...and I my K2500

 

It doesn't look like it's possible to do that assuming the goal is accuracy.

 

The text commented out in the HTML source includes some interesting info, like:

K2V is a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emulator#Legal_issues">high-level emulator</a> and includes <strong>no copyrighted data or code</strong> from the original synthesizers it emulates. For full compatibility with all programs, copyrighted sound ROM files from the original hardware must be supplied by the end user.

You can see why they'd hide that and want people to find that out *after* a purchase... ;)

 

Motorola 68k emulators have been a thing for a very long time, so not a problem.
Motorola 563xx emulator has been done a couple of years ago, so not a problem.
Young Chang custom ASICs, which are driving force of the V.A.S.T synthesis can be reverse-engineered, given enough time.

It is possible and TheUsualSuspects proved it with emulated Access, Waldorf and Nord synths, but there was no custom ASICs to emulate AFAIK. The guy who made a Kawai K1 emulation and is working on K4 emulation managed to reverse-engineer Kawai custom ASICs, though, with some effort. So yes - it is possible to reverse-engineer custom ASICs, but have they done it?

Let's hope they have. K2000VP keyboard is my most prized 90s synth/sampler. Love it.
I could use a VSTi that doesn't need repairs and lasts forever, though.

 

Years ago I had a hardware Access Virus b (bought new). So I felt "morally entitled" to use TheUsualSuspects OSirus when it appeared (e.g. to open my old projects).

I also had a Roland JV-2080 expanded with 8 SR-JV boards (also bought new). So again, I feel "morally entitled" to use the recently released VirtualJV, as I paid thousands of my hard earned dollars to Roland back then.

Guess what? I also had a Kurzweil K2500RS (yes, also bought new when it was released). I sold it some years later for 20% of what I paid for it. So again, I feel totally "entitled" to use any K2000 emulation if anything like this appears.

 

"Our software "phones home" every time it's opened to ensure that the license key you enter matches the license key you bought, and to check for updates."

https://eastyorkaudio.com/terms.html

Page date is copyright 2019-2023, although the main page says 2025...

 

I've known the developer (Peter Sobot a.k.a Psobot on Github) for some time. I helped test alpha and beta versions of the program (here it is loaded into my DAW below, if you don't believe me).

It is a 100% legitimate vst. He also has helped with projects some may know, like MAME emulations of other synths.

He had to open and de-solder a real K2500 for this project, as well as reverse engineer using actual binary dumped from the unit. And the de-soldering part nearly killed his project. This has been in development for four years now (since around Feb 2021) and its great to see there's some way to have it come to fruition! I'd gladly buy.

BTW, it requires the original dumped ROM data in order to work, which is NOT provided in the DL (although it can be found in a select few places online). That means a major legal caveat is avoided. He had some other legal hurdles and concerns, seemingly cleared up now

 

I'd say that pretty much puts it in VirtualJV (fantastic) territory so, if it delivers, I'm receiving. Still has to actually withstand the testing, but, I think everyone would be onboard if it does knock it out of the park. I work music retail so was bummed to read up a scoop on the K2061/K2088 we'll have in store later this year - it seems they still don't have the kind of K25/K26 compatibility enough to replace the real thingm doesn't seem that area of things has changed at all since the PC4/K27 or even PC3K.

Could see myself using this as my "sketchpad" K2, before recording final takes on my K26 once I fix it, which I do between my E-MU Procussion and a sample library by EMU Mania.

EDIT: re above which was posted as I typed this. I did actually have some folks reach out asking if I was open to sell my K26 as a donor unit. Man I really need to get it fixed but was almost considering it, if they'd be able to front the cost of shipping. I might be able to get it repaired sooner than I think, but maybe next time...

---

Additionally, I'd hope the phone home doesn't cause issues with offline use or being annoying (not even coming from a piracy standpoint but sheer usability) - I decided to UAD stuff during the February(?) sale and, while amazing for production, by god their DRM is the most insufferable wank I've ever contended with.

I don't even know if it's iLok or the actual Universal Audio side of things, because my other iLok products like EW Composer Cloud never have issues, while UAD will crash, freeze and keep trying to open the UAD plugin manager any time i open a session with those FX in it. Sometimes auth will "fail" an hour into a session and I have to restart REAPER, some $400...

 

Last edited: Jun 20, 2025 at 2:40 PM

Spoiler: Source: Grok KI

Conclusion
There’s no definitive evidence that East York Audio or its K2V software is a scam, but the lack of user reviews, limited online presence, and low price raise caution. The website appears professional, and the use of Lemon Squeezy for payments adds credibility. However, without endorsements from Kurzweil or user feedback, it’s hard to confirm the software’s quality or legitimacy.

Recommendation

• Proceed with Caution: If considering a purchase, use a secure payment method (e.g., PayPal or credit card) to leverage buyer protection. Take advantage of the 14-day refund policy if the product underperforms.
• Verify Further: Contact East York Audio at [email protected] to ask about licensing or authorization from Kurzweil. Check audio communities (e.g., KVR Audio, Reddit’s r/synthesizers) for any emerging reviews or discussions.
• Alternative Sources: Consider purchasing from authorized retailers or directly from manufacturers for guaranteed authenticity, especially for niche audio software.

 

Curious to sell a commercial product that requires Kurzweil samples/rom etc to actually work as advertised (ie, a virtual K2500) but legally he's presumably not allowed to offer, encourage, or link to, copyright data - ie those samples/roms etc. So when his customers ask how to get it working because out of the box it doesn't, he has to... ignore them?

There's too little information about this online right now to be able to make any judgements, so I'll reserve mine...

 

Suppose it's the classic case of "don't ask, don't tell", between the buyer and seller, and cosmically we'll "find a way" through the osmosis of the internet, and archives, or something...

(To be fair, while I'm not one of them, I know a couple of people that totally do have the facilities to dump their own ROMs, but then why use this over the real thing!)

 

I hope that the exact screen port of the unit is optional and there's some more up to date sensible interface available for editing, even if it's just not pixelated text in a larger window. Otherwise WTF, my eyes are already bleeding.

 

Yesterday, when I discovered the East York Audio website, my first thought was like this:

"Is it really a scam? It would be VERY weird for a scam. Why? Because scams usually appeal to a wider audience. Let's be honest: K2000 is indeed a legend, but only among a relatively narrow community, like us here. Preparing a scam for such a narrow group would not make much sense.

Also, we may criticize the website, but to me it looks like it was made by some one who has a passion and knowledge about K2000. (See the green frames around text paragraphs - referring to K2000's front panel.) I've seen many scams and usually they reveal very quickly that they are made by some uneducated people. This EYA website looked rather like someting made out of passion.

So, if it is really a scam, then it is certainly the most weird scam I've seen to date. Too much effort, too narrow audience, too little possible gain.

This may be as well just a start-up, that fell in an uneven battle with a large corporation, that sent them some legal notice requesting a takedown of files.

Half a year ago I would not consider it serious even for half a second. But now, as we all have seen the working VST based on a reverse-engineered custom Roland DSP chip (I'm talking about VirtualJV), I'm not so quick to judge. Such K2000 emulation is possible."

 

Last edited: Jun 20, 2025 at 3:59 PM

The dev did always have a passion for Kurzweil! https://x.com/psobot/status/266250735983939585

 

Since I'm a sucker for this kind of emulation thing, I went on and tried to pay with credit card and PayPal, but it didn't let me (the "Pay" button for credit card does nothing, or gets greyed out when I select my country, while for PayPal there isn't even a Pay button). I checked the website's console and it's full of Javascript errors, so I guess the payment module from Lemon Squeezy is not implemented properly or there is some other misconfiguration that prevents paying. However I'm keeping an eye on this...

 

So if we do end up finding out how the asics work, the chips are easily emulated and we just need some pieces to fill in the blanks before solving the puzzle of the usual suspects making a K2000 plugin…

 

So what happens when I go through the payment screen? Will he send download link?