reason, many other rogue developers just doesn't do )

 

Last edited: Jul 10, 2021

KAWAI K1 (VST) - K1v (1988) - #NilsSchneider #plugin #VST

 

what makes the K4 so awesome i think is the filter. the sounds themselves are very cheap but whatever algo or method the filter uses, it's really snappy and pronounced, so that's going to be the most important factor to me in an emulation.

 

The K4 incorporated a new type of synthesis called Digital Multi Spectrum.

Type: Digital
Synthesis: ROM, Vector synthesis
Oscillators(+) Open Manual Page
Oscillators: 2
Waveforms: ROM
ROM Resolution: 16 bit, 32 kHz
Osc Modulation: Envelope, Keyboard, Knob, LFO, Mod Wheel, Oscillator, Pitch Wheel, Glide / Portamento, Velocity
Oscillator Notes:
Vector mixed sounds elements:
+ 16-bit libraray 256 PCM waves
+ 96 PCM digital cyclic (DC) waves
+ 160 PCM drums, multi, block, reverse, loop samples

Filters(+) Open Manual Page
Filters: 2
Types: 12dB Slope (2-pole), Low Pass, Resonance
Filter Modulation: Envelope, Keyboard, Knob, LFO, Oscillator, Velocity

 

Last edited: Jul 10, 2021

I've been hoping this would happen some day! I'd actually love to see Kawai give it a go and come up with something like Korg has done with the virtual M1. The closest I've come have been some Kontakt sample sets, and they definitely don't do the same thing.

I owned a used K4 from 1991 til around 2010, when it literally just fell apart (it had traveled extensively around the country and been worked to death just during the time I owned it). I'd been considering a replacement in recent years, because I loved the damn thing and used it constantly. I've seen them go for as cheap as $300 in good condition on eBay and elsewhere.

Actually, the K4 was eight-part multi-timbral. If you went into Multi mode, you could either stack eight base sounds or have eight sounds playing on eight different MIDI channels, plus drums on channel 10. Granted, they didn't sound as good as the M1, and the polyphony was crap, but I had it around more for those great synth sounds (and the glitchiness)!

 

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i think it's because they claimed it was a 16 bit synth, but that was only partially true. they used 3 chips, and they were all 8 bits, but for some of the sounds two of those chips interleaved their audio somehow so they could add two 8 bit waveforms into one 16 bit one, but not for all the sounds, such as the ones without much detail in the high frequency. so it was a mix of 16 bit and 8 bit. I learned this from Nils Schneider's analysis of the sound engine.

 

Kawai's new K4 comes to us with a new method of synthesis: - Digital Multi Spectrum - but how much is new and how much is more recycled technology? http://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/kawai-k4-k4r/185

Sound System. 16 Bit PCM & DC Waves (Total 256 Waves)

 

Last edited: Jul 10, 2021